1.

A) Briefly explain latest five (5) policies of government and industry related to the development of
efficient and reliable ICT environments? Write your response in 200-250 words.

Information management framework 

This framework outlines how we manage our corporate information to ensure the best use and storage
of our resources in order to comply with our statutory obligations.

Data Protection policy 

This policy sets out the requirements for processing our personal data safely and correctly in accordance
with Data Protection Law.

ICT acceptable use policy 

This policy explains to our users what acceptable usage of our ICT services is.

ICT monitoring policy 

This policy outlines how we will monitor the use of our ICT systems by all users.

ICT information security policy 

This policy provides our code of practice for data security management at SFC. 

B) Explain the three (3) current guidelines for government and industry to develop efficient and
reliable ICT environment. Write your response in 130-180 words.

VMware Workstation makes it simple to create and run multiple virtual machines on your desktop or
laptop computer. You can convert an existing physical PC into a VMware virtual machine or create a new
virtual machine from scratch. Each virtual machine represents a complete PC, including the processor,
memory, network connections and peripheral ports.

VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home
use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise
customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under
the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.

Parallels Desktop is an application for Mac that allows you run Windows, Linux or even OS X
operating systems and applications created for them on Mac. Which providing hardware
virtualization for Macintosh computers with Intel processors. It is developed by Parallels, since
2018 a subsidiary of Corel.
2.)

A) Explain the three (3) latest technologies to produce an efficient and reliable ICT environment.
Write 50-100 words for each technology.

1. Cloud computing

network of resources a company can access, and this method of using a digital drive increases the
efficiency of organizations. Instead of local storage on computer hard drives, companies will be freeing
their space and conserving funds.

2. Automation

The current trend in the IT industry is automated processes. Automated processes can collect
information from vendors, customers, and other documentation. Automated processes that check
invoices and other accounts-payable aspects expedite customer interactions. Machine processes can
automate repetitive manual tasks, rather than assigning them to employees.

3. Big data Analytic

This trend allows businesses to analyze extensive sets of information to achieve variety in increasing
volumes and growth of velocity. Big data has a high return on investment that boosts the productivity of
marketing campaigns, due to its ability to enable high-functioning processing. Data mining is a way
companies can predict growth opportunities and achieve future success.

B) List any five (5) current processes designed to produce an efficient and reliable ICT environment.

1.Staff training
2.Access to information
3.Appropriate activity logging
4.Backup of Information Systems
5.Changes to Information Systems

A) List the five (5) tools along with their applications for the management of the virtual desktop
environment. Write your response in 150-200 words.

1. VM Monitor (FREE Version)

SolarWinds has produced a free software application that continuously monitors your virtual machine
infrastructure, which includes VMWare vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V compatibility, allowing you to
manage your virtual environment effectively and from one singular location.

2. Solarwinds Virtualization Manager

SolarWinds has created an excellent tool that has been designed to optimize performance and reliability
in your virtual environment and allows all v-Sphere and Hyper-V issues to be resolved quickly and easily.
3. ManageEngine OpManager
ManageEngine has created an application that is capable of monitoring VMWare ESX/ESXi Servers and
has some excellent features and management capabilities.

4. PRTG
PRTG has created an application of their own, which is a professional and comprehensive VMWare
monitoring solution.
5. Zabbix

Zabbix is an excellent general tool for monitoring and watching your VM environment, and it comes with
some fantastic monitoring and troubleshooting tools.

B) Summaries three (3) software applications and their application to manage the virtual desktop
environment. Write your response in 200-250 words.

1. V2 Cloud
admins can add up to 250 users to a desktop, and users can have their own private folders and use
public shared folders while using the same virtual machine. Which also provides full admin access, so
admins have a full 360-degree view of all cloud desktops. With full access, admins can easily manage
users, install applications remotely, and monitor remote connections as needed. The Programs and
applications need to be installed only once, helping reduce hardware and licensing costs. Administrator
permissions ensure full control over access to apps and files.

2. VMware Horizon Cloud

This is a cloud-hosted virtual desktop and application solution that delivers to any platform from one
control panel. It gives remote and mobile employees all-around access to enterprise resources such as
databases, files, and documents. It helps minimize security risks due to its highly secure deployment,
thus, also decreasing the management tasks of your IT department.

