Citrix XenClient 2

Written by Thomas Poppelgaard. Posted in XenClient

Citrix have released final version of XenClient 2.

XenClient 2 extends the performance, flexibility and security of desktop virtualization to mobile users—and even lets them run multiple virtual desktops on a single laptop—while providing effective control for IT over data protection and desktop image management.

Let’s first start with the new capabilities at a high level for XenClient 2 and then below I’ll dig into the details on what’s new since v1:

  • EXPANDED HARDWARE COMPATABILITY, NOW RUNABLE ON 45 MILLION SYSTEMS.XenClient 2 will run on 3x as many systems as the first release by introducing support for Intel’s 2ndGeneration Core vPro platform, adding support for additional PC systems plus expanded coverage to workstation and non-vPro value enterprise class systems. The hardware compatibility delivered in the XenClient 2 expands on XenClient’s previous ability to run on 15 million systems
  • PRODUCTION SCALE SYNCHRONIZER that enables customers to deploy Synchronizer for XenClient for centralized deployment and management of XenClient in larger and more complex environments with enhanced levels of scalability, more detailed environment reporting, optimized transfers and backups along with support for complex active directory environments.
  • SIMPLIFIED USER EXPERIENCE that enables increased adoption of XenClient by non-technical users. A revamp of the Citrix Receiver for XenClient user interface has produced a simpler, more responsive, and more intuitive user interface. Additional XenClient platform capabilities now allow a more native user experience with a set of features that allow XenClient to stay hidden during normal use of Windows virtual machines.

Here are the new features and enhancements added since the Tech Preview release:

  • SEAMLESS APPLICATION SHARING allows the seamless display of applications running in one VM to be displayed into another. Thus allowing users to have a single display that combines applications from multiple VMs on the same system. And it does all this while keeping strict isolation of data between the virtual machines.
  • OVER-THE-AIR UPGRADES now enables simple and secure upgrades of the XenClient software from a Synchronizer or other web server. This will allow end users to upgrade XenClient without the need to burn or boot CDs and means that IT can easily deploy new versions and fixes into their environment.
  • 2ND FACTOR REGISTRATION PIN AUTHENTICATION provides an extra layer of security for customers deploying the Synchronizer with public facing internet access. When a XenClient system first connects to a Synchronizer for XenClient backend, it can require an optional 2nd factor of authentication, above and beyond a username and password combination to provide an extra layer of protection. Subsequent connections will use a unique digital certificate stored on the XenClient system.
  • HIDDEN WIRELESS AUTOCONNECT enables XenClient to automatically make connections to hidden wireless networks that some customers have deployed in their environment or that IT pros use at home.
  • ADDITIONAL POLICY CONTROLS allows the Synchronizer for XenClient to have even greater policy control over virtual machines on XenClient endpoints including policies for autobooting virtual desktops, 3D graphics, and seamless application sharing.
  • DISPLAYPORT AND DVI VIDEO SUPPORT for systems based on Intel’s 2nd Generation Core platforms allows the use of the latest all digital connections to monitors and projectors.
  • HIGH SPEED LINUX DRIVERS delivers near native performance for networking and storage when running Ubuntu 11 Linux as a virtual machine on XenClient.

And Citrix always like to give a glimpse of features in progress that Citrix wants your feedback on so they have some new experimental feature previews in as well:

  • SAFE GRAPHICS MODE enables the use of basic display capabilities on almost any graphics architecture including systems with nVidia graphics.
  • EXPERIMENTAL 3G MODEM support allows the XenClient platform to make connections using a much broader set of integrated and USB based 3G data modems.
  • EXPERIMENTAL TOUCHSCREEN gets us ready for increased use of touch enabled laptops and PC tablets. The XenClient UI was extensively rewritten to be touch enabled and a selection of USB and serial touchscreen systems will now work with XenClient out of the box.

