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Wyse Technology Partners With Citrix Systems on Desktop ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:47 GMT

Earthtimes (press release)Wyse Technology Partners With Citrix Systems on Desktop Virtualization ProgramEarthtimes (press release)The open architecture of.

Wyse Technology Partners With Citrix Systems on Desktop ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:47 GMT

Wyse Technology Partners With Citrix Systems on Desktop Virtualization ProgramSYS-CON Media (press release)The open architecture of XenDesktop 4 gives customers.

Wyse Technology Partners With Citrix Systems on Desktop ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:47 GMT

Business Wire (press release)Wyse Technology Partners With Citrix Systems on Desktop Virtualization ProgramBusiness Wire (press release)The open architecture of.

Workaround to disable “Extended Page Table” (EPT) in DELL Citrix ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:47 GMT

How to disable Extended Page Table in DELL Citrix XenServer? As information given in CTX122348 and CTX122627 was not working in DELL's OEM edition of.

Five reasons why you need Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V now | Free ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:47 GMT

Citrix Essentials™ for Microsoft® Hyper-V™ adds advanced capabilities to Hyper-V to create, integrate, manage and automate virtual datacenters at half the cost of other solutions. Hyper-V delivers immediate benefits to organizations of ...

Wyse Technology Partners With Citrix Systems on Desktop ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:47 GMT

Wyse Technology Partners With Citrix Systems on Desktop Virtualization ProgramEON: Enhanced Online News (press release)The open architecture of XenDesktop 4.

Wyse Technology Partners With Citrix Systems on Desktop ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:47 GMT

Wyse Technology Partners With Citrix Systems on Desktop Virtualization ProgramYour-Story.org (press release)The open architecture of XenDesktop 4 gives.

Technology, – Wyse Technology Partners With Citrix Systems on ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:47 GMT

Technology, - Wyse Technology Partners With Citrix Systems on Desktop ...Ad-Hoc-News (Pressemitteilung)The open architecture of XenDesktop 4 gives customers the.

Wyse Technology Partners With Citrix Systems on Desktop ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:47 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif.----Wyse Technology, the global leader in thin computing and client virtualization, today announced the consistent day one support of Citrix®

Web Conferencing Reviews » Watch Out, Citrix & WebEx! ViVu May Be ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:47 GMT

Last month, video-conferencing service ViVu raised $3million in a Series A funding round, and some are suggesting that their interactive video-as-a-service (iVaaS) could be the WebEx and GoToMeeting (Citrix) killer. ...

markjeee (markjeee) « Virtualization Changes Application ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:46 GMT

Twitter Comment by markjeee (markjeee). 2009-11-09T05:58:58. RT @programmingjoy: Virtualization Changes Application Deployment But Not Development #programming [link to post]. - Posted using Chat Catcher ...

Darren Prine (CallMeMSP) « Virtualization Changes Application ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:46 GMT

Twitter Comment by CallMeMSP (Darren Prine). 2009-11-09T07:36:08. Virtualization Changes Application Deployment But Not Development: The development of a web-application for a c.. [link to post]. - Posted using Chat Catcher ...

Virtualization Changes Application Deployment But Not Development ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:46 GMT

This is because the application is still insulated by its virtualized environment.

Virtualization Changes Application Deployment But Not Development ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:46 GMT

Cloud computing management functionality and standards are right now laser-focused on virtual machines, and most APIs include the ability to.

Parallels Desktop 5.0 Virtualization Application with OpenGL 2.1 ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:46 GMT

Parallels Desktop 5.0 for Mac was announced with its developer claiming this version of virtualization software runs 64-bit Windows 7 22% faster than its nearest competitor on a MacBook Pro. Part of the speed improvements are thanks to ...

Lori MacVittie (lmacvittie) « Virtualization Changes Application ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:46 GMT

Twitter Comment by lmacvittie (Lori MacVittie). 2009-11-09T04:25:37. New post: Virtualization Changes Application Deployment But Not Development: Cloud computing management functionalit... [link to post]. - Posted using Chat Catcher ...

ThirumalaiVelu (atvelu) « Virtualization Changes Application ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:46 GMT

Twitter Comment by atvelu (ThirumalaiVelu). 2009-11-09T04:29:49. Virtualization Changes Application Deployment But Not Development... [link to post] #virtualization #ADN #cloud. - Posted using Chat Catcher ...

Part 3: Application Management and Preparing for a Windows 7 ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:46 GMT

Microsoft Application Virtualization also provides what is essentially a packaging mechanism with the application sequencing it uses to create virtual applications. For some things you can avoid packaging by not including those ...

Virtualization Changes Application Deployment But Not Development ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:46 GMT

Web and application server platforms are well-suited to becoming the layer at which we manage compute resources and application management and would certainly provide much more granular control over the environment than do virtual ...

Whitepaper Release: Application Virtualization 4.5 for Terminal ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:30:46 GMT

This white paper discusses the benefits, configurations, and considerations when planning a Terminal Services (TS) solution with Microsoft Application Virtualization for TS (App-V for TS). Many customers want to find out the best way to ...

Avoid the $11,000 Mistake

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:48:37 GMT

If you get paid to blog or you get free stuff and then blog about it, this applies to you. The FTC revised their Endorsement and Testimonial Guides which take effect on December 1, 2009. This also extends to all other forms of endorsement and social media. First, I'm not a lawyer, but I am a marketer, blogger, vlogger, tweeter, and I work with a lot of influential bloggers (such as New Marketing Labs), podcasters and more. So I really care about this stuff. My personal take on this Ruling is fairly straight forward: 1. If you act on behalf of an advertiser (you get paid), say so and be very obvious2. If you got something for free, and blogged a review, say so and be very obvious3. If your an advertiser you should be clear about your disclosure requirements, and monitor4. Be transparent and honest5. Read the Ruling, not complying could cost you $11,000 per violation All in all it's common sense. Disclosure is at the heart of credibility. This is truly the media half of social media. As our industry evolves and scales, it's no surprise that some regulation follows, and as far as disclosure is concerned, I think it's good for business. AJ Leon has made Winston Churchill a popular reference on this blog, so I thought you'd enjoy the following quote "We must take change by the hand or rest assuredly, change will take us by the throat." If you want more information about the FTC Ruling, check out this article by Kelley Drye & Warren.I would love to hear what you think about disclosure. Is it good or bad for social media? Does it represent a maturing of the industry?Photo by: rversde23

