Expert Reference Series of White Papers. XenApp 6.5: New Features and Benefits

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1 Expert Reference Series of White Papers XenApp 6.5: New Features and Benefits COURSES

2 XenApp 6.5: New Features and Benefits Paul Kushlan, CCEE and CCI; President of DynaQuest Technologies, and Global Knowledge Instructor 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 thru 4.5, XenApp 6.0, and now finally XenApp 6.5. And, 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 6.5? 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 6.5 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 8. MultiStream ICA 9. Integration with Desktop Director 10. Pre-launch, Session Linger, and Fast Reconnect 1. Simplified Installation Beginning with XenApp 6 and continuing with XenApp 6.5, Citrix introduced a number of enhancements to the installation wizard. Borrowing from Microsoft s Manage your Server and roles concept, Citrix has adopted a similar process for installing XenApp. Before we discuss the roles wizard, let s look at a typical Citrix Farm Architecture. Copyright 2012 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 2

3 Figure 1: Small XenApp Farm A typical Citrix Farm contains the basic components is 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. A new feature in XenApp 6.5 is the introduction of the controller or worker designation. If a server is designated as a controller during installation, then it can become a Zone Data Collector (ZDC). If it is designated as a worker, then it will never attempt to become a ZDC and is, therefore, a member server. 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 6.5, see Figure 2. Copyright 2012 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. 2. Single Management Console One challenge for Citrix administrators over the years has been the need for different consoles for many of the Citrix management tasks. In XenApp 6.0, Citrix has consolidated almost all administrative tasks in one console called the Delivery Services Console. In XenApp 6.5, Citrix has enhanced this console and changed the name to AppCenter. Copyright 2012 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 4

5 Figure 3: Citrix Delivery Services Console With the AppCenter Console, an administrator can use one console to perform things like Publishing Applications, Creating Policies, 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. 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 require different applications sometimes be installed on different servers. We have world-wide offices with geographically disperse data centers and file servers. 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. Copyright 2012 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 5

6 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. 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 to manage their Citrix Policies just like they do their Microsoft Policies giving Administrators one tool to manage user rights. Copyright 2012 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 6

7 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 that 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. New in XenApp 6.5 is the ability to filter policies in the XenApp Policy Editor. For example, you can look at XenApp 6.0 polices only, or vice versa, only look at what is new in XenApp 6.5. See Figure 6 below. Copyright 2012 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 7

8 Figure 6: XenApp 6.0 and 6.5 in Citrix Policy Editor 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. Merchandising Server allows administrators to centrally deploy and update Citrix clients. Merchandising Server is a virtual appliance that is free to download and import within XenServer. (See Figure 6.) Copyright 2012 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 8

9 Figure 7: Citrix Merchandising Server 6. HDX Many of you have probably heard of HDX. Sounds good, doesn t it. It starts with HD, and that is usually good. It has an X in it, which is a Marketing Team s dream. 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) that allow the user experience to be the best ever when connecting to hosted desktops or applications. Here is a short list of some of the HDX Technologies included in XenApp. (See also 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 the use of your end point, network and server resources. 7. Provisioning Server Provisioning Server is a technology that allows Citrix administrators to create a single master virtual disk (vdisk) and then connect multiple desktops or servers to that vdisk, all of which boot simultaneously. Copyright 2012 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 9

10 Figure 8: 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. 8. MultiStream ICA MultiStream ICA is a new feature introduced with XenApp 6.5. In previous versions of Citrix, QoS (Quality of Service) was difficult with the ICA protocol because the various channels were all flowing within the port 1494 or 2598 when using session reliability. If QoS were enabled, it would prioritize all types of ICA traffic (graphics, keyboard, mouse, audio, printing, clipboard, drive mapping, etc.). MultiStream ICA Protocol splits virtual desktop traffic into 5 streams real time, interactive, background, bulk, and RTP Voice to enable network administrators to prioritize traffic by type and maintain QoS with existing network tools. (See Figure 9) Copyright 2012 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 10

11 Figure 9: MultiStream ICA Policy Settings 9. Integration with Desktop Director In previous versions of XenApp, if you wanted to give the Help Desk and other associates within your company administrative access to Citrix, you only had the option of giving them access to the same consoles you, as an Administrator, use. These consoles were notorious for being somewhat complex, and they required some training for new associates. With the introduction of XenApp 6.5, Citrix has given Desktop Director the ability to connect to XenApp. Desktop Director is a web-based dashboard and console that allows Help Desk and other support staff to manage and monitor XenApp sessions. 10. Pre-launch, Session Linger, and Fast Reconnect Citrix has heard the complaints of countless end-users who have said, I love getting access to my applications from anywhere, but I don t like to wait for them to launch. In addition, Citrix made the mistake of putting their Citrix Logo front and center during this session start process, leading users everywhere to say Citrix is slow and Citrix isn t working when many times a database, server, or some other network resource was down but their logo wasn t in front of the user. With XenApp 6.5, Citrix has addressed these concerns in a big way by introducing three new features that greatly enhance the user s experience. Copyright 2012 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 11

12 This collection of features improves the user experience by eliminating delays when launching and maintaining sessions. First, with the use of Session Pre-launch policy settings, a session can be started automatically when a user logs on to the farm. By implementing Session Linger policy settings, sessions remain alive for a configurable period before termination, rather than terminating when users close applications. Finally, Fast Reconnect, built into XenApp and requiring no configuration, helps minimize delays when users reconnect to existing sessions. Summary As user requirements continue to be more demanding, the approach in which companies deliver applications and desktops needs to continue to improve also. Citrix continues to raise the bar with new features in its products, and XenApp 6.5 is no exception. These new features provide a compelling reason to upgrade if you already own Citrix Presentation Server, or to purchase XenApp, if you don t. 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 Certified Partner and Dell Premier partner. Learn More Learn more about how you can improve productivity, enhance efficiency, and sharpen your competitive edge through training. Citrix XenApp 6.5 Administration Citrix XenApp 6.5 Advanced Administration Visit or call COURSES ( ) to speak with a Global Knowledge training advisor. Copyright 2012 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 12