New Citrix XenDesktop Release Accelerates Migration To Windows 7 And Beyond

Citrix Systems has announced a new release of its market-leading desktop virtualisation solution, Citrix XenDesktop. This new release fully integrates the personalisation technology acquired last year via Ringcube, as well as support for Microsoft System Center 2012. Citrix also announced the release of Citrix App DNA 6 software for application migration management. XenDesktop and AppDNA software provide a rich set of tools and methodologies to dramatically accelerate enterprise-wide migrations to Windows 7and beyond, giving enterprises a seamless way to design, deploy and manage virtual desktops and applications in existing operations.

The explosion of new applications, operating systems, devices and the people who use them is creating a myriad of problems for IT. They are left wondering how they will manage and support users in this rapidly changing environment. In this transition from the PC era to the cloud era, new technologies and methodologies are required to help make this transition as seamless as possible. By delivering desktops, applications and data as a cloud-like service with XenDesktop, enterprises are able to quickly support existing and new applications, migrate to new operating systems and deliver corporate resources to billions of new devices coming into the workplace.

Citrix continues to drive innovation around desktop transformation helping enterprises take advantage of the business benefits of desktop virtualisation, including delivering IT services from the cloud, enabling mobile workstyles and improving business agility. With the market-leading XenDesktop and AppDNA software, Citrix delivers the solutions and methodologies needed by enterprise customers who want to begin or accelerate their migration to Windows 7 and beyond, while gaining the mobility, flexibility, and management benefits of desktop virtualisation. New capabilities and solutions provide:

Personalisation Users Demand, Management and Cost Savings IT Requires – Consumerisation has given rise to employees’ demands for anywhere, anytime access to corporate resources from any number of devices, including those that are employee-owned. XenDesktop with Personal vDisk technology gives these users the ability to have a personalised virtual desktop experience on a pooled desktop image. Personal apps, data and settings remain right where they left them each time they log on. This enables broader enterprise-wide deployments of virtual desktops by storing a single copy of Windows centrally, and dynamically combining it with a personal vDisk for each employee, enhancing user personalisation while reducing storage costs and management complexity.

Rapid Assessment and Migration of Applications – The new Citrix AppDNA 6 software aligns with the Citrix Desktop Virtualisation Assessment tool included as part of the Desktop Transformation Accelerator. This technology streamlines the discovery and usage requirements for existing applications and users and then feeds those apps into AppDNA software for deep compatibility analysis, remediation, packaging and lifecycle management. This process significantly reduces the time it takes to migrate users to new operating systems.

Management of Virtual Desktops – As virtual desktops deployments increase in number and scale, customers are looking for an integrated management approach across their physical and virtual environments. With this new release, systems management integration between XenDesktop and Microsoft Systems Center 2012 makes the lifecycle management of both virtual and physical desktops a simple and seamless experience for IT. 

Source: http://biztech2.in.com/news/virtualisation/new-citrix-xendesktop-release-accelerates-migration-to-windows-7-and-beyond/129122/0

Citrix Systems Initiates Citrix XenDesktop Best Practices training session for the Indian partners

Organised under the aegis of Citrix Virtual Computing Expert series- Citrix’s partner enablement initiative, 

he XenDesktop Best Practices session was attended by over 150 channel solution architects, system integrators and pre sales consultants across Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai in February 2012. These virtual sessions were aimed at helping partners understand the Citrix XenDesktop solution and align it with the needs of prospective desktop virtualisation customers.

Commenting on the development, Kaushal Veluri, Director - Channels & Alliances, Citrix Systems said, “This initiative is part of Citrix’s training and enablement programs for its partners aimed at mainstreaming desktop virtualization adoption.  Our partners derive significant value from these sessions in understanding nuances of architecting and implementing the Citrix XenDesktop solution and thereby empower themselves to capitalize on the rising demand for this product amongst businesses in India.”

