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I'm sure you are all familiar with the iPhone commercials and the ubiquitous "there is an app for that" phrase that has seemingly become the catch phrase of this decade. Previous catch phrases include --but not limited to -- The 70s-"Heeeey" , The 80s-"Where's the Beef?" The 90s-"Doh!".
All kidding aside, "there's an app for it" reflects the current state of consumerization and customization that is becoming commonplace in today's on-line experience. It is no longer acceptable to have generic applications and content. We all know what we need/want for our apps and we need them now!
Citrix Community Updates
In that same spirit, today I have the pleasure of sharing some of the upgrades we have made to the Citrix community sites. Need a community for discussing Citrix and Microsoft products, "there's a community for that", need a community for the latest and greatest on Citrix and Oracle, "there's a community for that", need a community for finding cool communities "there's a community for that" , need a community where you can geek out (both online and local), "there are 2 communities for that" (gotta spice it up a bit 
, the first is here and the second is here)... well, I think you get the idea. You should check out the Citrix Community home page and in particular the new partner community module.
My team and I are continually looking for ways to connect with the Citrix community of customers, partners, Citrites and anyone interested in the latest in virtualization of applications, desktops and servers. We are continually soliciting feedback and update the site based on direct comments and industry trends.
Now it's your turn....
Let us know what types of communities you need and (you guessed it) "there will be a community for that", we are open to all types of ideas... here's a few to get the ball rolling (and maybe a peek at the future 
)... How about a Citrix and Windows 7 community? Or a Citrix and Desktop Virtualization community? Or (heaven forbid!) a Citrix and VMware community?
Also, let us know what type of content you are looking for in your communities. Check out the partner communities or even XenServerCentral for our real time multi-media feeds. Let us know how we can make them better for you...
Now I need to get back to my favorite iPhone App (an oldie but a goodie) ....
john
I was asked by a Citrix Partner what the recovery story was in cases where the on-board flash or the motherboard itself fails. We heard of cases where bad luck with hardware has caused more pain than needed.
The Citrix XenServer Dell Edition performs well in this respect. There is a Dell Recovery CD available for download at http://www.citrix.com/xenserver/dell
1. Burn the downloaded Recovery CD ISO to a CD disc or attach the ISO to the host using DRAC virtual media option (Yes, you do not have to walk up to the machine!)
2. Insert the new flash storage in the server.
3. Boot the server from the CD.
4. The Recovery CD will prompt you to copy the image to the flash storage. It will then copy the factory default image to the device
PS: One little trick - you can attach a 1 GB USB stick in the machine and copy the image to that as well. You do not have to open the machine.
I hope by now a lot of you know about the new "unconference" portion of Synergy 2008, Geek Speak Live. Part of Geek Speak Live is the Geek Speak Lounge (GSL). Basically is an area to meet at during the Live event and meet with other members of the Citrix community and discuss and share new ideas and topics. It's also where you can see some demos with a twist, more on this later!
First, here's the proposed GSL layout: 
There are 4 main demo areas. The twist is that the demos are intended to let you experience future Citrix technology more interactively, possibly using some applications and devices that aren't what you'd usually see us demo.
So here's the rundown:
Cool Devices - This section of the GSL features gadgets that can be today, or may be enabled tomorrow with the ICA client to become your XenApp or XenDesktop ICA end points. Customers are using cell phones and PDAs today to do this, but we have some new devices that are starting to change the game and starting to reach Nirvana Device status as described in Chris Flecks post. You'll get to try them out in the GSL, in exchange for you opinion and comments on how use of such devices can add value to your business, or not! Hopefully this demo area makes you think about app and desktop delivery in some new ways. For a quick preview of some of the devices that will be present, check out the Nirvana Devices Invade Synergy Geek Speak Lounge post. (Note: we originally had a BarCamp session on this topic, but due to the great response we've gotten from others willing to present, we've removed this from BarCamp. But you can still get the hands on experience and knowledge in the GSL on this subject).
Project Alice Demo - Haven't heard about project Alice, also referred to as Reverse seamless? It fits in very nicely with our XenDesktop story and is a sneak peak at some new technology we are working on to allow the user to leverage local applications running on the end point device in the context of their XenDesktop seamlessly. Image having those favorite apps you have on your laptop seamlessly showing up as part of your Corporate XenDesktop environment with out needing to switch between the local desktop and XenDesktop.
Project Apollo Games - You've probably seen some of the blogs on project Apollo. Apollo does a great job of enabling the new graphics intensive features of next generation applications in a Citrix environment (preview at Derek Thorslund's blog). Well this is the GSL twisted version of those demos. We're going to have 8 Dell XPS 710 gaming systems running an early version of Apollo, remoting an action game to Wyse Thin Clients. You've seen the CAD demos, now it's your turn to actually sit down and give the power of project Apollo some hands on time, in true Geek Speak fashion. While you probably won't be publishing games to your end user's any time soon, you should be able translate the power of this demo into how project Apollo can help you move to the next generation of graphic intensive applications in your Citrix deployment in the future. We'll have some of the apps Derek has blogged on with Apollo as well, for those non-gamers like myself
Apollo Media Center - To further show off some of the new video capabilities the Apollo team is working on, we will also have an Alienware Area 51 system running Media Center in the GSL. And you guessed it, the Alienware system will be "Apollo-ized" and remoting videos out to a large screen monitor via a Wyse thin client. Again, maybe not what you'd do in production, but you should be able to translate this demo with a twist into better ideas on how to deliver some of those training videos and other multi-media out to your users in the future.
