VirtualBen

Blogs have moved to http://www.virtualben.co.uk/

2011-07-19T14:36:00.000+01:00

I have now moved my blogs to my company portal. Please feel free to continue to follow me and the rest of the guys. http://www.virtualben.co.uk/

I will no longer be posting to this blog.
See you there.
Ben

SYN308 - Whats new and Planned for XenClient

2011-05-26T10:49:00.000+01:00

45min synergy video on the new XenClient Tech preview (and XenCLient XT – high-security environments)

http://www.citrix.com/tv/#videos/4013

Citrix Release Netscaler Cloud Bridge

2011-05-26T09:58:00.000+01:00

Comes with Platinum edition + also standalone starting price $5000

http://citrix.com/English/NE/news/news.asp?newsID=2311979

Cloud Bridge combines the industry leading core L4-7 traffic management capabilities of NetScaler with the four key network services that make the cloud appear as a native extension of the enterprise datacenter:

Seamless Network: L2 network bridging makes the cloud network a natural extension of the enterprise's exiting L2 network, making it easy to shift resources to the cloud without having to re-architect the application.
Secured Tunnel: Encryption capabilities native to NetScaler ensure that data remains secure as it traverses the network links between the enterprise and the cloud
Optimized Access: Network acceleration capabilities alleviate latency and speed issues by intelligently transferring data between the enterprise datacenter and the cloud datacenter.
User Transparency: Global server load balancing reduces server appliance costs by intelligently choosing either the enterprise datacenter or the cloud datacenter to host the application, and making that process seamless to people accessing the applications.
App Flexibility: Cloud Bridge also makes it easy to keep sensitive app components – like directories and data – safely inside the datacenter, while moving the compute parts of the app out into the cloud

Citrix XenClient 2 Tech Preview Available

2011-05-26T09:57:00.000+01:00

Try XenClient Express Tech Preview

Citrix XenClient Express is a trial package that lets you experience the benefits of local virtual desktops. Before downloading, please
ensure that your laptop meets the technical specifications and hardware compatibility list (HCL) for running XenClient.

http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/products/feature.asp?contentID=2300346

The VDI is not available - XenServer 5.6 FP1

2011-04-20T16:00:00.002+01:00

I had a virtual machine crash and it could not be restarted.

It would not shut down through XenCenter. It would not shut down through the command line with "xe vm-shutdown vm=" or "xe vm-shutdown --force vm=".

I tried “xe vm-reset-powerstate uuid=uuid-of-the-virtual-in-question force=true” and that failed.

In order to restart the VDI I had to run the following commands:

“xe task-list”

see if anything is in pending state that might be related to the command failure.

If you do see anything that is likely to be in the way, try removing the task with

“xe task-cancel uuid= TASK-UUID”

then try the shutdown operation again.

I then found that the XenCenter console did not refresh so I needed to close the connection and re-open in order to see my shutdown VDI.

When the VDI was then started I received the error “ the vdi is not available”

The VDI in question had 3 drives:

C:\ System

E:\ Data

F:\ Logs

I tried to attached the various disks to a test VM and restart and found that one of the virtual disks was causing the problem. The E:\ Data drive which is probably the most crucial disk in the VM.

It appeared that the virtual disk was not being accessed on the Storage Repository or it was locked.

In order to resolve this I ran the following commands.

1. Determine the UUID of the Storage Repository and the VDI that's exhibiting the issue
2. Run xe vdi-forget uuid=<vdi_uuid>
3. Run xe vdi-scan sr-uuid=<sr_uuid>;
4. Check in XenCenter (or run xe vdi-list sr-uuid=<sr_uuid>;) and you should see the VDI sitting there. Fill in the info you had before in the Properties.
5. Reattach the VDI to your VM of choice and try starting it up.

XenServer is not as stable as I would hope and hopefully this will assist others in the future.

PLEASE SEE COMMENTS: This may cause issues if any post SP1 hotfixes have been applied. Please test with caution.

Configuring Key Management System (KMS) Licensing for Windows and Office2010 in Different Scenarios

2011-04-20T14:56:00.001+01:00

Citrix have released an interesting White Paper on configuring KMS for Office 2010. This is especially of interest if you are using PVS to deliver the XenApp workloads with Office 2010 installed.

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX128276

Recommended Citrix and MS hotfixes for XenApp6

2011-04-20T14:56:00.000+01:00

Based Citrix Technical Support experience and customer feedback, the following Citrix and Microsoft hotfixes have been found to resolve the most common issues with XenApp 6 and Windows Server 2008 R2. These hotfixes focus on basic functionality and stability. For a complete list of Citrix hotfixes for XenApp 6, please click here.

Note: Please refer to individual readme files for each of the following hotfixes to review complete details of issues addressed. Details listed below only mention the most common issues known to be resolved with each hotfix. Also, check out CTX126711 for our support statement on and a list of known issues with Windows 2008 R2 - SP1.

Citrix
XA600W2K8R2X64002

· Installing hotfixes or performing a repair on the base product for Citrix XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2 can inadvertently remove the Citrix Licensing component, if present, from the system. This fix prevents the Citrix Licensing component from being removed when installing subsequent hotfixes.

XA600W2K8R2X64010

· This enhancement is a part of the XenApp Printing Optimization Pack. The Printing Optimization Pack improves the user experience and printing speed by reducing the printer bandwidth required. For more information, including system requirements, required components, and known issues, see XenApp Printing Optimization Pack in eDocs, the Citrix Product Documentation Library.

XA600W2K8R2X64012

· 1.This fix addresses a security vulnerability. For more information, see Knowledge Center article CTX123359. NEW

XA600W2K8R2X64017

· This fix addresses session reliability issues that can occur when using multiple, disparate client devices to reconnect to the same session.

XA600W2K8R2X64018

· Servers running XenApp 6 can become unresponsive while shutting down. The issue occurs when when the picadm.sys driver encounters certain error conditions that prevent it from shutting down gracefully. Also. servers might experience a fatal exception, displaying a blue screen on picadm.sys with bugcheck code 0x22 (FILE_SYSTEM)

· If a session is disconnected while it is still reading or writing a CDM file, the resulting deadlock condition can prevent servers from accepting new session requests.

XA600W2K8R2X64019

· Certain applications fail to launch when Admin Approval Mode is enabled in User Account Control

XA600W2K8R2X64021

· This fix addresses a security vulnerability. For more information, see Knowledge Center article CTX128169

XA600W2K8R2X64026

· Attempts to log on to a XenApp 6 server using Version 7 or earlier of the clients can cause svchost.exe to exit unexpectedly. As a result, further connection attempts to the server fail until it is restarted.

· The CPU consumption of the CitrixCseEngine.exe process can spike unexpectedly and cause logon delays.

· Attempts to launch a published application that resides on a mapped network drive rather than on a XenApp server fail

· When connecting to a server running Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1, Terminal Services can exit unexpectedly. This causes users to experience a black screen during logon and the logon process fails to complete.

XA600W2K8R2X64029

· Servers might experience a fatal exception, displaying a blue screen, with bugcheck code 0xf4 on IMAAdvanceSrv.exe.

· Attempts to launch Windows Internet Explorer from an http, https, or mms hyperlink embedded in a streamed application fail. The issue occurs because XenApp 6 does not create the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\htmlfile\shell\opennew\command_backup registry key as part of server file type association

Other Citrix
XenApp Server Configuration Tool - Update 1.1.0 for XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2

· This hotfix contains an updated version of the XenApp Server Configuration Tool, which you use to configure XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2 server role installations. The XenApp image can be prepared for imaging and provisioning before, during, or after configuring XenApp. NEW

DSCXAGPMx100WX64001

· This enhancement is a part of the XenApp Printing Optimization Pack. The Printing Optimization Pack improves the user experience and printing speed by reducing the printer bandwidth required. For more information, including system requirements and required components, see XenApp Printing Optimization Pack in eDocs, the Citrix Product Documentation Library. NEW

Microsoft
KB979530

· A Windows Server 2008 R2-based Remote Desktop server denies some connection requests randomly under heavy logon or logoff conditions

KB975777

· Delay when you shut down, restart, or log off on a Windows Server 2008 R2

KB980663

· Stop error in Windows 7 and in Windows Server 2008 R2 if a heavy load situation exists or if connectivity issues exist: "STOP: 0x000000B8"

KB2265716

· A computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 stops responding randomly. Note: It has been reported that this hotfix must be applied prior to installing SP1.

KB2465772

· An application or service that uses Winsock API or Winsock Kernel API may randomly stop responding in Windows Server 2008 R2

KB917607

· Installs 32-Bit help System 2008R2 may be required if hosting 32-bit applicaitons

KB2383928

· Remote desktop sessions do not completely exit, and you cannot establish new remote desktop sessions to a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2

KB983460

· Startup takes a long time on a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer that has an Intel Nehalem-EX CPU installed

KB2388142

· A computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 intermittently cannot use a shared network printer to print NEW

Disable ScreenSaver GPO

2011-04-20T14:54:00.000+01:00

Sometimes its the little tasks that can be the most complicated!

