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06 Aug 2009 04:26 PM EDT

[ Tags: microsoft , citrix , xenapp , xendesktop , essentials for hyperv , hyperv , system center , scvmm , virtual machine manager , virtualization , vdi , server virtualization , desktop virtualization , win7 , windows 7 , r2 , rds , remote desktop services , terminal services , system center configuration manager , sccm ]

posted by Gareth Winston

I moved to California from London just over 11 months ago. Obviously there is a significant cultural and climatic shift involved and a settling in period is a necessity to find your feet. Having travelled all over the world I have embraced as many aspects of different cultures and enjoyed experimenting.

One such aspect I have noticed here in California and in fact right throughout the US is the love of cheese. A meal smothered in cheese is normally accompanied by a side dish of, guess what, MORE cheese. Normally I reserve this dairy delight for a cracker or with some wine but 'Here' it is on everything.

Ordering a Cheeseburger with no cheese always raises a quizzical look from the waitress and a thought process which starts with "You are weird" and progresses to "Is he a serial killer?". Even the lactose intolerant demand that their lunch, dinners and daily snacks have heavy cheese content. Asking colleagues, "why do they have so much cheese on their food?" the simple answer was, "it tastes so good with cheese".

One technically gifted colleague decided to explain this using the analogy that Citrix XenApp and Microsoft Remote Desktop Services(the technology formerly known as Terminal Services) have the same relationship as cheese and hot meals(zzzz). The hot meal is the platform, Microsoft, and the cheese is the value-add, XenApp, which brings the meal to life. Beating this analogy to a quick death, then Citrix has a number of cheeses, Citrix XenDesktop, Essentials for Hyper-V and Branch Repeater which embrace and extend the Microsoft Platform to supply a sumptuous meal.

All of these great combos can be found here at the New Microsoft/Citrix Community Portal where we've consolidated all related news, blogs, articles, videos, etc... into the feeds section of this page. We've also created an area that highlights all related forum threads and postings. Look for answers to your burning questions, participate in an existing discussion, or you can tell us if our cheese is good or if it stinks - let me remind you that all the best cheeses stink

PS Does eating cheese in the evening give you nightmares?

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24 Jul 2009 03:09 PM EDT

Essentials for HyperV - StorageLink Step by Step Part 5

[ Tags: essentials , hyperv , microsoft , scvmm , system center , storagelink , storage , virtualization , cdn , xenapp , xendesktop , xenserver , provisioning-server , workflow-studio , nonspecific ]

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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23 Jul 2009 04:29 PM EDT

Essentials for HyperV - StorageLink Step by Step Part 4

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.

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22 Jul 2009 12:09 PM EDT

Essentials for HyperV - StorageLink Step by Step Part 3

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.

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09 Jul 2009 07:04 PM EDT

Citrix Essentials for HyperV - Express Edition!

[ Tags: cdn , xenapp , xendesktop , xenserver , provisioning-server , workflow-studio , citrix , virtualization , hyperv , system center , essentials , storage link , nonspecific ]

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.

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09 Jan 2008 06:05 PM EST

Configuring Presentation Server best practice settings using Microsoft System Center

[ Tags: sccm , dcm , xenapp , configuration pack , management pack , system center , system center configuration manager , desired configuration management ]

posted by Sridhar Mullapudi

A couple of months back we released a Presentation Server Configuration Pack for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007. You can use this tool to evaluate each Presentation Server's configuration against predefined security and best practice guidelines. Our Configuration Pack is designed to be used in conjunction with the Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007 Desired Configuration Management (DCM) 2.0 module.

The DCM can generate reports containing detailed information about which Presentation Servers are out of compliance and how to correct each configuration setting. Using this information, Citrix administrators can rectify the configuration issues on each reported Presentation Server, thus bringing the entire PS farm back into compliance with Citrix Best Practices. The security and best practice guidelines are a collection of configuration settings assembled from sources such as the Citrix Presentation Server Administrator's Guide, Citrix Presentation Server Advanced Concepts Guide, Citrix Best Practices Webinar, and Citrix Access Security for IT Administrators. The pack has tons of settings for locking down desktops (computer and user configuration) and other PS best practice settings. There is also an option for creating custom configuration items.

The pack supports Presentation Server 4.0 (32-bit & 64-bit) & Presentation Server 4.5 (32-bit & 64-bit) product versions. For details, download the zip file that has the pack and the administrators guide. Also, Christopher Fife from our advanced products team created a dedicated support forum for this pack. Don't forget to leave your blog comments to help us improve this pack in the future.

Do you know we also have a Presentation Server management pack for System Center Operations Manager 2007 (the link needs mycitrix login)?