3. Red Hat Virtualization

This is a comprehensive, open-source, and scalable infrastructure solution for virtual servers and
technical workstations. Which designed to respond to your needs, regardless of the complexity and
intensity of your Linux and Windows workloads.

4.) Explain the configuration of the software applications for the management of the virtual desktop
environment. Write your answer in 150-200 words.

Two ways to configure a software application to a virtual machine:

1. from the Software Library to the virtual machine (using the virtual machine's Virtual
Applications tab)
2. Start the virtual machine and using an installation kit through the XenClient Enterprise
Synchronizer Console.

1. Select Virtual Machines in the navigation panel. Click All Virtual Machines in the Virtual
Machines navigation bar.
2. Find the virtual machine to assign in the navigation tree under all Virtual Machines (or Groups or
Users) and select it.
 3. Click the Virtual Applications Application tab.
The tab lists any Virtualized Applications. Those already assigned to the VM are marked with a filled
checkbox.
4. If you are changing the Virtual Application assignments from a virtual machine default, Group, or
User-level override to another of these options, you must first select which override you are
selecting using the drop down at the upper right of the main panel.
5. Fill the check boxes of the virtual applications to assign to the virtual machine.

5.) Question 5. Explain the factors to consider while formulating the configuration required to integrate
virtual machines into the existing network design. Write your response in 200-250 words

Factors to consider for integration of virtual machine into existing network design: Virtualization
improves performance, scalability and connectivity within an existing network. But virtualized networks
also bring challenges, such as the need for increased performance and throughput and the difficulties of
managing virtual networks. Following are the factors to consider while formulating the configuration of
the virtual machine into existing network:
 Network performance and throughput in virtualized environments
Virtualization has a critical effect on network performance and throughput. As you integrate
virtualization into your data center's network, it's important to factor in changing network traffic
patterns and rely more heavily on individual switch ports.
 Virtual consolidation and the impact on network latency
Because virtualization involve server consolidation, wide area network performance and
throughput can suffer as application servers change locations. But if managed properly,
virtualized networks can perform efficiently without introducing network latency.
 Networking problems the next virtualization hurdle
Issues such as a shortage of NICs, poor security, traffic bottlenecks and poor communication
between physical and virtual network switches can adversely affect virtualized network
management.
 Solving network and storage connectivity issues when using VMotion
Using VMware's VMotion without considering storage and network connectivity can introduce
infrastructural management issues. But with proper planning, VMotion can dynamically allocate
virtual hosts across your virtualized network.
 Managing virtual networks with VMware's Workstation and the Virtual Network Editor
VMware Workstation's Virtual Network Editor can be intimidating. But with its ability to bridge
and map networks in your infrastructure with the click of a button, it's a useful tool for
configuring and managing virtual networks.

6. Answer the following questions:

A) Explain the structure and business organisation of the client virtualisation. Write your answer in

200-250 words.
Client virtualization — in the form of presentation virtualization, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and
other related architectures — comprises robust technology that helps IT leaders manage their desktop
environment more effectively.

Desktop virtualization provides a way for users to maintain their individual desktops on a single, central
server. The users may be connected to the central server through a LAN, WAN or over the Internet.

Desktop virtualization has many benefits, including a lower total cost of ownership (TCO), increased
security, reduced energy costs, reduced downtime and centralized management.

Limitations of desktop virtualization include difficulty in maintenance and set up of printer drivers;
increased downtime in case of network failures; complexity and costs involved in VDI deployment and
security risks in the event of improper network management.

B) What are the four (4) functions of the client virtualisation? Write 50-100 words for each function.

1. Presentation virtualization

In a presentation virtualization environment, applications run on shared Windows servers hosted in a

remote data center with only the application’s user interface presented on the user’s desktop.

2. Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

VDI runs on a shared infrastructure hosted in a central data center and uses the same thin client remote
display technology.

3. Intelligent desktop virtualization (IDV)

This is the reverse of VDI. Whereas VDI replaces a conventional desktop PC with a thin client or tablet
and hosts the desktop OS on a server hypervisor in the data center, IDV implementations retain a
conventional desktop PC at the endpoint running a locally installed client hypervisor to host the desktop
environment.

4. User profile virtualization

Seamlessly delivers a standard client configuration not only to users’ desktop PCs, but also to all other
forms of client virtualization.

