The document provides a technical update on Citrix XenDesktop/XenApp 7.6, featuring enhancements in app and desktop virtualization, management architecture, and performance. It introduces new functionalities like instant app access, accelerated graphics, and improved USB integration, while ensuring robust security and compliance with industry standards. The update also emphasizes simplified app management, improved user experience, and efficient infrastructure for broader adoption.

1. Citrix XenDesktop/XenApp 7.6
Technical Update
Roger Bösch
Citrix Systems International GmbH

2. XenApp & XenDesktop 7.6
Flexcast Management Architecture

3. © 2014 Citrix. 3 Confidential.
Windows app and desktop virtualization
7.6
Deliver virtual Windows desktops with the best cost,
performance and security for every business need
Windows app virtualization
Mobilize Windows apps for maximum
security, control and performance
Build-on the FlexCast Management Architecture (FMA)

4. © 2014 Citrix. 4 Confidential.
Independent IMA
Management Architecture
XenApp 6.5 and before
Flexcast FMA
Management Architecture
XenApp 7.x & XenDesktop 5.x

5. Different Infrastructures (old way)
Delivery
Services
Console
© 2014 Citrix. 5 Confidential.
Citrix
Studio
Receiver
Delivery
Controller
DB DB
XenApp
Controller
XenApp 6.5 Farm (IMA) XenDesktop 5.6 FP1 Site (FMA)
IMA
IMA
Server OS
Workers
Desktop OS
Workers
Provisioning
PVS Services
PVS
Console
EdgeSight
Console
VDA
Web Interface

6. Integrated FMA
© 2014 Citrix. 6 Confidential.
Storefront / Receiver for Web
Citrix
Studio
Receiver
DB
Server OS
Workers
Citrix
Director
Delivery
Controller
Desktop OS
Workers
Provisioning
Services
VDA VDA
Provisioning
Console

7. XenDesktop 7.x Infrastructure
Server 2008R2 / Server 2012 / Server 2012R2
Physical VDI Hosted
Shared Local
Heavy workloads,
Remote PC access
3D Workloads,
Personal Desktops
Scalable,
Affordable
Laptop
XenApp 7 / XenDesktop 7 XenUCselrisent

8. XenApp Editions
Packaged and priced for tactical adoption
Solid foundation for secure, on-demand
application delivery to
users anywhere with
maximum performance
© 2014 Citrix. 8 Confidential.
Proven enterprise class, on-demand,
high-performance
hosted shared app and desktop
virtualization solution with
HDX™ technology that is
optimized for managing larger
environments
Platinum
Edition
Most robust and secure
solution to deliver applications
as an on-demand service to
any user with powerful tools for
greater scalability, control and
visibility of the most
complex environments
XenApp 7.6
With Concurrent Licensing Only
Enterprise
Edition
Advanced
Edition

9. XenDesktop Editions
Packaged and priced for broad adoption for all users
Scalable VDI-only
implementations
with HDX™ technology
© 2014 Citrix. 9 Confidential.
Enterprise-class desktop
virtualization with FlexCast™
delivery technology
Platinum
Edition
Comprehensive desktop
virtualization solution with
advanced networking,
management and security
XenDesktop 7.6
With User/Device or Concurrent
Licensing
Enterprise
Edition
VDI
Edition

10. Superior User Experience

11. Superior User Experience
Extending HDX Technology
What’s New
• Instant App Access
• HTML5 for Chrome OS
• Accelerated graphics performance
• Improved USB Integration
• Virtual IP loopback
• HDX Mobile SDK v2
• HDX RealTime Optimization Pack for Lync
© 2014 Citrix. 11 Confidential.

12. The Native User Logon Process
Logon &
authentication Profile load GPO
processing Logon scripts Drive
mappings
© 2014 Citrix. 12 Confidential.
Printer
mapping App launch
Does not start until
user selects app

13. Instant App Access
A simple, two pronged approach
© 2014 Citrix. 13 Confidential.
How it works:
• When user logs into Receiver, starts a
XenApp session with “dummy” app
• Session remains until time expires or load
too high
• User selected app immediately starts in
same session
Why it is good:
• Eliminates more than 90% logon time
• No long logon duration complaints
• User experiences instantaneous app
launches
Application Prelaunch

14. Instant App Access
A simple, two pronged approach
How it works:
• When user closes last app in a session, the
session remains active
• Session remains until time expires or load
too high
Why it is good:
• Users often close an app before starting
another app
• Eliminates constant log off/on scenarios
• Provides a more desktop-like experience
© 2014 Citrix. 14 Confidential.
Application Lingering

15. The XenApp 7.6 User Logon Process
Logon &
authentication Profile load GPO
processing Logon scripts Drive
mappings
© 2014 Citrix. 15 Confidential.
Printer
mapping App launch
Auto-starts when
Receiver starts
Pause until user
selects app

16. Generic USB redirection for XenApp
New for XenApp 7.6!
USB redirection for XenApp (RDS) and UBS 3.0
Single hop, full published desktops
Will enable 3DConnexion Space Mouse on XenApp
© 2014 Citrix. 19 Confidential.

