Open-E, Inc. is one of the pioneering leaders and developers of IP-based storage management software. The Open-E® DSS V6™ and Open-E DSS V6 Lite™ line of products enjoy a reputation for best-in-class performance, flexibility, reliability, scalability and return-on-investment and are known for their robust architecture, ease-of-use and affordability. Open-E Data Storage Software (DSS) V6 has been verified for Citrix®XenServerTM (Version 5.6) and is now designated Citrix Ready, providing confidence in joint solution compatibility.
As a part of a special promotional offer from Open-E, two free of cost NFR (Not For Resale) versions of Open-E DSS V6 with unlimited TB of storage are now available for all Citrix professionals. This offer is valid until March 31, 2011. Citrix experts will have the opportunity to work with the powerful iSCSI SAN software and will be able to build shared storage for training and performing demos with Citrix XenServer Version 5.6. Open-E DSS V6 works effectively and offers secure access to storage and straightforward interface to iSCSI SAN.
For more information about Open-E DSS V6 please visit Open-E Data Storage Software V6 on the Open-E website.
How you can qualify for this promotional offer:
The accepted certificates for two free Open-E DSS V6 licenses are:
- CCA Citrix Certified Administrator
- CCAA Citrix Certified Advanced Administrator
- CCIA Citrix Certified Integration Architect
Certified professionals can receive the licenses by sending an e-mail with a copy of one of the above mentioned certificates to certification@open-e.com.
Learn more about Open-E DSS V6 verified for Citrix XenServer Version 5.6 through the resources listed below:
- Citrix Ready Catalog – Product page and Profile page.
- Video – Open-E DSS V6 iSCSI-Failover with Xen-Server (video of a recent Webinar about the use of Open-E DSS V6 iSCSI Failover with a XenServer, available in English and German)
- How-to Ressource – “Open-E DSS V6: How to setup iSCSI Failover with XenServer“
- Press Release – “Open-E DSS V6 is verified as Citrix Ready” (available in English and German)
Write to us at CitrixReady@citrix.com should you have any questions. And catch more partner updates from Open-E and others on Twitter. Leave your comments and feedback for Open-E DSS V6 here, have you tried this solution yet?
Great news for all you planners out there. The session catalog for Citrix Synergy in San Francisco May 25-27 is now available! Why the excitement? This means that you can peruse the session line up and determine which sessions about virtualization, networking and cloud technologies you MUST attend this year to maximize your learning opportunities. There are lots of great sessions to choose from – with more technical sessions, best practices and hands-on learning labs than ever before. And if you don’t see what you need, be sure to let us know and we’ll see if we can still add it to the agenda.
I encourage you to sign up early for the event. I’m not trying to be alarmist, but remember that Synergy in San Francisco last year was standing room only and the Berlin event last Fall was literally sold out. That said, we’ve learned from past experience, as well as from your feedback, and we have enhanced the event structure and content in several ways.
First, we’ve enlarged the keynote room, such that every Synergy attendee will have unfettered access to Citrix CEO Mark Templeton’s opening session and all of the other main-stage activities. We’ve also doubled the number of Geek Speak Live! sessions, since these unscripted discussions and rapid-fire debates among technical experts, analysts and influencers are always incredibly popular with Synergy attendees. And we’re investing more time and energy in the Citrix CTO session, which has grown into one of the most buzz-generating activities of the entire event.
But wait there’s more! Based on your feedback, we are putting special emphasis on hands-on learning and technical best practices at Synergy San Francisco. This year we’ll offer more “how to” and “how we did it” sessions featuring customers, tech alliance partners, Citrix Technology Professionals (CTPs) and industry analysts. They will share their experiences implementing desktop virtualization and cloud solutions in order to help you be successful with your strategic deployments.
We’ve dramatically increased the number of breakout sessions, and you can search for categories to build the best agenda for you, including: What’s New, Best Practices, Hot Topics and Key Technologies. Just to give you a taste of your options, specific titles include:
- XenDesktop.next: the future of on-demand desktops and apps
- Scaling XenDesktop for the enterprise
- Best practices for using FlexCast to drive desktop transformation
- Building multi-hypervisor, multi-workload enterprise clouds with Citrix OpenCloud
- What’s new in NetScaler MPX and VPX
- Say “yes” to BYO and employee-owned tablets, computers and smartphones in the workplace
There truly is something for everyone at Citrix Synergy, regardless of where you are on the technology learning or adoption curve. Whether you’re setting a virtualization strategy and vision for your company, gathering technical content, or looking to rub elbows with the industry’s best and brightest, now’s the time to make your plans for Citrix Synergy in San Francisco.