And below are the new enhancements Citrix delivered in the tech preview release and in the final release announced today:

  • EXPANDED 3D GRAPHICS ARCHITECTURE now supports Intel HD 2000 and HD 3000 integrated graphics along with AMD FirePro and Radeon discrete graphics architectures. This not only expands hardware compatibility but together with Intel vPro directed I/O (Intel VT-d) technology delivers a native 3D graphics experience.
  • NON-VPRO SYSTEM SUPPORT now enables a larger set of customers to evaluate and use XenClient on value enterprise systems. Users can now have a great 2D graphics experience when running XenClient on systems with Intel integrated graphics.
  • LATEST OPERATING SYSTEMS with support for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 32-bit and 64-bit along with initial support for Ubuntu 11.04
  • IMPROVED AUDIO EXPERIENCE delivers integrated audio drivers for Windows 7 with improved fidelity and performance
  • LARGE VM MEMORY ALLOCATION support allows the use of up to 8GB of memory for local virtual desktops running on XenClient. This allows Windows 7 to run with more applications, handle more open files, and support memory intensive workloads with ease.
  • USER PROFILE VIRTUALIZATION allows the separation of the user personality from the rest of the system using layering. It allows the ability to selectively backup and recover the user profile independent of the rest of the system.
  • OPTIMIZED BACKUPS to reduce the storage required for offering backup and recovery of virtual desktops. This is done by using smart disk block filtering to automatically remove unused disk blocks, Windows pagefiles, and other unnecessary data reducing the amount sent to the Synchronizer during backup operations.
  • AUTOMATIC CONNECTION THROTTLING protects users, Synchronizers, and your network from heavy loads. The Synchronizer will automatically throttle and queue XenClient systems downloading images and sending backups when the systems or network is under heavy load.
  • OPERATIONAL ENHANCEMENTS allow administrators to more easily setup, configure, and maintain the Synchronizer for XenClient. Additionally a new device filtering capability allows for more targeted reporting on information about deployed XenClient systems.
  • SIMPLE OPERATIONS CONSOLE which allows admins to see at a glance the current configuration of their Synchronizer, along with simple configuration management from networking, to active directory connections, SSL certificates and more.
  • COMPLEX ACTIVE DIRECTORY environment support with the ability to run in environments with complex trust relationships between multiple-active directories. Login and target images and policies to users and groups across your whole organization.
  • PRECACHED VM DOWNLOADS to allow rapid deployment and recovery of virtual machine images from the Synchronizer even over slow network links. This is done by locally preloading the majority of the image from an optical disk or USB flash drive and only downloading the latest information over the wire from the Synchronizer.
  • AUTOMATED iSCSI DEPLOYMENT allows hands off deployment of XenClient to Lenovo desktop systems by hosting the XenClient installer system and automated answer files on a Lenovo Storage Array.
  • REVAMPED USER INTERFACE makes it even easier to create, maintain, and run local virtual desktops on XenClient. Includes a new simplified view with both basic and advanced features, the ability to swap virtual desktop hotkeys, and greatly improved system responsiveness.
  • AUTOBOOT, AUTOSLEEP, AUTOSHUTDOWN allows XenClient power operations to be linked to the power state of a Windows virtual machine. This allows hiding XenClient behind the scenes

As you can see XenClient 2 includes a massive set of new capabilities. If you are using XenClient 1 it’s time to upgrade. If you have not tried XenClient yet, there has never been a better time to dive in and experience the power, performance, security, and worry-free computing it delivers. And please keeping talking to us about your experiences with XenClient, we want to know what you are doing with the product, and what features you are still craving for in the next version.

So download it now: http://www.citrix.com/xenclient/tryit

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Citrix Receiver 3.0 for Windows Technical Preview

Written by Thomas Poppelgaard. Posted in HDX, Receiver, XenApp, XenClient, XenDesktop

Citrix is have released a technical preview of the next version of Citrix Reciever 3.0 for Windows.

Citrix Synergy is helding these days and on Wednesday all the great new technologies from Citrix will be announced.

