Citrix App Layering

Citrix App Layering is a Windows Operating System and application management solution designed for on premise, private clouds and public clouds. Citrix App Layering's underlying technology, called layering, enables all components of a virtual machine to be independently assigned, patched, and updated.

The overhead of managing the windows applications and images is greatly reduced by using Citrix App Layering. App layering provides the following services Irrespective of the hypervisor or provisioning service.

• It installs the operating system, applications and platform tools in separate layers.

• Provides options to select the combination of layers that is required in an image template for provisioning systems and user groups.

• It helps you to flexibly assign app layers so that on-demand delivery to the users is possible when they log in.

Thus, app layering aids in reducing number of images required to be maintained for both Servers as well as Desktop OS.

Various characteristics of App layering

1. Simplicity in application management: The management of the operating system and apps are separated entirely from the infrastructure. You are able to install each app and operating system at a time and then further use them as a part of any deployed layered image. Therefore, app layering provides the ability to layer images as open standard virtual disks which could be used in every type of environment. Further, it helps you to maintain the installation of single windows and a single copy of each app and you are able to use all the images across every virtual environment.

2. Provisioning servers and environments for any environment: Through App layering, you can use any windows app as a virtual app disk, then layer and deliver it to pooled desktops and session hosts without any installation process. That implies you are able to deliver new applications, windows patch and application updates to an entire server farm or to the desktop silo using a single image update.

3. On the basis of need, it helps in delivering applications: As App layering aids in delivering applications on the basis of need so that you are able to include applications needed in the base image. It also helps you in delivering certain app layers using the elastic layering feature.

4. Personalization of data and settings: Users local profile changes, user-installed apps and plug-ins and locally saved data are included in the user personalization layer. It helps you in delivering a fully persistent windows workspace by using non-persistent and pooled virtual desktops. Therefore, on the basis of maximum number of concurrent users, you are able to size the infrastructure.

5. It is an addition to the environment: In the process of deploying Citrix app layering, there is enterprise layer manager which is also known as the app layering appliance. This appliance is able to host the app layering management console which allow you to create layers and further assign them to the users using layered images or elastic layering. You can create once OS, app and platform layers and further use the image templates for publishing layered images.

6. Connector configurations: Connectors are used by the appliance for accessing the locations in the hypervisor environment or provisioning services. It helps in configuring each connector using the credentials for a specific location in the virtual environment. The credentials required for the appliance is included in the connector configurations for importing the OS for OS layer, package layers in the duration of layer creation and publish layer images at a specific location.

Thus, in an App layer, any applications compatible with the OS could be deployed. Each one includes one or more applications and when an upgrade is there, then you can add a new version to the layers and further roll out the latest update to the users by including the new version to image templates. Citrix training helps you to know more about app layering and app disk.