Next month, the Xen.org open source community is hosting our latest Xen Summit at Oracle's HQ in Redwood City, CA. This event brings together the leading developers of the Xen hypervisor as well as researchers and users who leverage the Xen hypervisor. For two days, you will have the opportunity to listen to and interact with a global group of industry leaders in hypervisor virtualization.

The event is planned for February 24 and 25th and includes 2 days of highly interactive discussion, an evening out at the Computer History Museuem, and other Xen Summit firsts. Registration is only $215 and is now open at https://www.regonline.com/xs_oracle.

More information on this event is available at http://www.xen.org/community/xensummit.html with local hotel information and the event agenda soon to be published. If you have any questions about this event, please contact Stephen Spector at stephen.spector@xen.org.

Welcome to the new year and my first blog of 2009.  Let's kick off '09 with a focus on simplification.

Let's focus on a topic that often brings chills to a XenApp administrators spine... upgrades.  Back in the day when I was a MetaFrame administrator, I remember the time, patience, and sometimes stress involved with trying to upgrade 100 servers to the latest version of MetaFrame.  Well, a lot has changed in the world of application delivery. MetaFrame went through numerous identity changes to become XenApp. With those new identities we have witnessed a maturing of the product to include more functions, features and abilities to deliver troublesome applications.  But one thing has remained fairly constant, XenApp upgrades are not as easy as flipping a switch. 

Take, for example, the following knowledge base article from one of my coworkers, Jo Harder.  Jo created a great article explaining the technical concepts for upgrading and migrating XenApp 4.5 to XenApp 5. It covers the process, what to do and which approach to take.  This document has only been out for 4 months and has been the most read article for each of the past 4 months.  By my estimation, the topic of XenApp migrations is very important to people. 

Back in September 2008 I blogged about a potential way to simplify the migration process by integrating XenServer with XenApp.  In this blog I identified 5 areas where I thought this tight integration could show benefit and I called this the HOMER Criteria.  Well, after more investigation, analysis, testing and validation, I'm here to let you know that we can indeed simplify XenApp migrations if we integrate XenServer and Provisioning Server into our architecture. 

How is that possible?  Most people have a standard practice for incorporating new XenApp versions into their environment. This process typically takes on the following sections:# Server validation: We have to make sure that our applications work with the new version

1. Server builds: We have to spend time updating all of our server build images/scripts
2. Implementation: Need to update all servers while not impacting the user environment and not incurring huge hardware expenses
3. Maintenance: Need to keep our new servers consistent and updated with the latest hot fixes and service packs and updates
4. Rollback: In the potential event that the upgrade causes major issues, we need to make sure we have a fast way of recovering our old environment.
   

These are each critical to a successful migration to the latest version of XenApp.  Each one of these areas can be improved through virtualization and workload provisioning and you can expect the following benefits: # Time Savings: The time spent building servers is removed due to Provisioning Server's integration with XenApp. Brand new servers can be brought online in less than 30 seconds.

1. Repeatability: The integrated process used to upgrade to XenApp 5 can also be used for future versions of XenApp, except that future upgrades will be faster as the infrastructure is already virtualized and the process is familiar.
2. Simplification: The process is able to ignore the complexity of different configurations and drivers, helping to reduce the time spent developing server builds and installation configurations.
3. Maintainability: The solution guarantees consistency within the XenApp farm. When an application update or an operating system patch is validated, the entire XenApp farm will utilize the new configuration.
   

Some of you might be intrigued and want to know how to do it.  Learn how by reading the following materials:

• Reference Architecture*:* Understand the architecture, the areas of concern and the potential benefits
• Getting Started Guide*:* Get a high-level overview of the integration process.  This guide gives an overview of each phase, whereas more detailed steps can be found in the implementation guide.
• Implementation Guide*:* This guide takes you through, step-by-step, on how to upgrade your XenApp environments to XenApp 5 on Windows 2008 through the use of XenServer and Provisioning Server.  As you follow these steps you will see how the three products integrated into a solid solution for application delivery.
• Design Considerations*:* Follow these considerations to make your virtual XenApp environment easier to setup, maintain and manage.

So remember, if you are not thrilled about doing a XenApp migration, then try a new approach... Virtual and Provision. 

Daniel

Daniel Feller just pointed me out to these new Consulting Whitepapers for XenApp 5.0 for Windows Server 2008. If you are working on XenApp 5.0 for Windows 2008 these are great bookmark links. They are all available for download via Citrix Support site.

