Archive
New #Citrix #Visio Stencils – via @djfeller – #XenApp #XenDesktop #XenClient #XenServer
Thanks a lot for the great work you did on Project Accelerator, and for sharing the Visio stencils!! 🙂
By spending a little time in the Assess phase, Project Accelerator creates this awesome looking diagram
The truth is, this diagram took many, many, many revisions. We wanted to create something that was easy to follow while providing the most important information people wanted to see, which included IOPS, servers, VMs, storage space, desktop images, infrastructure components, and so much more. It took a few revisions before I had something in Visio that did all of that. Then we gave my diagram to Marta Guerra, a senior designer on the Project Accelerator team. She turned the diagram into something easy to follow and very clean with new images/icons for all of the components. I’m still impressed. I know many of you are too because you’ve asked for the Visio stencils.
Unfortunately, Project Accelerator diagrams aren’t done in Visio, but that didn’t stop us from giving you what you wanted. With the help of Marta, I’ve been able to turn these images into a new set of Citrix Visio Stencils.
Get them here!Â
//Richard
Documenting #Citrix #XenApp 6.5 with MS PowerShell V2 – @CarlWebster via @anders_keis
Good work Carl and the rest of you guys! Will try it out ASAP! 🙂
The original article on Documenting a Citrix XenApp 6.5 Farm with Microsoft PowerShell was released on October 7, 2011. The original script has been downloaded over 15,000 times. I decided it was time to update the script to have the output match what was shown in AppCenter.  With a lot of help (and patience) from Exchange MVP and PowerShell guru Michael B. Smith, I updated the original script from over 1800 lines to over 2900 lines of PowerShell to thoroughly document a XenApp 6.5 farm. This article will focus on the changes to the script.
I would like to thank the following people for helping to test the script.
- @BYODre
- Andrew Morgan
- Bart Jacobs
- Brian Hecker
- Derick
- Jarian Gibson
- J. L. Straat
- Jennifer Auiler
- Kees Baggerman
- Knut Gunnar Neggen
- Magnus Hjorleifsson
- Mark Fermin
- Thomas Poppelgaard
- And 25 others
Before we get started, I want you to know that I am NOT a programmer. I am NOT a software developer and I am NOT a real PowerShell coder. I am simply a hack who brute forces his way through all this PowerShell stuff until I either figure it out myself or have to use a lifeline. i.e. Michael B. Smith, Jeff Wouter or worse, I have to read a book!
The prerequisites to follow along with this article are:
- A server, physical or virtual, running Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 with or without SP1
- Citrix XenApp 6.5 installed with or without HRP01
Note:Â A few testers reported that neither this script nor AppCenter displayed the hotfixes installed on the data collectors. Citrix has a public hotfix that should resolve that specific issue. http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX132713
The nice thing about XenApp 6.5 compared to both XenApp 5 and XenApp 6 is that all the basic Citrix PowerShell stuff is installed when you install XenApp 6.5. But we still need the XenApp 6.5 PowerShell..
Continue reading here!Â
//Richard
Jan. Edition of XenDesktop Technical Newsletter Now Available – #XenDesktop, #Citrix
It’s out again with more exciting topics! Check it out!!!
Using XenDesktop? Then you need to get the XenDesktop Technical Newsletter! The newsletter is comprised of the best technical resources from across Citrix Services: Consulting, Technical Support, Education, and Technical Readiness. In its third year the newsletter is designed to help customers run their XenDesktop optimally and get more out of their investment in Citrix desktop virtualization. And its FREE!
I am pleased to announce that the January 2013 edition of the newsletter is now available.
Check out the archive page, where you can access both the current and past issues, as well as subscribe to the FREE monthly newsletter.
The January edition of the newsletter is packed with great content, including:
- Optimal XenApp 6.5 VM Configuration (Blog)
- Introduction to the new Project Accelerator (Blog)
- Deploying XenApp 6.5 using PVS (Blog)
- Insider Troubleshooting tips for Administrators (eBook)
- Whats new with Excalibur (Blog)
- Top Knowledge Center content for December 2012 (Articles, hotfixes, whitepapers, etc…)
- How to configure Access Gateway 5 standalone for use with XD5 (tech note)
- XenDesktop Tools & Hotfixes
- And much more.
If you have any..
Continue reading here!
//Richard
#Citrix #XenApp 6.5 Hosted Shared Desktop Sizing Example
Great Citrix blog post series from Andy Baker!
In this blog series I’m taking a look at scalability considerations for XenApp 6.5 Hosted Shared Desktops, specifically:
- How to estimate XenApp 6.5 Hosted Shared Desktop scalability
- What’s the optimal XenApp 6.5 VM specification?
