As promised in the TechTalk "Learn What's New in Citrix XenApp 5 to Address Your Windows Application Delivery Needs", I am posting the link to the power point and summarizing the attendee Q&A.

XenApp 5 Upgrade/Migration Q&A

Q: What is the upgrade path from PS 4 or PS 4.5 to XenApp 5?

A: Please see the migration guide for moving from PS 4 or PS 4.5 to XenApp 5. Also view the webinar on best practices to upgrading/migrating to XenApp 5.

Application Streaming Q&A

Q: I still don't understand the difference between publishing an app and streaming an app.

A: Streaming puts the application on the target device like the server or the client. It's merle y a delivery method. Publishing is how an administrator controls which applications are available to what users and how. When publishing an application you can choose how the user gets access to that application - it can be either streamed to the user's end point (desktop/laptop) or streamed to the server and accessed using the XenApp hosted client. So streaming is a delivery vehicle, publishing is delivery control.

Q: Can you describe the application profiling process for those of us that are unfamiliar with it?

A: You simply run the profiler, follow the instructions, and install the application. It's actually pretty simple.

Q: Is there a document on the web to research how to setup a streaming application in XenApp to test it and "play"?

A: The Streaming admin guide is actually very well written for this purpose.

Q: Is 4.5 application isolation the same as in 5.0?

A: It is actually very different. We added new features in 5.0 like inter-isolation communication and also made significant application compatibility enhancements.

Q: Does the application profiler capture windows services?

A: Not yet.

Q: So would streaming improve the performance of apps in a limited bandwidth environment?

A: ICA is the thinnest way of delivering client\server applications. You would stream to the server and then remotely display from there to the client. Streaming is best used for applications that need to be used offline such as productivity apps. In this case, streaming simplifies their delivery and management and offload their resource needs from the server to the client. The application would use it's native networking requirements when you stream to the client. Hence, streaming to the client does not improve bandwidth. it improves management, maintenance, and application compatibility. Streaming tot he server does it all.

Q: Do I need to buy the Access Gateway in order for me to be able to stream an app over the WAN?

A: No. Application Streaming is part of XenApp Enterprise & Platinum editions. You can optionally buy the Citrix branch repeater to improve application streaming performance for branch office users.

Q: Does application streaming support isolation of Windows services?

A: Not Available

Web Interface Q&A

Q: Does new Web Interface work with PS 4.5

A: Yes

Q: Can the new Web Interface be used with both XenApp & XenDesktop?

A: Yes. Use Web Interface 5.0.1 that supports both XenApp and XenDesktop

Q: What Platforms does Web Interface 5.x support?

A: It supports both Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

Licensing Q&A

Q: Does the license server need to be upgraded when moving from 4.5 to 5?

A: Yes. Remember that the latest LS is backward compatible with previous versions of XenApp

Q: Will I need new licenses for running XenApp 5?

A: The SA Eligibility date for XenApp 5 is August 27th 2008. Hence if your XenApp licenses are current on SA by that date, you should be set.

Q: How can I get a 90-day evaluation license for XenApp5?

A: Please contact a local reseller (find yours at http://www.citrix.com/partners/locator) or you can call 800-4CITRIX. We are also planning on offering a preconfigured Evaluation Virtual Appliance for the Windows Server 2003 platform sometime in Q4.

Q: Can I mix and match XenApp edition licenses? Platinum is cost prohibitive as an existing Advanced customer but I could possibly see a benefit for supporting some of my users with Platinum features

A: Check out my blog on this topic

Q: If you stream an application to a XenApp server and then publish that application as a XenApp hosted application, does that only use one concurrent license or two?

A: It uses one license. Only one CCU license is consumed per client device when accessing hosted XenApp applications.

Q: Do you need a separate license for streaming ?

A: You can use a XenApp Enterprise or Platinum licenses for streaming applications to desktops/laptops or you can purchase additional add on streaming licenses.

XenApp clients Q&A

Q: Any news on making an ICA client for the iPhone?

A: Check this blog for more details

Q: Is PN Agent still available in XenApp 5?

A: Yes. It is called XenApp applications

Q: What is the minimum ICA client version supported by XenApp 5?

A: To avail all the new functionalities, you need to use XenApp hosted client version 11.0 and streamed client version 1.2

Q: I understand that the name has been changed but will Program Neighborhood Agent be still available with XenApp 5?

