End User Computing

A chat with Thomas Willingham, Technical Product manager for Remote Desktop Services on what we can expect in Windows Server 2016.

|Posted In: End User Computing , Microsoft RDS , Podcasts , Remote Desktop Services , Unidesk , VDI | October 30, 2015 | 0

THomasAnd we’re back! In this episode of FrontLine Chatter, we’re joined by a Microsoft veteran Thomas WIllingham who is a Technical Product Manager for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services.

Microsoft RDS is a platform for most of what we build today in desktop virtualisation projects and with the Windows Server 2016 release looming, we had the awesome pleasure of catching up with Thomas on what we can expect in Server 2016 and Remote Desktop Services.

In this episode we had the pleasure of talking to Thomas about the following topics:

  • Thomas’s journey from consultant, to trainer, to Microsoft and Ultimately the RDS team.
  • Open GL and Open CL support in 2016
  • Microsoft Multipoint services, what’s the use case?
  • Are Microsoft looking at vGPU style implementations?
  • Will GPU pass from Hyper-V as well as bare metal?
  • Personal Session Desktops, whats going on here?
  • Infrastructure improvements to RDS for better scalability.
  • Should this licensing model change?
  • Could we expect Image management for RDS soon?
  • Microsoft and Unidesk strategy.
  • Windows continuum, where is the play here?
  • Is it a nirvana thin client?
  • Will the new release schedule differences between 10 and 2016 cause a parity gap?
  • Nano server and RDS infrastructure.

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VMworld 2015 Barcelona EUC highlights

|Posted In: Blog , End User Computing , VMware | October 20, 2015 | 0

vmworld_logo

With thanks to our awesome sponsor ControlUp, we had the pleasure of attending VMworld 2015 in barcelona this week. Now that the dust has settled and the coolaid has been drunk (never drink and blog) here I’ve summized a few points from the week.

VMworld is always such a huge machine to EUC people, almost daunting at times and that’s never clearer than when talking to other techies who have no clue about EUC in general, VMware really is a beast in that regard, but i’m only two paragraphs and I’ve already digressed. This VMworld has had a really good portion of EUC focus, all sessions on the topics from roadmap, futures and graphics were completely booked out and things are really moving forward. I was a little disappointed not to see more EUC vendors, but knowing that VMware have an entry level answer to UEM and (in a lot of cases) a better answer to application layering, maybe there’s a little “cutting off nose in spite of face…” from the hurt feels.

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A chat with Remko Weijnen, Solutions Architect at Atlantis Computing

|Posted In: Application Compatibility , Citrix , End User Computing , Microsoft RDS , Podcasts | September 18, 2015 | 0

remkoAnd we’re back! We were on a little break for late holidays and today we’re back with our good friend Remko Weijnen to talk all about his journey in IT, software development and reverse engineering.

Remko has had a really interesting career, starting with phone systems, software development and Server based computing / VDI. In this podcast we had the pleasure of talking to Remko about:

  • How Remko Started in IT.
  • How he got started with software development and reverse engineering.
  • Software penetration testing.
  • Why is desktop remoting something that we are all so passionate about.
  • After years in the EUC space, why did Remko move to Atlantis computing.
  • For those interested in software development and reverse engineering, where should they start?
  • Remko and hacking his car.

This was a really fun podcast and it was great to get back to a community member focused podcast!

P.S: Watch out next week for a competition with awesome prizes!

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Citrix Workspace Cloud is go! Hear the latest from the A-team!

|Posted In: Citrix , End User Computing , Podcasts | August 20, 2015 | 0

joeharsh What a big day it is for Citrix! After months and months of development Citrix Workspace Cloud is here and we’ve got all the information you could possibly want!

Today on this special podcast, we’re joined by our friends Joe Vaccaro and Harsh Gupta to talk about workspace cloud, the vision, the execution and the launch details.

Jarian and I have been involved in the early Beta’s and we’re super excited for Joe, Harsh and Citrix as a whole on this momentous day.

On this topic we had the pleasure of talking about:

  • The Citrix Workspace Cloud journey.
  • The Value in workspace cloud.
  • The components shipping.
  • The brilliance of lifecycle management.
  • Workspace cloud versus the competition
  • and much much more!

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A chat with David Wagner all about Citrix AppDisk and Citrix AppDNA

|Posted In: Application Compatibility , Citrix , End User Computing , Podcasts , VDI | August 7, 2015 | 0

DavidWagnerWelcome back to FrontLine chatter and today we’ve got David Wagner, Sr. Product Manager at Citrix Systems, Inc. Joining us to speak all about Citrix AppDisk and Citrix AppDNA.

David has a veteran career with Citrix, involved in products such as Metaframe for Unix, Conference Manager, Profile Manager and Many more. David is now primarily focused on the user experience side of Citrix and Joined us to shoot the breeze and answer many of our questions about the latest feature for the XenDesktop and XenApp suite announced at Citrix Synergy.

