Citrix have released a new version of Branch Repeater 6.0.3 for appliance, Citrix Xenserver, Microsoft hyper-v and VMware vSphere

Citrix VDI-in-a-Box 5 is released an ready for download.

Citrix have redesign VDI-in-a-Box or (Kaviza) so the logo have been replaced with Citrix and some things have been moved around. The big news in version 5 is Hyper-V support and integration with Citrix licensing and HDX 5.5 awesome =O)

Here are the highlights.

• Even simpler, more intuitive – we have completely revised and revamped the VDI-in-a-Box management console to make it even simpler, even more intuitive, with an expanded set of wizards and policy-based automation for all the key aspects of setting up and managing virtual desktops.

• Microsoft Hyper-V support – VDI-in-a-Box is an open architecture that supports multiple hypervisor platforms. With VDI-in-a-Box 5, you can deploy virtual desktops on Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer or VMware vSphere ESX/ESXi.  Hyper-V support was requested by many prospects, so we are looking forward to the uptake with this feature.  This release also adds support for the latest XenServer 6 and vSphere 5.

• Citrix licensing, order management integration – VDi-in-a-Box is fully integrated into the Citrix back-office systems so the order management and license delivery is consistent with other Citrix products. In addition, with VDI-in-a-Box, your license fulfillment is email based for simple quick license delivery.

• Citrix support, simplified all-you-can-eat pricing – Similarly, support is integrated for VDI-in-a-Box so customers can leverage Citrix support worldwide.  In keeping with the simplicity theme, consuming support is simple with a single Maintenance SKU that includes all-you-can-eat support and product updates, upgrades and maintenance.  We have also built a one-stop support portal with how-to videos on nearly every key aspect of the product, how-to guides, product documentation, support forums, and an online knowledge base.  Access the support portal at  http://support.citrix.com/vdi-in-a-box

• Faster multimedia performance with HDX 5.5 – This release incorporates the latest Citrix HDX 5.5 stack that further optimizes the performance of multimedia applications including real-time audio, improved webcam compression, and intelligent graphics rendering for fast, bandwidth-efficient multimedia.

• Support for over 1 billion devices with Citrix Receivers – Citrix Receiver is now tested and available on over  1 billion devices, ensuring that your VDI-in-a-Box virtual desktop can be accessed by users from literally any device.

Citrix have released 1 day earlier XenClient 2.1 for web, i predicted earlier in an article that Citrix would release it in December 2011, but it was close and X-mas is soon.
I am going to update my Lenovo to XenClient 2.1 from 2.0. I have been using XenClient since it was released as a technical preview, and i can recommend that you start trying and using it.

What’s new in XenClient 2.1? 

• SIMPLIFIED WINDOWS IMAGE MANAGEMENT with dynamic layering provides an easier, more reliable, and more cost effective way of managing system updates with minimal impact to end users and more control and agility for IT. Today, IT managers typically deploy an initial Windows image to employees who then often add their own applications and changes. This causes a mismatch from the originally deployed IT image and can introduce application conflicts and system incompatibilities which may lead to increased costs by triggering more helpdesk calls. The new dynamic layering feature in XenClient changes this paradigm by ensuring that IT defined images are enforced on a continual basis. This can greatly reduce helpdesk break/fix calls. With this new feature, an IT admin can now simply apply the changes they want to a single image in the datacenter and have it automatically sent out to their XenClient devices. This feature also reduces the risk of making changes to the desktop environment. If there are problems with an update, the dynamic Image Management capability can simply undo the change – something difficult to do today in traditional environments. This feature can also decrease disruptions and performance degradations to users during updates. Rather than experiencing an often lengthy local install process, changes are downloaded in the background and applied to the user’s system in the time it takes to reboot Windows.

• XENCLIENT IS NOW LOCALIZED which allows end users around the globe to experience a more engaging and familiar experience when using the product. This release introduces client side support for German, French, Spanish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese languages.  Citrix has seen tremendous traction with XenClient in international markets and this reaffirms our commitment to delivering capabilities our customers require to expand their use of the solution on a global basis

• XENCLIENT XT GOES MOBILE which extends the extreme security, isolation, and performance benefits of the XT edition of XenClient to laptop systems. The first release of XenClient XT was designed to deliver unmatched isolation on desktop systems for multi-level security use cases. This release extends those capabilities to laptops to allow untethered use of XenClient XT in both secure campus and in field environments.

• DYNAMIC IMAGE ASSEMBLY allows the Synchronizer for XenClient to deliver a layered image that is dynamically assembled at runtime on a local XenClient system. This technology allows for single image management in the datacenter of a dynamic local virtual desktop running on many XenClient systems

• DELTA IMAGE UPDATES allows the Synchronizer for XenClient to intelligently delver only the changes between Windows image versions to a XenClient system. This system also allows administrators to roll forward multiple versions at a time. This ensures that dynamic local virtual desktops on XenClient endpoints are moved to the latest administrator defined Windows desktop automatically and efficiently.

• FAST SYSTEM UPDATES allows for minimal end user downtime when updating dynamic Windows images. Updates are transferred in the background to XenClient systems via the Synchronizer for XenClient. Once the update has been delivered locally, the next time the end user starts up their system they are instantly moved to the latest version of the IT delivered Windows image. Even large changes such as new Microsoft Office versions or Windows service packs are applied in the time it takes to restart Windows, giving users immediate productivity.

