The Desktop Broker: 2007

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Citrix Enters Datacenter and Desktop Virtualization Markets with Acquisition of XenSource

itrix has signed a definitive agreement to acquire XenSource a leader in enterprise-grade virtual infrastructure solutions. The acquisition moves Citrix into adjacent and fast growing datacenter and desktop virtualization markets. The combination of Citrix and XenSource brings together strong technical, customer, partner, channel and go-to-market synergies that will make virtualization solutions easier to use and dynamically combined more relevant to business. The acquisition will also extend Citrix’s leadership in the broader Application Delivery Infrastructure market by adding key enabling technologies that make the end-to-end computing environment far more flexible, dynamic and responsive to business change.

read it here: http://www.citrix.com/lang/English/lp/lp_680809.asp

Vitrualization Comparison Matrix

Massimo Re Ferre, the gatekeeper for CCON/Broker page: http://www.it20.info/misc/brokers.htm has started a similar project to compare the different virtualization technologies currently available in the market.

Check out:

http://www.it20.info/misc/virtualizationscomparison.htm

Monday, August 6, 2007

Ultimate VMware link guide

too cool

Ardence is the product/company the Citrix purchased and will allegedly be re-launching soon. It allows you to stream and entire OS to either a bare metal box or even a VM. The real kicker is that it's doesn't require a SAN.

This could add an interesting twist to DRS, HA and Vmotion!

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

IBM Unveils New Blade "Eco" System for Next-Generation Client Computing

ST. LOUIS, MO -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 05/01/07 -- PartnerWorld 2007 -- Today at its PartnerWorld 2007 Conference, IBM (NYSE: IBM) previewed the latest in next generation client computing with the new BladeCenter "Workstation Blade", developed in collaboration with Blade.org partner Devon IT. The new offering will include the new IBM Workstation Blade and its associated "eco" system of connection broker software and desktop device from Devon IT, designed to help customers host workstation environments remotely to significantly reduce energy consumption in the workplace.
The new blade-based solution from IBM and Devon IT will be ideal for traders in financial services and CAD design engineers, who find themselves traditionally surrounded by several workstations generating heat and noise. By moving desktop and applications to blade servers designed to more efficiently dissipate heat, and utilizing a desktop device with no spinning hard drives for storage or fans needed to dissipate heat, the energy consumed desk side can be reduced by up to 90 percent. While a typical workstation can consume up to 300 watts, a desktop device from Devon IT consumes merely 15 watts, the equivalent of the amount of energy consumed to run an electric shaver.
"Prior to the desktop PC boom 25 years ago, desktop client computing was hosted by networks of connected servers. By the 1990s PCs became connected and played a driving force in server and networking advancements," said Doug Balog, vice president and business line executive, IBM BladeCenter. "Today, new advances in servers and networking is helping to enable efficient hosting of complex client environments on servers allowing centralized management and security under the control of the data center. With its highly efficient design, IBM BladeCenter has arrived as the ideal platform for server-hosted client computing."
The new solution will also help improve business security and privacy by moving desktop assets and corporate IP back into the data center. Business productivity can be realized by providing users with a more flexible environment with free seating, and a robust infrastructure that enables access at ranges up to 2500 miles, comparable to the distance between San Francisco and New York. Lower management and traditional desk side support costs can also dramatically reduce IT operating costs.
The IBM Workstation Blade will also offer unique, breakthrough and leading edge remote display and graphics acceleration. Unlike competitive offerings, IBM's Workstation Blade relies on hardware compression techniques in the render and transfer of I/O and graphics from blade server to desktop device, drastically improving the quality of image delivered and the performance and speed of the process. In addition, end users will be able to use a full array of USB devices, beneficial for less demanding graphics applications.
The IBM Workstation Blade will extend the infrastructure integration capabilities of IBM's family of BladeCenter systems, and will complement IBM's Virtual Client Solution, introduced in 2005. IBM can offer customers a wide range of 'remote desktop' computing options. These include, publishing server based applications, offering a server based Virtual Client Solution, as well as the ability to offer a high end workstation class blade computing environment.
Investing in the Promise of IBM BladeCenter
When IBM opened up the specifications to IBM BladeCenter in 2004, it took a unique stance in the industry enabling entrepreneurial innovation to drive the development of blade-based computing. Since then customers have benefited from the collaborative approach that has kept IBM at the forefront of blade system design and solution innovation.
Devon IT began its collaborative relationship with IBM in 2005 and has since invested over $8 million dollars in research and development with IBM to drive innovation in next generation client computing.
"IBM is clearly the leader in Blade computing technologies, and we are proud to offer our technology as part of the Workstation Blade initiative," said Joe Makoid, president, Devon IT. "As a founding member of Blade.org, Devon IT has collaborated with industry leaders like IBM to help establish a framework for alternative desktop computing methods. This has given Devon IT the opportunity to drive our business and embark on future server-hosted desktop projects with IBM that will continue to reduce desktop computing costs for enterprise IT customers."
Devon IT recently launched its Server Desktop Solution Center at its headquarters in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The Server Desktop Solution Center is the industry's first facility where companies can bring their own servers -- either physically or virtually -- to test and implement server-centric computing environments. Customers can test Devon IT desktop devices, IBM BladeCenter systems and servers, software from Citrix, and virtualization solutions from VMware, along with products from other server-based computing companies. Industry experts from Devon IT and CentriServ also offer seminars, classes, and comprehensive solution and integration services to help companies understand and implement server-centric computing environments.
About Devon IT
Devon IT is an information technology company that focuses on offering desktop devices, alternative desktop computing methods, and ultra-secure remote access solutions that provide enterprise customers with greater security, enhanced manageability, improved reliability, and lower costs. Devon IT develops products which support IBM's Hosted Client Infrastructure and Blade Computing ecosystem and is a founding member of Blade.org. More information is available at www.devonit.com

