jetro vs citrix

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White Paper Comparison

Citrix® MPS 4 and Jetro CockpIT Version 3.6

July 2006


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About this document This document compares the differences between the two leading Server-based

Computing (SBC) products: Citrix� MetaFrame® Presentation Server 4 (MPS4) and

Jetro Platforms� COCKPIT Enterprise Version 3.6.

Comparisons are made from the following perspectives.

• Background: Product Design

• Complexity and Completeness

• Efficiency and Performance

• Enterprise Reliability & Effectiveness

• ROI: Pricing and TCO

For each of these perspectives, information is provided for MPS4 and COCKPIT.



Background: Product Design Citrix MPS4:

On a Citrix farm, every Citrix server contains code that allows it to serve

client requests. To achieve this goal, each Citrix server has to know

about all other servers in the farm. This is achieved via a set of services,

or �Subsystems�, which execute on each server.

The above illustration represents the inter-relationship of MPS4 subsystems.

These functions and subsystems are summarized below:

• Server farm configuration information is stored on a data base

named �Data Store�. The Data Store information is typically

stored on an external data base system such as MSSQL / Oracle /

DB2 which requires DBA expertise to support and maintain.



Citrix MPS4, continued:

• Each Citrix server contacts the Data Store and retrieves relevant

information. The information, named �Local Host Cache�, is locally

stored in an MDB file.

• Each physical location, named �Zone� is configured with a main

server named �Data Collector�. The duty of the �Data Collector� can

be dynamically transferred from one Citrix server to another during a

process named �Zone Data Collector Election�. During this process,

each Citrix server broadcasts information that is used by the other

servers to determine which server should become the Zone Data

Collector.

• The Data Collector is responsible for collecting dynamic information

from its local zone Citrix servers. Each Citrix server constantly

reporting its load factor, license consuming information, session

count and other dynamic information to its local zone data collector.

• Each Zone Data Collector is exchanging data with all other Zone

Data Collectors to replicate each Citrix server state to every other

Citrix server.

• Licensing information is saved on a central server named �Citrix

License Server�. On every client connection event, the Citrix server

contacts the license server to retrieve a concurrent license.



CockpIT Enterprise 3.6:

A CockpIT site includes one or more central CockpIT servers - all of which

serve user requests. The Terminal Servers report their load information to

the CockpIT server.

When the CockpIT client is launched it sends a request to the main CockpIT

server which responds with the best available Terminal Server. The client

then opens a seamless RDP session toward the Terminal Server which

shows the application set of the logged on user.

CockpIT 3.6 design is based upon the following principles:

• All farm information such as licensing, configuration, etc. is saved on

one or more CockpIT servers which replicate the data among them

using a built-in clustering engine.

• Each Terminal Server reports its load to the CockpIT servers on a

pre-configured interval.



• When the client is executed, the CockpIT server informs the client

with the most available Terminal Server. Then, the client opens a

seamless RDP sessions toward this server.

• The application set is displayed within the seamless RDP session.

Upon the opening of the sessions and whenever the user refreshes

the application set, a query is sent from the Terminal Server to the

CockpIT servers.

Complexity and Completeness

One of the fundamental differences between the products is the enhanced

and simplified design of CockpIT. Using CockpIT�s powerful web-based

console (available from anywhere via secure login), IT administrators have

an intuitive user interface to help manage their system.

In addition to comparing product design and complexity, it is important to

consider the all requirements for a complete Server-based computing

solution. With CockpIT�s multiple printing options, customers do not need a

3rd-party solution as they do with MPS4. When managing server farms,

MPS4 requires an operational 3rd-party database system.

CockpIT Advantages - Complexity and Completeness

• Shorter IT staff learning curves

• Smaller integration efforts (with existing IT systems)

• Faster and more flexible installations

• Accelerated deployment times

• Easier on-going support and management

Efficiency and Performance

Citrix MPS4

The complexity of Citrix�s MPS 4 architecture produces unnecessary

overhead on the Terminal Servers� hardware resources.



In addition to the Terminal Server focusing executing applications, it spends

resources running Citrix�s various subsystems. Various test labs and case

studies show that Citrix�s subsystems consume 10% to 20% percent of the

hardware resources of a standard Terminal Server.

CockpIT Enterprise 3.6

On a CockpIT farm, user requests are served by one or more central

servers named �CockpIT Servers�. The CockpIT servers retain all

configuration information, licensing

information and dynamic data about

the Terminal Servers in the farm. The

Terminal Servers run a thin agent to

report the server�s load and other key

dynamic information to the CockpIT

servers. This architecture enables the Terminal Server to focus on its

primary function � executing user applications. Due to the minor load that

CockpIT�s Terminal Server Agent produces on the Terminal Server�s

hardware resources, more users can be connected to same server.

The following table (pasted from Network Computing Magazine�s web site)

illustrates the results of a stress test they conducted with 5 SBC products.

CockpIT�s Efficiency and Performance advantages include lower PC

server needs/costs, faster user response times, more consistent

performance under load.