Simplifying the Migration to XenApp 5 with XenServer - Getting Started Guide

Simplifying the Migration to XenApp 5 with XenServer - Reference Architecture

Simplifying the Migration to XenApp 5 with XenServer - Implementation Guide

You can get a list of all XenApp 5.0 whitepapers here

Consulting Whitepapers for XenApp 5.0 for Windows Server2003

Consulting Whitepapers for XenApp 5.0 for Windows Server 2008

If you're addicted to virtualization.info like me you'll have seen the announcement by Alessandro Perilli that the industry's first vendor neutral virtualization conference, Virtualization Congress 2009, will be hosted virtualization.info in Las Vegas at the same time as Citrix Synergy 2009 - May 4-8 2009.

Alessandro's goals for the Virtualization Congress are to make it the industry's premier showcase for virtualization technology, products and business strategy.   If you're under the illusion that VMware's VMworld serves that purpose today, you probably also failed to notice that at VMworld even gold sponsors (like Citrix and Microsoft) are only offered one opportunity to present at the conference, and that 99% of the sessions are dedicated to VMware's technology and products.  Indeed at VMworld in Las Vegas in 2008 I found that my session was somehow miraculously scheduled to occur in the last hour of the last day in the meeting room furthest from the elevators and escalators, and with barely enough seating.  The Microsoft folks complained of similar treatment.  (The highlight of the show for me was the huge showing of the press, who afforded Citrix generous coverage for the launch of Citrix XenServer 5).

So, will Virtualization Congress 2009 be a Citrix copy of VMworld?   Absolutely not.  Indeed Citrix has no influence or control over  the Virtualization Congress program whatsoever.   Alessandro and his independent program committee (which does not have any representation from Citrix), together with the readers of virtualization.info, will independently develop their agenda, select speakers and run the event.  Like other vendors, Citrix has submitted session proposals, but I have no idea whether or not they will be accepted. 

Why host Virtualization Congress with Citrix Synergy then?  Well, for three reasons. 

• First, tight budgets and the tough economic situation means that  travel budgets will be cut for everyone next year.  Citrix has reserved all of the facilities at Summit that will be needed to host our partners, customers and ecosystem partners  and we can leverage our purchasing clout to secure a good deal for the facilities that Virtualization Congress needs.
• Second, a large customer base (for all virtualization vendors) will be in Vegas for Citrix iForum - our customer conference, and a large subset of the virtualization channel partners  will be present for Citrix Summit - our channel conference.  
• Third, the ISV and IHV ecosystem that has developed around Citrix Delivery Center, Xen, XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware will be at Citrix Expo to showcase their wares to our channel partners.  By broadening their exposure to a larger audience in a vendor neutral context we can maximize their opportunity to secure business with both customers and resellers. 

So, by co-locating Virtualization Congress with Synergy 2009, Citrix gets all it could want: A vendor neutral, independent virtualization conference in which the content is determined by the leading independent industry analysts and strategists; and an opportunity to give our customers attending iForum, and our channel partners attending Summit an opportunity to see the other 90% of the virtualization industry in a completely neutral showcase that allows them to learn, question and demand an open agenda free of a single vendor's bias.   And save on time out of the office and travel costs while they are at it.

Indeed the value proposition is so clear that it deserves a call to action:  All major virtualization vendors should step up to co-sponsor the event to reduce the cost for the attendees and demonstrate their commitment to an open, technology and solutions focussed debate. 

Though I will probably still go to VMworld to do my pitch in the furthest room on the last hour of the last day, 2009 and the first Virtualization Congress will usher in a welcome change toward an open, virtualization vendor neutral and customer and solutions focussed debate.  As you plan your travel for 2009, I strongly recommend that you plan to be in Vegas May 4-9 for Synergy (including Summit, iForum, Expo, Geek Speak Live and more), Virtualization Congress and Network World Live - everything you'll need to know about application delivery, application networking, data center automation and management will be on show.

Best wishes for 2009

We have a lot of exciting plans for Geek Speak Live! in the coming year which I wanted to give you all a heads up on. For those of you who haven't heard of Geek Speak, it's a program of informal and unfiltered discussions on technical topics, usually led by a CTP or other industry thought leader. We kicked off at Synergy in Houston, followed up at Summit in Orlando, then held a virtual version in early December as part of the Turbocharge your Datacenter virtual event. As well, a local version of Geek Speak was held in Des Moines by Michael Keen.

Encouraged by the enthusiasm and support we've received since launching Geek Speak, we are amping up the program in 2009, with larger and more frequent Geek Speaks. The main event will still be at Synergy 09, but we will be also running many more local and virtual Geek Speaks both before and after Synergy. Over the next few weeks I'll be publishing a schedule of events.