I needed to disable screensaver in Citrix and the GPO setting has been moved to the following location:

User Configuration\Administrative templates\Control panel\Personalization\Enable ScreenSaver

Set to Disabled

Useful XenServer Links

2011-04-20T14:50:00.000+01:00

Links to the resources available for XenServer and Citrix Essentials.
XenServer Page
http://citrix.com/xenserver
Download XenServer 5.6 FP1 GA                                                                    http://www.citrix.com/lang/English/lp/lp_1688616.asp
MyCitrix (Licensing, Support and Partner Sales Kits)
www.citrix.com/mycitrix

Download XenServer (Partners can access NFR license via MyCitrix)

http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/products/feature.asp?contentID=2300356 - -

http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/demo.asp?ntref=util

Download Essentials for Hyper-V                                                                   http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/products/feature.asp?contentID=1854353
Citrix XenServer Feature Matrix -                                                                  http://www.citrix.com/english/ps2/products/subfeature.asp?contentid=1680964
Citrix eDocs online Production Documentation -                                           http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/index.jsp
Free E-Learning Course - Introduction to Citrix Essentials for XenServer 5.5 - http://citrixtraining.com/courses/course_view.cfm/course_id:274
Citrix XenServer Literature -                                                                          http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/products/documents.asp?contentid=683148
Citrix Ready -
http://www.citrix.com/ready
Citrix Community -
http://community.citrix.com/
Citrix XenServer Central -                                                                               http://community.citrix.com/citrixready/xenserver
XenServer 5.6 FP1 Administrator Guide -                                                       http://docs.vmd.citrix.com/XenServer/5.6.0fp1/1.0/en_gb/reference.html#id2564366
Citrix Knowledge Center -
http://support.citrix.com/ and http://support.citrix.com/product/xens/
Citrix XenServer Featured Articles -                                                               http://support.citrix.com/product/xens/v5.6/
Citrix Licensing Basics -                                                                                  http://www.citrix.com/lang/English/lp/lp_2305120.asp
Citrix Forum -
http://forums.citrix.com/support
Citrix XenServer Master Classes (Free) -
www.citrix.com/xsmasterclass
Citrix XenServer 5.6 FP1 Master Class (ANZ) -                                               https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/644832776
XenServer Project "Cowley" -                                                                         http://www.citrix.com/English/NE/events/event.asp?eventID=1855037
Citrix TV -
http://www.citrix.com/tv/
OpenSource iSCSI Targets for XenServer -                                                     http://www.nexenta.com/corp/products & http://www.osnexus.com/
Citrix XenServer Security Target -                                                                  http://www.commoncriteriaportal.org/files/epfiles/crp255st.pdf
Citrix HCL -
http://hcl.vmd.citrix.com/
Citrix HCL Community Verified -                                                                    http://community.citrix.com/citrixready
Citrix HCL Self Certification Kits -                                                                   http://www.citrix.com/ready/hcl
Citrix YouTube Channel -                                                                                http://www.youtube.com/user/CitrixTV
Citrix Ask the Architect -                                                                                 http://community.citrix.com/p/ata#architects & AsktheArchitect@citrix.com
XenServer ROI Calculates -                                                                             https://roianalyst.alinean.com/citrix/xenserver/
Citrix Synergy 2010 -
http://www.citrixsynergy.com/
Citrix Security Bulletins -                                                                                http://support.citrix.com/securitybulletins/
Citrix IRC Channel -
http://join.citrixirc.com/
Twitter -
@Citrix, @xenserverarmy, @Citrix_Synergy, #citrixsynergy, #xenserver
Citrix on Facebook -                                                                                        http://www.facebook.com/citrix
Helpful Resources for XenServer -                                                                 http://www.citrix.com/lang/English/lp/lp_1688622.asp#top
Fault Tolerance using Marathon -                                                                  http://www.marathontechnologies.com/high_availability_xenserver.html& http://community.citrix.com/blogs/
Open vSwitch -
http://openvswitch.org/ & http://www.openflowswitch.org/
Citrix Product Sales Kit -                                                                                 http://community.citrix.com/kits/brand/sk-products
eCo System Partners -                                                                                    https://www.citrix.com/English/partners/partnertop.asp
• Fault Tolerance -                                                                                          http://www.marathontechnologies.com/high_availability_xenserver.html
• Backup - (PHD virtual, Quorumsoft , SEP, Commvault. Symantec) -             http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX122191
• Security -
http://www2.catbird.com/
• Multitenant -
http://www.desktone.com/ & http://cloud.com/ & http://www.openstack.org/
• Virus Scanning -                                                                                           http://www.mcafee.com/us/campaigns/virtualized/
Citrix Product Lifecycle Phases -
http://www.citrix.com/English/SS/supportThird.asp?slID=5107&tlID=1861631
http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/products/subfeature.asp?contentID=1681139
XenServer Tech Specs -                                                                                   http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/products/subfeature.asp?contentID=1681139
Citrix XenServer Best Practices -
• http://community.citrix.com/display/xs/Best+Practices
• http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/getdocument.aspx?docname=4AA2-5115ENW.pdf
• http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/getdocument.aspx?docname=4AA2-8023ENW.pdf
• https://community.citrix.com/kits/#/kit/3125008
Latest News Articles -
The Co-operative Group -                                                                               http://www.citrix.com/English/aboutCitrix/caseStudies/caseStudy.asp?storyID=2304613
Server Right Sizing -                                                                                        http://community.citrix.com/display/ocb/2010/04/02/The+importance+of+knowing+your+environment
ACMA builds Xen-based private cloud -                                                         http://www.cio.com.au/article/367528/acma_builds_xen-based_private_cloud/
XenDesktop on Hyper-V SP1 with Citrix Essentials (40% More user Density) -http://community.citrix.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=157322595

Suprise! We do talk with Storage Vendors

2011-04-20T14:47:00.000+01:00

Surprise! We do talk with storage vendors

Nice blog from Simon Crosby on Desktop Virtualisation Infrastructures and appropriate management of disk writes, intellicache, etc.

http://community.citrix.com/display/ocb/2011/01/25/Surprise%21+We+do+talk+with+storage+vendors

XenDesktop 5 Database Sizing and Mirroring Best Practices

2011-01-26T00:48:00.000Z

XenDesktop 5 Database Sizing and Mirroring Best Practices Guide Available!

Document ID: CTX127939 / Created On: 12-Jan-2011 / Updated On: 17-Jan-2011

http://support.citrix.com/article/ctx127939

2010's Top 20 eDocs Topics

2011-01-26T00:45:00.001Z

posted on http://community.citrix.com/blogs/ by Beth Pollock

In the spirit of end of year Top 10 lists, we thought we'd provide a list of the 20 most-viewed eDocs topics between 1 January and 27 December 2010. The list is compiled based on unique pageviews. Landing pages for products or platforms are not counted. For this exercise, we are more interested in seeing which topics readers are going to for information that helps them accomplish a task, rather than gauging how popular certain products or platforms are.
Not surprisingly, system requirements and readmes are the most-read topics, along with installation instructions.

Rank	Title	Unique Pageviews
1	System Requirements for XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2	50,290
2	Readme for XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2	34,827
3	Evaluating XenDesktop (XenDesktop 4)	30,773
4	Readme for Citrix Receiver for Linux, Version 11.100	30,231
5	Designing a XenApp Deployment (XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2)	26,499
6	Readme for Citrix XenDesktop 4	25,740
7	Requirements for Delivery Controllers (XenDesktop 4)	25,714
8	Installing and Configuring XenApp (XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2)	24,932
9	Preparing to Install and Configure XenApp (XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2)	21,805
10	To extract, install, and remove the individual plug-in .msi files (Online Plug-in 11.2 for Windows)	19,619
11	System Requirements for iOS	19,343
12	Virtual Desktop Requirements (XenDesktop 4)	17,356
13	Data Store Database Requirements (XenDesktop 4)	17,169
14	How to Use Citrix eDocs	16,861
15	Installing XenApp Using the Wizard-Based Server Role Manager (XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2)	16,172
16	Readme for Citrix Licensing 11.6 for Windows	16,000
17	Hosting Infrastructures (XenDesktop 4)	15,829
18	Readme for Citrix Licensing 11.6.1 for Windows (Build 10007)	15,703
19	Readme for Citrix Online Plug-in for Macintosh 11.1	15,453
20	Configuring XenApp Using the Wizard-based Server Configuration Tool (XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2)	15,391

Are you surprised by any of these entries? Are there any topics missing that you would expect to be represented here? What's your personal top 5?

XenClient - Disk Management - VHD files and chains

2011-01-24T00:26:00.000Z

Interesting article from Citrix on
http://community.citrix.com/display/ocb/2011/01/17/XenClient+-+Disk+Management+-+VHD+files+and+chains

XenDesktop Overview Video Series Available from Citrix

2011-01-10T13:56:00.002Z

http://community.citrix.com/display/ocb/2011/01/06/XenDesktop+5+Overview+Video+Series

The above link has some great XenDesktop 5 overview videos that would be worth a watch if you have a chance.

Dynamic Color Compression cuts bandwidth consumption by 35%

2011-01-10T13:56:00.000Z

http://community.citrix.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=158569914

The ICA protocol is widely recognized as the most bandwidth-efficient remoting protocol in the industry, and it keeps getting better. Through integration with HDX Adaptive Orchestration, the Extra Color Compression feature introduced in XenDesktop 4 Feature Pack 1 has been enhanced in XenDesktop 5 to automatically adjust based on available network bandwidth. Dynamic Color Compression takes advantage of the fact that the human eye is less sensitive to color information (Chroma) than luminance (Luma). When images are encoded with less color information, the bandwidth savings are huge yet the human eye still sees a very satisfactory picture. Most of today's digital cameras use this technique to save on storage space.

