Application virtualization, IoT and Cloud Computing, Blog of Sacha Thomet

CitrixSynergy

GeekOvation – PVS Script on Top3

geek-zone-150x150My Citrix PVS Health Check PowerShell Script was nominated into the final round (Top3) of the Citrix GeekOvation Award. This means I have to present my “geeky solution” on Citrix Synergy 2015 in Orlando on the SYN501 Geek Speak Tonight Session. To be honest to speak in front of so much people is a new thing for me … and it makes me “a bit” twitchy …

To be nominated for this Award was not just a big surprise for me, I see this also as a honor and glory for my work. I would say it’s not so a big thing this script and it isn’t rocket science.

Dear GeekSpeak Tonight audience, please check out my PVS Health Check Script and provide me feedback if you want. Also have a look to my XenApp / XenDesktop Script

At this place  I want to say thank you to Jason Poyner who gave me the idea for such kind of Script with his XenApp6 HealthCheck and where I took some code lines for the HTML output. To Martin Hartmann who helped me by learning PowerShell and of course to Aaron Parker (http://stealthpuppy.com) who was  the assigned CTP helping me polish off my presentation materials.

Update 14.5.2015:

I won – thank YOU

geekovationI won the competition and seems that I’m the not-yet-known Geek #1 this Year! Thanks you all! When I saw the work from to other two guys, I had the feeling to have no chance, not just because I’m the only not-native english speaker. David Ott with a great PowerShell script to modify the user profile and Shane O’Neil with the C-Sharp code to have a self healing VDI, GREAT!

Read this blog post from Shane and Paul, if you are interested on more PVS PowerShell stuff: http://blogs.citrix.com/2015/04/07/wait-you-mean-pvs-has-powershell and watch the recording of “SYN514: Turn XenApp and XenDesktop into capacity on demand with Provisioning Services automation”

I’m sure I also had luck to win, and now I have the chance to go to Las Vegas Citrix Synergy 2016. I also want to thank ControlUp for the AppleWatch they sponsored for the GeekOvation Winner.

About the code

Like already mentioned the idea about the health check with the HTML output comes from Jason Poyner. The main script with all the logics it’s from me. The hardest thing when you Script with PoSh on PVS that it doesn’t return proper PS Object, that mean’s you doing a lot of format-cut stuff to get what you want. If you want to know more about that read Paul’s blog section “PVS comes with a PowerShell add-in that is not an easy beast to tame.

What’s next?

I’m currently working on a Script which shows PVS retries during a variable timeframe (day, week or month) and create a graphic output, in this way you can see at which time you maybe have a traffic jam on your network.

I also made a script to export/import target’s into PVS and another one for export and import in XenDesktop, if I have time I’ll polish and publish this here.

Citrix Synergy First-Timer Preperation

This year I have the chance to join the Citrix Synergy in Orlando, FL, USA, THE Citrix conference.
For more Information: http://www.citrixsynergy.com

There is already a very good guide for the preparation of this conference from Neil Spellings, see the The ultimate Citrix Synergy survival guide – 2015 , that covers a lot of needed information.

But I add in this post some information for a first timer comes from overseas (Switzerland, Europe) like me.

Revision history
because this is a “living Blog-Post”:

  • 26.04.2015: Added “Join evening together Central & Eastern Europe Team”

Avoid the Jetlag when coming from overseas
My personal best method to avoid the Jetlag (Switzerland, Europe to Florida, US -6 hours):

  • I will arrive early, even Synergy starts on the 13th, I take already the plane on the 9th of May. That gives me some days to get in the correct day/night rhythm.
  • I stay waked up after arrival until my normal sleeping time, even if I’m very tired!
  • If I wake up in the middle of the first night because it’s morning in Europe (and in my day/night rhythm), I’ll take a soft Sleep Aid called MidNite, available in a lot of US Stores (e.g. CVS).
  • I get up after sunrise an go outside to the Sun to let my inner day/night rhythm know thats now day.

Stay online without expensive mobile roaming costs!
Instead of the Net10 card what is mentioned in the blog of Neil spellings I will buy a AT&T GoPhone Prepaid Card with e.g. 2GB for 25$ and I put it in my Huawei E5372. If you intend to use an other device or provider be aware of the used frequencies. This combination gives you a Mobile Hotspot which works in thr US with AT&T and Europe on 2G/3G and 4G mobile network.

Plan your sessions
You can plan the Sessions you want to attend on the Synergy Session Catalog Website . If you are already registered for Synergy you can login with your Synergy account subscribe to the sessions you like to attend (first come first served, no possibility to reserve the seats with exception of the 99$ Pre-event Training Workshop).  and  afterwards you can download a PDF with all your sessions or you can download the  Calendar-Files.

Plan Meetings!

  • After login to your Synergy Account you have the possibility for an Attendee Search and request meetings:
    synmeetings2
  • Try to meet people you known today just virtual from twitter or from a blog to get a face behind of a URL or a Username.

If you register for Citrix Synergy and like this post or this blog
Please use my referral code in the registration:

It’s my email address with MyPeer at the end. That gives me the chance to win Converse sneakers .

If you are from Central & Eastern Europe join the snacks, beer and networking event
Check your Mailbox, and the Spam-Folder about an invitation from Dirk Pfefferle, to a “evening together with Citrix Central & Eastern Europe Team”. I just found in my Spam folder an invitation for this snacks, beer and networking event.