RSS FeedSaturday, June 07, 2003
Sorting Through The Citrix Class Offerings
It seems like Citrix updates their class offerings ever other week, but I guess I should expect that with all the new products coming our way. They started to offer a new class CTX-6100 Citrix Core Technologies and Architecture back a few months ago and my understanding is that we should continue to see courses that stress architecture and design in the coming months. The CTX-1222 class is probably all anyone would ever take, but there is some great content in these secondary classes.
Discuss this class in our new Certification Forum
posted by Geek at 10:53 AM : Permalink :
Friday, June 06, 2003
So What Is New In Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services
I am sure many of you will not be updating to Windows Server 2003 for some time, but there are some really cool new features in 2003 Terminal Services. There is also a good technical overview online at this link.
Discuss this topic in our forums by clicking here
posted by Geek at 9:48 PM : Permalink :
Citrix to provide eLearning For Its New Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite
This is one of the first things to come out of a partnership with Accenture. There is a link to this new service right on the Citrix Authorized Learning Center main page, but the offering is a little light at this point. Here is a link to the press release.
posted by Geek at 5:59 PM : Permalink :
Windows & .NET Magazine Names MetaFrame Conferencing Manager One Of Their Best Of Show Winners
Here is the link to the story. I am anxious to see Conferencing Manager in action because I think it can really start to leverage the shadowing features built into MetaFrame and have decent ROI.
posted by Geek at 7:08 AM : Permalink :
Thursday, June 05, 2003
Some Interesting Links
Here are a few things that I ran across today (remember this is a news blog). This is a good article from News.com where they interview Steve Ballmer. I am a sucker for anything related to Steve or Bill Gates.
If you have not seen this site you have to visit Gizmodo.com. I love gadgets and this is where I go for my daily fix of what is cool.
posted by Geek at 5:20 PM : Permalink :
FR3 Posts Needed
We really could use some updates in our Metaframe Forum in regards to FR3. Please take a look and tell us your story. I am hearing good and bad from the field.
Discuss FR3 here
posted by Geek at 4:49 PM : Permalink :
A Cheaper SecurID
Secure Computing has a neat little product that is their (Citrix only) solution to RSA's SecurID. I just got my demo unit in today to start playing with. Check out this link and order your eval today. I have only seen SecurID used by the larger companies (including Citrix). Now maybe this will allow smaller companies to deploy a more secure access solution. 
Discuss Remote Security Here
posted by Geek at 4:11 PM : Permalink :
New Security Certifications Announced
Microsoft announced new security certifications at Tech ED this week. Microsoft is putting a huge effort behind their new security initiative. Time to takes some tests!
posted by Geek at 11:46 AM : Permalink :
Wednesday, June 04, 2003
Interesting Thin Client Offer
I ran across an article about the new Neoware Eon Prestige thin client and thought it looked pretty cool until I saw that it was going to list for $1199. I went to the Neoware.com site for more info and found this interesting promo for their $99 ThinPC product.
Here is what their site says- "ThinPC converts a PC into a thin client appliance allowing companies to achieve the security and management benefits of thin client computing while preserving their capital investment in their personal computers."
I just wonder how many folks will pay $99 to lock down a PC when they already have at least a $99 Microsoft OS that they could (in theory) lock down.
Discuss ThinPC here
posted by Geek at 7:50 PM : Permalink :
Do you know what Sarbanes-Oxley is all about?
If you work for a company that is publicly traded then you probably need to keep reading. In a nutshell this Act was put in place last year in response to Enron and requires document retention policies be implemented or face huge fines. It is no longer acceptable to delete things like e-mail after 30 days. Why am I bringing it up? Because I am amazed at how many companies do nothing about retention or look the other way. Getting your servers and systems up to speed in some cases will be like another Y2K project and I think everyone should be prepared. Here is a link to a recent story on the topic from eweek.com.
Discuss Document Retention Here
posted by Geek at 7:32 PM : Permalink :
Known issues with FR3
My buddy Doug Brown has posted a great document on the known problems with FR3. I would suggest everyone take a look at it before jumping into an update because I am starting to hear about some issues popping up.
Discuss FR3 Issues Here
posted by Geek at 11:16 AM : Permalink :
Peoplesoft Buys J.D. Edwards
Looks like Peoplesoft is buying JD Edwards. I know I have seen my share of J.D. Edwards implementations using Citrix. Now maybe they will decide that a Server Based client is the best way to deploy their apps. Another spin on this post can be found here.
Discuss This In Our Forums
posted by Geek at 8:14 AM : Permalink :
Tuesday, June 03, 2003
A great way to control a Citrix server?
I am seeing interest in a product from Appsense called Optimizer, which is supposed to "Optimize" memory, but it all seems a little vague from what I can find out so far. I like their Performance Manager product because it can throttle back CPU and cap memory. To me this seems like a great combination for a Citrix server where we all know what happens when a server spikes to 100% for an extended period of time.
Discuss Appsense In Our Forums
posted by Geek at 5:03 PM : Permalink :
Monday, June 02, 2003
Windows Update On Servers?