- XenApp 6.5 Hosted Shared Desktop sizing example
My last post provided guidance on the optimal XenApp virtual machine specification. Now in the last post of the series, I’m going to walk through an example sizing exercise.
Scenario
Company ABC recently completed a user segmentation exercise. The following table includes 8 user groups that have been identified as good candidates for a Hosted Shared Desktop. None of these user groups requires the ability to install applications or the ability to customize their desktop beyond profile based changes. Three separate Provisioning Services images will be created due to application compatibility conflicts identified by Citrix AppDNA.
With Hosted Shared Desktops, it is important to consider the ‘Maximum Number of Concurrent Users’ column rather than the ‘Total Number of Users’ column. Sizing the environment for concurrency rather than the total number of users will help to reduce infrastructure costs without affecting performance or availability.
Sufficient redundancy should be incorporated into the sizing estimate so that a single XenApp server or virtualization host failure does not affect the total number of concurrent users that can be supported (n+1).
Company ABC wishes to use their standard hardware specification…
Continue reading here!
//Richard
#Citrix Knowledge Center Top 10 – December 2012
Citrix Support is focused on ensuring Customer and Partner satisfaction with our products.
One of our initiatives is to increase the ability of our Partners and Customers to leverage self-service avenues via our Knowledge Center.
Find below the Citrix Knowledge Center Top 10 for December 2012.
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Top 10 Technical Articles
| Article Number | Article Title |
|---|---|
| CTX129229 | Recommended Hotfixes for XenApp 6.0 and Later on Windows Server 2008 R2 |
| CTX129082 | Application Launch Fails with Web Interface using Internet Explorer 9 |
| CTX132875 | Citrix Receiver Error 2320 |
| CTX804493 | Users Prompted to Download ICA File, Launch.ica, Instead of Launching the Connection |
| CTX105793 | Error: Cannot connect to the Citrix server. Protocol Driver Error |
| CTX133997 | Citrix Receiver 3.x – Issues Fixed in This Release |
| CTX127030 | Citrix Guidelines for Antivirus Software Configuration |
| CTX101644 | Seamless Configuration Settings |
| CTX676151 | How to Install the Citrix ICA Web Clien |
| CTX325140 | Manually and Safely Removing Files that might remain on a System |
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Top 10 Whitepapers
| Article Number | Article Title |
|---|---|
| CTX131577 | XenApp 6.x (Windows 2008 R2) – Optimization Guide |
| CTX132799 | XenDesktop and XenApp Best Practices |
| CTX101997 | Citrix Secure Gateway Secure Ticket Authority Frequently Asked Questions |
| CTX133185 | Citrix CloudGateway Express 2.0 – Implementation Guide |
| CTX129761 | XenApp Planning Guide – Virtualization Best Practices |
| CTX134943 | XenDesktop and XenApp Printing – Planning Guide |
| CTX122978 | XenServer: Understanding Snapshots |
| CTX134081 | Planning Guide – Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop Policies |
| CTX128277 | Logon Optimization Guide – XenApp/XenDesktop |
| CTX110351 | User Profile Best Practices for MetaFrame Presentation Server |
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Top 10 Hotfixes
| Article Number | Article Title |
|---|---|
| CTX132122 | Hotfix Rollup Pack 1 for Citrix XenApp 6.5 for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 |
| CTX126653 | Citrix Online Plug-in 12.1.44 for Windows with Internet Explorer 9 Support |
| CTX133066 | 12.3 Online Plug-In – Issues Fixed in This Release |
| CTX133882 | Hotfix Rollup Pack 2 for Citrix XenApp 6 for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 |
| CTX135025 | Hotfix XA650R01W2K8R2X64033- For Citrix XenApp 6.5 for Windows Server 2008 R2 |
| CTX116550 | Credential Handling Weakness in Presentation Server Client for Windows |
| CTX135709 | Hotfix XS61E006 – For XenServer 6.1.0 |
Continue reading here!
//Richard
#EnvokeIT is expanding – looking for a new exciting career? #Mobility, #Networking, #Citrix
It’s exciting! EnvokeIT continues to expand and we are looking for new colleagues within the Mobility, Networking and Virtualization areas. It doesn’t matter if you currently are a Junior or Senior consultant! It doesn’t matter, just as long as you have the will to grow! Come join us on our exciting journey!
We are looking for someone who wants to grow with us!