When there is plenty of bandwidth available HDX provides a "visually lossless" experience for Windows 7 desktops by disabling extra color compression. But on low bandwidth connections, HDX Adaptive Orchestration dynamically enables extra color compression, which uses lower color resolution for the images. This results in about 35% bandwidth savings! By default, extra color compression is enabled for connections below 2 Mbps.

Extra Color Compression enabled (left) and disabled (right)
Citrix XenDesktop administrators can override this default behavior by creating an image compression user policy in Desktop Studio. This feature exposes two configuration settings.

When enabled, Extra Color Compression is applied whenever the effective bandwidth of the network connection falls below the threshold value specified in the Extra Color Compression Threshold setting. Otherwise, extra color compression is disabled irrespective of the connection bandwidth.

Citrix Supported Databases - Updated 23/12/2010

2011-01-05T10:02:00.001Z

Citrix have updated the supported database chart. Click the following link to see what’s new.

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX114501

XenDesktop 5 SQL Profiler Template Availble

2011-01-04T18:14:00.006Z

A useful troubleshooting tool from Citrix has been released for XenDesktop.

The SQL profiler template allows data capture of XenDesktop 5 SQL activity for troubleshooting purposes. There are two templates included:
XenDesktop 5 SQL2008R2 Profiler Template for SQL 2008R2
XenDesktop 5 SQL2008 Profiler Template for SQL 2008

Prerequisites

SQL 2008 or SQL 2008 R2

Installing XenDesktop 5 SQL Profiler Template

1. Start SQL Profiler 2008 or SQL 2008.
Example Start > All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 > Performance Tools > SQL Server Profiler

2. Click on File > Templates > Import Template.

3. Select XD5 SQL Profiler Trace SQL2008R2 or SQL 2008, depending on your SQL edition.

4. Enable file rollover and set the value to at least 100 megabytes.

5. When you are ready to reproduce the event, click Run.

6. Once the event has been reproduced, click on the red Stop button to stop the trace.

7. Save the log file and upload for analysis.

Download here: http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX127257

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Citrix - ICA Clients and Supported Operating Systems

2011-01-04T15:05:00.001Z

This article provides a summary listing of supported operating systems (with links to documentation) for some of the more recent ICA Client/Online Plug-in releases.

Note: Citrix typically supports the current version and one version back of the Online Plug-in (ICA Client), but maintenance only occurs on the most recent version. Often, to resolve specific issues, Citrix might require upgrading to the latest version. Functionality in previous product versions is not modified, enhanced, or altered once an updated version is available. (See Support of Non-Sale Products.)

Clients and supported Operating Systems

Note: Vista became officially supported starting with Citrix Presentation Server clients 10.x, and Windows 7 became officially supported starting with Online Plug-in 11.2.

Online Plug-in 12.1 (eDocs)

· Windows 7, 32-bit and 64-bit editions (including Embedded Edition)

· Windows XP Professional, 32-bit and 64-bit editions

· Windows XP Embedded

· Windows Vista, 32-bit and 64-bit editions

· Windows Server 2008 R1, 32-bit and 64-bit editions (not supported by XenDesktop connections)

· Windows Server 2008 R2, 64-bit edition (not supported by XenDesktop connections)

· Windows Server 2003, 32-bit and 64-bit editions (not supported by XenDesktop connections)

Important: For XenDesktop connections, be aware that the Desktop Appliance Lock is only supported on Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Embedded.

Online Plug-in 12.0 (eDocs)

· Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions), 32-bit and 64-bit editions

· Windows XP Professional, 32-bit and 64-bit editions

· Windows XP Embedded

· Windows Vista (Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions), 32-bit and 64-bit editions

· Windows Server 2008 R1, 32-bit and 64-bit editions (not supported by XenDesktop connections)

· Windows Server 2008 R2, 64-bit edition (not supported by XenDesktop connections)

· Windows Server 2003, 32-bit and 64-bit editions (not supported by XenDesktop connections)

Important: For XenDesktop connections, be aware that the Desktop Viewer Embedded Edition is only supported on Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Embedded.

Online Plug-in 11.2 (eDocs)

· Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions), 32-bit and 64-bit editions

· Windows XP Professional, 32-bit and 64-bit editions

· Windows XP Embedded

· Windows Vista (Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions), 32-bit and 64-bit editions

· Windows Server 2008 R1, 32-bit and 64-bit editions (not supported by XenDesktop connections)

· Windows Server 2003, 32-bit and 64-bit editions (not supported by XenDesktop connections)

Important: For XenDesktop connections, be aware that the Desktop Viewer Embedded Edition is only supported on Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Embedded.

XenApp Plugin for Hosted Apps 11.0 (Administrator’s Guide, p. 26)

· Windows 2000

· Windows XP

· Windows Server 2003

· Windows Vista

· Windows 2008

Citrix Presentation Server Clients 10.x for Windows (Administrator’s Guide, p. 15)

· Windows NT 4.0 or later

· Windows 2000

· Windows XP

· Windows 2003

· Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs

· Windows Vista

XenServer SR-IOV Support for Provisioning Services Virtual Machines

2011-01-04T13:00:00.001Z

Overview

As companies virtualize more and more of their server infrastructure they are increasingly interested in virtualizing Provisioning Services hosts. However, the significant level of network IO that occurs on a Provisioning Services host can be challenging for the virtualization platform. This article describes how to virtualize Provisioning Services hosts with maximum performance and scalability by leveraging Single Route I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) capabilities of Intel Niantic NICs with XenServer (versions 5.6 and later).

Requirements

To make use of this capability, you must have a host server in which a SR-IOV capable network device is installed. The device tested for this article is the Intel® 82599 10 Gigabit Ethernet Controller. Note: The setup procedure below requires that the 10 GigE NIC not be used as the management interface for the host. A second physical NIC must be installed on the system for that purpose.

Process

The following procedure is a detailed step-by-step guide for configuring an SR-IOV-enabled Provisioning Services virtual machine on XenServer 5.6, provided that your system meets the hardware and firmware requirements described above.

1. Enable iommu on the host by running the following command within the domain 0 console:
/opt/xensource/libexec/xen-cmdline --set-xen iommu=1

2. Reboot the host.

3. Assign one or more VFs to a virtual machine. Obtain a list of VFs in the system by executing the lspci command in the XenServer console. You should see many (such as 120) devices like this:

07:10.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82559 Ethernet Controller Virtual Function (rev 01)

4. Assign one of these VFs to the target virtual machine executing the following command:
xe vm-param-set other-config:pci=0/0000:07:10.0 uuid=uuid_of_the_VM

Substitute 07:10.0 in the example above with the pci bus address of the VF you want to assign.

5. Boot the virtual machine and install the correct VF driver in it.

Once the driver is installed, Provisioning Services should be installed and configured as normal

This information is available at the following link:

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX126624

Citrix Receiver 4.2.2 for iPad released

2011-01-04T12:30:00.005Z

What's New In Version 4.2.2

4.2.2
• Stability Enhancements
• URL Setup support

4.2.1
• iOS 4.2 Support
• On Screen trackpad
• Simplified gestures
• 2.5x faster session performance
• Self-service enterprise apps
• Web Interface support
• Access Gateway 5 support
• Third-party authentication support
• Enhanced video out display
• Bluetooth keyboard support
• International keyboard support

http://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/citrix-receiver-for-ipad/id363501921?mt=8

Single Sign-On 4.8 and XenDesktop 5

2011-01-04T12:00:00.001Z

Single Sign-On Support for XenDesktop 5. Nice support article from Citrix.

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX127811

Happy New Year

2011-01-04T10:17:00.000Z

It has been a hectic couple of months so there have not been as many posts as I would have hoped. A new year and a new start so hopefully there will be plenty of interesting posts on the way.

I am currently looking at writing a piece on the configuration of BNT switches in conjunction with IBM H-Class Blade chassis and Extreme Network with XenServer as this is a challenge I am currently working on.

If anyone else has any areas they are interested in discussing or if there are any specific areas of interest then let me know.

XenServer 5.6 Update 1 Released

2010-12-15T17:10:00.001Z

Hi all,

The entire XenServer team is pleased to announce the release of Citrix XenServer 5.6 Feature Pack 1 to Citrix.com and MyCitrix.com.

Customers and partners can find the downloads on MyCitrix: https://www.citrix.com/English/SS/downloads/details.asp?downloadId=2306109&productId=683148 as well as through the trial download section from http://www.citrix.com/xenserver

What’s New in this release

Highlights for this release are:

· Distributed Virtual Switching. Provides distributed, fine-grained networking configuration and control policies, which increase visibility into XenServer virtual networks. Support for the vSwitch has been added as a post-install option on XenServer hosts, as well as a Controller for administration of multiple vSwitches and cross-server internal networks.
Jumbo Frames are now supported for storage networks when the vSwitch is used.

· VM Protection and Recovery. Configure scheduled snapshots and (optional) archive of virtual machines.

· Web Self-Service. Provides browser-based access to selected virtual machines by delegated administrators.

· Boot from SAN with multipathing support. Boot XenServer hosts with HBAs from a SAN, with multipathing support.

· HA Restart Priority. Configure HA policies to restart specific VM(s) first.

· Enhanced XenCenter. Including StorageLink configuration entirely within XenCenter, workload reporting for VM utilization and chargeback.

· Improved MPP RDAC multipathing including path health reporting and alerting in XenCenter.