17. Virtual IP Loopback
How it works:
• XenApp server allocates unique IP address
to each session
• Entire session or specific apps
Why it is good:
• Better app compatibility
• Improved network monitoring
• Granular policy
© 2014 Citrix. 20 Confidential.
Virtual IP

18. Key Highlights of StoreFront 2.6
Enriching the XenApp and XenDesktop user experience
Increased Usability
• Improved Receiver for HTML5 (apps & desktops)
• Receiver for Web access on mobile browsers
• My Apps folder
• Simplified configuration
• FQDN
Extended Functionality & Security
• XenApp & XenDesktop 7.6 updates
• Advanced RSA Adaptive Authentication
• Extensible authentication SDK
• Smart Card authentication options
• Kerberos constrained delegation for XenApp 6.5
© 2014 Citrix. 21 Confidential.

19. © 2014 Citrix. 22 Confidential.
HTML5 Receiver & Receiver for Chrome

20. © 2014 Citrix. 23 Confidential.
Anonymous Access
Fast, secure access to healthcare apps
Healthcare professionals need fast,
instant access to healthcare apps
• No user logon process
• Two-step admin configuration
• Unauthenticated (anonymous) and
authenticated apps, together
• Troubleshoot issues with Director

21. Unauthenticated (Anonymous) Access
© 2014 Citrix. 24 Confidential.
Delivery Group Store
24

22. HDX RealTime: Complementary approaches
Generic: Media-over-ICA Optimized: Peer-to-peer
© 2014 Citrix. 25 Confidential.
User Interface
Business Logic
Media Engine
unmodified
softphone
architecture
User Interface
Business Logic
user device
Media Engine
server
virtual channel
modified softphone
architecture

23. Optimization Pack Compatibility Matrix – Skyfall
Software Component Version Number
Citrix Servers
XenDesktop (Win 7, 8.1) 5.6, 7.x – Enterprise, Platinum
XenApp (Win Server 2008 R2, 2012 [R2]) 6.5, 7.x – Enterprise, Platinum
VDI-in-a-Box 5.2 and above
User Devices
Windows 7, 8.1, Thin PC, XPe, WES7
Linux Ubuntu, Fedora Red Hat, SUSE, CentOS
Mac 10.9, 10.10
Microsoft Lync
Lync client Lync 2010 (32-bit)
Backend Lync infrastructure (Front-End
Server, Edge Server, A-V Conferencing
Server, etc.)
© 2014 Citrix. 39 Confidential.
Lync Server 2010, Lync Server 2013
© Citrix – CONFIDENTIAL – The development, release and timing of any features or functionality described for our products remains at our sole discretion and
are subject to change without notice or consultation. The information provided is for informational purposes only and is not a commitment, promise or legal
obligation to deliver any material, code or functionality and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions or incorporated into any contract.

24. Improved Security

25. Improved Security
Worldwide recognition as the industry standard for app security
© 2014 Citrix. 41 Confidential.
FIPS 140-2
Compliant
&
Common Criteria
evaluation
XenApp &
XenDeskotp has
achieved Common
Criteria evaluation
milestone, first & only
in industry
XenApp &
XenDesktop are FIPS
compliant, simplifying
highly regulated
compliance

26. Two-Way
Clipboard
© 2014 Citrix. 44 Confidential.
One-Way
(Client-to-Server)
Clipboard
One-Way
(Server-to-Client)
Clipboard
No Clipboard
Granular Clipboard Security
All data
Only text
Only bitmaps

27. Clipboard Control
Clipboard Restriction Policy Clipboard Content Policy
© 2014 Citrix. 45 Confidential.

28. Simplified Management

29. © 2014 Citrix. 47 Confidential.
Background on IOPS
The good and the bad

30. Good and Bad IOPS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
© 2014 Citrix. 48 Confidential.
Sequential Access
Random Access
18 7 17 8 13 6 9 20 19 2 15 16 12 1 5 10 14 4 21 3 11 22

31. The XenApp & XenDesktop 7.6 Approach to IOPS
18 7 17 8 13 6 9 20 19 2 15 16 12 1 5 10 14 4 21 3 11 22
© 2014 Citrix. 49 Confidential.
Place small, random writes in RAM
As RAM consumed, sequence and write larger blocks to disk
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

