UPDATED: What are you getting for SA subscription this year? Not much if you are not running CPS 4.

UPDATE 11/6/06

Brian Madden has posted a story as a result of this article at

http://www.brianmadden.com/content/content.asp?id=632

Here is what Citrix Says you got this year:

x64 Presentation Server 4.0
Web Interface for Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS)
Web Interface 4.2
Web Interface for SharePoint (WISP)
Management Pack for MOM 2005
Resource Manager Semantic tool
(Just announced) Desktop Broker for Presentation Server (for VDI)

My response to this is:

A lot of people do not run Sharepoint, MOM, or Virtual Servers, X64 or RM unless they are on Enterprise for

that matter so these "extras" offer no benefits. The 4.2 Web Interface is a minimal and Security Update, in My opinion.

I believe that if I am paying for "yearly" updates to products I purchased, a release of an additional

new add on that I may or may not be able use does not justify the expense. Give me an update to

the product I own. Security updates are expected and should not be considered a premium service.

I don't think I am alone in feeling this way.

Jim

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Original Article:
Well Mark Templeton announce the new MyCitrix.com and with it the bone that you get for all the money
you have paid to have Subscription advantage this year. At 10 AM EST yesterday the Citrix Broker for Presentation 4 was added to your Mycitrix.com account.

Issue...try and find it... the prominent DOWNLOADS pick that used to be in the middle of the page is now up at the top of the page (hidden in my opinion) in some of the smallest font on the page. It is the same download choice that you would think to click on if you wanted to go out and get the Citrix clients. You would think downloads would be found in the nifty MY TOOLS drop down..sorry.. not there.


Anyways if you aren't yet running CPS 4 and don't plan on going there, you get squat.

I don't see any other software or give me's coming anytime soon from anything I have heard. This is very disheartening. Our company spends a lot of money for SA and I am at the point where I am going to start preaching to people to save their money if Citrix doesn't throw us a bone.

Here is my suggestion... I think Citrix should give every customer with a current SA subscription a FREE 1 year license to GoToAssist.
Would that be asking so much? Would you feel you got something for all your dollars then or should they do something else?

I'd like to hear your thoughts. I'll certainly pass them along while I am here in Orlando.

Here is the info on the Citrix Broker:
Desktop Broker for Presentation Server 4.0
Release Date: 10/20/2006

The Desktop Broker for Citrix Presentation Server is the initial component of a growing portfolio of virtualized desktop delivery solutions from Citrix Systems, and the first Citrix feature to be a part of the Citrix Dynamic Desktop Delivery Initiative. The Desktop Broker is an add-on feature for Presentation Server 4.0 that provides seamless management and session brokering for pooled and private Windows XP images in a virtual desktop environment. It supports access to both shared and dedicated virtual desktops. The shared desktop model is the proven published desktop model from Citrix Presentation Server, and the dedicated model consists of windows XP desktops on virtual systems like VMWare or Microsoft Virtual Server, or on physically separated blade PCs. The solution enables customers to create Windows desktop pools that are dynamically brokered to multiple users or mapped specifically for a single user. Management functions, including pool definition and group/user assignment are enabled via an MMC administrative plug-in.

The Desktop Broker is available at no additional charge to Presentation Server customers with valid Subscription Advantage. Technical Support will be provided in alignment with current Citrix support agreements.

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So basically if you are not using Xen, VMWare or Microsoft Virtual Server or running CPS 4 anyplace the Citrix Desktop Broker is not for you.

I am not sure if these links will work outside of Mycitrix but here are the FAQ links

Basic

Technical

Readme is here

Admin guide is here

Jim