Step 1 - Create a Test Plan

DURATION:  1-2 hours, depending on the level of assessment you have already completed for your VDI deployment.

I.  Determine Test Users

The first step is to survey your user population and determine which sets of users are good candidates. Optimal VDI users:

  1. Use a mix of productivity, client-server and web-based applications on a Windows operating system.
  2. Use fixed-location PC desktops rather than mobile laptops.
  3. Are connected to the data center via a 100Mb or better local area network.
  4. Usually don't need to play full-screen video or run isochronous audio-video applications.

The user groups you select to test for VDI deployment will be used to create the Test Plan and Use Cases in the steps below.

II. Create a Test Plan

The Test Plan helps document your installation and evaluation plans.  It describes the target user scenarios (or Use Cases) being tested as well as the server, software and infrastructure configurations used.

A Sample Test Plan (as a Microsoft Word RTF file) is provided for you to modify.

III. Build Use Cases for the Test Plan

A specific Use Case must be developed for each group of users you plan to evaluate as VDI candidates. These Use Cases will describe the DVM configuration, including installed applications, along with the activities to be tested.  The users testing the Pano System will then use the Use Cases in Step 7 to guide them through the sample workflow and record their measurements and observations.

Examples of the groups of potential VDI users (or workstations) for whom specific Use Cases might need to be developed include:

  1. Generalized office workers who use a wide range of office suite and productivity applications along with browser-based  applications, such as commercial or internally developed SaaS ERP systems.
  2. Dedicated task workers who almost always use only one or two line of business applications, such as call center or customer support workers.
  3. Standardized workstations not assigned to specific users that need to be frequently reloaded with a specific application and OS configuration, such as in a training room.
  4. Kiosk workstations that run a single, locked-down application for a public and transient set of users without requiring any operating system login.

Sample VDI Use Case These Use Cases ensure that your evaluation will closely match the conditions and workloads of future VDI deployments.  Th Use Cases also help  when later setting up DVMs and infrastructure for your virtual desktops. 

A Sample Use Case (as a Microsoft Word RTF file) is provided to serve as a template.



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