One of the objectives of Geek Speak is to have the audience determine what topics should be covered in the Geek Speak sessions. As such, we will be looking to you to propose and vote on what topics should be covered in upcoming Geek Speaks. You can also propose yourself as a speaker if you feel confident enough to lead the discussion (and take the heat from the audience ). Those topics with the most votes will be included in the agenda.

To get the discussion going on topics for Geek Speak Live! in 09, I have started a thread in our forums. If you have no idea of what a Geek Speak sessions looks like, check out some recordings from earlier events here and here.

The Ideal XenApp User Experience - A few years back our usability and design teams started a comprehensive research project aimed at crafting the ideal user experience for XenApp. The results were not at all encouraging for Program Neighborhood. It turns out that the best thing we could do is to become invisible. Users want to get to their Apps so they can get work done. Our mission became to focus on a completely transparent user experience. Launching a XenApp delivered application should be like, or better then, launching a locally installed application. The new XenApp Plugin coupled with the Citrix Receiver and some core changes to XenApp around the way we launch applications are all under active development and are instrumental to helping us achieve this vision. Unfortunately there is no room, or need, for Program Neighborhood is this new model.

Program Neighborhood is the first user interface from the early WinFrame days. It's basically a launch pad for XenApp delivered Apps. Users are always aware that they are launching a different type of application, one that is somehow different and delivered in a different way. The user experience term for this is "cognitive dissonance" or more commonly known as "Just plain confusing". The PN interface has years of switches,options and settings that, while important at the time they were added, no longer have any real value and only provide a source of complexity and confusion for the user.

The XenApp Plugin - is designed to seamlessly integrate XenApp into the users environment. It does this by placing XenApp delivered shortcuts directly into the users StartMenu. These shortcuts are standard windows shortcuts and can be manipulated by the users in the same way. They can be copied on to the users desktop, or into their quicklaunch bar, etc ... (See my video demo of this) The important point is that there is no special training involved, no additional program to launch and, in fact, no need for the user to know that the App is any different than other apps they use. 
Some advanced answers to anticipated questions.

1: Are there additional requirements for the XA Plugin above and beyond what I need for Program Neighborhood?
    * Yes. The XA Plugin requires the XenApp Web Interface Service to provide the web services that drive the user experience. If you already have Web Interface in your XenApp farm it's simply a matter of creating an additional XenApp Services site on your WI Server.

2: When is this happening?
    * Program Neighborhood will not be one of the Plugins offered in the componentized client that we are planning to release in late 2009.

3: I use Program Neighborhood as a diagnostic tool to connect directly to a Server. Will I still have this ability in the new Plugin?
    * Probably. We are looking at options to provide similar functionality in the new client model. It may be a separate Plugin, a feature of the XenApp Plugin or something else.

Since it's inception in 1996 with the first release of WinFrame the "ICA Client" has been on a continuous improvement cycle. As WinFrame grew and evolved into XenApp the client grew and evolved right along with it. As you can imagine the client portion of XenApp that runs on every users device has been a fertile ground for integration and feature enhancement. Over the past 13 years we have added support for all sorts of client facilities like the clipboard, local drives, serial and parallel ports, printers, multiple monitors, etc ... And we have rarely and reluctantly ever dropped or "deprecated" any features or support. E.g. We have only recently dropped support for "Windows NT 4.0 Workstation" years after Microsoft had ended their support. For the most part this strategy has been pivotal to the success of XenApp. Many of our customers have used XenApp to maximize their investment in desktop hardware by delaying the endless death march of the continuous and costly desktop refresh cycle. However, it's time for change. The latest release of the client has swelled to over 3 million lines of code (which is a lot, trust me) and the test matrix has grown to the point where we spend a great deal of effort every release just on maintenance and testing alone. This, of course, makes it very difficult to be as responsive as we would like to the needs of our customers and our business.

So what are we are doing about it?

1: We are introducing a new client strategy that revolves around what we are calling the "Citrix Receiver". The Receiver is all about simplifying and enhancing the user experience. The Receiver achieves this in many ways but most germane to this discussion is it's ability to hide complexity from the users and make the Administrators job of managing and updating the client easier.

2: We are modularizing the client. Breaking the client into smaller more manageable pieces allows us the ability to be more granular with our changes and enhancements and more flexible in our release schedules.

