Citrix

Citrix Virtualization White Paper - Virtualization Everywhere

Charles Aunger / www.eknowlogy.com — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:16:29 GMT

The following Citrix virtualization white paper discusses how Citrix XenServer provides simple, economical server virtualization designed for easy implementation in any IT environment. From the simplicity of "10 Minutes to Xen" installation to a full range of complementary, best-of-breed solutions from independent solution providers, Citrix XenServer offers innovative, cost-effective solutions for application availability, business continuity, rapid provisioning, and end-to-end visibility and management across virtual and physical environments.

Adoption of virtualization is concentrated among large enterprises, while adoption by mid-sized companies has been much slower. For these companies, enterprise-focused virtualization solutions often present barriers including:

fragmentation between new, virtualization-ready operating systems and legacy platforms running mission-critical applications
application performance constrained by storage and network I/O on virtualized servers
server and storage constraints imposed by virtualization platform providers
security and resiliency concerns raised when multiple critical applications run on the same hardware
implementation hurdles created by complex interdependencies and demanding installation protocols
vendor lock-in issues, raising pricing and support risks many companies prefer to avoid
application delivery constraints imposed at virtual/physical boundaries

Download the white paper here: Virtualization Everywhere

click here for source

Citrix are to acquire Xensource

Charles Aunger / www.eknowlogy.com — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:11:57 GMT

Well it has been a rumour for days / weeks and today it's confirmed. Citrix are to acquire Xensource.

It was only really a matter of time. In the past VMware has started to play in to Citrix ’s Customer field of trying to deliver Virtual Desktops and there is quite a buzz out there about it. Quite a few senior ex Citrix executives now work at VMware and with the coming of Microsoft Windows 2008 with it’s added features Citrix needs to think about strengthen it’s position and friends in the market place.

If you look at the figures yesterday VMware is almost 4 times the market capitalisation of Citrix and that say something. It says that VMware are doing a great job of marketing and momentum, as did Citrix a few years ago. Everywhere I go at the moment I hear VMware this and VMware that.

Buying Xensource, does Citrix gain a stronger partnership with Microsoft, well will have to wait and see what happens there. I don’t think it will do much for Citrix ’s VMware relationship.

Let’s hope that Xensource goes from strength to strength and gets the investment that it should and there should be interesting times ahead.

Click for more on the acquisition

Citrix have updated - Hotfix Rollup Pack 1 for Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 64-bit Edition

Charles Aunger / www.eknowlogy.com — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 07:48:55 GMT

For those that have already applied Rollup Pack 1 for Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 you might want to look again because Hotfix Rollup Pack 1 for Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 64-bit Edition has been updated Citrix on the 3rd August

Hotfix for PSE450W2K3X64011 has been replaced in the Hotfix Rollup Pack1

for more on this click here for source document http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX112619

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Citrix update - ActiveSync 4.5 and Windows Mobile 5 with Presentation Server 4.5 Hotfix Rollup Pack 01

Charles Aunger / www.eknowlogy.com — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 07:43:25 GMT

Click for source

This document describes how to set up ActiveSync and Windows Mobile 5 with Presentation Server 4.5 Hotfix Rollup Pack 01.

CTX821115 - How to Configure ActiveSync for PDA Synchronization

Note: This enhancement has been tested only on client devices running Windows XP and Version 10.100 of the Presentation Server Client.

Presentation Server Setup

1. Install Presentation Server 4.5.

2. Download and install CTX112618 – Hotfix Rollup Pack PSE450W2K3R01 - For Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 and Citrix Access Essentials 2.0 for Windows Server 2003 .

3. From the Presentation Server Console, create the following policies:

Client Devices > Resources > PDA devices > Turn on automatic virtual COM port mapping > ENABLED

Client Devices > Resources > Ports > Turn off COM ports > DISABLED

4. Assign these policies to the server.

5. Download Microsoft ActiveSync 4.5 and install it on the server.

6. Publish /program files/Microsoft Activesync/wcesmgr.exe.

7. Install and publish Outlook (Outlook 2003 and 2007 have been tested).

8. Restart the server.

9. When the server comes up, run taskmgr and stop rapimgr, wcescomm, and wcesmgr.
Note: To configure your server so that these processes to not start up automatically, run msconfig and clear them from the Startup tab. Restart the server and verify that the processes did not start up.