· Snapshot improvements. Improved reclamation of space after VM snapshots are deleted, even if the VM is running.

· Enhanced guest OS support for Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, and Suse Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 SP1.

· Generic Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5.x support. RHEL / CentOS / Oracle Enterprise Linux versions 5.0 to 5.5 support with a generic .RHEL 5. template.

· Brocade HBA drivers and command-line tools are included in XenServer.

· Provisioning Services improvements to Windows volume license (MAK and KMS) support.

· XenDesktop platform enhancements. Provides local host caching of VM images to reduce storage TCO for XenDesktop VDI deployments. (Note: these platform enhancements will be enabled by a future version of XenDesktop).

· Lab Manager 3.9 Service Pack 1 which includes various updates and bugfixes

More details can be found in the Release notes on the Knowledge Base: http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX127362. Full documentation is accessible through the MyCitrix download page, or on the KB here: http://support.citrix.com/product/xens/v5.6/component/fp1/#tab-doc. Internal deliverables will be made available by the Product Marketing team through MyCitrite.

Defender Elite by Kanguru now Citrix Raedy

2010-12-15T17:10:00.000Z

This looks like a great product that will meet the stringent security requirements for data transfer for goverment, forces, education, etc.

Highly secure, hardware encrypted flash drives meeting government, healthcare and financial industry standards. • 256-bit AES Hardware Encrypted • Central/Remote Management Ready • Windows, Mac and Linux Compatible • Real-time Antivirus Scanning • On Chip Password Matching • FIPS 140-2 Certified • HIPAA, SOX and GLB Compliant

View product page here https://www.kanguru.com/index.php/kanguru-defender-elite

Cisco, VMware unveil Desktop Virtualization product

2010-11-17T13:20:00.000Z

Since my post regarding Citrix and Cisco taking on VMware:
http://virtualben.blogspot.com/2010/09/cisco-citrix-and-netapp-vs-vmwareding.html

It looks like Cisco have since decided to widen the market and jump into bed with VMware.
"Cisco and virtualisation software specialist VMware have unveiled a Desktop Virtualization product based on Cisco Unified Computing System and VMware ViewTM 4.5. Cisco and VMware are supporting this product with new channel initiatives that will enable channel partners accelerate deployment of virtual desktop products. Cisco Desktop Virtualisation with VMware View will simplify the physical and virtual infrastructure and management associated with desktop deployments."
Please read the full article here:
http://www.telecompaper.com/news/cisco-vmware-unveil-desktop-virtualization-product

Introduction to UEFI

2010-11-17T13:08:00.000Z

To follow up on my previsou post on UEFI causing boot issues on IBM Servers.

This article is worth a read if working with the new UEFI firmware.

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/systems/support/system_x_pdf/introducing_uefi-compliant_fireware_on_ibm_system_x.1.1.pdf

Specifically interesting sections are Page 12:

Optimizing boot-time performance

The simplest way to achieve quicker boot times for a configuration is to install and boot UEFIaware operating systems whenever possible. For deployments in which a UEFI-aware operating

system is not available, this section introduces concepts and techniques for optimally configuring adapter support for legacy boots. The major variable determinants of server boot-time performance are how much memory capacity is available and what adapters are installed. Other determinants of boot-time performance are inherent to the design and core technologies of the server design (such as

CRTM/TPM, platform self-test, and power management) and are not configurable. Always usethe latest available firmware, because any optimizations to these core features will be in the latest firmware releases.

Memory

The more memory that is installed, the more there is to initialize ECC and test. You can install less memory, but that usually does not result in significant boot-time improvement. The best approach for optimizing boot time and memory use is to balance DIMMs and memory capacity across installed processors. Balancing memory optimizes memory initialization on servers with integrated memory controllers (such as Intel Xeon® 5500 based servers). For details, see the Optimizing the Performance of IBM System x and BladeCenter Servers using Intel Xeon 5500 Series Processors white paper.

Adapters

Some classes of server adapters, such as network or RAID controllers, can take considerable time to initialize in the pre-operating-system UEFI or BIOS environment. Because IBM System x Server Firmware simultaneously supports both UEFI and BIOS boot mechanisms, there can be unwanted repetition of adapter initialization when BIOS operating systems are booted. This repetition can occur with an adapter that includes native UEFI device drivers in addition to BIOS code on its adapter ROM. For suggested approaches to tuning adapter support for better boot-time performance, see “UEFI and BIOS adapter support details” and “Enabling and disabling adapter ROM support.”

Page 24 also advised how to disable adapters for UEFI.

IBM X3650 UEFI Causes XenServer 5.6 Boot Issues

2010-11-17T13:07:00.000Z

I have been installing XenServer on to some new IBM X3650 M3 Servers recently and have experienced very slow boot times and also issues in connecting to Fibre attached storage.

Symptom:

It takes some 10-20+ minutes every boot for the QLogic cards to present all the LUNS/Paths to the UEFI before continuing the ordinary boot-sequence.

When XenServer is installed without any HBA cards installed the servers will boot without issue. When the HBA cards are installed the XenServer fails to boot.

Issue:

The new Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) which replaces BIOS causes issues. The problem is that XenServer does not support UEFI Yet!

The problem happened when we assigned a LUN to the Qlogic FC, after that, the server won't boot into local drive, which is where XenServer is installed.

Resolution:

To fix this, you need
1. Press F1 to get into uefi bios
2. Add "legacy only" as a boot option
3. set "legacy only" as the first in boot order
4. commit to all the changes

Finding a Better Way to Estimate IOPS for VDI

2010-11-14T09:08:00.001Z

Great article from Paul Wilson at Citrix on IOPS calcualtions for VDI. Well worth a read.

http://community.citrix.com/display/ocb/2010/10/31/Finding+a+Better+Way+to+Estimate+IOPS+for+VDI

Citrix Project GoldenGate

2010-11-14T08:52:00.000Z

Has anybody tried out Project GoldenGate?

Project GoldenGate

Available to download from mycitrix

Technology Concept Release

As part of this research Citrix Labs is pleased to announce the availability of Project GoldenGate Technology Concept Release.

GoldenGate incorporates email, calendaring, contact, and collaboration capabilities into a single Micro App that runs securely in the data center and is delivered to mobile devices by Citrix XenApp.

As this is a new capability for Citrix, we have chosen to assess market interest and opportunity via a Technology Concept Release. As yet, no decisions have been made around commercialization of this technology.

XIV Storage Configuration Demo

2010-11-14T08:50:00.000Z

Excellent web site showing how easy it is to configure the IBM XIV storage platform.

I have been designing the Pools and Volumes on this platform this week and looks like one of the most dynamic and easy to configure shared storage platforms around at the moment.

http://www.xivstorage.com/demo/GUI_Demo.html

Access Gateway VPX 5.0 NEW!

2010-10-28T13:18:00.000+01:00

Access Gateway VPX 5.0 is a virtual appliance for Citrix XenServer or VMWare ESX/ESXi that provides secure access to virtual desktops, applications and data while allowing users to work from anywhere. It offers the same capabilities as an Access Gateway physical appliance (Model 2010) while giving greater flexibility and more deployment options to IT administrators. Access Gateway VPX is the best choice for organizations who need to rapidly provision secure access, reduce infrastructure requirements, and minimize power consumption.

New Features
Some of the key new features available in Access Gateway version 5.0 include:

Access Gateway VPX for VMWare ESX/ESXi — Access Gateway VPX running on VMware ESX and ESXi hypervisors allows organizations to leverage their existing server virtualization investments and provides additional deployment flexibility.
Simple and Intuitive Administration — Access Gateway 5.0 uses a new Flash-based administration tool for the appliance that makes it easy to install certificates, configure access control and monitor activity from any Flash-enabled web browser.
Basic High Availability support for Model 2010 and VPX appliances — Two Access Gateway appliances can be configured as a failover pair. The appliances operate in active/passive mode, with the primary appliance servicing all user connections and the secondary appliance monitoring the primary and synchronizing session information. If the primary appliance fails, the secondary appliance takes over.
Variable Logon Points — Each Access Gateway appliance can host multiple logon points for support of different features or different user communities. Basic logon points enable unlimited logins for secure access to Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop only and are enabled by the free Access Gateway platform license; SmartAccess logon points enable rich access control features such as network-layer VPN, endpoint analysis, clientless access to web sites and file shares, and adaptive access control.
Endpoint Remediation — When users fail to access the system because of a failed endpoint analysis scan, you can provide a customized HTML message informing them of why they failed and what steps to take for remediation.
Improved architecture — Significant updates have been made to the appliance firmware and Access Controller web services in this release to improve the overall performance, stability and feature set of Access Gateway.

Important Licensing Changes
Platform License Required
Each appliance running Access Gateway 5.0 requires a platform license in order to function. Without the platform license installed, the gateway will not allow logins after a 48-hour grace period. Platform licenses are delivered electronically when an appliance is ordered. If you have an existing Access Gateway Model 2010 appliance covered by Warranty, you can obtain your Access Gateway Platform License using the Upgrade My Products toolbox on MyCitrix.
User Licenses Optional
The required Access Gateway platform license enables unlimited logins through Basic logon points. Each concurrent login to a SmartAccess logon point requires an Access Gateway user license. Access Gateway Standard Edition or Access Gateway Universal licenses may be used for this purpose.
Subscription Advantage Eligibility Date
To use your existing Access Gateway licenses with this version, the Subscription Advantage on those licenses must be valid on or after September 1, 2010.
Supported Platforms
Access Gateway 5.0 is supported only on the following appliance platforms:

Access Gateway Model 2010
Access Gateway VPX

Citrix Online Plug-in 12.1 for Windows Released!

