[THIN] MSTerminalServices.org- August 2007 Newsletter

From: "MSTerminalServices.org" <info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "THIN List" <thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2007 07:03:59 -0500

MSTerminalServices.org Newsletter of August 2007
Sponsored by: SecureIDA
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In this issue:
The Buzz
KB Articles / Webcasts of the Month
Ask our MVPs!
Learning Zone
Tip of the Month
Blog Posts
Rumours on the SBC Space

Welcome to the MSTerminalServices.org newsletter! Each month we will bring you
interesting and helpful information on MS Terminal Services and server based
computing. We want to know what all *you* are interested in hearing about.
Please send your suggestions for future newsletter content to:
SVermeulen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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1. The Buzz
Stefan Vermeulen, Terminal Server MVP and Citrix CTP

Missed the buzz?

The last few weeks the market, analysts and application delivery specialists
have been having their say on what has been going on. The buzz is huge.

For those of you who missed it; <A
href="http://www.citrix.com/lang/English/home.asp";>Citrix</A> has bought <A
href="http://www.xensource.com/Pages/default.aspx";>XenSource</A> for 500
million dollars. Xensource is a Hypervisor, putting Citrix in direct
competition with VMware. This really shifts the market, as VMware is in fierce
competition with Microsoft over the upcoming virtualization market, which is
expected to be huge. Microsoft is working on its own hypervisor, codenamed
Viridian, which originally was set to be included in the Windows Server 2008
release.

With Viridian not making the Server 2008 deadline and now scheduled for release
half a year after Server 2008, this puts Microsoft in the back seat, where
VMware delivers now, and Citrix probably in 2008 when they are finished
integrating XenSource.

So why is this interesting for Terminal Server administrators?

Times are changing, and the application delivery market is scheduled to change
in the upcoming years from pure screen scraping application delivery to
fat/thin clients, into a mix of screen scraping applications using Citrix or
Terminal Services, client devices connecting to VDIs (Virtual Desktop
Interface) and applications being streamed on demand to fat client devices, or
these same VDIs already providing the desktop. With this type of application
delivery being so close to the current terminal server's administrator tasks, I
see these 2 worlds coming together. If not today, then in the next few years.
You can see the shift already with Citrix renaming iforum to "The App Delivery
Expo" this year to get the new message out.

But back to the main story. Citrix is paying a huge price for an open-source
product that according to educated guesses, made a bit less than $5 million in
revenue last year. This has the devils' advocates on their tip-toes. Is this a
scheme from Microsoft which is a very good partner with Citrix to get its hands
on the code for Viridian? Is this a bold move from Citrix to take up the boxing
gloves with Microsoft to stand stronger in upcoming negotiations on Terminal
Server technology licenses? Is this a price contest where Citrix felt the need
to cough up more than intended, not to get stuck with a second miss like they
missed out on Softricity and to make sure they got XenSource?

The scenarios are endless, and so are the blog entries on this subject on the
web. The case is that it is unclear if there are now 3 big players in the
virtualization market, or just 2 with Citrix and Microsoft living in the same
happy ecosystem.

Looking at it from a healthy view, Citrix does have a track record of taking
time to integrate takeovers into their suite. They can re-brand the current
version, just to get sales started, as expectations are high on this. Of course
the pricing has to match Citrix's pricing model, so the existing market will
have to switch for the current Citrix customer base to push it. The plan is to
make $50 million in 2008 alone on this.

Integrating XenSource with their desktop server product to push out VDIs and
then use Citrix's own icaport technology (icaport is a project where the rdp
connection is replaced with an ica session when connecting to the desktop
remotely) to connect to these VDIs and the circle is closed. Just throw in a
cheap thin client device for the end user. It cleans up the desk, and there
certainly is no man overboard when the building is hit by burglars

And where does <A href="http://www.virtualiron.com";>Virtual Iron</A> fit in the
picture (A smaller player using the same code base as XenSource)? With
XenSource out of the way, they are the only player with an extremely low price
to beat out opponents. (Like Provision Networks taking on Citrix on
Presentation Server)

We have exciting times ahead on this type of technology. If and what will be
the technology challenging VMware to the market leaders' crown? Will Citrix
give it a try? Will Viridian surprise us all? Only time will tell.

