With the sunset of XenApp 4.5 many Citrix customers have moved to Citrix 6.0 or 6.5, but ready or not we are already facing the decision on whether or not move to the latest 7.5 version. There have been some nice write-ups about some of the new features we gain by moving to the latest and greatest version and the overall adoption rate is yet to be seen. Regardless of your decision to move there have been some concept changes at the architecture level that need to be considered before implementing your new Citrix XenApp 7.5 environment.
What happened to my XML Brokers and ZDC’s?
We now will be using Delivery Controllers which is the same technology being used by XenDesktop. Your Delivery controllers do the same work as your ZDC/XML brokers though. Their job is to distribute applications and/or desktops, manage user access and optimize connections. When designing your environment plan on using Delivery Controllers.
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What is Studio?
In previous versions of XenApp you installed XenApp and ended up with a Citrix Delivery Services Console, but in version 7.5 the installation is called Studio. The Studio installation connects your XenApp server to the farm database and is the console that is used to administer your farm.
Director?
As if we haven’t been exposed to enough change the Edgesight platform for Citrix monitoring has been merged with a tool called Director. Director does all the same great things as Edgesight including monitoring performance and troubleshooting problems, but its intention is to be a Service Center/Helpdesk friendly console. Director can also include remote assistance for shadowing user sessions which is a nice benefit to your organizations helpdesk.
Web Interface or StoreFront?
Well, you can technically still use either one until August 24, 2016. My best guess is that this date will change, but you can keep an eye on this date yourself through this web link https://www.citrix.com/support/product-lifecycle/milestones/xendesktop.html. There are some considerations to think about before implementing one over the other though. Citrix is saying that they are only doing new product developments for StoreFront and if you are looking at implementing XenMobile Storefront is required. Ready or not Storefront will need to be incorporated into any future Citrix designs.
Here are some other good reads on features in XenApp 7.5