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Blogs for Barry Flanagan [ Blogs | Profile ]
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posted by Barry Flanagan






Today Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V version 5.5 was officially announced.

As part of the launch, Mark Nijmeijer (Engineering Manager for StorageLink Site Recovery) put together three short videos on the new Site Recovery feature. Site Recovery provides quick and easy DR setup, reliable configuration, non-disruptive testing and fast recovery fopr yopur Microsoft virtualization environment. If you have seen the power of combining Hyper-V On Windows Server 2008 R2 with System Center Virtual Machine Manager, check out the preferred Virtualization Disaster Recovery solution.

In this first video, Mark describes how to use Site Recovery's simple controls to setup protection of a Hyper-V virtual machine. He demonstrates how StorageLink, part of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V, interfaces with array-based storage replication for remote disaster recovery configuration.









Next, Mark shows how to validate and test Hyper-V disaster recovery configurations using StorageLink Site Recovery.









Finally, Mark demonstrates how easy it is to initiate failover of Hyper-V virtual machines to a disaster recovery site in the event of a site-wide disruption using StorageLink Site Recovery.









Site Recovery as part of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V 5.5 allows you to setup, test and manage disaster recovery services for your Microsoft virtualization environment. This new feature set works with your advanced storage hardware for replication, and provides true disaster recovery on a virtual machine level.

Express Edition Download
http://www.citrix.com/ehvexpress

StorageLink Deep Dive Webinar - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/04/13/StorageLink+-+Essentials+for+Hyper-V+Deep+Dive+Webinar

StorageLink Demo Videos
http://www.citrix.com/ehv

StorageLink Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/02/23/StorageLink+in+Essentials+for+Hyper-V

Provisoning Services Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/20/Provisioning+for+Hyper-V+with+Citrix+Essentials

Lab Manager Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/19/Essentials+for+Hyper-V+with+Lab+Management

StorageLink Install Install Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120789
StorageLink User Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120791



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posted by Barry Flanagan






Technical Overview of Citrix FlexCast



With FlexCast delivery technology, XenDesktop can quickly and securely deliver individual applications or complete desktops to the entire enterprise, whether they are task workers, knowledge workers or mobile workers. In this session, you will learn what about the delivery options of FlexCast and when it is appropriate to use each type.
Learn about:

• Introduction to FlexCast
• Technical explanations of each type
• Use cases for each model
• Starting a FlexCast evaluation

Register Now!



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posted by Barry Flanagan



On December 3rd, the NASA astronauts on the Internal Space Station started testing a new Crew Support LAN (CSL). According to the "ISS On-Orbit Status" for December 3rd -







At ~11:05am EST, Jeff Williams conducted a one-hour video-based training session on the exciting new CSL (Crew Support Local Area Network) capabilities and hardware. (Crew Support LAN Phase 1 will provide live Internet access to the ISS crew (initially only USOS crewmembers) as safely, securely and reliably as possible whenever Ku-band is available. The access will be accomplished by connecting to a remote desktop session on a remote server (Citrix server) located on the ground, which hosts the virtual desktops, and the crew sees only an image of the remote desktop which does the Internet surfing. Video and audio can be received (but may be choppy or sometimes out of sync). The CSL, a virtual network completely separate from the station-wide Ops LAN, will use existing IBM A31p laptops and existing network hardware. Initially, there will be only one CSL laptop (Client 1) and one CSL server (CREWLAN SERVER) both set up in Node-2. After the initial testing, the CSL will be expanded to include up to four clients.)

Here is some back ground on the type of Ku-Band link from NASA.

"The Ku-band antenna aboard the space shuttle orbiter is located in the payload bay; thus, Ku-band can be used only when the orbiter is on orbit. The orbiter payload bay doors are opened and the Ku-band antenna is deployed. The Ku-band system operates in the Ku-band portion of the radio frequency spectrum between 15,250 MHz and 17,250 MHz. The Ku-band carrier frequencies are 13.755 GHz from the TDRS to the orbiter and 15.003 GHz from the orbiter to the TDRS. Once the Ku-band antenna is deployed, the Ku-band system can be used as a communication system to transmit information to and receive information from the ground through the TDRSS. The Ku-band antenna aboard the orbiter can also be used as a radar system for target tracking objects in space, but it cannot be used simulta neously for Ku-band communications and radar operations.