7: Explain the term “virtual desktop infrastructure”? Write 200-250 words in your response

Virtual desktop infrastructure is defined as the hosting of desktop environments on a central server. It is
a form of desktop virtualization, as the specific desktop images run within virtual machines (VMs) and
are delivered to end clients over a network. Also, this runs and managed a data center, delivered over a
network to an endpoint device, which allows the user to interact with the operating system and its
applications as if they were running locally. The endpoint may be a traditional PC, thin client device or a
mobile device.

Question 8: Answer the following questions:

A. Summaries the comparison between Citrix XEN Desktop and Microsoft Remote Desktop

Services.

With Citrix XenApp you can publish applications in a very easy way with a central console. Also, you can
use a component called Citrix Web Interface. With the Citrix Web Interface Console, you can easily
configure access to Citrix published Apps. While, MS RDS you need to publish applications on each MS
RDS server separately, no easy central administration is available. Additionally, thins can use RD Web
Access, with very basic options

B. Explain the three (3) components of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure? Write your response in

50-100 words for each component.

1. The virtualization servers and supporting infrastructures

2. The hosted operating system instances

3. The connection broker

C. List five features of virtual desktop infrastructure.

 The virtual desktops live within VMs on a centralized server

 Each virtual desktop includes an operating system image, typically Microsoft Windows

 The VMs are host-based, meaning multiple instances of them can housed on the same server
within the data center

 End clients must be constantly connected to the centrally managed server in order to maintain
access to the virtualized desktops it’s hosting

 The VDI implementation’s connection broker finds a virtual desktop within the resource pool for
each client to connect to upon its successful access of the VDI environment

9.) Explain the following:

A. Limitations of Virtual Development Infrastructure

Because computing power is transferred from the endpoint device to the data center, performance can
suffer for the end user. If the end user isn’t well connected, working remotely, or offline, VDI can either
work poorly or—sometimes—not work at all. IT departments need end users to understand and accept
that if they are not connected and online, they cannot work. Typically, there is no “offline” mode or
functionality. While bandwidth availability and performance are both increasing, this may or may not be
acceptable for the type of work that an end user is doing.

B. Desktop specific design objectives of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

• Data Security: Keeping data within the confines of the datacenter improves security.

• Reduced Hardware Expenditures: Consolidation and reduced upgrades cycles minimizes hardware
costs for server and client-side equipment.

• Easier Management: Perform centralized patching and application installation or streaming without
loading the network.

• Mobile Workforce: User desktops are portable – users can reconnect from any location with a variety
of devices.

• Resource Pooling: Server based computing improves a company’s ability to use resources as a
common pool.

C. Requirements for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

There are several main components that are needed to deploy this virtual technology and are listed
below:

 Server rack in a local data center

 Virtualization platform such as Hyper-V or VMWare ESX Server
 Protocol for connecting to the virtual OS, such as the RDP protocol that is native to the
operating system or an add-on protocol.  This protocol handles processes such as device and
printer redirection.
 Platform for managing the servers and helping provision virtual machines and quickly and
efficiently.
 Session broker – the session broker is responsible distributing sessions from the device to the
virtual machine.
 Application virtualization programs such as Microsoft Application Virtualization and VMWare
Thin Apps
 Profile and data redirection to enable users to customize their virtual environment and receive
the same experience when they log on next.
 End user devices, such as a laptop, desktop or thin client.

10: What are the ten (10) factors to consider for planning the implementation and
deployment of virtualization?

1. Consider the Hardware

The hardware for virtualization begins with a server’s memory and computing resources. When you are
planning hardware for virtual capacity, you must consider purchasing hardware that is bigger than you
would normally need, as the virtual machine takes up more space on the server.

2. Track the Virtual Machine Life Cycle

You need to keep track of your virtual machine from its starting point to its end point. The life cycle of a
virtual machine provides the ability to use physical resources in an efficient and productive manner

3. Avoid Virtualizing Everything

The server must process internal traffic from many users, and should make an appropriate plan for
everything that is virtualized. Virtualization provides cost savings, lower use of resources and
administrative capabilities

4. Monitor Virtual and Non-Virtual Traffic

You need to monitor all traffic, both virtual and non-virtual. Monitoring of both virtual and non-virtual
machines is very important in the matter of internal and external traffic of the virtual machine. After
some time, may need to give more resources to specific machines while other virtual machines will
continue to stand alone.

