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Volume 5, Issue 9 - September, 2010 - © 2010 by Moose Logic, All Rights Reserved
Cover Story: XenClient and XenVault Coming This Month
Special Offer from Marathon Technologies
Taming the Cord Chaos
This Month In History
Riddles for Kids: School Daze
Organizing Tips
Moose Logic Coming Events
September Recommended Reading
(Moose Views is a monthly newsletter prepared by Moose Logic to bring you information and tips on maintaining a trouble-free network)
XenClient and XenVault Coming This Month
Last week (August 25 to be precise) Citrix formally announced XenDesktop 4 Feature Pack 2, which
is expected to be available by the end of this month, and, of course, will be available at no
charge to XenDesktop customers with current Subscription Advantage.
Feature Pack 2 includes two new pieces of technology: XenClient and XenVault. We’ve written extensively about XenClient in these pages, so we won’t rehash that in this article—but you need to know about XenVault.
If you’re a Citrix user, you probably know that, for a long time, we have had administrative control over whether users who are running applications remotely via XenApp or XenDesktop can save data back to a disk drive on their client device.
If you’re using a Citrix Access Gateway with SmartAccess policies, you can get even more granular. The same user, presenting the same set of credentials, may be allowed to save, or be blocked from saving, to the client device depending on the access scenario—i.e., where the user is connecting from, whether the user is using a company-owned client device, etc.
But in any case, once you’ve allowed data to be saved to the client device, you have now lost control of that data. It could potentially be copied to a USB drive or burned to an optical disk. It could be emailed to someone. The client device could be lost or stolen. But it’s a risk we often feel we have to take so our mobile users can remain productive.
XenVault, which was first previewed at last May’s Citrix Synergy event, addresses this risk. It’s a new plug-in for the Citrix Receiver. As such, its deployment and configuration are controlled by the Citrix Merchandising Server—the preferred tool for installing and configuring Citrix client software.
When XenVault is pushed down and installed, it creates a secure, encrypted (256-bit AES) storage area on the client hard disk. Applications deployed via Citrix—whether executed remotely on a XenApp server or XenDesktop virtual PC, or streamed for local execution—will only be allowed to store data in this encrypted location. Furthermore, while the user can use Windows Explorer to view the files in the encrypted location, s/he will not be able to copy them to a non-secured folder, nor to open them with applications other than those specified by the administrator.
If a laptop is lost or stolen, the administrator can issue a “kill pill.” The next time the Receiver checks in with the Merchandising Server for updates, the encrypted area will be locked or deleted.
So now you can allow users to store data on client devices while still insuring data security!
Feature Pack 2 includes two new pieces of technology: XenClient and XenVault. We’ve written extensively about XenClient in these pages, so we won’t rehash that in this article—but you need to know about XenVault.
If you’re a Citrix user, you probably know that, for a long time, we have had administrative control over whether users who are running applications remotely via XenApp or XenDesktop can save data back to a disk drive on their client device.
If you’re using a Citrix Access Gateway with SmartAccess policies, you can get even more granular. The same user, presenting the same set of credentials, may be allowed to save, or be blocked from saving, to the client device depending on the access scenario—i.e., where the user is connecting from, whether the user is using a company-owned client device, etc.
But in any case, once you’ve allowed data to be saved to the client device, you have now lost control of that data. It could potentially be copied to a USB drive or burned to an optical disk. It could be emailed to someone. The client device could be lost or stolen. But it’s a risk we often feel we have to take so our mobile users can remain productive.
XenVault, which was first previewed at last May’s Citrix Synergy event, addresses this risk. It’s a new plug-in for the Citrix Receiver. As such, its deployment and configuration are controlled by the Citrix Merchandising Server—the preferred tool for installing and configuring Citrix client software.
