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XenApp Expert Series - Informational, News, Interviews (2009) The show where we interview the experts to get you the latest research and technology news on XenApp application virtualization. Host Vinny Sosa (@vinnysosa) interviews Citrix Engineer and Graphics Guru Juan Rivera (@juancitrix) on the HDX MediaStream for Flash and graphics remoting. How it works, why is it important and general technical musings are prevalent in this information packed episode. Episode 4, Season 1.
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When I first started selling WinFrame in 1996, I used to turn up on a customer site, convince them to unplug the fax machine so that I could get an outside line, and then demonstrate the 'amazing' performance of our database running on WinFrame over a 28.8 modem. The response was usually of surprise, followed by something along the lines of "I didn't think that was possible".
Thirteen years later, one of the great things about working with XenApp Fundamentals with SMB customers is that we still hear that same response. Things may have changed dramatically in terms of connectivity -dial up is a thing of the past and the Internet certainly has the ubiquity we were promised - but the fundamental (yes, pun intended -again
) requirement for amazing performance is still there. In fact, users have come to expect high levels of performance as the norm, and although we have significantly more bandwidth than we dreamt of back in the dial up days, bandwidth consumption has also grown significantly because we now use the same pipes for voice, multimedia, etc. And with more and more people requiring 'head office' performance for their 'line of business' applications from home, customer sites, etc, we may have more bandwidth available but the same limitations of Windows apps running remotely still apply.So to get to my point - it demos better than it pitches. The one question my team is asked more often than any other is 'what is our value over Terminal Services?', if you do a high level feature by feature comparison, it looks like Terminal Services is all you need. But here's the thing - in 2006, we introduced a version of XenApp Fundamentals without TS CALs for customers who were already running Terminal Services yet needed the simplicity, usability and performance of XenApp Fundamentals. This is actually the best area of sales performance and customer feedback of our XenApp Fundamentals business today, and it speaks volumes to me about our added value.
With those early memories of WinFrame and now just like HD ,'seeing is believing' , we have recently introduced a new 30 day evaluation of XenApp Fundamentals. Whether you are a prospective customer or a partner - watch it, look at it, use it, eat it, dream it... oops sorry, gone too far... but you get my point. PowerPoint just does not do it justice. And if the upfront costs of a server are too much to ask, then take advantage of the brand new two-user eval of XenApp Fundamentals running on Amazon for 12.5 cents per hour. Read Chris Fleck's blog to see how easy it is to experience it for yourself.
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We are all guilty from time to time.....go on and admit it. It's not just our kids that are eating all of those chicken nuggets! They would never be confused with a gourmet meal, but they do have some advantages over chicken cordon bleu from a fancy French restaurant. They are tasty and small but filling, and sometimes they hit the spot. You can buy them at the drive-thru, pay for them with your loose change, and eat them while you drive. They are easy to access, easy to consume, and get right to the point.
Product training rarely hit the bullseye when it comes to giving you just what you need, when you need it. Companies so often shoot for chicken cordon bleu and it becomes information overload when you're just looking for specific information on a single topic. I think we have hit the mark with the new XenApp Fundamentals training videos. They are free of charge and readily available on the Citrix SMB Portal. There are four "How-To" videos that range in length from 5 to 15 minutes. The videos cover topics like, how to configure a Xenapp Fundamentals server, or just how to setup licensing, remote access, or security. The topics were chosen based on their popularity in the Citrix Support Knowledgebase.
Take a minute and check out the new portal; it's a great resource for easy to find, and easy to use white papers, technical training and sales and marketing tools, focused on XenApp Fundamentals. I'm sure it will hit the spot.
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XenApp Expert Series - Informational, News, Interviews (2009) The show where we interview the experts to get you the latest research and technology news on XenApp application virtualization. Host Vinny Sosa (@vinnysosa) interviews Product Strategist Derek Thorslund (@derektcitrix) to help everyone understand the HDX Technology stack. This is part one of multiple videos that will dig deeper into HDX technologies. Episode 3, Season 1.
