Fujitsu and VMware Support Tokyo Denki University's Construction of Advanced Environment for Information Sciences Curriculum

Tokyo, April 19, 2012

Tokyo Denki University (TDU), Fujitsu, and VMware, K.K. today announced that the three organizations worked together to build a virtual desktop environment for TDU that is hosted at Fujitsu's Datacenter. The project involved consolidating 29 educational research system servers that had been spread across Tokyo Denki University's three campuses of Tokyo Senju (relocated from Tokyo Kanda as of April 2012), Saitama Hatoyama, and Chiba New Town, into seven servers at Fujitsu's Datacenter, and building a virtual desktop environment for approximately 1,000 terminals that can use various applications for learning and research.

This move enabled Tokyo Denki University to improve the performance of its classroom PC environments, enhance security, increase systems administration efficiency and reduce its power consumption and CO2 emissions. In addition, students can now access the cloud-based virtual desktop from their PCs at home or elsewhere, enabling them to use 3D CAD and other sophisticated applications that had previously only been available for use on classroom PCs. As a result, they can now study and practice whenever and wherever they want.

Background

Amid an economic and business environment characterized by intensifying competition, Tokyo Denki University has undertaken a variety of initiatives to proactively keep pace with society's changes with the aim of fostering the development of intelligent engineers possessing sophisticated problem-solving skills. These initiatives include strengthening both its basic and advanced curricula, diversifying its educational programs to meet society's needs, expanding its learning environment and the content of its course offerings, and establishing a career support system. In October 2011, TDU built a private cloud within Fujitsu's Datacenter to integrate and upgrade the ICT platform for its three campuses in Tokyo, Saitama, and Chiba. This move optimized the University's ICT environment, improved its operational efficiency and enhanced security. In April 2012, with the opening of its Tokyo Senju campus, TDU has now extended this initiative to its educational research systems, integrating its system administration servers in a private cloud and building a university-wide virtual desktop environment.

Deployment Effects

After consolidating its 29 educational research system administration servers into seven servers in a private cloud, Tokyo Denki University experienced improved performance of its classroom PC environments, enhanced security, higher systems administration efficiency, and reduced power consumption and CO2 emissions.

In addition, the sophisticated 3D CAD applications used in classes on integrated electronics and mechatronics design technologies, which up until now could only be used on classroom PCs on campus, can now be accessed in the cloud-based virtual desktop environment on students' personal mobile PCs or by PCs in their homes or Internet cafes. As a result, they can now study and practice whenever and wherever they want.

University-Wide Virtual Desktop Environment: From Conception to Execution

In Tokyo Denki University's information systems curricula, the use of high-performance applications with high-resolution graphics capabilities, such as 3D CAD and game simulations, is essential. In the past, virtual desktop environments, which require the transmission of desktop data over a network, generally were not considered suitable for handling such sophisticated applications due to concerns that the image quality would be degraded and system response times would lag. To overcome these issues, technologies offered by VMware and Fujitsu were combined, and VMware View™⁽¹⁾ with Screen Transmission Protocol PCoIP® was utilized to create a convenient usage environment. In addition, to depict sophisticated graphics, hardware typically needs to be equipped with a graphics board. In this case, however, TDU uses the 3D graphics acceleration function (in which the CPU emulates the GPU) of VMware vSphere® 5, the virtual platform for VMware View™. This creates a hardware configuration that does not require a graphics board, thereby optimizing ICT resources.

Furthermore, for the classroom PCs at the three campuses, a total of 800 units of the ESPRIMO K522/D and FUTRO S900 are being used. Both of these models are designed for quiet operation and energy conservation, resulting in an environmentally friendly ICT environment without compromising student learning.

Future Initiatives

Using the new system for experiments, practical training and learning activities, Tokyo Denki University will continue to enhance its information systems curriculum as it advances its educational philosophy of promoting scholarship while giving students hands-on experience with scientific technology. Moving forward, Fujitsu and VMware will leverage their close ties and know-how gained in supporting the ICT needs of universities to continue providing consulting, system configuration, and operational support services that generate added value for universities.