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Citrix releases Presentation Server 4.5 tomorrow. Is it all that exciting?

When you compare what we classicly referred to as "Presentation Server" to its equivalent in Presentation Server 4.5, well probably not.

Citrix is actually wrapping a bunch of different products under the Presentation Server name, which I suspect will end up in further complicating the suite. What was before called the "Citrix Access Suite" which included Presentation Server, Access Gateway, and Password Manager (plus Citrix for UNIX if you wanted it), is now called Presentation Server Platinum Edition. Platinum Edition has the same stuff but includes the EdgeSight product for edge-of-network client montioring and the application streaming technology that used to be called Project Tarpon.

A version upgrade, yes. But is it all that exciting?

More info below the fold...

Tarpon, I personally was never all that enthralled with anyway. So, I'll be curious to see how it turns out in the finished product. Unlike Softricity's product that relied on RTSP for its transmission medium, Tarpon uses RPC. RTSP is a pretty cool protocol in that it doesn't rely on the "bad" ports of RPC to run. But, if you're doing your streaming in a LAN that probably isn't a concern. Plus, I remember Tarpon's early sequencer application left a lot to be desired.

The EdgeSight product is a bit more exciting. That product finally gives administrators the ability to look into performance at the Citrix client side. This is great for helping admins figure out the age old problem of "the Citrix server is slow today." EdgeSight has the potential for being a great addition to the product suite.

Where much of my concern comes in is the fairly high price of the total package. For the platinum edition, you're talking $600 per concurrent user plus $75 a year in subscription advantage. That cost is going to price many people away from their highest level of service. Standard Edition no longer exists, being replaced by "Citrix Access Essentials" which has some coded-in scaling limitations. Advanced Edition, which includes pretty much just Presentation Server goes for $350 for concurrent user. As I remember, that's slightly higher than the lowest level for previous versions.

What's potentially one of the biggest leaps forward with Presentation Server 4.5 is the improvements to graphics response inside the ICA stream. If that ability lives up to its "now 20x faster!" marketing, it alone will be worth the upgrade for graphics-intensive users. We'll wait and see.

Citrix has released a features matrix that discusses what's available in all versions of Presentation Server all the way back to MetaFrame 1.8. Where you've got to be careful is in looking at which features are actually part of "classic" Presentation Server and which are actually part of the other tack-on products that now share the PS name. Check out that matrix here:

So, what are your thoughts about the new products and facelift? Presentation Server 4.0 at release had a major need for some core patching to make it function correctly (I personally was responsible for no less than two code revisions based on my own issues). So, I hope v4.5 lives up to Citrix's intent for it to be a much more stable code base. Time will tell.

If you've had time to play with v4.5 and want to share your opinions, please drop them into the comments below.

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Greg Shields' Bio:

Greg Shields is a Principal Consultant with 3t Systems in Denver, Colorado. With more than 10 years of experience in information technology, Greg has developed extensive experience in systems administration, engineering, and architecture specializing in Microsoft, Citrix, and VMware technologies. Greg is a Contributing Editor for both Redmond Magazine and Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine, authoring two regular columns along with numerous feature articles, webcasts, and white papers. He is known for his abilities to relate highly technical concepts with a drive towards fulfilling business needs. Greg is also a highly sought-after instructor and speaker, teaching system and network troubleshooting curriculum for TechMentor Events, a twice-annual IT conference, and producing computer-based training curriculum for CBT Nuggets on numerous topics. Greg is a triple Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) with security specialization and a Certified Citrix Enterprise Administrator (CCEA).