Ku-Band has quite a bit of latency. "Since they relay signals off a satellite in geosynchronous orbit 36,000 km (22,300 miles) above the Earth, VSAT links are subject to a minimum latency of approximately 500 milliseconds round-trip. This makes them a poor choice for "chatty" protocols or applications."

It is great to see that Citrix technology is the choice to deploy virtual desktops over the most extreme network conditions in the world.



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posted by Barry Flanagan






Register Online

Citrix Essentials for Microsoft Hyper-V adds new disaster recovery capabilities to Hyper-V with StorageLink Site Recovery technology. Attend this webcast to get an up-close view of the new solution. Product experts from Citrix demonstrate how StorageLink Site Recovery brings you simple disaster recovery controls while tapping powerful, array-based remote replication services to protect your Hyper-V workloads. We also explore how you can use Site Recovery together with Microsoft clustering technologies and Citrix Essentials workflow orchestration tools to build an automated disaster recovery solution for your Hyper-V environment.

Discussion topics include:

  • Setting up replication services
  • Staging remote virtual machines for disaster recovery testing
  • Performing fail-over of virtual machines

Presenters: Jim Schwartz, Virtualization Solutions Marketing Director, Microsoft Corporation, Barry Flanagan, Global Microsoft Alliance Evangelist, Citrix and Mark Nijmeijer - Sr. Manager StorageLink Engineering, Citrix

Register Online

Language(s): English.
Product(s): Hyper-V.
Audience(s): IT Generalist.

Duration: 60 Minutes
Start Date:
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada)

Express Edition Download
http://www.citrix.com/ehvexpress

Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V Step by Step Part 1

StorageLink Deep Dive Webinar - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/04/13/StorageLink+-+Essentials+for+Hyper-V+Deep+Dive+Webinar

StorageLink Demo Videos
http://www.citrix.com/ehv

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posted by Barry Flanagan




Tyler Carter, Product Marketing Manager for Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V, put together a brief overview presentation of the new features in Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V 5-5. The link below will open a new window to play a flash version of the presentation. There is some animation in the presentation, so I suggest just letting it play all the way through without manually advancing the slides. There is no audio in the presentation.




What's New in Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V 5.5




I uploaded the slide presentation to my SkyDrive account. You can download it here. You can download a 10 page Essentials for Hyper-V whitepaper here.

Express Edition Download
http://www.citrix.com/ehvexpress

Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V Step by Step Part 1

StorageLink Deep Dive Webinar - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/04/13/StorageLink+-+Essentials+for+Hyper-V+Deep+Dive+Webinar

StorageLink Demo Videos
http://www.citrix.com/ehv

StorageLink Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/02/23/StorageLink+in+Essentials+for+Hyper-V

Provisoning Services Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/20/Provisioning+for+Hyper-V+with+Citrix+Essentials

Lab Manager Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/19/Essentials+for+Hyper-V+with+Lab+Management

StorageLink Install Install Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120789
StorageLink User Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120791



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posted by Barry Flanagan




Citrix self-paced online training course CEV-100-2W Getting Started with Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V introduces learners to Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V and provides the knowledge needed to perform basic installation and configuration tasks. The new Site Recovery Manager feature is covered as well.





Through online simulations, students will install and configure key features and explore product capabilities, such as virtual storage management, provisioning services, lifecycle management and workflow studio. This course is available at no cost for a limited time.

To learn more and access this online course, click here.



Express Edition Download
http://www.citrix.com/ehvexpress

Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V Step by Step Part 1

StorageLink Deep Dive Webinar - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/04/13/StorageLink+-+Essentials+for+Hyper-V+Deep+Dive+Webinar

StorageLink Demo Videos
http://www.citrix.com/ehv

StorageLink Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/02/23/StorageLink+in+Essentials+for+Hyper-V

Provisoning Services Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/20/Provisioning+for+Hyper-V+with+Citrix+Essentials

Lab Manager Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/19/Essentials+for+Hyper-V+with+Lab+Management

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posted by Barry Flanagan

Join Citrix and Microsoft for this upcoming webinar on November 19th, 2009 at 1:00 PM EST-







