RES Software User Group

How to create a MS Azure PowerFuse DB

From the Cloudy-With-A-Chance-Of-SQL dept. As you perhaps may know already, testing the Release Candidate of  PowerFuse 2010, it now supports a new datastore: More specifically Microsoft Azure SQL.

Azure is a cloud-based SQL server, with many interesting features, which are covered in the RG021 article. Over the last month I’ve been gaining experience with Azure in the context of PowerFuse, which I’ve attempted to condense in this article. Here you can learn step-by-step how to sign up for the service and get the Azure database server created. I will also show you how to connect PowerFuse 2010 to the cloud datastore.

The overall concept is very cool, since PowerFuse is able to take full advantage of the cloud-based datastore as we cache everything locally. Thereby great performance is ensured no matter how bad the connection is to the server. Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. Go read the full article here.

RES PowerFuse 2010 RC1 Available

RC1 of RES PowerFuse 2010 is available now.

This release candidate includes:

• Zero Profile Technology
• Restore User Settings
• Override Feature Properties
• Support for Remote Assistance
• Microsoft SQL Azure database support
• Support for Citrix XenApp Application Streaming
• Automatically Run Workspace Composer
• Workspace Designer improvements (support for analyzing applications and locations/devices)
• Redesigned Management Console (IR3)
• Desktop Sampler (IR3)
• Workspace Designer (IR3)
• Workspace Model (IR3)
• Support for Microsoft Windows 7 (IR2)
• Folder Synchronization for PowerLaunch (IR2)
• Support for Multiple Directory Services (IR1)

For all partners and customers that are NOT part of RES Software’s EAP program the MSI can be obtained through the RES Portal.

New Technote: What feature is in what product?

From the Technotes-R-Us dept. RES PowerFuse was over the course of last year divided up into five different product offerings last year, ranging from the free Express version up to the Platinum license.  MyWorkSpace edition was the latest additon to this collection. In order to bring a bit of clarity to the table, here is an a post that describes all the differences for your convenience.

The article can be found here

RES Software USA

From the Stars-’n-Stripes Dept.  It’s with great excitement we can announce the arrival of the new RES Software team for the US. We  have moved the hub of operations to Philadelphia where we are currently setting up shop (look out NY, we’re comming for ya! :)

The new head of US operations is Mr. Jim Kirby (formerly HP and Neoware) who’s put together a great team in Pennsylvania. Their task it is to bring RES Software’s unique brand of User Workspace Management, Desktop Transformation, Runbook Automation and Orchestration Technology to the US markets.

Update Jan 30th: Several press releases have gone out over the last couple of days: Here is a couple of them. There is an article about RES expanding into the Canadian market in Computer Dealer News. Another article can be found in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

For our readers in the States, it may be of interest that we will be doing a PowerFuse 2010 Technical partner training in Philly on Febuary 9th-11th. Since this is a week before the official launch date for 2010, participants in this course will be some of the very first in the world to get actual hands-on with PowerFuse 2010. It will be yours truely throwing the whitboard markers around those days. If you are interested in participating in this event (I promise, it will be anything but boring ;), please contact Karen Katch.

Finally – the US team has put together a brief introductory who’s-who document with contact details (and there’s some nice pictures of our new offices in there too!), which we can share with you here.

Click here to download the document:

New Technote: Making life easier with Run-Once

From the ‘Guru department. A new article has been published in the Technote Library. This time we find out how we can utilize the Run-Once feature in PowerFuse to provide a neat and efficient method of restoring default/factory settings for an application. This has a serious potential for lowering the amount of support calls from your users.  The article and associated buildingblock can be found here.

/RG

Feature Guides

From the sharing-is-caring dept. RES has kindly given the usergroup permission to republish a set of technical feature guides for different aspects of the products. This is not marketing speak, this is real tangible, hard information which basically answers the questions: So what’s this feature good for anyway? What can I use it for? Nothing more – nothing less. Below is a sumary of the documents along with download links. Click on the PDF icons to download the docs.

RunBook Feature Profile. This document describes the differences between RES Wisdom Modules, Projects and RunBooks and gives practical examples on how they can be used.

Snapshot Intelligence Feature Profile. Examines RES Software’s patented technology in Wisdom, which allows you to maintain a consistent changepath for any Windows PC.

Building Blocks Feature Profile. How you can use BB’s to move settings from one environment to another and how you as an Integrator may benefit from re-use.

Partly Managed Workstations Feature Profile. This feature of PowerFuse allows users to install software on their own accord, while remaing within a managed environment

Read-Only Blanketing Feature Profile. With R.o.B you can protect vial areas of the local harddrives. This document shows examples on TS and latops.

Removable Disk Security Feature Profile. Learn how you can secure your environment by setting rules for what users can do with removable storage devices.

Happy reading,

/RG