 Vinayaka S. Prabhu, Sr. Practice Manager, Happiest Minds Technologies Pvt Ltd, Bangalore, who attended the training session remarked, “The training was very informative and presented valuable takeaways which will help us deliver Citrix’s solution in line with the requirements of potential desktop virtualisation customers.”

Citrix, Dell partner on new simple VDI appliance for the mass market

Citrix Systems and Dell have announced that they have teamed up to deliver a new VDI appliance that radically simplifies and accelerates desktop virtualization deployments for the mass market. The Dell DVS Simplified solution with Citrix VDI-in-a-Box is an easy, repeatable solution that will be sold through Dell's global sales team and channels.

"We are seeing tremendous customer and partner momentum with Citrix VDI-in-a-Box as SMBs and departments within enterprises seek to capitalize on the benefits of delivering IT services from the cloud by virtualizing desktops," said Krishna Subramanian, Vice President, Marketing & Business Development, SMB Solutions, Citrix. "Our relationship with Dell and the new integrated VDI appliance is aimed at making the transition to the cloud a no-brainer for our mutual customers, ultimately breaking down the barriers to VDI adoption for this very important customer segment through a repeatable, simple, affordable and predictable hardware VDI solution.

"Leveraging the all-in-one Citrix VDI-in-a-Box software, the new integrated hardware VDI appliance is pre-certified to support defined numbers of desktops. There is no need to determine how much disk, CPU and RAM to use. Simply unpack the box, power it on and go. Built on the VDI-in-a-Box grid architecture, adding virtual desktops is as simple as adding appliances like building blocks, and high-availability is built-in.

Based on the unique VDI-in-a-Box grid architecture running on Dell servers, the Dell DVS Simplified VDI appliance can be easily installed to create and rapidly scale a virtual desktop deployment in response to business needs. This makes VDI easily consumable by light IT organizations that may have previously lacked the resources and datacenter infrastructure needed for desktop virtualization.

"Dell's DVS Simplified dramatically reduces VDI deployment complexity, with nothing to architect, configure or install - simply power it on and go," said Steve Lalla, Vice President and General Manager of Dell's Mobility Products and Solutions. "What's more, the solution enables businesses of all sizes to realize the benefits of central desktop management that were previously reserved only for the largest enterprises.

"The VDI appliance is backed by a full Citrix Ready verified ecosystem, providing customers with tested and validated workforce mobility solutions, supporting over one billion devices, including PCs, Macs, thin clients, tablets, smartphones, along with peripherals such as web cams, printers, mice and keyboards.

Citrix has launched a comprehensive, self-paced 4-hour technical training curriculum for VDI-in-a-Box available free of charge to qualified partners. Over 1,000 partners have already taken the sales training curriculum for VDI-in-a-Box in the first few weeks of availability. The comprehensive partner sales and technical training is designed to enable the Citrix partner ecosystem to sell to and support the rapidly growing customer base for easy, affordable desktop virtualization with Citrix VDI-in-a-Box.

Source: http://www.echannelline.com/usa/story.cfm?item=27554

How do I configure Citrix Web Interface 5.4 with XenDesktop 5.5 to deploy Citrix Receiver?

Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 can include an installation of Web Interface 5.4. In some situations, the installation of Web Interface might not be configured to install the Citrix Receiver client-side software. To resolve this issue, you'll need to make a change to Web Interface's webinterface.conf file, found in C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\DesktopWeb\conf.

First, ensure that the Citrix Receiver client-side software can be found in the location C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Web Interface\5.4.0\Clients\Windows\Receiver. Two installation files are typically found in this location, CitrixReceiver.exe and CitrixReceiverEnterprise.exe.

Open the webinterface.conf file in a text editor and scroll down to around line 55, where you should find a series of lines that refer to client installation files for several different operating systems. Change the text in line 59, which will read

ClientIcaWin32=Filename:CitrixOnlinePluginWeb.exe

to read

ClientIcaWin32=Filename:CitrixReceiverEnterprise.exe.

