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Cover Story: Kaviza - The New Kid in Town
On-Line Workstation Backup Made Easy
Summer Camping Tips
Exercising Safely in Warmer Weather
Five Steps to Effective Communication
This Month In History
Moose Logic Coming Events
June Recommended Reading

(Moose Views is a monthly newsletter prepared by Moose Logic to bring you information and tips on maintaining a trouble-free network)

One of the biggest stories to come out of the Citrix Summit / Synergy Conference in San Francisco was the acquisition of Kaviza.

It didn’t come as a complete surprise to anyone who has been watching the development of the company, because Citrix had already made a financial investment in Kaviza quite some time ago, and had licensed their HDX protocol to them.

Those actions suggested a strategy along the lines of: "These guys appear to have some cool technology; let’s throw them some money and see what comes of it. If it pans out, we can buy them." It did, and they did.

For those who may not know about Kaviza, they developed something called "VDI-in-a-Box" (which I will abbreviate "VIAB" to conserve hyphens). VIAB is a virtual appliance that you can run on XenServer, VMware, and, shortly, on Hyper-V. (They were demonstrating it on Hyper-V at Synergy.)

The VIAB virtual appliance contains all of the components you need for VDI: a connection broker, a load balancer, desktop provisioning & management, VM template management, user management, logical shared storage, plus some secret sauce they call a "grid engine."

That makes for a very simple deployment. You simply install the virtual appliance on your hypervisor, import one or more desktop images, assign them to users, and you’re ready to go with minimal configuration. You don’t need a SAN, you don’t need any separate management server(s), you don’t need separate provisioning servers, heck, you don’t even need a Desktop Delivery Controller.

But the grid engine is what makes it really cool. When you run out of capacity on your first VIAB, you just build another one, and point it at the first one. It will be automatically incorporated into the grid, the VDI templates will be replicated to it (that’s the "logical shared storage" piece), and it will start servicing users. The built-in load balancer will distribute the load automatically. Need more capacity? Add a third. Add a fourth.

Now, we’ve written extensively about XenDesktop in this newsletter and in our Moose Logic blog. XenDesktop is a pretty cool product — but even the new XenDesktop 5 with its Machine Creation Services requires more supporting infrastructure than VIAB...and now we’re getting to the heart of why Citrix acquired the company.

Gartner recently surveyed over 1,000 Small & Medium Businesses worldwide, and found that almost 62% of them expect to implement VDI sometime in the next two years. 40% expect to do so in the next 12 months. In fact, in North America, VDI is now the #2 driver behind new server purchases by SMBs.

But SMBs often don't have shared storage, and may not have a staff that’s familiar with supporting a virtualized infrastructure. They need something that is easy. They want a VDI solution that is less expensive than a traditional PC, easier to set up and manage than a PC, but that still provides a rich user experience, still can scale to meet their needs as they grow, that has high-availability built in, and that supports dynamic provisioning and load-balancing.

VIAB is all that and a bag of chips. (OK, you have to provide your own chips, but you know what I mean.) Citrix is clearly positioning the product as the preferred VDI solution for SMBs.

But let’s talk for a moment about what it doesn’t do, because that will also help clarify how it lines up against the existing XenDesktop line.

VIAB is a pure-play VDI product. It does not include "FlexCast," i.e., you can’t use it to stream an OS to a physical desktop or blade PC. It does not include any rights to use XenApp for hosted or streamed applications. It does not include any rights to XenClient. It does not include XenVault. As such, it is closest in features and functionality to the XenDesktop VDI Edition.

In fact, the pricing is also nearly identical to XenDesktop VDI Edition. VIAB costs $192/CCU ("CCU" = Concurrent User), including the first year of Gold Maintenance. XenDesktop VDI Edition costs $195/CCU, including the first year of Subscription Advantage.

However, XenDesktop requires, at a minimum, one or more Desktop Delivery Controller(s), and assumes the availability of shared storage (typically a SAN). VIAB does not. So it would not surprise me at all to see VIAB replace the XenDesktop VDI Edition in the Citrix product lineup. (NOTE: This is pure speculation on my part — but why have two products with basically the same feature set and roughly the same price point?)

So, when would you buy VIAB and when would you buy XenDesktop? Obviously, if you want the features discussed above that VIAB doesn’t have, you need XenDesktop. Also, if you’re an existing XenApp customer, it may make more sense to take advantage of one of the trade-up offers.

If you currently own XenApp Enterprise Edition, for example, you can trade-up to XenDesktop Enterprise and keep your concurrent-use license model for only $155/license; or you can get the 2-for-1 deal on named user licenses for only $130/license. Heck, even if all you have is XenApp Advanced, you can still trade up to XenDesktop Enterprise for $230/license (CCU) or $190/license (2-for-1 named user).

