Can someone explain XenDesktop

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Discussion

Pentoman

Original Poster:

4,814 posts

262 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
I may, at unavoidably short notice, be supporting some Citrix Xendesktop kit.
I'm currently building and installing it on development servers but the problem is... I don't even know what I'm building or what precisely it will do.
I've struggled to find a competent explanation that isn't just marketing guff. You know what I mean - "virtualisation will transform your business!"
So, I'll keep building and figure it out but in the meantime, I know there are plenty of smart people here who can give a sensible technical explanation so I thought I would try.

Can someone just explain what it does and how.

I get server virtualisation.
I get windows terminal servers.
I get application streaming but haven't worked with it.
But primarily I'm coming from a background of old fashioned Windows terminal servers.

So what is XenDesktop? Seems like a weird hybrid of all three. If so, how does it work under the covers? Where do the boundaries lie? Does it provision virtual servers? Or just user profiles? Both? What can/can't it do? Agh! So much frustration!

ArsE92

21,007 posts

186 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
The datasheet might help. Admittedly I haven't read it. thumbup

Sheets Tabuer

18,897 posts

214 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
It's VDI, virtual desktop.

As luck would have it citrix did an install video session this week.

http://www.citrix.com/tv/#videos/12582

GreigM

6,726 posts

248 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
I use it every day as an end-user. For me it removes the need for a VPN as I can simply open a website, login, and then click on an icon to do all the things I'd want to do on the VPN.

The icons I get presented with are an assortment of pre-canned apps alongside a number of usual suspects like remote desktop, IE, outlook. Whenever I launch one of the "apps" I effectively get a window onto the application running at the server end.

I imagine its similar to what you described as "application streaming" but with a secure vpn-like channel to stream across.

It works well, I have been know to administer servers from my phone while half-pissed in a pub.

HRL

3,329 posts

218 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
As said above really. It's a TS with a Citrix badge on it essentially.

Most of my clients prefer RDWeb though, the MS equivalent. With security groups and published apps you can provide the illusion of an office-based PC but running on practically anything, Windows, OSX, Android and IOS devices. All with the knowledge that the data is securely held on the server, not locally on the device, unless you choose to allow end-users to do otherwise.

Edited by HRL on Wednesday 26th November 19:46

Pentoman

Original Poster:

4,814 posts

262 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
Thanks all.

But how does it work?

I watched some tutorials and it appears you create a 'master image' (virtual machine). Then, when users connect in, they are spawned a clone. It's stateless and remembers nothing. Log off, it's deleted.

Did I get that right?

doolie

212 posts

215 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
quotequote all
Pentoman said:
Thanks all.

But how does it work?

I watched some tutorials and it appears you create a 'master image' (virtual machine). Then, when users connect in, they are spawned a clone. It's stateless and remembers nothing. Log off, it's deleted.

Did I get that right?
You are right about a master image, as for the rest, It depends.

Have a read of this http://www.basvankaam.com/2013/09/22/xendesktop-mc...




Edited by doolie on Wednesday 26th November 23:09