Citrix simplifies VDI again with XenDesktop 7-XenApp combo
May 24, 2013
Grazed from TechTarget. Author: Alyssa Wood.
Citrix VDI administrators will finally get the unified XenDesktop and XenApp management and deployment model that they have expected for years. Details of XenDesktop 7, previously codenamed Excalibur, were released here at the Citrix Synergy 2013 conference. It is the first release of Project Avalon.
Bringing virtual desktops and apps under the same umbrella, this release unifies XenDesktop and XenApp management and deployment under the FlexCast Management Architecture. XenApp previously ran on the Independent Management Architecture. "The days of having to deploy extra agents, extra consoles, extra databases — gone," said Simon Plant, a director of product management at Citrix Systems Inc…
It’s a move that’s long overdue. Citrix customers expected to see a unified XenApp-XenDesktop model back in 2009 and simplification has been promised in years since then, beginning with XenDesktop 5 in 2010. This time around, Citrix has distilled the number of management consoles from about 20 down to just two: Citrix Studio for overall management and Citrix Director for monitoring. Director combines performance monitoring, reporting, real-time assessment and troubleshooting, plus network metrics so help desk staff can view users’ usage details, such as latency…