Daniele Tosatto

Keeping track of the technical details of Citrix and Microsoft products can be confusing, but when was the last time you took stock of licensing? While organizations strive to be in legal compliance, that can be a complex task.

The most direct way to ensure compliance is to read through the End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) of every product that you install and to maintain detailed records. Realistically, how many administrators routinely click “I Accept” vs. those that read through the entire EULA . . . that’s what I thought.

E = Enterprise edition
P = Platinum edition
**XenDesktop Enterprise or Platinum licensing required when XenApp infrastructure used to implement App-V to XenDesktop.

Citrix and Microsoft licensing was covered as part of the Application Delivery Options for XenApp and/or XenDesktopTechtalk that I delivered a few weeks ago because licensing is certainly one of the technical considerations when deciding exactly how applications should be made available to users. Of course, you must license the operating system from Microsoft and comply with vendor application licensing. But there’s more to it when it comes to licensing for XenApp, XenDesktop, and/or App-V functionality.

Of course, XenDesktop Enterprise and Platinum licensing incorporates the respective edition of XenApp. Bottom line is that if you have XenDesktop Platinum licensing, you get all of the listed Citrix technologies.

Okay, what about Microsoft licensing? Just when you thought you understood it, there are a number of changes coming on July 1st. What you previously knew as VECD licensing doesn’t exist anymore. And there’s more . . .

The table above gives you a high-level overview of Microsoft licensing. A few notable items:
• SA or VDA licensing is required for the endpoint. The difference is whether the endpoint is a Windows-based device or a non-Windows-based device.
• Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services Client Access Licenses include App-V to XenApp servers. However, where App-V will be used on virtual or physical desktops, additional licensing is required.

For more information on Microsoft licensing, please see:
• http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/0/5/5059CBF7-F736-4D1E-BF90-C28DADA181C5/Microsoft%20VDI%20and%20Windows%20VDA%20FAQ%20v2%200.pdf
• http://download.microsoft.com/download/C/6/7/C673E444-6DDD-40B8-B29F-625354F2A8F7/Licensing_Windows_for_Virtual_Desktops_Whitepaper.pdf
• http://blogs.technet.com/b/yungchou/archive/2010/06/11/microsoft-vdi-licensing-primer.aspx

The HDX Monitor is a tool to validate the operation of XenDesktop’s HDX stack including the latest HDX MediaStream for Flash and HDX RealTime features. Install this tool on your virtual desktop to obtain helpful technical details about your HDX experience. The tool is organized into sections that cover the various HDX technologies. Use it to view bandwidth usage, session settings and performance metrics.

Download the HDX Monitor tool from the Link below
http://hdx.citrix.com/hdx-monitor/downloads

Install the Tool on your Virtual Machine which is Launched from the XenDesktop.

Once the Installation is complete Run the HDX Monitor Tool on the Virtual Machine Lauched from the XenDesktop.

This tool can also help you diagnose HDX issues. It detects when multimedia redirection is in use and if your endpoint device supports it. And it can tell you what audio codec you are using and its bitrate.

If you are Verifying your Device as HDX Ready, Please click on the Generate Report and Save the Report and send the .HTML file to CitrixReady@Citrix.com for our Review.

Citrix releases an interesting white paper discussing Best Practices for HDX Technologies for XenDesktop.

You can find it here .

Here you can find some useful resources to plan and design Citrix environments.

The following resources provide a best-practices based approach to designing virtualization environments based on Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop technologies:

• Windows XP Optimization Guide for Virtual Desktops
  Description: If Windows XP is still your desktop operating system of choice and it is going to be used within a virtual desktop environment, you need to optimize it appropriately. The optimizations will help deliver a better user experience and greater scalability on the hypervisor of choice (XenServer, Hyper-V, or ESX).
• XenDesktop Modular Reference Architecture
  Description: The architecture explained within this white paper is a recipe for creating a scalable XenDesktop environment using any required FlexCast option. This reference architecture discusses how to configure the controllers, imaging layer, application layer and the desktop layer.
• High-Availability for Desktop Virtualization – Reference Architecture
  Description: In environments where desktop virtualization is a critical business resource, it is imperative that the solution remains available even if a component or data center is lost. This reference architecture looks at all levels of the entire XenDesktop solution, and provides an architecture for creating a highly-available solution.
• High-Availability for Desktop Virtualization – Implementation Guide
  Description: Implementing a desktop virtualization solution oftentimes requires an investigation and implementation of the high-availability options. This white paper provides step-by-step instructions for enabling high-availability in XenDesktop within a single site and across multiple sites.
• Virtual Applications or Virtual Desktops
  floirDescription: Trying to decide between virtual desktops and virtual applications is oftentimes challenging. By understanding the core expectations and requirements for each delivery method helps make this decision easy. This white paper focuses on the decision and how to identify the most appropriate type of delivery solution.
• Networking topics, including Global Server Load Balancing- it’s like never having to worry about datacenter failures again.