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2. KB Articles / Webcasts of the Month

Here are some interesting and useful Terminal Services related articles and
webcasts posted by Microsoft in the last month:

How to improve Windows Terminal Services Performance
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555741

You experience problems when you upgrade a Windows 2000-based server that has
Terminal Server enabled to Windows Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/939087

How to add scanner support to Windows 200x Terminal Server
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555969

How to enable Remote Desktop on Windows 2008 Server Core
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555964

HOTFIX: Stop error message when a client logs off from a Terminal Services
session on a Windows Server 2003-based terminal server: "Stop 0x000000ab"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/939442

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3. Ask our MVPs a question

This is simple and straight forward: shoot us your TS/Citrix question and we
will get some of the top Terminal Services MVPs together and get you an answer,
from everyone?s point of view! The best question of the month will be published
here with all the answers from these guys. Just email us at
SVermeulen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

QUESTION: Hello Stefan,

My company has started a virtualization project across all servers. Now they
want to also virtualize my Citrix servers. Is this a good plan?

Regards, Planning Pete

ANSWER: Dear Peter,

If you would have asked me this question a few years ago, you would have gotten
a big no. Tests from those days showed total saturation as early as with 15
users. With the general urge to load 30 to 50 users on a single Citrix server,
the gap is pretty big. It's not easy to give advice in this, without knowing
the behavior of your applications. I do think that it's time for another test,
to see where we are today with the latest version of VMware and the latest
Citrix edition, including all its CPU and memory taming tools. You may not get
50, but I do think you will get over 15. Of course, testing before switching is
always advisable. Let us know how it works out, will you?

4. Learning Zone

Inside the Web Interface Configuration File
http://www.msterminalservices.org/articles/Inside-Web-Interface-Configuration-File.html
Date - Aug 8, 2007
In this article Duane dives in to the Web Interface's webinterface.conf
configuration file to tell us how it works without using the GUI.

How To Configure Folder Redirection
http://www.msterminalservices.org/articles/Configure-Folder-Redirection.html
Date - Aug 8, 2007
In this one Patrick explains how to set up folder redirection, to get an
optimal result over the network, when for example roaming profiles are used.

5. Tip of the Month

Microsoft has updated its little gem to version 1.22. <A
href="http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/processmonitor.mspx";>Process
Monitor</A> is an advanced monitoring tool for Windows that shows real-time
file system, Registry and process/thread activity. It combines the features of
two legacy Sysinternals utilities, Filemon and Regmon, and adds an extensive
list of enhancements including rich and non-destructive filtering,
comprehensive event properties such as session IDs and user names, reliable
process information, full thread stacks with integrated symbol support for each
operation, simultaneous logging to a file, and much more. Its uniquely powerful
features will make Process Monitor a core utility in your system
troubleshooting and malware hunting toolkit.

This may be just an update, but it should be mandatory in a Terminal Server
administrator's toolkit. This tool could save you a bundle of time. (I know it
has for me)

6. Blog Posts

Office licensing on TS in plain language:

http://blogs.msdn.com/mssmallbiz/archive/2007/08/08/4298215.aspx

Changing Windows Server 2008 Core's Look and Feel.

http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/sanderberkouwer/archive/2007/08/13/changing-server-core-s-look-and-feel-part-1.aspx

http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/sanderberkouwer/archive/2007/08/14/changing-server-core-s-look-and-feel-part-2.aspx

http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/sanderberkouwer/archive/2007/08/15/changing-server-core-s-look-and-feel-part-3.aspx

http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/sanderberkouwer/archive/2007/08/16/changing-server-core-s-look-and-feel-part-4.aspx

Problems using saved credentials with Vista RDP clients and above.

http://blogs.msdn.com/ts/archive/2007/07/31/problems-using-saved-credentials-with-vista-rdp-clients-and-above.aspx

Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2.0 Beta Available Now.

http://blogs.msdn.com/ts/archive/2007/08/03/remote-desktop-connection-client-for-mac-2-0-beta-available-now.aspx

Terminal Services Per User Licensing Usage Tracking.

http://blogs.msdn.com/ts/archive/2007/08/06/terminal-services-per-user-licensing-usage-tracking.aspx

Generating Per Device license usage reports for TS License Servers running
Windows Server 2008.

http://blogs.msdn.com/ts/archive/2007/08/10/generating-per-device-license-usage-reports-for-ts-license-servers-running-windows-server-2008.aspx

7. Events / Links of the Month

I think I started with this month's biggest news; Citrix acquiring Xensource.
Also the word "free" seems to be in the air this month. Login Consultants
released the <A
href="http://www.loginconsultants.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=40";>Solutions
Framework community beta.</A> A freeware version of their "solution 4"
methodology.

<A href="http://www.visionapp.com/141.0.html?";>The Visionapp Experience 2007
has been released as freeware.</A>
How to build up a Citrix 4.5 server in 20 min using pure automation power

Citrix renamed its yearly conference to "iForum 07, the App Delivery Expo". I
think this tell us a bit of where Citrix is going the next few years.

For the rest it has been a quiet month. But I do think that this takeover spree
is not finished.
We will get to see more throughout the remainder of this year.

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[THIN] MSTerminalServices.org- August 2007 Newsletter

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