Altiris Software Virtualization Solution vs. Softricity SoftGrid*

Transcription

1 Altiris Software Virtualization Solution vs. Softricity SoftGrid* White Paper July 18, Altiris Inc. All rights reserved.

2 ABOUT ALTIRIS Altiris, Inc. is a pioneer of IT lifecycle management software that allows IT organizations to easily manage desktops, notebooks, thin clients, handhelds, industry-standard servers, and heterogeneous software including Windows, Linux, and UNIX. Altiris automates and simplifies IT projects throughout the life of an asset to reduce the cost and complexity of management. Altiris client and mobile, server, and asset management solutions natively integrate via a common Web-based console and repository. For more information, visit NOTICE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT: (I) IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY WITH RESPECT TO PRODUCTS OF ALTIRIS OR ITS SUBSIDIARIES ( PRODUCTS ), (II) REPRESENTS ALTIRIS VIEWS AS OF THE DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THIS DOCUMENT, (III) IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE, AND (IV) SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS ANY COMMITMENT BY ALTIRIS. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN ALTIRIS LICENSE AGREEMENT GOVERNING ANY PRODUCTS OF ALTIRIS OR ITS SUBSIDIARIES ( PRODUCTS ), ALTIRIS ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER, AND DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES RELATING TO THE USE OF ANY PRODUCTS, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR INFRINGEMENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS. ALTIRIS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND ALTIRIS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITIES AND/OR OBLIGATIONS FOR ANY CLAIMS, SUITS OR DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF, RELIANCE UPON OR DISSEMINATION OFTHIS DOCUMENT AND/OR THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. Altiris may have patents or pending patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights that relate to the Products referenced herein. The furnishing of this document and other materials and information does not provide any license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any foregoing intellectual property rights. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the express written consent of Altiris, Inc. Customers are solely responsible for assessing the suitability of the Products for use in particular applications. Products are not intended for use in medical, life saving, life sustaining, critical control or safety systems, or in nuclear facility applications. Copyright 2006, Altiris, Inc. All rights reserved. Altiris, Inc. 588 West 400 South Lindon, UT Phone: (801) Fax: (801) *Other company names or products mentioned are or may be trademarks of their respective owners. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. For the latest documentation, visit

3 CONTENTS Introduction... 1 Software Virtualization Solution Overview 1 Softricity Overview 2 What s the Difference?... 3 Virtualization 3 User Experience 4 Infrastructure and Management 5 Packaging 6 Streaming vs. Deployment 7 Software Licensing 7 End-user Support 8 Price 8 What Customers are Saying 9 Conclusion 9 Common Questions What about COM/DCOM? 10 What is layer prioritization and how does Software Virtualization Solution use it to separate applications? 10 What about testing? 10 What about scalability? 10

4

5 INTRODUCTION Altiris Software Virtualization Solution could reshape the PC landscape at the IT level. PC Magazine There are two significant players in the software/application virtualization market segment: Altiris and Softricity. There is considerable confusion about software and application virtualization in the industry. This white paper describes the differences between the two technologies. Software Virtualization Solution Overview Altiris Software Virtualization Solution is a revolutionary approach to software management. By placing applications and data into managed units called Virtual Software Packages, Software Virtualization Solution allows you to instantly activate, deactivate or reset applications and to avoid known conflicts between applications without altering the base Windows* installation. Software Virtualization Solution enables applications to use accurate files and registry settings, without modifying the operating system and without interfering with other applications. The solution allows the user to host multiple versions of an application on the same system while avoiding conflicts between older and newer files, and to easily activate or deactivate applications based upon need by sending a single command to the client systems. Software Virtualization Solution easily integrates with Altiris extensible management architecture. By using Altiris products, the user gains the tremendous benefits from native integration with Altiris' award-winning service, asset, and systems management solutions. Software Virtualization Solution is a relatively new technology, but it is already gaining significant momentum in the industry. This solution has won numerous awards, including: Technical Excellence Award, PC Magazine, January 2006 Best New Product, Microsoft Management Summit (MMS) 2006 Best New Product, Microsoft TechEd 2006 Excellent review designation, InfoWorld, 2006 Editor s Choice Award, PC Magazine, 2006 Best New Product of Q1, PC Magazine, 2006 Overall Best of Show, FOSE 2006 Here is just a sampling of the accolades that Altiris has received: Altiris' Software Virtualization Solution could reshape the PC landscape at the IT level (PC Magazine, January 2006) and SVS could be one of those disruptive technologies we hear so much about (Government Computer News, October 2005). Altiris SVS vs. Softricity SoftGrid > 1