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Last month we released the Power and capacity management tech preview for XenApp. If you're using server-side application virtualization and delivery with XenApp, then you'll want to check it out. We've put out a couple of blog posts (1 | 2), a demo, and a couple of videos on it including a XenApp Expert Series video and audio episode with Sridhar Mullapudi (Product Manager). We also have a new episode coming up in July with Juliano Maldaner (the Architect). What's more, both of these rock stars are getting together to do a TechTalk on this same topic.
The TechTalk is going to cover the features, functions and components of Power and capacity management and the guys will also talk about how to deploy it for virtual server infrastructures or physical machines using Wake on LAN. They'll even provide some tips on using this technology to help with migrations.
The great thing about this vs. the other content we've created already is that there's a Q&A at the end so if you're interested in the technology, now's the time to ask your questions.
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XenApp Expert Series - Profile Management Part 1 - Informational, News, Interviews (2009) The show where we interview the experts to get you the latest research and technology news on XenApp application virtualization. Host Vinny Sosa (@vinnysosa) interviews Citrix Product Manager Dave Wagner on the Profile Management feature of Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop and why this is key technology in the application and desktop virtualization stack. This is part 1 of 2 where we will bring Dave and/or another expert in to dive deeper into Profile Management. Episode 2, Season 1.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND: My intro would have been funnier but I totally screwed it up. I have a strict one take policy on the show though so it stayed as is. 
Dave is a great character. He has been with Citrix for 8 years 6 months 15 days and 7 hours by the start of this recording. While here, he has managed a number of products including Access Essentials, MetaFrame for UNIX, Conferencing Manager, MetaFrame x64, Desktop Broker/Server, Password Manager, Profile management, Web Interface, and the Linux Client. He doesn't have a Twitter account (yet!). He says he's still too busy jumping on the JAVA/Linux Desktops/Webify Everything bandwagons. After which he needs to jump on the Facebook bandwagon. He loves photography followed closely by video games ... xBox addict at the moment but that usually shifts around every few months. Why? He says he likes video games primarily because it annoys everyone else to think that it's a total waste of his time. Join us for this interesting episode with David Wagner.
- Listen to archived episodes:
XenApp Expert Series - Profile Management Part 1 - Informational, News, Interviews (2009) The show where we interview the experts to get you the latest research and technology news on XenApp application virtualization. Host Vinny Sosa (@vinnysosa) interviews Citrix Product Manager Dave Wagner on the Profile Management feature of Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop and why this is key technology in the application and desktop virtualization stack. This is part 1 of 2 where we will bring Dave and/or another expert in to dive deeper into Profile Management. Episode 2, Season 1.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND: My intro would have been funnier but I totally screwed. I have a strict one take policy one the show though so it stayed as is. Dave is a great character. He has been with Citrix for 8 years 6 months 15 days and 7 hours by the start of this recording. While here, he has managed a number of products including Access Essentials, MetaFrame for UNIX, Conferencing Manager, MetaFrame x64, Desktop Broker/Server, Password Manager, Profile management, Web Interface, and the Linux Client. He doesn't have a Twitter account (yet!). He says he's still too busy jumping on the JAVA/Linux Desktops/Webify Everything bandwagons. After which he needs to jump on the Facebook bandwagon. He loves photography followed closely by video games ... xBox addict at the moment but that usually shifts around every few months. Why? He says he likes video games primarily because it annoys everyone else to think that it's a total waste of his time. Join us for this interesting episode with David Wagner.
|
So this is an interesting tidbit I heard today. The Receiver for iPhone which came out in May does something really neat. It reports a unique device name to the XenApp server when it attempts to connect to applications. The name always starts with Xen_iPhone and is quickly proceeded by what appears to be a random number. This is similar to connections from Web Interface (Receiver for Web) where all connections through there begin with WI_. In our case, if you are using XenApp for application virtualization and allowing users to access server-hosted applications using their iPhone (via Citrix Receiver for iPhone), then you can apply device policies that prevent these users from doing certain things or to change the user experience. With Receiver for iPhone users only have access to your apps, not directly to the network so if you control access to apps then you control access to the network. For example, I can change encryption settings for devices whose names begin with Xen_iPhone. I can have a dedicated server with just the applications I want these folks to be able to access and prevent iPhones from connecting to anything but that dedicated server and the apps available from it. First, you would create a policy in the Policies pane of the Advanced Configuration Tool (aka Citrix Management Console). Then do the following: |
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- In the left pane of the Advanced Configuration tool, select Policies.