2010-10-28T13:10:00.000+01:00

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX126965

What's New

ICA File Signing. Helps protect users from unauthorized application or desktop launches by digitally signing .ICA files. You can configure the online plug-in security policy and digital-signing requirements using Group Policy Objects or the Citrix Merchandising Server with the online plug-in. The online plug-in verifies that a trusted source generated the application launch and based on administrative policy, protects against application launches from untrusted servers.
Enhanced printing performance. Improves user printing performance and speed when printing to redirected client printers. Install the XenApp Printing Optimization Pack on the server running XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2 and configure the server-side policy settings for:
- Dynamic Client Printer Mapping. Redirected printers are discovered dynamically and created automatically.
- Optimized EMF Universal Print Driver. Reduction in bandwidth consumption for the most demanding printing applications.
- Enhanced XPS Universal Print Driver. Improved printing performance on Window 7 clients.
New decoder for HDX 3D Pro Graphics. A new deep compression codec is included in the online plug-in to receive 3D professional graphics over low bandwidths. For details about HDX 3D Pro Graphics, see http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX124443

XenServer Peformance: Disable Checksum Offload on PIF's/VIF's

2010-10-28T12:11:00.000+01:00

Please create a backup copy of the xapi database.
You can do it using the following command:
xe pool-dump-database file-name=/tmp/xapi1.xml

Please use WinSCP to download the file xapi1.xml from the /tmp location to your workstation and keep it in a safe place.

We need to disable all the checksum offloading on all the interfaces in XenServer (this one will require XenServer reboot – do it in a maintenance window):

Please upload the unzipped script attached, into. e.g. /root directory and execute it, using the following guide:
Please note this file will generate a error if it is modified in windows and contains CR/LF.

if-set

Change directory
cd /root
Allow the script to be executed:
chmod u+x if-set
Execute:
./if-set
Now, script is disabling all the offload settings for all PIF and VIF interfaces.

It is necessary to reboot the XenServer afterwards.

Get "Ready" - NEW Citrix Ready 2.0 Catalog!

2010-10-25T15:00:00.001+01:00

The Citrix Ready team announced the launch of the brand new partner product catalog version 2.0 earlier this week. Check it out: www.citrix.com/ready
The idea was to pull out all the stops, using only the current best practices in the industry, to give customers what we think is a really great way to showcase our growing ecosystem of partner products verified for Citrix. The new catalog is the outcome of a collaborative effort with feedback from Citrix partners and working closely with UI designers and information architects to design a catalog that is packed with great new features and capabilities.

It looks good and its easy to use. This is a great reference site when considering vendor and version support.

Great XenDesktop Tuning Policy for Windows 7

2010-10-25T11:46:00.000+01:00

XenApp blogs have produced yet another excellent tuning policy for Citrix deployments. This is a worthwhile read and should always be part of best practice standards.

http://www.xenappblog.com/2010/vdi-tuning-group-policy/

Exchange 2010 - Architecture Poster

2010-10-25T11:45:00.000+01:00

Great Exchange 2010 poster with some good images

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=cea0cf7e-d824-49bb-8924-39d66a5fb88e

Citrix Knowledge Center Top 10 - September 2010

2010-10-04T12:52:00.000+01:00

Find below the Citrix Knowledge Center Top 10 for September 2010.

Top 10 Technical Articles

Article Number	Article Title
CTX368624	Troubleshooting Citrix Pass-through Authentication (Single Sign-On)
CTX711855	Common SSL Error Messages, and Respective Cause and Resolution
CTX238200	Troubleshooting Client Drive Mapping
CTX101644	Seamless Configuration Settings
CTX106531	Troubleshooting the Citrix XTE Service and Errors: There is no route to the specified address ... Protocol Driver Error
CTX107572	Troubleshooting Tools for Citrix Environments
CTX677542	Advanced Concepts - Farm Maintenance
CTX106192	Access Gateway Software Updates
CTX564283	Troubleshooting 1003 and 1004 Terminal Server Licensing Errors
CTX101705	Troubleshooting Slow Logons

Top 10 Whitepapers

Article Number	Article Title
CTX110351	User Profile Best Practices for MetaFrame Presentation Server
CTX124565	Best Practices: Customizing Microsoft Office 2010 for Streaming Environments
CTX117913	Technical Guide for Upgrading / Migrating to XenApp 5.0
CTX124087	XenDesktop Modular Reference Architecture
CTX126190	Desktop Virtualization Top 10 Mistakes Made
CTX101997	Citrix Secure Gateway Secure Ticket Authority Frequently Asked Questions
CTX101739	Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Data Store Replication
CTX119036	User Profile Manager Deployment Best Practices
CTX118735	XenServer Demo and Evaluation Setup Guide
CTX124799	User Profiles for XenApp and XenDesktop

Top 10 Hotfixes

Article Number	Article Title
CTX122756	Hotfix Rollup Pack 6 for Citrix XenApp 5.0 and Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 32-bit Edition
CTX125480	Citrix Offline Plug-in 6.0.1 for Windows - English
CTX125235	Citrix Online Plug-in 12.0.3 for Windows
CTX116550	Citrix Presentation Server Client 10.200 for Windows
CTX120923	Hotfix Rollup Pack 5 for Citrix XenApp 5.0 and Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 32-bit Edition
CTX118445	Citrix XenApp Plug-in for Hosted Apps 11.0 and Streamed Apps 1.2 for Windows
CTX122761	Hotfix Rollup Pack 6 for Citrix XenApp 5.0 and Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 64-bit Edition
CTX109307	Hotfix Rollup Pack PSE400W2K3R02 - For Citrix Presentation Server 4.0, Citrix Access Essentials 1.0 and 1.5 for Windows Server 2003
CTX125388	Hotfix XA600W2K8R2X64001 - For Citrix XenApp 6.0 for Windows Server 2008 R2 - English
CTX126398	Hotfix CPVS51SP2E030 - For Citrix Provisioning Services 5.1 SP2

Top 10 Presentations

Article Number	Article Title
CTX105908	Get the Most Out of Your Resource Manager Summary Database
CTX111920	Selected Citrix Troubleshooting Tools
CTX111560	Health Checks for Citrix Services Using Advanced Monitors
CTX125175	TechEdge 2010 - Debugging a Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop Environment
CTX123530	XenDesktop 4.0 Core Infrastructure and Features - GoToWebinar
CTX125180	Troubleshooting XenDesktop, Provisioning Services & XenServer Integration
CTX121117	Troubleshooting Tools and Methodology for Citrix XenApp 5 Environment
CTX111562	Troubleshooting the Citrix NetScaler Application Switch
CTX119104	TechEdge 2008 - Troubleshooting Tools for a XenApp Environment
CTX125177	TechEdge 2010 - Troubleshooting XenDesktop Deployments

Top 10 Tools

Article Number	Article Title
CTX122536	Citrix Quick Launch
CTX113472	Citrix ICA File Creator
CTX106226	Repair Clipboard Chain 2.0.1
CTX116063	XenAppPrep Integration Utility for XenApp and Provisioning Services
CTX111961	CDFControl
CTX116474	Print Detective
CTX122962	Citrix Printing Tool
CTX109374	StressPrinters 1.3.2 for 32-bit and 64-bit Platforms
CTX126491	HDX Experience Monitor for XenApp
CTX107935	MedEvac 2.5

CCIA Accreditation achieved

2010-10-02T08:46:00.001+01:00

I passed the 1Y0-A16 Architecting a Citrix Virtualization Solution exam yesteday which is the final part of the CCIA accrediation. Now thats out of the way it time to move on to the next technology...

XenClient 1.0 Released

2010-10-01T09:46:00.000+01:00

Citrix have announced general availability of XenClient 1.0 and the Synchronizer for XenClient 1.0 as part of XenDesktop 4 Feature Pack 2.

As a new addition to XenDesktop, XenClient enables virtual desktops "To Go" allowing virtual desktops to run directly on client devices online or disconnected. It enables IT to deliver a secure centrally managed desktop without compromising the user experience and at the same time opening up the option of allowing users to have a second personal virtual desktop. It gives users the freedom they want and IT the control and security they demand.
Download Link
XenClient 1.0 and Synchronizer for XenClient 1.0
New Features since RC2 release
The time between RC2 and GA was mainly focused on bug fixing but our amazing engineering team still managed to pack in some great new features and expanded our HCL to cover twice the systems we supported in the first RC. You can read about the new features added in the recent RC2 release here and here below are the latest additions:
Integrated Disk Encryption
VMs delivered to XenClient from the Synchronizer can now be protected with AES-XTS disk encryption. This ensures that sensitive data is fully protected when deployed on XenClient systems. In the event a system is lost or stolen all the data remains protected from unauthorized access. On systems with Core i5 and Core i7 vPro technology XenClient will use Intel AES-NI to offload encryption operations to the hardware.
External Monitor/Projector Support
The latest generation of Intel Core i5 and i7 vPro systems now fully support use of external monitors and projectors. Previously using external monitors and projectors required running a VM with 3D graphics support enabled.
XenClient to Synchronizer Communication Hardening
XenClient systems will now use client side digital certificates along with user credentials to authenticate to the Synchronizer. Additionally all VHD files are encrypted with AES CBC encryption to allow secure delivery and caching of components over http.
VM Switching Enhancements
The in-guest VM switcher bar has been re-skinned with updated graphics and new pull-down behavior. And the switching process has been revamped with a beautiful fade on switch between VMs.
Revamped Synchronizer Web Interface
The Synchronizer for XenClient has a revamped UI and refreshed graphics showing off the latest Citrix UI standards.
This groundbreaking new technology is ready to allow you to extend all the great benefits of virtual desktops to your mobile users and a powerful tool for IT Pros looking to run multiple isolated virtual machines on the same system. If you have not tried XenClient yet we invite you to download it today and give it a try.

