Quadric Software

XenServer 7.2 is Here!

What’s New in XenServer 7.2?

Citrix has made some minor changes in XenServer 7.2, which is now available to download. XS 7.2 is the first “Current Release” (CR), which makes new features available as early as possible. If you are more focused on long-term stability, you may want to stick with the XS 7.1 (LTSR).

We would like to highlight a few noteworthy changes in 7.2 in this week’s post. For the full list of updates, check out the official Citrix XenServer 7.2 Release Notes. You can also read more about the XenServer update in the Citrix Blog.

Alike and XenServer 7.2

We are pleased to announce that Alike is 100% compatible with XenServer 7.2. As always, we ensure that Alike fully supports each new release of XenServer through collaborating with Citrix. We have been Citrix Ready certified since 2010. As XenServer experts, we take pride in offering the leading backup solution for XenServer.

Scheduled Snapshots

Citrix has added a new Scheduled Snapshots feature in XenServer 7.2, which is a bit like a lightweight version of their old VMPR. As the name suggests, you can now schedule automatic VM snapshots at specified intervals. This is a nifty feature if you are looking for a quick way to keep a few versions of a VM on hand. That being said, there are a few things worth pointing out about this feature.

Keep in mind that snapshots are not a backup replacement because they are stored in your XenServer storage. If that storage is lost, so are your snapshots. Additionally, because they do reside in your production Storage Repository (SR), you should be careful not to let them consume too much space.

Keeping snapshots for long periods of time can be a quick way to fill up your expensive SR storage. For your daily backups, site level protection, disaster recovery and archival needs, we suggest using a comprehensive BDR solution, such as Alike DR.

Guest Operating Systems No Longer Supported in XenServer 7.2

Some older operating systems will no longer be supported in XenServer 7.2. If you are still running any of guests with an OS listed below, you may want to test before upgrading to XS 7.2.
Please note that Alike’s operating system support has not changed. Supported customers who require support for these older operating systems are advised to remain on XS 7.1. If you are still on versions earlier than Alike 4.x, you will need to upgrade to the latest version of Alike to get full support for XS 7.x.

The following guest templates are no longer supported by Citrix in XenServer 7.2:

• Windows Vista
• Windows XP
• Windows 2003
• CentOS 4.x
• RHEL 4.x
• SLES 10 (all versions)

Note: Legacy Windows template has been added, but is not supported

Got Questions?

We’ve got answers! Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about Alike or support for XenServer.