As of Citrix XenDesktop Version 7.8 it is possible to use App-V packages (.appv files) directly from the directory. Therefore it is possible to refrain entirely from using an App-V Infrastructure with a Publishing-and-Management server. What you may be missing however are the App-V “Connection Groups”. With XenDesktop 7.11, Citrix integrated “Isolation Groups” into the product. The term means really nothing other than an App-V Connection Group, mixed however with a little Citrix XenDesktop magic in order to simplify greatly the use of Connection Groups. Isolation Groups can only be used with App-V packages directly imported via the directory. Packages that come from  an App-V infrastructure (App-V Management server) cannot be placed into a Citrix Isolation Group. It's also not necessary, since Connection Groups can be defined with an App-V infrastructure and then synchronized on the respective end device upon application launch.

The architecture of a XenDesktop 7.x environment is based upon the use of internal certificates. For internal use, for example for the connection of the StoreFront Server with the Desktop Delivery Controller, one would prefer not be forced to use certificates that need to be changed every year. The standard setting of Microsoft CA for web server certificates is exactly one year. Additionally we will show that a Microsoft CA can be installed using PowerShell.
The Microsoft CA can be attached to every Windows server system via Windows rolls. Certificates can be very easily created with the CA that are valid for one year, for example. In accordance with new requirements almost all data paths in terminal server environments today are being encrypted. Thus even communication with the Citrix STA should occur with encryption. Currently the Microsoft CA offers certificates for two years as standard. It is possible however to create one's own template in order to generate longer multiyear certificates. Here we will describe how to achieve this. First the installation of Microsoft CA with PowerShell. A few settings must absolutely be confirmed. This configuration is good for the creation of a quick certificate. This can also be done in a test environment and thereafter the certificates can be imported into the production environment onto only those servers where they are needed. However no CA should be installed for the entire infrastructure of a company in such a manner. A CA for email encryption requires careful planning. The root certificate of the installation will be replicated automatically in Active Directory. It is thus available after some time on all domain members (server/client). It is recommended to keep the validity period of the root shorter, in the event of critical security problems.

This article shows how shortcuts can be created and managed in documents (such as PDF, Word, and so on) and in scripts with Microsoft App-V. New shortcuts for websites (URLs) can be created directly with the App-V Management Server, that are then inserted into the Start menus of certain AD groups. The applications run outside the virtual environment, since one leaves “the bubble” through the local scripts.
In Citrix XenApp 6.5 there is shortcut management for documents, web links or even scripts. This means that it is possible in the System Management for XenApp to create a shortcut and then later to have this shortcut automatically be made available in the Start menu or even in the Citrix web interface (now Store Front). This function is no longer available as of XenDesktop 7.x.
One of our customers had a whole pile of shortcuts and the requirement to integrate them somehow in the new XenDesktop 7.9 with App-V. In short, we found a solution with App-V to manage the Start menu shortcuts and applications. The prerequisite for this is the App-V Management and Publishing Server, in order to authorize shortcuts for groups.

My name is Andreas Nick and this is my new blog with information and tools related to my occupation. I am an IT visionary with a strong focus on the use of an optimal IT workplace, and I have been working for approximately 15 years in Germany in the Citrix and VMWare VDI field. I've realized these goals for several years now through the work of my company in Germany, Nick Informationstechnik, and our numerous satisfied customers. Particularly through the use of automation we are able to find solutions that other service providers are able only with difficulty to offer.

In this capacity I've particularly specialized in providing software for terminal servers and desktops through software virtualization with App-V. The areas of server- and storage virtualization are also interesting to me. I believe in the community and in the support that we as colleagues employed throughout various firms in our profession can give to each other and would like to use this blog to give something back to the community.
Our German blog www.software-virtualisierung.de will be supplemented by this blog and the information from it and our experiences in Germany will be edited for the international Microsoft, Citrix, VMWare and VDI community. I would especially like to protect customers from errors, to

ClearType is the antialiasing for all characters in Windows, which improves the legibility of text on monitors. The basis for this is the Windows application Cttune.exe. By starting this application the user initiates a workflow process in order to adapt the symbols for optimal display on his or her monitor. Unfortunately this very process is sometimes problematic. On one hand I like to disable the ClearType function for certain Terminal server users upon registration. On the other hand the user sometimes wants to avoid the workflow. Sometimes the users themselves can feel overwhelmed by the workflow. To address this we have written three small tools that allow for the enabling and disabling of the ClearType function by the push of a button. At the end of this article is a download for this tool collection, in both ZIP and MSI.