When XenVault is pushed down and installed, it creates a secure, encrypted (256-bit AES) storage area on the client hard disk. Applications deployed via Citrix—whether executed remotely on a XenApp server or XenDesktop virtual PC, or streamed for local execution—will only be allowed to store data in this encrypted location. Furthermore, while the user can use Windows Explorer to view the files in the encrypted location, s/he will not be able to copy them to a non-secured folder, nor to open them with applications other than those specified by the administrator.
If a laptop is lost or stolen, the administrator can issue a “kill pill.” The next time the Receiver checks in with the Merchandising Server for updates, the encrypted area will be locked or deleted.
So now you can allow users to store data on client devices while still insuring data security!
Special Offer from Marathon
Do
you have a critical application that simply cannot go down? It’s certainly possible in a
virtualized infrastructure (such as VMware, Hyper-V, or XenServer) to implement “high
availability” in the form of an automatic restart of a critical VM.But an automatic restart isn’t quite the same thing. By definition, it means that your system has gone down, and will be unavailable during the time it takes to restart the system. And, depending on your application, you may have lost some data in the process.
Marathon Technologies’ everRun family of products can keep that critical application running without requiring you to learn how to manage a Microsoft Cluster, and without requiring that your application be cluster-aware.
The latest generation, Marathon everRun 2G, incorporates an OEM version of Citrix XenServer. When you install everRun 2G on a pair of servers, you end up with a pair of XenServers that support a higher level of availability than XenServer by itself can provide.
This higher availability comes in two flavors:
Level 2 Protection
Level 2 protection is also referred to as component-level fault tolerance. For example, you might have an Exchange Server running on “Host A.” Marathon will reserve resources on “Host B” for that Exchange Server, and (if you’re using local disks as opposed to a SAN) mirror the data between your two hosts.
If the disk subsystem on Host A fails, Marathon will transparently redirect disk I/O across the high-speed availability link between your two hosts, so that Exchange begins using the copy of the data that resides on Host B. When you repair the disk issue, the system automatically self-heals.
Likewise, if a NIC fails on Host A, Marathon will seamlessly begin redirecting network I/O through the network interface of Host B.
If the entire host fails, the “standby” copy of Exchange on Host B goes live, and service is restored after a very brief interruption.
This protection can be bi-directional. In other words, you might have an Exchange Server running on Host A that is protected on Host B, while also having a SQL Server running on Host B that is protected on Host A, as shown in the picture above.
But what if you can’t even tolerate a brief interruption? That’s where you need…
Level 3 Protection
Level 3 protection is also referred to as lock-step operation. Rather than having a copy of the protected VM in a standby state, both copies are active , and executing instructions in lock step with each other. They are maintained in an identical state at all times. If one host fails, the protected virtual machine is still running on the other host, and your critical application doesn’t miss a beat!
You need to note, however, that Level 3 protected VMs can have only one virtual CPU assigned to them, whereas Level 2 protected VMs can have multiple virtual CPUs.
The latest version of everRun 2G supports up to four hosts in an availability pool, and would allow a VM running on any server in the pool to be protected on any other server in the pool.
So, what’s the special offer? Well, normally you have to license your protected VMs separately if you want to protect more than one VM on a pair of servers—and L3 protection is more expensive than L2 protection. But, if you are a business with fewer than 2,000 employees, you can purchase a pair of everRun 2G licenses that will support an unlimited number of Level 2 and Level 3 protected VMs for a total of $10,000. This offer is only good through September 30, 2010.
For more information, contact your Moose Logic Account Representative.
Taming the Cord Chaos
Anyone
who uses a computer or has electronics at home knows that the cords from all these devices can
quickly get into a tangled mess. Not only are they unsightly, but they can pose a tripping hazard
and can make it hard to find the right cord when you need it. There are lots of gadgets designed
to address this problem, but you don’t have to spend a lot of money to tidy up your cords.First, be sure you have a surge protector. This device offers you a set of outlets that plugs into a single outlet in the wall. You will increase the number of devices you can plug in. By mounting the surge protector under a desk or on a wall, you can consolidate some of your cords. Just be sure to place it in an out-of-the-way place that is still easily accessible.