- From the Contents tab, select the policy you want to apply.
- From the Actions menu, select Policy > Apply this policy to.
- In the Policy Filters dialog box, select Client Name.
- Select Filter based on client name.
- Select Add to add specific client names. Type Xen_iPhone* and enter. Make sure Allow is selected in the Client Name filters window.
Here are some example of things you can change, control and optimize for iPhone users:
- Remove Visual Effect like wallpaper
- Control session limits (e.g. virtual channel controls for clipboard, sound, com, display, etc.)
- Control client devices (Audio, drives, ports, etc.)
- Control encryption
- Assign a service level
Now, bear in mind... I haven't played with this extensively so some of these settings may not even affect the iPhone user simply because the feature is not available for Receiver for iPhone (e.g. some SpeedScreen/HDX settings). It doesn't hurt to turn some of these off though and experiment. And the ultimate of course is controlling encryption and security settings. Also, once we release our next rev of the Receiver for iPhone which will have improved support for Access Gateway, I am hoping it will allow the assignment of policies based on Access Gateway connections. So at that point you can filter applications for iPhone users as well as control the experience they have with applications when they connect to a XenApp server.
KEWL!
This is a tech talk that will be taking place on July 9, 2009. One of our propeller heads will be geeking out on how Citrix ICA (a key feature of Citrix HDX Broadcast) and the CGP protocol function. The discussion, from what I hear, is also going to dissect ICA packets and include best practices for ICA acceleration that will make your overall network traffic more efficient. One of the things I'm particularly interested in hearing about is why single session bandwidth testing isn't accurate.
~snip
In this TechTalk, you'll learn about:
*ICA protocol overview
*ICA bandwidth requirements and testing recommendations
*How Common Gateway Protocol (CGP) relates to ICA
*ICA Performance across the WAN with and without Citrix Repeater
Registration Info
Date: Thursday, July 9, 2009
Time: 1:00pm Eastern/10:00am Pacific
Register for "Decoding the Mysteries of ICA"
Other Information
Hopefully by now you will have noticed that the Access Essentials name has changed to XenApp Fundamentals, so the big question is - why didn't we just call it XenApp Essentials ?
It might not surprise you that I've been asked this a LOT over the last couple of months. The answer however is a little more surprising - it is all down to going global! Whilst the global economy is the worst that we've experienced since the birth of modern computing, it's a well kept secret that SMB customers are still spending on IT. It was recently noted by Forrester that "SMB IT spending will grow 3.2% in 2009 (vs. a decline of 3% overall)".
That's why we are defying the recession and expanding our markets with XenApp Fundamentals. By taking XenApp Fundamentals to China, we are localising a Citrix product in Chinese for the first time, and quite simply Fundamentals translated better than Essentials!
Coming back to the point of SMBs defying the recession, it's a theory I've had for a while (well, actually borrowed from Darwin) and one which was recently validated by a partner so I thought it was worth sharing. There are over 50 million SMBs worldwide, and in times like these one of Darwin's strongest theories comes into play - survival of the fittest. SMBs that grasp the opportunity, and use technology to gain a competitive edge, are the ones that will win. Those that drastically cut costs in an attempt to maintain profitability are unlikely to survive as customer service generally suffers.
Many of our XenApp Fundamentals customers demonstrate the fundamental - (pun intended ) impact that delivering real-time application access to anyone, anywhere can have. For example, Trevor Jones, a thriving accountancy firm in the UK, increased its billable hours by 33% by enabling greater employee productivity. Another SMB, a recruitment company, increased its connectivity by 40% even though they already had a VPN, which had a significant impact on their customer service. The stats sound great don't they, but put simply, SMB customers can actually gain strength and market share by using technology that enables its people to work more productively.