EnvokeIT are confident that our employees are our most important assets. Employees who are happy and like to go to work makes a difference. Our continued success is based on finding, retaining and developing talents that understands customers’ business processes and future IT needs. As a consultant with EnvokeIT you are employed by us but you work with one of our clients. Assignments can be for longer or shorter periods depending on what you are working with, what customers need and your personal preferences. You build on your resume with new experiences and skills, while contributing to customer business activities with your knowledge and skills.
We want to be one of the best and most exciting employers in the IT industry. As an employee of EnvokeIT you are given a unique opportunity to participate in the company’s further development. Periodically, you will be invited to consultant meetings where you get the chance to meet your peers that are working on various assignments on EnvokeITs behalf. Sometimes we organize lectures that will be a part..
Continue reading and apply here!
//Richard
Free eBook – Secrets of the #Citrix Support Ninjas – #XenApp, #XenDesktop, #NetScaler
Secrets of the Citrix Support Ninjas
So we decided to pick their brains and gather a bunch of ‘power tips’ to help administrators like you run better Citrix environments.Â
The result is this free eBook: Secrets of the Support Ninjas.Â
It’s a quick, easy-to-browse collection of insider tips and tricks from the people who know best – organized by four products: XenApp, XenDesktop, XenServer and NetScaler.Â
If you only take away a single tip to help you run your environment, it’ll be well worth the download…
Download here!
//Richard
#AppController, #CloudGateway 2.5 released
Hi all,
I guess that some of you already are aware of the new 2.5 release of AppController (a part of the marketing product CloudGateway).. but it’s interesting with a release which I hope is making the product more enterprise ready and that the basic features now are there!
And I guess that many are interesting in that now Android apps, @WorkMail™ and @WorkWeb™ are supported!
I’ll of course do an upgrade and go through my little issue list I created earlier in the post-Synergy post… I hope that these items now are fixed!
- Enterprise/multi-site support with synch of the database. This to ensure that you can have an HA pair setup for instance in Europe and one in the North Americas and have the end-user be logged in against both and have their subscriptions etc. follow them (as well as of course reporting, monitoring etc. etc.)
- Support for really large AD domains with LARGE # of AD users and AD groups
- Support for AD domain structure where the BASE DN is different to where AD users and the AD security groups you want to use for roles
- Role based administration – this has just got to be there. Without it I wouldn’t call it an enterprise product…
These are the updates according to eDocs (they are quite a few so I have high hopes!) 😉
But when reading through the short list of updates I DON’T see multi-site support!! That’s not very Enterprise if you ask me…. This is the first thing I’m gonna check out!
Here is an architectural overview:
AppController 2.5 supports the following new features:
Receiver for Mac 11.7 Released
About Receiver for Mac 11.7
Updated: 2012-12-19
Citrix Receiver for Mac provides users with self-service access to resources published on XenApp or XenDesktop servers. Receiver combines ease of deployment and use, and offers quick, secure access to hosted applications, desktops, and data.
Receiver also provides on-demand access to Windows, Web, and Software as a Service (SaaS) applications. You can use it for Web access or configure it for use with Citrix CloudGateway.
What’s new
- Single authentication to the Access Gateway:
- Use of a single session for both VPN and clientless access so that a Receiver user logs on once for both types of access and consumes only one license.
- Automatic routing of ICA traffic through the Access Gateway ICA proxy for optimal user experience.
- Automatic start-up of a VPN tunnel when a user logs on. This feature requires that you disable the Single Sign-On with Windows setting on the Access Gateway.
- Improved logon and logoff operations:
- Users are prompted to log on to Receiver only when a logon is required. Actions that require a log on include starting an app from Receiver or the Finder, using the Refresh Apps command, viewing or searching for apps, or adding an account. A user is logged on only to the account associated with the requested resource.
- Users remain logged on until choosing to log off or exit Receiver, roam from the internal network to an external network, or delete passwords.
- A VPN tunnel is established only if needed. Internal users are logged on to StoreFront.
- Usability improvements, including:
- Upgraded FIPS support. Receiver supports certificates with a public key of 2,048-bit RSA and a SHA256 signature hash algorithm.
- Support for ShareFile StorageZones. Receiver provides support for ShareFile StorageZones. StorageZones enable you to optimize ShareFile performance by locating data storage close to users and also allow you to control storage for compliance purposes. For more information about StorageZones, see the Sharefile documentation in eDocs.
Hotfix Rollup Pack 1 for #Citrix #XenApp 6.5 for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
Ok, yet another update for XenApp we need to handle…. sigh…
But I suggest that you have a look at it, try it and get it rolled out…
Read more here!
//Richard
The IT Melting Pot! 