10. To synchronize Desktop Outlook, add the following registry key:

sz:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\CtxHook\AppInit_Dlls\VIPHook\outlook.exe\FilePathName="D:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\outlook.exe" –Embedding
Note: Where the path is the location of outlook.exe on your system. In this example, Outlook is stored on drive D. To synchronize Desktop Outlook, Outlook must be running in the ICA session with ActiveSync. The –Embedding command line parameter runs Outlook without showing the Outlook User Interface.

11. You need to create three domain users with access to the Exchange server you are using – for example, user1, user2, and user3.

12. Log on to the Presentation Server as each user:

Create and save user1.txt in user1’s My Documents folder. Repeat for user2 and user3.

Browse to a few Web pages and save them as Favorites for user1. Repeat with user2 and user3 using different Web pages.

Confirm that the file and Favorites synced from the server belong specifically to the user logged on.

Client Setup

1. Download and install Microsoft ActiveSync 4.5.

2. Connect your PDA to a USB port.

3. Restart the client machine.

4. When the client comes up, run taskmgr and stop rapimgr, wcescomm, and wcesmgr.
Note: To configure your server so that these processes to not start up automatically, run msconfig and clear them from the Startup tab. Restart the server and verify that the processes did not start up.

5. Install the Citrix client using ica32pkg.msi.

Windows Mobile 5 Device Setup

1. Verify that Settings > Connections > ActiveSync Mode = USB Serial Sync Mode. The device requires a restart if this setting is changed.

2. In Settings > Connections > Connections > Advanced > Select Networks, verify that both the Internet and Private networks are using a profile that does not have any custom proxy or modem settings.

3. Delete all profiles from Programs > Active Sync > Menu > Options.

More Information

For more information about Windows Mobile, see http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/default.mspx

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Brianmadden anaylsis Should Citrix buy a hypervisor

Charles Aunger / www.eknowlogy.com — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 07:40:07 GMT

So with all the information about Hypervisors and the recent information released by Credit Susie and others, Brian and Gabe have provided analysis of this information and written an interesting article that pulls thoughts together to ask the question Should Citrix buy a hypervisor. I have republished part of the the information below.

But you can link direct to the document.

Now that Citrix is focusing on end-to-end application delivery, people have been speculating / asking whether Citrix needs to get into the hypervisor market. (And when people ask “Should Citrix get into the hypervisor market,” that’s really code for “Should Citrix buy a hypervisor?”) In fact when we were at Citrix iForum in Edinburgh, Scotland this past June, we had multiple conversations with people (both Citrix employees and others) about whether Citrix should own a hypervisor.

(A hypervisor, for those who don’t know, is a software virtualization engine. It puts the “VM” in “VMware.” It’s what allows multiple virtual hardware machines to simultaneously run on a single physical system. It’s what Microsoft is building into Windows Server 2008 to allow multiple server VMs to run at once.)

There’s a rumor that Citrix is going to buy virtualization vendor XenSource for a very large amount of money—perhaps as high as $500M. In this article, we’ll look at why Citrix would want to do this, what it would mean for them, and what it might mean for their existing relationships with Microsoft and VMware.

Cheers
Charles
http://charlesaunger.eknowlogy.com

Citrix Beta new Knowledge Center Search

Charles Aunger / www.eknowlogy.com — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 22:00:45 GMT

Citrix Beta new Knowledge Center Search

The new, Google™-powered Knowledge Center search is live. Featuring improved performance and a modern, refinement-oriented interface, it's designed to give you the results you are looking for faster and more consistently.

Check it out and then use the feedback link to tell Citrix how it stack up..

Charles Aunger
charles aunger eknowlogy / frameworkx / charles.aunger homepage

TSFactory release RecordTS for Citrix/ICA BETA

Charles Aunger / www.eviglio.com — Fri, 04 May 2007 18:21:50 GMT

TSFactory release RecordTS for Citrix /ICA BETA

The beta version of RecordTS is now available for Citrix /ICA. If you would like to be become a beta tester for this new and exciting release, please contact support@tsfactory.com and provide us with your name, company name, and telephone number.

RecordTS is the first Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) or Citrix ICA recording solution available in the market for Windows platforms. This means you can now record everything your users are doing on your Terminal or Citrix Servers and even what your administrators are doing on your domain controllers and Exchange servers. All while connecting using the built-in remote administration tools!

On average, a company has 60 users per Terminal or Citrix Server; to add a solution like RecordTS to this type of environment it would require 1 RecordTS Terminal Services license at $995. This means for $16.58/user you could monitor all user activity, prevent corporate data loss, assure network is secure and compliant, observe third party vendor activity on your machines, and much more. Suddenly $995 seems like a small price to pay for such protection over your company's data and network infrastructure.

