Update 5.09.2012

Statement from Citrix: XenServer 6.x isn’t supported with Citrix Branch Repeater 6.1 and it dosent work. 

Vmware vSphere 5.x is neither supported with Citrix Branch Repeater 6.x

Citrix have released a new version of Branch Repeater 6.1. This is a release many have been waiting for because all customers that are using a Microsoft Hyper-V environment havent been cable to use a VPX version of Branch Repeater for Hyper-V, i can with gladly inform you that now there is now available a Branch Repeater 6.1 VPX for Hyper-V Wuhuuu =o). Lets dig in whats new.

Overview

Release 6.1.0 is the software release for the Citrix Branch Repeater. This software release contains bug fixes and some enhancements. This software release is compatible with partner appliances running previous Branch Repeater releases 5.0 and later, and can be used in a mixed environment that includes units running these older releases.

Software Release Highlights in 6.1.0

In addition to the bug fixes, this software release includes the following enhancements:

• Signed SMB2 support with Kerberos (supports NTLMv2)
• Encrypted MAPI (with multi domain Support
• Support for WCCP L2 with NSLB on all platforms (SDX and general BR appliances)
• 6.1 Repeater Acceleration Plug-In
• WCCP Mask enhancements to support low end routers
• ShowTechSupport – Diagnostic Data Collections – Some UI enhancements
• Branch Repeater VPX on Hyper-V
• Customer Bug Fixes

Enhancements

• Repeater VPX is now supported on Microsoft’s Hyper-V hypervisor running under 64-bit Windows 2008 R2 SP1, in addition to XenServer and VMWare vSphere. The features and specifications of Repeater VPX under Hyper-V are the same as those under the other hypervisors.
• The Windows file system (CIFS) and Outlook/Exchange protocol (MAPI) are now supported with NTLM 2 and Kerberos encryption, allowing traffic on Windows domains running with the default security settings to be accelerated. Previously, only NTLM 1 encryption was supported, and NTLM 1 is not enabled by default in Windows domains. These features are available automatically whenever the appliances have joined a Windows domain and have designated a Kerberos delegate user.
• The Windows file system (CIFS) and Outlook/Exchange protocol (MAPI) now support encrypted traffic involving multiple domains, such as when the client is a member of example1.com and the server is a member of example2.com, provided that the appliance, the client, and the server are all members of domains that have established mutual trust. This feature is available automatically when the appliance has joined one of the mutually trusting domains.
• The Repeater Plug-in is now supported in release 6.1. Previously, it was supported only in release 5.x. New features include enhanced CIFS and MAPI support, matching those of the appliances, when appropriate security credentials are installed on the Plug-in.
• To reduce the resources used on routers supporting the appliance in WCCP mode, the WCCP “MASK” option now uses a single-bit mask. The previous multibit mask could reduce performance on routers and smart switches with limited resources. This behavior is automatic

Bug Fixes

The following issues have been fixed in this release.

• Issue ID 0174522: The WCCP protocol allows the use of a 1-to-7 bit mask to distribute the load across web caches, which provides a maximum of 128 maskelement values. The larger the number of values, the more TCAM resources the mask consumes on the router, so the mask should have only as many bits as necessary. In releases earlier than 6.1, Branch Repeater uses a hard-coded mask value of 0x1741, which translates to 64 mask element values.Branch Repeater now uses a 1-bit mask, which requires minimal TCAM resources on the router.
• Issue ID 0272712: Idle FTP and VoIP control connections no longer time out while data is being transmitted on the associated data connections.
• Issue ID 0303844: In some cases, when Cached Mode is disabled, users are unable to open or download file attachments. It displays an error message of file corruption.
• Issue ID 0313614: Extremely short packets with bad IP checksums sometimes causes the Repeater to restart.
• Issue ID 0318061: If the driver for the hardware watchdog in the Intel South Bridge chip set loads before the IPMI watchdog driver, the operating system reports a watchdog resource conflict that prevents the IPMI watchdog from loading.

Compatibility

The Repeater Plug-In is supported in release 6.1 but not in release 6.0. However, the release 5.5.x and 5.7.x versions of the Repeater Plug-in are compatible with release 6.0 Appliances, with one exception: Systems using XenApp 6.5 or XenDesktop 5.0 with Multiport/Multi-Stream ICA enabled require Release 5.7.2 of the Repeater Plug-in.

The Plug-in is supported by Citrix Receiver 1.2 and up, and can be distributed and managed by Citrix Receiver.

Branch Repeater with Windows Server is not included in release 6.1. However, appliances running release 6.1 interoperate with Branch Repeater with Windows Server appliances running earlier releases.

Supported Products

Supported Branch Repeater VPX Configurations

Release 6.1 is supported on Branch Repeater VPX running on both XenServer (5.5 and 5.6, but not 5.6 FP1) and VMware vSphere ESX/ESXi 4.1 hypervisors. ***

RAM and vCPU requirements have increased with this release. See the following tables.

* With 45mbps license

Table 1-3. Other configurations (not for production networks).

Licensing, Initial Installation, and Upgrading

Licensing

Release 6.1 supports both remote license servers and locally installed licenses. If you upgrade an existing system with a local license, it continues to work.

Upgrading Existing Installations

Note:  If you are using a standard evaluation license, you cannot upgrade to software versions that are newer than your license.

Branch Repeater VPX
Since the resource requirements have changed, it is best to install a new 6.1.0 virtual machine rather than updating an existing one. Acquire the virtual machine from MyCitrix and follow the instructions in the User’s Guide.

Repeater and Branch Repeater
Acquire the software from MyCitrix.
Installing the Update

Note:  If you are upgrading from a pre-5.0 release (such as release 4.3), you must update to release 5.x first, then release 6.x. Also, if you are upgrading from a pre-5.0 release, acceleration will not take place until you install the new license from Citrix.

From the browser based user interface (http://appliance_ip_address), go to the “System Tools: Update Software” link. In the “Upgrade System Software” table, use the Browse button to select the patch file (the file you downloaded with ftp), and then press the Upload Patch button.

Source

Download – Branch Repeater VPX for XenServer, VMware vSphere and Hyper-V Software Rel 6.1.0 here
Require MyCitrix Account

Download – Branch Repeater Appliance Software Release 6.1.0 here
Require MyCitrix Account

Download – Repeater Appliance Software Release 6.1.0 here
Require MyCitrix Account

Download – Repeater Plug-in 6.1.0 (Citrix Acceleration Plug-in) here
Require MyCitrix Account