Citrix VDI Handbook for XenApp and XenDesktop 7.15


Almost one year ago, I announced the availability of the Citrix VDI Best Practices Handbook for XenApp and XenDesktop 7.6 (that’s a really long title). Since then, I received many positive comments from many of you. Thank you. One of the goals I set was to release an updated version of the handbook for upcoming… Continue reading Citrix VDI Handbook for XenApp and XenDesktop 7.15

XenApp Best Practice #5: Maintenance


It’s January. It’s midnight. It’s cold (-10F). My telescope isn’t bringing this galaxy into focus. My user experience is dreadful. As I investigate, I shine a light at the front telescope and quickly see how years of dust and grit are causing my focusing issues. (Click the image to see close up) My lack of… Continue reading XenApp Best Practice #5: Maintenance

XenApp Best Practice #1: Keep Apps and Data Together


XenApp Best Practice #1: For the best user experience, application and back-end data must reside together on a fast, low latency network.   What if you decided to store your cooking pots and pans in the bedroom? Every time you wanted to cook some Mac & Cheese, you would have to walk through your house,… Continue reading XenApp Best Practice #1: Keep Apps and Data Together

XenApp Virtualization Best Practices


One of the first questions when virtualizing XenApp is how many VMs to put on a server. Well, that was discussed in the Virtualize XenApp blog. Once you figure out how you plan to carve up the physical server, one of the next common questions is deciding which features of the hypervisor to enable/disable. For… Continue reading XenApp Virtualization Best Practices

Windows 7 Optimization Guide for XenDesktop


If you have been following my ongoing commentary regarding Windows 7 optimizations for virtual desktops, you have probably been wondering when all of this information will be put into a document. Well, it has finally happened. Based on many of the items Citrix Consulting has identified, we have our initial Windows 7 optimization guide for… Continue reading Windows 7 Optimization Guide for XenDesktop

How to Avoid Turning Your XenApp into Frankenstein


I just got done watching Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein the other day. You  know how the story goes. Victor Frankenstein putting pieces together to create something new. It works, but it is not what Victor expected. In fact, it is so horrible that it scares everyone and destroys all who stand in its way. I also… Continue reading How to Avoid Turning Your XenApp into Frankenstein

Fun TechTalk on XenDesktop Enterprise Design


One of the best things about my position is I get to talk to a lot of smart people, do some pretty cool things (like playing around with the iPad), and constantly learn. For example, any idea why you would modify the “Maximum Transition Rate”? Do you even have an idea what it is? I… Continue reading Fun TechTalk on XenDesktop Enterprise Design

Moving from a SMB Virtual Desktop Solution to Enterprise Scale


I recently got a great question on Facebook about when to add additional XenDesktop controllers and Provisioning services servers as the environment expands. As I’m long winded, I thought a blog entry makes more sense than a Facebook comment. First, your initial design should plan for the future. I recently had a customer conversation that… Continue reading Moving from a SMB Virtual Desktop Solution to Enterprise Scale

Virtual Desktop Mistakes Conclusion


The virtual desktop top 10 list is complete! Of course there are numerous things people can do to mess up their environment, but the 10 discussed are probably the 10 most critical. If you get them wrong, you will struggle to survive. But the list doesn’t end there. My colleagues (Tarkan Koçoglu, Nicholas Rintalan and… Continue reading Virtual Desktop Mistakes Conclusion

Virtual Desktop Bandwidth – Revisited


Back in May 2010, I started my Top 10 Mistakes Made with Virtual Desktops. I talked about how much bandwidth certain activities require when using XenDesktop and HDX. The table I provided is great, but it does pose the question, “What does a person do with this information?” Since then, I’ve been able to spend… Continue reading Virtual Desktop Bandwidth – Revisited