Network considerations

While understanding the networking connectivity between end users and the VDI is fairly obvious in a remote scenario, where the end user is removed geographically (for example, working from home) from the VDI, it's less obvious in a local scenario. While a local scenario may not blatantly cause a VDI architect to think about network sizing, it is still imperative to analyze and size the network component of a VDI solution even when all components reside on a Local Area Network (LAN). This is the only way to truly confirm that the end user's experience should be as positive as possible.

Sizing the network

As a general rule of thumb, a typical task worker requires approximately 250 Kbps of network throughput for a positive end user experience. By the generally accepted industry terms, a task worker is a user that has the following characteristics:

• They use typical office applications or terminal windows
• They do not require multimedia
• They do not require 3D graphics...