So what are you waiting for? Check out the Synergy catalog and start building your plan to attend the sessions that will give you exactly what you need to reap the benefits of virtual computing.
Together in San Francisco, we will be inspired, learn and network!
With XenDesktop 5 Express, you can create a virtual desktop (VDI) production environment for up to 10 users or an evaluation environment as a POC …for free! The XenDesktop Express download includes everything you need plus a tutorial video that walks you through the installation process. (You could also use XenDesktop with Microsoft Hyper-V or VMware vSphere as the virtualization layer, but we recommend the included XenServer 5.6).
Then when you’re comfortable with your XenDesktop environment on a LAN, you can try it out on a WAN for free with Citrix Access Gateway VPX 5.0.1 Express.
Here’s what you need…
Product Download
Download XenDesktop 5 Express edition from: http://www.citrix.com/tryxendesktop
This download (filename: XD5_Express.zip) includes:
- XenDesktop5.iso - XenDesktop Controller & Virtual Desktop Agent
- XenServer 5.6.0-install-cd.iso - XenServer 5.6 virtualization infrastructure
- XenCenter.ja.msi - Install for XenCenter Japanese language version
- XenDesktop_Express_Edition_License.lic - 10 user XenDesktop license
- XenDesktop5_Express_Edition_Tutorial.wmv - Step-by-step guidance for a XenDesktop setup
Licenses
Included in the XenDesktop Express download zip:
(Note: Product offers a 30 day grace period until license is applied.)
- XenDesktop 5 Express License file - Covers Controller, Virtual Desktops, and XenServer
- XenServer License - License using XenDesktop Controller’s licensing feature (refer to tutorial video)
Sample Configuration
One or more servers capable of supporting the following:
- Windows 2008 or Windows 2008 R2 servers
-- Desktop controller, 2 GB quad core
-- Optional server for other pieces (IIS SQL, Web Interface*, Active Directory, etc.)
*Note: Web Interface could be included on the Desktop Controller instead.
- Windows 7 virtual desktops (VDAs), at least 1GB and 1 core each VM
Documentation
- XenDesktop Evaluation Guide - Get step-by-step guidance throughout the installation process.
- XenDesktop 5 Eval Scenarios - Review once you complete the installation.
- Key differences in XenDesktop 5 - Find out what’s new in XenDesktop 5.
- XenDesktop Experience Newsletter - Get technical best practices & other info. Subscribe here
More documentation can be found here.
General Info
Phase 2: Access Gateway
Once you’re comfortable with your XenDesktop environment on a LAN, it’s time to try it out on a WAN …for free. Citrix Access Gateway VPX is a virtual machine based solution for remote access to your XenDesktop environment. Access Gateway VPX configured in “Express mode,” will allow a max of 5 users for 1 year. Here are links to the resources:
- Download Access Gateway VPX 5.0.1 Express and the license file (via MyCitrix)
- Review a guide for integrating Access Gateway VPX with XenDesktop
- View Access Gateway VPX Hardware Requirements
- Configure Access Gateway 5.0 for Citrix Receiver for mobile devices
Hope you find this information helpful. If you’ve tried this yourself or there are other resources that you’ve found useful, please share!
Laura Whalen
Citrix Systems, Inc.
Follow me on Twitter
Summer is almost over and that means Synergy Berlin is nearly here! We’re busy making final arrangements for our first pan-European show to be held from October 6-8. In advance of the program, I want to draw your attention to my favourite part of the program – the Citrix Innovation Award.
Every day, companies experience the tangible business benefits of virtualisation, networking and cloud computing. Benefits include savings in operating expenses, enhancing productivity and flexibility, cutting power consumption and reducing carbon emissions, to name a few. But there are also a number of organizations that have embraced the power of virtual computing to think about, and to do, business differently. These include companies like Cocamar in Brazil that have used virtualisation technology to expand their market reach; government agencies like Fairfax County, Virginia, that have used the technology to offer cloud-based computing services to cities and townships within the county; and ND SatCom that expanded its offerings to include a satellite-based solution for business continuity and connectivity. These are but a few examples of business innovation, and I know that there are thousands of stories about organisations around the world that have embraced virtual computing to spearhead change.
The Citrix Innovation Award highlights the stories of enterprises that are using virtualisation, networking and cloud technologies in exciting ways to drive innovation in their businesses. As we did for Synergy San Francisco, we’ve thrown open the doors for Synergy Berlin and invited everyone in the industry – partners, customers and employees – to nominate companies that are using virtualisation, networking and cloud technologies in innovative ways to create a dynamic, agile business environment.
