XP SP2 will allow 2 simultaneous users ?

[Technoid]

Interesting read

[Slougi]

Originally posted by WyWyWyWy
Not true.

http://cambuca.ldhs.cetuc.puc-rio.br/multiuser/

You'll need to hack it.

X != Xfree86

[RedRed]

This is the bad-boy you need:

WWW.CITRIX.COM

Works with Windows 2K server or Windows 2003

ICA protocol- amazing tech... whups the RDP protcol (about 1/3 the bandwidth)

everything except streamed audio and 3d graphics...

it will allow you to run word across a 28K modem!

doesnt require a VPN (though it can work with one), (can use a SSL http protocol). It now fully supports tokens (RSA secureid etc) and localised printing....

I am evaluating it at the moment for a proposal to roll it out over 85% of our network.....

with this, and a reasonably powerful back office PC, you can quite happily run perhaps 25+ users.... the advanced load balancing allows functionality allows the servers to have radically different parameters... The ICA client is available for Linux (I used it with RedHat), Mac OS/OsX, PC's....

The big selling points now are:
the password management (single login - remembers your passwords for specific apps);
the shear controllability/management of user desktops (just about every aspect of the users space - or as little as you need)
The fact that the ICA can run on a P100 with 32Mb Ram (possibly even DOS!!!), and give the user the same 'grunt' as a P4 3000 - brilliant to reduce the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)....

you can tell I am sold

RedRed

[leech]

Uhm, please correct me if I'm wrong on this, but isn't this essentially what used to be called a 'dumb terminal'? A friend of mine had one set up a long time ago using linux. You just hook it up via the serial port and you can have access to everything with multiple users.

Leech

[GNEP]

We use Citrix extensively here at my corporate, across the globe. It is truly impressive.

We have also moved over to locked down win2k machines for regular usage, with specific software outside the "norm" only installed if allocated to you by scripts. I can log in to any company PC anywhere in the world with my smart card and PIN, and get MY desktop up. Also I can take my own laptop and use it offline if needed. What Citrix means in this context:

1) for sites where full PCs would be inappropriate, dumb terminals can be used.

2) our v large complex financial & business analysis databases (eg treasury systems, accounting systems, etc etc) can be installed on specific powerful machines and we open a citrix "window" onto that machine allowing use as if we were there. This takes away the need to install for example, PowerPlay on lots of desktops to access these databases, making management easy. (Although I still do 'cos I'm a bit "special" ). Also when running v. large apps through Citrix, it is as if I am running them on my machine, but with none of my own performance used up.

3) I can log in easily from my home PC, which is my own and of course not to company spec (and not supported by them), over my own ISP/connection, with access to the company network through another "virtual" desktop sitting in a Citrix window. I can let the Citrix window see my local drives too, so I can move files if for example I want to use my own software on work files. This took about 30 seconds to install at home, and needs virtually no company support. Doesn't work with the supplied USB smart card reader yet (need a password instead), but will with the next (internal to our company) release.

When I load up into a Citrix desktop, I get my OWN desktop etc settings as it uses my network profile. Just the software accessible will depend on which Citrix profile (ie box) I log in to.

RedRed - from my point of view, the use of Citrix can only have done one thing for TCO here as far as I can see - reduced it significantly!

Gnep

[WyWyWyWy]

Originally posted by Slougi
X != Xfree86

Sorry my fault. But which (available) X server can do it?

[Wombat]

Solaris has been doing it for years and years, just off the top of my head.

[DGhost]

you know whats really sad...

the fact that RDP was originally designed by Citrix. the fact that Terminal Services is liscensed from Citrix by Microsoft to include in their products.

thats right... RDP and Terminal Services are all Citrix creations... last i checked they had a pretty good relationship with Microsoft, with Microsoft having certain tools but leaving a lot of it up to Citrix...

[Slougi]

The point is, what is discussed here is pergectly possible even with Xfree86, that is remote X Windows, which is a standard feature in ALL X servers. Which is the same thing the citrix stuff does on windows, just that the X implementation is far more mature.

As to the several monitors/input devices as discussed above, at least all SGI machines can do it, and according to Wombat Solaris as well. As was stated on the page, this is not an Xfree86 limitation either now that I actually think of it, but rather a Linux kernel level design fault in the input/virtual console code. Thus this should work even using Xfree86, as long as it can access they keyboards/mice separately.

[KeiFront]

We also got some Citrix stuff at work, altough for testing purposes only. Anyone ever used HOBLink it does the same as Citrix but it's easier to setup, etc.

[Technoid]

Citrix Rocks
Made me a bit confused once when a customer claimed to run w95 inside a window in Win3.11

[VJ]

Originally posted by KeiFront
We also got some Citrix stuff at work, altough for testing purposes only. Anyone ever used HOBLink it does the same as Citrix but it's easier to setup, etc.

At our department (in Ghent University), we use a combination of Linux (X) and VMWare to obtain this functionality. All the computers run Linux (very basic P100 is even sufficiant, doesn't even need a harddisk as there is a linux that fits on a floppy), but people run their X-session remote (choice of several machines). On that remote machine is a VMWare, which emulates Windows (several versions available). You just fire up the one you need, and you're off. Should you happen to have "damaged" your windows installation, just copy a new one ! Very convenient, not that expensive (both in hardware and in software)...


Jörg

[KeiFront]

VJ, nice solution.

We only use Citrix to validate/certify one of our applications. A lot of our customers are running it under Citrix.