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mreferre
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Connection Brokers summary

I am trying to fill up a table with all the brokers available associated to general characteristics.

These are the brokers I am currently considering: CitrixCDB, Leostream, Propero, Dunes, Provision Networks, 2X (ThinClientOS), (Syncron) ?

These are the characteristics I am putting into the table:

\- License costs per user: low/med/high (40/50 would be low, 400/500 would be high...)

\- Protocol being used: ICA/RDP

\- Client Device supported: browser/PClinux/PCXp/TCXPe/TCLinux/TCce/WyseS10......

\- Integrated single sign-on

\- Requires a scalable broker layer: yes / no (i.e. does the user connection goes from the client device to the XP vm directly (like with Leostream/Dunes) or does it have to go through the connection broker (like with the CitrixCDB)?)

\- Provides integrated Secure Access / VPN: yes/no

Before we start filling this virtual table up .... is there anything else you think would want to add ? Other brokers ? Other characteristics ?

Massimo.

Massimo Re Ferre' VMware vCloud Architect twitter.com/mreferre www.it20.info
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admin
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I agree... I recommended they adjust their message tune the install docs and eval guides to make it clear this is configurable. I still have not found the option to do so but will take their word for it.

WP

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mreferre
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FYI only.

I have update the structure a little bit. I have expanded the CCON model sections with details about the implementations of the various virtual hosted solutions (VMware and others).

I have added a "Client device Peripheral Support" in order to underline that certain brokers do provide advanced peripherals support than others (via their own protocol implementations).

I have added a more detailed list of protocol that certain brokers support.

Overall I am trying also not to bind this page to the mere concept of supporting XP virtual machines on VMware but more generally towards the concept of an open Concolidated Client infrustructure where the back end could be virtual machines (XP but also other OS flavours including Linux and legacy or future Windows guests) running on a virtual infrastructure (VMware but also other hypervisors). Last but not least I am also expanding the concept of the client virtualization not only towards virtual machines but also towards standard Shared Services implementations, Workstation Blades and even 5250 / 3270 type of sessions.

It is still very much work in progress though.

For those interested please do remember to read the "legend" for the raws because it turned out to be pretty challenging to summarize in a yes/no in the cells all the caveats associated to each raw.

Massimo.

Massimo Re Ferre' VMware vCloud Architect twitter.com/mreferre www.it20.info
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Randy_B
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Hi,

Sorry if this has been answered already. I'm looking for a connection broker soluiton that will allow for both shared pools of desktop resources and dual monitor support. Does anyone know if any of the vendors in the chart support dual monitors?

Thanks,

Randy

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Randy_B
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Also, I should have mentioned that we have Wyse thin clients connecting to XP VM's.

thanks

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Elie-prof
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Randy,

I know that Provision Networks VAS is the only one that offers multi-monitor support natively. Your client device of course needs to support 2 video cards.

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mreferre
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Good point.

The chart says that between the lines for Provision Networks (i.e. RDP extended by Provision). One of the extensions, as Elie mentioned, in dual-monitor support.

It's interesting to notice that some thin client vendors (wyse, chipPC etc etc) has started shipping devices with dual and quad monitor support but I am not clear whether these require a specific broker / protocol extension. In fact it is my understanding they have their own methods to provide dual-quad monitor support in a VDI environment.

For example I am testing a solution with Neoware thin clients with a Matrox quad-port card and this does not require any special protocol (just pkain RDP). Well, for the time being nothing works, but this is another story .....

I am not sure how the Provision Networks extensions compare to these "native" methods to split the video.

Massimo.

Massimo Re Ferre' VMware vCloud Architect twitter.com/mreferre www.it20.info
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dawho9
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I have never seen a Wyse device and dual screen, but I can describe how the Provision Network stuff works, since I have the demo up and running (and typing this from within my own VDI).

The provision tools act and behave very much like a Citrix Client does. Once logged in, you see a list of "applications" that are published to you.

There are two ways to go about publishing "applications" in my mind. You can publish a single application call Desktop. In this, you connect to your VM like a normal RDP session would connect. In this mode, it does not support dual monitor.