A: Yes

Misc Q&A

Q: What are the key differences that separate PS 4.5 and XenApp 5?

A: Please see the feature comparison matrix.

Q: Are there any enhancements to terminal server roaming profiles and management of them?

A: Check out our User Profile Manager Tech Preview. It will be released in Q4 2008 for general use.

Q: Have you made improvements to the Resource Manager that was available in Presentation Server? Our company has always had need to query database directly, to cross-reference our own HR and account databases against the network ID trapped by Citrix.

A: The new Resource Manager that was made available in XenApp 5 is built on Citrix EdgeSight technology. It provides better reporting capabilities than previous version.

Q: Is an additional appliance required to implement EasyCall?

A: Yes. EasyCall requires the EasyCall appliance. XenApp includes the user licenses and hence you just need to purchase the appliance for using EasyCall in your XenApp environment.

Q: I've read XenApp 5 has improvements on multi-monitor support. What do these improvements contain?

A: Support for higher resolution similar as Microsoft increased the video buffer on Windows Server 2008 to enable us to support larger video spaces.

Q: Is there a new version of Secure Gateway?

A: Yes. Secure Gateway 3.1

Q: Has the 128-bit encryption option in the ICA protocol been discontinued? We currently require this for some published apps and would prefer not to be forced into an SSL VPN solution.

A: No. It is still available

Q: Does the new Installation Manager work on 64 bit?

A: Yes. It is supported on Windows Server 2008 x32 and x64.

Q: Can we install XenApp in a virtualized environment (XenServer) or it a better practice to install it on physical server?

A: Check out this blog on this topic

Q: Will the WANScaler be out of product line and replaced with WAN optimizer software in each client?

A: The WANScaler client is the new Citrix Accelerator client and can be deployed on laptops and desktops to improve branch office user and roaming user experience.

Q: We use PS 4.5 today with Oracle DB. How will oracle DB be supported in XenApp 5 ?

A: Oracle Database is still supported as a data store option in XenApp 5
 

I am doing a TechTalk on "What's new in XenApp 5" on Tuesday, Sept 30th 2008. This is an hour long presentation (with Q&A) that is repeated and hence you can pick the time slot that works for you (either 10AM EDT or 2PM EDT). As this is a TechTalk, it will be technical in nature explaining not only the benefits of the new features but also the technical details on implementing them.

I am also co-speaking with Al on the TechTalk "Enhancing the User Experience with Citrix XenApp 5" which is geared towards the new XenApp 5 features that will enhance the end user experience when accessing XenApp applications. In the Q&A you probably can ask Al if he will provide us with his private copy of XenApp client for iPhone. I can't wait to see that go public.

And there are 2 other XenApp 5 TechTalks on our streaming enhancements and best practices for upgrading/migrating to XenApp 5. Don't miss them! All the TechTalks are repeated to let you pick the time slot that works for you.

Finally the much awaited release of XenApp 5 can now be downloaded from MyCitrix download page (needs MyCitrix credentials).

XenApp 5 for Windows Server 2008 needs a full install and since this is the first time we are supporting Windows Server 2008 platform, there is no upgrade from previous versions. And, this comes in a DVD. No more Server CD and Component CD. Everything is one DVD for the Windows Server 2008 platform. And don't forget to check out this technical guide for a step by step approach in migrating to XenApp 5.

XenApp 5 for Windows Server 2003 does not require a full install and supports upgrading from previous XenApp versions (4.0 and above). In fact there have been no server side updates and the core server install still uses Presentation Server 4.5 install. All the new functionality can be implemented using the new clients and components (like Web Interface 5.x, EdgeSight 5.x, Streaming Profiler/Client 1.2 etc). So, why did we call this release XenApp 5 for Windows Server 2003 and not something like Presentation Server 4.5 Feature Pack 2 for Windows Server 2003? Let's not go there  and I think that deserves a blog post of its own. Anyhow, the good news is that all this new functionality on Windows Server 2003 can be adopted without doing a fork lift upgrade/migration. Again, for step by step instructions on implementing the new functionality, check out the technical guide for migrating to XenApp 5.

Btw, don't miss out on the first ever XenApp 5 virtual event on Sept 9th. More than 2500 customers and partners (and still counting) have already registered for this online virtual event.

