Expert Reference Series of White Papers. XenApp 6: New Features and Benefits

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1 Expert Reference Series of White Papers XenApp 6: New Features and Benefits COURSES

2 XenApp 6: New Features and Benefits Paul Kushlan, CCEE and CCI, Citrix Certified Consultant and Trainer Introduction Citrix has been creating products that add features and functionality to Microsoft Windows Server since Windows NT 3.51, in The names have changed over the years: WinFrame, MetaFrame XP, Presentation Server 4.0 through 4.5, and now XenApp 6. Although the branding may have changed, the core components have remained the same. While Citrix has been adding features and functionality, Microsoft has continued to advance the Server Operating Systems along with the RDP Protocol. This has left some companies asking, Why should we upgrade to XenApp 6? Many administrators might think they can remain with their current version of Citrix Presentation Server or, perhaps, use Remote Desktop Server (formally Terminal Servers) alone without adding additional Citrix products. XenApp 6 brings a host of features and benefits that most companies will need as the technology continues to evolve, and user requirements continue to expand. These features and benefits include: 1. Simplified Installation 2. Single Management Console 3. Worker Groups 4. Policies and GPO Integration 5. Merchandizing Server and Dazzle 6. HDX 7. Provisioning Server Copyright 2011 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 2

3 1. Simplified Installation With introduction of XenApp 6, Citrix introduced a number of enhancements to the installation wizard. Borrowing from Microsoft s Manage your Server and roles concepts, Citrix adopted a similar process for installing XenApp. Before we discuss the roles wizard, let s look at a typical Citrix Farm Architecture. Figure 1: Small XenApp Farm A typical Citrix Farm contains the basic components shown in Figure 1. During the installation of XenApp, the administrator chooses which roles a particular server will take in the Citrix XenApp Farm. Small Citrix farms typically have the following roles. 1. Web Interface Server 2. License Server 3. XenApp Server Although the Farm Data Store is an essential part of the Farm, it is not technically a role. In fact, it is not a Citrix Server at all. It is a database server, typically SQL, that contains critical Farm Data. During the configuration wizard for XenApp, the administrator designates where the Data Store will be located. Larger Citrix XenApp Farms are much more complex than this diagram. They include components like Provisioning Services, EdgeSight monitoring, Dedicated Data Collectors, Remote Access Devices, and increased redundancy with all essential servers. For a look at the roles options available in XenApp 6, see Figure 2. Copyright 2011 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 3

4 Figure 2: XenApp Server Roles Another change to the install process is that there is no configuration required during installation. This makes the install of each of the roles very simple. Once the installation is completed, the administrator is prompted to configure each of the roles. Copyright 2011 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 4

5 2. Single Management Console Over the years, one challenge for Citrix administrators has been the need for different consoles for many of the Citrix management tasks. XenApp 6 has consolidated almost all administrative tasks in one console called the Delivery Services Console. Figure 3: Citrix Delivery Services Console With the Citrix Delivery Console, an administrator can use one console to perform things like Publishing Applications, Creating Policies, and Managing Worker Groups and Zones, along with many other tasks. With one console, you can now manage hundreds of servers and applications in a Citrix Server Farm. Copyright 2011 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 5

6 3. Worker Groups In a perfect world every XenApp Server in the Citrix Farm would look the same. It would have all of the same applications installed, and there would be no compatibility issues or DLL conflicts between applications. Unfortunately, we don t live in a perfect world. In this world, we have complicated environments that sometimes require that different applications be installed on different servers. We have world-wide offices with geographically dispersed data centers and file servers. There are Test Environments, Production Environments, Segregated Contractor DMZ Servers, and many other scenarios we refer to as Application Silos. App Silos are common in Citrix Farms, not because they are preferred but because they are required. Figure 4: Worker Groups In previous versions of Citrix, App Silos were managed in a very manual way by only installing and publishing certain applications to certain Citrix servers. With XenApp 6, Citrix has introduced Worker Groups. Worker Groups allow you to manage all servers within an App Silo as one object. This allows you to publish applications and set policies with a Worker Group rather than individual servers, making managing complex real-world Citrix environments much easier. Another benefit of Worker Groups is the ability to perform Load Balancing between geographical locations or direct users to the XenApp servers closest to their current location. Copyright 2011 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 6

