Virtualization

I am looking at this path but to be honest I'm waiting for MAV 4.5 RC1 until I perform more research on this. From what I can tell if you use SCCM you will be using the lightweight streaming server on your distribution points so I agree that you will not have a heavywieght server with the traditional SoftGrid SQL back end. This may be ok but you have to be aware of what each implementation can and can't do. I'm making an assumption that the SCCM client can work just fine on a Citrix server but in reality I've never seen SCCM run on Citrix but it looks like vendors are endorsing it.

Citrix Presentation Server Configuration Pack for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007
http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX115268

I don't think running SCCM on Citrix to deliver virtual applications is much different than using installation manager to deliver MSIs to Citrix servers. Ultimately the server has to be staged before applications are published.

Thanks for the response and the information regarding the Citrix PS Configuration Pack. I'll have a look through this and see what it provides in terms of deployment of virtual packages/management of citrix servers etc.

Your correct in that there wouldnt really be any difference between deploying packages via Citrix Installation Manager or by SCCM Client. I guess its just a shame to lose that flexibility of having the heavyweight server , with applicaitons being streamed on-demand to a citrix server and also no requirement for downtime when making a new application available - as there's no need to disable logons to install the msi package etc. I guess in reality all virtual packages would be pre-cached on a citrix server before it was brought into the farm, so it might not be quite so much of a difference as I think.

Thanks again.

No prob, I added the Citrix Management pack as proof people are running SCCM on Citrix boxes. It may be useful in case you are interested in desired configuration management (DCM) but doesn't help with SoftGrid application deployment in the slightest.

With R2 you have the option to setup the Advertisement for the sequence in SCCM to either precache or have it streamed from the distribution point. At MMS they also mentioned that in R2 streaming uses HTTP instead of RTSP, which they were suprised to find improves the streaming performance.

I think the HTTP streaming was working better because it is a protocol that network equipment is more familiar with. What I am curious about is if HTTP streaming will allow SoftGrid to work better with WAN optimization appliances.