Chapter 2. Understanding the XenDesktop^? Architecture in Detail

In the previous chapter, we saw the evolution of XenDesktop from its early days to its latest versions. We discussed the various capabilities and features of XenDesktop across the different versions. We learned their core strengths and their technological details. In this chapter, we'll learn the key benefits of the XenDesktop architecture for enterprise businesses. We will also discuss its evolution, its components, and the XenDesktop architecture's workflow.

The architecture covers layers such as:

• Site database
• The client side receiver
• Delivery controllers
• NetScaler for networking
• StoreFront for web services
• Active Directory for authentication
• XenDesktop editions for licensing
• Hypervisors supporting the backend Virtual Machine (VM) instances

We'll discuss the XenDesktop internals in detail. In this chapter, the following topics will be covered:

• Site
• Store
• Delivery groups
• Machine catalogs
• Machine creation services
• Master images and their management
• Virtual desktop agents
• Working with the Director and the Studio consoles for managing the XenDesktop infrastructure

We'll also cover additional components such as:

• EdgeSight
• Branch repeaters
• NetScaler
• Provisioning services

Tip

The XenDesktop architecture is now shared by the XenApp product as well. However, the scope of this chapter is limited to the details of XenDesktop.