6 Softricity Overview Softricity provides the SoftGrid* and Softricity Desktop* products that virtualize and distribute applications to the desktop. They have been in business since 1999 and started with an educational product that could be used in computer labs. Softricity uses a server-based approach to streaming applications over the network. Users click on an icon for the appropriate appliciation and the application is streamed to the desktop where only a portion of the application is cached. Users can access and stream these applications from a central location. Applications do not need to be installed on the end-user s PC and the application never touches the base operating system and avoids conflicts will other applications already installed on the PC. 2 < Altiris SVS vs. Softricity SoftGrid

7 WHAT S THE DIFFERENCE? Virtualization There are many types of virtualization technologies, ranging from processor, computer, and disk virtualization at the hardware level, to operating system virtualization, file system and application virtualization at the software level. Notice that Altiris and Softricity provide virtualization at different layers of the technology stack. Softricity virtualizes at the application level while Altiris virtualizes at the file system or software level. This fundamental difference has several implications. So what is application virtualization and what is software or file system virtualization? Application virtualization as used by Softricity is a method of virtualizing the execution of the application. To accomplish this, Softricity must abstract and isolate all the functions of the operating system that are needed by the application. This has some benefits; however, there are also limitations. Application virtualization isolates the application in a bubble or stovepipe, separating the execution of the application from the operating system and other applications. Though Softricity provides methods for virtualized applications to interact, by default, this is not an automatic process. Softricity requires significant manual effort to enable normal interaction with and between virtualized applications and the operating system. The key difference between application virtualization and software virtualization used by Altiris is what is being virtualized. Softricity virtualizes the execution of the application and Altiris virtualizes the application resources, such as files and registry keys. Software virtualization as used by Altiris leverages a special type of Windows driver called a file system filter driver, which abstracts an application s resources (files and registry keys) from the operating system but still allows the application to execute normally and to interact Altiris SVS vs. Softricity SoftGrid > 3

8 with both the operating system and other applications. Filter drivers are a common technology used for several different applications, including antivirus software, encryption tools, and compression tools. With software virtualization, the applications do not touch the base operating system or other applications, including conventionally installed applications and other virtual applications. In addition to virtualizing applications, Software Virtualization Solution can virtualize data as well. BENEFITS OF THE ALTIRIS APPROACH User Experience Software Virtualization Solution provides customers with the advantages of virtualization, such as instant on, instant off, reset, and conflict elimination, but does not change the native Windows experience for the administrator or the end user. Virtualized applications created with Software Virtualization Solution use their own system files and registry settings, if necessary, to avoid conflict, but they still interact with the operating system and other applications. Virtual applications run on the system just as conventionally installed applications do. End users are not even aware that they are running virtual applications. Administrators will be able to deploy and manage applications using tools that they are familiar with. Software Virtualization Solution is also very efficient. The filter driver is less than 200 KB and requires less than 1 MB of memory. As a benefit, applications can be instantly activated, deactivated, and reset back to the installed state. Additionally, administrators can provide end users with permission to reset applications themselves, which decreases service desk calls and saves money. Softricity isolates the application with their SoftGrid client. Because they completely isolate applications, everything that an application uses, including operations provided natively by the Windows operating system, must be virtualized. This includes any system.dll files, API function calls, COM/DCOM library functions, network operations, printer functions, disk operations, registry calls, and anything that the application needs to execute. Applications run in a bubble or stovepipe with limited access to the operating system or other applications. It requires significant effort on the part of the IT worker packaging SoftGrid applications to enable conventional applications and the operating system to communicate with virtual applications. Furthermore, additional system resources are required to run these additional isolating processes. If the application is unable to communicate properly with Windows or other applications, the user will not benefit from all of the application s functionality. A good example is an application such as WinZip*, which uses standard Windows API calls to incorporate functionality in Windows 4 < Altiris SVS vs. Softricity SoftGrid