EasyCall EOL announcement

2010-10-01T09:44:00.000+01:00

While many of you are taking advantage of EasyCall's many benefits, overall use of EasyCall is not as extensive as expected. As a result, Citrix will be ending its availability and support for the Citrix EasyCall product over the coming months.

The Citrix EasyCall virtual appliances and client software will continue to be available for download until November 30th, 2010.
You can continue to use EasyCall subject to license agreement terms as long as you want. Full support for the product will be available until April 30, 2011. After that, support will be limited to existing Citrix Technical Support Knowledgebase articles.

New Release: XenServer 5.6 Feature Pack 1 Beta "Project Cowley"

2010-09-30T09:03:00.000+01:00

The entire XenServer product team is pleased to announce the release of XenServer 5.6 Feature Pack 1 Beta “Project Cowley” to MyCitrix.com. The landing page for this release can be found here and contains links to all relevant resources for this release. The ISO downloads, Virtual Appliances, Beta license file and the beta documentation can all be found at the appropriate downloads section on MyCitrix.com. For external communication the use of the landing page URL is preferred.

What’s New in this release

Feature highlights for this beta release are:

· Distributed Virtual Switching Integrated, Open vSwitch technology provides distributed fine-grained networking configuration and control policies – increasing visibility into XenServer virtual networks and providing a centralized Controller for administration of multiple vSwitches and cross-host internal networks. The open vSwitch also includes support for jumbo frames configuration on storage networks.

· VM Protection and Recovery Policy based snapshotting and archiving of selected VMs across a XenServer resource pool enables administrators to schedule and recover when needed from the XenCenter management console.

· Web Self-Service Portal Allows XenServer administrators to delegate VM rights to select individuals and enables users to request and access VMs via a simple to use web-based portal.

· XenDesktop performance improvements Further enhances the best-in-class performance for XenDesktop on XenServer including local storage caching for better TCO and increased scalability via performance tuning in the control domain (requires a future version of XenDesktop to use).

· Enhanced XenCenter Including StorageLink configuration entirely within XenCenter, workload reporting for VM utilization and chargeback.

· Boot from SAN with multi-pathing support Boot XenServer hosts with Fibre Channel and iSCSI HBAs from a SAN, with multi-pathing support.

· HA Restart Priority Configure HA policies to restart specific VM(s) first, such as StorageLink Gateway VMs or the Distributed vSwitch Controller VM.

· Enhanced guest OS support for Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, RHEL 6.0 (RTM), CentOS 6.0 (RTM), Oracle Enterprise Linux 6.0 (RTM), Debian Squeeze (32 and 64-bit), and SLES 11 SP1. Generic RHEL 5.x support..RHEL / CentOS / Oracle Enterprise Linux 5.0- 5.5 support with a generic “RHEL 5” template.

Please read the release notes and documentation for more details.

Support

Partner and customer support for this beta will be provided through the Cowley support forums which will be monitored by several members of the PM and engineering teams. The external bugtracker will also be utilized for collecting information from the field (see the announcement section on the forum for more details).

Post-Beta Deliverables

We are currently working hard to have an updated Evaluation Virtual Appliance available which will include the latest WLB and SL components as well as a pre-installed beta license file. We expect that the updated EVA will be available over the next couple of days.

Virtual Reality Check - Phase III Released

2010-09-29T10:07:00.000+01:00

In this whitepaper Windows XP and Windows 7 are extensively compared. Specifically, the I/O behavior of Windows XP and Windows 7 is investigated in detail
The new whitepaper can be downloaded from the following link.
http://www.virtualrealitycheck.net/

Application Virtualization Smackdown

2010-09-24T10:01:00.000+01:00

Great article by Ruben Spruijt and a link to another great white paper. This time its the Application virtualisation products that are under the microscope. A worthwhile read for anyone who deal with application delivery on a daily basis.

http://www.brianmadden.com/blogs/rubenspruijt/archive/2010/09/23/application-virtualization-smackdown-head-to-head-analysis-of-endeavors-citrix-installfree-microsoft-spoon-symantec-and-vmware.aspx

Password Manager - What happens when a certificate expires?

2010-09-23T13:26:00.000+01:00

Well the answer is lots of errors, some event log entries and a pretty un-usable Password manager solution.
I have just seen this in a customer site where an Internal Certifcate Authority server had been used to create the web certificates for the web interface and password manager servers. The certificates expired after a year and Password Manager stopped functioning.

In order to resolve the issue a new certificate was issued from the CA server and assigned to the relevent servers.
We then needed to resign the data following the guidelines in the following admin guide. Pages 316/317

http://support.citrix.com/servlet/KbServlet/download/11635-102-15687/Password_Manager_Administrators_Guide45.pdf

In simple terms:
1. Create a new certificate.
Run CtxCreateSigningCert.exe from %ProgramFiles%\Citrix\MetaFrame Password Manager\Server folder. Enter the public key file name, the private key file name, and the time, in months, before the signing certificate expires. The new certificate is created.

Example:

ctxcreatesigningcert “C:\PublicKeyCert.cert” “C:\PrivateKeyCert.cert” “36”

2. Resign data at central store using the ctxsigndata command.

Example.

ctxsigndata -r mpmserver.mycompany.com/MPMService "C:\PrivateKeyCert.cert" mycompany.com AD

3. Verify data signatures at central store using the ctxsigndata command.

Example.

ctxsigndata -v mpmserver.mycompany.com/MPMService “https://mpmserver.mycompany.com/MPMService” mycompany.com AD

Done!

XenDesktop & XenApp: Next generation access security that fits your business

2010-09-23T13:08:00.000+01:00

I am looking forward to the Citrix webinar this afternoon.
http://www.citrix.com/English/NE/events/event.asp?eventID=2303876

Should be an interesting session.

AppSense News - User Rights Management is released today (AM and AMC 8.1)

2010-09-17T20:34:00.000+01:00

Application Manager 8.1 and AppSense Management Center 8.1 have been release today on the AppSense web site.

Visit myAppSense on http://www.appsense.com/ to download the 8.1 releases of these two products. Performance Manager and Environment Manager are still on version 8.0.759.0 and 8.0.905.0 respectively.

The changes can be found in the release notes of AM and AMC. But the major change of note is the User Rights Management in Application Manager that we presented at the last event. The ability to make all users non administrators and elevate their rights to administrator for certain applications. I encourage you to have a play with this exciting new feature as it generated quite a bit of interest at the last event.

Application Manager 8.1

Application Termination

· Enables Application Manager to shutdown running applications based on several triggers such as IP address change, a change to connecting device and change to configuration meaning that any application that is now prohibited that is running will be shutdown with various options to prevent loss of work.

Process Rules

· Moving Trusted Applications into the rules structure and giving Application Manager an application centric edge by allowing network restrictions to be based on the application itself rather than by user, groups and devices, etc.

Application Groups

· We have removed Signature Groups and Network Connection Groups and created Application Groups which give the ability to group any kind of rule item in a central library that can then be applied to our rules.

Disengaging functionality

· Now you can turn off particular functionality from within AM, for example if you only want to control network access, you can disengage other areas such as Application Access Entitlement or User Rights Management, and leave ANAC enabled. Should you only want to enable User Rights Management then simply disengage the other areas.

User Rights Management

· Elevation of user privileges for running applications: Allow an administrator to specify the applications run with administrator privileges. The user does not need an administrative account but is able to run specific applications with administrative privileges as defined by the Application Manager administrator.

· Elevation of user privileges for running Control Panel applets: Many roaming users need to install printers, wireless networks, some users need to be able to change network and firewall settings, even simple tasks like changing the time & date, add / remove programs require Control Panel applets to be run as an administrator. User Rights Management can elevate privileges for individual applets, meaning a non administrator standard user can still make the changes they need to do their job.

· Reducing privileges to restrict application rights: Allow an administrator to specify the applications run with reduced privileges. The user has administrator privileges by default, but is forced to run specific applications as non-administrator. Reducing rights can be a better option to removing administrator rights across the board and can mean a phased roll out. By running certain applications as an administrator, for example Internet Explorer, the user is able to change many undesirable settings, install applications and potentially open up the desktop to the Internet. User Rights Management can restrict an admin level user into running IE in a standard user mode, safe-guarding the desktop.

· Reducing privileges to restrict access to system settings: Preventing an administrator from carrying out certain tasks can be advantageous. User Rights Management will give a higher level system administrator the ability to stop an administrative user from altering settings that they should not change. This could include firewall settings or to prevent the stopping of certain services. User Rights Management would take a user that has administrative privileges and reduce those privileges for certain processes. Although the user has administrator rights, the system administrator retains control of the environment.

Management Center

Membership Rules

· Enabling the ability to provide dynamic rules where you can specify the criteria that determine automatically what deployment groups your machines join, items such as NetBIOS name, Active Directory information including Active Directory Security groups can be used to discover and add machines to deployment groups.

