Layering stories on BrianMadden.com

"Layering" is the concept that you split a Windows desktop into multiple layers that are dynamically re-composed when a user logs on. In most cases the Windows instance is split into an "OS," an "apps," and a "user" layer. The benefit is that IT can manage each layer independently, so the base "OS" layer could be patched while the "user" layer (with user data and settings) remains unchanged. Read the definition of layering at SearchVirtualDesktop.com

VMware launches Horizon Suite, but it still has a ways to go to meet expectations. Here's our complete analysis:

Today, VMware is launching Horizon Suite , which we first learned about at VMworld last fall. Coming out of VMworld, I remember having the impression that despite being let down in the past by announcements that were never seen through to releases, VMware...

by Gabe Knuth on February 20, 2013 : 5 comments , 11,335 views
Citrix and VMware both tip toe towards the "physical" desktop management space

Citrix and VMware seemingly entered the cloud application management/identity federation space within weeks of each other by announcing Project Horizon and Cloud Gateway almost back-to-back. And now they've done it again, this time in the physical desktop...

by Gabe Knuth on June 13, 2012 : 6 comments , 8,552 views
AppSense Strata (now called StrataApps) is finally available, but will you use it?

On Tuesday, AppSense announced StrataApps from their AppSense Labs group. AppSense Labs, as you may have heard, is a new group with AppSense that releases technology that is viable, but doesn't necessarily fit into the typical AppSense product lines....

by Gabe Knuth on March 30, 2012 : 8 comments , 7,070 views
Brian & Gabe LIVE #20: We talk about layering, management, and our new book with guest Ron Oglesby

This week we were joined by 10-time BriForum speaker Ron Oglesby. In todays show: Ron is tearing down hardware by tearing into vendor claims about user density. Is 20 IOPS for Windows 7 a realistic number? The standard deviation is super wide—if...

by Justin Meisinger on February 28, 2012 : 0 comments , 6,423 views
MokaFive layering still isn’t a part of any VDI solution. But with the success of their client virtualization product, does that matter?

Last week I went down to MokaFive to catch up on their recent product developments. Their client virtualization offering has received another significant boost recently, but we are still left wonder when a major VDI player is going to take advantage of...

by Jack Madden on February 27, 2012 : 2 comments , 4,021 views
Now AppSense is entering the "user installed apps" game. Will these things ever become real?

Yesterday AppSense CTO Harry Labana announced that AppSense is getting closer to releasing their "Strata" product for managing user-installed apps (UIA) in locked-down and layered environments. This is something they first talked about at BriForum last...

by Brian Madden on October 20, 2011 : 10 comments , 7,850 views
Wanova Mirage: now with more layers

Last week I met with Wanova’s Ady Degany to shoot some videos and hear about new capabilities in their Mirage product. Mirage divides your client’s hard drive into layers and syncs them with your datacenter, giving you a few new management...

by Jack Madden on October 18, 2011 : 1 comments , 4,175 views
The "beginning of the end" for Citrix XenApp based desktops, prayers for layers, and can VMware "judo flip" Citrix Flexcast?

This blog post is from AppDetective. He originally sent it to us two weeks ago, but since it's taken us a while to post, he also submitted a few new paragraphs at the end. --Brian There's been lots of news and good discussion last week on layers and user...

by appdetective on August 26, 2011 : 9 comments , 12,287 views
Is Citrix buying RingCube really about departmental app layers instead of user installed apps?

Yesterday Citrix announced that they were buying RingCube for an undisclosed amount. We reported this as a rumor last week and had a great discussion on the site, so if you want to know more about what RingCube is or what Citrix might do with them, check...

by Brian Madden on August 11, 2011 : 29 comments , 12,301 views
How to describe layering: the "blob," cake, or 3D Tetris?

While we're in the process of figuring out the new “desktop” (small “d”), we have a lot of different ideas and models for how to layer and manage our stuff. None of the models seems quite right to me, and over the past few months...

by Tim Mangan on June 13, 2011 : 5 comments , 5,048 views
Will layers matter in time to change the desktop management landscape?

This post started as a comment on Brian's article titled " MokaFive plans to release 'Layering' as its own product. Nice! " but I think this topic is important enough to warrant a blog post with it's own commentary. First, I want to say that it is refreshing...

by appdetective on April 27, 2011 : 8 comments , 6,410 views
MokaFive plans to release "layering" as its own product. Nice!

We've talked a lot about layering over the past few years. (If you're not familiar with the concept, Gabe wrote a great intro article in 2009.) We've also seen a fair amount of products that offer some sort of layering capability, including Atlantis ...

by Brian Madden on April 19, 2011 : 10 comments , 6,749 views
Exclusive: Brian Madden interviews Unidesk's CTO Chris Midgley

For at least the last year, possibly two, we've been hearing about Unidesk and how they're poised to make a big impact in the VDI space. Until recently, however, it's been all smoke and no fire. Last week, Ron Oglesby and Chris Midgley made...

by Gabe Knuth on April 06, 2010 : 2 comments , 6,487 views
Exclusive first look video: Ron Oglesby gives first public demo of Unidesk

Ron Oglesby, who joined Unidesk last October, stops by to give Brian the first public demonstration of Unidesk, which is a new take on layering and storage virtualization for VDI environments.

by Gabe Knuth on April 05, 2010 : 11 comments , 7,227 views
What is MinWin, and what (if anything) does it mean to us?

Last week I read and tweeted a little bit about MinWin, which is the project name Microsoft has given to very basic kernel and OS components that make up Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 (including R2). With the release of Windows 7 and...

by Gabe Knuth on December 09, 2009 : 9 comments , 5,430 views
What is Layering, and why does it matter?

We have been talking about layering now for the better part of a year, and while it's an interesting technology, it's sort of an ambiguous concept to a lot of people. There are a number of vendors out there with layering solutions-- MokaFive , Wanova...

by Gabe Knuth on October 21, 2009 : 26 comments , 10,948 views
Introducing “Madden’s Paradox”: the gotcha of the VDI versus TS debate

I’ve tried (unsuccessfully) over the years to introduce new industry terms. (xASP, xDI, farmlet, VDI+... The list goes on.) Even though I’ve failed repeatedly, I’d like to try again by introducing “Madden’s Paradox,”...

by Brian Madden on August 12, 2009 : 43 comments , 15,531 views

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