Reservist Magazine is the award-winning official publication of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. Quarterly issues include news and feature articles about the men and women who comprise America's premier national maritime safety and security
Issue link: https://uscgreservist.epubxp.com/i/436616
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Being Developed for Remote Users Submitted by Lt. Deloise Moore, Telecommunication & Information Systems Command CGOne, the Coast Guard's primary unclassified IT network, provides a means for mission-critical data exchange between Coast Guard members, contractors, port partners, and other agencies. For users who must access CGOne remotely, there are currently two options: either through a virtual private network (VPN) on a laptop issued by the Coast Guard, or by using both a VPN and a Remote Desktop connection on a home PC. These methods, both of which require a Common Access Card (CAC), are more commonly known as CAC-RAS -- the Common Access Card Remote Access Service. There are currently 10,421 active CAC-RAS users, 2,540 of which are reservists. The current state of CAC-RAS, however, has some technical concerns. Remote users who do not have dedicated workstations (e.g., reservists, post-graduate students, and liaison officers) have typically relied on terminal servers for CGOne access. However the Coast Guard has decommissioned nearly all terminal servers due to issues with Windows Server 2003. (The operating system, which already has an alarming number of vulnerabilities even when fully patched, will no longer be supported as of July 2015.) In addition, only Windows Vista and Windows 7 are compatible with the VPN client, meaning that any user with another operating system, like Mac OS — or even other versions of Windows — cannot remotely connect to CGOne. The Coast Guard's Enterprise Information Systems Infrastructure (EISI) Product Line is developing a solution to address the terminal server issue and replace CAC-RAS as we know it. The solution is called Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), and it is compatible with all versions of Windows and Mac (Mac compatibility recently became available and it will go through extensive testing before it is supported.) VDI allows virtual machines/desktops to be delivered to end users from the datacenter, where they reside on servers that share physical hardware resources. VDI infrastructure will be located at Operations System Center (OSC), Base Alameda, and Telecommunication and Information Systems Command (TISCOM). There are potentially some major challenges to the email delivery in VDI, specifically in regards to .PST files. The solution is to use Outlook without .PSTs or use Outlook Web Access (OWA). There are plans underway to increase mailbox sizes to at least 4GB, which should negate the need for .PSTs. EISI is currently on track to begin a pilot in February 2015. The pilot will involve all of the Base C4IT departments to ensure adequate coverage both inside and outside the continental United States. If the pilot proves successful, EISI will proceed with the target rollout date of May 2015. As the Coast Guard moves closer to the actual rollout date, EISI will promulgate additional correspondence via various channels, such as the C4ITSC blog and an ALCOAST, to provide both C4IT support personnel and end users with instructions on how to best prepare for the transition to VDI. For more information regarding VDI, please contact Lt. Deloise Moore at Deloise.L.Moore@uscg.mil. � it's so new and continuing to evolve. The job itself is trying, but the people I work with make it easier and more enjoyable." With all the people working around the clock fixing all of the Coast Guard fleet's issues, there has to be someone to fix all the CSD's issues. Within the same area of the CSD is the Systems Support Services whose sole responsibility is managing the hardware of the CSD. Chief Warrant Officer Ronald Devoe and a few ITs manage the CSD's computers and maintain the largest phone system in the Coast Guard. "By keeping the CSD up and running, we keep the Coast Guard up and running," said Devoe. They also rotate 3rd class petty officers from the CSD every three months to provide training for practical factors they cannot get in the call center. Even though the CSD is one of the newest units in the Coast Guard and is nowhere near an ocean coastline, the unit still functions like any other Coast Guard cutter or boat station at heart. Members work long hours, nights, weekends, and holidays. They constantly have to adapt to changes by training their people while still meeting the high demand of their customers. "There is less responsibility overall as opposed to ship work, but it changes more," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Josh McMullin. "But there are also good opportunities to learn more." Like the rest of the Coast Guard, CSD members build up each other during tough days through comradely and morale functions. "The chiefs do bingo through chat, hold luncheons and try do to off-duty morale functions," said Shoemake. "Keeping morale high is important because we can't close the floor." As for the future of the CSD, Shoemake and Dutsch see growth. "The CSD is making the IT rating mature quickly, so the rate will eventually change from a physical focus to a virtual one," said Dutsch. "It's a bright and challenging future for us," said Shoemake. � Petty Offcer 2nd Class Sonny Mabaquiao and Petty Offcer 2nd Class Josh McMullin, information systems technicians, sort through help tickets at the Centralized Service Desk in St. Louis Issue 1 • 2015 � RESERVIST 51