You can alternatively point Web Interface to the CitrixReceiver.exe file if you don't want the enterprise client version. You can also uncomment any of the other nearby lines if there are additional clients you want to make available. For any lines you uncomment, make sure that the associated files are available in subfolders of the location C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Web Interface\5.4.0\Clients.

Source: http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/virtualization2/configure-citrix-web-interface-xendesktop-142246

Citrix Xendesktop 4.0 Introduces Flexcast and Per User-Device Licensing

XenDesktop 4.0 is the latest version of Citrix's desktop and application delivery suite which includes some major changes in delivery and licensing.

The previous version, Citrix XenDesktop 3.0 provided a major leap forward for Citrix in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) space, as this version considered by many to be Citrix's first serious contender in the VDI market.

The licensing restrictions in place with the previous versions (excluding the standard edition) have now been lifted in version 4.0 with XenDesktop being able to deliver desktops and applications in a multitude of ways.

The previous versions licensing restricted the delivery of desktops using presentation virtualization when used in conjunction with Citrix XenApp product. If organizations wanted to deliver a XenApp inspired desktop they would have to deploy a separate XenApp solution, which required costlier XenApp licenses. These licensing restrictions only allowed applications hosted on XenApp to be delivered as part of the XenDesktop VDI desktop.

This pushed the cost of deploying XenDesktop higher because only a VDI solution was possible, which in turn required more hardware, as the user density per server was lower than just using a XenApp based solution. It just didn't make sense why Citrix would include the restrictions on XenApp licenses in the XenDesktop suite and stop it's use as a cost effective alternative delivery mechanism for desktops instead of just relying on VDI?

Citrix FlexCast

This inflexibility changed with the XenDesktop 4.0 suite, with the introduction of what Citrix calls 'FlexCast', which is being touted as 'any desktop, any app, any way'. Flexcast can now deliver desktops and applications by a variety of methods including Presentation Virtualization using the terminal server type remote access to applications and desktops along with desktops and applications from VDI hosted machines. There are other methods too, which all in all, give Flexcast a set of totally flexible delivery options.

With Citrix XenApp now being integrated into XenDesktop, the flexibility of catering for a wider variety of users is possible. Those users who don't need full on desktops such as those delivered by VDI, can now access desktops hosted on XenApp, as the XenDesktop license (Enterprise and Platinum Edition only) is free of the previous restrictions.

Citrix Per User/Device licensing

XenDesktop 4.0 also introduces 'per user' and 'per device' licensing options. This brings this Citrix product in line with other major vendors such as Microsoft, who also use the per user/device licensing approach.

Originally, the 'Per Named User' (PNU) licensing model was advocated to replace the current ConCurrent User (CCU) licensing model, however after feedback from customers that this would make this Citrix product very expensive and therefore unattractive, Citrix bowed to the pressure and utilised a flexible licensing approach with a 'per user', 'per device' and CCU licensing (only in certain editions) being available, with PNU licensing being scrapped.

With 'per user' licensing if there were let's say 10,000 users in an organization who all use Citrix delivered applications and desktops and out of these 10,000, only 2,000 access the Citrix delivered applications and/or desktops at the same time, under the existing CCU licensing, only 2,000 licenses would need to be purchased. However, with 'per user' licensing there is a shift for each user who accesses the system being licensed, so in this example, all 10,000 users would need to be licensed. If there were only 2,500 devices being used to access XenDesktop but still 10,000 users, then it would make sense to adopt a 'per device' licensing option.

Citrix is still offering the CCU licensing model but only in the VDI edition, so organisations can pilot the option of going VDI with lower licensing costs.

Education establishments will be able to get campus wide licenses which will make XenDesktop an attractive option.

Using experienced Citrix XenDesktop Consultants may prove worthwhile to ensure not only costs are controlled but the right mix of technology is used.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3077364