In this next two minute video screencast posted on UTipu, James Millington covers a great new feature of EdgeSight 5 - the user Troubleshooter.

James Millington has made a new video screencast on UTipu that outlines the changes in the user interface for EdgeSight 5. Watch the five minute screencast with James below.

In my eight and a half years at Citrix, one constant I have seen in successful large rollouts is extensive detailed testing both during a pilot and prior to final rollout. In my opinion, it is essential to test the applications running with actual work flow processes (including file transfers and printing) over the same networks as production (or a simulated network with the same characteristics).

Ideally, after a detailed pilot program is completed and a final architecture design is built, the entire load should be simulated prior to moving into production. This approach reduces the risks of a rollout by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the design prior to putting real users on the system. In the past, many companies avoided this step because load simulation tools were often very expensive. In many cases the available tools were extremely difficult to script to work with applications running on Citrix XenApp.

EdgeSight for Load testing is designed to overcome these issues to allow you to reduce the risks of your production rollouts of XenApp. EdgeSight for Load Testing is built specifically for Citrix XenApp and simplifies the process to build workflow scripts with a wide variety of applications.

The presentation below gives you a brief overview of EdgeSight for Load Testing.

(click here to see the presentation in full screen)

You can find the EdgeSight for Load Testing Installation Guide here and the User Guide here. You can get troubleshooting help for EdgeSight for Load Testing at this link.

XenApp enables IT organizations to reduce the costs of delivering applications by centralizing management, security and control of apps and data. Application virtualization technology provides a flexible application delivery system that can select the best method to deliver an application dynamically, based on the user, application and network.

This next embedded presentation digs down much deeper into the application virtualization technology included in Citrix XenApp 5.0 .

(click here to see the presentation in full screen)

You can download the Delivery and Streaming Best Practices document here and the Office 2007 Profiling document here. The Administrator FAQ is here and you can find a Troubleshooting document here.

You can download a complete virtual appliance of Citrix XenApp 4.5 at this link.

One of the unique new features of Citrix XenApp is Smart Auditor. The Smart Auditor feature of Citrix XenApp gives you the ability to capture all application screens of specific users or applications based on a number of different factors. This information can be used for compliance, activity monitoring and problem resolution. This presention goes under the cover of the Smart Auditor feature to give you an inside look.

(click here to see the presentation in full screen)

You can learn more from the Smart Auditor's Administrator's Guide.

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.

Now that XenApp 5 has been released to web, you will be probably looking to migrate your current farm or just create a test one. Jo Harder did an amazing job of putting together an all-you-need-to-know document that will help you understand all the technical aspects and requirements for installing XenApp 5 as well as step-by-step procedures on how you can migrate to XenApp 5.

XenApp Migration Reference Table

XenApp 5 Operating System and Platform Support

Farm and Server Interoperability Scenarios

 
 
Download the full document here

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.

This morning we announced Citrix XenApp 5. You can visit the product page for details on everything related to XenApp 5. Here you can download the updated feature matrix, XenApp 5 & Windows Server 2008 feature analysis, Top 8 reasons to upgrade and a link to register for the upcoming XenApp technical Webcasts. The technical Webcasts will cover XenApp 5 functionality as well as best practices for migrating/upgrading to XenApp 5.

The XenApp 5 bits will be uploaded to MyCitrix download page on Sept 4th. And, don't forget to register for the Sept 9th first ever live XenApp virtual event!

Get an in-depth look at the upcoming XenApp release in our first Citrix Delivery Center Live virtual event. Attend keynote sessions with live Q&A, chat live with Citrix product experts, participate in forums, network with other attendees, visit the expo hall, view content online and download information. Think of this event as a virtual Synergy for XenApp. Register for this worldwide virtual event happening on September 9th 2008.

This event will explore the following topics

•    How XenApp liberates applications and the end user
•    What's new with XenApp 5
•    XenApp and Windows Server 2008
•    Leveraging XenApp to reduce IT TCO
•    When to add XenDesktop to XenApp
•    What XenServer can do for XenApp
•    How NetScaler optimizes XenApp

Back in april I stumbled upon and brought forward a nice finding on our internal showcase farm, an application named ICAPipe later renamed to Citrix Fast Launch.

