XenClient provides desktop virtualization for corporate laptops, allowing IT control while providing flexibility for users. New features since RC1/RC2 include support for Windows 7 64-bit, improved USB device support, enhanced usability, and disk encryption for deployed VMs. The Synchronizer now supports dynamic image layers to reduce backup sizes and simplify updating base VM images.

1. What's new in XenClient?
25th November 2010
Walter Hofstetter
Senior Systems Engineer, EMEA

2. Agenda
• What’s XenClient all about?
• XenClient Architecture
• New feature since RC1/RC2
•Q&A

3. What’s XenClient all about?

4. Laptop Task
USER TYPES
users workers
Local Streamed Hosted Hosted
VM VHD VDI Shared
Runs locally 5000+ users per server 125 users per server 500 users per server
Enables disconnected High Security Allows Users Share Common
use Personalization Desktop
Client Side Compute Server Side Compute

5. Desktop Virtualization for corporate Laptops
• Extending XenDesktop to the last
mile of users
• Control for IT, Flexibility for Users
• Fast deployment of new VM’s to
employees or contractors
• Self service recovery to any
XenClient device
• Secure corporate data

6. XenClient Packaging
Now Now
Includes Includes
XenClient XenClient
XenDesktop XenDesktop XenDesktop
Buy It VDI Enterprise Platinum
NEW
XenDesktop XenClient
Try It Express
Express
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7. What is XenClient technology?
• Type 1 hypervisor: High performance
XenClient because it runs on bare metal
technology • Built on 64-bit open source Xen technology
• Runs multiple virtual desktops
Compatible laptop
& desktop simultaneously
hardware • Completely secure isolation for each VM
• Hardware independent VMs
• Service VM Architecture for extensibility

8. XenClient Architecture

9. Types of client hypervisor architectures
Type 1 Hypervisor Type 2 Hypervisor
(XenClient) (Traditional VMM)
Corporate Image
Type-2 Hypervisor
Personal Image Corporate Image
Type-1 Hypervisor Personal Image
Hardware Hardware
• Better Security and Isolation • Less Isolation and Security
• Bare Metal Performance • Easier to Retrofit

10. XenClient Architectur
Hardware isolation and pass through operation
Control Service
Domain VM Personal VM Corporate VM
Xen Hypervisor
Audio USB GPU
GPU
Hardware
Disk ACPI NIC

11. Citrix Receiver for XenClient
• First Service VM for XenClient
Citrix Receiver
for XenClient
Local VM • Simple wizard to create VMs locally
Desktops
• Easy switching between VMs with
Switcher Bar
XenClient
• Connector for centralized
technology
synchronization of desktops
• Self-service provisioning and recovery
• Enforcement of local policy and kill pill

12. Receiver for XenClient functions
• Create VM(s)
• From optical media (CD / DVD)
• Download from Synchronizer for XenClient
• VM Management
• Change Power Options
• Change Touchpad Options
• Setup Networking
• Register with Synchronizer for XenClient

13. Citrix Receiver for XenClient: System Settings

14. Synchronizer for XenClient
Citrix Receiver
for XenClient
Automatic
Local VM Copy of
Desktops Local VMs
Δsync
XenClient Synchronizer for
technology XenClient
• Centralized delivery of virtual desktops
• Full-time backup & rapid recovery
• Remote kill & local policy controls

15. VM Appliance Management
• Assign desktop to user/group
• Set policies and configuration
• Desktop version
• Authorship
• Modify VM properties
• Audio: Disabled, Enabled no Recording, Enabled with Recording
• Optical Drive Access: Disabled, Read-Only, Read-Write
• Networking: Wired and/or Wireless enabled/disabled
• CPU and Memory
• Lease Time, Backup Frequency, Phone Home Frequency

16. Synchronizer WebUI

17. Dynamic Image Mode

18. New in RC2 / V1.0

19. New in RC2 / V1.0
• Windows 7 x64
• This was one of the top requests as we are seeing a split with customer
deployments of Windows 7 between 32bit and 64bit. The Xen virtualization we
use in XenClient is 64bit so adding this support was really a matter of porting
the graphics, USB, and other supporting drivers over to 64bit. The storage and
networking drivers were already 64bit ready courtesy of the XenServer group.
• Improved USB
• Another top request was improvements to USB device support. So we spent a
lot of time making major improvements to the USB support. This includes
support for integrated USB devices such as webcams, fingerprint readers. Also
we build a new user interface for routing USB devices between VMs and setting
up persistent connections between VMs and certain USB devices. At this point
most USB devices should work with the platform. If not let us know. I've listed
some of the top requests below.