· Console Integrated CCA installation

· The functionality of the previous “CCA deployment tool” has now been integrated into the Management Console. This enables you to install the CCA from the Deployment Group’s computer page.

Computer Visibility

· Giving the administrator visibility into how well the deployment of configuration and agents is going, how many computers are currently offline and what alerts processed.

New Citrix Offline Client 6.0.1 released

2010-09-16T19:00:00.000+01:00

I have recently had an issue when upgrading a Citrix farm including an upgrade to the offline client. This was a Windows 2003 x86 with XenApp 4.5/5 HFRP4. The install required an upgrade to HFPR06, Feature Pack enable, etc, etc.

The streamed apps all of a sudden stopped working and the Streaming Debug was not a great deal of help. Citrix have come to the rescue with a new Offline Client 6.0.1 which specifically fixed the problem I had. The link is below.

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX125480

Issue Resolved

When streaming a profiled package to Version 5.2 of the plug-in, the following error message might occur: "An error occurred while importing the registry settings for your application."

I would strongly recommend applying this update.

XenApp 5 on Windows 2003 x86 - VMwareUser.exe

2010-09-16T18:58:00.000+01:00

If you install HFRP06 onto the Windows 2003 x86 XenApp servers in VMware then when you launch a published desktop you may receive the error.

VMwareUser.exe. The Application failed to initialize properly (0x06d007e).

If you get this then you need to install an additional hotfix available here:

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX125004

Overland Storage SnapSAN S2000 Is Verified as Citrix Ready

2010-09-15T19:26:00.001+01:00

Overland Storage SnapSAN S2000 Is Verified as Citrix Ready. This is a new iSCSI SAN Solution Optimized for Virtualized Server Environments Is Trusted to Enhance Citrix Networking and Virtualization Solutions.

http://www.crosspollinate.org/view?title=Overland+Storage+SnapSAN+S2000+Is+Verified+as+Citrix+Ready&iframe=http://wik.io/info/US/214831598

Depending on pricing this could be an interesting contender in the virtualisation space.

Product Overview:

Form Factor	S2000: 2U rackmount \| E2000: 2U rackmount

System Scalability	SAS: 1.2TB - 57.6TB \| SATA: 12TB - 192TB Support for 300GB SAS, 500GB SATA, and D-Drive

Processing	Quad Core Intel Xeon Processor

Drive Types	S2000: Up to 12 SATA or SAS drives \| E2000 Expansions: Up to 12 SATA or SAS drives (sold in 4-packs)

RAID Levels	0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60

Access Method	Access as a local device via iSCSI

Capabilities	Remote Management, Windows Integration, Mirroring, Replication, Snapshots, Auto-Provisioning, VMware Plugin

Delivery Services Console Discovery fails.

2010-09-14T23:12:00.000+01:00

I have recently updated an existing XenApp 5 farm to FP2 then FP3. As a result of the install the Delivery Services Console fails to discover the XenApp farm.

I tried several remedial actions such as repairing the installation, etc but no fix.

The article from Citrix details the issue and recommends repairing the .Net Framework 2 installation. If this doesn’t work then a process of re-registration of the codebase was required. This is not a very pretty solution.

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX125827

I found that the cause of the problem was actually a .Net Framework Hotfix.

In order to resolve my issues I simply did the following:

Uninstall KB976576

Reboot

Repair the “Citrix – XenApp Administration”

I hope this helps others who see this issue.

XenServer SR-IOV Support for Provisioning Services Virtual Machines

2010-09-14T22:51:00.000+01:00

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX126624

VirtualSharp - ReliableDR

2010-09-14T20:45:00.000+01:00

An interesting article regarding a new VMware DR product released by VirtualSharp. With lots of DR products on the market it will be interesting to see how this fairs in the market place.

VirtualSharp software creates a virtual datacentre on the fly to ensure delivery of IT after a major breakdown, such as a cyber attack, terrorism or a natural disaster.

"We wanted to shift the paradigm on disaster recovery", said Virtual Sharp CEO Carlos Escapa. "In traditional disaster recovery, SLAs were measured in time. But time objectives are not commitments, organisations wanted to know how quickly they could get services up and running after a disaster – they wanted more predictability."

http://news.techworld.com/virtualisation/3239478/new-company-offers-virtualised-datacentre-on-the-fly/?olo=rss

Technical Guide for Upgrading / Migrating to Feature Pack 2 or 3

2010-09-14T14:52:00.001+01:00

Technical guides available at the following links

Feature Pack2

http://support.citrix.com/servlet/KbServlet/download/21637-102-641521/TechGuideUpgradingMigratingXA5FP2_c.pdf

Feature Pack3

http://support.citrix.com/servlet/KbServlet/download/23587-102-643198/TechGuide%20Upgrading%20Migrating%20to%20XA5%20FP3.pdf

Windows Update fails!

2010-09-14T10:52:00.000+01:00

I have seen Windows Update fail to update on lots of Windows 2003 installations.

Especially if the server are being deployed using Provisioning Services.

You check the 3 main services are started:

Automatic Updates
BITS
EventLog

But regardless of you actions updates fail.

The following article is a worthwhile read as it goes through the troubleshooting steps required to fix this issue.

In many cases the re-regsitering of the Windows Update dll's is the solution but there are other possibilities that are worth noting.

http://forums.techarena.in/windows-update/682938.htm

Citrix and Open vSwitch: Performance with a Little Help from our Friends

2010-09-14T08:10:00.002+01:00

A good article from Simon Crosby regarding the Open vSwitch technology that is integrated in XenServer 5.6.

http://community.citrix.com/display/ocb/2010/09/12/Performance+with+a+Little+Help+from+our+Friends

For details on Open vSwitch its worth reading this overview:

http://openvswitch.org/

Synergy Online

2010-09-13T22:10:00.001+01:00

Synergy Berlin is sold out but you can still participate in this exciting, action-packed conference. Synergy Online, a virtual way to experience the parts of Synergy that are sure to be everyone’s favorites. These include live streaming of the always well-rated keynote from Mark Templeton, as well as selected breakout sessions, expert interviews and ongoing blog and Twitter commentary. Synergy Online will give you a taste of the event

http://www.citrixsynergy.com/about/synergyonline.html

HDX Experience Monitor for XenApp 6

2010-09-13T22:03:00.000+01:00

HDX Experience monitor for XenApp 6 now available here: http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX126491

AppSense Closes Fiscal Year 2010 with Record Revenue and Company Growth

2010-09-10T20:55:00.000+01:00

I am a big fan of AppSense and use it almost daily. I think anyone who knows the product will agree that from a delivery standpoint there have had some challenges delivering the new Personalisation Server feature but as a whole the products lead the way in User Profile management along with performance enhancements and application security.

Bearing in mind the challenges seen this year, the following article shows that AppSense have had a great year of business growth.

http://www.appsense.com/thecompany/article.aspx?Id=202

With the virtualisation market getting larger and larger you can only expect greater things next year. AppSense have some great new additions in the pipeline which are only going to cement their place in the market further. New features including User Rights Management (URM) and Strata™ providing the ability for User Installed Applications (UIA) are going to be critical in managing a virtual desktop estate. I can only assume that this kind of growth in a challenging year will lead to unprecedented growth in a potentially very exciting 12-18 months to come.

VMware vCloud Director Overview

2010-09-09T13:00:00.002+01:00

Question:

What is VMware vCloud Director?

Answer:
Pool virtual infrastructure resources in your existing datacenter and deliver them to users as a catalogue-based service with VMware vCloud Director. Coupled with VMware vSphere, VMware vCloud Director enables customers to build secure private clouds, transforming the way IT delivers and manages infrastructure services and the way users access and consume these services.

Increase business agility by empowering users to deploy pre-configured services or custom-built services with the click of a button
Maintain security and control over a multi-tenant environment with policy-based user controls and VMware vShield security technologies
Reduce costs by efficiently delivering resources to internal organizations as virtual datacenters to increase consolidation and simplify management
Follow an evolutionary path to the cloud by leveraging existing investments and open standards for interoperability and application portability between clouds

I am not a VMware specialist but this sounds like an interesting product. The following article is a good overview of VMware Cloud Director. It’s an introductory article but an interesting read.

http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2010/08/31/vmware-vcloud-director-vcd/

If anyone has had any experience with this yet then feel free to post your thoughts.

Office 2010 Migration Guides available

2010-09-09T06:30:00.002+01:00

http://kurtsh.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DA410C7F7E038D!7762.entry

In order to ease the transition to Office 2010 Microsoft have kindly put together six handy Office 2010 migration guides to help you step up to the newest versions of Microsoft Access, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word.

Read about this at the above link or download directly from the following link:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/office-2010-migration-guides-HA101982272.aspx

The guides can be downloaded individually and provide an easy read with helpful tips for new users migrating to Office 2010.

Citrix and Cisco Joint Solution video

2010-09-08T23:35:00.000+01:00

Cisco, Citrix and NetApp vs. VMware...Ding Ding...Round 1

2010-09-08T22:49:00.001+01:00

Cut Costs with Desktop Virtualization Solutions

Cisco and Citrix combine forces for comprehensive desktop virtualization solutions that make it easier and more cost-effective to deliver high-definition virtual desktops and applications to users across the enterprise.