Introducing the Citrix Support "How To" Video Series

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 20:47:03 GMT

Citrix Support is focused on ensuring Customer and Partner satisfaction with the support of our products. One of our initiatives is to increase the ability of our Partners and Customers to leverage self-service avenues for finding answers and resolving problems. A key area that the Support teams focus on is development a series of How To videos covering the most common questions asked in support. To date there are over 40 How To videos covering 11 products available from Citrix TV. Over the coming weeks and months lots more will be added. If you have a How To video suggestion or feedback on the current videos, contact us via one of the following channels: email AskSupport@citrix.com Tweet us @citrixsupport and @citrixreadiness Leave a message on our Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/CitrixSupport Current video series available on Citrix TV are: Citrix XenServer - http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/137 Citrix XenApp - http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/131 Citrix XenDesktop - http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/135 Citrix NetScaler - http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/133 Citrix Provisioning Services - http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/136 Citrix Web Interface - http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/129 Citrix Merchandising Server - http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/124 Citrix Password Manager - http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/126 Citrix EdgeSight - http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/132 Citrix Workflow Studio - http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/130 Citrix Access Gateway Standard Edition - http://www.citrix.com/tv/#series/134 David Twitter - http://twitter.com/citrixreadiness Citrix Support on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/citrixsupport View Online | Add Comment

Catch a Great Keynote from TechEd Europe 2009

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 16:21:21 GMT

I’m just heading out of Monday’s Keynote address here at TechEd Europe 2009, and it was definitely a stunner. If you couldn’t attend, here’s a short summary, and if any of this floats your boat, check back to the New Efficiency Virtual Launch Event in a few hours because we’ll be posting a recording of the session there. The session began with an intro by Achim Berg, Chairman of the Managing Board Microsoft Germany and Area Vice President International, who explained why I was left with standing room only: over 7200 people from 104 countries completely sold out the TechEd Europe 2009 event a few days ago and a large percentage of them had filled the keynote theater to capacity! Achim then introduced Stephen Elop, President of the Microsoft Business Division, but first he paid homage to the historic celebration happening in Berlin today. It’s been 20 years to the day since the Berlin Wall came down, symbolically ending the cold war and re-uniting both Germany and Europe. He also pointed us to an impressive artistic project focusing on today’s celebration of the event and using several Microsoft technologies to build a mosaic of impressions, remembrances and opinions of the Wall from people around the world. You can take part yourself by clicking over to www.citymosaic.de to participate. Stephen Elop also paid homage to Berlin’s history, but then got down to business, explaining just what Microsoft means with our New Efficiency campaign. With help from Microsoft execs and customers deploying our newest platforms, he did a great job of clearly explaining the New Efficiency and what it means to businesses and IT operators today. Tune in when we post the recording for a fascinating discussion with IT operators on the cutting edge. All are facing challenges like a workforce that now spans four generations, an economic landscape that can shift on a dime, and new competitive technologies, including cloud computing and virtualization, and balancing them against a cost-conscious management mind set. My favorite line? “Ninja-proofing your IT infrastructure.” He also oversaw a great demo of Exchange 2010 – loads of stuff I didn’t even know Outlook 2010 or Exchange 2010 could do, even though I’ve been using both for over a month now! Get set for much smarter voicemail, email discussion views and way easier Exchange server management. Stephen then introduced Robert Wahbe, Corporate Vice President, Server and Tools Marketing, to talk about all the new capabilities of Windows Server 2008 R2. We’ve covered them here in depth, but even so Robert dropped a few new facts, like that 460,000 customers have so far downloaded Windows Server 2008 R2 since it became available and that all major server makers are already offering it on new hardware. He also monitored a great demo of the synergy between System Center 2010 and Windows Server 2008 R2, including not just an easy dashboard-style interface but the cool capabilities of PowerShell. All this is well worth the look once the recording posts. Meantime, check out a new Forrester study on the Total Economic Impact of Windows Server 2008 R2. I’ve sat through many a keynote in my day, and this one really is worth the time; thanks to Stephen and Robert for making it so interesting. Oliver Rist Sr. Product Manager Windows Server Marketing

Increase Web Application Scalability and Reliability with ARR 2.0 RTW

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 14:30:00 GMT

Today, Microsoft announced the final release of IIS Application Request Routing (ARR) 2.0 RTW. Customers - such as hosting providers, Content Delivery Network (CDN) providers, and IT Professionals are changing the way they do business as a result of ARR 2.0. ARR 2.0 delivers cost savings, elastic scalability, and flexible deployment options. With IIS 7.5 and ARR 2.0, customers can create a native Silverlight infrastructure and configure their CDN so that it provides superior live and on-demand media offerings for their users. Customers can implement new capabilities in their CDN and as a result, can replace Apache Squid on their edge servers and cut costs. By deploying this new solution based on ARR 2.0, customers can provide a better viewing experience for Web consumers, boost the scalability and level of control they have over their CDN, and enhance the reports they can provide their users. There are now several new scenarios available to the Microsoft Web Platform. My personal favorite is a media solution combining IIS Live Smooth Streaming with ARR 2.0 to deliver live HD video over a CDN – a scenario nobody else can do today. ARR 2.0 also adds support to enhance disk based cache and cache proxy for CDNs while increasing Web application reliability and scalability through rule-based routing and load balancing of HTTP server requests. ARR 2.0 is able to cache on disk any HTTP traffic that passes through the server. By combining the disk caching capabilities along with a hierarchy of IIS Web servers running ARR 2.0, CDNs and hosting providers are able to considerably reduce the network traffic that traverses up to the origin server. In other words – get your free software load balancer with caching on top of Windows Server! And oh, if you want to stream live HD media across a CDN – we got you covered! Did I mention it’s free? And it’s available to download and install today with the Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0, your one-stop shop to get everything for the Microsoft Web Platform – including ARR 2.0 RTW. From IIS Extensions to the Windows App Gallery, there is sure to be something useful for your Web site endeavors. If you still aren't convinced that ARR 2.0 is the coolest thing since sliced bread, as LeVar from Reading Rainbow would say, "But don't take my word for it!" Internap, an Internet Service Provider company based out of Atlanta, Georgia deployed ARR 2.0 and IIS 7.5 in the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system to implement new capabilities in its content delivery network. As a result, the company can replace Apache Squid on its edge servers, cut costs, and improve scalability, reporting, and the users' Web experience. Be sure to check out their brand new case study. For more information or to download, please visit the IIS ARR 2.0 RTW page. Eric Rezabek Senior Product Manager IIS/Web