Once again, I’m amazed at the diverse range of businesses that implement these technologies, and use them in new and innovative ways. Dozens of nominations were received from all over the globe; from those nominations twelve companies that best embody the spirit of the Innovation Award were shortlisted.
The winner is chosen by popular vote of peer organisations (that means all of you!) and members of the IT industry and will be announced at Synergy Berlin.
The full list of Innovation Award finalists is:
- Chemtura Corporation
- Codan Trygg-Hansa
- CZ Healthcare Insurance
- Derby Public Schools
- LG CNS
- MATERNA
- Medical University of South Carolina
- O’Neill Europe
- Perfetti Van Melle India
- Telecom Italia
- TeleComputing
- The Co-operative Group
Check out their stories of innovation and vote for your three favourites today.
And don’t forget…you can still register for Synergy Berlin! For more info go to www.citrixsynergy.com.
Update
We have delivered the Tech Talk on Essentials for using Windows PowerShell with XenApp and XenDesktop and both the recording and presentation are now available for viewing. We also have a separate blog for the Q&A from the session.
Session Description
Learn how to simplify your XenApp and XenDesktop administration using simple but effective PowerShell scripts. This session will provide a high-level overview of the PowerShell SDK for XenDesktop 4 and XenApp 6, and will focus primarily on live demos of PowerShell scripts for automating various aspects of these environments.
Programming knowledge is not required – an administrator with a basic scripting background can leverage the knowledge gained in this session and put it to use within their own environment. We hope to see you there!
Reference Materials
Mike and I have started to put together a blog series on the XenDesktop and XenApp PowerShell SDKs to be used as reference materials for the Tech Talk. If you haven’t already seen them, feel free to check out the links below. We will be giving live demos of several of the scripts mentioned as part of these blogs.
XenDesktop 4 PowerShell SDK blog series – by Ed York
- Getting Started
- Retrieving the XenDesktop farm properties
- Creating a new desktop group
- Enabling/disabling a desktop group
- Updating the idle pool settings of a desktop group
- Adding virtual desktops to a desktop group
- Adding AD users and groups to a desktop group
- Disconnecting and stopping virtual desktop sessions
- Restarting virtual desktops and series wrap-up
XenApp 6 PowerShell SDK blog series – by Mike Bogobowicz
- Getting a XenApp Farm Inventory
- Checking XenApp Application Setting Consistency
- Checking Server Availability
About the Presenters
Ed York – Senior Architect – Worldwide Technical Readiness
Ask-the-Architect Site: http://community.citrix.com/p/product-automation#home
Follow Ed on twitter: http://twitter.com/citrixedy
Mike Bogobowicz – Principal Consultant – Worldwide Consulting Solutions
Blog Site: http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/michaelbog
Follow Mike on twitter: http://twitter.com/mcbogo
The Feed the Synergy Buzz Contest was a chance to win one of the hottest devices on the market just by blogging, tweeting, or posting photos or videos of your Synergy experience while you were in San Francisco at the event. This contest took place from May 12-14 and, to enter, contestants simply tagged their social media content with #CitrixSynergy.
We kept an eye out for quality over quanity and winners have been chosen at random from the pool of active social networkers, with one Apple iPad and 10 iTunes gift cards awarded.
And the winners are…
Grand Prize, Apple iPad
- TwistyRoadsCrvr
iTunes Gift Cards
- balajisiva
- dustin_fennell
- ekhnaser
- ervik
- JasonConger
- joeshonk
- michael_keen
- rwhiteley0
- shawnbass
- mikegcoleman
Thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to our social networking stars! If you are a winner, please reply to socialmedia@citrix.com with subject “Feed the Buzz Contest” to claim your prize. Prizes will be shipped.
Laura Whalen
Citrix Systems, Inc.
Computerworld posted an article titled E-Health and Web 2.0: The Doctor will tweet you now. The title made me cringe, to be honest. If any medical provider would communicate with a patient via facebook or twitter on patient related topics, we’d have an avalange of lawsuits on our hands. Thankfully, it is not that bad as the article cited above describes electronic communications between doctors and patients accurately. However, the slightly misleading title still leads me to believe that some clarification on web and social media is in place.