For example the "XenApp Plugin for Hosted Apps" will break down into three smaller Plugins:

• The Hosting Engine - Responsible for all of the heavy lifting associated with the delivery of Hosted Apps and Desktops.
• SingleSignOn - Responsible for passthrough authentication from a domain joined client.
• XenApp User Experience - Responsible for managing the integration of XenApp into the users environment.

* These Plugins will be on independent release schedules and are delivered by the Citrix Receiver as necessary.

What's the upside?

•  The Receiver is the last Citrix client you will ever need to install - The Receiver has a premise based Server component that will act as staging area and control facility for propagating Plugin updates out to the end users. The receiver will periodically check the Server for updates and, provided you allow it, will update with the newer Plugins as they become available.

•    More frequent release of enhancements - Plugins will be released independently and on their own schedules meaning we'll be able to bring enhancements to market when they are ready without having to wait for a periodic client release.

•    More granular control over what gets installed on the clients - Administrators will be able to control which users get which Plugins and when.

* Note: A standalone Plugins Pack will be made available for those who would like to continue to manage their client updates with existing methods.

What's the downside?

In order to make room for these changes we need to remove\deprecate some of our legacy features:

1: Thinwire 1 - Thinwire 1 is a low-level graphics virtual channel that was replaced by Thinwire 2 back in MetaFrame 1.8 FR1 (August 2000). Removing TW1 from the Windows client means that you won't be able to connect to a MetaFrame 1.8 Server with the newer client. See, I told you we were reluctant to remove anything.

2: Program Neighborhood --Program Neighborhood has been around since the early days of WinFrame. PN is a launch pad for XenApp Applications. When launched it connects with the XenApp Server and lists the Apps that are available for the user. PN was effectively replaced by PNAgent (Now the XenApp User Experience Plugin), which provides the same functionality with a far superior interface by integrating the XenApp delivered Apps transparently into the users Desktop. We removed PN from an active enhancement path several generations ago but we've been keeping it alive in maintenance mode to give our customers time to move on to the newer and better XenApp Plugin. There is more to the story but I think I'll post that as a separate Blog entry.

Some advanced answers to anticipated questions.

1: When is this all happening?
    * Citrix receiver will first become available in late Q109 with the componentization of the client available late in the year, probably somewhere in the middle of the second half.

2: Will there be separate Receivers for XenApp and XenDesktop?
    * No. There will be one "Citrix Receiver" that will deliver Apps and\or Desktops depending on which Plugins are installed and active.

3: Will I be able to control, which Plugins are installed?
    * Yes. The Citrix Receiver will provide Administrator control over which Plugins are installed on which machines.

4: How many Plugin Packs will there be?
    * Two. We are trying to keep this simple. There will be one pack with all of the Plugins and another one designed to be more lightweight for more streamlined deployments.

5: What if I want more granular control over the Plugins?
    * We strongly encourage customers requiring granular control to use the Receiver but the Packs will allow for context switches that will toggle the install of specific Plugins. I.e. "CitrixReceiverPluginPack.exe /No USB"

watch this 5 min video here.

Learn more about rPath and Citrix here

*Citrix and rPath

Prediction #1: The iPhone goes Enterprise

- The iPhone will gain rapid adoption in the Enterprise driven by user demands including executives, road warriors, and knowledge workers asking for access to the apps they need ( including windows apps ) from anywhere. IT will increasingly support the effort based on new improved security capabilities and productivity gains ( including for themselves ).

..	Choose
I am in IT and we will support the iPhone in 2009 ! ( I need the Citrix Receiver now... )
Blackberry reigns in the Enterprise, no change for '09 ...

Prediction #2: Corporate issued laptop model will be challenged
- Companies looking to provide access to day extenders without the full expense and maintenance of a company laptop will increasingly adopt application delivery infrastructure like XenApp that can provide safe IT hosted application access from un-trusted personal PC's. In addition, companies will begin to pilot the BYOC ( Bring Your Own Computer ) model for knowledge workers seeking personal choice while reducing IT expense and support costs.

..	Choose
We already are saving significant $$ by enabling safe access from home PC's
We are planning to allow controlled access ( via Citrix ) from home PC's in 2009
Status quo, corporate laptop access or none at all.

Prediction #3: Virtual Desktops grow beyond a niche

- Improvements in user experience capabilities of VDI solutions combined with the reduced support cost model will drive increased adoption of VDI beyond the initial niche deployments.

..	Choose
We are moving from VDI pilots and special use cases to broader deployment
VDI is not ready for the masses, we will wait and see

Prediction #4: IaaS Cloud Providers are no longer just for web startups

- The recent Windows offering by Amazon will validate the IaaS ( Infrastructure as a Service ) model as a viable platform for companies small and large looking to add test and targeted production capacity without capital and facility costs.

