by
Brian Madden
BriForum 2009 Chicago will take place July 21-23, 2009, at the Chicago Hilton. Once again, all of BriForum's technical breakout sessions will be presented by members of the community. We select which sessions (and therefore which people will present) via this "call for papers" process. (Details about the call for papers and the submission process are here.)
Even though the content is driven by the community and the topics that are presented, Gabe and I spent some time thinking about the things we'd like to cover at BriForum this year. Here's the list that we came up with. What do you think? Is there anything missing? (Of course if you want to submit a session, you can pick whatever topic you want. This is just a starting point.)
VDI and Terminal Server Optimization, Scalability &
Benchmarking
- Establish reliable base benchmarks
for effective monitoring and troubleshooting
- Learn the key resource utilization
differences between 32 and 64-bit operating systems – especially important because
Windows 2008 R2 will be x64 ONLY
- Learn of testing methodologies and
free tools
- Learn about the free Login VSI
benchmarking utility
- Citrix Configuration Logging
- Increase logon time and perceived
user experience using tips from our expert speakers along with free tools and
scripts.
- Learn about WAN performance and
which solutions will work best for your needs
Licensing Complexities
- As if TS wasn’t complex enough, now
we have to deal with VDI licensing
- Learn about license management
- Demystify how licenses are tracked
and used by various systems
- Understand Microsoft’s VECD (Vista
Enterprise Centralized Desktop) licensing
Citrix Provisioning Server (PVS)
- PVS is a powerful tool beyond
XenDesktop VDI usage – learn how you can use PVS to manage your servers for
maximum efficiency and flexibility.
- Network and storage considerations
- Basic PVS knowledge, including how
to build bas images, best practices, and basic concepts.
Application Streaming
- There are many application
streaming solutions available – learn about each solution to make an informed
decision on which is best for you.
- Learn ways to combine VDI, TS, and
Application Streaming solutions to provide local and remote users with the best
possible experience
- Learn best practices for
application packaging, deployment, and integration.
- Main products discussed will be
Citrix XenApp Streaming, VMware ThinApp, and Microsoft RemoteApp.
VDI Product Landscape
- VDI has been growing for a few
years, and the big picture can be somewhat confusing.
- Learn about all the VDI products
available so that you can be as educated as possible when faced with the
decision of which platform to choose.
- Main vendors discussed includes
VMware View3, Citrix XenDesktop, Quest vWorkspace, and Windows Server 2008 R2,
as well as other players like Symantec Workspace Virtualization, RedHat
SolidICE, and Ericom PowerTerm Webconnect.
- Find out which solution works best
for your specific use-case.
Windows Server 2008 R2 (i.e. Windows 7 Server)
- MANY changes in Server 2008 R2 –
Learn how they affect you and your environment.
- Name changes – pretty much
everything has a new name in the new release.
Learn the new names and avoid confusion down the road.
- Learn about the new Connection
Broker that is made for Remote Desktop Services (formerly Terminal Services)
and VDI solutions
- New multimedia redirection
capabilities
- Client multi-monitor support
- Bi-directional audio support
- RDP protocol enhancements
- Windows 2008 R2 is x64 ONLY! Learn how this effects you and start to build
a plan for migration.
- Do you still need third-party
add-ons like Citrix XenApp?
Terminal Services
- The old dog still has some tricks –
learn about all the TS products available and determine which works best for
you
- Main vendors discussed will be
Citrix XenApp, and Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, along with many other
players like Quest vWorkspace and Ericom Powerterm Webconnect.
- Learn how to build enterprise-class
solutions using something other than Citrix XenApp.
- Learn to build a secure environment
from all perspectives – OS, File System, and Network
VDI or Terminal Server…or both?
- Compare each technology based on
solution-set filter that through your use-case to determine the right solution
for you.
Remote Display Protocols – which ones are right for you?
- Compare and contrast remote
protocols available today and in the near future, such as ICA, RDP, spice, Net2Display, Teradici PC-over-IP, Wyse TCX, HP RGS, Quest EOP
- Find out what’s coming in the
future and where the industry needs to go in order to provide the “perfect”
remote display protocol.
- Learn which protocols are best in
which situation so you can adapt your solution to meet your LAN/WAN needs.
- What is the future of remote
display protocols – “pixel” or “primitive” pushing?
- Figure out how to select the right
protocol that balances network capacity, CPU utilization, and user experience
Powershell
- Moving deeper into the post-Windows
2003 era, learn about PowerShell and how to put it to good use in your
environment.
Platform virtualization and its relation to VDI
- Learn the essentials of platform
virtualization to help you choose which solution works best for your VDI
solution.
- Vendors discussed will be Citrix
XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V, and VMware ESX/VI 3.
Printing
- Learn solutions to printing
problems
- Find out about tools to help you
better manage your printing in both VDI and TS environments
Profiles and user environment management for VDI and TS
- Learn how to manage your user
environments effectively and reduce administration time
- Learn to manage profiles and user
experience based on user type, location, and connection method.
- Find out how to lock down your
users’ desktops to help build a high-capacity, low-downtime solution.
- Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008
R8 make more changes to the built-in roaming profile capability. Do you still
need third party tools?
Cloud Computing and “The Cloud”
- Learn about “The Cloud” and where
Cloud Computing is headed.
- Find out about existing
technologies and learn if they might fit into your application vision
Windows 7
- Learn about Windows 7 as a VDI
desktop
- Learn why it isn’t Windows XP or
Windows Vista, and why you should or shouldn’t use it in your VDI deployments
WAN
- Learn how to support users over the
WAN, both via remote display protocols and locally
- Understand the various WAN
optimization vendors and products, such as Citrix WANscaler, Riverbed, and
Expand networks
Storage
- How important is de-duped storage
with products like Citrix Provisioning Server and VMware’s linked-clones
capability
- New storage software companies,
like Atlantis Computing, are revolutionizing the storage industry for VDI. Are
these ready for prime time?
New developments
- Experts will be speaking on new
announcements that will be made in the vendor shows leading up to BriForum such
as VMworld Europe and Citrix Synergy.
- See the technology roadmaps from
major vendors in the industry – Citrix, Microsoft, and VMware, as well as other
third-party vendors.
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