Receiver 3.0 will dramatic improve the user experience, look out for features like Session Pre Launch, Multi-stream ICA, Multiple audio device redirection and New Single Sign-On Plug-in

What’s New

  • Citrix Receiver for Windows.The Citrix Receiver replaces the Citrix Online Plug-in for Windows. The Online Plug-in 13.0 is embedded in Receiver.
  • Unified user experience. Gives end users a common user interface whether using only Citrix Receiver or with any other Citrix Plug-ins.
  • Improved user experience. Improved application launching and reconnection.
  • Internet Explorer 9 support.
  • Simplified listing of devices in the Desktop Viewer. To simplify the display of USB devices, by default any that use the Generic USB virtual channel (for example, webcams and memory sticks) are not displayed on the Devices tab of the Desktop Viewer Preferences dialog box. Users can view the complete list of devices using a checkbox on the tab.
  • Enhanced Desktop Viewer user interface. The Preferences dialog box in the Desktop Viewer has been redesigned, and the USB button on the toolbar is now called Devices.
  • Windows 7 support. The Citrix Desktop Lock (formerly called the Desktop Appliance Lock) now supports Windows 7.
  • RemoteFX support. As an alternative to the Desktop Viewer UI, you can form connections to XenDesktop VDAs using Microsoft RemoteFX. For instructions on this, see CTX129509.
  • Session pre-launch. Reduced application launch time at high-traffic periods. Configure this feature on the server and client sides.
  • Multi-stream ICA. Improved QoS support by allowing Branch Repeater and third party routers to apply QoS policies across multiple ICA connections.
  • Multiple audio device redirection. Enables remoting of multiple audio devices present on the user device.
  • New Single Sign-On Plug-in. Simplified password management.
  • Aero support. Receiver now supports the display of Windows Aero theme on virtual desktops. A new .msi file is included that works with the Virtual Desktop Agent (part of XenDesktop) to provide the support.
  • User documentation. Topics that describe how users interact with their virtual desktops and control the Desktop Viewer have been moved from eDocs to the Receiver for Windows online help, which also includes the Connection Center help. This is available at http://support.citrix.com/help/receiver/en/receiverHelpWin.htm.
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Citrix XenClient Compatibility Guide

Written by Thomas Poppelgaard. Posted in XenClient

Citrix have posted an official Compatibility Guide for XenClient.

Introduction

With the release of XenClient 1.0 SP1, Citrix and their partners identified a few platform features that are not yet supported. Citrix will work with the partners to address those missing features in future releases. The intent of this compatibility guide document is to highlight those features.

Get an overview of following:

  1. Unsupported Features in XenClient 1.0 SP1,
  2. OEM Feature Compatibility

  • HP and Citrix XenClient
  • Supported HP value-add software
  • Unsupported HP value-add software
  • Dell and Citrix XenClient
  • Unsupported Dell features

Download Citrix XenClient Compatibilty Guide here

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Communication Ports Used by Citrix Technologies *updated

Written by Thomas Poppelgaard. Posted in Access Gateway, App Streaming, Branch Repeater, Citrix, Dazzle, Delivery Services, Edgesight, HDX, HDX 3D Pro, Merchandise, Netscaler, Provisioning, Receiver, Reciever, Synchronizer, Webinterface, Whitepapers, Workflow Studio, XenApp, XenClient, XenConvert, XenDesktop, XenServer, XenVault

Fred Donovan from Citrix have updated the whitepaper - Communication Ports Used by Citrix Technologies to version 1.5 (April 2011)

Overview

This document provides an overview of ports that are used by Citrix components and must be considered as part of Virtual Computing architecture, especially if communication traffic traverses network components such as firewalls or proxy servers, where ports must be opened to ensure communication flow.

References

The assignments are listed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), updated regularly, and revised when new information is available and new assignments are made. The specific location of the port numbers list is available at the following Web site: http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers.

Microsoft Article “Network Ports Used by Key Microsoft Server Products”.

Microsoft Article ID 832017 “Service overview and network port requirements for the Windows Server system”.