In today’s podcast we had the pleasure of talking with David about:

  • What is the vision at Citrix for layering?
  • An overview of What AppDisk is.
  • Is Application layering the Nirvana? Or is a mix between layering and isolation required?
  • How the Integration with App DNA will cut down on layering quagmire updates.
  • Is AppDisk a spinoff technology from Personal V-Disk? What’s the difference between them?
  • Will we see integration between AppDisk technology with isolation, even with other vendors?
  • How can AppDisk help with the AppV cache?
  • Will we see AppDisk traverse to Physical Machines at any point?
  • What is exactly the integration between App DNA and App Disk? Is this the real jewel in the crown of layering for Citrix?
  • What makes AppDisk different from the competitors? (Fslogix, Liquidware Labs, App Volumes, Unidesk, etc.)
  • Will AppDNA be capable of spitting App Disks directly from the engine?
  • Will AppDisk work without AppDNA?
  • How does AppDisk get the layers to users? Is it on boot or logon?
  • What magic number of AppDisks should the customer try not to exceed per VM?
  • When a file is requested, what is the logic from disk to disk to find the file?
  • Where will AppDNA fit from a licensing model? Separate product? Integrated to licensing level?
  • Mobile explosion. Storing identity and finance on a single device.
  • Thoughts on Windows Phone.

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A panel chat on GPU and desktop virtualization.

|Posted In: End User Computing , Microsoft RDS , Remote Desktop Services , VDI , VMware | July 10, 2015 | 0

simonbramfitt seanmassey tpopWelcome back to Frontline Chatter podcast. Some recent comments in blogs and on social media about how GPU should be required on every desktop virtualization project turned into some lively debates on Twitter, etc.  This was perceived as misleading by some, along with Sean Massey writing a blog post (GPUs Should Be Optional for VDI) outlining issues with GPU form fact in today’s format.

We at Frontline Chatter decided to get a panel together to discuss GPU to dispel confusion, provide education on the technologies available and help customers make informed, educated decisions away from blanket statements.

Joining us on the podcast are industry experts Thomas Poppelgaard (MVP, CTP), Sean Massey (vExpert EUC), and Simon Bramfitt (Senior Industry Analyst).

In this podcast we’re here to explain GPU, vGPU options, and debate the viability of achieving success in VDI/HSD with or without GPU backing.  Topics discussed include:

  • Description of GPU enablement
  • Technical availability
    • VMware Technologies – Pass-Trough/vDGA, Shared Virtual Graphics/vSGA, and vGPU with NVIDIA GRID cards
    • XenServer Technologies – Pass-Through and GPU with NVIDIA GRID cards
    • Hyper-V Technologies – Bare Metal and RemoteFX
  • Where does GPU make most sense? Or is this a win for everyone?
  • We’re told GPU makes everything better, where are the facts and figures? Or is this all in perceived user benefit?
  • Demystifying GPU and VDI, are we seeing much use of GPU with RDS/XenApp/HSD technologies?
  • Price and foot print. Do the benefits of GPU outweigh the rack space?  Does deploying many smaller servers have benefits over huge iron with density?
  • What about bare metal?
  • Today vs Tomorrow, where is this technology going and when WILL its adoption allow critical mass?
    • Better form factor – mezzanine cards, pass-through PCI cables, etc.?
    • Better design – on chip/dye GPU like Intel Iris and AMD?
    • Better support for motioning VMs and datacenter virtualization technologies?
    • Price?
  • Add much more!

Thank you to our panel guests for joining us for this podcast! It was a really hot debate and too good to cut off so apologies in advance for the 1 hour long podcast. It really is topical gold, so worth listen.

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A chat with Kevin Goodman, Founder and CEO of FSLogix

|Posted In: End User Computing , FSLogix , Podcasts , Remote Desktop Services | July 1, 2015 | 0

kevinWelcome back to Frontline Chatter!  After a busy few weeks attending conferences, Andrew and Jarian are happy to chat with Kevin Goodman, Founder and CEO of FSLogix.  Kevin has been a big fan and supporter of Frontline Chatter so it was great to catch up and talk about FSLogix.

We really enjoyed this podcast with Kevin.  Layering/Containers are a hot topic these days so good to have another player in the industry come and discuss with us.

In this episode we were happy to discuss with Kevin the following:

  • Kevin’s career path from RTO Software to VMware to FSLogix.
  • Best of Citrix Synergy Award for Application and Desktop Virtualization.
  • Recent round of funding.
  • Isolation, Containers, and Layering.
  • Storage Impact and Considerations for containers/layering/redirection.
  • How FSLogix came to be.
  • Overview of FSLogix:
    • FSLogix Apps
      • Rule Editor/Rulesets
      • Apps Containers
        • In guest vs hypervisor
      • Java Redirection
      • Profile Containers
        • Benefits over traditional
        • Comparison to RDS User Profile Disks
        • Folder Redirection/File Server issues
  • FSLogix upcoming features.
  • Bitcoin transactions/underlying technology.

 

Link to FSLogix Downloadable Rulesets Kevin refers to in this episode.

