Extra management tasks to keep VMs running on clients.

Possible extra requirements on the client resources in terms of memory and 

disk space.

End user might be tempted to work in the virtual machine to avoid using the 

new Linux client.

Whether this solution is feasible with the extra cost depends on the number of 

clients involved and the cost of alternative solutions.

4.7.4  Dual boot solution

The solution to the unmigratable application problem using a dual boot client is 

essentially the same as the VMware solution, except that in this case the end 

user can use either Linux or Windows and never both at the same time. 

The disadvantages of this solution are:

A full Windows license is needed to boot the client using a Windows operating 

system.

Extra management and support tasks are needed for the Windows part of the 

dual boot system.

Extra complexity involved with dual boot systems:

  Unclear whether client is Windows or Linux; use different host names and 

IP addresses for both operating systems?

  End user cannot switch quickly and will need an extra partition to work 

with files on both operating systems.

End user may be tempted to boot to Windows and keep working using the old 

client.

Advantages over the VMware solution are that there are no VMware license 

costs, and no extra memory or CPU power is needed since only one operating 

system will be running at any one time. In this case extra disk space is needed in 

the form of at least one partition. For both the VMware and the dual boot solution 

it is best to make a minimal Windows client available. This way only the 

application that still needs to run under Windows is run under Windows.

4.7.5  What to do if all else fails

There may be applications left that do not lend themselves be moved off a 

Windows client using any of the mentioned methods. If these applications are to 

be used after the client migration because of economical, legal, legacy, or other 

reasons, a solution has to be found.

 Chapter 4. Technical planning 

83