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Citrixready.com

During the Citrix Summit 06 Citrix launched it's "Citrixready" program. According to the website:
"The Citrix Ready designation is awarded to third party products that have successfully met verification criteria set by Citrix."

The amusing thing is that as of 4/01/07 there are NO printers listed under the Printers & Printing section.

Evidently this is a Pay to play marketing promotion from Citrix. should you need real printing information be certain to check out www.printingsupport.com.

Monday, March 5, 2007

Brokering technologies for Clients Consolidation

From http://www.it20.info/misc/brokers.htm

This page is intended to be a summary for the various brokering technologies available for the VMware VDI initiative. At least this was the initial intent.
As soon as I started working on this summary two things became clear:
while the idea of the connection broker was initially associated to the VMware VDI initiative, the concept and values of these brokers (or "infrastructure access" packages) has expanded a bit to encompass other client consolidation models such as the more traditional "Terminal Services" model as well as the niche "Workstation Blades" model. Shared Services (i.e. TS / Citrix deployments) are just not death and certainly hosted desktop can't be a good fit for everything either. Not to mention that these connection brokers are or will be able to broker virtual machines hosted also on non-VMware type of hypervisors.
connection brokering is only one piece of the functionality that these "infrastructure access" packages provide. Session brokering is the simple concept of redirecting an end-user to an available OS/application image (either from a pool or his/her own end-user image). As you can see below these packages (at least some of those) provides much more than that. That's the reason for which referring to them as "connection brokers" is kind of limited.
So in a nutshell: what started to be the "VDI connection brokers" are now brokering other things than simply VDI vm's as well as these "VDI connection brokers" are doing more than "simply brokering".

From http://www.it20.info/misc/brokers.htm

Monday, January 22, 2007

Network Computing interviews Mark Templeton

The NWC Interview:

"our application delivery infrastructure has never been more relevant. We also need to continue to innovate, not only in delivering client-server applications, but in delivering Web applications and desktops as a service, as well."

-Mark Templeton

New features of Citrix Presentation Server 4.5

Here's a great rundown of the new features in 4.5 by Brian Madden. He even made a video!

Citrix has decided to move many configuration items out of the CMC and into the ASC. It really can be quite confusing since some items are the same and some aren't.

Enjoy...

Video tour of the new features of Citrix Presentation Server 4.5Video >> As a follow up to my two previous articles this week about Citrix Presentation Server 4.5, I recorded a quick video tour through the new management console.

A rundown of the new features that matter in Citrix Presentation Server 4.5Article >> Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 (previously codenamed Project Ohio) will be released soon. In this article, I'll describe its new features.

The realities of the new admin interface in Citrix Presentation Server 4.5Editorial >> Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 will be released soon. While it has some cool new features, the first thing most people will notice is that you have to use two different admin consoles to do your job, and there is no rhyme or reason as to what's configured where.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Hide application features

Today I used a great app that I haven't used in years called Reshacker and thought I'd share it.

To make a long story short I installed an application to a PS4 server the had an "email contact" button built into the the app. The problem was that the end-user had no email connectivity from the Citrix desktop. If they clicked the button they would see the outlook express configuration wizard (I used a custom .mst file to exclude Outlook from the Office install).

After discussing this with my client it was determined that the Burton was in fact totally unnecessary. So I used reshacker to REMOVE the button, saved it as a new .exe and published it.