Citrix Systems is a leading provider of virtual computing solutions. Citrix combines virtualization, networking, and cloud computing technologies into a full portfolio of products that help enable:

Virtual work styles for users
Virtual data centers for IT

Cisco compute and networking solutions have been validated with Citrix XenDesktop. Together, they deliver desktops and applications on demand, anywhere, anytime, and on any device, to help increase productivity for a global workforce.

Deployed on a platform built from the beginning to support virtualized environments, this solution:

Delivers exceptional user experience.
Helps IT organizations make desktop operations centralized, highly secure, and compliant
Better supports the vital aspect of business: people

Virtual Desktop
Get enterprise-scale virtual desktop solutions with the Cisco Unified Computing System and Citrix XenDesktop software. You can balance both:

User needs for more mobility, flexibility, self-service, and choice
IT needs to centralize desktop infrastructure, help secure mission-critical data, and respond quickly to changing requirements.

The Cisco Data Center Designs: Desktop Virtualization solution with Citrix XenDesktop helps enable:

Increased mobility, flexibility, and productivity for your global workforce
High-performance, scalable, and agile infrastructure
Exceptional user experiences facilitated by Citrix HDX technology
Highly secure IT operations and increased compliance by centralizing desktop infrastructure and enterprise-critical data

At a glance
Cisco Desktop Virtualisation Solution with Citrix Xendesktop 1MB
Solutions Overview
Cisco Desktop Virtualisation Solution with Citrix Xendesktop 3MB

Free Download: Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions

2010-09-08T21:10:00.001+01:00

Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions 2^nd edition is available a free ebook download.

Updates in this version:

Smaller in file size: 10.8MB vs 14.7MB
Longer in page count: 466 pages (instead of 459)
Updated for Windows Server 2008 R2/Hyper-V R2
Overview of Hyper-V R, System Requirements for Hyper-V R2
Chapter on Working with Live Migration
Review of Microsoft VDI
Overview of Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R, System Requirements for VMM 2008 R2
Chapter on Working with VMM 2008 R2
Overview of Windows Virtual PC Mode

DOWNLOAD: Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions (Second Edition)

Chapters at a glance:

Chapter 1: Why Virtualization?
This chapter provides an overview of Microsoft’s integrated virtualization solution and how it plays a key role in Dynamic IT, Microsoft’s strategy for enabling agile business. The chapter also describes the benefits businesses can achieve through virtualization and how Microsoft’s virtualization platforms, products and technologies can help these businesses move their IT infrastructures toward the goal of Dynamic IT.
Chapter 2: Server Virtualization
This chapter covers the Hyper-V role of Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 and how these platforms can be used to manage virtualization server workloads in the datacenter. The chapter explores features of Hyper-V including the new Live Migration feature of Windows Server 2008 R2. It also describes the benefits of deploying Hyper-V, and various usage scenarios.
Chapter 3: Local Desktop Virtualization
This chapter describes various Microsoft virtualization technologies that enable client operating systems and applications to run within a virtualized environment hosted on the user’s computer. The platforms and products covered in this chapter include Windows Virtual PC and the Windows XP Mode environment, Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V), and Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V).
Chapter 4: Remote Desktop Virtualization
This chapter describes various Microsoft virtualization technologies that enable client operating systems and applications to run within a virtualized environment hosted on a server located in the datacenter. The platforms and products covered in this chapter include Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), and App-V for Remote Desktop Services.
Chapter 5: Virtualization Management
This chapter describes how System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 can be used to centrally manage all aspects of a virtualized IT infrastructure. The chapter explains how VMM works and explores how to use the platform to manage virtual machines running on Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V servers. The chapter also describes the benefits of the other members of the System Center family of products.
Chapter 6: Cloud Computing
This chapter examines Microsoft’s emerging cloud computing platform, how it works, and what benefits businesses can obtain from it. The chapter examines both private and public cloud solutions including Windows Azure, and describes how Microsoft’s Dynamic Data Center Toolkit can be used to integrate cloud computing as a part of your virtualized IT infrastructure.

Useful Group Policy Search Tool

2010-09-08T19:30:00.001+01:00

Nice little Online Group Policy Search tool on a brand new Microsoft Site http://gps.cloudapp.net/

It gives you a nice interface that allows you to search for group policy settings, filter IE version, Office version etc.

Not surprisingly, uses Microsoft Azure but could be a useful tool for onsite engineers and consultants

Article Number	Article Title
CTX123240	XenDesktop 4 Licensing FAQ
CTX118976	How to Configure XenDesktop to Function Properly Without an Organizational Unit in Active Directory
CTX123418	Error: The system could not log you on. Ensure that you entered your details correctly and try again
CTX122417	Using XenDesktop with Multiple Active Directory Forests
CTX118248	Citrix Presentation Server Licenses have been Renamed to Citrix XenApp

Article Number	Article Title
CTX124280	Hotfix XDE400VDAWX86002 (Version 4.0.4534) - For Citrix XenDesktop 4.0 Virtual Desktop Agent x86
CTX126122	Delegated Administration and Configuration Logging Components - For XenDesktop 4 Service Pack 1
CTX124873	Hotfix XDE400VDAWX86003 (Version 4.0.4546) - For Citrix XenDesktop 4.0 Virtual Desktop Agent x86
CTX126119	Hotfix XDE400PM004 (Version 4.0.4553) - For Citrix XenDesktop 4.0 Pool Management
CTX126132	Hotfix XDE400VDAWX86004 (Version 4.0.5013) - For Citrix XenDesktop 4.0 Virtual Desktop Agent x86

Article Number	Article Title
LINK	Create catalog esx 4.1
LINK	XenDesktop, Windows 7 and ThinClients!
LINK	XD5 Windows 7 unable to re-connect
LINK	XD5 & Xendesktop PVS Setup Wizard tool - Unable to find hosting providers
LINK	Step by Step upgrade documentation needed.

Video Link	Video Title
LINK	How To: Create a VM Template and Deploy using XenDesktop Wizard
LINK	How To: Configure USB Support on XenDesktop
LINK	How To: Enable Logging for the Desktop Delivery Controller and Virtual Desktop Agent
LINK	How To: Modify Initial Client Drive Mapping in XenDesktop Environment
LINK	How To: Configure ICA Packet Size in a XenDesktop Environment

VirtualBen

Blogs have moved to http://www.virtualben.co.uk/

SYN308 - Whats new and Planned for XenClient

Citrix Release Netscaler Cloud Bridge

Citrix XenClient 2 Tech Preview Available

Try XenClient Express Tech Preview

The VDI is not available - XenServer 5.6 FP1

Configuring Key Management System (KMS) Licensing for Windows and Office2010 in Different Scenarios

Recommended Citrix and MS hotfixes for XenApp6

Disable ScreenSaver GPO

Useful XenServer Links

Suprise! We do talk with Storage Vendors

XenDesktop 5 Database Sizing and Mirroring Best Practices

2010's Top 20 eDocs Topics

Top XenDesktop Technical Content 2010

XenClient - Disk Management - VHD files and chains

XenDesktop Overview Video Series Available from Citrix

Dynamic Color Compression cuts bandwidth consumption by 35%

Citrix Supported Databases - Updated 23/12/2010

XenDesktop 5 SQL Profiler Template Availble

Citrix - ICA Clients and Supported Operating Systems

XenServer SR-IOV Support for Provisioning Services Virtual Machines

Citrix Receiver 4.2.2 for iPad released

Single Sign-On 4.8 and XenDesktop 5

Happy New Year

XenServer 5.6 Update 1 Released

Defender Elite by Kanguru now Citrix Raedy

Cisco, VMware unveil Desktop Virtualization product

Introduction to UEFI

IBM X3650 UEFI Causes XenServer 5.6 Boot Issues

Finding a Better Way to Estimate IOPS for VDI

Citrix Project GoldenGate

XIV Storage Configuration Demo

Access Gateway VPX 5.0 NEW!

Citrix Online Plug-in 12.1 for Windows Released!

What's New

XenServer Peformance: Disable Checksum Offload on PIF's/VIF's

Get "Ready" - NEW Citrix Ready 2.0 Catalog!

Great XenDesktop Tuning Policy for Windows 7

Exchange 2010 - Architecture Poster

Citrix Knowledge Center Top 10 - September 2010

CCIA Accreditation achieved

XenClient 1.0 Released

EasyCall EOL announcement

New Release: XenServer 5.6 Feature Pack 1 Beta "Project Cowley"

Virtual Reality Check - Phase III Released

Application Virtualization Smackdown

Password Manager - What happens when a certificate expires?

XenDesktop & XenApp: Next generation access security that fits your business

AppSense News - User Rights Management is released today (AM and AMC 8.1)

New Citrix Offline Client 6.0.1 released

XenApp 5 on Windows 2003 x86 - VMwareUser.exe

Overland Storage SnapSAN S2000 Is Verified as Citrix Ready

Delivery Services Console Discovery fails.

XenServer SR-IOV Support for Provisioning Services Virtual Machines

VirtualSharp - ReliableDR

Technical Guide for Upgrading / Migrating to Feature Pack 2 or 3

Windows Update fails!

Citrix and Open vSwitch: Performance with a Little Help from our Friends

Synergy Online

HDX Experience Monitor for XenApp 6

AppSense Closes Fiscal Year 2010 with Record Revenue and Company Growth

VMware vCloud Director Overview

Office 2010 Migration Guides available

Citrix and Cisco Joint Solution video

Cisco, Citrix and NetApp vs. VMware...Ding Ding...Round 1

Free Download: Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions

Useful Group Policy Search Tool