The thesis addresses a pilot project for establishing virtual computer classrooms at the
University of Ljubljana. The aim of the project is to provide students and employees with secure
and high-performance remote access to computer environments with licensed software
installed, regardless of their location or the availability of physical computer classrooms.
Virtual computers improve access to high-performance computing resources for students and
teaching staff at the University of Ljubljana through preconfigured virtual computing
environments.
The pilot solution is based on the VMware vSphere virtualization platform, the Omnissa
Horizon system for managing user sessions, centralized authentication using the University of
Ljubljana digital identity, and NVIDIA technology for graphics processing unit virtualization.
As part of the project, procedures were established for the automated creation of virtual
machines, their integration into the university domain, and the secure assignment of virtual
desktops to authenticated users. Testing confirmed that the solution provides a user experience
comparable to working on a desktop computer.
The direct investment cost of hardware per concurrent virtual desktop is higher than the cost of
a comparable physical computer. However, assessing the feasibility of establishing virtual
computer classrooms solely on the basis of the hardware purchase price is not appropriate, as
this does not account for the benefits of centralized management, easier maintenance, greater
temporal and spatial accessibility, flexible allocation of resources, and more efficient use of
software licenses. When considered comprehensively, the pilot solution represents a
meaningful and feasible complement to physical computer classrooms and contributes to the
digital transformation of the university environment.
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