Please note, RecordTS is priced and licensed per server.

_______________________________

Sample RecordTS Citrix Installation

_______________________________

Example Installation of RecordTS Remote Desktop Edition

_______________________________

Example Installation of RecordTS Terminal Services Edition

Key Features

Designed specifically for Windows Servers with Terminal Services or Remote Desktop enabled.
Records all Micorsoft RDP or Citrix ICA traffic.
Allows you to audit who connects and what they do on your network.
Produces compact files for easy storage and playback.
Video files are digitally signed for security.
Capable of recording specific users and pre-defined times.
Assists in network compliancy and security.
Helps document an audit trail when conducting work on your network or someone elses.

click for more information at source

Charles Aunger
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Idokorro's Citrix Presentation Server Client for BlackBerry Wins Grand Prize in BlackBerry Developer Challenge

Charles Aunger / www.eviglio.com — Wed, 02 May 2007 09:34:43 GMT

Idokorro Mobile Inc., the industry leader in providing solutions for mobile access, is proud to announce that their new application, the Citrix Presentation Server™ Client for BlackBerry®, has won the Grand Prize in the BlackBerry Developer Challenge competition sponsored by AT&T. Idokorro's solution gives BlackBerry and Citrix users the ability to access and use any Citrix -published Windows application on their BlackBerry devices, including the Microsoft Office Suite, SAP, PeopleSoft, Crystal Reports and the Desktop-even view the graphical windows and control the mouse and keyboard.

Citrix Presentation Server™ Client for BlackBerry brings the power of application virtualization to the BlackBerry platform, giving mobile employees a secure and reliable way to access important corporate resources, and providing an opportunity for significant productivity and efficiency gains.

"Delivering real value-and a competitive edge-to our customers in the form of secure, reliable and cost-saving applications is Idokorro's primary goal. Receiving this kind of recognition for our most recent innovation is another confirmation that we are reaching that goal." says Rob Woodbridge, President and CEO of Idokorro Mobile Inc.

"This significant achievement for Idokorro's BlackBerry Client for Citrix Presentation Server is the result of their continuous efforts to provide reliable mobile application solutions with demonstrable productivity benefits and quickly-realized ROI," says Chris Fleck, Citrix Vice President of Strategic Alliances. "By extending Citrix Application Delivery Infrastructure platform to include color BlackBerry smartphones, the Idokorro solution clearly adds value by enabling customers to access their Citrix based applications from BlackBerry simply, securely, and without application rewrites."

click for more at source

Charles Aunger
charles aunger eknowlogy / eviglio / frameworkx / charles.aunger homepage

Appsense has released AppSense Management Suite 7.1, now includes 64-bit and Vista support

Charles Aunger / www.eviglio.com — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:36:47 GMT

AppSense provides User Environment Management solutions that personalize and optimize virtual and physical user environments. User Environment Management is the ability for users to have a consistent, contextual and responsive working environment regardless of the way the environment is delivered to them and to make this easily manageable by IT. Whether delivered via Citrix , Terminal Server, Virtual Desktops, Streaming, Blade PCs or physical desktops, AppSense solutions ensure consistent, contextual and responsive environments to all users all the time.

AppSense Management Suite Version 7.1 extends the reach of User Environment Management by supporting mixed architecture implementations consisting of both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures.

AppSense technology can also be installed on Windows Vista desktop PCs with this release, bringing enhanced environment management capabilities to Vista users. The inclusion of enhanced reporting and auditing of user environment activities provides visibility into how the environment is being used, enabling a more proactive approach to managing the user experience.

click for source

Charles Aunger
charles aunger eknowlogy / eviglio / frameworkx / charles.aunger homepage

Citrix Systems revenues increase 18 pc for the first quarter 2007 based on same period 2006

Charles Aunger / www.eviglio.com — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:47:04 GMT

Citrix Systems publish first-quarter revenues for 2007 of US$308m, up 18pc on last year. The company said that product licence revenue increased 7pc and revenue from licence updates grew 20pc. Online services contributed US$47m of revenue, up 49pc on last year.

The company said it is looking forward to year-end revenues of US$1.31bn to US$1.33bn, up on US$1.13bn last year

Citrix CEO Mark Templeton said the company generated significant momentum in its product lines and is off to a good start for 2007.

“We saw good pipeline growth for Presentation Server Platinum Edition due to the positioning, pricing and packaging moves we made, as well as the positive influence EdgeSight has on upgrades, said Templeton. “I am also pleased with the growth in our application networking product line.”

click for source

Charles Aunger
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