- Ever heard of email? It’s this killer app that spread from scientists to the rest of the world in the mid-to-late nineties. It’s not inherently secure, but there are systems that allow for secure communication and it is slowly being discovered by the healthcare world to allow patients and providers communicate with one another. Instant messaging also falls into this category and so is text messaging (txt is really a special form of telephony and we have been using that killer app for at least 50 years to communicate with our doctor). Sophisticated EMR vendors have implemented such capabilities into their systems. There are many, but Epic’s MyChart module comes to mind – for an idea on how it works, check out the various Group Health Seattle Ads: I actually only found a recent one here. Group Health Seattle implemented MyChart and secure patient to doctor communication in 2002/2003 – long before YouTube became mainstream, so I can’t find the original ads, which also shows you that this is nothing new. The key here is that patients and providers don’t use the “traditional” email systems that are often available for free by various providers on the Internet, but implement a system directly into the Electronic Medical Records app, which has the added benefit that the communication becomes part of the patient’s record.
- Twitter and facebook are still relatively new, and are certainly not intended for any kind of point to point communication, but rather for dissemination to larger groups or “Communities of followers”. Businesses (Joe’s Pizza as much as a doctor’s office, larger group practice, or large hospital) leverage twitter, facebook, MySpace, etc. to update their customers about things they deem important. Announcing new products or services, sending links of interest, or providing patient education on general topics are all things that lend themselves greatly to twitter and facebook. By the way, the same information can be effectively distributed via email lists, but twitter and facebook allow for customer controlled opt-in and opt-out. Both sides win – customers don’t get annoying unsolicited emails and business don’t have to manage email lists. Again, evem the direct message feature in twitter does not lend itself to securely communicate with patients, hence my introductory cringing at the beginning of this blog.
- Speaking of blogs….Blogs are also labeled “social media”. The idea is really nothing new. In the old days (by that, I mean the very old days in the mid 90s), we had to teach ourselves HTML, stand up a web site, and voila – we could get our thoughts and comments out on the web. In my mind, blogs are the great equalizer as they are very easy to use and provide the technical means to publish articles and opinions to the web (some are rants – actually, this blog could be described as a mild rant) . Blogs often allow for others to comment on the original article and that way get a nice discussion going. In healthcare, blogs play an important role as patients can discuss their own conditions with others (often anonymously by using screen names instead of their real names). This also allows for the sharing of information and the establishment of a support network. It’s the 2009 version of Fight Club without the hugging. Twitter and blogs often go together as bloggers leverage twitter to announce a new post to their community of followers. Healthcare providers can provide pro-active patient education via blog sites and use twitter to let their patients know that something noteworthy has been published.
So – none of these concepts are new or revolutionary in my mind. These are old technologies that either make the administration easier (blogs) or allow more user control when it comes to information blasts (twitter, facebook), or facilitate point to point communication (email, IM,txt). It goes without saying that both patients and providers must carefully consider their privacy (and the associated regulations) when using either of these media forms.
Thoughts? Comments? Please post them here.
Follow me on twitter: @florianbecker
Listen up all you American Idol and Dancing with the Stars fans … if you think these shows are the only arena in which your vote counts, then you are in for a special treat.
The Citrix Innovation Award winner for Synergy San Francisco was announced this morning during the keynote. This is another noteworthy contest determined by popular vote. As with the TV shows, this award recognizes dynamic, agile and innovative performances – but in the world of business, transformation and IT efficiency are the winners in the game.
For me, this award is one of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of Citrix Synergy. It’s where industry experts and end users come together to celebrate the very best in virtualization, networking and cloud implementations.
And, so, without further ado, I am thrilled to share that the winner of the 2010 Citrix Innovation Award for Synergy San Francisco is…
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
(… did you hear the drumroll?)
Sonnenschein was selected as a shining example of how the latest desktop virtualization technology enabled them to maximize productivity and continue to improve the unsurpassed client service for which the firm is known.
To provide a work anytime, anywhere environment for its lawyers, Sonnenschein created “Follow Me PC” using Citrix technology to virtualize desktops and applications in the datacenter and deliver them on demand to any device with any network connection, whether that’s an iPad, iPhone, Mac, PC or any other device of choice. By viewing email, documents, spreadsheets and Web pages just as they appear on an office desktop, lawyers can respond instantly to client requests without having to wait to get back to a PC. Sonnenschein is now expanding its IT services to provide on-demand, high-def virtual desktops and applications.
While I must admit that we’re extremely proud of this year’s award winner, I want to remind you that we now have two Innovation Award programs and we’re looking for nominations now for Synergy Berlin, so visit our website and submit your nomination today.
Please join me in congratulating Sonnenschein, and give a round of applause to all the Innovation Award finalists. I know you will be inspired by their stories of innovation.