The Case for Smarter Commuting

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 23:26:31 GMT

Today Andrew Millard stops by from across the pond to help launch a new whitepaper concerning smarter commuting as part of the UK's third annual National Commute Smart week. Andrew is the eCommerce Director of EMEA at Citrix Online.The daily commute. It's a thought that can send a chill down the spine of even the cheeriest soul. Battling congested roads in rush hour, waiting on station platforms for delayed trains and squeezing onto packed buses. If that's not bad enough, the evenings are starting to get colder and certainly darker, with the clocks going back recently, making the daily commute that bit harder. This week the UK's third annual National Commute Smart Week is taking place, with the aim of encouraging workers to reduce or even eliminate their daily commute to improve health, wellbeing and productivity. It's an initiative that peaked my interest and I was keen to find out more about the feasibility of introducing smarter, and more flexible, working approaches. So to coincide with Commute Smart Week, we commissioned some consumer research to uncover the real picture of commuting in the UK and pose the question: is there a 'smarter' way to commute?How do UK workers commute?The survey found that collectively, British workers spend around 26 million hours every single day commuting. While that works out to be an average of 49 minutes per person, there are one in ten of us who are travelling for a minimum of two hours every day. It can be a painful experience and when asked about the biggest frustrations with commuting, being stuck in traffic topped the list, with travelling in the darker winter months and the expense of commuting close behind. One in five Brits were annoyed about wasting time which could be spent more productively. Given those results, it was no surprise to find that around two-thirds of us Brits want to reduce the time we spend commuting. So what's the alternative?It was clear from the research that British workers are frustrated by many aspects of their commute and that there is a real desire to improve or reduce their journeys. The people we surveyed were clear about the benefits of smarter commuting, particularly in achieving a greater work-life balance by reducing the amount of time wasted 'in limbo', neither at work or at home. Many respondents identified ways smarter commuting could work in practice, such as working flexible hours so they could travel outside of peak hours, and working from home to avoid the commute altogether. Technology was seen as the great enabler, providing the tools to allow workers to connect with their workplace, colleagues and clients and carry out their job from any location.Is it feasible?Now I'm not suggesting that every business should rush to adopt smarter working practices just because workers are a bit frustrated with their commute. It's highly likely that businesses are placing even more value on a visible, highly productive and engaged workforce in our competitive and challenging economy.But taking a more flexible approach, and utilising the widely available and low-cost internet tools that can enable this, could provide the key to businesses acquiring and retaining the best talent, improving staff morale and loyalty, and as a result, maximise productivity of their workforce.By working together, employers and employees can gain a better understanding of each others' needs, assess the right approaches and test a range of options, which will help to transform the British workplace into a highly productive environment, while serving the work-life balance needs of employees.You can download a whitepaper, revealing the full results of the Commute Smart research.Photo by: raindog

xvp - A Web Interface for XenServer

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 12:08:19 GMT

One of the most common requests from XenServer customers is for a web interface, so that they can manage their VMs from a browser. I'm pleased to say that I've found one! It's called xvp, and has been developed by Colin Dean at Durham University in the UK. There are four components: xvpweb: A web front end for XenServer, running on Apache/PHP. xvpviewer: A Java applet for accessing XenServer consoles (used by xvpweb, of course). xvp: A server-side proxy for XenServer consoles, so that you can use ordinary VNC clients. xvpdiscover: A tool that queries a XenServer pool, and writes the appropriate configuration files for xvp and xvpweb. The whole thing is open source (GPL v2). It uses libxenserver, XML-RPC for PHP, and parts of TightVNC. It's been in development since May 2009, and is now on version 1.2.4. Project home page: http://www.dur.ac.uk/c.c.dean/xvp/ xvpweb on Windows xvpviewer on Mac OS X xvpviewer on Linux View Online | Add Comment

XenDesktop Support for Novell

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 09:04:11 GMT

Since the last months Citrix and Novell worked closely together to provide a solution for customers with Novell eDirectory in place. For the Desktop Delivery Controller and the Virtual Desktop Agents Citrix announced an official support statement which could be found here: http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX123281 Costumers with a synched Active Directory / eDirectory only have to be aware of their GINA chaining. http://community.citrix.com/display/ocb/2009/05/07/XenDesktop+and+Novell+eDirectory For environments where no Active Directory is in place Novell Open Enterprise Server with Domain Service for Windows (DSfW) http://tinyurl.com/yze7y65 have to be installed and configured before XenDesktop. Due the fact, that DSfW only accepts Kerberos and no NTLM calls the XenDesktop Active Directory Wizard should not be used to prepare the OU. You'll need to configure the DDC and VDA without using an OU: http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX118976 I've developed a little cool tool to configure both components using a simple GUI. On the Desktop Delivery Controller: 1.Set Desktop Delivery Controller without AD OU to enabled 2.Press Set DDC Config Button On the Virtual Desktop Agents (WinXP,Vista, Win7) 1.Enter the FQDN of the DDC(s) 2.Press SET VDA Config Button For those of you who would like to set the DDC configuration by using ZENworks or Group Policies I've added an ADM Template (FarmControllers.adm) into the Novell Integration Tool folder. Download: Novell Integration Tool Note: This tool is not supported by Citrix Support and if you have any issues try to configure the VDA manually using regedit or leave me a blog comment. View Online | Add Comment

Berlin 2009: Old Walls, New Platforms

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 19:03:00 GMT

My bags are packed and the U.S. Government has graciously admitted my existence, providing me with a brand new passport to prove it. Now I’ve just got to nurse my spine through 10 hours in a coach aisle seat, and I’ll be at TechEd Europe 2009 in Berlin. This will be an exciting week to be there with Berlin celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall, and Microsoft celebrating the launch of Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7 and Exchange 2010. If you’re not lucky enough to get folded into a hobbit-sized airline seat and whimper your way to Millennium City, you can still attend virtually by watching Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft Business Division, and Robert Wahbe, corporate vice president of the Server and Tools Marketing Group, give the keynote address live online November 9 at 6:30 a.m. Pacific/9:30 a.m. Eastern/3:30 p.m. GMT. And there’s more after the keynote speech: join Microsoft executives in a post-keynote speech videoconference to discuss the latest news and technologies including Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2010. You can even join in the fun and ask questions following a brief introduction. Just submit your questions during the teleconference or any time leading up to it by tweeting with the Twitter hashtag, #TEE09. So visit the Microsoft Tech•Ed Global Pressroom to access the keynote live streams and participate in the post-keynote speech Q&A with Microsoft executives. Also look for more blog posts here on the keynotes as well as Facebook and Twitter updates on cool Windows Server 2008 R2 info-sessions before they happen. Oliver Rist Sr. Product Manager Windows Server Marketing

