VMware View 5.1 new features highlighted
Today VMware announced VMware View 5.1. A lot of great new features in this update. In this blogpost I was going to highlight the new features of this release but that has already been done a lot by other bloggers. Instead, I will highlight a couple of the new features and dive a little deeper. First of all, if you haven’t read about the new features, here are a couple of links where you can read all about them:
- VMware EUC blog: What’s New in VMware View 5.1
- VMware View 5.1 press media backgrounder
- VMware View, optimizing storage with View storage accelerator
- VMware View, demystifying VMware View Large Scale Designs
- NTPRO.NL: VMware View 5.1 announcement
- VMware EUC Portfolio: View Composer Array Integration Tech Preview
Reading these posts will get you up to speed. General availability of VMware View 5.1 will be in Q2 of 2012.
Here are the things to keep in mind when implementing or upgrading to VMware View 5.1:
Free tools for VMware View
In these days of recession I thought it would be a good idea to sum up a couple of free tools which you can use designing, implementing and maintaining a VMware View Infrastructure. I’ve divided the tools in the following categories:
- Assessment
- Sizing
- Load balancing
- Optimizing
- User Environment Management
- Customization
- Client
- Monitoring
- Troubleshooting
I would love to hear if you know of any free tools which can be used in or for a VMware View Infrastructure.
Free Load balancing for VMware View with Citrix Netscaler VPX Express
A load balancer for VMware View is not a requirement in a VMware View infrastructure with less than 2000 users. Even when there are multiple VMware View Connection servers for high availability, a single VMware View Connection server can handle up to 2000 connections so it’s not a big deal that the sessions are not evenly balanced. You do however want to have multiple VMware View Connection servers for high availability and to be able to access multiple VMware View Connection servers from a single point of access. A load balancer provides that functionality but is often expensive and gives additional functionality not needed for smaller deployments, like SSL Offloading. There is however a free “Enterprise-ready” load balancer available from Citrix: Netscaler VPX Express. There is a 5 Mbit throughput limit, but that is not an issue and in this article I explain why.
DISCALAIMER: I’m not a netscaler or “load-balancing” expert nor am I a networking guru. I’ve researched and tested the described solution and it works. I’ve not tested this solution with a large amount of users (yet). If you think information in this article is incorrect or if you think you know a better configuration or solution, please let me know.
VMware View Local Mode – Lessons learned
I’ve been working with VMware View Local Mode for couple of weeks now and I wanted to share my experience. VMware View Local Mode allows a virtual desktop to be downloaded to a laptop or desktop and to be executed locally. The CPU, memory, disk, network and graphics from the local desktop is being used to execute the virtual desktop. No remote display protocol is being used. VMware View Local mode is also part of the Client Side Desktop Virtualization (CSDV) Smackdown, a whitepaper which explains what CSDV is, when to use it and what the possibilities are. This whitepaper will be comparable to the VDI smackdown, only this time it will not be about server-hosted desktop virtualization, but client-hosted desktop virtualization. This whitepaper is expected to be released in Q1 of 2012. In this blogpost I will share my experience with VMware View Local mode, how it works and what doesn’t work.
How it works
The benefits of using VMware View Local Mode:
“With View Client with Local Mode, users can check out and download a View desktop to a local system such as a laptop. Administrators can manage these local View desktops by setting policies for the frequency of backups and contact with the server, access to USB devices, and permission to check in desktops.”
I assume you have a basic knowledge of the VMware View architecture. If not, here is a basic overview:
VMware ThinApp online bootcamp
VMware is organizing a six-part bootcamp about ThinApp, VMware’s Application Virtualization solution.
“…we show you how to use, deploy, and optimize VMware ThinApp. The session will include everything from deployment best practices, tips & tricks for performance enhancement, and improving application compatibility. We will be releasing one on demand session each day starting October 31st. At the end of this bootcamp, you’ll understand how to use VMware ThinApp. Register to get a free e-book of all the presentations included in this bootcamp series.”
Starting October 31st, a new video will be released daily:
ThinApp Design Best Practices
- Speaker – Ray Dusseault, VMware
- This session provides an overview real world best practices surrounding the new ThinApp Design Process along with a basic timeline for the ThinApp Plan & Design engagement.
ThinApp Implementation Best Practices
- Speaker – Ray Dusseault, VMware
- This session provides an overview of the latest ThinApp Strategy, methodology and real world Implementation best practices.
ThinApp Performance Enhancing Techniques
- Speaker – Dean Flaming, VMware
- Common tips, rules, basic troubleshooting procedures, and suggestions used to help enhance performance of ThinApp packages, including pre-capture settings, post-capture clean-up, deployment options pros and cons, and environment configurations.
Scripting within ThinApp
- Speaker – Dean Flaming, VMware
- Understanding the basics of scripting within a ThinApp environment including use of the callback functions as timing mechanisms, additional options available by admins, and how to implement a scripted solution within a ThinApp packaged application.
Isolation Modes Explained
- Speaker – Travis Sales, VMware
- Isolation modes are at the heart of the abstraction layer within ThinApp. We will explore their uses and and how to adjustment them for optimal application compatibility.
AppLink Fundamentals
- Speaker – Travis Sales, VMware
- AppLink enables you to package, deploy, and update component pieces separately while keeping the benefits of application virtualization. This session will explore AppLinks use scenarios and uses cases.
Check the VMware Desktop Community website for more information.
