Citrix Virtual Desktops

Citrix Virtual Desktops (formerly XenDesktop) is a desktop virtualization product.

History

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The virtualization technology that led to XenDesktop was first developed in 2000 through an open-source hypervisor research project led by Ian Pratt at the University of Cambridge called Xen Project for x86.[1][2] Pratt founded a company called XenSource in 2004, which made a commercial version of the Xen hypervisor.[2] In 2007, Citrix acquired XenSource, releasing XenDesktop version 2.0 in 2008.[3][4] The company continues to release updated versions, with XenDesktop 7.6 featuring HDX technology enhancements for audio, video and graphics user experience, as well as a reduction in storage costs associated with virtual desktop deployments as a result of improvements to Citrix provisioning services.[5][6]

In 2018, the software was renamed Citrix Virtual Desktops.[7]

Product overview

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The product's aim is to give employees the ability to work from anywhere while cutting information technology management costs because desktops and applications are centralized.[8] XenDesktop also aims to provide security, because data is not stored on the devices of end users, instead being saved in a centralized datacenter or cloud infrastructure.[9] Citrix developed the software for use by medium to large enterprise customers.[10][11]

Citrix Workspace is able to manage and deliver applications and desktops using a connection broker called Desktop Delivery Controller.[11][12] It supports multiple hypervisors, including Citrix Hypervisor, VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V and Nutanix Acropolis to create virtual machines to run the applications and desktops.[11] The software allows for several types of delivery methods and is compatible with multiple architectures, including desktops and servers, datacenters, and private, public or hybrid clouds.[8][13][6][11] Virtualized applications can be delivered to virtual desktops using Virtual Apps.[10]

Release history

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  • Version 7.5 - March 26, 2014
  • Version 7.6 - September 30, 2014
  • Version 7.6 Feature Pack 1 - March 31, 2015
  • Version 7.6 Feature Pack 2 - June 30, 2015
  • Version 7.6 Feature Pack 3 - September 30, 2015
  • Version 7.6 LTSR - January 11, 2016
  • Version 7.7 - December 29, 2015
  • Version 7.8 - February 24, 2016
  • Version 7.9 - June 1, 2016
  • Version 7.11 - September 4, 2016
  • Version 7.12 - December 7, 2016
  • Version 7.13 - February 23, 2017
  • Version 7.14 - May 23, 2017
  • Version 7.15 LTSR - August 15, 2017
  • Version 7.16 - November, 2017
  • Version 7.17 - February, 2018
  • Version 7.18 - June, 2018

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Buytaert, Kris (March 26, 2008). "The Current State of Open Source Virtualization". Virtualization. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b Waters, John K (March 15, 2007). "Virtualization topics covering definition, objectives, systems and solutions". CIO. Retrieved 25 June 2015.[dead link]
  3. ^ "Release: Citrix XenDesktop 2.0". Virtualization. May 20, 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  4. ^ Babcock, Charles (October 22, 2007). "Citrix Launches First Product From XenSource Acquisition". InformationWeek. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Citrix makes VDI faster, secure, more reliable and cheaper on storage with the latest XenApp and XenDesktop". Cloud Computing Intelligence. August 20, 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  6. ^ a b Cox, Mark (August 25, 2014). "New Citrix XenApp, XenDesktop releases to take down adoption barriers". Channel Buzz. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  7. ^ Keumars Afifi-Sabet (16 May 2018). "Citrix quietly ditches Xen and NetScaler brands days after Synergy 2018".
  8. ^ a b Ricknäs, Mikael (April 14, 2008). "Citrix sets price and release date for XenDesktop". Network World. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  9. ^ Howsw, Brett (July 14, 2015). "Citrix brings full support for Windows 10 to its desktop virtualization products". AnandTech. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  10. ^ a b McMillan, Robert (May 20, 2008). "Citrix's New XenDesktop Options Include Free Edition". CIO. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  11. ^ a b c d Becker, Randy. "Components, features and use cases for XenDesktop 7.5". TechTarget. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  12. ^ Ruest, Danielle; Ruest, Nelson (January 1, 2009). "Xen and the Art of Hosted Desktops". Virtualization. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  13. ^ Rouse, Margaret. "Citrix XenDesktop". Search virtual desktop. TechTarget. Retrieved 13 July 2015.