VMware Mirage

by Faulkner Staff

Docid: 00021390

Publication Date: 2005

Report Type: PRODUCT

Preview

Mirage facilitates desktop management through a “layering”
process. When the Mirage client is installed on a PC or virtual
endpoint, it scans the entire device and categorizes all of its contents
into two groups of dynamic, logical layers: Those that IT owns and manages
and those that the user controls such as the user’s profile and data or
any applications the user installed. Layering allows a granular and
highly targeted approach to PC updating in which only those layers that
require revision are updated and pushed out to users. As of May 7, 2018,
VMware discontinued the availability of VMware Mirage; however, the
product can still be used. General support ended on 6/30/2019.

Description

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One of the more onerous aspects of information technology (IT)
administration is PC maintenance: Managing and updating hundreds or even
thousands of desktops and laptops distributed over a wide enterprise
space.

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Imagine a PC environment where the IT administrator can: (1) Repair a
malfunctioning PC by remotely restoring the PC’s “system layers;” (2) push
down global PC and network changes, automatically and dynamically, to each
PC; (3) enable full PC “snapshots” to ensure quick data recovery; (4)
transition users from old PCs to new PCs without losing any user data or
“personalization” information; (5) deploy individual applications, or
groups of applications, to any set of users; and (6) provision a standard
desktop image to a single PC or group of PCs.

Now imagine being able to support thousands of users.

Vendor

Name: VMware
Headquarters
3401 Hillview Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94304
Phone: (877) 486-9273
Fax: (650) 427-5001
Web: http://www.vmware.com/
Type of Vendor: Virtualization Solutions Provider
Founded: 1998
Service Areas: Global
Stock Symbol: NYSE:VMW

If this environment seems like a mirage, well, it’s real, although the
technology that makes this unprecedented level of PC control possible is
called Mirage, specifically, VMware Mirage. Importantly, while this
solution does NOT require virtualization, it extends the benefits of
virtualization to physical infrastructure.

VMware Mirage was originally packaged as part of the VMware Horizon
Suite, hence the product is sometimes still referred to as “VMware Horizon
Mirage.” As of May 7, 2018, VMware discontinued the availability of VMware
Mirage; however, the product can still be used. End of general support was
on 6/30/2019.

VMware Mirage

VMware Mirage is a desktop management tool for centrally managing
physical and virtual desktop images.

Mirage facilitates desktop management through a “layering”
process. When the Mirage client is installed on a PC or virtual
endpoint, it scans the entire device and categorizes all of its contents
into a number of dynamic, logical layers. It creates two groups of
layers: Those that IT owns and manages and those that the user controls
(such as the user’s profile and data or applications the user
installs). Layering allows a granular and highly targeted approach to
PC updating in which only those layers that require revisions are updated
and pushed out to users.

Mirage Advantages

With layered images of each PC, VMware Mirage makes it easy to deliver,
manage, and protect operating systems and applications in a cost-effective
manner. IT administrators can:

Easily deploy applications to any set of users.
Rapidly restore system layers (to repair problems) without
overwriting user layers.
Migrate a user (or users) from an old PC to a new one without losing
data, profiles, or user-installed applications.
Enable desktop recovery with full PC snapshots and synchronizations
any time there’s a change in the data center.
Store full desktop snapshots in the data center with continual
synchronization of IT or end-user initiated changes.
Minimize user downtime when a PC has been lost, stolen, or damaged,
quickly restoring the user system to a new device.
Support branch office deployments with minimal infrastructure; Mirage
is designed for distributed WAN environments.
Natively install Mirage-managed images onto Windows PCs, or as virtual
desktops on Mac or Linux machines.
Ensure users can take advantage of “follow-me file access,” permitting
them to access any file from any web browser on any device. Users can
also restore any file or any directory on their own with just a few
clicks.

Applications

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VMware Mirage performs a variety of desktop management functions, for
example, permitting, an IT administrator to:

Repair a malfunctioning PC by remotely restoring the PC’s “system
layers.”
Push down global PC and network changes, automatically and
dynamically, to each PC.
Take full PC “snapshots” to ensure quick data recovery.
Transition users from old PCs to new PCs without losing any user data
or “personalization” information.
Deploy individual applications, or groups of applications, to any set
of users.

OS Migrations

With VMware Mirage, IT administrators can migrate:

An existing Windows XP desktop to Windows 7.
An existing Windows 7 desktop to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10.
Old versions of Windows Embedded POS to POSReady 2009 or POSReady 7.
An end user’s profile and files to a new Windows machine or terminal.

A manual Windows migration can often take between four and six hours per
PC or POS device. With Mirage, a single technician can concurrently handle
100 or more migrations per day from the central management console.

Environment

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VMware acquired Mirage from Wanova in 2012, and in 2013 added support for
managing VMware View persistent desktops.¹

VMware Mirage is designed for distributed environments. With Mirage, IT
administrators can support branch office deployments with minimal
infrastructure, facilitating branch office management and allowing end
users to easily download updates. Configured for distributed WAN
environments, Mirage has optimized storage and networking protocols plus
efficient bandwidth control for improved performance. Enterprise clients
can host Mirage infrastructure on-premises or on VMware vCloud Air to
remove CapEx barriers. They can also take advantage of application
programming interfaces (APIs) and special reports to help manage devices
more effectively.

Support

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To help meet the needs of enterprises – large and small, global and
regional – VMware offers the following support options:

Basic Support
– Non-critical support, 12×5
Production
Support – Production support, 24×7 for Severity 1 issues
Business Critical
Support (BCS) – Personalized support delivered by a
designated team
Mission Critical
Support – Priority access to senior-level engineers and
proactive account management, 24×7
Extended Support – Protection against
security threats and severity 1 issues after a product reaches end of
support

Competitors

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Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager

Web Links

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References

¹ Margaret Rouse. “VMware Horizon Mirage.” TechTarget.
October 2013.

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