Event Date: 11/19/2009 01:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

Have you started planning to migrate to Windows 7? Struggling to continuously update and patch endpoint devices for new application releases and updates ? Data residing on end point devices creating potential security risks? Continuing to follow the decades-old PC refresh cycle and traditional distributed desktop model is a poor choice for IT departments that face reduced budgets and headcount. Join Citrix and Microsoft in this webinar to learn about the only industry leading desktop delivery solution that will enable you to:

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posted by Barry Flanagan

Greg Shields recently posted an article on TechTarget's SearchServerVirtualization.com site listing the "five best free tools for Microsoft Hyper-V management".

Greg included Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V - Express Edition on his excellent list of Hyper-V tools -

Best Free Tool 5: Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V, Express Edition

Citrix hasn't traditionally been known for free software, but in recent months, it has been changing its pricing for virtual products. After announcing that it would make its flagship virtualization product XenServer free, Citrix has upped the ante by recently announcing a limited version of its virtualization management product Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V.

Why use this product over Hyper-V's management tool sets? Simply put, Citrix is known for its high-end management systems. Now that hypervisors in virtualization software are approaching feature parity, many in the industry are asking, "How do I best manage my virtual infrastructure?" Citrix has offers enterprise-ready solutions that wrap around existing systems to improve management workflow.
The Express Edition of Citrix Essentials will support up to two servers, which are both connected to a single storage array. It adds capabilities for the easy provisioning of storage through Citrix's StorageLink technology for iSCSI and Fibre Channel storage.

Read Greg's entire list here.

Express Edition Download
http://www.citrix.com/ehvexpress

Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V Step by Step Part 1

StorageLink Deep Dive Webinar - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/04/13/StorageLink+-+Essentials+for+Hyper-V+Deep+Dive+Webinar

StorageLink Demo Videos
http://www.citrix.com/ehv

StorageLink Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/02/23/StorageLink+in+Essentials+for+Hyper-V

Provisoning Services Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/20/Provisioning+for+Hyper-V+with+Citrix+Essentials

Lab Manager Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/19/Essentials+for+Hyper-V+with+Lab+Management

StorageLink Install Install Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120789
StorageLink User Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120791



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posted by Barry Flanagan


The release of Windows Server 2008 R2 brings many new features to Hyper-V.



Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2 includes five core areas of improvement for creating dynamic virtual data centers:

*

Increased availability for virtualized data centers
*

Improved management of virtualized data centers
*

Increased Performance and Hardware Support for Hyper-V Virtual Machines
*

Improved Virtual Networking Performance
*

A simplified method for physical and virtual computer deployments by using .vhd files



A new release of Hyper-V for Windows Server 2008 also means that a new of release of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V is coming.

Citrix just made the beta version of Citrix Essentials 5.5 for Microsoft Hyper-V available for download.

Citrix Essentials 5.5 for Hyper-V, otherwise known as the 'R2' release of Citrix Essentials, supports the latest Hyper-V and System Center enhancements now available in Windows Server 2008 R2 (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/hyperv-main.aspx ). In addition to supporting R2, Citrix Essentials adds new disaster recovery capabilities to Hyper-V with StorageLink Site Recovery.

Here's a glimpse of some of the new goodies available in Citrix Essentials 5.5 for Microsoft Hyper-V:

Site Recovery
Why put a bunch of idle physical hardware at remote recovery sites when you can accomplish your DR objectives with virtualized servers using Hyper-V? Server virtualization with Hyper-V gives your IT organization an extremely cost-effective approach to disaster recovery, while the new Site Recovery capabilities included with Citrix Essentials gives you the control you need to implement, manage, and test your DR solution.

Site Recovery uses StorageLink technology (http://community.citrix.com/display/ocb/2009/07/20/Essentials+for+HyperV+-+StorageLink+Step+by+Step+Part+1 ) to unlock underlying storage array replication services, giving you the toolset you need to enable remote fail-over strategies for their Hyper-V environments. You can use StorageLink Site Recovery to set up native storage remote mirroring services, then test the recoverability of virtual infrastructure at remote sites through the staging capabilities included with Site Recovery. Instant clones of recovery VMs can be created and placed in isolated networks where you can test recovery without impacting ongoing data replication or access to critical Hyper-V infrastructure.