I posted some demos and an interview with the creators of the tool, shortly after announced that we had the intent of releasing the app as a utility on CDN with forum support.

As you probably know, it's been 2 months and the utility has not being released, and the reason why, is very simple.

The demand this app has generated was tremendous, but despite of the community demand, many customers would not be able to take advantage of this app simply because it's not officially supported, therefore making it not suitable for production environments.

We were set with a dilemma, release the app anyways, assuming web support would suffice or review our release process and attempt to sneak CFL in the XenApp product roadmap.

I can tell you that in the meantime we've been putting the app thru many tests, while identifying the scenarios users could benefit from it, and at the same time, talking to our engineering group trying to lockdown a possible target for this application to be introduced as part of our product.

Of course, there is no guarantee Citrix Fast Launch will be included in the future, however one thing is certain, you as customers can influence these decisions, helping us identify where does faster launch times fit on your list of priorities.

With that been said, here are some questions for you...

Community Release vs. Product Integration?	Choose
I'm OK with a community release supported on CDN forums
Integrated is preferred but a community release is better than nothing
No rush, I can wait until it becomes officially part of XenApp
I cannot implement apps in production without official support

Would faster launching times impact your decision of deploying XenApp?	Choose
Yes
No

Since I blogged about Health Monitoring and Recovery (a.k.a. Health Assistant) feature of XenApp, I received several requests on the internals of the 10 test packs. So, here you go.

• Logon/Logoff test

This test detects failures (typically external to XenApp) that cause users to rapidly logoff the system and potentially create a black hole in the farm. The test will monitor logons and logoffs to a XenApp server. If logoffs are rapid and consistent, the test will throw an error condition.

This test has the following three unique parameters that must be updated through command line arguments. These arguments can be managed centrally using the Access Management Console.

1. SessionTime -  specifies the time spent in each session.  If the amount of time spent in the session is less than this value, it is treated as an error.
2. SessionThreshold - specifies the session error threshold at which the service should throw an error condition.
3. SampleInterval - specifies the time for which the session time sampling is done.  After each interval, the monitor checks to see if the SessionThreshold has been reached.  If it has, it will signal an error when queried by the logon monitor test.

• Terminal Services test

This test enumerates the list of sessions running on the server and queries session information (such as user name).  It is similar in functionality to the "quser" utility. The test communicates directly with Terminal Services by using the "WTSEnumerateSessions" API call.

• IMA test

The IMA test queries the IMA service to ensure that it is up and running by performing an app enumeration on the IMA service. It uses an internal API call to enumerate the applications.

• XML Ticket request test

This test queries the Citrix XML service on the local machine.  The service responds with XML data that includes a XenApp ticket. This ticket is checked for validity. If the ticket check fails or if a server/port fails to respond to the request (e.g. a socket timeout occurs) the test returns an error. This test communicates directly with the XML service through a TCP socket via the Winsock API.

• Microsoft Print Spooler test

The Print Spooler test attempts to ensure MS printer spooler reliability.  It will enumerate printers on the local server, enumerate printer drivers and printer processors using Microsoft Windows APIs.  Exercising these tasks is fundamental to ensure that the MS printer service is running smoothly.  The reason we enumerate these three different items is because enumerating just printers may not give us any information as we will only be able to enumerate printers that an administrator gives Local Service permission to read. However, drivers and processors can be enumerated by Local Service.

• Citrix Print Manager Service test 

This test is responsible for ensuring that the Citrix Print Manager service is operating properly.  The Citrix Print Service test calls internal APIs to ensure reliability.  Specifically, the test will use RPC to call Citrix Print Manager service to enumerate all printers on the local machine. If enumeration does not complete successfully the test will throw an error condition.

• Check DNS test

By default this test will run a forward DNS lookup that is guaranteed to go over the wire to the local machine's DNS server. Optionally, users may run a reverse DNS lookup. For either test, we gather the locally configured information and then make a DNS query to compare the results.   