..	Choose
We have started to use Cloud VM's or Storage for test and plan broader use in '09
What is IaaS ? No way are we putting anything in the cloud...
Not sure, need to try it first

Prediction #5: Netbooks drive Servers, Clouds and Linux clients

- The rapid adoption of Netbooks based on low cost and light weight convenience will increase the desire to run server hosted apps ( Web and Windows ). A significant number of the new mini laptops will be used for occasional use vs a primary PC which makes maintaining local apps and synchronizing data problematic. This in turn will help break the traditional model of running Windows apps installed on PCs and laptops.

..	Choose
We are getting more and more requests for access from Netbooks, all they need is Citrix and a browser.
Netbooks are just toys for kids ...  ( small & big )

Agree / disagree ? what are your predictions ? 

Also seen at Sys-Con Cloud Computing Computing Journal

 I interviewed Kurt Roemer for this topic.  Kurt is Chief Security Strategist for Citrix Systems and a member of the CTO Office. He's a seasoned information security veteran with more than 20 years experience in networking, applications, and the evolving Web services infrastructure markets. He has designed, implemented, and assessed solutions and policies for Fortune 1000, mid-size, and government organizations worldwide.  Roemer is a CISSP and has spoken at a wide variety of leading industry shows and conferences across the globe including BITS, CSI, RSA, Networld+Interop, Japan's inaugural Web Application Security Forum, Society for Information Management, ITEC, SecureAsia and numerous regional ISSA and InfraGard conferences.  He has also appeared as a security expert on CNN, Fox Business News, and the Fox News Channel and is well known for his popular "Web Hacking Live" sessions. Prior to joining Citrix, Kurt held roles as CTO/CSO at NetContinuum and headed up information technology practices at Micron Electronics, NetFRAME and Hewitt.

Q: Kurt, isn't Cloud Computing competitive with Citrix?
A:  In some ways, yes, but in many ways interest in Cloud Computing actually creates opportunities for Citrix.  Our NetScaler and XenServer products are good examples of this.  Both   NetScaler and XenServer are powering major cloud providers today.  We also have partners, such as 3Tera, who are hosting applications, using XenApp and XenDesktop, on the Cloud.

Q: It seems to me that Cloud Computing requires that you really trust the provider - after all you are turning over your valuable data to them - is this a consideration?
A: Yes.  The old security mantra was that physical security trumps all. With the Cloud you lose control over physical security.  The actual servers could be anywhere the provider decides to put them, factoring in availability and least cost.  This is significantly different than a SaaS model, especially as you factor in access to data, backups, encryption keys and other security concerns.
When you sign an agreement with a provider you agree to pay for a certain amount of storage and resources like applications and are committed service levels.  You lose control over the assets in some respects and therefore the security model must be refactored.

Q: The security concerns with this must make security professionals uncomfortable.  Tell me more about what Citrix has to offer to improve this situation.
A: The fundamentals are encryption of data and access control to data.  Citrix has recently introduced the Citrix Cloud Center, which is composed of several Citrix offerings.  Access Gateway and NetScaler address encryption, and Access Gateway provides authentication services.  In addition to the security features, the Citrix Cloud Center provides geo-location with NetScaler (where the user can be connected to different hardware in different regions in the world, but yet have all the same applications and capabilities), local data caching with WANScaler and orchestration with Workflow Studio.  Citrix is also working with key ecosystem partners to enable end-to-end security in the cloud model.

Q: What is the future of security in Cloud Computing?
A:  The ultimate solution is data level security.  After all, sensitive data is the domain of the enterprise, not the Cloud Computing provider.   Security will need to move to the data level so that enterprises can be sure their data is protected, wherever it goes.  For example, with data level security, the enterprise can specify that this data is not allowed to go outside of the US.  It can also force encryption of certain types of data, and permit only specified users to access the data.  It can provide compliance with PCI.  We are working with several partners in the data security area.

     

As the New Year quickly approaches, we're all thinking of our New Year's resolutions, and I'm sure that on the top of each of your lists is "Improve the Capabilities of my Corporate Citrix Farm".

OK, maybe it's not at the TOP of your list...

But improving the reliability, scalability, and ease of use of your Citrix installations is an issue that most administrators face constantly. And, as the New Year is upon us, it might be a good time to reflect on that "one thing" that you can do to make your farm more productive, more secure, more reliable, and more manageable.