Summit and Synergy attendees,
We have massive demand for the hands-on learning labs that have started today, May 11. Great problem to have, but this will likely lead to some disappointed folks, especially for XenApp 6 and XenDesktop classes. The great news is that the XenApp 6 lab is already available online for partners, and the plan is to open it up to customers. The XenDesktop learning lab is scheduled to go online in the coming weeks.
The hands-on labs are built in the cloud, so, whether at Synergy this week or afterward, everyone is going to get a great, live hands-on experience with the product.
If you aren’t able to get access to your favorite lab at Synergy over the coming days, stop by the Help Desk to have your badge scanned and we will contact you to provide access to the online versions of the XenApp 6 and XenDesktop classes.
Thanks for all the support…
Laura Whalen
Citrix Systems, Inc.
Greetings Synergy and Summit Attendees!
Are you:
- Tired of dark, stuffy conference rooms where you can hear a pin drop?
- Interested in desktop virtualization, client hypervisors & cloud computing?
- Looking for uncut, unfiltered, and unprecedented discussion and debate?
Do you:
- Want to speak your technically focused mind, and all you need is a stage?
- Enjoy mixing it up with master discussionists of the IT universe?
- Write you name in binary code for fun & watch “The Matrix” for the 5th+ time, just because it’s on?
If so… look no further! The four-day geektastic extravaganza that is Geek Speak Live! at Synergy 2010 is about to begin. Hold on to your hats and glasses ’cause this here’s the wildest ride in IT…
Starting this Tuesday, May 11, we’ll be keeping it real with three classic & ever-popular Geek Speak formats:
- Geek Speak Tonight: The fan favorite that we ran at Synergy 09 returns, where a combination of Citrix Technology Professionals (CTPs) and CTOs lead discussions and debates on pre-determined topics, and the audience takes center stage and joins the conversation! This event will kick off Synergy on Tuesday, May 11 at 4:30 – 6:45 p.m., giving you a chance to begin the conference with a breath of fresh, unfiltered air. Refreshments will be served. Get there early to claim your seat!
- Geek Speak Track: Not your typical formal breakouts! These sessions are complete with open, unfiltered discussion on a variety of technical topics led by CTPs, Citrix CTOs, and other respected industry thought leaders. Held May 12-14 alongside the formal breakout sessions.
- Geek Speakeasy: Geek Speak Live! comes to the Solutions Expo Hall with a relaxed lounge format for conversational sessions, and a lab format for “bring your own laptop” sessions with industry leaders and technical experts from the community. So grab a snack and head over to the Geek Speakeasy for an action-packed set of sessions from May 11-13!
Who’s leading these most excellent sessions? The star-studded speaker list is made up of highly respected thought leaders & technical experts, including CTOs, CEOs, analysts, architects, and consultants who are gearing up for another exciting and memorable round of game-changing technical discussions!
Speakers include:
Adam Jaques, Alex Ervik Johnsen, Alex Juschin, Bill deForeest, Brandon Shell, Brian Madden, Brad Pedersen, Chris Fleck, Chris Wolf, Dan Feller, Gabe Knuth, Harry Labana, Ian Pratt, Jason Conger, Jeroen van de Kamp, Joe Shonk, Kurt Roemer, Martin Duursma, Martin Ingram, Matthew Jünk, Michael Harries, Michael Keen, Nico Lüdemann, René Vester, Rick Dehlinger, Ruben Spruijt, Sai Allavarpu, Shawn Bass, Simon Bramfitt, Simon Crosby, Steve Greenberg, Thorsten Rood, and the Citrix Cloud and Mobility Technologists
Important Note: You can access the full Geek Speak Live! session list by visiting the Synergy Breakout Sessions site and selecting “Geek Speak Live!”. You have the option to add these sessions to your Synergy agenda.
Global User Group Forum
Are you a Citrix User Group member or interested in becoming one? Join us at the newest addition to the Geek Speakeasy, the Global Citrix User Group Forum in the Solutions Expo Hall. Meet with your peers, share technical best practices, and join a user group or get the tools you need to start a user group in your area. Stop by the Geek Speakeasy during Expo Hall hours to pick up the User Group Forum schedule!
More Resources:
- A look-back at some awesome moments from Geek Speak Live! at Synergy 09
- The Geek Speak Live! at Synergy 2010 event page
- The Geek Speak site featuring all Geek Speak Live!, Local & Virtual events worldwide
So be there and be square! Geek Speak Live! 2010 is gonna knock your argyle socks off. 
Laura Whalen
Geek Speak P.M.
Citrix Systems, Inc.
Follow me on Twitter