The forward DNS lookup will gather the IPv4 address of the local machine from the installed NICs. The test will then make a DNS query based on the locally configured hostname and compare the resulting IP address to the one we grabbed locally. If these two IP addresses do not match, the forward DNS lookup will throw an error. 

The reverse DNS lookup will gather the hostname from the local machine.  It will also take the locally configured IPv4 address.  Using the local address, it will convert it to the reverse DNS address and query for the hostname.  The test will then compare the resulting hostname with the one it originally queried from the local machine. The reverse DNS look up will not be set to run by default as many organizations neglect configuring this and which may lead to false negatives. 

Successful completion of this test will ensure DNS is working properly on the local server.

• ICA Listener test

The responsibility of the ICA Listener Test is to ensure clients can make a successful connection to the local server via the ICA protocol.  We will validate this functionality by pinging the ICA listener and monitoring the response.  When idle, the ICA listener emits the text "ICA". By looking for these characters we can verify that the ICA listener is in a good state.

• Check XML Threads test

The Check XML Threads test will run as a monitor test.  This means that we will look for unwanted behavior over a period of time.  The Check XML Threads test will look for too many XML worker threads to be running for a prolonged time period.  By default we set this time to be one minute.  If the test determines that the worker threads are past the default threshold of 10 threads for over a minute this will indicate that the XML service is being stressed too much.  The administrator may wish to add an extra server to handle some of the load.  When the threshold is met, the corrective action will execute. 

This test aims to monitor XML service trafic load.  When the service is overloaded, Web Interface connections will suffer. This test will alert administrators that they may need to address XML performance. This test will make use of a new performance counter that we added with the test pack. The performance counter will measure the number of active worker threads running in the XML service. There were recent changes made to the XML service where worker threads are not killed when they are done being used. Instead, they are kept alive but are made idle. This change was made to improve performance. However, the old performance counter still reflects the total number of worker threads. This value is not what we are interested in because there may exist worker threads that are idle. With data from the new performance counter, the test will simply poll the counter for the number of worker threads that are actually doing work.

• Check Local Host Cache test

The Check LHC test is responsible for recognizing and responding to LHC corruptions and inconsistencies on the local machine that could result from stale data left when removing a server and/or published app.  LHC corruption refers to compromised integrity of LHC object(s). The test will check what the object size should be versus the actual size of the object.  LHC inconsistencies occur when there are duplicate entries or when entries do not match the datastore objects. To verify inconsistencies we focus on four contexts:  MfServer, CommonServer, MfApp, and CommonApp. If we detect an error when running these checks, we perform an LHC refresh. After the refresh is complete, we check the integrity and consistency to ensure that the problem has been resolved. If the problem persists, the administrator configured corrective action will be executed.

 A few of us were having a brainstorm session recently regarding the ICA client, mobility and device support, inevitably the discussion led to the topic of competing priorities, limited resources, and business cases. Al Granville ( sometimes affectionately referred to as the " suit " in the blogosphere ) is the Product Manager for the ICA client and has the enviable position of driving what features and functions get included ( and which ones don't ). Nowadays you can't talk about mobility without the topic of support for the iPhone and where that fits versus all the other priorities. If you also want Citrix iPhone support please place your vote and tell us your use case here. Typically this analysis means doing a market analysis, talking to customers and developing a business case comparing all the alternatives and determining the ROI. During this discussion however, Al made the profound statement that maybe in this situation the business case simply needs to say  ...   it's the iPhone.. Stupid !  

This brings up a really interesting point that IT also seems to be dealing with lately, that is what is the value of new and "cool " and do you spend resources to enable these technologies. It could be the iPhone or it could be Web 2.0 collaboration tools or desktop video conferencing, whatever. Sometimes it's straight forward to put an ROI and business case together, however quantifying the value of "cool" is subjective at best. Apple as the best example has done a superb job proving that elegant design, user experience, and "cool " is a profitable business model. This certainly has proven to be the case in the consumer world, but it's also evident that this is impacting the business IT world as well, at least from the perspective of user expectations. I am interested to know if this phenomena is also impacting IT's decision process for implementing new projects.  