Along those same lines, I think it's a good time for Citrix to ask... What new products or enhancements would you like to see from us? What can WE do to make your job easier? What can we do to make your farm more secure? What can we do to provide you with the tools you need to make your Citrix installation perform in ways you have not been able to achieve?

Feel free to reply with your #1 ITEM (just one, make it your biggest) that you would like Citrix to focus on in the upcoming year. If it's a direction that we're already working towards, and you'd like us to continue, let us know! If there's an area that you think we should look at, we'd like to know that as well! Although I can't personally promise that your suggestion will work it's way to the top of our list, I think that your feedback, as always, is an integral part of our corporate direction, and helps us to plan for the future as well.

So, let the 2009 wishes begin!...

You Can Still Creating a Secure Portal to Your Applications Using Citrix Secure Gateway!

In a perfect world, all the applications published on a XenApp farm would only need to be accessed internally, behind the firewall, using company equipment. But, unfortunately in today's world, that perfect environment rarely exists. In most instances, applications on the internal network need to be accessed by users outside the firewall. And, these users can range from trusted resources such as remote employees, to non-employee resources such as third-party vendors and outside contractors.

For many, the solution to this problem has been to allow secure access to the internal network via dedicated B-to-B lines or software VPN connections. Although these are solid solutions for allowing internal access, these are also drawbacks. Dedicated B-to-B VPN lines can be expensive, and unless the number of remote users is substantial, in many cases the costs are hard to justify. And for those have had to use software VPN clients, we all know that they are not always the most dependable or user-friendly pieces of software out there! And, unless properly configured, software VPN connections require users to deal with multiple logins.

In many cases, the Citrix Access Gateway (CAG) is the most viable solution to supplying SSL VPN connectivity to remote users. It provides the highest level of security by allowing complete customization, allows for high numbers of concurrent users (up to 10,000 users on a Series 10000 CAG), and provides increased flexibility for a broad range of end-user devices.

However, depending on the needed scalability level of your XenApp farm, the number of users, and other determining factors, you may not NEED all of the benefits that a CAG can offer. But, that does not mean that you need to fall back onto the "same old ways" of providing SSL VPN access to your remote users. With Citrix Secure Gateway (CSG) you can provide secure access to your internal applications for farms not requiring all the features available within CAG.

The Citrix Secure Gateway is an application that runs as a service on a server that is deployed in the DMZ. The server running the Secure Gateway represents a single point of access to the secure, enterprise network. The Secure Gateway acts as an intermediary for every connection request originating from the Internet to the enterprise network.

A CSG is installed in a network's demilitarized zone (DMZ) to form a secure perimeter around the Citrix components in your enterprise network. The CSG authenticates users connecting over the Internet and establishes a secure channel for data exchange between the client device and the Citrix Presentation Server.

The CSG eases firewall traversal and provides a secure Internet gateway between Citrix Presentation Server and client devices. All data traversing the Internet between a remote workstation and the Secure Gateway is encrypted using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. The CSG transparently encrypts and authenticates all user connections to protect against eavesdropping and data tampering.

The Secure Gateway has features for enhanced security, certificate management, deployment, scalability, logging and instrumentation, and support for networking protocols.

For more information on Citrix Secure Gateway, configuration options, and proposed farm implementations, you can refer to the following Citrix documents:

Citrix Secure Gateway Administrator's Guide

Detailed Description of the Secure Gateway Connection Process (CTX117728) 

As we have announced here on the Citrix Blog ( still no Press Release though ...  ) we are actively developing a Citrix Receiver for the iPhone that will bring the world of millions of Windows apps and developers to the iPhone. As part of our testing and demonstrations we are looking for examples of compelling applications that will not run natively on the iPhone, however if the app was hosted on XenApp and delivered to the iPhone it would provide a great visual example of the power of Citrix and the iPhone.

Some things that come to mind are;

• Web sites that require flash
• Medical Apps
• Web apps that need IE
• Cut & Paste ( within Citrix sessions )
• ?

We have received great feedback and use case descriptions on the original post ( keep that coming ) now we are looking for specific apps or new ideas that would really open eyes to the possibilities.

Thanks !

In this 4-minute video I interview Nitin Desai, team lead for the 3D professional graphics subproject of our Apollo multimedia virtualization initiative, and he demonstrates a high-end CAD application - CATIA V5.19 from Dassault - running on XenDesktop with graphics hardware acceleration. This technology, available as a Tech Preview, enables organizations to deliver DirectX and OpenGL applications and large 3D models over DSL-like network connections while keeping their intellectual property safe within the data center.