5. Don't Expect Virtual Resources to Be Free

Virtualization clients’ needs to understand that there is price for a virtual machine, which is gained from
a server being virtualized, which goes along with virtualization.

6. Virtual Machines Can Be a Temporary Service

Sometimes you need service temporarily. This service can be provided by virtual machines better than
any other machines. With virtual machines, there is no need for an FTP server, temporary print server or
web server for providing temporary service. As virtual machines are free of hardware resource costs, use
of virtual machines has become quite easy. Therefore, virtual machines allow for the creation of
specified machines for disposable tasks, and you can use them whenever you need them.

7. Virtual Machine Templates Make Deployment Easier

Virtual machines can create templates for easy deployment of these machines based on specific
configurations or needs. They provide a set of virtual machine templates so that deployment can
proceed as simply as possible. This can save time and effort by selling web servers, which often provide a
specific service. Once you create the template for a virtual machine, then you can use it as often as
necessary; there is no need to perform this task repeatedly. So both time and money can be saved.
8. Allocate Thick Provisioning for Virtual Machines

To provide thick provisioning, you need to set an actual size for the disk in the virtual machine
configuration. Before allocating thick provisioning, you need to make sure that the host machine has
enough space for allocating thick provisioning on the virtual machines. Once you allocate thick
provisioning, the performance of the virtual machine will be better.

9. Use Guest Add-Ons and Virtualization Tools to Improve Performance

If you want to improve the experience and performance of your virtualized environment, you need to
install:

 Guest add-ons
 Virtualization tools

This improves the communication between the guest and the host machines. Most administrators
neglect this and assume that it should be unnecessary to install these add-ons and virtualization tools on
the host. By installing these with additional tools such as display drivers, mouse integration, guest-to-
host time synchronization and other tools, you can improve the life and the performance of the virtual
machine.

10. Make Sure the Host Machine's Patches Are Always Up to Date

The guest OS plays big role in the process of a virtual machine. If a server is hosting numerous virtual
machines, and those machines aren't properly patched and protected, then there is the potential for a
huge amount of data loss. Therefore, always keep your host machine fully patched and secure.

11.) What are the hardware and software features of a Virtual machine? Write 250-300 words for each
in your response.

Virtual hardware features include the following:

 BIOS and Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI),

 The available virtual PCI slots,
 The maximum number of CPUs,
 The maximum configurable memory

Software features of a Virtual machine

1. The Industry Standard: VMware Workstation

It permits advanced 3D solutions by supporting DirectX 10 and OpenGL 3.3, eliminating image
and video degradation within the VMs even when using graphics-intensive applications.
2. Best for Mac Users: VMware Fusion
 Brings the VMware emulation capabilities to macOS.
 The basic version is free.
 Supports a range of macOS displays.
 Uses the same virtual machines as non-Mac VMware products.

3. Best Free Option: Oracle VM VirtualBox

VirtualBox supports several guests operating systems, including all Windows versions ranging from XP to
10, Windows NT, and Windows Server 2003

4. Best for Running Windows and macOS: Parallels Desktop

Parallels optimizes system and hardware resources for a Windows experience that feels like an actual
PC.

5. Best for (Some) Windows 10 Users: Hyper-V Manager

 Free and installed in supported versions of Windows 10.
 Robust performance with deep hooks into the host OS.

6. Best for Linux Users: QEMU

Running KVM virtual machines when using QEMU as a virtualize can result in near-parity performance
on the right hardware, making you almost forget that you're using a VM.

12.) Explain the process involved in implementing and deploying the application virtualization software.
Write your response in 150-200 words.

The virtual machine runs as a process in an application window, similar to any other

application, on the operating system of the physical machine. Key files that make up a virtual machine
include a log file, NVRAM setting file, virtual disk file and configuration file. Also,
virtual machines can perform specific tasks considered too risky to carry out in a host environment, such
as accessing virus-infected data or testing operating systems. Since the virtual machine
is separated from the rest of the system, the software inside the virtual machine cannot tamper with the
host computer.  

13.) What information should you include in a virtualization plan?