Additionally, you can use workflow orchestration tools in Citrix Essentials and Windows Server 2008 Clustering to build out a completely automated DR solution for your Hyper-V infrastructure.


R2 Integration
This release of Citrix Essentials coincides with the R2 release of Windows Server 2008 to ensure you can take full advantage of advanced management and automation included with Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V. It supports the latest Windows Server® technologies, including the R2 releases of Hyper-V and System Center Virtual Machine Manager. Citrix Essentials integration with the R2 release of Hyper-V and System Center includes the simplified setup and administration of shared storage assets required for Microsoft Failover Clustering and Live Migration.


Windows 7 Support
Most IT organizations will spend the coming months testing Windows 7 in their labs as they prepare to roll it out to their users. Citrix Essentials 5.5 for Hyper-V includes updates to its lab management capabilities, including support for Windows 7. Automated lab management in Citrix Essentials automates the setup and tear-down of unique workload configurations, including builds of Windows 7, using self-service template libraries for rapid provisioning and enables cross-team collaboration on common virtual environments. With automated lab management, organizations can accelerate the process of moving workloads through development and testing, and into the live production environment, while reducing virtual machine sprawl and minimizing setup or configuration errors and delays.

Grab the beta and go for a test drive.



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posted by Barry Flanagan






A new FREE self paced online training class for Essentials for Hyper-V is now available.




h2.CEV-100-1W Getting Started with Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V

In this course, learners will be introduced to Citrix Essentials™ for Hyper-V™ and gain the knowledge needed to perform basic installation and configuration tasks. Through online simulations, students will install and configure key features and explore product capabilities, such as virtual storage management, provisioning services, lifecycle management and workflow studio.

Audience

This course is designed for IT professionals, architects, systems engineers, server administrators, engineers, Citrix Partners and Microsoft Partners.

Preparatory Recommendations
Prior to taking this course, it is recommended that students possess the following knowledge/experience:
• A basic knowledge of the purpose and goals of virtualization technology
• An intermediate familiarity with Microsoft® Hyper-V
• An understanding of computing architecture, including network and storage devices, device drivers and operating systems
• Basic experience installing and administering Windows Server™ 2003 or Windows Server 2008
• Intermediate knowledge of network devices and site architecture, including configuring vLANs
• Basic knowledge of storage terminology and technologies, including partitions, SANs, LUNs, iSCSI, and NFS and CIFS file shares

Key Skills
Upon successful completion of this course, learners are able to demonstrate the following objectives:
• Identify requirements and process for a basic implementation of Essentials for Hyper-V
• Describe the key features including:
o Dynamic provisioning
o StorageLink
o Lab management
o High availability
• Execute basic functions including product installation, and demonstrate familiarity with the Administrative consol and user interface for basic operations and maintenance
• Describe the high-level concepts of Workflow Studio



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posted by Barry Flanagan




Between speaking at Microsoft Tech Ready, a much needed vacation and travel for some meetings, I have not had the opportunity to close out this series of posts. Here is the next one.

In this section of the StorageLink Step by Step Series, Steve takes you through how to add storage to existing Hyper-V virtual machines using StorageLink.









In Part 1, Steve Umbehocker reviewed the installation of the StorageLink component of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V. In Part 2, Steve reviewed the initial configuration of StorageLink after it has been installed. In Part 3 of the StorageLink Step by Step Series, Steve covers connecting to Storage Systems via the StorageLink Manager console. In Part 4, he covers how to create storage repositories (SRs) with the StorageLink console. Next, on Part 5 Steve takes you through how to create Hyper-V virtual machines from storage templates.

Express Edition Download
http://www.citrix.com/ehvexpress

StorageLink Deep Dive Webinar - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/04/13/StorageLink+-+Essentials+for+Hyper-V+Deep+Dive+Webinar

StorageLink Demo Videos
http://www.citrix.com/ehv

StorageLink Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/02/23/StorageLink+in+Essentials+for+Hyper-V

Provisoning Services Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/20/Provisioning+for+Hyper-V+with+Citrix+Essentials

Lab Manager Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/19/Essentials+for+Hyper-V+with+Lab+Management

StorageLink Install Install Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120789
StorageLink User Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120791



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posted by Barry Flanagan











Best Practices for Deploying and Managing Hyper-V Infrastructure

Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009
Time: 2:00 PM Eastern; 11:00 AM Pacific

Join Microsoft and Citrix as they explore best practices for deploying and managing Hyper-V. Learn how to rapidly provision Hyper-V infrastructure, reduce your Hyper-V storage footprint by over 50%, increase I/O performance by up to 30%, and much more.

