Hyper-V 2008 R2 Features: Including VDI Connection Broker

I was just browsing through the features of Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2.  One of them was new to me.  MS are including a VDI connection broker.

VDI is where virtual machines run a desktop operating system.  Clients use a thin client (or stripped down PC) to log into a VM using a protocol such as RDP or ICA (in the Citrix implementation).  In this Hyper-V solution, the broker supports:

• Persistent VM’s: Each user is assigned a VM that is always there for them.  Their software and data stays on the machine when they log off.  When they log in again, they log into that same VM.
• Pooled VM’s: A standard template VM is created.  A new VM is created from the template when a new user logs in.  Standard tools like shared folders and folder redirection (Intellimirror) mean that the user stores nothing on the VM.  The user is never guaranteed to log into that VM again.  Ideally, the VM is trashed when the user logs off, maybe only keeping a certain number of deployed VM’s free in advance of users logging in – to save resources.  I don’t know if that’s in Windows Server 2008 R2.

It’s nice to hear MS are working on this.  I hope they also work on making this available through the Remote Desktop Services Gateway.