9 Explorer. When the user right-clicks on a file, WinZip provides a menu of options for the user to compress files. This is not possible with the current versions of Softricity but works well with Software Virtualization Solution. Infrastructure and Management Software Virtualization Solution uses portable packages to distribute applications to the environment. You simply install the application into a layer and export it into a virtual software archive or VSA file. The VSA can then be delivered to the target machine and imported in the background. At this point the virtualized software can be activated for use, making it instantly available for the end user. Distributing virtual software packages to a network uses traditional systems management methods of software delivery already familiar to IT administrators. Software Virtualization Solution has tight integration into the Altiris extensible management architecture to take advantage of all the systems management capabilities Altiris has to offer. This integration allows you to deploy software using user and PC information gathered from Active Directory or to use any criteria taken from the hardware and software inventories. Because Software Virtualization Solution has a comprehensive command-line interface, you will also be able to use other software management architectures, such as Microsoft Systems Management Server* (SMS), to deliver and manage applications virtualized for use with Software Virtualization Solution. The interface for SMS has already been written by Altiris. All the functions of Software Virtualization Solution, such as import, export, activate, deactivate, and reset, can all be done from within SMS. Softricity uses a large infrastructure in the background that is loosely tied into SMS. To deploy SoftGrid, you need at least one or more additional servers in order to stream applications to the client. SoftGrid s integration into SMS is based on simple Softricity desktop client deployment and basic advertisements for newly deployed applications. The application itself is streamed from the SoftGrid server rather than from SMS. Managing the SoftGrid architecture involves additional support for a separate server, an SMS server, and additional hardware for creating streaming applications. It also includes hiring or training an expert in sequencing software for application streaming. Managing Software Virtualization Solution packages is much like managing Windows Installer* (.MSI) files and other traditional software packages, only easier. It uses the same mechanisms for deployment and management that are currently in place in an IT organization. In fact, an Altiris SVS vs. Softricity SoftGrid > 5

10 IT worker can even use a CD to deploy virtual applications if necessary. Using Software Virtualization Solution doesn t require extensive training to use. Softricity has a new feature called copy-mode or 100 percent caching that deviates from their traditional architecture and ties virtual applications more into SMS. This feature sends full-size software packages just like a traditional software package and bypasses the SoftGrid servers. In this mode, the user experiences better integration with SMS, but the downside is that it defeats Softricity s model of streaming applications. This simply validates Altiris position that traditional software delivery is desired by customers. Packaging VSA packages are single file packages that can be deployed like an MSI package or self-extracting.exe software package. Traditional software deployment methods are used to deploy virtual applications. Here are the steps to creating a VSA package: 1. Create a new virtual layer. 2. Use the application s installer to install the application into the new layer. 3. Make any required customization to the layer, such as excluding data files or user settings from the layer. 4. Export the layer to a portable VSA file. 5. Use the VSA file to distribute the new virtual application to the rest of the computers on the network using traditional software delivery methods. In addition to the simple packaging interface already included in Software Virtualization Solution, Altiris also offers Wise Package Studio to repackage your applications for distribution to your environment. Wise Package Studio can be used to create VSA packages ready for distribution. The advantages of using Wise Package Studio includes an easier interface and extensive testing capabilities for both traditional and virtual applications. Even better, with Altiris solution, existing.msi files can be deployed into a virtual layer when delivered to the client systems. Softricity uses streaming technology. Creating a stream, according to Softricity s literature, is an art. Creating effective streaming applications is very difficult, so Softricity recommends that the packager receive extensive training in sequencing applications. 6 < Altiris SVS vs. Softricity SoftGrid

11 Streaming vs. Deployment Because Software Virtualization Solution uses traditional software delivery methods, the entire virtual software package is downloaded to each client. The user will have access to the entire application and will not have to wait for additional features to download. Thus the application can be deployed in the same manner as all other applications using existing software delivery mechanisms as opposed to installing and managing a costly infrastructure to deploy virtual applications. With streaming applications in Softricity, the response time to see a portion of the application is quicker, but not all the application code or features are delivered. If users only cache a portion of the application and then disconnect, they will not be able to get the rest of the application until they reconnect to the corporate network. Softricity s copy mode method of installing virtual applications does use traditional methods of software delivery; however, the user is limited to the use of SMS as the delivery mechanism. Software Virtualization Solution can be used by any software management system, including ones from Altiris, Microsoft, IBM, Novell, LANDesk, and so forth. Software Licensing With the tight integration into Altiris Total Management Suite or Altiris Client Management Suite, virtual software licenses can be managed using all the existing license management tools already included in these suites. Because virtual software works just like conventionally installed software, managing licenses also works the same. With the license and inventory features of Altiris, you can inventory all the software on your machines and compare this with your software license agreement to determine compliance. In addition, application metering features can be used to determine who is actually using the software and then harvest unused licenses. Harvesting software licenses is very simple with Software Virtualization Solution. For those users who do not use the application, you simply deactivate and delete the virtual application. A separate uninstallation process is not needed, there are no files left behind, and there is no potential for damaging those applications that remain on the desktop. All of the inventory and license information is stored in the Altiris Configuration Management Database (CMDB) and integrated with all the other Altiris solutions. In addition, users can choose the software they need through the Altiris Software Portal. Administrators can pre-select which software their users can download and use instantly, or which software requires manager approval before download/installation. When the software is requested Altiris SVS vs. Softricity SoftGrid > 7