On August 5th, I am presenting with Microsoft Terminal Services product manager on XenApp and Windows Server 2008. We will talk about Windows Server 2008 platform enhancements, new features in the upcoming XenApp release and some best practice tips that we learned from our early adopters. Click here to register for the Microsoft TechNet webcast.

• Title: Learn Best Practices for Citrix XenApp and Windows Server 2008 from Early Adopters (Level 200)
• Presenters: Sridhar Mullapudi & Max Herrmann
• Webcast Length: 60
• Date/Time: 8/5/2008 8:00:00 AM Pacific
  

Resource Manager has been a feature of XenApp Enterprise edition since MetaFrame/WinFrame days. At a high level, it monitors your XenApp servers and farm and provides visibility into the health of your XenApp environment. With our acquisition of Reflectent, we now have EdgeSight technology that not only does server monitoring but also monitors the applications and the experience of the end users who are accessing the applications. The common question I heard when we acquired Reflectent was "What are you going to do with Resource Manager?". You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. So here is the long version of that answer.

Resource Manager on Windows Server 2008

For our upcoming XenApp on Windows Server 2008 release (Project Delaware), we will be re-architecting Resource Manager with EdgeSight technology. Instead of maintaining 2 different technology platforms for similar functionality, we are retiring the existing IMA based Resource Manager technology and replacing it with EdgeSight technology. This way Enterprise edition customers can retain their existing resource management functionality and get some additional functionality when they transition to the EdgeSight platform. Remember that Platinum customers still get the entire EdgeSight for XenApp functionality and resource management is just a subset of it (we will have the Enterprise vs. Platinum feature set comparison table when we release Delaware). Hence the same EdgeSight platform can enable resource management functionality or the full application performance monitoring functionality based on the XenApp license type.

Resource Manager on Windows Server 2003

Since there are thousands of customers using existing IMA based Resource Manager on Windows Server 2003, we will still be maintaining and supporting it but will not be adding new functionality. Since the upcoming EdgeSight release will support both 2003 & 2008 Windows platforms, XenApp Enterprise edition customers on Windows Server 2003 should plan to start migrating to the EdgeSight platform.

On April 30th we released Project Delaware Release Preview that received great comments and feedback. Check out my blog and comments on the release preview. In the past 3 weeks, we had around 5000 downloads of Release Preview with customers and partners actively discussing the release at our support forum. And we have already started incorporating their feedback for the final RTM release!
 
Project Delaware is the first release of XenApp on Windows Server 2008. Our main goal for Delaware is not just adding new features and functionalities but making sure this is the best XenApp release in terms of product quality. Hence we had a private Beta in late 2007 with some of our early adopter customers and are now running a public Beta for a broader feedback. And customers planning to move to Windows Server 2008 have already started using the Release Preview and hence can migrate fast when we release the final product. For financial and legal reasons, I  can't be specific on the exact release date but I can say that it will be out in the second half of 2008.

Tell us what you think about the Release Preview - what are you experiences so far?  We'd love to hear from you.

Delaware Release Preview has been released to web. Download the bits, documentation and the license file to kick off your evaluation of XenApp on Windows Server 2008. This will help with your Windows Server 2008 migration plans when we release the final build. Nearly 2000 customers and partners have registered for it and have been anxiously waiting.

Since this is Beta code, you might find some issues and hence please make sure you at least scan the Installation checklist and Readme. The easiest way to install the Release Preview is to follow the Quick Start guide. It is a step by step guide (with screen shots) to complete the installation. You will need a new/upgraded license server (version 11.5) and a new license file to evaluate this release. There is a support forum to discuss all issues related to this Release Preview.

Some functionality like Application Performance Monitoring enhancements (powered by EdgeSight), an updated IM, an updated Resource Manager etc is missing from this beta and should be available in the final release. Try the Release Preview and leave us your comments.

In this interview, Willie Wright, one of the original developers of XenApp's CPU Management Technology, talks to Prasanna Padmanabhan about the history of MalooCPU, Delaware improvements as part of Preferential Load Balancing and some longer term research in the area of general resource management.

Some you may have listened to this one, but our podcasts don't support comments yet. So I thought I'd put it in here as a blog post, so that we now have a way to hear back from you. 