ワークスタイルを大きく変化させるCitrix Receiver for iPhone

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 10:29:44 GMT

今回はiPhone, iPod Touch向けのクライアントソフトウェアであるCitrix Receiver for iPhoneとCitrix XenAppサーバーでホストされているアプリケーションへの接続を体験できるCitrix Demos In the Cloudのご紹介です。お手持ちのiPhone, iPod Touchからの接続でその操作性、接続性をぜひ体験してみてください。 Citrix Receiver for iPhone とは? Citrix Receiver for iPhoneは、iPhone, iPod Touch向けのCitrixクライアントコンポーネントです。現在の最新バージョンはCitrix Receiver for iPhone 1.0.3 となり、iPhone, iPod TouchからCitrix Receiver for iPhoneを通じてCitrix XenAppサーバーファームに公開されているWindowsアプリケーションが利用可能となります。また、iPhone, iPod Touchの特徴のひとつである「マルチタッチ」、「加速度センサー」にも対応しています。 Citrix Receiver for iPhone のインストールと Citrix Demos In The Cloud 環境への接続 1. Citrix Receiver for iPhoneのインストール Citrix Receiver for iPhoneはApp Storeからのダウンロード(iTunes経由、もしくはiPhoneから直接)により入手、インストール可能です。 2. Citrix Demos In The Cloudアカウント登録 Citrixでは、Citrix Receiver for iPhoneからCitrix XenAppサーバーファームへの接続を体験するためのCitrix Demos In The Cloud環境を用意しています。Citrix Demos In The Cloudアカウント登録を行い、お手持ちのiPhone, iPod TouchからCitrix XenAppサーバーファームに公開されているWindowsアプリケーション(3D CADアプリケーション、MS Officeアプリケーション、Flashアプリケーションなど)への接続を体験してみてください。 Citrix Demos In The Cloudアカウント登録サイト http://citrixcloud.net/ 3. Citrix Demos In The Cloud環境への接続 Citrix ReceiverアイコンをタップしてCitrix Demos In The Cloudアカウント登録時にE-mailアドレスに送付されたCitrix Demos In The Cloud環境への認証情報(アドレス、ユーザー名、パスワード、ドメイン名)の入力によりWindowsアプリケーションが利用可能となります。 View Online | Add Comment

Help Scope the Next Generation of XenServer Training

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 22:52:03 GMT

Citrix Education is hosting the following 1-hour virtual sessions to scope the next generation of XenServer training: For Citrix customers: Tuesday, November 17, 1:00pm Eastern/10:00 Pacific For Citrix partners: Wednesday, November 18, 1:00pm Eastern/10:00 Pacific If you would like to participate in one of these sessions, then email me at mark.carter@citrix.com for registration information. In your email, state whether you are a customer or a partner and what level of XenServer experience you have. Each session is limited to 5 participants, so don't delay! Also, feel free to email me if you would like to participate in this discussion but cannot attend one of the scheduled sessions. Citrix Education will look to schedule additional sessions depending on interest and availability of participants. Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to hearing your input. View Online | Add Comment

Citrix Support Self-Service Tools - Citrix Quick Launch Tool

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:39:41 GMT

FREE Essentials for Hyper-V Training - Now with R2 Content!

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 21:43:32 GMT

Free, online training course CEV-100-2W Getting Started with Citrix Essentials for Hyper-V, has been updated to include Windows Server 2008 R2 features and enhancements. Updates include: Integration with Windows Hyper‐V R2 Enhanced support and integration with Microsoft's System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2008 Site recovery used to protect your virtual machine deployment with a replicated failover site in the event of a catastrophic event Improved virtual machine template management, and other ease of use improvements Get started at http://www.citrix.com/ehvtraining View Online | Add Comment

Perception is Reality - Changing the Access Gateway label

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:05:54 GMT

Everyone should know by now that the NetScaler standard is the best practice for XenApp delivery. So why do folks still see "Access Gateway" on the NetScaler's cool carbon fiber login page? Do your prospects a favor and provide a consistent message that NetScaler is the solution they are testing! One small way you can address this is by changing the "Access Gateway" graphic in the VPN login page to read "NetScaler". I bet you didn't even know Citrix already put the logo on the device, did you? Proceedure Log in to the command line interface using any of the available methods: Web GUI: System > Diagnostics > Command Line Interface Console port SSH client Issue the following commands: > shell # cp -r /netscaler/ns_gui/vpn/* /var/vpn/vpn # cd /var/vpn/vpn/images # mv ctxHeader01.gif ctxHeader01ForAGEE.gif # cp ctxHeader01ForTM.gif ctxHeader01.gif Notes Used NetScaler 9.0 View Online | Add Comment

The Data is In: Workshifting Makes People More Productive

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 12:41:55 GMT

Lately, my sister has been trying to convince her employer--a non-profit that supports freedom and democracy around the world--to allow its employees to work flexible hours, from anywhere (but most especially from home). She does project-based work that only occasionally requires direct input from co-workers--that is, she is the ideal candidate for workshifting. And still, she is having a tough time selling the idea upstairs. In the process of making her case, my sister has come across an enormous amount of research about the value of workshifting (although to be fair, most of the studies don't call it that; see also, flextime, teleworking, etc.). Here's some of it:The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) reports that according to results of a 2009 study, "a full 84% of companies overall believe that flexible work arrangements in their organization boosts employee morale. That figure is up from 76% in a similar 2008 study conducted by i4cp. Correspondingly, the 2009 study showed that 78% of polled companies say flexwork options bolster retention rates, up from 64% the previous year."A 2008 report from Corporate Voices for Working Families notes that in their 2007 survey of senior-level executives at large corporations:"Respondents reported an overwhelmingly positive experience with flexible work strategies;""More then 75 percent of the business executives interviewed define flexible work strategies as an alternate time or location arrangement; for instance, a nonstandard 40-hour workweek or working from home;" and "The respondents, by a ratio of 9-to-1, report that flexible work strategies have a positive effect on helping organizations reach business goalsIn a 2009 letter of recommendations submitted to the Senate Staff Working Group on Workplace Flexibility, Corporate Voices cites, "Our 50 partner companies [including Booz Allen Hamilton, HP, and KPMG LLP] understand that flexible work arrangements, for both salaried and hourly employees, contribute to more productive work environments, increased employee loyalty, reduced stress, and as a result, increased profitability and global competitiveness."IBM has seen a dramatic savings due to its support of telecommuting. As of October 2007, according to a FinancialWeek article of that month, 40% of IBM's 355,000 employees are mobile workers. The magazine reports, "The company estimates that its mobile workforce reduces its real estate requirements by at least 2 million square feet, saving IBM about $100 million a year."Families and Work Institute (FWI) reports in their study The Impact of the Recession on Employers, "fully 81% of employers have maintained existing flexible work options during the recession and 13% have actually increased those options, while 6% have reduced them.Even Michelle Obama is a believer in workshifting: Speaking at a Corporate Voices conference in May 2009, Obama stressed that her own personal experiences support Corporate Voices' research. The Washington Post reported that Obama said, "I found that as I've managed staff, the more flexibility and opportunities that I gave them to be good parents, the more commitment that they made to working with me, the less likely they were to leave because they wouldn't find the same sort of situation somewhere else." She added, "So this isn't just about family balance. This is about making work places stronger and more effective, and keeping and attracting the most qualified people."As someone who's been workshifting for 15 years, I couldn't agree more--and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my sister is successful in her fight for the freedom to be happier, healthier and more productive!