How often did you wish there was a way to change the GUID on a virtual desktop agent without manually going to the registry or running a repair on the VDA agent? Well Citrix Support team is pleased to provide you another useful tool to do that and more …
It is called the XenDesktop VDA farm Changer!

This tool can scan Active Directory to find available Farms, provide a dropdown list of the available farms along with the ability to change farm membership, displays current farm membership, displays VDA and/or ICA client version, provides an interface to all VDA system services along with service status, and provides other data points and frequently used shortcuts for VDA management.
You can download this tool here in http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX124379

Citrix Support is focused on ensuring Customer and Partner satisfaction with his products. Citrix is working on multiple items to help make it easier to find answers and solve problems via self-service avenues, all of which are available to all his Partners and Customers to leverage.

Last November Citrix launched the How To video initiative and to date have over 100 videos covering 12 products available on Citrix TV.

The following is a list of the TOP 5 videos since launching the initiative.

#1 How To: Create a VM Template and Deploy using XenDesktop Wizard

#2 How To: Configure USB Support on XenDesktop

#3 How To: Convert a Physical Machine to a Virtual Machine

#4 How To: Deploy Citrix Clients via Web Interface 5.2

#5 How To: Configure Pass-Through Authentication with Web Interface 5.2

Current video series available on Citrix TV are:

• Citrix XenServer – http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/137
• Citrix XenApp – http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/131
• Citrix XenDesktop – http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/135
• Citrix NetScaler – http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/133
• Citrix Provisioning Services – http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/136
• Citrix Web Interface – http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/129
• Citrix Merchandising Server – http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/124
• Citrix Password Manager – http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/126
• Citrix EdgeSight – http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/132
• Citrix Workflow Studio – http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/130
• Citrix Access Gateway Standard Edition – http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/134
• Citrix Access Gateway Advanced Edition – http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/140

Citrix makes two announcements!

The first exciting announcement is the launch of the new AskTheArchictect microsite that focuses on integrating XenDesktop with Microsoft technologies. The second announcement is the release of the long awaited XenDesktop Design Guide for Hyper-V.

XenDesktop on Microsoft Hyper-V

Citrix and Microsoft have quite a history together and Citrix is committed to supporting the Microsoft products with XenDesktop. Previously, no website existed where you could find technical guidance on integrating Microsoft products with XenDesktop. The AskTheArchitect brand that was started last year has been so successful that Dan Feller was overrun with topics, so the team decided to split it out into separate areas of expertise. Given my recent experience with Hyper-V, I volunteered for the Microsoft on XenDesktop website. In case you are wondering, the main AskTheArchitect site can be found here and includes links to other areas such as Healthcare, Application Networking, NextGen Desktop, XenApp on XenDesktop, Automation, Cloud, and Branch Office optimization.

My plan is to post on the website all the knowledge I gain on integrating XenDesktop with any Microsoft products, including Hyper-V, App-V, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, and System Center. Right now most of the content is focused on Windows 7 and Hyper-V; however, as I work engagements, attend seminars, or read new information that is pertinent I will post it there. Also, I will send out a quick Tweet informing everyone of the new content when the posted information is relevant to current trends or projects.

XenDesktop Design Guide for Microsoft

I have just spent the last few weeks writing a Design Guide that focuses on providing specific guidance for deploying XenDesktop 4 deployments on Hyper-V 2008 R2. The guide is not meant to replace other XenDesktop architecture guidance, but rather to supplement that guidance and explain some of the nuances encountered in a Hyper-V deployment. The document leverages the Modular Reference architecture and presents the next level of design detail necessary for a Hyper-V deployment.