Try it for yourself, you can hide, remove and modify menu items, buttons, dialog boxes etc. and of course it's free.

http://ccaheaven.com/files/utility/reshack.zip

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Controlling Access to Web Interface using Web Interface Access Control Center

This is terriffic! TF

Have you ever had a need to allow only a subset of your users access to Citrix Web Interface or Secure Gateway? This is especially useful if you use an internal Web Interface and an external Web Interface/Secure Gateway environment. You might want to let anybody log on through the internal Web Interface, but restrict access through the external Web Interface/Secure Gateway.

get the Web Interface Access Control Center

MFCOM Script to List Applications Only in Specified Folders

Here is a quick MFCOM script to list all the published applications and folders in a specified folder or folders. There are two options for using the script. Option one takes any number of command line arguments. Each command line argument represents a folder name. Option two takes no command line arguments and relies on hard-coded folder names within the script.

Devon IT Announces New Comprehensive Package of Server-Based Desktop Computing Services for Clients

Companies can leverage Devon IT's server-based desktop computing expertise, learn how implementing this computing method can reduce overall desktop computing costs by 70%.

Devon IT, the fastest-growing thin client terminal company in the world, today announced a comprehensive suite of server-based computing solutions services. These services enable companies to quickly understand how server-based computing can work in their environment, provide a detailed, customized roadmap for implementation, integration, and testing, and are applicable with thin clients and secure access computing products.

"Information Technology executives are looking for a much more cost effective way to deliver PC functionality to their user community," explained Joe Makoid, President, Devon IT. "Alternative desktop technology has recently evolved to where a powerful PC can be delivered and managed to users at a fraction of the cost. As IBM's Dr Bradicich states in his popular 7 benefits presentation and web cast there are multiple ways the alternative server based desktop can be delivered."

**********************************************

Devon IT solutions offerings include:
Discovery services that help companies understand server-based computing and what it means for their specific IT environments. Focuses include the various approaches to server-based computing, software and hardware options, virtualization, advantages and cost benefits, and mobile-user integration.
Professional services that include training courses and specialized pathway programs in hosted client technologies, including Citrix and VMware certified courses
Consulting and Mentoring services designed to help customers master the tools, methods, and best practices needed for a successful hosted client integration process.
Integration and Testing services that provide development, project management, and full integration of hosted client systems based on customer requirements
Bundled Solutions with all hardware and software for a complete server-hosted desktop implementation that is fully integrated and tested.

Application to Corporate Environments:
With the affordability, reliability, and security of Devon IT server-based computing solutions, businesses have the opportunity to examine how a thin client computing model can help increase their returns on technology investments. Devon IT thin client terminals provide customers with the reliability and manageability needed for demanding corporate environments, such as:

Mixed Application Environments - many businesses today use a mix of application platforms, making it difficult to deploy applications and information to all users. For example, deploying both UNIX and Windows applications to a user may require separate access devices or emulation software.

Mixed Device Environments - the growing popularity of wireless and diverse information appliances is adding to the wide array of client devices used in many enterprises. Such a mix of devices can cause accessibility and support problems.

Mobile Workers - the diversity of network connection types, protocols, and transmission speeds limit the ability of organizations to deploy Windows, UNIX, Java, and Web-based applications cost-effectively to mobile workers, telecommuters, and branch office personnel.

Extended Enterprise - the extension of enterprise information systems to external users, such as suppliers, distributors, and customers, creates application deployment issues that are outside the control of information systems managers. These include the quality, performance, and security of the network connection, the client platform involved and the technical expertise of the external user.

Internet Business Initiatives - with the global adoption of the Internet and e-business, organizations need solutions for Web-enabling existing business applications without the time and cost required for re-engineering.

Security - delivering sensitive business information to mobile workers, via the Internet or from within the enterprise, raises concerns about protecting data and ensuring privacy.

"Thin clients were clearly the way to go for us," explained Steve Delozier, President, Supply Marketing, a Point-of-Care healthcare marketing firm. "We work with major pharmaceutical companies and over 400,000 physicians, so data security is paramount to us. Devon IT provided a complete server-based thin client solution for our IT environment, including our mobile sales force. This included desktop terminals, thin client notebooks, and a completely integrated secure access solution."

"With multiple locations in our school district, we needed a secure, reliable server-hosted desktop solution and determined that thin clients would be ideal," commented John Glenn. Network Administrator, Sidney Public Schools in Nebraska.. "Devon IT understood our network environment, explained how server-hosted desktop technology could be integrated, and provided us with the services we needed to test and implement thin client computing in our environment."

