What was Citrix XenDesktop?

Written by Jas Singh in citrix

Citrix XenDesktop was a virtualization solution developed by Citrix Systems that allowed users to remotely access and use a virtual desktop running on another computer, typically hosted in a data center or on a cloud platform. The remote desktop was powered by an operating system, such as Microsoft Windows, and was fully configured with applications ready for user access. Unlike XenApp, where a single desktop could be shared by multiple users, XenDesktop provided a dedicated desktop to each user, ensuring full control over their virtual environment.

Key Features of Citrix XenDesktop

1. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

  • Dedicated Virtual Desktops: XenDesktop enabled the creation of multiple virtual desktops running operating systems like Windows 7 or later. These desktops were hosted on physical machines or virtual machines using a hypervisor. Each user had sole access to their own desktop, unlike XenApp where users shared resources on a single server.

2. Hypervisor Support

  • Virtualization Software: A hypervisor allowed XenDesktop to run multiple virtual desktops on a single physical machine. Supported hypervisors included Citrix XenServer, VMware vSphere, and Microsoft Hyper-V. The hypervisor shared the physical resources of the host machine with the virtual desktops, enabling efficient resource use.

3. Provisioning

  • Centralized Desktop Creation: XenDesktop managed the creation of virtual desktops through provisioning services. This process used a master image (a reference desktop with a preconfigured operating system and applications) to create multiple virtual desktops, ensuring consistency and ease of deployment.

4. Controller

  • User Connection Management: The controller was responsible for managing user connections and directing them to the appropriate virtual desktop. It ensured that each user either received a dedicated virtual desktop or was connected to a desktop from a pool of available machines.

5. Master Images

  • Efficient Desktop Duplication: XenDesktop allowed administrators to create a single master image of an operating system, such as Windows 7, and quickly deploy multiple copies for users. This simplified the management and deployment of virtual desktops, ensuring uniformity across user environments.

6. XenDesktop Components

  • The key components required to run XenDesktop included:
    • StoreFront: The web-based interface for user authentication and authorization.
    • Database: A database server to store user and session information.
    • Controller(s): To manage user connections and virtual desktops.
    • Hypervisor: To host the virtual desktops.
    • Provisioning services: Either Provisioning Server or Machine Creation Services (MCS) for desktop creation.

XenDesktop vs. XenApp

  • XenDesktop: Provided individual users with access to a full virtual desktop where they could use the entire operating system and applications. Each user had dedicated access, ensuring no resource contention with other users.
  • XenApp: Allowed multiple users to access a single remote server, where each user interacted with individual applications or published desktops. XenApp users shared server resources, which could lead to performance degradation if too many users accessed the system simultaneously.

XenDesktop Editions

XenDesktop was available in three editions, each designed to meet different organizational needs:

1. XenDesktop VDI Edition

  • Entry-Level Version: This version allowed users to access virtual desktops (VDI) with support for personal vDisks. The personal vDisks enabled users to retain customizations and save data, even when using pooled desktops.

2. XenDesktop Enterprise Edition

  • Mid-Level Version: This edition included all the features of the VDI Edition, along with additional enterprise-level capabilities for larger organizations.

3. XenDesktop Platinum Edition

  • Premium Version: The most feature-rich edition, offering advanced capabilities such as enhanced security, monitoring, and reporting tools for enterprise-scale deployments.

Licensing Models

XenDesktop offered two main licensing models:

1. Concurrent Licensing

  • This model allowed organizations to purchase licenses based on the number of users that would be connected to XenDesktop at the same time. For example, if 1,000 employees needed access to XenDesktop but only 200 would be connected concurrently, only 200 licenses would be required.

2. Named User or Device Licensing

  • In this model, licenses were based on the total number of users or devices connecting to XenDesktop. If 1,000 employees needed access, the organization would need to purchase 1,000 licenses, regardless of how many users were connected concurrently.

Additional Capabilities

  • VDI with Personal vDisk: Users could save personal data and settings using personal vDisks, ensuring a personalized desktop experience, even in pooled desktop environments.
  • Microsoft App-V Integration: XenDesktop supported integration with Microsoft App-V, allowing applications to be delivered to virtual desktops without being installed on them.
  • Provisioning Server: Enabled centralized management of virtual desktops by deploying them from a master image, saving time and resources during deployment.

Conclusion

Although Citrix XenDesktop is no longer actively sold under that name, it was a comprehensive solution for delivering virtual desktops to users across various devices. It provided a flexible, scalable infrastructure for organizations looking to centralize desktop management and improve security by keeping applications and data in the data center while offering a rich user experience. Whether through dedicated virtual desktops or pooled resources, XenDesktop was key in enabling organizations to manage virtual desktop environments with ease, ensuring high availability, scalability, and user satisfaction.

Recent Posts