Citrix XenApp supports application streaming, as does Microsoft App-V.Īpplication Virtualization: Related to application streaming is application virtualization, which features an application running inside its own “sandbox,” or a runtime environment isolated from other applications on the same computer. This means the application doesn’t have to be installed locally on the computer. But application streaming uses a different approach, whereby the code is retrieved as needed through an application-streaming server. Normally the code is stored in an executable file on the hard drive, loaded into memory, and then run. At heart, an application is just code running on your computer. Citrix’s XenApp is that company’s answer to remote desktop software.Īpplication Streaming: Although you can use remote desktop to run an application remotely on a server, an alternative approach involves something called applications streaming. Microsoft includes its Remote Desktop Services (for servers) and Remote Desktop Connection (for clients) in all recent versions of Windows. To make this work, you need software on both ends-one program running on the server instance, and a program running on each user’s computer. But the operating system is actually running on the server. With these, the user sees and interacts with a screen that appears to be locally running a desktop operating system (such as Windows). Remote Desktop Clients and Servers: These are tools for logging into the server. That’s where additional tools come into play. Allocating instances involves installing software on the instances. But that can quickly prove an exercise in frustration, as your typical IT administrator wants to do things like allocate and de-allocate instances. Technically, infrastructure can be virtualized and managed with just hypervisor software. VMWare’s is called ESXi Citrix has XenServer, which is based on an open-source product called Xen Microsoft offers Hyper/V. Hypervisor: This is software that lets you run multiple operating systems (called instances) simultaneously. Sorting through all of it can be overwhelming-so here’s a quick guide: Warning: trying to place an actual server on a cloud will result in it plunging to earth.Īnyone setting out to implement virtualization and a private cloud will likely discover it involves a boatload of terminology and types of software.

Vmware thinapp vs rdp