So there has been some fuzz regarding the latest release of Netscaler 10.5 (also codename Tagma) which should been the death of Java GUI within Netscaler. Not quite there yet..
So what has Citrix improved / added in this feature ? Well it is quite a lot. Citrix states that they have added over 100 new features in this release. Beta 1 has just been released to partners, and beta 2 is on its way which is coming mid may.
http://www.citrix.com/tv/#videos/10995
In the later betaes which are coming there are coming more templates to App and load balancing. But let us focus on the news that’s arrived now.
- HTML5 based GUI
- NITRO SDK for Python
- NITRO for File Operations
- NITRO for ZebOS system
- GSLB Static proximity sync
- SSL configuration Profiles
- CNAME record caching
- Multiple Port CS
- AAA Session Stickiness
- Kerberos Performance
- Jumbo Frames
- Link Redundancy
- TCP BIC and CUBIC
- SPDYv3 Gateway
- SDX Manageability
- Front End Optimization
- Insight Center Enhancements
First of is the GUI which is now mostly pure HTML 5 which makes it quite snappy! I would say that about 80% of the GUI is now HTML 5, some features such as running trace still uses Java (Im guessing this is something that is going to get fixed in a later release.
So what is new under licensing part ? We can see that there are some new features which appear here, such as Integrated Disk caching and RISE (Which is part of the Cisco platform)
There is also two new “features” within Traffic optimization
* Front End Optimization (Which converts data which is being sent back to the user, such as convert image files)
And we have content accelerator (Which is used for integration with Citrix ByteMobile)
Also setting up a new Netscaler Gateway is also alot easier since we don’t need the Java part anymore.
Also support for LLDP is here, which is a information exchange protocol kinda like CDP (from Cisco) So here is a comparison between the old GUI and the new GUI
There is also a list of new monitors which are built-in
Also support for LACP on interfaces which allows you to team NICs.
Citrix has also added some basic wizards which allow for easier setup against XenDesktop / Sharefile and such.
Also SSL profiles and DTLS profiles
We also have support for Jumbo Frames which allows for up to 9000 bytes of payload instead of 1500.
And one thing that is missing is Edgesight monitoring from Netscaler which looks like it has been removed for good. One thing which I didn’t find in the beta but is mentioned in the video is support for Oracle (which most likely coming in a later beta) o this is just my findings in the latest Beta. ill update when the next beta is coming! Looks like we have much to look forward to! 