From IDF 2010: Intel is pushing "hardware assisted workspace virtualization." Real use for vPro or emperor with no clothes?

Brian -

Please visit www.DesktopVirtualizationOptimized.com to read the whitepaper for more details.

Also, this is an odd blog post considering you did not stop by to visit us (Intel & RingCube) at VMworld despite several of us reaching out to you. Whether it's Citrix, VMware, or RingCube, working with Intel as client-virtualization partners, we are all trying to help customers solve real-world problems. By doing such, we are looking at all options. In some situations, hardware-assistance is needed and in others software-only based solutions meet the needs. It depends on the use cases and the customer requirements.

On 32-bit (XP, Vista, Win7), RingCube vDesk has no hardware requirement. On 64-bit, we are leveraging hardware assistance. In the first phase, it's exclusive to Intel as they've helped us most over that past several quarters to get here but longer term it will expand beyond Intel.

We'll try again to reach out to you and see if you will actually stop by and speak with us (Intel & RingCube) this time around. You're doing a good thing for the industry to bring attention to new innovations in client / desktop virtualization but headlines like this seem a bit over-the-top and not the best approach from an education perspective.

If you have questions, then why not just ask some of the key technical contacts - Charlton, Mike, Kiran - you know all of them already. They all sent you emails that you didn't respond to. This post just seem like you have an axe to grind.  

If you do not have an axe to grind with us AND you truly are seeking knowledge, then let's objectively focus on the important questions - are there new approaches to desktop virtualization that really help customers solve key business problems? Is this one of them?

Doug

@dougdooley

Wow, way to rip into an industry professional on a public website.  Seems like you could have just posted what features do and do not require vPro instead. Would put you one step ahead of other vendors perhaps?

@Doug @Brian

I'm also a bit uncertain of how exactly (and why) vPro interacts with the various Desktop Virtualization products, not just RingCube - and would therefore appreciate a video interview with the Intel folks and/or vendors on the topic.

Gonna check that www.desktopvirtualizationoptimized.com vdeo in the mean time :)

Thanks!

@dougdooley,

We get it; Brian didn't visit with RingCube & Intel...enough already.

You said: "On 32-bit (XP, Vista, Win7), RingCube vDesk has no hardware requirement. On 64-bit, we are leveraging hardware assistance. "  The question is; why use hardware assistance on 64bit when your specifically not using it on 32bit?  Seems to me this decision only complicates deployment for end users.  

Rodd Ahrenstorff

Brian,

IMHO, vPro is not a *set of technologies*, it is a brand and sticker for your laptop.

But if laptop manufacturer wants to put this sticker on, he MUST enable all required features such as VT-d, VT-x and TXT.

This features are REQUIRED for XenClient, and vPro sticker is the only one guarantee that manufacturer not locked some of them in BIOS. For example, almost all SONY Vaio doesn't has an option to enable VT-d regardless of the fact that the chipset supports it.

Another point is competition: if some product requires vPro, it means that it runs only on Intel's integrated graphics. No Nvidia/ATI inside.

@dougdooley

It's a legitimate question... you shouldn't take offense to it.  vPro contains many technologies such as VT, TXT, etc... but those technologies are also available individually on some processors without vPro.  So which do you use, which do you "need"?

btw, that last quesiton would go to all desktop virt vendors who claim their technology requires vPro.  I share the same thought as Brian that a lot of it is just marketing fud.... but prove us wrong if you can.

Brian I may be off base here but I think Intel is making all the right moves.  Imagine if you could give client side virtual desktops to consultants and untrusted third parties and manage the virtual desktop even if the PC is turned off.  VPro's out of band management allows for this! Factor in that if it's written into the bio's it's bomb proof what a security play.  What a masterful play Intel just made!  MCafee and Neocleus.  Intel knows VDI is a small use case and their customers are more concerned about security and manageability of their laptops.  By running controls in the chip they on the road to total control, something they have been going after for a very long time.

VPro is a combinaison of 2 things :

- hardware certification in which CPU, Networking and GPU are Intel ones.

- features of the CPU including VT-x, VT-d, TXT, TPM...

Generally, "client type I hypervisor" will require VT-x and VT-d (cpu and data virtualization)... TXT, TPM and others are value added feature for encryption, signature, certificat... and not always or yet used. Don't know what is the AMD side of the TXT, TMP and so on...

To the best of my knowlege Citrix XenClient requires the VT-x, VT-d and AMT technolgoies of the Intel vPro stack. While it is true that it is possible to find these technologies on some non-vPro chips, you will always find them with vPro chips. It is easier from both a supportability and customer research perspective to look for the vPro label opposed to digging down to find the specific technologies on the chips.

If you've ever done research to determine if a chip has VT-d and VT-x technologies for example you'll appreciate how much easier it is to know its there when you see the vPro label.

"If you've ever done research to determine if a chip has VT-d and VT-x technologies for example you'll appreciate how much easier it is to know its there when you see the vPro label."

What research???  You can simply go to Intel's site and view a simple matrix to see if a chip has those technologies.  For existing computers you can also download and run a simple utility that will tell you everything about the chip.

It is important to know that XenClient does not require vPro, though it is "highly recommended" in order to take advantage of all of the features of the product.  See the last line in the link below

www.citrix.com/.../subfeature.asp

@VPatrickB

Incorrect link there Patrick

What I do not get is why vpro can not be on a laptop with nvidia gpu?

I do not think anyone expects intel to have a gpu that is half as good as an ati  or nvidia gpu ever.

So for those that want the best gpu inside the box possible are left without the vpro tech that might be wonderful.  To be honest folks I want both.