10 VDI Resources for Microsoft + Citrix Implementations

While preparing for an upcoming VDI project I went through my archives and inventoried some trusted blogs for architecture, scale, and implementation guidance for the Microsoft + Citrix VDI solution which consists of Hyper-V, VMM, and APP-V from Microsoft and the XenDesktop suite from Citrix. A year or so ago, I created a VDI module for Microsoft’s Server Virtualization with Advanced Management (SVAM) offering using these technologies so I wanted to see if anything had changed with the newer versions of each product. Below is a list of very good resources on this topic. Note that some of these may require registration or a My Citrix login which can be requested by signing up at citrix.com. Also note, most of these sources are non-Microsoft so you should verify supportability, functionality, and applicability to your specific environment.

XD Design Handbook

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XenDesktop Modular Reference Architecture

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Best Practices for Scaling Virtual Desktops (webinar)

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TechTalk: Hyper-V Planning for XenDesktop (webinar)

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RD Virtualization Host Capacity Planning in Windows Server 2008 R2

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Windows 7 Optimization – Disable Services

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Windows 7 Registry Optimizations for Virtual Desktops

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XenDesktop on Microsoft Website

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Blog Series on VDI storage with NetApp

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Advanced Memory and Storage Considerations for Provisioning Services

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