After sponsoring more than a dozen Microsoft launch events around the world, I have reached out to the virtual Citrix event team to get an understanding of the top ten questions we are hearing with respect to Citrix XenApp.  While we all know that history tends to repeat itself, I was still surprised that the same questions we heard back when Microsoft launched Windows Server 2000 and 2003 came up again.  The top 10 boil down to really only 2 key questions:

Question 1: Does Citrix and Microsoft compete in the virtualization space?
I would like to shed some light here. Citrix and Microsoft have shared a strategic partnership for more than 18 years and have worked closely together to innovate on the Windows platform.  As recent as January, we announced an expanded relationship within the adjacent desktop and server virtualization markets. Through the alliance, Citrix and Microsoft will work together to ensure interoperability and cross compatibility with the Windows platform for server, application and desktop virtualization solutions.  Furthermore, we are tightly integrated around the development of our upcoming release of XenApp on the Windows Server 2008 platform. There is no better evidence of this than our joint go-to-market plans that we are effecting. For example, we have been delivering joint presentations to our customers and the market as part of the Microsoft 2008 launch wave, and sponsored conferences and tours. And, for those of you who have not had a chance to attend one of the Microsoft events, take a look at the video clip that was shown at the Microsoft keynote and on their virtual launch site. It specifically highlights the tight integration between our two companies.
Question 2:  What value does XenApp bring relative to the standalone offering of Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services 
Similar to the past, Citrix will continue to build upon the strength of the Windows Server platform to provide customers an end-to-end application virtualization solution. Our solutions complement one another in that we will leverage the enhancements Microsoft has made in Windows Server 2008 around platform stability, security and scalability and extend the platform to introduce some enhancements to our core XenApp functionality.  With the interest of not repeating what has already been written, take a look at  Bryon Thomas's post, Citrix XenApp on Microsoft Windows Terminal Services - A Feature Analysis, which provided an introduction to a more technical analysis at the feature level that helps get at the heart of how Citrix embraces and extends the Windows Server 2008 platform.  It is being revised based on some feedback we received to his post but a new version is due out soon so stay tuned.

We want to know what is burning on your mind. So if these are not the same questions you have, just leave us a comment. Inquiring minds want to know.

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With the launch of Windows Server 2008 this past Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008, the question "Do I need Citrix or is Terminal Services enough" is back en vogue. In fact, the Google search for "do i need citrix with windows server 2008" is one of the top 3 search phrases driving traffic to my blog.  In that search, my earlier post Evaluating Project Delaware and Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008 is the 6th-ranked result. Brian Madden's classic post, Do you need Citrix or is Terminal Server enough?, with 22,000+ views, is the top result. Clearly, people are interested in this topic. Today, Citrix took the next step to help customers understand the differences and released this new white paper:

Citrix XenApp on Microsoft Windows Terminal Services - A Feature Analysis

Compare the base-level features of Terminal Services within Microsoft® Windows Server® 2003 and Windows Server 2008 to the features of Citrix XenApp™ (the new name for Citrix Presentation Server) running on Windows Server 2003.

Take a read and let us know what you think. I expect this doc will be updated once Project Delaware is released.

UPDATE: The Feature Analysis on Windows Server 2008 has temporarily been removed as we make additional edits based on feedback (thanks!). The previous version is available here. Once the updates are completed, I will re-post the new version on this blog. I apologize for the inconvenience and understand the frustration this may cause.

Update 2: The new 14-page Citrix Presentation Server on Windows Terminal Services: A Feature Analysis is now available. Read more here.

There is a tremendous amount of energy and buzz circulating here at the Microsoft launch event in LA with more than 7,000 registered attendees.  The keynote kicked off with Tom Brokaw who gave a profound speech on the power of technology and how it is the will of people to use technology for the greater good. This set the stage for the "heroes happen here" theme of the conference. Microsoft unveiled the concept of dynamic IT - a scenario where IT can manage complexity and achieve agility, protect information and control access, advance business with IT solutions and amplify the impact of people.  Demos surrounding the three new products - Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008 - were shown along with a variety of customer vignettes  to underscore the heroes theme and the importance of using technology to have an impact on society.  