I keep reading about all the problems Microsoft seems to be having with the quality control and testing procedures related to Windows Update. I know this link refers to an issue with Windows XP, but I am curious about how everyone deals with server updates and how you manage the patch of the week that we seem to get from Microsoft.
Discuss Windows Update Best Practices In Our Forums
posted by Geek at 7:13 PM : Permalink :
Tarantella Real Competition Now?
Here is another perspective I had not really thought of. Tarantella tends to target the high-end market with New Moon targeting the budget conscious low end. Maybe the combination really could be a problem for Citrix.
Discuss Tarantella and New Moon Real Citrix Competition?
posted by Geek at 7:12 PM : Permalink :
MetaFrame XPe Novell Integration
Here is a nice whitepaper from Citrix Consulting on how to integrate Metaframe and Novell technologies. I find this interesting because it is an in-depth look from a Citrix perspective. This also includes some great best practices related to how to install the Novell client.
posted by Geek at 7:12 PM : Permalink :
Packetshaper Gets Even Better
The Packetshaper has always been at the top of my list of essential tools to make Citrix deployments successful. You really need to guarantee some Quality of Service (QOS) for ICA packets and now Packeteer has added acceleration. In a nutshell here are some of the main benefits taken straight from a whitepaper.
- Ease congestion on a saturated link
- Defer or avoid an expensive link upgrade
- Decrease your link size and associated costs
- Survive when a provider is slow to deliver a link upgrade or when an upgrade is unavailable
- Reduce your monthly charges if your bills are based on number of bytes transferred
I know this story is old, but my blog is new and this product line from Packeteer just keeps getting better.
posted by Geek at 7:12 PM : Permalink :
Get A Password Manager Heads Up
I have been looking into the technology that Citrix licensed for their Password Manager product. This promises to be the holy grail for single sign-on so I went to the Passlogix site for more in-depth information while Citrix puts the finishing touches on their version.
posted by Geek at 7:12 PM : Permalink :
Licensing Terminal Services in Windows 2000 and Windows .NET Server
Here is a great link to an online discussion of Terminal Services licensing. It seems like Microsoft goes out of their way to make licensing Terminal Services complicated, but this does seem to help.
posted by Geek at 7:12 PM : Permalink :
Citrix Product Nomenclature
Since Citrix changed the name for just about every product they offer I thought it would make sense to post the new nomenclature. This came to me in an e-mail from Citrix so it should be right. ;-)
Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite
Citrix Product Names:
Citrix MetaFrame XP Presentation Server, Feature Release 3
Citrix MetaFrame 1.8 for Windows
Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server 1.2 for UNIX
Citrix MetaFrame Secure Access Manager 2.0
Citrix MetaFrame Conferencing Manager 1.0
Citrix MetaFrame Password Manager 1.0
Feature, Component and Technology Names:
secure gateway (formerly Citrix Secure Gateway)
web interface (formerly NFuse and NFuse Classic)
web interface extensions (formerly Enterprise Services for NFuse)
Independent Computing Architecture (ICA)
SpeedScreen
Program Neighborhood
resource manager
installation manager
load manager
network manager
access management console (formerly Portal Management Console (PMC))
MetaFrame XP Provider for Microsoft Windows Management Instrumentation
MetaFrame XP Management Pack for Microsoft Operations Manager 2000
All names are registered trademarks of Citrix or Microsoft
posted by Geek at 7:12 PM : Permalink :
A Great Citrix Book
Here is a great Citrix book that I highly recommend. Just a few years ago you could not find a Citrix book on the bookstore shelves. Now there are close to 30 and I will be posting my favorites over the coming months.
This book covers the basics of Metaframe design and includes a good overview of the features in FR2. A must have for any Metaframe Admin.
posted by Geek at 7:11 PM : Permalink :
Citrix Gear
Ever wonder where to buy cool Citrix branded stuff? This is one hard site to find, but here
posted by Geek at 7:11 PM : Permalink :
Microsoft, Citrix keep code deal alive | CNET News.com
posted by Geek at 7:11 PM : Permalink :
MetaFrame Conferencing Manager
Citrix released MetaFrame XP Presentation Server, Feature Release 3, and MetaFrame Conferencing Manager together on May 22, but I bet most people will not even take a look at Conferencing Manager. I know my company spends a ton of money on webconferencing today and I am guessing that there would be a quick ROI for companies that use this technology. What a great way to leverage MetaFrame!
Here is a news article on the topic.
posted by Geek at 7:11 PM : Permalink :
Citrix Competitor Buys Another
Citrix does have competition out there. Today we learn that Tarantella will buy New Moon. Check out what Techweb.com has to say.
posted by Geek at 7:10 PM : Permalink :
FR3 Is Available
Check out this link to FR3 on the Citrix site. FR3 is pretty sweet from what I have seen so far. I had a chance to present the changes from Metaframe 1.8 to XP FR1-3 to a group of customers and they were blown away with how far Citrix has come over the last few years.
posted by Geek at 7:10 PM : Permalink :
First Post
My goal is to create a blog focused on Citrix and thin client technologies. I follow this industry as part of my job and plan to share what I find via this forum. I do not work for Citrix and basically just think this is cool technology that can really help IT folks deploy applications in a better way.
posted by Geek at 5:02 PM : Permalink :