Discover how Microsoft System Center together with Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V helps you effectively manage and automate the delivery of virtual and physical infrastructure for your Hyper-V deployments, including how the solutions:

  • Rapidly provision virtual and physical infrastructure
  • Improve storage utilization with the seamless storage integration
  • Conquer VM sprawl and take back control of virtual labs
  • Maximize performance and resource utilization

REGISTER NOW.

About the Presenters:

Gordon Mangione; VP, Emerging Virtualization Products; Citrix Systems, Inc.
Gordon Mangione leads the Advanced Products group at Citrix, where he is specifically focused on building products for the Microsoft platform. Previously, Mr. Mangione was responsible for product operations with a focus on engineering, support and services at XenSource before its acquisition by Citrix. Prior to that, Mr. Mangione held several VP roles at Microsoft, where he was responsible for Exchange, SQL Server and incubating the security business.

Dai Vu; Director, Virtualization Solutions Marketing; Microsoft Corporation
Dai Vu leads the team responsible for Hyper-V product marketing and marketing solutions built on Microsoft virtualization products and technologies. His team works closely with solution partners to define, develop, and market joint solutions to drive horizontal and business solution scenarios enabled by virtualization technologies. Previously, Dai was responsible for mid-market/channel strategic initiatives on the Server and Tools Strategy and Planning Team. Prior to Microsoft, Dai was Program Director at IBM and Engagement Manager at McKinsey and Company.

REGISTER NOW

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posted by Barry Flanagan




In this section of the StorageLink Step by Step Series, Steve takes you through how to create Hyper-V virtual machines from storage templates.









In Part 1, Steve Umbehocker reviewed the installation of the StorageLink component of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V. In Part 2, Steve reviewed the initial configuration of StorageLink after it has been installed. In Part 3 of the StorageLink Step by Step Series, Steve covers connecting to Storage Systems via the StorageLink Manager console. In Part 4, he covers how to create storage repositories (SRs) with the StorageLink console.

Express Edition Download
http://www.citrix.com/ehvexpress

StorageLink Deep Dive Webinar - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/04/13/StorageLink+-+Essentials+for+Hyper-V+Deep+Dive+Webinar

StorageLink Demo Videos
http://www.citrix.com/ehv

StorageLink Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/02/23/StorageLink+in+Essentials+for+Hyper-V

Provisoning Services Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/20/Provisioning+for+Hyper-V+with+Citrix+Essentials

Lab Manager Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/19/Essentials+for+Hyper-V+with+Lab+Management

StorageLink Install Install Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120789
StorageLink User Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120791



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posted by Barry Flanagan




In this installment of the StorageLink Step by Step Series, Steve Umbehocker covers how to create storage repositories (SRs) with the StorageLink console.









In Part 1, Steve Umbehocker reviewed the installation of the StorageLink component of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V. In Part 2, Steve reviewed the initial configuration of StorageLink after it has been installed. In Part 3 of the StorageLink Step by Step Series, Steve Umbehocker covers connecting to Storage Systems via the StorageLink Manager console.

Express Edition Download
http://www.citrix.com/ehvexpress

StorageLink Deep Dive Webinar - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/04/13/StorageLink+-+Essentials+for+Hyper-V+Deep+Dive+Webinar

StorageLink Demo Videos
http://www.citrix.com/ehv

StorageLink Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/02/23/StorageLink+in+Essentials+for+Hyper-V

Provisoning Services Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/20/Provisioning+for+Hyper-V+with+Citrix+Essentials

Lab Manager Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/19/Essentials+for+Hyper-V+with+Lab+Management

StorageLink Install Install Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120789
StorageLink User Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120791



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posted by Barry Flanagan




In this installment of the StorageLink Step by Step Series, Steve Umbehocker covers connecting to Storage Systems via the StorageLink Manager console.