So back to that partner who confirmed my theory - they had a customer that purchased XenApp Fundamentals and it had such a positive impact on their business, they were able to gain a significant competitive advantage. They went on to use the solution as part of their expansion strategy by delivering their existing systems to their newly acquired competitors. It is no surprise, they've quickly outgrown the 75 user limit and are now upgrading to XenApp Enterprise!
So there you have it, the secret is out. SMBs are where it's at, especially those who have the vision to see this downturn through. My other secret is that we have recently launched a new Citrix SMB partner portal (well, it's not so much of a secret now that 400 of you are already using it). Here you'll find everything you need to sell XenApp Fundamentals, including some fantastic new technical training and marketing campaigns. Check it out at www.citrix.com/partners/smb and if you have a XenApp Fundamentals customer you would like to shout about, let's do it! Just let us know !!!
Follow XenApp Fundamentals on twitter @ http://twitter.com/CitrixSMB \\
OK, actually it's 12.5 cents and it might take you a few minutes longer, but compared to the traditional methods of building/configuring servers the cost and time savings is dramatic. It is now possible to launch a pre-built XenApp image in the Amazon Web Service offering called EC2. The image includes XenApp 5.0 on Windows 2003 Server ready to run and is accessible as an Admin or user. Also included is the Citrix 2 CCU Developer license bundled into the image so you can be ready for test, dev, and demo's in minutes. In this demo image we have NOT included Secure Gateway or Access Gateway so we do not recommend this image for production environments. The actual minimum cost for EC2 with Windows Server is 12.5 cents per hour with no minimum or commitment, so you can actually run it for an hour, terminate the image and that's all you owe. In reality you will likely want to install apps, customize your image and run it for some length of time. It is also very easy to save your image after you have customized it and terminate the image so the EC2 charges stop. The associated S3 Storage cost is only 15 cents per Gig per month, again very cheap and easy. New VM instances can then be started from saved images at anytime. As you may know the magic that powers this service is based on the Xen Hypervisor and the business model that Amazon has put together makes this a very attractive solution for many scenario's, in this case starting with demos, test, dev, PoC's etc. Many thanks to Vishal Ganeriwala for putting this image together and leading the way for more to come.
Here is a VideoTip to walk you through every step ( also available at our VideoTip site http://citrix.utipu.com/app/tip/id/6236/ )
Step 1.
Go to http://aws.amazon.com and get an account with EC2
Step 2.
Go to http://console.aws.amazon.com to access the AWS management console
Step 3.
Setup Security Groups per the video
Step 4.
Find the publicly listed XenApp Amazon Image, Right click and Launch
( citrix-c3-lab/XenApp5.0_32bit_v1.4.manifest.xml )
Step 5.
Enter the IP address provided into your browser http://xx.yy.zz.tt; and you are ready to go !
( ID: administrator, PW: Citrix123, Domain: CTXSLic1 )
Tip : When saving " Bundling " your AMI image remember to register it so you can relaunch it.
| Do you plan to get your own XenApp Server in the Cloud ? | Choose |
|---|---|
| If it's really this cheap and easy, I am definitely going to try it. |  |
| No, I don't trust the cloud for anything .. | |
For those looking for some new news from MacWorld, plus may want to hear from random attendees what they thought of delivering Windows apps to the iPhone. We took to the floor and asked, here is what they said :
I am really impressed .. I see this for remote sales reps
I can use this for document access ? ... check
Holy ... is that real windows office 2007 ? that's awsome !
That's the only beef I have with the iPhone is I can't do my Microsoft stuff .. great job !
Yes there were those purists that we scared away at the thought of Windows on the iPhone ... plus some others that said "why would you ever need that ? " For those with real jobs, they got it right away...