20. New in RC2 / V1.0
• Added support for the following devices:
• Apple iPod, iPhone, iPad
• Microsoft Windows Phones
• Android Phones
• Headsets
• Fingerprint Readers
• Webcams
• Smart Card Readers
• 3G data modems
• And many more…

21. New in RC2 / V1.0
Bluetooth
• With our new improved USB support comes support for a variety of Bluetooth
devices. On most systems in our HCL the Bluetooth system is actually a USB
device that can be assigned to a virtual machine. This allows that virtual
machine to talk to your Bluetooth devices.
Usability Enhancements
• We spent a lot of time on incorporating usability feedback into this release. We
have a crack team of UX experts at Citrix that watched ITPros first use of the
system and we learned some great information about how to make the product
even simpler and easy to use. While we made a host of enhancements these
are some of the ones that stand out.

22. New in RC2 / V1.0
Simplified VM upload and download process
• We removed combined steps and even removed a number of steps to make the
process of uploading a VM image to a Synchronizer super simple. We also
removed the duplicate publish VMs that were cluttering the UI.
Improved display of upload/download progress
• Along with enhancements to the actual upload and download process we
enhanced the display of upload and download progress information and now
include this information on the main Receiver for XenClient UI.
Enhanced client authentication experience
• Here again we combined steps and cleanup up the UI to make the
authentication experience on XenClient simpler to use and understand.

23. New in RC2 / V1.0
In VM alerting system
• We have a brand new in VM alerting system that will make sure users are
aware of critical issues affecting the system such as low disk space, policy
actions, or impending lease time expiries. Previously this type of information
was only available in the Receiver for XenClient UI.
Mouse pointer trails support
• We have starting extended XenClient to be more accessible to all users and the
first area of focus was on the mouse and trackpad. In this release we added
pointer trails support

24. New in RC2 / V1.0
Automatic slipstream of Intel Graphics drivers
• XenClient has some amazing 3D graphics support that lets a virtual machine
have direct access to the Intel graphics system for a native graphics
experience. Now in this release we automatically slipstream the Intel graphics
drivers into most versions of Windows. So you can flip on the 3D graphics
feature and be ready to go without having to download any drivers.

25. New in RC2 / V1.0
Intel AMT KVM Remote Control
• The latest version of Intel vPro technology includes a great new feature called
AMT KVM Remote Control. This allows you to remotely view and control a
laptop using a VNC viewer. This works on systems shipped this year with Intel
vPro on Core i5 and i7 systems. We did some nice integration work that allows
you to remote control not only the XenClient UI but also switch between all of
your VMs. It's useful for remote troubleshooting and training with users. I also
find it helpful for doing demos of XenClient over Go2Meeting. You need a
second PC running Go2Meeting and then you can connect via a VNC viewer to
the XenClient system. This lets everyone on the Go2Meeting see everything on
the XenClient system.

26. New in RC2 / V1.0
Intel Extended Page Tables support
• In this release we added support for hardware acceleration of virtual memory
operations for increased memory performance. In the past the Xen hypervisor
we use in XenClient did an admirable job of page table virtualization but nothing
beats hardware assist and this will give us an extra boost in overall performance
for memory operations.
In place upgrade for XenClient
• We have had a tremendous response to the first release candidate and every
time I go to a field event I get people showing me their laptops running
XenClient. We have a legion of fans running XenClient as their daily software
and so we wanted to make sure they had a path to move to the latest version of
the software. So you can boot your existing system with an RC2 CD and the
installer will find your existing setup and upgrade it.