Download WhitePaper - Communication Ports Used by Citrix Technologies here

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XenClient Tips and Tricks

Written by Thomas Poppelgaard. Posted in XenClient

22 Tips and Tricks for XenClient. *updated 31-03-2011
/Enjoy

  1. ctrl+0, ctrl+1, ctrl+2, etc: switch to xenclient, vm1, vm2, etc…
  2. ctrl+shift+t: launches a terminal window – necessary for troubleshooting ip address and network
  3. alt-tab: rotate between xenclient and terminal windows
  4. status-tool: run this command from the terminal window to gather stats – including screenshots – stored in /storage/status-report
  5. ifconfig brbridged: run this command to show the ip address for dom0 – physical adapter
  6. ifconfig wlan0: run this command to show the ip address for dom0 – wireless adapter
  7. xentop: run this command from the terminal window to view performance data
  8. vhd-util: run this command from the terminal window to change/check vhd
  9. xec: run this command from the terminal window to control vm’s
  10. touch /config/ssh_enabled: run this command to enable SSH on the XC Management Console – if not already installed
  11. ctrl+q: refresh hypervisor
  12. dmesg: show debug messages
  13. disktovhd: use this on old pc to make a vhd of your pc or laptop. Create new VM, replace .vhd in /storage/disks. Install XenTools.
  14. copy .iso to /storage/iso: mount the .iso in the virtual drive that normally mounts XenTools. Or use Virtual Clone Drive
  15. Enable SSH on the Management Console:
    Open the terminal on the console, press: ctrl+shift+t
    In the terminal type: touch /config/ssh_enabled
    IMPORTANT: In the RC there is NO ROOT PASSWORD… Enabling this is on your own risk!!!
    Press ctrl+q to refresh hypervisor
    Find the SSH Interfaces IP Address:
    1) Open the console window once again
    2) type ‘ifconfig | less’
    3) brbridged is the console’s listening IP
  16. Find full or half duplex speed for network
    # dmesg | grep -i duplex
  17. See performance data
    # xentop
  18. Copy your existing laptop or pc to XenClient
    Use disktovhd to make a vhd image of your pc or laptop. Create new VM, replace .vhd in /storage/disks. After that you need to install XenTools and also the appropriate drivers.
  19. Mounting an ISO to VM
    Copy the iso using WINSCP to /storage/iso .Push ctrl + q to refresh XenClient. Mount the .iso in the virtual drive that normally mounts the XenTools
  20. Soundcard not recognized in VM
    Install Realtek 97 Audio Driver
    http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsCheck.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=23&PFid=23&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false
  21. Usb devices like fingerprint, bluetooth, webcam are not mapped in VM
    Go out in Dom0, edit the virtual machine. Under USB add the devices that you want to add to the VM.
  22. How to Install a Wifi Certificate in XenClient
    Use the following steps to complete the task:  Check CTX127333

    Copy the certificate using a program like WinSCP from Windows machine or SCP from Linux/Unix machine.

    Log on by pressing Ctrl+Shift+T within the XenClient Receiver and using the root password.

    Copy the certificate from dom0 to the service virtual machine by running the following command:
    scpv4v <certificate> 1.0.0.1:/root”
    (Make sure you cd to the directory where you copied the certificate in step1.)

    From the Network icon in the Receiver, the certificate should be available to make the connection.

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Recent Comments

Dan

|

Hi Thomas,
Some features in your screenshots (eg create appointments and contacts) seem to be missing from the iOS version of @WorkMail that got released in April, do you know if these features are still coming in a future release? The Android client is far more functional by comparison.
Regards
Dan

Christian Eilskov

|

You can see the DHCP options here:

http://www.wyse.com/kb and search for 21501

You can transfer a image using Wyse Device Manager(WDM), the same goes for smaller updates like new ICA client and so.

Thomas Poppelgaard

|

Thank you Barry =)
The deep compression codec for Citrix XenDesktop HDX 3D Pro will be intergrated for Citrix XenApp in Excalibur so there is a big difference with bandwidth consumption. This means that XenApp in Excalibur will be the best platform for user density and works great over WAN with high latency as HDX 3D Pro have been known to deliver for several years. Yes i know of cases with WAN optimization, I will gather these and share them.

Best regards
Thomas

Barry Schiffer

|

Hi Thomas,

Nice work! Awesome to see these results on XenApp! Is there any noticable difference between XA 6.5 and Excalibur that you are aware of? Do you have experience with WAN Optimization and how this helps to reduce bandwidth further?

Kind regards,

Barry

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