Windows to Linux Desktop Migration
A Technical Overview

Jon Walker

Chief Technology Officer

Versora

jwalker@versora.com

Desktop Migration Considerations

Planning

Technical Considerations

Automated Migration Tools

Questions

Agenda

Migration Considerations
Cost
”The Innovator's Dilemma” Clay Christensen

Migration Considerations
The best approach

The “Big Bang” - Rip and Replace

Dual Boot/Wine

Incremental Migration

“Transitional Desktop”

Migration Considerations
Hardware to use

Wipe and reload

New hardware or existing

Myth – Linux runs well on less hardware

Depends on what you are running

Pentium Processor III with 500 MHz and above

256 MB RAM

Software Inventory

Transitional Desktop

Linux Desktop

Back-end Connectivity

Training

Help Desk

Planning

Software Inventory

List all applications used in your organization by department

Map applications to their Linux equivalent

Prioritize

Identify non-Linux applications and determine strategy

Port

Re-write

Discontinue use

Transitional Desktop

Which types of users/desktops should be addressed first?

IDC desktop user classification

Transactional Worker – Linux desktop

Knowledge Worker - “transitional desktop”

Power User - “transitional desktop” or dual boot

Developer – they use what they use

Transitional Desktop (cont.)

What it looks like

Transitional Desktop (cont.)

What it looks like

Linux Desktop
Choosing a distribution

Enterprise bias

Novell Linux Desktop

Suse

Redhat

Sun JDS

Best practice – Support one desktop, one window manager (KDE, GNOME)

Limited customization

Linux Desktop Deployment
“Best Practices”

Software inventory

Back up

Disk imaging

Software distribution

Settings migration

Patch management

Back-end Connectivity
How do the new Linux desktops connect to back-end servers

File and Print

Authentication

Database

Email

ERP/SAP

Training and Help Desk

Who needs training

Users

Developers

Support/IT staff

Resistance to Change

Determine consulting/certification needs

Technical Considerations

What are your key applications?

Document compatibility

Macros

Settings migration

Star Office vs. OpenOffice.org

Performance is often bad even with right hardware

Default settings for OpenOffice.org

2.3%

45.9%

1.1%

50.7%

Macro Redevelopment

Indirect End-User Expense

Migration Project Labor

Training & Support

Costs Open Office

9.7%

9.7%

39.1%

26.7%

2.7%

12.1%

Application Conversion

Indirect End-User Expense

Migration Project Labor

Training & Support

IT Installation Labor

Miscellaneous Software

Costs Linux Desktop

Automated Migration Tools

Automation vs. Manual Migration

Process

Support

Traditional Manual Deployment

Test

Automated Tools Deployment

Automated Migration Tools

Open source vs. proprietary

Backup – many choices

Imaging/Deployment – ghost, g4u, autoYAST

Software Inventory – ZENworks, Unicenter, etc.

Settings Migration – Progression Desktop, manual migration

Software Distribution/Patch Management – red carpet, redhat network

More Information

Desktop Migration Whitepaper

http://www.versora.com/__files/documentation/desktopwhitepaper.pdf

Contact

Jon Walker

http://www.versora.com

jwalker@versora.com

Jon Walker

2005-02-08T14:55:16