• AUTOMATIC IMAGE LOCKDOWN will ensure that only IT approved changes and IT approved applications are installed on a dynamic local virtual desktop image running on XenClient. User changes outside of their user data and user profile are automatically purged by the system ensuring a clean, consistent environment on every boot.

• WINDOWS IMAGE ROLLBACK enables the undo button for Windows. This capability allows administrators to roll-back to a previous version of a Windows image in the time it takes to restart Windows. This reduces the risk of making changes to an environment as they can easily be rolled back.

• SELF-SERVICE INSTALL allows end users the flexibility to customize their environments by installing IT approved applications via Citrix Receiver for Windows. Citrix Receiver provides users with an integrated, easy-to-use storefront for Windows, web and SaaS applications.

• ENHANCED RELIABILITY through fixes and improvements for a number of issues identified after the original release such as 3D graphics stability, virtualized USB support, enhanced handling of multi-partition Windows images by the Synchronizer, and support for connecting Synchronizer to Active Directory systems with non-standard OU structures.

XenClient XT 2.1 

As a reminder XenClient XT is an edition of XenClient specifically designed for enabling multi-level, secure local virtual desktops. It was built to meet the most extreme isolation, security, and performance requirements for local virtual desktops in public sector customer environments.

• XENCLIENT XT REFRESHED to the XenClient 2 code base which allows this edition of XenClient to inherit the many enhancements delivered by XenClient 2. This includes a revamped and simplified user experience, larger VM memory support, and additional hardware support for Intel’s latest generation Core vPro platform on both laptops and desktops.
• MULTIPLE MONITORS AND GPUS allows XenClient XT to run multiple Windows local virtual desktops each with their own dedicated graphics adapters and monitors with native 3D graphics performance. An innovative seamless mouse system provides a simple user experience where a simple mouse movement to the edge of the monitor securely remaps the keyboard and mouse to neighboring monitors and local virtual desktops.

XT is not available yet.

Source

Download Citrix XenClient 2.1 here
Download Citrix XenClient 2.1 Synchronizer  here 

What’s New in Version 5.0.2

Version 5.0.2

✓ Fix Screen update issue when connecting to legacy XenApp servers
✓ Fix for sessions disconnecting immediately when lock/sleep button is pressed.

Version 5.0.1

✓ Fix for 16bit black and white sessions
✓ Fix for 32bit color font artifacts
✓ Option to select non-unicode keyboard
✓ Stability enhancements

Version 5.0

✓ iOS 5 Support
✓ Universal iOS Application Support
✓ Several HDX Graphics enhancements
✓ 40% Less bandwidth consumption
✓ 50% Faster Application Launch times
✓ XenApp Fundamentals 6 Support
✓ Session Sharing and Connection Center Support
✓ Simplified and Universal Receiver User Interface
✓ High resolution Support (up to 1600 x 1200)
✓ Fine-tuned and improved session controls
✓ Improved External Keyboard Support
✓ Fine-tuned and improved gestures
✓ Improved setup auto-discovery
✓ Enhanced Access Gateway Support
✓ Stability and security enhancements

Download Citrix Receiver 5.0.2 for Apple iOS here

Introduction

A successful XenDesktop 5.5 Proof-of-Concept (PoC) begins with simple preparation. Although XenDesktop supports many different technologies and provides support for desktop, server, and application virtualization, this document focuses on a deployment of XenDesktop 5.5 using Microsoft’s Windows 2008 R2 SP1 with Hyper-V code base for delivering hosted virtual desktops. Hosted VDI virtual desktops demonstrate the brokering technology and the benefit of the HDX protocol. This level can be used to quickly compare the end-user experience and allow basic desktop remoting. This approach is good to validate user requirements with the technology. The PoC environment is expected to be isolated from the production environment, although the production Active Directory domain could be used to contain the computer and user accounts for testing. Preparation for the PoC will include hardware, operating systems, Active Directory accounts, and software licensing.

Windows 7, Server 2008R2, and SCVMM Service Pack 1  Support

Citrix XenDestop5 SP1 and now 5.5 support the use of the Windows 7 client and Windows Server 2008R2 SP1. Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 provides major new features for VDI focusing around key areas such as Dynamic Memory for Hyper-V (see Microsoft Deployment Guide for Dynamic Memory), RemoteFX for assigning virtual GPU’s to XenDesktop Windows 7 virtual machines(see Microsoft Deployment Guide For RemoteFX), and System enter Virtual Machine Manager SP1 for managing VM’s with Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX GPU’s assigned to them (see Migrating to SCVMM 2008R2 SP1). More information about enabling RemoteFX for XenDesktop can be found here. XenDesktop 5 SP1 and 5.5 Quick Deploy support the use of Dynamic Memory configuration and RemoteFX adapters in the master Windows 7 SP1 image. This enables the administrator to create specific feature enabled desktops instantly from a VM template master image using the Quick Deploy Wizard. These new VM guest features should be enabled via the SCVMM 20008R2 SP1 administrative console on the master image prior to using Quick Deploy. Virtual machines currently running as a guest operating system already have the R2 integration services enabled by default. These existing virtual machines will run normally with the host upgraded to SP1. The newer features such as Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX, do require the SP1 version of integrations services applied to those existing virtual machines to take advantage of newer updates and enhancements. For more information on this see http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/cc732470(WS.10).aspx

Read the entire whitepaper, you can find it under Sources in this article. Enjoy /Poppelgaard.

Sources

Download Whitepaper – XenDesktop 5.5 Hyper-V Proof of Concept Guide here