Xen.org Announces Release of Xen Cloud Platform 0.1

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 13:36:45 GMT

Xen Cloud Platform (XCP) 0.1 is an effort by several community members to create a complete open source virtual infrastructure solution (Hypervisor + Management Toolstack) as a reference architecture for cloud deployments. This 0.1 release provides a stable platform on which to build, and to provoke community discussion about the final form that XCP 1.0 should take. Developers, testers, and users are all invited to try the XCP 0.1 solution and help drive the community toward the future release of XCP 1.0. The base platform proposed contains the following features: Latest Xen 3.4.1 Linux 2.6.27 Kernel Windows PV Drivers, Microsoft Certified (Binary Only) XAPI Enterprise-class Management Tool Stack VM Lifecycle: Live snapshots, checkpoint, migration Resource Pools: Safe live relocation, auto configuration, DR Host Configuration: Flexible storage management, networking, power management Event Tracking: Progress, notification Secure Communication using SSL Upgrade and Patching Capabilities Real-time Performance Monitoring and Alerting Basic SR-IOV Support CDROM and Network Host Installer Full Featured "xe" CLI and web services API For more information, please visit these sites: General Product Info - http://www.xen.org/products/cloudxen.html XCP Roadmap - http://www.xen.org/products/cloud_roadmap.html User and Developer Support - http://www.xen.org/products/cloud_support.html Source and Binary Distributions -http://www.xen.org/products/cloud_source.html XAPI Toolstack Developer Guide - http://wiki.xensource.com/xenwiki/XAPI_Developer_Guide All questions on the XCP 0.1 release should be directed to these mailing lists: XAPI Toolstack Questions -xen-api Developer Questions - xen-develwith XCP in subject line User Questions - xen-userswith XCP in subject line View Online | Add Comment

Generation "Y Do I Have to Work From the Office?"

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 13:18:26 GMT

As of October 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) figures place national unemployment numbers at 9.8%. These numbers are that much more pronounced and dire for young people. BLS says the unemployment rate has increased among 20-24 year olds by 50% since August 2008. In August of this year, roughly 15% of people in that same age bracket and 10% of 25-34 year olds were out of work. Indeed, Generation Y, also known as the "'Net Generation" or "Millennials," face the toughest job market in decades. That's a tough pill for a group of young people who were raised during boom times and for whom invincibility has been a common and cohesive feeling. These 76 million Americans born between 1979 and 1995 tend to have distinctive attitudes toward work, including where and when it ought to be performed. Sixty-three percent of Gen Y women placed the highest importance on accomplishing personal goals; 23% who stated professional goals were tops.Fully one-fourth of these women indicated that they would prefer to have flex scheduling and the ability to set their own work hours in lieu of a 10% increase in salary.While unemployment has hit this 'Net cohort harder than others, they may bounce back faster than older workers would; as technology is their native tongue, which allows them to work remotely, saving employers money on overhead, sick pay and losses related to traffic and weather-induced delays for traditional employees. Some companies are jumping on the remote working and flex-time bandwagon, with a program called "ROWE," or "results only work environment." Businesses on board with ROWE included Best Buy and Gap Outlet headquarters, and the City of Minneapolis. Workers at these companies "work wherever they want whenever they want, as long as the work gets done."Under ROWE, "productivity isn't judged by how many hours someone puts in the chair but rather the quality and quantity of their work." This attitude was echoed across all age groups in data from a survey conducted late last year by the polling company™, inc./WomanTrend for Citrix Online. More than half (56%) of respondents revealed that they were never able to work remotely, also referred to as "Webcommuting," though nearly three-fourths (73%) of American employees wanted the ability to do so at their current or next job. Gen Y workers (those aged 18-29) were more likely than most to "never" be able to work from a location other than the office (60% vs. 56% overall). In addition 18% of Gen Yers were willing to sacrifice up to 5% of their salary to work remotely, an astonishing figure considering the year-long economic downturn and bleak employment prospects for that age group. Gen Y has grown up doing what they want from where they want, and being "forced" to commute and work from the same place at the same time each day belies both their flexibility and productivity. However, in the aforementioned survey, 56% of 18-29 year olds said they were unable to work remotely as their "job functionality required them to be on site." This was the most of any age group. At the same time, 62% agreed, either "strongly" or "somewhat" with the statement "I would benefit from a fast and affordable way to meet over the Internet with colleagues located anywhere, and share our computer files, presentations and other information just as if we were in the same room." This indicates a strong desire to work from somewhere other than the office.According to "career doctor" Randall S. Hansen, PhD , this newest crop of workers "has no interest whatsoever in working in a cubicle -- not because it is beneath them, but because they feel advances in technology should let them be able to choose to work from home, Starbucks, or anywhere there is a Wi-Fi connection." Another tremendous advantage of shifting work from a traditional brick-and-mortar to an alternative and more convenient venue for the employee (if not the employer) is that talent can be recruited from around the world, not just around the corner. Additionally, there is evidence that the type of flexibility achieved through Webcommuting increases employee satisfaction and retention. With Generation Y remaining informed and entertained, communicating and transacting on the computer, working seems the next natural step.Photo by: Justin Levy

Citrix Support Self-Service Tools - Citrix Printing Tool

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 12:33:59 GMT

Citrix's product line as of 2009 (Now with cool, colorful, historical chart!)