12 and installed, it automatically subtracts that license from the total number of existing licenses. This process works seamlessly for both conventional and virtualized software applications. Because all this information is stored in the Altiris CMDB, other applications, including third-party applications, can access and use this data. Softricity uses its own custom software license mechanism that simply keeps track of the software licenses and only deploys software with an available license. This information is shared with SMS in a Federated CMDB, which is comprised of a loosely-knit set of databases. End-user Support With Software Virtualization Solution, end users or administrators can instantly reset applications back to the way they were originally deployed. Applications can even be automatically reset for every use. Resetting applications saves service desk time and expense. To fix problems with Softricity applications, the application must be manually redeployed, utilizing valuable end-user and administrator resources. Price Software Virtualization Solution is a much more cost-effective way to gain the advantages of virtualized software. Currently, Software Virtualization Solution only costs MSRP $29 USD per node compared to SoftGrid s typical price of about $200 USD per user. Softricity charges for the server and packaging components as well. Upgrading to Altiris Client Management Suite, which includes software distribution, patch management, deployment and migration, hardware and software inventory, and many other system management features, is only $128 USD per node. Additional costs for SoftGrid include extensive training, purchases of additional server hardware, and creating and managing a complex server software environment. Installing, configuring, and purchasing a service contract of Client Management Suite Level 2 are significantly less expensive than SoftGrid. 8 < Altiris SVS vs. Softricity SoftGrid

13 What Customers are Saying Several customers who were looking for software virtualization solutions that avoid conflicts on their systems compared SoftGrid to Software Virtualization Solution. Here is what they had to say: One customer who had formally evaluated both SoftGrid and Software Virtualization Solution commented that any time gained by eliminating conflict-related testing prior to deployment was more than lost by the additional time required to repackage an application for distribution via SoftGrid. One customer reported a two-week POC engagement using SoftGrid focused entirely on two applications, neither of which was completed successfully. In stark contrast, a large financial institution using Software Virtualization Solution repackaged more than a hundred separate applications within one week. At an East Coast hospital, one engineer using Software Virtualization Solution repackaged 40 applications in 30 hours, including testing! Conclusion Altiris Software Virtualization Solution is a more effective way to help organizations avoid application conflicts and deploy virtual software. Although Softricity has some compelling features, it is much too complex and requires a considerable amount of computer and human resources to manage virtual applications. Altiris SVS vs. Softricity SoftGrid > 9

14 COMMON QUESTIONS What about COM/DCOM? Software Virtualization Solution works with COM/DCOM. Any system.dll, including those used for COM/DCOM, can be virtualized with Software Virtualization Solution. You can even package different versions of COM/DCOM with the correlating applications. SoftGrid uses a resource-intensive mechanism to virtualize these technologies, creating more complexity. In addition, SoftGrid tries to virtualize COM/DCOM objects and put them into the bubble. The result is that applications requiring COM/DCOM cannot use the standard COM/DCOM objects from the base operating system limiting access to other applications already installed. What is layer prioritization and how does Software Virtualization Solution use it to separate applications? Software Virtualization Solution uses ordered layering to avoid file system and registry conflicts. Layer ordering is determined by default layer priorities. Because SVS handles layer ordering automatically, applications will work as intended without requiring changes to the default prioritization. SVS also uses a classes prioritization. If a user has two applications that can both handle the same file types, SVS allows you to explicitly configure which application opens the file. What about testing? The most time-consuming part of preparing for a conventional application deployment is identifying potential conflicts, creating workarounds when possible, and then validating those workarounds. Because both Software Virtualization Solution and SoftGrid avoid file and registry conflict as issues, pre-deployment testing time is significantly reduced. Regardless of which product is used, all software packages require validation testing. Wise Package Studio 7 provides powerful tools to simplify pre-deployment testing of applications, whether they are to be deployed virtually or conventionally. In fact, because applications virtualized with Software Virtualization Solution have normal visibility to the operating system and other applications, all of your existing tools for functional, performance and scalability testing can still be used with Software Virtualization Solution. What about scalability? Software Virtualization Solution installs locally on the client machine. You can install as many applications as you have hard drive space and memory for with Software Virtualization Solution. Because it is very light- 10 < Altiris SVS vs. Softricity SoftGrid

15 weight and requires so little memory, running applications is very efficient. It is only limited by the number of applications that you can install on a single machine. The size of the infrastructure is limited to the number of nodes that your software delivery system can handle. Using Altiris Notification Server software or SMS, tens of thousands of nodes can be managed. SoftGrid is limited to 1,000 nodes per server, so as an organization becomes larger, additional servers will need to be added, requiring additional licensing and hardware and creating additional costs. Altiris SVS vs. Softricity SoftGrid > 11