The GSL should be a great place for you to meet with other members of the Citrix Community, discuss new ideas and hopefully come up with some new ones!
Thanks to Intel for sponoring the event, and the list of other partners supporting the GSL effort:
Alienware, Dell, Wyse, Nokia, Sprint, Celio, i-Mate, Impatica, Icuiti
We look forwared to meeting you there!
Adam
Back in October of last year, Dell announced at the Gartner IT Expo a new solution called Dell On-Demand Desktop Streaming as part of their Flexible Computing Solutions
. This is a bundled solution that includes Citrix Provisioning Server for Desktops. Here is the description of this solution from Dell.
On-Demand Desktop Streaming differs from similar offerings by providing centralized IT control and data security without compromising end-user productivity. It also incorporates the company's breakthrough EasyConnect™ technology, making client deployment easier by removing manual licensing and enabling an instant boot to the server.
"Dell's On-Demand Desktop Streaming solution can eliminate many of the security risks associated with viruses, spyware and hacking attempts," said Lee Steinsdoerfer, technology director, Zion-Benton Township High School, Zion, Ill. "We have fewer security concerns and can focus our resources on other pressing needs."
...
Additional features of Dell's On-Demand Desktop Streaming include:
- Virus resistance, making malware less of a concern because each re-boot restores the original image.
- Image roll-back, which allows IT administrators to roll out a new OS or application and restore the previous production image if there is a problem.
- Support for up to 100 end users with one server, versus a blade PC for every user, making manageability and maintenance easier.
- Standard Image Mode, which can deliver one standard image across all systems for quick and easy changes while minimizing impact on network resources.
- Flexibility to easily expand, change or move users or redeploy data center infrastructure for other uses. |
The Dell blog, Direct2Dell put up a post and video of the new solution in which "Bharath Vasudevan and Aaron Prince from the Solutions Engineering team walk you through a demo of a 100-client setup".
(You may need to update your Windows Media Player to see the player with the post. If you see a red x above instead the media player window, here is the link to the video.)
Dell created a Deployment Guide for the On Demand Desktop Solution. Here is a list of components of the solution as listed in the deployment guide:
Hardware and Software Requirements
Following are the basic requirements for hardware and software:
Streaming Server: Dell PowerEdge™ 2950
Standalone server configuration: At least one Dual Core Intel® Xeon® 5160 processor, 4 GB of 667-MHz RAM, and at least six 10,000 or 15,000 RPM SAS hard drives, with two drives in a RAID 1 configuration and the remaining drives in a RAID 10 configuration. Dell recommends no more than 100 users per server.
HA configuration: Minimum of two identically configured servers with at least one Dual Core Intel® Xeon® 5160 processor, 4 GB of 667-MHz RAM, and at least two 10,000 or 15,000 RPM SAS hard drives in a RAID 1 configuration (see "Storage Sizing Guidelines"). Dell recommends that the number of servers allow failure of one server with no more than 100 users per remaining server.
NAS Server (HA Configurations Only): Dell PowerEdge™ 2900
At least six 10,000 or 15,000 RPM SAS or 7200 RPM SATA hard drives, with two drives in a RAID 1 configuration and the remaining drives in a RAID 10 configuration (see "Storage Sizing Guidelines"). Up to 10 hard drives are supported, with two drives in an optional Flex Bay. Dell recommends no more than 200 users per NAS server.
Server Operating System: Microsoft® Windows Server® 2003 R2 Standard or Enterprise Edition (32-bit) for streaming servers and Windows Storage Server 2003, x64 Standard or Enterprise Edition for NAS servers.
Clients: Dell OptiPlex™ 755 or Dell OptiPlex 755 FLX (diskless)
For the ideal experience with multiple or memory-intensive client applications, Dell recommends 2 GB of RAM to reduce the likelihood of memory swapping across the network.
Client Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional (32-bit or 64-bit) with SP2, Windows Vista® Business (32-bit or 64-bit), or Windows Vista® Ultimate (32-bit)
Streaming Software: Ardence Software-Streaming Platform (Citrix Provisioning Server for Desktops), version 4.1 SP2(DELL)
Licenses: Through EasyConnect™ Technology, the Dell clients are licensed for On-Demand Desktop Streaming. Importing and installing licenses from Citrix are not required.
NOTE: A hard drive must initially be installed in at least one client computer to create the master client vDisk image. The hard drive may be removed if desired after the vDisk image has been created.
Dell also put together a Performance Characterization whitepaper for the joint offering. This is a very detailed document that includes numerous metrics under increasing loads, including client boot time, client retires, server cpu utilization, memory utilization and disk queue length. If you are curious about the performance and scalability of Citrix Provisioning Server in this Dell Solution, take a few moments to review this whitepaper.
If you are considering making a change in desktops and want to dramatically lower support costs, this new joint solution from Citrix and Dell is worth taking the time to evaluate.