But if all you want is a simple, easy-to-deploy VDI solution, and particularly if you:

• Don’t have an existing XenApp deployment,
• Don’t have a SAN, and/or
• Don’t have (or don’t want to have) a staff that’s capable of managing a complex infrastructure,

then VIAB may well be the right solution for you.

Assuming that the server you run it on costs (on average) $100/user, which should be easily achievable, you’re under $400/user, even including the first year of the Microsoft VDA license. That’s definitely price-competitive with buying new PCs.

Look for some bundled VIAB offerings from Moose Logic in the very near future.

On-Line Workstation Backup Made Easy

Finally! An on-line backup product that we can feel good recommending to you for backing up workstations to cloud storage. And it’s from a company we’ve known and come to trust over the years: Trend Micro.

The product is called SafeSync for Business (there’s a personal edition as well), and the Moose is definitely impressed with it.

Not only will it back up data from critical workstations and laptops to encrypted storage in Trend Micro’s own data center (SAS 70 Type 2 certified), it will also replicate that data to the other devices that you’ve installed the SafeSync client on. So you could have the client on both your office desktop PC and your laptop (and, potentially, your home PC). There’s a client for Macs, for iPhone & iPad, and for Android. Change a document on one device, your changes are synchronized to the cloud and replicated to all of your devices (assuming they’re on-line...if they’re not, they’ll be synchronized the next time they connect to the Internet).

You can purchase a license key that will cover a minimum of two and a maximum of one hundred users. With that license key, you get a block of on-line storage equal to 50 Gb per user — although it’s not allocated to individual users, it’s just one big pooled block of storage.

You can create team folders, and grant very granular permissions to the users covered by that license key. On an individual user basis, you can give them no access, read-only access, edit access, or full control. Add a document to a team folder, or edit a document that’s in a team folder, and the changes are replicated to all the other members’ local copies of that team folder.

Need to send a large file to someone? If it’s in one of the protected folders, just right-click on the file , and choose "Get a shareable link." Email that link to anyone you want, and they will be able to download your file.

And the cost? Only $90/year/user if paid annually, with price breaks as the number of users goes up. If you’ve looked at on-line backup services such as Mozy Pro or Carbonite Pro, you know that’s a very aggressive price.

If I had my way, there are a few other things I’d like to see in the product. For example, it’s limited to 100 users under one license key. If you want to support more than 100, you have to buy multiple license keys and manage each block of users separately—and a team folder under one group of users can’t be shared with another group of users.

On the other hand, if you have more than 100 users who need to share documents with each other, you should probably be looking at some flavor of SharePoint (installed or hosted).

Trend Micro is, by their own admission, targeting small businesses who:

• Need to back up or protect locally stored files. (Many of these businesses do not have a local server that can be used as a central data repository and backup engine.)
• Need to easily share documents.
• Have mobility requirements—need to be able to access documents from multiple devices or locations.

I’d also like to have the option of placing storage quotas per user if you want to control how much of the pool a given user can consume. I’d like to be able to grant access to team folders based on user groups rather than by individual user, and I’d like to see some kind of check-out mechanism or versioning to address the inevitable conflicts from more than one team member at a time trying to edit a document — but the product seems to be evolving pretty rapidly, with more features being added all the time, so I may yet get at least some of my wishes.

Still, what you get for the price beats any other product in its class that I’ve seen so far.

Summer Camping Tips

Many people don’t go camping because they are intimidated by the need to purchase equipment and learn to use it all. But it is not difficult and shouldn’t be a reason to forego the joys of camping with your family. These tips will help you on your way to enjoying the great outdoors:

Start with the tent
You should have a good tent, a tarp to place under your tent, and a hammer to get your stakes into the ground. Before heading out on your first camping trip, pitch your tent in your backyard. You might even want to spend the night in it to get you and your family used to it and to work out any kinks with set up and break down. This is particularly helpful for families with smaller children who might be frightened by the idea of sleeping outdoors.

Make your bed.
Get sleeping bags that are rated for the type of weather you will encounter. If you are heading to a higher elevation, remember that nights can get quite chilly, even in mid-summer. If you’re uncomfortable sleeping on the ground, invest in a sleep pad or even an air mattress. If you’re "car camping," a small air pump that plugs into your car’s standard 12v outlet can save your lungs a serious workout when it's time to blow up the mattress.

Prepare for camp cooking.
You don’t need fancy equipment to cook a great meal at your campsite. A stove with propane fuel and a few pots will do just fine. Try out your stove in the backyard before using it at your campsite. Pack cold food in a durable cooler and don’t forget waterproof matches and fire starters for the campfire. And don’t ever keep food in your tent. Lock it in the car at night, or suspend it between a couple of trees where critters can’t reach it!

