Sharing a linux desktop server for multiple users: remote desktop or virtualization?

We are a small web software company (~ 10 people). At present, every dev works on his local machine (some windows, some ubuntu) using a local apache. We have a samba share for shared files and central SVN repositories.

I would like to centralize our infrastructure in the future, making everybody work on a central server. There are 2 options:

• Virtualization: everybody gets an own virtual box on a central, fat server.
  Pro: quick setup, isolation of the users, new boxes added fast.
  Con: as every user has its own OS, a little hungry for hardware. Updating software (new Eclipse versions etc.) does not affect everybody unless they start to use a new vm, which leads to fragmentation or lost working time again. Potential security issues due to missing security updates and users using the box as root.
• Remote Desktop: everybody connects to a central ubuntu server, using a remote desktop from there. Options are a real X client, xrdp, VNC and the like.
  Pro: easy to use, central data storage, software updates effective immediately, central control easy. Does not need as much hardware. Users are not root. SVN repositories might be local, meaning speedup.
  Con: users are not isolated (potential security issues inside of the team), an apache restart etc. hits everybody.

Both solutions need a fast network and a fat server. At the moment, I would tend to use xrdp as remote desktop access. What experiences do you have? Any downsides to one approach over the other? Options I've missed? Is there anybody out here that successfully virtualised a software dev team?

Solution 1:

The cons you described are not really actual, in the modern IT world. Hardware is pretty cheap, and the ROI seen when virtualization is used is high and quick. Software updates and management are easy to manage using chef or puppet. Security issues are localised to a single VM, and not to an entire terminal machine, and if you pick the right solution, security, at the update level, is handled by the vendor. BTW, to speed up repository access, use git - your developers will fall in love with it, once they get over the initial shock

With a terminal machine, resource management might end up being pretty hard, with VMs, you not only get better resource allocation, you also get a better justification to get better hardware.