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Lets talk VMware Project Enzo!

|Posted In: End User Computing , Podcasts , VMware | May 27, 2015 | 0

benFun times and what a podcast! We managed to swoop in right after the Project Enzo announcement during Citrix Synergy last week and book some time with Ben Goodman, Lead Evangelist for VMware Horizon to talk about a VMware’s latest EUC announcement, VMware project Enzo. Project Enzo was a huge announcement and we were very keen to learn more!

Ben is a great guy, we’ve interacted a number of times on twitter and it was great to finally get to chat with him.

Because today’s podcast is all about VMware EUC and Project Enzo. If you have not heard of Project Enzo yet, check out the following video (we’ll wait!). It wont take long and it’s well worth the watch!

ok all good? lets continue.

On today’s podcast, we had the pleasure to talk to Ben about the following:

  • Ben’s history in IT
  • Novell and Identity Management.
  • Ben’s Move to VMware and how he has seen VMware grow in the EUC space
  • How VMware EUC projects help Citrix customers.
  • What is Project Enzo?
    • Cloud Management Engine
    • Smart Node technology
    • JIT Desktops, Apps and User Data with App-Volumes and Project Fargo.
  • How does Enzo work?
  • Is this a DaaS expansion to on prem, or vice versa?
  • How tightly will Enzo rely on EVO:RAIL type platforms?
  • How tightly is this integrated with what was once “DeskTone”
  • Will Enzo be open to other vCloud Air providers?
  • How does Enzo weigh up Vs Citrix Workspace Cloud?
  • IOT and smart homes

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A chat with Patrick Rouse, Product Manager for Wyse vWorkspace

|Posted In: Dell , End User Computing , Podcasts , Remote Desktop Services , VDI , vWorkspace | May 22, 2015 | 0

patrickWelcome back!

Jarian and I have been fans of vWorkspace for some time and were thrilled when Patrick Rouse, member of the product management team for Wyse vWorkspace at Dell, decided to entertain our nonsense and join us on a podcast! Patrick has been in the Server Based Computing market for years, achieving CTP, MVP and now heads up Product management for the vWorkspace product in Dell Wyse.

This was a really fun podcast, we had our usual agenda rounded off at a tidy 30 minute mark, but enjoyed ourselves so much, the time flew by and we ended up with a 50 minute conversation full of fun and intrigue.

We recorded this podcast just before Citrix Synergy, on this podcast we had the utmost pleasure to talk to Patrick about the following:

  • Patricks career path, Marine Corps, to CTP, to MVP, to Quest, To Dell and all that was between!
  • The 90’s and WinFrame and POTS, oh my!
  • Why is there such a cult following for Server Based Computing and the magic when you get it.
  • Where did vWorkspace come from and how did it end up in the Dell product suite.
  • How did vWorkspace integrate on acquisition by Dell.
  • What is vWorkspace?
  • The completeness of the vWorkspace suite and the announced appliance for vWorkspace at Microsoft ignite.
  • Whats new in the vWorkspace 8.6 beta.
    •  Double byte chars
    • Layering functionality, Yay! (definitely a trend for 2015)
    • Full clone virtual desktops on Hyper-V, regardless if direct or SCVMM.
    • Chrome connector for vWorkspace.
    • Simplifying the connector to be suitable for your mom!
    • Drag and drop from local to hosted applications (Take note everyone else, we get asked for this daily!)
  • As an early adopter to Linux Desktops, how has vWorkspace seen the market mature?
  • Does vWorkspace have vGpu/RemoteFX plans in the near future?
  • Parallels, 2X and Odin.
  • Storage spaces direct
  • RDP .next and OpenGL support.
  • No SCVMM needed for vWorkspace, yay!
  • Could vWorkspace succeed head on vs Citrix and VMware?

Big big podcast, but well worth the listen. Take care guys n’ gals, we’ll be back soon.

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A chat with Jim Moyle, Lead Solutions Consultant at Atlantis Computing

|Posted In: End User Computing , Podcasts | May 13, 2015 | 0

jimWelcome back to FrontLine Chatter, we’re coming to you from Citrix Synergy in Orlando and we had the rare luxury of recording an in person podcast with the one and only Jim Moyle.

Jarian and Andrew are great friends with Jim, having the ability to sit down with Jim was too good to pass up. In this episode Jim, Jarian and Andrew have a beer together and talk all about Jim, Atlantis and the conference so far.

Specifically, on this episode we discuss:

  • Who Jim is and where he came from.
  • What Jim does day to day in Atlantis.
  • As employee #32 in Atlantis, how have you seen the company grow.
  • Atlantis’s First hardware appliance for the hyper converged market.
  • Why Hardware vendor choice gives customers options.
  • Is the new Atlantis appliance a “desktop workload first” appliance
  • So the Atlantis appliance is all flash, why no higher capacity spinning disk?
  • How prevalent do you see Hyper Converged in the future?
  • Has hardware added logistical concerns?
  • How are Atlantis, from a strategic point of view going to claim their stake and push their elbows out?
  • Datacenter Lifecycle management.
  • Application layering and containerisation.
  • How to get rid of people in the bar the “Jim Moyle” way ;)

 

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