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Tuesday, 07 August 2007 by Michel Roth

Login Consultants has just released a complete technical framework for deploying and managing entire Terminal Server or Citrix farms called Solution 4 Framework Community Edition. Best of all: it's free!

When working in Server Based Computing environments it's absolutely critical that all Terminal or Citrix servers (of the same load managed group /silo) are exactly identical. The best choice of achieving this is by utilizing automated installation techniques. Think of Solution 4 Community Edition as the mothership of automated installations and configurations.Solution 4 Community Edition is a complex collection of scripts and executables that allow you to deploy and manage entire terminal server of Citrix environments.

Solution 4 is designed to be the technical realization of change management. After the initial, bare metal deployment of the operating system Solution 4 Community Edition can take care of all deployment and configuration tasks after the initial deployment using automated techniques. Think about stuff like:

� Creating a Citrix Data Store
� Installing Citrix
� Installing all the applications ( "silo aware")
� Black Hole protection
� Flex Profile Kit
� User Environment Configuration
� Publishing of Citrix Applications
� Robust Reboot Schedule
� Inclusion of True Control Templates (TCT)
� Farm Printer Driver Management
� Startup and Shutdown maintenance scripts
� Sample Logon and Logoff Script
� Automated documentation of you Solution4 setup

These are just some of the possibilities of Solution 4. The bulk of the scripts in Solution4 is CMD based so it can be easily expanded to include other modules like the installation of for example RES Powerfuse or Appsense Environment manager. Solution 4 Community Edition is completely modular in the way it is build so you can use any part you like.

The more perceptive amongst you might that gather that the name "Solution 4 Community Edition" implies that there is another version of Solution 4 out there. Well, you're dead on. There's also a edition called "Solution 4 Enterprise Services" which is kind of the big brother of Solution 4 Community Edition. The core is the same but it adds some other features like bare metal deployment and implementation of other unique tools. But most importantly "Solution 4 Enterprise Services" adds support: training and workshops, advanced instruction videos, private forums, technical support and lots more.

As a employee I am of course familiar with Solution4 (when you start out at Login Consultants they throw you into a dungeon for five days with only your laptop and a copy of the Solution4 binaries). I've learned that Solution 4 is like having Jedi powers. It's extremely powerful but you have to know what you are doing. It is not something you try out on a Friday afternoon. It takes quite some effort to get to know the way Solution4 works. A good way to start out is to watch the introductionary video. Download Solution 4 Community Edition here. (free registration required)

May be force be with you!