32. © 2014 Citrix. 50 Confidential.
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Windows 2012R2 Windows 7
IOPS
Native Disk PVS (Disk Cache) PVS (RAM Cache)
XenDesktop
eliminates over 90%
of the IOPS without
any extra storage
hardware.
(RAM Cache with
Overflow on Disk
Cache)

33. © 2014 Citrix. 52 Confidential.
Connection Leasing
A safety net for your users

34. Pre-XenApp 7.6
Normal operations 1. User authenticates to
© 2014 Citrix. 53 Confidential.
StoreFront
2. StoreFront forwards
credentials
3. Controller authenticates
user and enumerates
resources via the DB
4. Receiver receives
response and starts
session
Site DB
1 2
3
4
StoreFront
Delivery Controller
User
XenApp

35. Pre-XenApp 7.6
Database outage 1. User authenticates to
© 2014 Citrix. 54 Confidential.
StoreFront
2. StoreFront forwards
credentials
3. Controller authenticates
user and fails to
enumerate resources as
DB is offline
4. User cannot start
session
Site DB
1 2
3
StoreFront
Delivery Controller
User
XenApp

36. XenApp 7.6
Normal Operations
© 2014 Citrix. 55 Confidential.
1. User authenticates to
StoreFront
2. StoreFront forwards
credentials
3. Controller authenticates
user and enumerates
resources via the DB
4. Receiver receives
response and starts
session
5. Controller logs resource
access in local XML file
Site DB
1 2
3
4
StoreFront
Delivery Controller
User
XenApp
XML File
5

37. XenApp 7.6
Database outage
© 2014 Citrix. 56 Confidential.
1. User authenticates to
StoreFront
2. StoreFront forwards
credentials
3. Controller authenticates
user and fails to
enumerate resources as
DB is offline
4. Controller accesses
local XML file and
enumerates resources
5. Receiver receives
response and starts
session
Site DB
1 2
3
StoreFront
Delivery Controller
User
XenApp
XML File
4
5

38. © 2014 Citrix. 58 Confidential.
The image management challenge
Multiple images
App compatibility with other apps
App dependencies

39. AppDNA 7.6 simplifies App Migration for Windows EOL
A robust tool integrated into XenApp and XenDesktop Platinum
What’s New
Dependency Mapping
Interoperability Testing
Build Assessment
WorxWeb Compatibility Analysis
© 2014 Citrix. 59 Confidential.
Free AppDNA Training Course
http://training.citrix.com/mod/ctxcatalog/course.php?id=857

40. The right alerts, reports and tools for Support
© 2014 Citrix. 63 Confidential.

41. © 2014 Citrix. 64 Confidential.
Application Usage Reporting
Licensing Alerts
Hotfix Inventory

42. Simplifying App Management and Monitoring
Enhancements to Citrix Studio and System Center integration
App Folders Citrix Connector
© 2014 Citrix. 65 Confidential.
Deploy software to XenApp & XenDesktop
Create published apps using Conf Manager
Operational enhancements like user logoff
Support Citrix provisioning (PVS and MCS)
Unified policy control for published app, MSI
and App-V

43. HP Moonshot for XenDesktop
and XenApp

44. Simplify application and desktop delivery
HP Moonshot with Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop
Application Delivery Hosted Desktop Infrastructure1
HP ProLiant m710
Delivering a broad range of hosted applications Delivering hosted desktops
© Copyright 2014 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice.
HP ProLiant m700
1 HP ConvergedSystem 100 with Citrix XenDesktop
4 Xeon cores,
integrated GPU,
10Gb networking
4 PC’s per
cartridge with
integrated GPU
Scale efficiently to deliver a range of applications - from
productivity to audio/video to graphics
Predictable desktop performance from dedicated server to
end user with up to 6x faster graphics frames per second1
One common platform
Gain control & reduce complexity Accelerate business innovation
Fewer components to manage with
significantly less cabling
Host more apps and desktops in the data
center
Realize breakthrough economics
Reduce OpEx with fixed cost per user and
CapEx with no virtualization layer or SAN

45. XenApp / XenDesktop Feature
Matrix

46. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 81 Confidential.

47. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 82 Confidential.

48. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 83 Confidential.

49. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 84 Confidential.

50. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 85 Confidential.

51. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 86 Confidential.

52. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 87 Confidential.

53. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 88 Confidential.

54. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 89 Confidential.

55. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 90 Confidential.

56. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 91 Confidential.

57. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 92 Confidential.

58. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 93 Confidential.

59. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 94 Confidential.

60. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 95 Confidential.

61. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.5 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 96 Confidential.

62. XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6 Feature Matrix
© 2014 Citrix. 97 Confidential.

63. © 2014 Citrix. 98 Confidential.
WORK BETTER. LIVE BETTER.