Blog posts tagged with 'beta'
After the Disaster Recovery and High Availabilty videos I posted last week, it's time to show you some more changes in the upcoming XenServer release.
This video is a GUI walktrough and will highlight the changes in the improved XenCenter which will ship with the XenServer "Orlando" release.
For those who want this and the other videos in a slightly bigger format, please visit my page on the Citrix Video Tips site.
Citrix Online is continuing this popular free beta until later this year. However, beta users have asked Citrix how GoToAssist Express will be priced once the free beta ends.
After the free beta, GoToAssist Express will be priced as follows:
•Monthly Plan: $69 per month
•Annual Plan: $660 per year (Save 20% off the Monthly Plan!)
•Day Pass: $9.95 per 24-hour period
Plus, everyone (including beta testers) will be eligible for a 30-day free trial.
Beta users will receive a 30% discount - that's $48 a month or $462 a year.
Again, GoToAssist Express is still absolutely free for now, and these prices will not apply until the official launch of GoToAssist Express later this year. Citrix will give plenty of advance notice to users before ending the beta.
All plans will include:
•Unlimited product usage
•One-click session entry and remote diagnostics
•Live Chat and file transfer
•Session reporting (tracks billable hours)
•24/7 support and unlimited product upgrades
Monthly and Annual Plans will include the ability to set up Unattended Support on an unlimited number of client computers. Day Passes do not include Unattended Support capability.
If you have any questions you can also contact the GoToAssist Express team on: 1-888-521-0542 or customercare@gotoassistexpress.com
In the mean time check out: GoToAssistExpress.com and sign-up for the free beta.
cheers,
Gus
In a previous series of articles I gave you look at the Partner Tech Preview of Citrix Workflow Studio, which was only available to Citrix Partners. I am very excited to announce that the release of the Community Tech Preview of Citrix Workflow Studio should be available everyone very soon! So while we wait for it to be released, I am going to highlight what has been added to the Citrix Workflow Studio Community Tech Preview that was not in the Partner Tech Preview. Also, I would like people to understand that a Tech Preview is a working product, but by no means is it the final product; it's the feedback from the community that will help make it a product we all will want it to be, which is why it is a preview and not a demo or a beta.
You can view the individual Citrix Workflow Studio Partner Tech Preview articles from the below links:
Citrix Workflow Studio - Preview Part 1
Citrix Workflow Studio - Preview Part 2
Citrix Workflow Studio - Preview Part 3
Citrix Workflow Studio - Preview Part 4
Citrix Workflow Studio - Preview Part 5
Citrix Workflow Studio - Preview Part 6
You can download the complete Citrix Workflow Studio Partner Tech Preview from the below link:
Introducing Citrix Workflow Studio - The Complete Introduction
You can download the Overview of the Citrix Workflow Studio 1.0 Community Tech Preview from the below link
Continue to Download: Citrix Workflow Studio 1.0 Community Tech Preview - A Quick Overview
I have taken all the posts in the series that I released on the Citrix Workflow Studio Partner Tech Preview, and have incorporated them into a single document.
After receiving many requests from people to make the entire series of articles available as a downloadable document, how could I not make one available.
So here it is by popular demand, enjoy!
Download: Introducing Citrix Workflow Studio - The Complete Introduction
If you don't know, GoToAssist is Citrix's web-hosted solution for Remote Support and as they are getting ready to release the express version of the product, they have invited everyone to join their beta program.
Beta testers will get unlimited free use of GoToAssist Express Beta in exchange for tracking bugs, making feature requests and sharing their opinions on the product.I have taken a few screenshots to let you drool all over them...
Now pick up your jaw off the floor and create an account to start using it today!
Sign-up here: https://express.gotoassist.com/
On a site note, I found out that the guys from GoToAssist have a slick blog separate from the official Citrix community site.
Check it out: http://blog.gotoassist.com/
regards,
Gus Pinto - Technology Evangelist
Microsoft MVP | Gus.Pinto@citrix.com
The public beta of Citrix XenDesktop has been launched on Citrix.com.
Compared to Citrix XenDesktop Tech Preview kit, this Beta offers full feature integration across key components of the product:
- Desktop Delivery Controller - Connects office workers to their personalized desktops with the best performance, ease of use and rich desktop experience.
- Virtual Desktop Infrastructure - Enterprise-class virtualization infrastructure that creates the foundation for delivering virtual desktops and offers advanced management features.
- Virtual Desktop Provisioning - Stream a single desktop image to create many virtual desktops in the data center on demand, enabling simplified management and lower network storage costs.
- XenDesktop Setup Tool - A simple wizard to enable IT to quickly create and deliver hundreds of virtual desktop.
(Click thumbnail to enlarge)
Click here to download
the beta code. After you fill out the contact form and answer a few simple questions, you can download the code.
(Click thumbnail to enlarge)
Here are some Best Practices for working with virtual desktops and Citrix XenDesktop -
5 Best Practices for Implementing VDI
1. Segment your end users
No single virtualization approach has achieved universal usage. However, enterprises are currently employing different approaches in an effort to get the desktop challenges under control:
- Server-based desktops using Terminal Services technology
- Workstation-based desktops using VM technology
- Workstation-based desktops running on physical machines such as blade PC's
2. Use a single standard image for provisioning all virtual desktops
Moving desktops into the data center--as opposed to managing, supporting, and securing traditional desktop deployments on distributed endpoints--addresses many of the desktop management concerns.
But simply moving desktops into the data center is not a complete solution in and of itself. The solution here is to reduce the number of unique OS images to as small a number as possible---ideally only one. By limiting the number of OS images, you limit the number of places that you need to monitor, update, patch, and audit.
3. Separate applications and desktops
User data and settings are only half the story; users also need to run applications within their desktop environment. While applications can be included in the OS image that is either run directly on a physical machine/VM, or streamed using XenDesktop Virtual Desktop Provisioning, this is not a generally recommended application delivery mechanism.
Some applications are more efficiently delivered through streaming or through ICA. Citrix Presentation Server allows all Windows applications, client-server and desktop, to be deployed in centralized datacenters, where applications and data are less costly to manage and support, best secured, and easier to back up and restore.
4. Develop a strategy for migration from PCs to desktop appliances
For VDI to be fully accepted by end users, it must be rolled out in a deliberate manner to those who will benefit most from a virtual desktop and where the infrastructure is up to the task of delivering a desktop to each user group.
5. Assess the network impact for desktop delivery
With Citrix EdgeSight™ technologies built into Citrix XenDesktop, IT personnel can measure performance and availability from the end user's perspective.
EdgeSight cuts across organizational and geographic boundaries and monitors the actual end-user experience. This is an essential tool to ensure that the virtualized desktop will deliver a better user desktop than the tradition PC it replaces.
At the Beta Launch Announcement page, you can find a link to the Getting Started Guide, the XenDesktop Beta support form, and a list of Citrix Ready partners that are offering solutions on top of XenDesktop. You can catch the XenDesktop demo from Demo08 in this post. If you haven't been keeping up with the evolution of this product from the original Desktop Broker to now, check out "The Blogospheric History of XenDesktop".
Please post your feedback in the comments below or send an email to citrixblogger AT citrix . com.
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