In the past year we've seen an influx of new product offerings from Citrix, VMWare, Microsoft, and other smaller vendors. We've also seen the "Cloud" take off. Many people say these new technologies are simply hype, or are useful in only a handful of environments. I think they're wrong about both ideas. New technologies such as the Client Hypervisor, the cloud, and even VDI are all wonderful new things; begging to be taken advantage of. Things change so fast that we can't think in the same way too long, we have to have malleable minds. Don't think about where you would utilize a client hype

Microsoft recently announced its inclusion of a "Windows XP Mode" for Windows 7. Users will be able to run their applications in a virtual machine running Windows XP SP3. For us virtualization folk, this is pretty neat that virtualization will make it to the average user, but is it the wrong way to handle compatibility issues? Short Answer: Yes. The best way to handle the compatibility issue, according to many journalists, is to use Microsoft App-V to virtualize just the application and the files it requires, not the entire OS. Managing a second file system, registry and driver set will

I'm often asked how to update a vDisk for use with XenDesktop, so I figured I should publish my answer.   1. Navigate to your store via Windows Explorer, Copy the .VHD file currently in use, then Paste it. 2. Rename it - We use A,B,C,D and rotate each time we update. 3. Open the PvS Console, Navigate to your vDisk Pool. 4. Right Click on vDisk Pool, Select Add Existing vDisk. 5. Make sure your Store and Server are correct, then click Search. 6. Select the new vDisk and click Add then Close. 7. Open your vDisk Pool in the PvS Console. 8. Right Click on the new vDisk, click Propert

I was chosen as one of the seven engineers to assist in the development of the new Citrix Certified Enterprise Engineer™ (CCEE) certification exam. After the week-long workshop, I'll be accredited as a Subject Matter Expert in Citrix Virtualization Technologies. The workshop is April 20th to the 24th in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Participants in the workshop will: Receive training on how to write questions for certification exams Work alongside our Exam Developers to develop questions Work alongside other field experts to review, modify and finalize questions written by other parti

Citrix released their new ICA Client for the iPhone yesterday on the iTunes store.  It specificially mentions that it works with any up to date XenApp environment, but does not mention XenDesktop Compatibility (If anyone knows for sure, let me know!) Citrix Receiver delivers applications as a service to users on any device, anywhere. Now you can access any Windows application or document right from the palm of your hand with the iPhone. By leveraging the easy-to-use interface that has revolutionized mobile computing today, Receiver enables you to open documents, update reports, approve expen

At VMWorld Europe, Citrix announced that their popular virtualization platform, XenServer, would be offered free. Virtualization is quickly becoming standard practice at the enterprise level, and for those who don’t currently virtualize, being able to do so for free really helps the process. XenServer is different Desktop Virtualization software, such as Sun’s VirtualBox or VMWare’s Workstation, in that it is a true hypervisor. It runs a stripped down version of CentOS Linux which emulates hardware at a very low level. Desktop Virtualization software usually requires a full OS, such a

Develop a Plan to Migrate from Windows to Open Source Software It’s unrealistic to think you will shed your Microsoft addiction overnight, or even over a year, but developing a plan to move a good portion of your infrastructure to Open Source, will save a noticeable amount. The caveat is finding staff familiar with Windows to UNIX migration and administration. Be Energy Conscious Consider power usage and efficiency when weighing hardware purchases. Look for high efficiency power supplies when deciding on workstations. While environmentally friendly hardware may be a bit more expensi