7 4. Policies and GPO Integration I have told IT Directors for years that the art of technology administration is to find the balance between allowing users to do what they need to do without exposing them to unnecessary risk and downtime. These controls are executed via policy. Previous to XenApp 6, the Microsoft policies (GPOs) were controlled with one console, and the Citrix policies were managed with a separate console. Citrix Administrators can now use GPOs and Organizational Units (OUs) to manage their Citrix Policies just like they do their Microsoft Policies, giving Administrators one tool to manage user rights. Figure 5: Citrix Policies in the Group Policy Management Editor If you do not have rights at an Active Directory Level, Citrix does still allow for IMA-Based Polices, which are stored in the Citrix Data Store. These policies are created using the Delivery Services Console; however, they are superseded if GPO-Based Citrix Policies exist. Copyright 2011 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 7

8 5. Merchandizing Server and Windows Receiver Citrix has been marketing for years that Any Client can connect from almost anywhere and access business applications securely. In previous versions of XenApp, this promise of anywhere access has not been easy to maintain. Citrix Administrators have had the challenge of keeping all of those end-points up to date with the Citrix Client Software. Figure 6: Citrix Merchandising Server 6. HDX Many of you have probably heard of HDX, but what is it? Is it a protocol? Does it replace the TCP/IP or, perhaps, the ICA Protocol? No, actually, it is just a brand. It is short for High Definition Experience and represents a host of technologies (more than 60) according to Citrix. These technologies allow the user experience to be the best ever when connecting to a hosted desktop or application. Here is a short list of some of the HDX Technologies included in XenApp. (See 1. HDX MediaStream Seamless multimedia experience 2. HDX RealTime Voice and video for real-time collaboration 3. HDX Broadcast Optimized delivery over any network 4. HDX SmartAccess Simple, secure access to users anywhere 5. HDX Plug-n-Play Simple access to peripherals 6. HDX RichGraphics with RemoteFX High-performance graphics 7. HDX WAN Optimization Performance and bandwidth optimizations 8. HDX Adaptive Orchestration Maximize end point, network, and server resources Copyright 2011 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 8

9 7. Provisioning Server Provisioning Server technology allows Citrix administrators to create a single master virtual disk (vdisk) and then connect multiple desktops or servers to that vdisk and boot simultaneously. Figure 7: Citrix Provisioning Server With XenApp, we can leverage this technology to keep all of the Application Servers in a Citrix Farm consistent with the same applications, hotfixes, and patches. This ensures that users receive the same experience, regardless of which server they are load-balanced to. With this technology, administrators can now update many servers by updating a single vdisk, making administering large server farms much simpler. Summary As user requirements increase, the approach by which companies deliver applications and desktops needs to continue to improve. Citrix continues to raise the bar with features it includes in its products, and XenApp 6 is no exception. The features provide a compelling reason to upgrade if you already own Citrix Presentation Server, or to purchase XenApp if you don t. Learn More Learn more about how you can improve productivity, enhance efficiency, and sharpen your competitive edge through training. Basic Administration for Citrix XenApp 6 (CXA-204-2) Visit or call COURSES ( ) to speak with a Global Knowledge training advisor. Copyright 2011 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 9

10 About the Author Paul Kushlan has been a Citrix Certified Consultant since He has been a Citrix Certified Trainer since He currently owns and operates DynaQuest Technologies. DynaQuest is the largest consulting firm of its type in Utah and is a Citrix Gold Partner, Microsoft Gold Partner, and Dell Premier partner. Copyright 2011 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 10

CMB 207 1I Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop Fast Track

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