Then you can publish "single applications". These could be like Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. So when you click on these applications they just appear as normal windows. You can move those windows around to different monitors. They call this Seamless mode. I hope they extend their Desktop Application to multiple monitors in the future.

So the provision networks works on any number of monitors in the seamless mode. I have three monitors attached to my HP DC7100 and it works great.

Richard

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mreferre
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Richard,

This is interesting. In a VDI environment specifically multi-monitor support would mean that the VDI remote desktop could span across the 2 or 4 local monitors (with some level of monitors awreness). Something like this:

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/dispatch/products/epica/tc4.php

So with the Matrox card you can open a remote desktop session across 4 monitors (stretched) and use applications within that with full 4 monitors awareness.

In you situation you would use the local XP/XPe Windows dekstop stretched across the 4 monitors (as I understand) and the provision tools are able to manage the remote published applications in a way that are monitors-aware.

Quite frankly I miss the advantage since if you configure the local XP/XPe desktop to treat the 4 monitors as independent devices (i.e. not stretched but independent) you would achieve pretty much the same result without any third party tool monitor awareness assist (i.e. you put your application on monitor 3 and would maximize full screen on monitor 3).

Massimo.

Massimo.

Massimo Re Ferre' VMware vCloud Architect twitter.com/mreferre www.it20.info
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mreferre
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For the records I have updated the html page : www.it20.info/misc/brokers.htm

\- I have re-arranged the layout

\- I have inserted more background information so that this is no longer for broker geeks (sort of....)

\- I have added the VMware Virtual Desktop Manager broker (this is not a VMware product (yet) but it's rather something that a VDI engagement with the VMware Professional Services Organization would provide as part of the service).

As always .... any feedback/input is more than welcome.

Massimo.

Massimo Re Ferre' VMware vCloud Architect twitter.com/mreferre www.it20.info
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dawho9
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Looking at the link you provided I would say that their product would work for hardware like that (I'm guessing looking at the specs and such).

Basically you have the two "modes" that provision connects to the virtual machine. You have full screen/desktop mode. This is identical to what you are familiar with if you opened up a RDP session to a server in full screen mode. It takes up the entire screen (only one screen) and you interact with the desktop fully.

The second way they offer it is called seamless application. So for example, on my virtual machine I have GroupWise installed. I can create an application (basically a shortcut) and assign it to my user account. Then within their App Portal (web based or client based) when I click on that application, the application is all that appears on my desktop. So I'm not interacting directly with the desktop of the virtual machine at all. Since its just that one window of the one application, I can move it around to any of the three monitors that I have attached to my workstation. My best guess of what they are doing is wrapping the application in a RDP window and opening up a bunch of windows from the same virtual workstation.

This of course is not going to be perfect. At times, I want to drop a file to the desktop from GroupWise but I forget that desktop I see is not that of the virtual machine but rather of the local workstation so I cannot see the file.

Hope that makes sense. Like I said before (at least I think I did), I'm just evaluating the software right now so I'm kinda learning how it all works. Some things are neat, some things I don't like.

Richard

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Lodotje
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Hi, how is it in the brokers with the support to eDirectory and or LDAP?

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Lodotje
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How is it with the support of eDirectory (Netware) and LDAP for intergrating with other systems then Active Directory?

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mreferre
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Mh .... you raise a good point.

In my table I have not even considered listing LDAP/AD integration because that is a basic thing a broker would do and I go under the assumption that all of them have this feature (but never say never).

Effectively it would be useful to have a granular indication whether a given broker support either AD, LDAP or eDirectory (or all/some of them). Having this said ... off the top of my mind I would say most support AD, many support LDAP in addition .... but none support eDirectory.

I'll check and I'll try to update my table for the next round.

Thanks for the comment.

Massimo.

Massimo Re Ferre' VMware vCloud Architect twitter.com/mreferre www.it20.info
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mreferre
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FYI I have updated the page a little bit lately. Other than trying to fill a bit of the holes in the broker/features table ..... I have insterted a MAC OS support raw, I have adjusted a bit the SUN column as I have realsized some of the fillings were not appropriate etc etc + some cosmetic things

Soon also the VDM and Propero columns will be marged because of the VMware acquisition of Propero.

