Citrix Systems 6 manual New Features in XenServer, Administering XenServer, XenServer Editions

• Increasing portability of VM images, as one VM image will work on a range of deployment infrastructures

Administering XenServer

There are two methods by which to administer XenServer: XenCenter and the XenServer Command-Line Interface (CLI).

XenCenter is a graphical, Windows-based user interface. XenCenter allows you to manage XenServer hosts, pools and shared storage, and to deploy, manage and monitor VMs from your Windows desktop machine.

The XenCenter Help is a great resource for getting started with XenCenter.

The XenServer Command-line Interface (CLI) allows you to administer XenServer using the Linux-based xe commands.

For a comprehensive list of xe commands and descriptions, see the XenServer Administrator's Guide.

XenServer Editions

The features available in XenServer depend on the edition. The four editions of XenServer are:

•Citrix XenServer (Free): Proven virtualization platform that delivers uncompromised performance, scale, and flexibility at no cost.

•Citrix XenServer Advanced Edition: Key high availability and advanced management tools that take virtual infrastructure to the next level.

•Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition: Essential integration and optimization capabilities for production deployments of virtual machines.

•Citrix XenServer Platinum Edition: Advanced automation and cloud computing features for enterprise-wide virtual environments.

For more information about how the XenServer edition affects the features available, visit www.citrix.com/ xenserver.

New Features in XenServer 6.0

XenServer 6.0 includes a number of new features and ongoing improvements, including:

Integrated Site Recovery (Disaster Recovery):

•Automated remote data replication between storage arrays with fast recovery and failback capabilities. Integrated Site Recovery replaces StorageLink Gateway Site Recovery used in previous versions, removes the Windows VM requirement, and works with any iSCSI or Hardware HBA storage repository.

Integrated StorageLink:

•Access to use existing storage array-based features such as data replication, de-duplication, snapshot and cloning. Replaces the StorageLink Gateway technology used in previous editions and removes the requirement to run a VM with the StorageLink components.

GPU Pass-Through:

•Enables a physical GPU to be assigned to a VM providing high-end graphics. Allows applications to leverage GPU instructions in XenDesktop VDI deployments with HDX 3D Pro.

Virtual Appliance Support (vApp):

•Ability to create multi-VM and boot sequenced virtual appliances (vApps) that integrate with Integrated Site Recovery and High Availability. vApps can be easily imported and exported using the Open Virtualization Format (OVF) standard.

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