27. New in RC2 / V1.0
Local authentication enhancements
• We made some nice changes to the authentication experience on XenClient
simplifying the way you enter credentials as part of the usability upgrade
mentioned above. We also added support for manual and automatic locking of
the system. This means if you walk away from your XenClient system we can
lock it automatically to protect your VMs and configuration.
Secure Application Sharing
• There have been multiple bug fixes and enhancements gone into the way that
the ICA session is handled between VMs. First and foremost, most “Protocol
Driver” error messages should not appear. You will also notice that the ICA
display driver code is now able to better handle resolution changes in the
publishing or subscribing VMs

28. New since RC2 to V1.0
Integrated Disk Encryption
• VMs delivered to XenClient from the Synchronizer can now be protected with
AES-XTS disk encryption. This ensures that sensitive data is fully protected
when deployed on XenClient systems. In the event a system is lost or stolen all
the data remains protected from unauthorized access. On systems with Core i5
and Core i7 vPro technology XenClient will use Intel AES-NI to offload
encryption operations to the hardware.
External Monitor/Projector Support
• The latest generation of Intel Core i5 and i7 vPro systems now fully support use
of external monitors and projectors. Previously using external monitors and
projectors required running a VM with 3D graphics support enabled.

29. New since RC2 to V1.0
• * New since RC1
• Dell Latitude E4200* HP EliteBook 2530p Lenovo ThinkPad X200
Dell Latitude E4300 HP EliteBook 6930p Lenovo ThinkPad T400
Dell Latitude E6400 HP EliteBook 2540p* Lenovo ThinkPad T500
Dell Latitude E6500 HP EliteBook 8440p Lenovo ThinkPad T410*
Dell Latitude E4310* HP EliteBook 2740p* Lenovo ThinkPad X201*
Dell Latitude E6410 HP ProBook 6550b* ThinkCentre M90p*
Dell Latitude E6510 HP Compaq 8000 Elite PC
Dell OptiPlex 780
HP Compaq 8100 Elite PC*
Dell OptiPlex 980*
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30. New since RC2 to V1.0
XenClient to Synchronizer Communication Hardening
• XenClient systems will now use client side digital certificates along with user
credentials to authenticate to the Synchronizer. Additionally all VHD files are
encrypted with AES CBC encryption to allow secure delivery and caching of
components over http.
VM Switching Enhancements
• The in-guest VM switcher bar has been re-skinned with updated graphics and
new pull-down behavior. And the switching process has been revamped with a
beautiful fade on switch between VMs.
Revamped Synchronizer Web Interface
• The Synchronizer for XenClient has a revamped UI and refreshed graphics
showing off the latest Citrix Symphony styles.

31. New in RC2 / V1.0
Synchronizer for XenClient Enhancements
• Dynamic Image Mode (Experimental)
• This capability allows layering of VM images. By separating the image into
layers, administrators can maintain a single copy of the base image in the
datacenter. As the base image is updated, the Synchronizer will generate a
delta to upgrade the image deployed on existing XenClient systems. This allows
for rollback or roll-forward to any version of the VM image. Additionally by
separating the user data into a separate layer, backup sizes are dramatically
reduced.

32. New in RC2 / V1.0
Simplified disk space expansion for image and backup
storage
• Administrators will now be able to easily increase the amount of storage
available for storing VM images and user backups. They simply shutdown the
Synchronizer appliance, increase the data disk drive in XenCenter and boot up
the appliance. The Synchronizer will automatically find and use the newly added
space.
Simplified and Expanded Synchronizer Setup
• Simplifications to the Synchronizer configuration process including streamlined
HTTPS support and support for static networking configurations.

33. New in RC2 / V1.0
In place upgrade for Synchronizer
• Ability to upgrade Synchronizer from RC1 to RC2 while keeping existing
settings, images, and backups intact.
Scalability enhancements
• Working towards being production deployment ready, some of the work the
engineering team has put in includes:
• Optimization for data transfer throughput
• Optimization storage of compressed VM image and user backup data