The other major change I did was another table to try to keep track of which thin client is supported with which connection broker. See at the bottom of the page.

Of course if you have any comment / suggestion / whatever please do let me know.

Massimo.

Massimo Re Ferre' VMware vCloud Architect twitter.com/mreferre www.it20.info
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mreferre
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I have just had a very interestin call with CHIPPC which pointed out to me their brokering capabilities.

Apparently they have announced it a few months ago but it went pretty silent .......

http://www.chippc.com/company/press.asp?id=27

I have updated my table accordingly if you are interested in understanding what it does and what it does not ....

http://it20.info/misc/brokers.htm

It is very powerful and for those very committed to Active Directory is a very good product. In my opinion the biggest drawback is that it only works (so far) with ChipPC thin clients ..... as you could depict from the broker-thin client compatibility table at the bottom of the page above.

Massimo.

Massimo Re Ferre' VMware vCloud Architect twitter.com/mreferre www.it20.info
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sgrinker
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Well that's odd... 3-4 months ago when we were making our final decisions, they still hadn't come out with the broker portion. The press release is dated Nov 2006. Of course I just noted that Massimo said "a few months ago." They did mention that they would have the ability "soon" everytime we talked to them, but I have to admit I never noticed any release of this either until now.

Massimo, have you had a chance to see it in action? We still have a few Chip PC demo units around here we purchased, so I'm wondering if I can get a demo or something. If I do get a chance to take a look at it, I'll throw in my two cents here later on... if not, well... then that's about all for now. Smiley Happy

Steve

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mreferre
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Steve,

I have seen it in action through a GoToMeeting session ... it was not a robot ... it was a live environment. It is my understanding that it's not a seprate product from the standard XCalibur package they have used for managing thin clients.... they have just added brokering capabilities to that.

I have assumed that it was an "available" product and the press release led me to think it has been for a while. My mistake I didn't ask specifically ...

Let me see what I can find out .... "problem" is I am going off for a week now ....

Massimo.

Massimo Re Ferre' VMware vCloud Architect twitter.com/mreferre www.it20.info
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sgrinker
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Massimo

No worries, and I wouldn't call it your mistake by any stretch. They haven't exactly been clear about their releases and other features since I started dealing with them. I think that had to do a lot with the decision we ended up making about Thin Clients.

To answer the question about products, from what I was last informed it should be embedded into their XCalibur product. Which as you pointed out has it's pluses and minuses. Pluses are all of the granularity of what you can control and modify with the console. Minuses is that it only works with their thin clients, and has a learning curve... it's like learning a whole new Policy, Security, and GPO structure. Granted I got the gist after a few days with it.

I'm still interested in seeing the product, but at this point I have far more curiosity about how the VMWare/Propero broker will pan out.

Thanks again

Steve

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mreferre
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For those of you interested I have lately brought some major (well sort of major) updates to the table given what happened in the last few months. In summary I have:

- removed Propero (bought by VMware and functionalities included in VDM 2.0)

- removed Dunes (bought by VMware and broker to belikely discontued in favour of VDM 2.0)

- added the NEC Virtual PC suite

- added PANOLogic suite

- added the QUMRANET connection broker

As a result of this I have added other comparison features (i.e. rows) that are:

Broker/Client relationship

additonal access devices (NEC US100/US110, PANO etc)

Integrated Telephony Support (VoIP)

Video&Multimedia protocol perf enhancements

......

(you can read a description of the nature of these fields in the table itself (legenda)

Also the compatibility table at the bottom (client device <-> broker technology) has been updated accordingly (the structure ..... for the fillings ..... it takes time).

Of course, as usual, your comments/suggestions/feedbacks are more than welcome.

The link to the page is here: http://it20.info/misc/brokers.htm

Massimo.

Massimo Re Ferre' VMware vCloud Architect twitter.com/mreferre www.it20.info
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sgrinker
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Massimo

As always, thanks for putting together (and keeping together) this matrix for the industry. It's definitely been a good reference to refer a lot of people to for multiple reasons. I'm sure it's been fun keeping up with all the changes as of late though. Smiley Happy

Thanks again

Steve

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