Makoid concluded that, "Now with these prepackaged solutions, a server based integration and testing center and a team of experienced engineers these desktops can be delivered in a professional and cost effective manner. Finally for companies and institutions of all sizes the server based desktop is a reality."

Devon IT is the only thin client company in the marketplace capable of effectively delivering these complete solutions to customers. With our VMware, Citrix, IBM, and Microsoft expertise, our hardware, software and integration partnerships, and the most cost-effective thin client terminal available, these solutions offerings become extremely compelling."
To contact Devon IT for more information about server-based computing, thin client terminals, or SafeBook, or to arrange for a demonstration, email info@devonit.com, or call 610-757-4110 or toll-free 888-524-9382. Information is also available at www.devonit.com or www.safebook.net.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

How to create a streaming profile using the Citrix Streaming Profiler

This is the first I've seen anything in print really detailing the nuts and bolts of Application streaming available in available in Citrix PS 4.5 .

John walks us through publishing an application using application streaming in Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 in three stages.
1. creating a profile of the application,
2. Publishing it
3. installing the streaming client and ensuring that it works.

How to create a streaming profile using the Citrix Streaming Profiler

CCI's at the Citrix Summit 07

I just heard that their may be a Tarpon CCI enablement at summit this year. Right now it's just hearsay but if you're thinking of going it certainly might make the trio worthwhile.

See you there,

Tony

Defining Virtualization and ROI

Frank Boesche, a manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada, recently penned an artictle:
"Virtualisation, ROI or opportunity?" wherin he details not only the definintion of Virtualization but also it's business impact...

Cannon Imagerunner Doc released from Citrix

I'm happy to see this... We have 6 IR's in our office.

Hopefully more Printer maufacturers will realize that a lage portion of corporate customers connect vis eiter CTX or TSE.

This document will also provide Citrix professionals with technical
assistance regarding driver installation for Canon imageRUNNER devices
in a Citrix Presentation Server environment.

Get it:

Utilizing Canon imageRUNNER Devices in a
Citrix Presentation Server™ 4.0
Environment

A better RDP client

If your like me you use RDp and or the MMC snap in to manage and/config numerous environments for numerous clients. And if your like me you find it annoying to have to enter credentials for each connection you make in the MMC.

I recently started using a freeware utility fron Visionapp called "Visionapp Remote Desktop " and it didn't take long for me to appreciate the ability to create coonection under "credential folders".

Now I can have all of my clients and their approriate credentials in one place without making a new MMC for each engagement

Ardence\Citrix: no-one else is yet providing this entire virtual provisioning stack.

I've just begun working with the Ardence product line and I have to say that I'm very impressed....

It's a different spin since you don't need fiber to run it in a very effictive manner. It's kind of like the best of Ghost and VMware without all the extras (and costs) that many companoes don't need.

Techword just published an artice called "Could virtual provisioning eliminate desktop management?"

get it here:
http://www.techworld.com/applications/features/index.cfm?featureID=3091&pagtype=samecatsamechan

How to Change the Default Citrix Client Drive Letter

If during the File Storage section of the Design Phase, you decided to have MetaFrame auto-create drives and you decided upon a starting drive letter other than the default (V:), you will need to need to configure the registry on every MetaFrame server with the default drive letter to be used.

The following procedures will configure auto drive mapping to default to a specific drive letter:

1. Click Start  click Run  type: REGEDIT  click OK.
2. Broswe to the following Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Citrix  Click Edit  Click New  Click String Value.
3. A new String Value to is created, type InitialClientDrive in the String Value Name field.
4. In the String field, type Z: (Z: being the drive letter you want to start with)
5. Click OK.

Check out the interactive Citrix Timeline

Citrix Live Timeline shows almost two decades of Citrix history in a convenient scrollable DHTML-based AJAXy widget. Users can comment on existing events or submit new (moderated) events by clicking on 'create content->event' and selecting the 'timeline' category
find it here: http://citrite.org/timeline/citrix/

Microsoft Office 2007 and terminal services

Microsoft has made a change in their licensing enforcement with the new release of the 2007 Microsoft Office system. In the past any copy of Office 2003 could be installed on a TS server for publishing, but that is no longer universally true.

Going forward, Retail, OEM, and trail versions of Office 2007 will not allow server installation, and will result in the following error:

This copy of Microsoft Office Word cannot be used on Terminal Server. Please contact your local authorized Microsoft retailer for more information.

To correct the problem, you must install a Volume License version of Microsoft Office 2007, or the Enterprise or Ultimate versions (which are only sold as VL).

More info can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/925098

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