Direct Booting a VHD in XenServer

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I've run across several instances where I needed to direct boot a VHD in XenServer.  One example was migrating from Hyper-V to XenServer.  Another was updating the network stack, XenTools, and PVS Tools on existing vDisks.  Regardless, the following is the three-step process I took...

Recovering from XenServer Root Drive Full -- Oppsie!

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I was trying to import a VHD straight into XenServer the other day. I was moving a VM from HyperV to XenServer 5.5, so instead of starting from scratch, I thought I would simply copy the VHD from HyperV to XS using WinSCP. Following the directions from Trevor Mansell's Citrix Blog

All went well until my XenServer died on me...

The Future of Computing? BYOC!

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Check out my latest article, and in depth look at Bring Your Own Computer to Work Policies...

A growing trend in technology firms is Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC or BYOPC). Of course organizations such as Microsoft, Google, Citrix and Cisco are embracing this -- which is to be expected. However, as workforces become increasingly mobile, and virtualization methodologies are further adapted in enterprises, BYOC will inevitably grow.

Deploying Windows 7 with XenDesktop 3

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I've been running Windows 7 since May. I have to say, I've very impressed. Microsoft got it right. They took the best of XP and Vista (and MACs), plus some good common sense features to make a great product. I've run it on three systems, ranging from a brand new Quad-Core 4gb RAM laptop to an old single-core 1gb ram nc6120.

As a virtualization engineer, I'm seeing a lot of customers evaluating virtual desktop deployments as a way to distribute Windows 7 in their enterprise. It would be easy to argue Windows 7 is a reason they are embracing VDI; of course, it is just as easy to say they are using Windows 7 as the excuse for VDI. Either way, both are gathering steam.

Windows NLB on Hyper-V R2

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Today I had the luxury of setting up a Unicast NLB on a couple of Windows 2008 servers (for Citrix Web Interface 5.2). The servers themselves are guest VMs running on Hyper-V R2. I noticed that when trying to create the NLB, it would not converge. The NLB wizard was erroring out, plus the entire NIC would go offline, losing its static IP association. I would also see Error 12289.

Optimizing XenApp on VMWare ESX

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There are numerous benefits for running Citrix XenApp on XenServer; including single vendor support, built-in optimizations, and integration features. However, what if you are working in a VMWare ESX environment? As a consultant or an internal engineer, you cannot always dictate the virtualization environment. The following are some tried and true best practices for optimizing XenApp on VMWare ESX.

Read More, view the full article at GenV: http://www.thegenerationv.com/2009/10/optimizing-xenapp-on-vmware-esx.html

Louisville-Area Citrix Users Group Meeting Oct 21

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Hey guys, I hope all is well! I have not been very active lately due to numerous computer problems (and like most IT geeks, I tend not to want to work on my own PC issues...)

As I mentioned previously, There is a new Louisville-Area Citrix Users Group. Here is a link: http://www.meetup.com/citrixlouisville/

The first meeting is Wednesday, October 21st at the BBC Tap Room.

Chris Bacon is helping sponsor, so if nothing else, come down and get a few free brews on Citrix's tab! I'm planning on going, so I hope to see some of you there. Feel free to pass this on to anyone who may be interested.