Prediction #1: The iPhone goes Enterprise
- The iPhone will gain rapid adoption in the Enterprise driven by user demands including executives, road warriors, and knowledge workers asking for access to the apps they need ( including windows apps ) from anywhere. IT will increasingly support the effort based on new improved security capabilities and productivity gains ( including for themselves ).
| .. | Choose |
|---|---|
| I am in IT and we will support the iPhone in 2009 ! ( I need the Citrix Receiver now... ) | |
| Blackberry reigns in the Enterprise, no change for '09 ... | |
Prediction #2: Corporate issued laptop model will be challenged
- Companies looking to provide access to day extenders without the full expense and maintenance of a company laptop will increasingly adopt application delivery infrastructure like XenApp that can provide safe IT hosted application access from un-trusted personal PC's. In addition, companies will begin to pilot the BYOC ( Bring Your Own Computer ) model for knowledge workers seeking personal choice while reducing IT expense and support costs.
| .. | Choose |
|---|---|
| We already are saving significant $$ by enabling safe access from home PC's | |
| We are planning to allow controlled access ( via Citrix ) from home PC's in 2009 | |
| Status quo, corporate laptop access or none at all. | |
Prediction #3: Virtual Desktops grow beyond a niche
- Improvements in user experience capabilities of VDI solutions combined with the reduced support cost model will drive increased adoption of VDI beyond the initial niche deployments.
| .. | Choose |
|---|---|
| We are moving from VDI pilots and special use cases to broader deployment | |
| VDI is not ready for the masses, we will wait and see | |
Prediction #4: IaaS Cloud Providers are no longer just for web startups
- The recent Windows offering by Amazon will validate the IaaS ( Infrastructure as a Service ) model as a viable platform for companies small and large looking to add test and targeted production capacity without capital and facility costs.
| .. | Choose |
|---|---|
| We have started to use Cloud VM's or Storage for test and plan broader use in '09 | |
| What is IaaS ? No way are we putting anything in the cloud... | |
| Not sure, need to try it first | |
Prediction #5: Netbooks drive Servers, Clouds and Linux clients
- The rapid adoption of Netbooks based on low cost and light weight convenience will increase the desire to run server hosted apps ( Web and Windows ). A significant number of the new mini laptops will be used for occasional use vs a primary PC which makes maintaining local apps and synchronizing data problematic. This in turn will help break the traditional model of running Windows apps installed on PCs and laptops.
| .. | Choose |
|---|---|
| We are getting more and more requests for access from Netbooks, all they need is Citrix and a browser. | |
| Netbooks are just toys for kids ... ( small & big ) | |
Agree / disagree ? what are your predictions ?
Also seen at Sys-Con Cloud Computing Computing Journal
As we have announced here on the Citrix Blog ( still no Press Release though ... ) we are actively developing a Citrix Receiver for the iPhone that will bring the world of millions of Windows apps and developers to the iPhone. As part of our testing and demonstrations we are looking for examples of compelling applications that will not run natively on the iPhone, however if the app was hosted on XenApp and delivered to the iPhone it would provide a great visual example of the power of Citrix and the iPhone.
Some things that come to mind are;
- Web sites that require flash
- Medical Apps
- Web apps that need IE
- Cut & Paste ( within Citrix sessions )
- ?
We have received great feedback and use case descriptions on the original post ( keep that coming ) now we are looking for specific apps or new ideas that would really open eyes to the possibilities.
Thanks !
I often talk with Citrix customers who are interested in virtualizing XenApp ( Presentation Server ) based on the potential to consolidate servers, increase flexibility or enable new HA/DR capabilities. However, a frequent comment I hear is that we tried this before with ESX but the overhead penatly was to high so we are still running XenApp fully installed. This may have been the case before but things have changed, now it is possble to get the benefits of Virtualization by runing XenApp on XenServer 5 without the downside you may be concerned about.
If you would like learn more and engage with the experts without traveling to an event, make sure you register for the Citrix Delivery Center Live event on Devember 4th. You can register here and check out the other topics that may be of interest as well.
