Application streaming

We're a Citrix shop, so I'll tell you what I know, though it will have a Citrix slant.  Application streaming is sending an application, bit by bit, from a source server to a user's workstation.  Citrix provides application streaming via their XenApp product (4.5 and 5.0).  XenApp provides hosted desktops, hosted applications and streamed applications.

The great thing about streaming applications is that you have the ability to manage updates from a single source.  The downside is that streaming is not a WAN technology.  It works great when used on a strong local network, though sending what amounts to complete application installs over a WAN is not feasible, especially to home and traveling users.  

If you are dealing with remote users then I don't recommend streaming applications.  Instead, you might look in to a hosted desktop/application solution, such as Citrix XenApp, Citrix XenDesktop, Terminal Server, Quest, etc.

By application streaming i believe you mean the process in getting applications to users screen rather than the new xenapp functionality of application streaming which allows applications to be run with out a connection to the server.

There are 2 main solutions used in production environments.

Citrix and terminal services, citrix has to be purchased where terminal services comes built into your windows server OS. Now the advantages and disadvantages of the two is beyond the scope of the answer i have posted a link to a brilliant document outling citrix vs terminal services.


It all depends on the amount of users, the number of applications, the number of sites you have and hardware availability.

Citrix allows better managability and bandwidth limitation which is a must if you have remote sites, so like i said it depends totally on the above variables. If you only have a few users, ones site and a few apps i would go with TS but if you have a large user base i would go with citrix xenapp

Kind Regards
Chris

http://www.brianmadden.com/blogs/brianmadden/archive/2005/09/20/do-you-need-citrix-or-is-terminal-server-enough.aspx

Select allOpen in new window

Thanks Amichaell and Chris for your valuable solution.
I would also like to know about App V.
And what are the things that I should be considering I want to start using Citrix Xen App or any other application from the scratch.
Is there any difference between Application streaming and Application Virtualization