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

As we reach the end of 2009, I wanted to take a look at the Citrix product landscape as it sits today. We receive many requests to outline what Citrix is up to, as well as for some sort of correlation between the current product names and their historical names. In June of 2007, we published our first rundown, which also explained the many internal Citrix product groups and the products they are responsible for. Those internal groups have gotten even more confusing as time has...

Workshifting in Kenya

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 20:09:26 GMT

Having spent the past couple weeks, working in Africa, I thought it might be a good idea to post a quick video about what it is like to workshift from this continent. There are definitely many more challenges compared to our workshifting in the developing world. The infrastructure is weak. The ISP's blow. And finding a shop with WiFi that can load Gmail would be like finding a bar of gold in your next bowl of Cheerios. However, workshifting is possible in many areas because of the significant investment made over the past five years by mobile providers such as Zain, Safaricom and Vodacom.On the border of Kenya, I recorded some of my thoughts on workshifting in Africa. If you can't see the video below, you can also find it hiding over here.

Is VDI Stupid?

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 19:54:44 GMT

VDI is not stupid. Recently, Eric S. Perkins on his blog proclaimed that VDI is Stupid. Well, actually, the way our competitors have been treating VDI is problematic; which might have led to Eric's assertion that VDI is stupid. So, I want to take this opportunity to go over some of his concerns. One important point on VDI - VDI is not merely another server workload and must not be treated as such. This is perhaps why many of our competitors' VDI implementations have failed and have also created significant costs for their customers. Furthermore, VDI is not for every user in the enterprise - it is best suited for certain environments. Desktop virtualization, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive solution that encompasses VDI. By separating the three core components of the desktop - OS, apps, and user profile - into three different layers, desktops are managed centrally and dynamically assembled for users regardless of the location and device the users are logging in from. The separation of the three core layers provide tremendous flexibility for IT to manage users desktops. Citrix has been in the desktop virtualization space for a long time (admittedly we never talked about it as desktop virtualization) and have various forms of it available to our customers. Beyond VDI, Citrix FlexCast allows IT to delivery desktops to all users desktops in different scenarios: For task workers sharing a similar set of applications, the most secure, cost-effective approach is Hosted Shared Desktops. For office workers who need more personalized desktops, Hosted VM-based VDI Desktops is often the best approach. By running each user's desktop in a dedicated virtual machine, this option combines the benefits of central management with full user personalization. For technical workers and power users who run professional graphics applications such as CAD/CAM, GIS; Hosted Blade PC Desktops ensures dedicated processing power for each user. Local Streamed Desktops leverage the local processing power of rich clients, while centralizing single-image management of the desktop. This is a quick and cost-effective way for anyone to get started with desktop virtualization by leveraging existing PC resources while keeping datacenter overhead to a minimum. Virtual Apps to Installed Desktops offer many of the ROI and management benefits of a fully virtualized desktop with minimal setup costs. Although virtual apps run on the local device, they managed centrally. Regardless of what type of virtual desktop you pick for your users, user experience is the most important aspect of desktop virtualization. Based on Citrix's 20 years experience working with the end users, we are very sensitive to how users interact with their work environment. So when we created XenDesktop, a huge focus is placed on making the user experience much better than a local PC - with our HDX technology. With regards to VDI being just another propaganda or niche solution. Gartner estimates by 2013, the desktop virtualization market will be at $65billion. And we are seeing this explosive growth at Citrix. There are real business issues our customers are addressing with desktop virtualization. You can see all these real world testimonials on our website. View Online | Add Comment

Performance Monitoring Part 8 – Analyzing a Performance Monitor Database using Excel

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 14:06:18 GMT

In the last post of this series about performance monitoring, I have described how to use Windows Performance Monitor to log counter values into a SQL database. Now I’ll show you that Excel is a tremendous tool to quickly analyze the collected data. Excel offers a feature called pivot tables. It allows some data mining either on a local data set contained in an Excel sheet or on a database which Excel is connected to. Therefore, this article describes how to create a connection to the database and create nifty charts using Excel. Creating a Database Connection First, the data needs to be pulled into Excel. Instead of pulling tables or the result of a query into a sheet, we will configure a data connection to display results. Duplicating data into Excel hardly makes sense because it unnecessarily bloats the file. On the data tab, Excel offers several methods for reading data from different sources. We will use the "From SQL Server" button to create a connection to the Performance Monitor database. In the first dialog, enter the server name and click next. The following step of the wizard select the relevant database (in my case, it is called PerfMonDB) and uncheck the option to "Connect to a specific table" because we do not intend to use one of the tables. Then click "Next" and "Finish". In the next dialog you will be asked to select a table. At this point, it is the selection you make is insignificant because we will use a SQL statement later on. Before any data is inserted into your Excel sheet, the following dialog allows the data connection to be customized. Select "PivotChart and PivotTable Report" and click "Properties" to insert a custom SQL statement. On the "Definition" tab of the new dialog, select "SQL" to be the "Command type" and page the following SQL statement into "Command text". Then click "Ok". SELECT DisplayString, MachineName, ObjectName, CounterName, InstanceName, CounterDateTime, CounterValue FROM CounterData JOIN CounterDetails ON CounterData.CounterID = CounterDetails.CounterID JOIN DisplayToID ON CounterData.GUID = DisplayToID.GUID After closing the dialog, Excel may ask you to confirm the change of the connection definition. Please confirm this by clicking "Yes". Using the PivotChart You have now created a blank PivotTable and PivotChart report with a direct connection to your Performance Monitor database. All this is achieved without pulling in the actual data from the database. You Excel sheet should look similar to the following screenshot. The Excel window now contains several new elements: a PivotTable area on the left, a blank PivotChart accompanied with a filter pane in the middle and a PivotTable field list on the right. I will now expand on the PivotTable stuff but rather demonstrate how to use the PivotChart as a dashboard for analyzing the performance data contained in the database. First, we will move the PivotChart to a separate sheet to have a well-arranged workspace. Right click on the blank PivotChart, select "Move Chart" and choose "New sheet" in the dialog. After attaching the filter pane to the right side of the window, I configured the PivotChart to analyze the performance database: Drag the DisplayString and MachineName fields to report filters Drag the CounterName to the legend fields Drag the CounterDataTime to the axis fields Drag the CounterValue to the values box After some adjustments to the layout, I arrived at the PivotChart displayed in the screenshot below. Without much hassle, I am able to view the counter values from the database and create a nice visual representation. Using the filter pane allows you to filter which data is actually displayed in the PivotChart. If your Performance Monitor database contains several series of measurements for different machines, filtering focuses the PivotChart on the exact amount of data you intend to view from the database.

