Original Blogs on BrianMadden.com Blog

Are thin client devices still relevant in a world of $300 Dell PCs?

Now that fat client PCs are so cheap and manageable, is there a future for thin client devices? In this editorial, Michel Roth explores this issues by looking at the "traditional" advantages of thin client devices and whether those still apply in today's world of $300 Dell PCs....

Guest Bloggers on January 26, 2007 : 51 comments , 25,500 views

Prediction: VDI will be ready for wholesale desktop replacement in 2010. Here's how we'll solve the problems to get there.

VDI is a niche solution today. In this article we'll explore the specific technical issues that are preventing VDI from replacing enterprise desktops in large numbers. We'll also look at why these issues will be solved by June 2010 and why VDI will become mainstream in 2011.

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Brian Madden on June 23, 2008 : 48 comments , 25,444 views

Is WANscaler poised to become Citrix's secret weapon?

Citrix bought Orbital Data and released the WANscaler product almost a year ago. After learning more about the products and how they work, I really think that WANscaler will grow to become a very important part of Citrix's application delivery platform.

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Brian Madden on July 03, 2007 : 38 comments , 25,409 views

Dealing with the "Black Hole Effect:" Throttling Logons to New Servers

If you run a busy server farm, you know what happens when you power on a new server during peak logon periods. All new user sessions are sent to that server, rendering it useless as it's crushed by the load. This DADE power tools is a free Windows service that lets you throttle logons to avoid this "Black Hole Effect."...

Guest Bloggers on October 03, 2004 : 19 comments , 25,170 views

To Silo or not to Silo: What application installation strategy is best for you?

One of the most important steps in a MetaFrame Presentation Server farm design is to decide what applications you're going to install on which servers. Should you install all of your applications on all your servers' or should you break your farm into silos? And what about creating a desktop tier for thin clients?...

Brian Madden on November 22, 2004 : 25 comments , 24,977 views

Understanding Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0 Licensing Port Usage

MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0 servers must communicate with license servers, and this communication requires certain TCP ports. In this quick article, we'll look at which ports are used (and why), and how you can change them to fit your environment....

Brian Madden on February 10, 2005 : 9 comments , 24,976 views

How to Install Citrix MetaFrame XP on Windows Server 2003

Haven't had a chance to actually perform an installation of MetaFrame XP? If so, then check out this video with audio commentary, and see how easy the installation is....

Brian Madden on June 05, 2003 : 9 comments , 24,974 views

Citrix and VMware: The Future (Part 3 of 3)

This is the third article in the series about VMware and Citrix and Terminal Server technologies. In this article, I look ahead to what EMC's purchase of VMware could mean, and how future solutions could be relevant in the server-based computing world....

Brian Madden on March 29, 2004 : 24 comments , 24,967 views

I got a Chromebook (and I might return it!). Here's my review:

Last week, I received the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook with 3G. I've since opened it, played with it, and packed it back up in its box while I figure out what to do with it. It worked ok, but I came away as uninspired as ever when it comes to things that...

Gabe Knuth on June 22, 2011 : 8 comments , 24,940 views

How VMware is misleading everyone about the cost savings of VDI

I just got out of my first breakout session here at VMworld Europe 2009. It was a session about the cost savings of VDI. The presenter was good and the content was basically good. In the session, the presenter walked step-by-step through a comparison...

Brian Madden on February 23, 2009 : 31 comments , 24,930 views

Technical Details of 64-bit Citrix Presentation Server

Citrix released the 64-bit version of Presentation Server last month. In this article, I don't want to talk about why you should move to 64-bit Citrix Presentation Server since I've done that before. Instead, I'll talk about the actual mechanics of what 64-bit Presentation Server looks like and how it works....

Brian Madden on November 08, 2005 : 10 comments , 24,834 views

Windows Server 2008 RDS CALs and App-V licensing: is App-V now free?

Can you get App-V 4.6 for free with Terminal Services / Remote Desktop Session Hosts? Read on...

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Tim Mangan on February 23, 2010 : 8 comments , 24,779 views

Digging in to Citrix XenServer 5.6 FP1's new "IntelliCache" feature. Hint: It's a BIG deal for desktops!

Late last month, Citrix's Bill Carovano blogged about the new features in the upcoming version of XenServer known as "Cowley." One of the features he mentioned was: XenDesktop platform enhancements. Provides local host caching of VM images...

Brian Madden on October 18, 2010 : 22 comments , 24,754 views

My love/hate relationship with Windows Thin PC (WinTPC)

When I wrote a few weeks ago about the possibility of using Windows XP as a RemoteFX client , I also mentioned that Microsoft has suggested that Windows Thin PC would alleviate the need to run Windows XP. So, I carved out some time last week and sat down...

Gabe Knuth on April 26, 2011 : 13 comments , 24,690 views

TS CAL token storage on client devices with no local storage

By now everyone knows that a Terminal Server CAL token is stored on a client device after that client connects to a terminal server. But how does this work in situations where the client device doesn't have any local storage capabilities? How do Microsoft and Citrix work around this? And what about the Linux and open source clients?...

Brian Madden on February 06, 2007 : 16 comments , 24,666 views

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