�Jetro CockpIT impressed us by handling 30 clients (on one server) running our text mix with tolerable performance. In contrast, rival products either rolled over under a 30-client load or showed res-ponse times in the "poor" category��,

Michael Fudge, Network ComputingFeb 2005



Enterprise Reliability

With both CockpIT and MPS4, server farms are used to support the

increased needs of an enterprise installation.

Citrix MPS4

To manage multiple servers, Citrix MPS4 uses a central data base called a

�Data Store�. The Data Store component is central to the operation of the

Citrix farm. Upon failure, system administrators cannot perform any system

management tasks.

Citrix MPS 4 licensing information is saved on a single server named

�License Server�. If the license server is not available for a period of 96

hours1, clients can no longer connect to the farm.

In their Advanced Concepts Guide, Citrix states that enterprise customers

should use Microsoft Clustering Service (MCS) on a SAN environment in

order to cluster the date base2.

This solution has far-reaching resource requirements such as shared

storage device(s), fiber switches and NIC�s, enterprise data base software

(Oracle / SQL etc) and the IT expertise and time to implement and support

them.

1This grace period was extended to 30 days for all licenses purchased after August 19, 2005 2Citrix Advanced Concepts Guide, �Cluster Failover Support�, Page 40




The main CockpIT Data Base resides on each CockpIT server and is

replicated among all CockpIT servers using MSMQ technology. With the

built-in clustering capabilities of CockpIT, no external storage device is

needed.

Enterprise Effectiveness

Citrix MPS4

Citrix Load Balancing Mechanism consists on 12 counters from which 9 are

performance related. These counters include only standard measures such

as CPU load,

Page/Sec, I/O etc.

Each server cal-

culates its load

information and

passes it to the

Data Collector.

Because of the

large amounts

of data being

transferred on each update process, the default interval for the updates is

30 seconds. The default load evaluator includes a single counter � Number

of users.


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CockpIT�s Load Balancing Mechanism uses Windows Server Performance

Counters technology. This means that the system administrator has the

option of hundreds of performance counters available in Microsoft�s

Performance Monitor.

The CockpIT Terminal Server Agent calculates the load information by

averaging historical measurements of user-defined durations. Furthermore,

each counter can be given a factor that affects the weight it has on the

overall load factor. Because of the small amount of data that is being

transferred on each update, the default load policy report interval can be as

low as 5 seconds. This mechanism delivers a more accurate load

measurement and takes better advantage of the Terminal Server�s

hardware. CockpIT�s default load evaluator includes 5 performance-related

counters.



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CockpIT�s Enterprise Reliability and Effectiveness advantages include:

• Simpler multi-server deployments

• No single-point of failure (or need to make DB redundant)

• More performance from server-farms with more load balancing measurements and options

ROI: Pricing and TCO

To evaluate the differences in each product�s Return-on-Investment (ROI), it

is important to consider all the costs and benefits associated with

implementation and management of each product.

Product Pricing Citrix MPS4

Base License: Citrix has several different pricing levels. Depending on

features included, Citrix licenses range between $240 for each concurrent

user in a single server environment (XPs) up to $340 for concurrent users

for its enterprise license (XPe). This highest level offers comparable

functionality to Jetro CockpIT 3.6.

Subscription: To maintain a current version of MPS4, Citrix�s annual

subscriptions costs between $48 - $60 per license (depending on system

specifications).

Training: Citrix has several courses for MPS 4. The Citrix Administrator

course lasts 5 days and costs $1180. The Citrix Enterprise Administrator

requires 4 courses; each lasting 2 to 3 days and costing $590.

Support: Citrix support agreement ranges between $7320 to $58,800 per

year. The price is dependant on the Support Level Agreement (SLA).



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CockpIT 3.6 Base License: Jetro Platforms� CockpIT�s license price is $160 per

concurrent user for all features. For existing Citrix user licenses, Jetro

Platforms offers a competitive upgrade path at a price of $40 per concurrent

user. Included in both these prices is the first year of Software Subscription.

Subscription: Jetro CockpIT second year subscription costs $24 per

license.

Training: Jetro CockpIT enterprise administration course cost $530 and it is

2 days long.

Support: Jetro CockpIT support cost between $1200 up to $16,300 per

year, depending on SLA levels.

The following table summarizes the prices associated with each product.



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TCO Summary

Along with a substantial savings from substantially lower license and related princes, CockpIT offers many other TCO advantages: Complexity and Completeness

• Shorter IT staff learning curves

• Smaller integration efforts (with existing IT systems)

• Faster and more flexible installations

• Accelerated deployment times

• Easier on-going support and management

Efficiency and Performance

• Better utilization of PC Server and related hardware � less need for

expensive server-to-server network upgrades

• No need to purchase, install and maintain 3rd-party printing or

database systems

Enterprise Reliability and Effectiveness

• Faster and easier to manage server farm deployments

• No need for separate investment in redundant DB subsystems

• More performance from servers in farm (using increased load

balancing options/flexibility)

Jetro Platforms Inc.1550 McMullen Booth RoadClearwater, FL 33759 USA" [email protected]! 727.967.5969

jetro vs citrix

Technology

main cockpit server

central server

citrix server state

complete server

server farms

othercitrix server

citrixlicense server

cockpit client