What criteria does your IT organization use for evaluating new projects ?	Choose
Business requirements, ROI, and compliance only
The above plus,  Executive mandates
The above plus,  User productivity and desires ( like iPhone support )
The above plus,  Does the new IT technology provide a competitive advantage

In a previous post I posed the question "If you could wave a magic wand and have any one single feature in the next release of Citrix XenApp, what would it be?".
It is clear many of you would like to wave that magic wand. There have been just over 650 votes and 26 comments so far. This post has been in the Top 5 in total post views since it was posted. Clearly there is a lot of interest in this topic.
I guaranteed you in that post I would share the results with the XenApp product team and I have done that. I also promised to follow up on the feature requests.
I am still working on getting a high level developer or software architect to talk about "live migration of individual sessions". I do have some further info on "Speed Screen Multimedia across all client platforms", the second most popular option in our poll.

Derek Thorslund, our Multimedia Virtualization Strategist, has written numerous posts about SpeedScreen Multimedia and related technologies. According to Derek, support for SpeedScreen Multimedia Acceleration on the Linux client is currently being developed. Derek was not able to give me a definitive time line for the general release of this capability, but I think they can see the light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, our Technology Licensing Partners now have access to a Technology Preview of SpeedScreen MultiMedia Acceleration for the Linux client. I will keep prodding Derek to provide more info as this project reaches completion.

In case you are not aware, SpeedScreen Multimedia Acceleration is currently available for the Win32 Client and the Windows CE WBT client (according to the client matrix). You can see in that document that Image Acceleration, Flash Acceleration and Browser acceleration are all support on multiple clients beyond Win32 and Win CE CBT.

Here are a few relevant blog posts on this topic in case you have not seen them -

SpeedScreenMultiMedaiAcceleration and Rave Video

How Do I Know if RAVE is Working?

What is SpeedScreen Image Acceleration?

Secrets of Optimizing Flash Part 1

Secrets of Optimizing Flash Part 2

Secrets for Optimizing Flash Part 3

Secrets for Optimizing Flash Part 4

Secrets for Optimizing Flash Part 5

New HRP Enhances Flash Support

SpeedScreen Progressive Display Delivers PACS Images



For deeper background technical information, here are some Knowledgebase articles on this topic

Troubleshooting the SpeedScreen Multimedia Acceleration Feature

Windows Media Player Cannot Play the file\


And finally, here is a technical video (narrated by Brian Madden) I found on the SpeedScreen topic -

Deep Dive into Citrix XenApp SpeedScreen Technologies

(47 minute video)

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
  

If you could wave a magic wand and have any one single feature in the next release of Citrix XenApp, what would it be?

While XenApp has literally hundreds of features that have been added over the last 10 years as the product has evolved from MetaFrame 1.0,1.8, XP, FR1 though FR3, 3.0, then 4.0 and now 4.5, is there one feature you really want to have but have not seen yet?

I pulled in a few ideas I have received into a poll. If you would like to add others to the list, post them in the comments and I will add your suggestion. I am looking for big home run features, but ideas that help you in your day to day job are fine as well.

From my past experience, many of you just do not have the time to keep up with every feature added to XenApp/CPS over time, especially if you are migrating to every other release. I have a theory about that as well (but I am saving that theory for a later post). It will be interesting to see if any feature ideas are submitted that have already been added in a past release.

Of course, there is no guarantee anything on this list can or will be included in the future (since I am not on the XenApp product team). I do guarantee I will communicate the results of this poll to that team.

This is a very preliminary list based on an informal survey I took recently. Instead of editing it, I am just posting it to get the discussion (and voting) started. If you want to add a feature to this list, post it in the comments and I will add it. Focus on the problem you need to solve.