Webcast Series about Installable Feature in Windows Server 2008 R2

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 11:49:06 GMT

My colleague Nicki Wruck (@CommunityGuide) has started a huge series of short videos about the features in Windows Server 2008 R2 – in German. Windows Server 2008 R2 has more than 80 features available to the administrator to supplement the numerous roles. But many of these features have strange names making them close to impossible to understand. Nicki has already published 10 videos on a YouTube channel called R2FeatureTalk. Watch me talking about Network Load Balancing – and I will be involved in several more. Kudos for this great idea, useful content and funny introductions.

Workflow Studio EVA available

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:52:04 GMT

The Citrix Workflow Studio Evaluation Virtual Appliance (EVA) is now available. This EVA provides you with 30 days to evaluate a pre-configured virtual machine running Windows Server 2008 that has Workflow Studio 2.0 already installed and configured with all activity libraries and the sample workflows from CDN. Download the EVA and review the Getting Started guide . If you have any questions leave a comment or contact me directly View Online | Add Comment

Virtualization – Old Hat?

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:02:41 GMT

Although humans in general and members of its subspecies “marketing manager” in particular tend to treat currently “hot” topics as new and revolutionary, they only rarely are. In fact, “new” should be considered as in “new wine in old bottles” rather than in “did not exist before”. Take virtualization. Although the topic of the day seems to be cloud computing, virtualization can probably still be called “hot” (especially since a cloud also is a kind of virtualization). But is it new? Judge for yourself: Below I have compiled a list of boring old technologies that employ virtualization. Virtualization is used in… CPUs: Virtual address space / virtual memory – the processor translates between the logical addresses processes use and physical addresses the kernel uses Networks: VLANs segregate a physical network into logically separate parts Networks: IP (as in TCP/IP) adds a logically entirely different view (IP addresses) to the physical network (based on MAC addresses) Networks: DNS de-couples the way we see networks from how they work (names vs. addresses) Remote access: RDP and ICA, nowadays called “presentation virtualization” Storage: File systems virtualize the blocks on a hard disk Storage / networking: DFS spans a virtual namespace that makes the real location of files opaque to the user User interfaces: A desktop is an abstraction that translates between how humans perceive reality and the way a computer works Programming: Programming languages offer a logically very different view of a computer’s native assembly language

Why Profile management moved away from mandatory based profiles

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:19:34 GMT

While a mandatory based profile solution was the original approach (something we leveraged in the earliest releases), we are not going to return to that method. Let me explain why and get your thoughts and opinions on this. One request that has been commonly voiced has been around a mandatory style implementation. While previously we had leveraged a mandatory profile as the base, for many reasons we moved away from that approach. One key reason was to save time that the merging process required (the copying of the mandatory down first and then copying of all the net changes). All in the spirit of logon speed. Another key reason is that it really was not a mandatory profile anymore. Profile management captured all the net changes from that base mandatory. So no settings were enforced or re-written at next logon. Basically it was a holder of starting settings when a profile was loaded. But the net changes were always re-applied over the base so nothing was ever enforced. So in the end, you needed to leverage Group Policy to enforce any permanent settings anyway. It's also been explained that having a mandatory approach enables customers without Group Policy delegation to have a means to control the profile settings. And mandatory by itself is a great solution albeit the limitations on the breadth of personalization - which the amount of personalization afforded by a mandatory solution is probably adequate for many scenarios. While you can redirect folders like My Documents, Favorites, Cookies and others, the ability to change anything registry related is prevented e.g. wallpapers, application configurations and such. But if you try to combine this with something like Profile management to enable those changes, how are you going to restrict what does not get saved? You would need to create an exclusion list of all the settings you want enforced (and thus excluded from being saved). Doable on a few settings but it will get unwieldy really fast. And I am willing to bet it's going to be harder than Group Policy to manage before long. In the end, it seems capturing all the settings and using Group Policy to enforce setting as required is the way to go and thus the direction for our profile management solution. Finally, let's address the capability of having a base profile to start with. We do offer a template profile capability which you could think of as a Global Default User profile. When a user logs onto Windows and does not have an existing profile (be it local, mandatory, roaming or TS), Windows creates a new profile for that user based on the Default User profile located on that current machine. The fun of this is unless you want to sync all the Default User profiles across all the machines a user might likely log onto for the first time, the starting profile will different (although often only slightly) from user to user. Might not be a big deal initially or on smaller scales, but will be more problematic as your environment expands and grows. The purpose of the template profile is to enable a consistence starting point for a new profile being created no matter the machine. The template profile can leverage a copy of the mandatory profile you use today but you just need to rename the NTUSER.MAN back to NTUSER.DAT (so no you can't use the same one as both the template and a mandatory). And the template profile has to be complete (e.g. the entire directory structure and NTUSER.DAT). Also keep in mind that this is used for profile creation. So changing the template is fine, but only affects new profile being created and not existing ones. Need to change or enforce a setting for all users? Then we are back to using Group Policy for those situations. So that is where we stand today with our Profile management feature (a feature of both XenApp (Enterprise and Platinum) and XenDesktop (Advanced, Enterprise and Platinum). Of course this is always open to debate and discussion if you have scenarios that illustrate weaknesses to this approach that Citrix should pay more attention to addressing. View Online | Add Comment

Web Interface Customization Webinar

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:31:52 GMT

DABCC will be hosting a webinar Nov 4, 2009 on Web Interface customization leveraging Extentrix Web Optimizer ... details here: http://www.dabcc.com/media.aspx?id=647 You can register through the above link. Key topics covered: – Make your Web Interface "look and feel" consistent with your corporate and intranet web sites – Quickly add custom graphics and themes – Simple and easy to use interface and available quick start templates get you up and running quickly – Unrivaled support for mobile devices View Online | Add Comment