Don’t forget the details
If you’re heading for the high country, you will need insect repellent! And if you're heading out on a hike, make sure you have the "Ten Essentials" (which makes a pretty good list of things to keep available around the campsite as well):

1. Map
2. Compass
3. Sunglasses and sunscreen
4. Extra food and water
5. Extra clothes
6. Headlamp and/or flashlight
7. First aid kit
8. Fire starter
9. Matches
10. Knife

...and it's not a bad idea to supplement the Ten Essentials with:

• Water treatment device (water filter or purifying chemicals) and water bottles
• Ice axe, if you're going to be hiking across a glacier or snowfield
• Repair kit, including duct tape and basic sewing materials
• Insect repellent (personally, this is my eleventh Essential)
• Signalling devices, such as whistle, signal mirror, flare, satellite phone, etc.
• Plastic tarp and rope for setting up a temporary shelter
• "Space blanket" - these things fold up into a packet roughly the size of a box of matches, so there's no excuse for not packing one for everybody
• Plastic poncho in case you're caught in an unexpected shower

Exercising Safely in Warmer Weather

If you enjoy exercising outdoors, there is no reason to give it up when the weatherman is predicting a heat wave. You do, however, have to take some precautions. Follow these guidelines when exercising this summer.

Don’t assume that you don’t need to stretch and warm up because it’s warm outside! Stick with your usual stretching and warm up routine. The alternative might be to spend the rest of the summer recovering from a pulled muscle.

You should acclimate your body to increases in temperature gradually. Cut back on your regular routine and then gradually increase the amount of exercise you do over the next few weeks. It is not safe to exercise during extreme heat and/or humidity. Try to avoid the hottest part of the day, generally from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Wear light colored, loose fitting, cotton clothing. Wear a hat and use sunscreen to protect you from sunburn. Be very aware of the dangers of dehydration. You should drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise in warm weather. Your body can lose up to a quart of water an hour. It is possible to over-hydrate, so don’t overload your body on fluids. But you will need about one to two cups of fluid every 20 to 30 minutes of exercise, depending on the heat and your level of activity.

If you begin to feel weak, dizzy, or nauseous, you may have the first signs of heat exhaustion. You may also get a headache, notice that sweating stops, or feel overheated. At the first sign of any of these symptoms, stop exercising, move to a cooler location, and drink some water. If the symptoms persist, see a doctor immediately.

If you exercise with your pets (e.g., walking or jogging with your dog), don’t forget that they need water too. Dehydration is extremely dangerous for them!

Five Steps to Effective Communication

Being able to communicate effectively is key to maintaining good relationships at home and at work. Consider these five ways to improve your communication skills.

1. Listen as much as you talk—Communication involves more than just talking. Of course, when you are talking, the other person is listening. But if you stop listening while focusing on what you are going to say next, you break down this loop and make the conversation less effective. Focus on what the other person is saying. If you have trouble doing this, try mirroring their statements before you launch into your own. For example, you can reply, "You are saying that we need to have a schedule for taking out the trash" instead of just jumping in with reasons why the idea won’t work.
2. Don’t multitask—In our over-connected world, it is tempting to check messages, surf the Internet, or even watch television when someone is trying to talk to you. To improve your communication, keep your multitasking to a minimum. Turn off the television and radio, put down the phone, and walk away from the computer.
3. Clarify often — If you are confused by what the other person is saying, don’t just forge ahead with the conversation. State that you need more information or clarification before jumping to conclusions. Ask questions if you need to or restate some of the other person’s arguments.
4. Watch body language — Instead of being a passive listener, watch for clues in body language to try to further understand. Someone who is frustrated or bored will often convey this using body language clues. Also watch yourself. You may find that you are displaying body language or a tone that goes against what you are trying to convey.
5. Handle those difficult situations—If you find that your discussion is accelerating into an attack or is getting heated, it may be best to take a short break. Respond more slowly with some extra thought and look for common ground to get back on track.

This Month In History

• June 1, 1974 — The journal Emergency Medicine published an article detailing, for the first time, the Heimlich Maneuver.
• June 3, 1880 — Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first wireless telephone message.
• June 6, 1944 — Allied forces landed in Normandy, France (D-Day).
• June 8, 1789 — The Bill of Rights was first proposed by James Madison.
• June 9, 1934 — Donald Duck first appeared on film.
• June 11, 1994 — The Russian military occupation of East Germany ended.
• June 14, 1777 — The Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution, which stated: "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."
• June 17, 1955 — Disneyland opened in Anaheim, CA.
• June 23, 1865 — The last formal surrender of Confederate troops took place in the Oklahoma Territory.
• June 25, 1876 — The Battle of Little Bighorn wiped out Lieutenant Colonel George Custer and all his men.
• June 29, 1938 — Olympic National Park established.

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