Posted: 26 Apr 2012 04:30 PM PDT

Last week Unidesk has released version 1.6 of its layering solution.

Unidesk solution transparently segments a VDI gold master into multiple, isolated containers that administrators can use to deploy applications, patches, drivers, etc., preserving, for any update, the customizations made by individual users.

The new features introduced in this release:

Integrated Citrix XenDesktop Support

Unidesk 1.6 brings the management simplicity, personalization (including user-installed apps), and storage savings that's only possible with full desktop layering to Citrix® XenDesktop®.

Broker integration via the XenDesktop SDK enables Unidesk desktops to be provisioned directly into XenDesktop catalogs and groups from the Unidesk Management Console.

The Unidesk Template Wizard for Desktop settings now enables administrators to specify that they are integrating with XenDesktop.

Existing XenDesktop desktops can be synchronized with Unidesk 1.6. This is useful for customers who have created desktops in Unidesk 1.5 and have manually added those desktops to XenDesktop. With 1.6, you are now able to upgrade from 1.5 to 1.6, configure XenDesktop through the Unidesk Management Console, and synchronize the desktops.

Desktop Build Performance Improvements

Administrators will see up to 30% performance improvement in desktop build times compared to Unidesk 1.5 for desktops that have been assigned multiple application layers.

Additional Maintenance Schedule Capability

Unidesk 1.5 introduced Desktop Maintenance Schedules, which define the time periods when Unidesk will deploy configuration changes and apply layer assignment changes to specified desktops. In Unidesk 1.6 administrators can now deploy a desktop change when the user reboots or logs out. This enables desktop changes to be applied when the user has naturally stopped working, without waiting for the usual Maintenance Schedule timeframe or forcing the user to log off immediately.

VMware View 5 Agent Support for Windows XP

The VMware View 5 Agent can now be deployed as a Unidesk application layer to Windows XP Desktops independent of the Windows gold image to simplify patches and updates.

VMware vShield Support

VMware vShield can now be deployed as a Unidesk application layer to all desktops independent of the Windows gold image to simplify patches and updates.

Labels: Release, Unidesk, VDI

Veeam launches free Management Pack 10-Pack for System Center 2012

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 03:48 PM PDT

During Microsoft Management Summit 2012 Veeam announced the Veeam Management Pack (MP) 10-Pack, a free monitoring solution that allows VMware environments monitoring through System Center 2012 Operations Manager console.

For new MP costumers that use System Center 2012 or plan to implement it soon, Veeam offers a free perpetual 10-socket license that comes with a full year of maintenance and support.

This solution meets the growing need for companies to manage heterogeneous virtual data centers using a single console, as Hotlink does with SuperVISOR and vCenter, and suggests that Veeam is ready to bet on the idea that Hyper-V will continue to gain market share in the future.

We also suggest to read this in-depth article by David Marshall.

Labels: management, Release, Veeam