From the Trenches: Poor Management

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:42:40 GMT

Robin's story where she paid tribute to a great manager is exceptional, and I just don't have anything that quite measures up on the positive side of things. However, I do have my experiences from the trenches that challenge the assumptions that a lot of us make regarding the whole workshifting proposition. I think perhaps my worst experience was with "upper management" while managing a team at a startup. Start ups are never easy, and they require a whole lot of sweat and tears, and beyond all else - love. I remember during a particularly tenuous time, an executive making a blanket statement about there being team members leaving at 5pm. (Horror of all horrors, someone who observes the workday schedule). It was definitely made to sound as though the whole team was comprised of slackers, and that we weren't really giving it all that we had. It was one of the few times that I have had to excuse myself from a meeting - for fear of the things I might say if my mouth were to open.This happens all the time, in lots of places, to tons of people. This is not a special or unique story, until you really start to look at the details. It was a fairly bleeding edge group of people that we were working with. The individual who was calling out the folks (really 1 person) who were leaving early was fully appraised of every possibility in terms of working with technology in order to work from anywhere. He was also one of the younger individuals on the executive team - not the oldster who stereotypically has the greatest challenge dealing with a lack of "face time." He also happened to have a very robust background in technology, and development, and that whole space where the typical workshifter can be found. The employee in question, who was conveniently providing a generalized "malaise" to be associated with the group was actually a gentleman who was going through some very rough times at home with his family. Through it all he was always available for calls, and always responded to emails promptly - even though not in the office. However, he had become the scapegoat and the mascot all in one go. In the end, after reflecting on this situation- and learning about Robin's story - you realize that what it comes down to, in terms of being successful and working with people who respect you and your work despite location or time - is really a capacity for compassion, and open lines of communication. On both sides. It is also, in large part, the capacity to recognize when you're in an environment, or on a team where workshifting just isn't going to be a sustainable solution and figuring out where to go from there.I'm curious to know where your "in the trenches" stories fall when dealing with managers. Great, good, indifferent or similar to the above?Photo by: Mr.Tea

Is Generation Y "The Lost Generation"?

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:46:30 GMT

In a recent cover story in Business Week, Gen-Y was painted as a helpless group. A large population that is settling for underpaying opportunities, moving into fields just to have a cube to call home or staying home with mom and dad while they wait out the Recovery Plan. Only 46% of people aged 16-24 had jobs in September of this year. Where does Gen-Y go? School They can head back to school. This certainly seems like a viable option. Learn more stuff and in turn, look more experienced or fit for a job a few years down the road. The options range from Grad School to Tech and Trade Vocations. While this may only dig you deeper into debt, it does prolong the idea of going out into the workforce and not finding something you love to wake up to do everyday. Start a Business Gen-Y can opt to start their own business. This is something that Gen-Y is taking to heart and in record numbers. Donna Fenn, author of Upstarts interviewed over 150 Gen-Y entrepreneurs for her book and was amazed at the growth, maturity and leadership qualities found in these young business owners. When we talked a few weeks ago, she mentioned that many of these companies (and not all are Internet companies) had better visions, customer service and creativity than most big businesses. The Freelancing, Blogging, Career Hopper A close friend of mine has had an awesome time in her 20's. Heading up organizations in college, landing internships with mega media companies and graduating at the top of her class was just the beginning. When she left UCF doors seemed to open for her. She started at a magazine as an assistant and left as an assistant publisher. Next was freelance writing, a little time off and some brand building. Next was an opportunity at a large production company running their marketing department part-time. With Fridays off, she was free to frequent the coffee shops, browse through Guru.com or eLance and pick the jobs for her price. Her latest opportunity brings her to a Fortune 500 as a contracted writer where she got to name her price and hours. This makes her an asset to the company, builds her portfolio and gives her the freedom to enjoy her 20's while focusing on her future. Lifting Rocks The case of my friend is not an uncommon path. Take a look at the bloggers over at Brazen Careerist. I bet over half have links to freelance design, consulting or coaching. Those same people are working full time, looking for new opportunities and building huge personal brands that will enable them to work on their terms with companies they believe in. The Gen-Y's in the Business Week article are depicted as the victims. The jobless in a nation faced with major unemployment problems. I like to call them the unmotivated. There are jobs. There are opportunities. You just need to lift the rocks before you can look under them. Gen-Y gets a lot of press for a bevy of reasons. I just wanted to point out that the do'ers, not the say'ers are today's hit makers and there are plenty of do'ers within Gen-Y. I know Donna can introduce you to 150 of them. Brazen another 500 or so. Let's go say hi.Photo by: billaday

Announcing several technologies to enable Windows Server 2008 customers to run certain applications designed for Windows Server 2008 R2

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:43:01 GMT

Following the tremendously successful launch of Windows Server 2008 R2, a lot of software developers are eager to begin writing applications and drivers that take advantage of some of its new technologies. To help developers transitioning to Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft is proud to announce the release to Web (RTW) of the Platform Update for Windows Server 2008. This set of runtime libraries makes it easy for developers to target Windows Server 2008 R2 without sacrificing their customer base running Windows Server 2008. These updates include the following: · The Windows Graphics, Imaging, and XPS Library components for developers to leverage the latest advancements in modern graphics technologies for gaming, multimedia, imaging and printing applications. It includes updates to DirectX to support hardware acceleration for 2D, 3D and text based scenarios; DirectCompute for hardware accelerated parallel computing scenarios; and XPS Library for document printing scenarios. · The latest Windows Automation API, which allows accessibility tools and test automations to access Windows user interface in a consistent way across operating system versions. · The Windows Ribbon and Animation Manager Library, which contains the Windows Ribbon API, a command framework that enables developers to quickly and easily create rich ribbon experiences in their applications, and the Windows Animation Manager API, an animation framework for managing the scheduling and execution of user interface element animations. For specific details about the Platform Update for Windows Server 2008, please visit Microsoft Product Support. Microsoft is making the Platform Update for Windows Server 2008 available to customers via Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services and the Microsoft Download Center at no cost. Because Microsoft is making these libraries so broadly available, we expect customers will find an increasing number of applications using the new features. Thanks Justin Graham Senior Product Manager Windows Server

If you’re free next week, Shawn Bass is giving his 5-day independent Citrix class in Las Vegas

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:01:00 GMT

For the past five years or so, I’ve been teaching my independent 5-day Citrix XenApp master class around the world. About three years ago Shawn Bass started teaching these classes too, and they’ve been well-received wherever we’ve taught them. Shawn’s teaching a class next week in Las Vegas, and he’s got some free slots for anyone who’d like to sign up last-minute. The class is $2895, and we bill it as an independent real-world class for Citrix XenApp. If you...