In Part 1, Steve Umbehocker reviewed the installation of the StorageLink component of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V. In Part 2, Steve reviewed the initial configuration of StorageLink after it has been installed.

Express Edition Download
http://www.citrix.com/ehvexpress

StorageLink Deep Dive Webinar - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/04/13/StorageLink+-+Essentials+for+Hyper-V+Deep+Dive+Webinar

StorageLink Demo Videos
http://www.citrix.com/ehv

StorageLink Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/02/23/StorageLink+in+Essentials+for+Hyper-V

Provisoning Services Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/20/Provisioning+for+Hyper-V+with+Citrix+Essentials

Lab Manager Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/19/Essentials+for+Hyper-V+with+Lab+Management

StorageLink Install Install Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120789
StorageLink User Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120791



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posted by Barry Flanagan




In Part 1, Steve Umbehocker reviewed the installation of the StorageLink component of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V. In this next installment, Steve reviews the initial configuration of StorageLink after it has been installed.









The Enterprise Edition includes the full version of StorageLink, Dynamic Provisioning Services for Server Operating Systems, and complete WorkFlow Orchestration.

The Platinum Edition of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V adds in Lab Manager to provide a complete cost effective virtual lab solution, and Stage Manager to automate the process of migrating newly tested and verified configurations from the virtual lab directly into production. You can download a evaluation copy of the Platinum Edition of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V at http://www.citrix.com/ehv.

Express Edition Download
http://www.citrix.com/ehvexpress

StorageLink Deep Dive Webinar - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/04/13/StorageLink+-+Essentials+for+Hyper-V+Deep+Dive+Webinar

StorageLink Demo Videos
http://www.citrix.com/ehv

StorageLink Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/02/23/StorageLink+in+Essentials+for+Hyper-V

Provisoning Services Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/20/Provisioning+for+Hyper-V+with+Citrix+Essentials

Lab Manager Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/19/Essentials+for+Hyper-V+with+Lab+Management

StorageLink Install Install Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120789
StorageLink User Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120791



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posted by Barry Flanagan




StorageLink is one of the components of the new Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V product.

Citrix StorageLink™ technology lets your virtual server infrastructures fully leverage all the resources and functionality of existing storage systems. StorageLink supports all third party storage architectures and delivers deep integration with leading storage platforms allowing you to switch seamlessly between XenServer and Microsoft Hyper-V™ platforms. Citrix StorageLink provides organization with:

  • Reduced cost and complexity by leveraging existing investments in storage systems.
  • One click access to native storage services.
  • Simplified, wizard-driven storage setup and maintenance.



Steve Umbehocker of the StorageLink Development team recently recorded a series of videos that guide you step by step through installing and configuring StorageLink. The first video, Installing StorageLink, is below.







The Enterprise Edition includes the full version of StorageLink, Dynamic Provisioning Services for Server Operating Systems, and complete WorkFlow Orchestration.

The Platinum Edition of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V adds in Lab Manager to provide a complete cost effective virtual lab solution, and Stage Manager to automate the process of migrating newly tested and verified configurations from the virtual lab directly into production. You can download a evaluation copy of the Platinum Edition of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V at http://www.citrix.com/ehv.

Express Edition Download
http://www.citrix.com/ehvexpress

StorageLink Deep Dive Webinar - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/04/13/StorageLink+-+Essentials+for+Hyper-V+Deep+Dive+Webinar

StorageLink Demo Videos
http://www.citrix.com/ehv

StorageLink Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/02/23/StorageLink+in+Essentials+for+Hyper-V

Provisoning Services Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/20/Provisioning+for+Hyper-V+with+Citrix+Essentials

Lab Manager Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/19/Essentials+for+Hyper-V+with+Lab+Management

StorageLink Install Install Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120789
StorageLink User Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120791



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posted by Barry Flanagan






There is a new Express Edition of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V, and it is FREE! Now you can quickly and easily combine the power of Hyper-V- System Center Virtual Machine Manager and Essentials for Hyper-V Express Edition.

http://citrix.com/ehvexpress

Citrix Systems, Inc. is unveiling a new free Express Edition to its Citrix Essentials for Microsoft Hyper-V lineup. The new Express Edition is immediately available for download and includes the game-changing Citrix StorageLink technology. With StorageLink, Windows administrators can dramatically simplify their storage management processes with quick and easy storage configuration and provisioning for their Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and System Center virtual infrastructures. Citrix Essentials helps administrators take full advantage of powerful storage-based features like deduplication, thin provisioning, cloning, snapshots and replication - features that otherwise hide behind layers of proprietary, specialized virtualization storage file systems.