Derek Thorslund
Product Strategist, Multimedia Virtualization

In ancient Greece, it was common for those seeking prophetic and spiritual wisdom to seek counsel from an Oracle, while in Zen Buddhism, a Zen master is one who offers spiritual guidance and teaching to others.  Well, the Xen project can now offer both forms of wisdom - for virtualization at least:  Xen.org today announced that Oracle has joined the Xen Project Advisory Board.  Big deal? Yes.  First, the Oracle appointee to xen.org is Wim Coekaerts, Oracle's "Mr Linux" (the Oracle of Linux, perhaps?) and the person behind the Oracle Unbreakable Linux effort.   Wim is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, and a great leader of the open source cause.  It's a pleasure to welcome him to the Xen AB.  With him as an Oracle observer comes Dan Magenheimer, formerly of HP and the leader of the Itanium Xen port, and Kurt Hackel, who leads the Oracle VM dev team.  These guys have done some heavy lifting for Xen, and the project will benefit from their leadership.

Oracle has become a major mover in the open source world. It's initial partnership with Red Hat has morphed into open competition, based on Oracle's own Enterprise Linux distribution that is both compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and (according to Oracle) more rigorously tested and for mission critical (Oracle, of course) database workloads.    Like it or not, Oracle Enterprise Linux (OEL) plays an important role in delivering value to end users. First, it is available free, with optional support - unlike RHEL, for which source code is made available, as required by the GPL (so you can build it yourself), but not the binary product.  This keeps an affordable enterprise Linux distribution within reach of the masses, and you can always buy support if you want it. Second, OEL is heavily tested (not that RHEL isn't) and validated for a demanding application workload. Oracle's Xen effort is quite different to OEL.  Whereas Oracle Linux is a derivative of what Oracle euphemistically terms "Enterprise Linux" (in other words, RHEL) the Xen in Oracle VM comes directly from the upstream Xen.org code base, and not via an intermediate distro.  This means that Oracle VM tracks the xen.org upstream code base more closely than OEL can track kernel.org.  Oracle has already offered a valuable set of set of patches and contributions to the project, and will host the next Xen Developer Summit.

Perhaps more importantly, at a time when Red Hat's enthusiasm for bare metal virtualization is waning - and its focus on KVM accelerating - Oracle appears to be betting that the market will continue to adopt (a) a type 1 hypervisor and (b) in the form factor of a virtualization platform, as opposed to virtualization delivered in an OS.  Contrast this with Xen in Linux or Hyper-V in Windows Server (which is type 1 delivered in an OS) and KVM on Linux or MSVS on Windows (which is type 2 - hosted virtualization). 

Arguably Red Hat is being smart by  offering both Xen in RHEL 5 and KVM (likely for RHEL 6) - leaving customers free to choose.  But I think that they've missed the point:  whether the technology is KVM or Xen in RHEL 5 the product will still offer OS based virtualization (competing with Hyper-V in Windows and Xen in SLES) whereas all of the other players in the market have opted for a platform based model independent of any OS.    Finally, it is well known that Oracle only supports Oracle apps virtualized on Oracle VM, which is, as I said earlier, all but identical to mainline Xen.  Is this a reasonable position? No, it's ridiculous.   Hourly and daily regression tests on mainline Xen ensure that every guest ever built for Xen, and every application ever tested on Xen, is  known to run perfectly.  So Oracle's support position is nothing more than the Oracle brandwagon wielding its market muscle.  It's a position that we in the Xen project hope to persuade Oracle to change over time - another good reason to welcome Oracle to the Xen AB.  By contrast, SAP has an open virtualization partnering program and  a rigorous validation and support program for SAP apps on 3^rd party virtualization platforms.  SAP is building a strong ecosystem of virtualization partners around its products to ensure that they run optimally and can be supported on any virtualization platform.  Oracle would do well to learn about the business of partnering from the community and the ISV ecosystem.  Which is the final reason why it is great to welcome Oracle to the Xen Advisory Board.

Since the dawn of time (in Personal Computer time at least) there has been a clear separation, or should that be chasm?, between PC users and Apple users.  The differences are not only philosophical there are practical differences.

Each of the O/S's has it its own quirks and usability paradigms.  The classic example has always been the mouse.  Apple users have always been happy with a single button, while PC users have always wanted more buttons...

The iPhone has introduced yet another paradigm, with its all touch screen design.

The Citrix Receiver for iPhone is being created to allow access to windows applications, through an Apple device which uses this new user experience.  As the designers and builders of this software we need to "Bridge the gap" between all three interaction methods.

