E2E Virtualization Conference

18th November 2011

What’s new
In
Citrix XenApp 6.5 ?
Highlights
Neil Spellings and Stephane Thirion
Neil Spellings
Independent contractor
Blog : http://neil.spellings.net
Email : neil@spellings.net
Twitter : @neilspellings
Stephane Thirion
CTO - IT Architect in Activlan base in France (Contractor / Consulting)
Blog : http://www.archy.net
Email : st@archy.net / sthirion@activlan.com
Twitter : @archynet
 Summary

Instant App Access

From Powerpoint to reality
App Streaming (6.5 – vhd) (overview)
HDX (overview)
Multi-Stream ICA
Service Provider Automation Pack &
Enhanced Desktop Experience
Additional features (overview)
Instant App Access
Session Pre-launch
Linger
Fast-re-connect
 Session Pre-Launch
•  Can provide “better than local” experience

•  Just-in-Time Pre-Launch

•  Scheduled Pre-Launch

•  Easily managed through policy settings

 Session Linger & Reconnect

• Dramatically reduces time to reconnect to a

session
• Simple policy settings
•  Linger disconnect timer
•  Linger terminate timer

• Fast reconnect
• No policy settings required
 From Powerpoint to reality

Configuration

•  Pre-Launch / Session lingering and fast reconnect settings are
managed with policies (XenApp and Microsoft)
Démo

 From Powerpoint to reality

Scheduled Pre-launch

Application name : Sophis (Realtime trading / contribution)

Before XenApp 6.5
With XenApp 6.5

•  600 sessions initiated between •  Schedule Pre-launch app
8h00am and 8h15am
configuration

•  Logon storm
•  Schedule between 05h30 and
•  Profile loading is very long
08h30

•  Filer (Profile store) is very busy

•  Oracle database is overload

•  15 to 20 minutes to be able to
work

•  Market is opening at 09h00

 From Powerpoint to reality

Scheduled Pre-launch

Application name : Sophis (Realtime trading and contribution)

+
-

•  Latest Receiver 3.0 and up
•  Latest Receiver 3.0 and up

•  The load is spread on 3h00 •  Receiver for Windows only
timeframe instead of 15 minutes
feature.

•  Easy to setup
•  Customizing the pre-launch
feature using the icaclient.adm file
is not supported.

•  Registry setting to set on the
client device

•  Session need to be open and lock

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\ICA Client\Prelaunch



http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/receiver-30-windows/ica-session-pre-launch.html

 From Powerpoint to reality

Considerations and take away

•  When a pre-launch session is created, it takes up a license
immediately
•  When enable for an app, the setting applies to all users and
servers configured for the application
App Streaming
What’s new with 6.5

Overview
 App Streaming 6.5
•  VHD Streaming
•  RadeFastLaunch
•  SHA2 signing (Still SHA1 for legacy Offline Plug-in support)

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX131338
 HDX
New version

Overview
 New HDX / Flash for WAN v2

•  Faster HDX performance over the WAN

•  Highly responsive up to 300ms network
latency
•  Compresses, caches and prioritizes traffic
•  Available on Receiver for Windows and
Linux (Fedora & Ubuntu)
•  Flash for WAN v2
•  Internet Explorer 9 support

http://citrix.g2planet.com/synergybarcelona2011/public_session_view.php?agenda_session_id=139&conference=synergy
http://blogs.citrix.com/2011/11/01/what-do-you-need-to-know-about-hdx-ready-system-on-a-chip-soc/
 Multi-Stream ICA

Granular Quality of Service for ICA

“Classic” ICA

Citrix Receiver
Router
XenApp 6.5

ICA  14  Virtual  Streams  

HTTP  
Multi-Stream ICA

Citrix Receiver
Router
XenApp 6.5

ICA  Real6me   ICA  Real6me  

ICA  Interac6ve   ICA  Interac6ve  
ICA  Bulk   ICA  Bulk  
ICA  Background   ICA  Background  

HTTP  
Démo

Enhanced Desktop Experience
Win-7 look and feel for hosted shared
desktops
Service Provider Automation Pack
 Before Applying Windows 7 Desktop Experience

•  Familiar to IT admins –
not users

•  Unfamiliar server tools

•  Missing Media Player,
Snipping tool, etc.

•  Plain Start menu

•  Plain Task Bar

 After Applying Windows 7 Desktop Experience

•  More familiar for users

•  Support for themes

•  Accessory apps
(Windows Media Player,
Snipping Tool, etc.)

•  High-res, vibrant
wallpaper

•  Win7 Start Menu and
Taskbar

 Service Provider Automation Pack

•  Windows 7 experience enabler

•  GPO to lockdown the desktop
•  Full XenApp farm automatic deployment
•  Use a multi tenant farm with a broker
lockdown script

•  This is not only for Cloud Providers (CSP)

•  If you want to work on XenApp farm
automatic deployment (POC etc..)

This is an executable file to download, install it and you’ll find all the scripts in c:\Program Files\...
http://citrix.com/English/ss/downloads/details.asp?downloadId=2311403&productId=186
 Service Provider Automation Pack

XenApp DVD
•  Data Collector
•  Backup DC
•  Licensing Server
•  WebInterface server (Configured to use an
Access Gateway)
•  XenApp worker server

A lot more soon on http://www.archy.net stay tune !

 Additional Features & Enhancements

•  Power Capacity Management:
•  Hyper-V and ESX support
•  PCM Agent configuration via AD policy

•  HDX Policy Templates

•  EdgeSight 5.4
•  Migration Center (Next Session with Daniel Wedel)
•  XenApp 6.5 Mobility Pack (ref Simon Frost session)
Thanks !
Questions ?

it…  
 @archynet

Stéphane Thirion

http://www.archy.net

st@archy.net