The new free Express Edition of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V is designed specifically for Windows IT professional in the early phases of Hyper-V adoption. It will allow them to take advantage of the benefits of shared storage with Hyper-V and simplify storage management in virtual server environments.
The StorageLink technology featured in all editions of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V provides Windows IT Professionals with the tools necessary to easily manage Hyper-V storage in iSCSI and Fibre Channel (FC) SAN environments, enabling them to leverage advanced storage technologies from leading storage vendors that deliver powerful features for performance, storage efficiency, and business continuity. Industry estimates have shown that by applying storage-saving technologies like deduplication and thin provisioning , Hyper-V customers can often shrink their storage footprint by upwards of 50 percent depending on the nature of their workloads. In cases where virtual machines (VMs) are highly duplicated, like virtual desktop images, many have seen a nearly 90 percent reduction in storage consumption.

The Express Edition of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V supports up to two Hyper-V servers and one storage array. Organizations that download the free Express Edition of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V can easily upgrade to the Enterprise or Platinum Editions. Listed at $1500 and $3000 per server, respectively, the Enterprise and Platinum Editions add dynamic server provisioning, automated lab management, automated stage management, and workflow orchestration.







Of course, Express Edition provides just a small sampling of what is possible to achieve with Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V. The Enterprise Edition includes the full version of StorageLink, Dynamic Provisioning Services for Server Operating Systems, and complete WorkFlow Orchestration.

The Platinum Edition of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V adds in Lab Manager to provide a complete cost effective virtual lab solution, and Stage Manager to automate the process of migrating newly tested and verified configurations from the virtual lab directly into production. You can download a evaluation copy of the Platinum Edition of Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V at http://www.citrix.com/ehv.

Express Edition Download
http://www.citrix.com/ehvexpress

StorageLink Deep Dive Webinar - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/04/13/StorageLink+-+Essentials+for+Hyper-V+Deep+Dive+Webinar

StorageLink Demo Videos
http://www.citrix.com/ehv

StorageLink Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/02/23/StorageLink+in+Essentials+for+Hyper-V

Provisoning Services Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/20/Provisioning+for+Hyper-V+with+Citrix+Essentials

Lab Manager Overview - http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/barryf/2009/03/19/Essentials+for+Hyper-V+with+Lab+Management

StorageLink Install Install Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120789
StorageLink User Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120791



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posted by Barry Flanagan

Check out this GoView screen recording from Delta Flight 1547 (from Atlanta to Kansas City) at 34,000 and 520 kts.




XenDesktop on GoGo Wifi on Delta 1547


(embed not working)

You can read more about the GoGo Wifi service on Delta and other air carriers at the links below -

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/business.travel/05/04/airplane.wifi/index.html

http://blog.delta.com/2008/08/06/broadband-wi-fi-in-the-sky-coming-to-the-delta-fleet-soon/

http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/10/delta-pushes-in-flight-wifi-plans-ahead-gogo-to-hit-2-000-plane/

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posted by Barry Flanagan


Microsoft, Intel & Citrix: Dynamics of Enterprise Virtualization

An interactive discussion led by Doug Brown



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Attend this lively discussion with virtualization experts David Greschler, Iddo Kadim & Simon Crosby on the dynamics of enterprise virtualization. Register here.



Topics include:
• Virtualization in the enterprise & upcoming technologies
• Moving beyond consolidation & getting to Dynamic Datacenters
• Cloud computing & how does virtualization fit in
• Desktop Virtualization opportunities, barriers & adoption challenges

Date: Monday, June 22, 2009
Time: 1:00 PM Eastern; 10:00 AM Pacific

Don't miss this opportunity to hear perspectives on the current & future virtualization landscape and what this means for the enterprise.

Register here now.


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