I have to say this has led to some "vigorous" debates on the various suggestions to build this bridge.  Currently we have a few gestures and we think we can do almost everything a windows user would want to do.

However, I see scope for improvement.  I would like to hear you ideas on how a Windows user would like to interact, how a Mac user would like to interact and even how a Linux user would like to interact.

Now I don't want to start an OS war.

What I am looking for are real suggestions and ideas.

To kick things off:-

Question 1
Does the Citrix Receiver for iPhone need to have "extra" keyboard keys?  For example would Alt, Ctrl, Tab, Delete etc be useful?

Question 2
If these keys are useful, what keys are needed?

I look forward to your responses.

Colin Warren
Lead Strategic Services Analyst
Advanced Products, Sydney

One of the exciting parts of being able to work on this project is the fresh and innovative approach we are taking to get the software in your hands as soon as we can so we can shape future releases.  It's fair to say that the Braeburn team is working schedules like never before and using a much more agile approach to the project's release.
We are aiming to be very transparent (through the use of this site) so that you know what's going on with current and future releases of the project.

The way we are approaching the initial release is that we will be getting our version one on to the AppStore as soon as we can so we can get feedback from all of you... our plan is that it will have the core technology which will allow you to manage and make connections to the Citrix Delivery Center and as I mentioned, we are working on a very aggressive schedule and we will be having many regular updates to the project available on the AppStore as we add additional feature after feature.

But it's not all about features that you have grown to expect from other the other App Receivers available to connect to Citrix infrastructure, we also have a few tricks up our sleeve that we think you'll love on your iPhone... let's just say we are thinking differently about ways to access and interact with your information whilst going mobile with the iPhone.

Each release will also incorporate suggestions from you guys as well (and of course the odd bug fix as well!), so please - make sure you contribute to the forums on this site (they will be up and running really soon).

Adam

As pointed out by Adam on his previous post, this site is the gateway for the community to get to know Project Braeburn's team as well as interact with us.

The site is now live and you can access it by clicking on the following link:

http://community.citrix.com/iphone

Happy Holidays.

best,
Gus

Are you interested in joining a Citrix User Group? Do you want to start a Citrix User Group up in your area? Are you already running a Citrix User Group and want to let people know about it?

We're planning to launch a tool soon on citrix.com that will allow you to find a user group, start a new user group or promote your own existing user group. It would contain forums for each group, newsletters and a place to announce upcoming events. I have already been talking to some User Group administrators who have been giving me ideas for what tools are needed, and I'm interested in any other ideas you would have. This would be a truly community effort, with Citrix just providing the tools to enable each group to recruit, promote and communicate. If a User Group already has their own web site, they could link of this one if they wish.

In the interim, I will create a page that will list details of any User Groups I am made aware of, so at least there is one central list. So,  if you run or a part of an existing Citrix User Group, let me know about it by posting a comment or emailing me directly at james.rabey@citrix.com. I'll get the directory published in the next few days, adding to it as I find out additional groups.

Hi and welcome to the Citrix Receiver for iPhone community site,

First let me introduce myself, my name is Adam Jaques and I'm one of the Managers at Citrix who is responsible for the release of the Citrix Receiver for iPhone (known as project Braeburn).  If you haven't seen it already, I'm the guy doing the iPhone demo earlier on in the year of one of our very very very early prototypes!

The group that I work for within Citrix is called Advanced Products, we are a worldwide group that typically looks at future technologies that Citrix will develop or utilise within our product set.  In fact, earlier this year we caught up with Brian Madden whilst he was in Australia, he wrote about us on his site.

Project Braeburn is certainly a global effort with development taking place out of our offices in Sydney, Australia (can anyone guess why it's called Project Braeburn?), but also being contributed to by engineers and architects in the UK and USA. We are all really excited to be working on this project on such a great platform.

You'll be hearing much more from me over the coming months leading up to the first release of project Braeburn, but I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome you to the site and encourage you to check back here regularly to get the scoop on how the project is progressing.  This site will also give you a great opportunity... to interact directly with the team that is actually producing the project.

This site will allow you to:

-         Meet the team and find out what were thinking of for the evolution of what's sure to be a very cool piece of software.

-         Learn about how Citrix intends to release Project Braeburn onto the Apple AppStore.

-         Ask questions of the team through the forums.

-         Report any issues you have with the client when it is released and let us help you out.

-         Add any feature suggestions or point out anything we've missed so that we can get right on it! 

So once again, welcome! And I look forward to you being a regular visitor. 

Adam