Question duplicate systems on different hardware

[PH-Bench]

How can you have a clone of the closest thing to it of your desktop PC running on your laptop? This way, I have an exact copy when I use the laptop to work. I am talking about a system that runs power user programs (Photoshop, Visual Studio, 3ds Max, FileMaker, etc.).

I will also need to ensure that the program-specific files (my work) are all the same (synced).

Is virtualization the way to go about this? I use VMWARE, but only for testing systems. I mention this to let anyone with input know I know what it does.

Thanks

 

[USAFRet]

1. Assuming the laptop is of reasonable power, simply install the same applications.

2. Use one of the Remote technologies, to connect to the desktop from the laptop. In effect, actually using the desktop, just seeing it on your laptop.


For your working data, a common storage location. A NAS would work well for this. All data lives on the NAS.

 

[Grobe]

this: Have a windows server with Active Directory, define users in AD and also let the users home folder be located/replicated to a storage space on the server instead of locally.

I know this was possible to back in W2000 (because we made a similar setup at school) but now unfortunately I haven't work on that area since then, so I need a lot of googling and testing if I'd getting this to work today.

 

[USAFRet]

this: Have a windows server with Active Directory, define users in AD and also let the users home folder be located/replicated to a storage space on the server instead of locally.

I know this was possible to back in W2000 (because we made a similar setup at school) but now unfortunately I haven't work on that area since then, so I need a lot of googling and testing if I'd getting this to work today.

The WInServer concept would work, but a lot of added cost for the license.

Current NAS boxes have the same functionality. Multiple users, each with a Home directory.
Easily accessible from any workstation.

I access various shared places in my NAS from any system in the house, incl Linux VMs or Android tablets.
The Windows systems don't even know, nor care, that the shared folder does not live locally.
Indeed, my browsers, across all systems, are set to download directly to the NAS, and those files can be read/used by any system in the house.