Post keynote, the partner pavilion opened and has been swamped with people.  Citrix is a platinum sponsor so we have premier real estate however people have been lined up to get their name in the raffle and ask questions about our end-to-end virtualization story.  Nothing is better than a demo, so we have been walking attendees through a live beta of XenApp (the new name for Presentation Server) on Windows Server 2008. 

Even with only a few hours left in the day, the lines are growing and the conference is in high gear.  I can't wait to see what others are saying about their experience here....

If you haven't already seen this, Thomas Koetzing (one of our CTPs) has reviewed the new WI 5.0 that will be shipped with Delaware. This review is from a private build we sent to the CTPs. Check the review here. For all the others who want to get the new WI, we will have a Delaware release preview in the near future.

Before I get into Delaware details, let me give you the inside scoop on the project name. For those who haven't figured it out by now, all our XenApp releases are named after rivers. Project Delaware will be the first major release to support Windows Server 2008 and we have been working on this release for almost 2 years. It has been a great journey and we know its importance. It resembles the journey that George Washington took to cross Delaware river in 1776 as part of the American Revolution. And that's why we named it project Delaware. There you go, a useless fun fact about project Delaware.

When we talk about Delaware, we mention how we are embracing and extending the Windows Server 2008 TS platform. Our first goal was to take all the great functionality we have on XenApp and move it to Windows Server 2008. And we are leveraging the new TS re-architecture (where TS has been split into Local Session Manager and Remote Connection Manager to provide better stability and reduce the security threat surface) and security enhancements like UAC and service specific SIDs. We will also be supporting XPS printing protocol, ClearType font smoothing (great for applications like Office 2007), Special Folder Redirection (when user's click on "My Documents" or "Desktop" in a published application, they can be redirected to their local device folders - pretty cool) and IPv6 support through Secure Gateway.

When it comes to extending the platform, we will have a brand new Web Interface with lots of end user usability enhancements, key application streaming enhancements, EdgeSight 5.0 and Preferential Load Balancing. In the coming months, I will go through the details of each one of these features. Except for Preferential Load Balancing and Special Folder redirection, other features should be available for Windows Server 2003 customers as well. Btw, if you haven't registered, please register to receive notifications and updates when we have our Delaware Early Release.

There's a lot of excitement around project Delaware, the first "XenApp" release for the new Windows Server 2008 platform. In this video, I talk about Preferential Load Balancing or PLB, a new feature in Delaware, that brings improvements to CPU Management and Load Balancing.

Citrix is heads-down working on the launch of Project Delaware, the next version of Presentation Server. And Microsoft is finalizing launch details for its Heroes Happen Here launch events for Windows Server 2008 (along with Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008), which begins on February 27, 2008 in Los Angeles. At this event, you will see the new Terminal Services features first-hand, but don't wait until then to get a sneak-peek of some of those features.

With the upcoming release of these new products from Microsoft and Citrix, organizations are asking themselves with increasing frequency questions like:

• Will I still need Presentation Server?
• Will Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008 meet my needs?
• Why should I pay more for Presentation Server as compared to Terminal Services?

These questions are nothing new to the Terminal Services teams at Microsoft and the Presentation Server teams at Citrix. In fact, in my nearly 6 years at Citrix, these same questions are asked continually, and more frequently as we near product launches.  But the truth is, new releases of Presentation Server are **always** complementary to new releases of Terminal Services.  Maybe that's why Microsoft named Citrix Global ISV of the year in 2003 and again in 2005.

If you are considering Terminal Services and Presentation Server, are all of your questions answered in these items?:

• Value-add to Terminal Services
• Citrix Value-Add to Windows Terminal Services White Paper (updated link below)
• Performance Evaluation of Presentation Server 4.5 and Windows Terminal Services White Paper  (updated link below)

Will an update to these docs answer your questions? Or would you like to see something new?  What questions do you need answered when considering these products?

 Leave a comment and let us know.

 UPDATE 22 January 2009:
Since writing this post, the name of Presentation Server was changed to XenApp, Project Delaware was released, and a couple of web links were broken. Here are the new links:

• XenApp and Terminal Services
• Citrix XenApp 5 and Windows Server 2008: A Feature Analysis

Project Delaware is the code name for the next major release of Presentation Server for Windows Server 2008. This blog is dedicated to all things Delaware. If you want to subscribe to this, add this RSS feed. If you are already subscribing to Presentation Server feeds, you will get these blog postings. Stay tuned...