VM hosted apps allows you to isolate applications and host them from virtual machines or physical computers, including blade servers, running Windows single-user desktop operating systems. Users access these applications through a Web browser, the Citrix online plug-in, or Citrix Receiver, just as they would applications hosted from XenApp servers running Microsoft Terminal Services. VM hosted apps allows you to host applications that otherwise must be installed locally or require extensive compatibility testing on XenApp servers.

You can publish any Windows application as a VM-hosted application, but ideal candidates include applications that:

• Are incompatible with or not supported by Terminal Services
• Require special hardware devices, such as USB, special keyboards, or biometric devices
• Consume large amounts of computing or graphics resources
• Require a single-user environment

VM hosted apps uses Citrix XenDesktop technology to deliver applications hosted on desktops, but unlike XenDesktop, it gives users no direct access to the desktops themselves.

To use VM hosted apps, you create a VM hosted apps farm and populate it with desktop groups configured with applications you want to deliver. You give users access using the Web Interface. Although VM hosted apps cannot share a farm with XenApp servers, a VM hosted apps farm can share a Web Interface site with XenApp server farms. Applications from both types of farms appear the same to users.

Components of VM Hosted Apps

• Desktop Delivery Controller. The Desktop Delivery Controller authenticates users, manages the assembly of user virtual desktop environments, and brokers connections between users and their virtual desktops. It controls the state of the desktops, starting and stopping them based on demand and administrative configuration.
• Management Consoles. VM hosted apps includes two management consoles: the Delivery Services Console and the Presentation Server Console. These are similar to the consoles you use to manage XenApp server farms.
  • The Delivery Services Console enables you to create, update, and manage desktop groups in VM hosted apps farms. You can also use it to configure and manage VM hosted apps farms, create and modify Citrix administrators, configure access to desktops, manage user sessions, monitor the health and performance of the farm, create reports, and view hotfix information, as you would on a XenApp server farm.
  • The Presentation Server Console enables you to set Citrix policies and configure printers.
• Virtual Desktop Agent. You install the Virtual Desktop Agent on the desktops in your farm. It manages communication between the desktops and the Desktop Delivery Controller and between the desktops and user devices.

Using VM Hosted Apps With Other XenApp Features

VM hosted apps performs best when virtual machines are hosted using XenServer. However, other hosting infrastructures are supported.

Use Provisioning services to provision desktops for VM hosted apps.

Use Profile manager to manage user personalization settings for VM hosted apps.

Service monitoring and Edgesight resource manager are not compatible with VM hosted apps, but application performance monitoring can be used with VM hosted apps by downloading Edgesight for Desktops.

SmartAuditor is not compatible VM hosted apps.

Licensing and VM Hosted Apps

VM hosted apps uses XenApp Enterprise and Platinum licenses. No additional Citrix licenses are required. Each user consumes one XenApp license for all application sessions, regardless of whether applications are hosted using VM hosted apps or XenApp server.

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