On Oct 15th we released HRP03 for PS 4.5 on Windows Server 2003 and XenApp 5 on Windows Server 2003. Traditionally XenApp HRPs (Hotfix Rollup Pack) are a bundle of bug fixes and hence not that exciting. But in HRP03, in addition to XenApp bug fixes we included IMA optimizations that provide the following benefits.
Improved Performance
- Faster load balancing (up to 65% in >250 server farms)
- Time to bring up a large global farm with multiple sites is dramatically reduced (the farm-wide start up time was improved by 25% on physical machines and 59% on VMs in >50 server farms)
- Improved replication of session and load data over slow WAN links
Higher availability
- Provide user access resiliency (avoids periods when new users are denied application access for several minutes)
- Fewer data store corruptions
- Data collector election resiliency (69% improvement in election time with 2,000 applications and 95% improvement with 50,000 sessions)
- Better diagnostics
- Optimized caching of user and group information on XML brokers to better handle environments with tens of thousands of users
These updates are further explained within CTX118658 and CTX118659. Also check out the 10 minute webinar explaining the technical details of these optimizations.
Sean Whetstone, Head of IT Services at Reed Managed Services in the UK, is a big fan of going green. By using a combination of Citrix XenApp, NetScaler and XenDesktop, Reed Managed Services was able to reduce operating expenses by over 20%, centralize and secure data from over 300 offices, and reduce their carbon footprint by 2500 tons. According to the post on Sean's blog, Reed Managed Services was able to cut utility usage by 5,500,000 kilowatt hours to save over 100,000 pounds as a result of this project.
Sean recently posted a video interview he did at a Citrix event in London on his blog.
You can view Sean's presentation on this topic here.
Citrix EasyCall provides a simple and intuitive way communication enabling your existing applications with the flexibility of using any telephone.
EasyCall enables:
- Click-to-Call from any application
- Any telephone (mobile, office, home)
- Click-to-Call enabled directory & call-log
The embedded presentation below reviews the features of Citrix EasyCall.
Click here to view the presentation in full screen at Slide Share.
Here is a short demo video that covers how to use EasyCall and reviews briefly how it works.
EasyCall Demo video
EasyCall is a standard feature on:
- Citrix XenApp Platinum Edition
- Citrix NetScaler Platinum Edition
- Citrix XenDesktop Platinum Edition
You can find the EasyCall Administrator's Guide here and the Getting Started Guide here. The EasyCall User Guide is at this link.
There are several Systems Integrators Guide for various phone systems -
Nortel
Avaya
Bandwidth.com
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
As promised in the TechTalk, here is the the link to the power point and following is the summarized attendee Q&A.
Web Interface Q&A
Q: Can Web Interface front end both XenApp and XenDesktop?
A: Yes. Use the latest Web Interface 5.0.1 that supports XenApp and XenDesktop
Q: Does the account unlock feature of Web Interface require password manager?
A: Yes
Q: Can you use Web Interface 5.x with PS 4.5?
A: Yes
Q: What are the companies you listed in your presentation that are doing Web Interface customizations
A: www.extentrix.com and www.techstur.com
Q: Web Interface changes are great, but what my users really want is PNAgent support via CSG. When is that going to happen?
A: This is supported with the latest XenApp client and Secure Gateway 3.1
XenApp clients Q&A
Q: Will there be a XenApp client for BlackBerry?
A: Since our Blackberry client partner ROVE suspended support for ICA Client, we are working with a new partner to provide similar support. Stay tuned.
Q: Can you use the new XenApp Plugin with PS 4.5?
A: Yes
XenApp Upgrade/Migration Q&A
Q: Can we upgrade from PS 4.0 to XA 5.0 or do we need to upgrade to PS 4.5 first?
A: You can move directly from PS 4.0 to XA 5.0. For specific details, refer to the upgrade/migration white paper and attend the "Upgrading/Migrating to XenApp 5 TechTalk" as well.
Misc Q&A
Q: What is Citrix Branch Repeater?
Q: Citrix Branch Repeater is an appliance that combines our WAN optimization technology with Windows Branch infrastructure services. Visit the branch repeater page for more information.