by
Tim Mangan
Some additional notes from the iForum 07 App Delivery Expo.
Delaware Release
The next version of Presentation Server, code named the Delaware Release, will be required to install Presentation Server on Windows Server 2008. We should see beta bits publicly available next week. The full release will not happen until spring. It will also only run on Windows Server 2008. This release will contain new features not currently in 4.5. Citrix will attempt to provide parity, with some sort of feature pack for 4.5, however clearly some of the new features will require you to be on the latest OS. Delaware will still ahve multiple consoles.
Parra Release
The version after Delaware is called Parra, and we heard a bit about it as well. They plan on a lot changing in Para. From a management standpoint, Citrix is getting high on PowerShell and intend to rewrite the APIs to make everything available from Powershell scripting. There will be a single console, of sorts. Everything will go to MMC snap-ins, and multiple snap-ins will exist that are more task oriented, allowing you to create a MMC console with just the snap-ins you need (or all of them). A separation of functions of the installed components is also planned. Currently called "Controller" and "Worker" categories, the concept might help larger installations if it doesn't manage to just confuse the heck out of us. No progress without pain. Also they promise to be more AD integrated for customers using Active Directory. Those without AD will be able to work as you do today, but it might not end up quite as smooth. Asked about LDAP, the speaker would not commit and said it had not been tested. I would be surprised that an issue would show up there - the developers don't need to be very careful for that to just work.
Closing keynote
Mark Templeton was on his game for the closing keynote. The theatrics were (mostly) absent and Mark returned to the same theme he used at the Summit last January. Basic theme being that PCs came into companies via the front door rather than the loading dock because IT was too rigid. IT has been trying to regain controll of these things ever since. Today computing is changing similarly and we need to embrace it or be left behind. Here he used stats about Citrix Go To Meeting and Go To Assist on how 70% of the money spent on these services do not come from the IT buget lines. Also shown was "Apollo", which is part of Parra (hopefully). The demo showed t windows server displaying WPF style graphics on a thin client device and showed it very well. Not mentioned was that the server had a honking expensive graphics card added, but ultimately.
Next iForum/App Delivery Expo
Citrix is moving this converence to May, with the next one only 7 months away. It will also be held in Houston. The intent is to open up the conference (again) to more vendors. This is a very good thing for the customer base.
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