If you could wave a magic wand, what feature would you put into the next release of XenApp?	Choose
SpeedScreen Multimedia support across all client platforms
Enhanced smart phone integration
Enhanced Mac integration
Live migration of individual sessions
Diff tool for Microsoft and Citrix patch levels on all servers
Integration with third party app virtualization solutions (MAV or SVS)
Greatly enhanced scalability
Security Analysis and Lockdown Tool
Pool of Pre-Launched Sessions for Faster Launching
Management through an Active Directory OU

Follow me on Twitter.

UPDATE:Two Additional Choices offered based on comments.

If there is a lot of interest in this poll, I will post follow ups on the features requested and similar polls for other products. My goal here is to get unfiltered feedback from you about what you want to see in the product and how we can improve the product to solve the problems you face.

UPDATE:The response to date on this poll has been excellent. Votes are still coming into the poll. I have sent a screen shot of the results to date to a member fo the XenApp team to ensure the product team is aware of these requests. I am working to get some members of that team to discuss of these requests and the comments posted here.

As you may have seen in previous blog discussions some of us are very keen on the idea of a device that goes beyond the existing smartphone limitations of small screens and keyboards. The ability to connect to XenApp - XenDesktop from a phone and view it ( & use it ) on a large screen is now possible. This pic shows the Nirvana Phone concept with an iMate 6150 and a standard monitor and BT keyboard. We are not at Nirvana yet, but these devices make it visible we are getting closer.

Do you ever go on trips and wish you could leave your laptop home?	Choose
All the time
Occasionally
Wishfull thinking ..

Let us know of other candidates for the Nirvana Phone, and what you think is still missing.

At the recent Citrix App Delivery Expo in Sydney, Australia, Michale Harries (AKA Dyson), Steve Parry and Adam Jacques have a virtual meeting in Second Life. "Dyson" and his team deliver applications inside this virtual world.

       Update **

Running Windows applications on the iPhone may not be a high priority for Steve Jobs, but for many IT users and providers the desire seems to be increasing. The recent SDK and upcoming release of the Apple 3G iPhone has increased the interest in Citrix enabling iPhone access to XenApp hosted Windows applications. We are always encouraging expanded access to XenApp from any suitable device and the iPhone appears to be a very good candidate. The great screen and touch features would provide usable viewing of apps even though they were designed for bigger screens. Plus the improved email and networking capability of the device can now make it a real contender for business use. The iPhone could be even be the " Nirvana Phone " if a new docking station was offered to provide video access to a full sized monitor plus a standard keyboard.

So the question is one of priority and market demand, where does this fit on the list of nice to have vs. must have now, and does the solution need to come from Citrix or could it be partner provided such as the Rove Mobile client for BlackBerry. We encourage your opinions and feedback.

Do you need a Citrix client for the iPhone ?	Choose
I want it for myself
I need it for my company users ( and myself )
Cool, but my company is not likely to enable it

What is the primary iPhone use case at your company ?	Choose
EMR - Patient records, view and update.
CRM - Customer records, view and update.
ERP - Process workflows, approvals, etc.
Documents - Find, view, edit, forward.
Specific line of business app

** Update 11/1/08

Yes, we are listening, and yes we are going to ship a Citrix Receiver for the iPhone ! Mark Templeton demonstrated our latest internal build at our Summit event last week and our partners gave us the same enthusiastic response as we are seeing here on the Blogs. Right now the ship schedule is first half of '09 , but keep those votes and use cases coming and help us increase the priority further ! 

*** Update 3/30/09

Check the App Store !

Follow me at  http://twitter.com/chrisfleck

This is a continuation of an earlier post on XenApp Platinum related video interviews from Citrix Synergy.

As part of Synergy Underground project, we interviewed many of the people in the XenApp booth in the TechLab to talk about the different features and components of Citrix XenApp Platinum.

(Each of these videos were shot and streamed live to the Underground site via a Nokia N95 cell phone. The convenience and ability to stream live video directly to the net is the trade off for the lower audio and video quality. Read this post for an explanation of the process and a video on how the live streaming worked.)

Smart Auditor for Citrix XenApp with Kiran Kulkarni

Citrix Edgesight Monitoring for XenApp with Sean Connelly

Citrix EdgeSight for Load Testing with James Millington