PVS or MCS – What’s Your Decision Going to Be


Note: This blog is in reference to Citrix XenDesktop 5.0 ONLY. Note: The following link contains the  latest discussion between PVS and MCS (https://virtualfeller.com/2016/05/17/pvs-vs-mcs-part-1-resource-delivery-options/) The decision between using Provisioning Services or Machine Creation Services is based on many things, with a few being discussed previously: Big Picture Operations Resource Requirements Let’s say you’ve gone through… Continue reading PVS or MCS – What’s Your Decision Going to Be

XenDesktop 5 Scalability – Site Capacity


When we last looked at XenDesktop 5 scalability, we really focused on the user experience in that users should not be required to wait longer than 2.5 seconds before the system responded to an authentication or launch request. We said that if the controller got very busy due to logon storms, we could add additional… Continue reading XenDesktop 5 Scalability – Site Capacity

PVS or MCS – We Talking About IOPS Again


Deciding between PVS and MCS is a tough decision for many organizations. Although MCS is limited in that it can only do virtual machines, it does appear to be easier to setup than PVS. In fact, MCS just works while PVS requires another server and configuration of bootstrap processes like TFTP/PXE. So it sounds like… Continue reading PVS or MCS – We Talking About IOPS Again

XenDesktop 5 Scalability – XenDesktop Controller Capacity


Think about the architecture of XenDesktop 5. One of the core components responsible for an acceptable user experience during the initial authentication and launch of the virtual desktop are the controllers. If these controllers get overloaded, it will take users longer to launch their virtual desktops. What is acceptable is based on the users and… Continue reading XenDesktop 5 Scalability – XenDesktop Controller Capacity

PVS or MCS – Operations Is Important


As we continue to decide between using Provisioning Services or Machine Creation Services in an environment, we need to go beyond the Big Picture factor explained in a previous blog. The second thing we should look at is the operational aspect of the solution. Operational models are rather boring. Who cares about supporting the environment?… Continue reading PVS or MCS – Operations Is Important

Provisioning Services or Machine Creation Services… Big Picture Matters


Note: this is the first part in a multi-part discussion on PVS and MCS Since XenDesktop 5 came out, one of the biggest questions flying around is, “Should I use Provisioning Services (PVS) or Machine Creation Services (MCS)?” Both options work and both options provide single image management, but what is the right answer?  Is… Continue reading Provisioning Services or Machine Creation Services… Big Picture Matters

Planning the XenDesktop 5 Database


With XenApp and previous versions of XenDesktop, the database was just the storage repository for static information. We really didn’t spend much time thinking about the impact of the database on production environments. The databases were small. They databases didn’t have a big impact on the underlying system. So what about XenDesktop 5’s SQL Database?… Continue reading Planning the XenDesktop 5 Database

Hosted Shared Desktops or Hosted Virtual Desktops?


This is probably the most common question I get when going through a virtual desktop design… Should I use the hosted shared or hosted virtual desktop model? For once, this isn’t an “It Depends” answer. This is a “Yes” answer. You will mostly likely need them both. For those of you who aren’t sure what… Continue reading Hosted Shared Desktops or Hosted Virtual Desktops?

Set Virtual Desktop Idle Timeouts Correctly


One of the major advantages of virtualizing the desktop is security. Organizations are better able to keep data internal as opposed to letting it sit on endpoint devices located anywhere in the world. But security doesn’t stop there. I recently observed an interesting situation that we all need to be aware of to avoid. Imagine… Continue reading Set Virtual Desktop Idle Timeouts Correctly

XenDesktop Design Handbook – No Registration Required


A few months ago we released the XenDesktop Design Handbook that contained a collection of reference designs, implementation guides and planning guides. When it was initially released, it had a few items. Over the past couple of months we have included additional items like Bandwidth planning Windows 7 optimization guide VM resource allocation SMB reference… Continue reading XenDesktop Design Handbook – No Registration Required