To keep the cords from getting tangled up once they are all plugged in, bundle them together using cable ties. These small plastic zipper ties are readily found at home improvement stores. You will need to leave enough slack in your bundle so that the cords can still reach the surge protector, but this will keep them from moving so much that they become tangled.
Alternately, check out the Velcro “One Wrap” cable ties, $6.19 at Amazon.com for two rolls of 25 each.
If your cords have to travel a significant length to reach their outlet, consider purchase inexpensive cord covers. These plastic covers can be run along the length of a shelf, desk, or baseboard, and come in a variety of colors, so you can blend them in with your décor. A cup hook will also work to guide cords where they need to go.
Finally, consider labeling each cord. You can attach a labeled sticker onto the cord. You can also use colored labels, with each cord getting a different color. Place a sticker of the same color on e ach end of the cord and you can quickly see what attaches to each.
This Month In History
- September 1, 1939—Germany invaded Poland, touching off WWII
- September 2, 1666—The Great Fire of London started and burned for 3 days...destroying over 13,000 houses but killing only 6 people.
- September 3, 1777—The American flag was flown for the first time in battle during the Revolutionary War
- September 4, 1882—Thomas Edison threw the switch that lit a building with electric lights for the first time
- September 5, 1847—Jesse James was born in Centerville, MO
- September 7, 1998—Google was incorporated.
- September 8, 1966—Star Trek premiered on television
- September 9, 1850—California became the 31st State.
- September 10, 1955—Gunsmoke, TV’s longest-running Western, premiered.
- September 11, 2001—May we never forget the World Trade Center attack
- September 12, 1854—Lassie premiered on television. Oddly enough, all six of the dogs who played Lassie on TV were actually males.
- September 14, 1814—The Star Spangled Banner was composed by Francis Scott Key
- September 15, 1902—The Chicago Cubs turned the first double-play ever in professional baseball. And, yes, it was “Tinker to Evans to Chance.”
- September 16, 1620—The Mayflower set sail from England.
- September 17, 1787—The delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia voted unanimously to approve the proposed Constitution of the United States.
- September 18, 1793—George Washington laid the cornerstone for the U.S. Capital building
- September 20, 1984—The Cosby Show premiered on television.
Riddles for Kids: School Daze
Q:
Why was the puppy so well-behaved in class?A: He wanted to be the teacher's pet!
Q: Why is the library the tallest part of the school?
A: Because it has so many stories!
Q: Where do students sit when they are learning math?
A: At multiplication tables!
Q: What was the little snake’s best subject in school?
A: Hiss-story!
Q: Why are fish such good students?
A: Because they like to hang around in schools!
Q: Why did the clock get into trouble at school?
A: Because it tocked in class!
Tardy Tim
Tim was constantly late to work. He just couldn't seem to get up in the morning. His boss was becoming very impatient with him and finally told him he would be fired if he came to work late one more time. Tim was desperate, so he went to his doctor for some help. His doctor gave him some pills and told him to take one before bedtime.Tim slept great that night and even woke up before his alarm clock went off. He ate a leisurely breakfast and drove at a normal pace to work.
"Boss," he said when he got work, "my doctor has fixed my problem. The medication he gave me worked!"
"That's great," replied his boss, "but where were you yesterday?"
Organizing Tip
If
you need to get rid of clutter around the house, try the following:
- Get up early in the morning and do your sorting while you're feeling cold-hearted and grumpy.
- Wear clothing without pockets, so you can't easily squirrel anything away.
- Sort things into three boxes: "Trash," "Charity," and "Emotional Withdrawal.
- Throw the "Trash" box away, give the "Charity" box to your favorite charity, and seal up the "Emotional Withdrawal" box and put it on the shelf.
- After a year, throw away the "Emotional Withdrawal" box without opening it . You'll never even remember what was in it!