Before you decide on a server, consider whether it'll serve all your needs. You should be Checked the
specs on your virtualization server hardware requirements. See if they will match your needs.

Other Considerations for Your Virtualization Server:

 CPU
Issues with the CPU pertain to either clock speed or the number of cores held by the CPU. Invest in
faster CPUs only when your workload demands it. The best server for virtualization will include CPUs
with large internal caches.
You'll receive better consolidation from two CPUs with 2.4 GHz and 10 cores than you will from two
CPUs with 3 GHz and 4 cores. Invest in faster CPUs only when your workload demands it. The best server
for virtualization will include CPUs with large internal caches.

 Memory
Your virtual machine resides in memory. The more memory you have, the greater your consolidation.
You need at least enough DDR3 memory to support the number of workloads you run on the system.

The two 10 core CPUs would support 40 threads of potential workloads. We derive this number from
adding the number of cores (20 total). Then we multiply the result by 2 because each core has two
threads.

If each workload uses 2 GB, your server would need at least 80 GB. The closest binary equivalent would
be either 96 GB. Anything less would compromise your consolidation or your performance.

 Network Access

Be sure you have adequate bandwidth available. Common 1 GbE network interface cards just won't cut
it. Get rid of them and set up more rigorous network access.

14.) List the ten (10) steps involved for tuning the virtual environment.

1: Update virtual host systems

Check quarterly on the high side and monthly on the normal side.

2: Update firmware

keep firmware up to date on physical servers, blades, and enclosures.

3: Stay on top of operating system updates

Monthly is probably the correct frequency for most patching needs.

4: Update VMware tools

This update needs to be performed when updates become available.

5: Update virtual machine hardware

check your virtual machine's hardware by selecting a VM in VCenter and look at the Hardware version
on the Summary tab. If it's 4, you need to update.

6: Remove orphaned VMDKs

Checking for orphaned VMs on a quarterly basis is enough to keep your LUNs clutter free.

7: Adjust vCPUs

Inventory your VMs for multiple vCPU usage and do some serious pruning. Generally, configure VMs
with single vCPUs. Multiple vCPUs are for special cases and specific workloads.
8: Adjust virtual memory

Take an inventory of your VMs, determine how much memory you've allocated to each one, and adjust
accordingly.

9: Change operating systems

This recommendation won't make a lot of people happy, but it's a good practice. If you run a lot of
Windows servers in your environment, you're also burning a lot of resources (memory, for one) that
could be used for other workloads.

10: Add capacity

Add memory to your hosts, add CPUs, or upgrade your CPUs and add disk space to resolve performance
bottlenecks or growth slowdowns. "We're out of capacity," is an unacceptable excuse.

15.) How to deploy a virtual application package for testing? Write your response in 250-300 words.

There are four tools in this toolset. Two are for deployment, one for publishing, and one for
management.

 AppV_DeployApp is a tool for deploying a single virtual application package.

 AppV_DeployContent is a tool for deploying all virtual application packages stored under a referenced
folder.

 AppV_PublishApp is a tool for publishing the shortcuts and file type associations for deployed
packages that are assigned to this user in Active Directory.

 AppV_ManagePackages is a tool for managing packages after deployment. Organizes information

differently than the CMC, Load/Unload/Delete on a per package basis, see dependencies, cache usage,
file type associations, and shortcuts.

The AppV_DeployApp and AppV_DeployContent tools also perform publishing to the user account that
performs the deployment, to ease testing. These tools also have an option to publish to all user accounts
on the client in this step, mimicking the behavior of the MSI or SCCM deployments today.

The deployment tools have a GUI but may also be run silently using command line parameters, making
them fully scriptable. The Publishing tool is a command line tool intended to be part of a user’s logon
script. It has a debugging option to output to a log file for testing.

AppV_DeployNPublish Installation Next, run the installer for this toolset. The setup.exe will ensure
proper pre-requisites are met and then install the tools using the external setup.msi file. To install, the
installation wizard will ask the following:

 Which tools should be installed?

 UNC path to present as the default folder for the package sources (the “content share”).

 Optional Active Directory Organizational Unit to contain application package groups.

 Directory for installation. Note that the setup has an option of adding AppV_PublishApp to the user
“startup” folder. In most cases, this should be manually added to any existing logon script instead.