When you hear terms like “feature pack” or “service pack” or “service release,” usually you expect a few bug fixes, maybe a couple cool widgets here and there – but overall relatively minor stuff…right?

In this case, XenDesktop 4 Feature Pack 1 may be the understatement of the year (and it’s only March!) This is a feature update that adds several new capabilities to XenDesktop 4 that deepen integration with the Microsoft platform and further enhance end user experience, improve scalability, and simplify management. Some of the highlights of this release include:

• Access to virtual desktops that’s up to 5x Faster. New “streamed user profiles” in XenDesktop can shorten virtual desktop and application log-on times up to 5x, dramatically enhancing user experience. The new release also includes a variety of enhancements to the company’s HDX technology, designed to ensure a high definition experience for all users, regardless of where they are or what type of device they are using.

• Unparalleled Scalability. XenDesktop 4, Feature Pack 1, has been verified through formal testing to deliver an unprecedented 100,000 shared virtual desktop sessions concurrently from a single site. The shared hosted model is one of several virtual desktop options included in XenDesktop’s FlexCast™ delivery technology – and one that is widely deployed by hundreds of thousands of customers to several million users every day.

• Simplified App Management – The new XenDesktop version incorporates all the capabilities of the company’s recent XenApp 6 release, including tight integration with Microsoft App-V. With more than half the ROI of desktop virtualization coming from centralized app management, these improvements offer significant new simplification and cost savings for IT!

Enhancements for ever FlexCast Delivery Model

Since desktop virtualization means a lot more than just VDI, with XenDesktop 4 FP1, every FlexCast delivery model offers new benefits. Breaking it down:

• For all FlexCast delivery models: Feature Pack 1 provides complete integration with Microsoft App-V, enabling XenDesktop to provide on-demand, self-service app delivery integration with App-V through Citrix Dazzle and Receiver.

• For Hosted Shared Desktops: Feature Pack 1 offers support for Windows Server 2008 R2, integration with Microsoft management tools, and dramatically simplified installation and configuration. This release also improves productivity for end users with extensive new high-definition HDX technologyenhancements for Windows portable USB devices, support for Microsoft OCS, VoIP and more. These innovative HDX enhancements were delivered for Hosted VM-based Desktops and Streamed Desktops in 2009

• For Hosted Shared Desktops, Hosted VM-based Desktops, and Streamed Desktops: Feature Pack 1 includes Streamed User Profiles, a new capability that can shorten virtual desktop and hosted application logon times by up to 5X. Streaming profiles let the user complete the logon process without having to wait for the entire profile (sometimes 200-300MBs large) to load. In addition, a new “active write back” feature speeds logoff times by sending profile changes to the central store during the session as they occur, rather than waiting to do them all in one big batch at logoff.

• For high-end 3D graphics users on Hosted Blade PCs: This update includes enhancements to HDX 3D for Professional Graphics, providing support for Windows 7 (32 and 64-bit), Windows XP 64-bit, and lossless compression (ideal for users of medical imaging applications).

Feature Pack 1 will be made available later this month.

Choosing a thin client OS for your desktop virtualization deployment can be tricky.  Windows embedded thin clients offer the latest features, but they cost more and have additional security implications and maintenance compared to Linux based thin clients.  Wyse ThinOS clients are often easier to secure and manage than Linux clients, but often lag in features.  This has changed with the use of the Wyse TCX software, but because of the “thin” nature of ThinOS a few key features are not possible.  Let’s take a look at the latest features available when using the latest Citrix clients.

Common features across the thin client operating systems include support for multiple monitors, bi-directional audio, USB flash drives and web browser acceleration.  Many of the Wyse TCX features work out of band which means they will not work with Citrix Secure Gateway or a Citrix Access Gateway running in Secure Gateway mode.

For more information you can read this white paper on selecting thin clients for XenDesktop 4.
You can also check out this Wyse software pdf file on Wyse TCX and other Wyse software.

Citrix published a new architecture blueprint for its VDI platform XenDesktop.

The 38-pages document provides guidance to design scalable virtual desktop infrastructures based on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2005, Citrix Provisioning Server 5.1 and of course XenDesktop 4.0 (which includes the hypervisor and XenApp 5).

For more information, go to http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX124087