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What You Will Learn
Summary of Main Findings
• The combination of Cisco UCS, Cisco Nexus switching, and storage hardware with VMware ESXi 5, Citrix Provisioning Server 5.6, and Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 software produces a virtual desktop delivery system with a high density per blade and chassis.
• The Cisco UCS B230 M2 half-width blade with dual 10-core processors and 256 GB of memory supports 22.7 percent more virtual desktop workloads than the previously studied full-width blade (Cisco UCS B250 M2 Blade Server) using a medium workload with flash video.
• The Cisco UCS B230 M2 half-width blade with dual 10-core processors and 256 GB of memory supports 36.4 percent more virtual desktop workloads than the previously studied full-width blade (Cisco UCS B250 M2) using a medium workload without flash video.
• A single Cisco UCS chassis with eight Cisco UCS B230 M2 blades with dual 10-core processors and 256 GB of memory and a Cisco UCS M81KR Virtual Interface Card (VIC) supports 1080 virtual desktop workloads running a medium workload with flash video, almost 2.5 times the density of the previously studied chassis with full-width blades (Cisco UCS B250 M2).
• A single Cisco UCS chassis with eight Cisco UCS B230 M2 blades with dual 10-core processors and 256 GB of memory and a Cisco UCS M81KR VIC supports 1200 virtual desktop workloads, more than 2.7 times the density of the previously studied chassis with full-width blades (Cisco UCS B250 M2).
• Compared to the previously studied full-width blades, this solution booted the Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 virtual workloads 50 percent faster without pegging the processor or exhausting memory or storage connections.
• Compared to the previously studied full-width blades, this solution ramped up to a steady state 50 percent faster without pegging the processor or exhausting memory or storage subsystems.
• Compared to the previously studied full-width blades, with this solution the rack space required to support 1000 users decreased from 18 rack units (18RU) to 6RU, for 2000 users it decreased from 30RU to 12RU, and for 5000 users it decreased from 72RU to 30RU.
• This solution offers a validated design that is 100 percent virtualized on VMware ESXi 5. All the Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 virtual desktops and supporting infrastructure components, including Microsoft Active Directory, profile servers, provisioning servers, Microsoft SQL Server, and Citrix XenDesktop delivery controllers, were hosted on VMware vSphere 5.
• Cisco maintains industry leadership with the new Cisco UCS Manager 2.0 software, which makes scaling easy, helps ensure consistency, and simplifies maintenance.
• The Cisco® 10-Gbps unified fabric is additionally validated on second-generation Cisco UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects and second-generation Cisco Nexus 5500 platform access switches with tests running more challenging workloads, maintaining exceptional user response times.
• The storage system provides storage consolidation and efficiency. Both block and file storage resources are provided by a single system.
• Citrix HDX technology, extended in Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 software, provides excellent performance with host-rendered Adobe Flash video and other demanding applications.
Modular Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Overview
Modular Architecture
Figure 1. The Evolving Workplace Landscape
Cisco Data Center Infrastructure for Desktop Virtualization
Figure 2. Citrix XenDesktop on Cisco UCS
Savings and Success
Solution Components: Cisco and Citrix Reference Architecture
Base Components
• Cisco UCS computing platform includes:
– Cisco UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects
– Cisco UCS 2200 Series Fabric Extenders
– Cisco UCS 5108 Blade Server Chassis
– Cisco UCS B230 M2 Blade Servers for virtual desktop hosting
– Cisco UCS B200 M2 Blade Servers for infrastructure
• Cisco Nexus 5500 platform switches
• Hypervisor: VMware ESXi 5
• Virtual desktop connection broker: Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 with Provisioning Server 5.6 SP1
Understanding Desktop User Groups
• Task workers: These groups of users work in highly specialized environments in which the number of tasks performed by each worker is essentially identical. These users typically are located at a corporate facility (for example, call center employees).
• Knowledge workers and office workers: These groups of users use a relatively diverse set of applications that are web based and installed and that access data. These workers typically have several applications running simultaneously throughout the workday and require the use of Adobe Flash video for business purposes. These workers do not exist in a single group within an organization. These workers are typically located at a corporate office (for example, workers in the accounting department).
• Power users: These groups of users run high-end, memory-, processor-, disk I/O-, and graphics-intensive applications, often simultaneously. These users have high requirements for reliability, speed, and real-time data access (for example, a design engineer).
• Mobile workers: These groups of users may share common traits with knowledge and office workers, with the added complexity of needing to access applications and data from wherever they are-at a remote corporate facility, at a customer location, at an airport, at a coffee shop, or at home-all in the same day (for example, a company's outbound sales force).
• Remote workers: These groups of users could be part of the task worker or knowledge and office worker groups, but their experience is from a remote site that is not corporate owned and most often is the user's home. This scenario introduces several challenges regarding the type, available bandwidth, and latency and reliability of the user's connectivity to the data center (for example, a work-from-home accounts payable representative).
• Guest and contract workers: These groups of users need access to a limited number of carefully controlled enterprise applications and data and resources for short periods of time. These workers may need access from the corporate LAN or remotely (for example, a medical data transcriptionist).
Understanding Applications and Data
Project Planning and Solution Sizing Sample Questions
• Has a VDI pilot plan been created based on the business analysis of the desktop groups, applications, and data?
• Is the infrastructure and budget in place to run the pilot program?
• Are the required skill sets to run the VDI project available?Can you hire or contract for them?
• Do you have end-user experience performance metrics identified for each desktop subgroup?
• How will you measure success or failure?
• What are the future implications of success or failure?
• What is the desktop OS planned? Microsoft Windows 7 or Windows XP?
• Will you use a 32-bit or 64-bit desktop OS?
• How many virtual desktops will be deployed in the pilot?In production? Will all use Microsoft Windows 7?
• How much memory per target desktop group desktop will you need?
• Do you have any multimedia-, Adobe Flash-, or graphics-intensive workloads?
• What is the endpoint graphics processing capability you need?
• Will Citrix XenApp be used for hosted shared server desktops or exclusively for Citrix XenDesktop?
• Are any Citrix XenApp hosted applications planned?Are they packaged or installed?
• Will Citrix Provisioning Server or machine-creation services be used for virtual desktop deployment?
• What is the hypervisor for the solution?
• What is the storage configuration in the existing environment?
• Are sufficient I/O operations per second (IOPS) available for the write-intensive VDI workload?
• Will you have storage dedicated and tuned for VDI service?
• Is there a voice component to the desktop?
• Is antivirus software a part of the image?
• Is user profile management (nonroaming profile based) part of the solution?
• What are the fault-tolerance, failover, and disaster-recovery plans?
• Do you have any additional desktop subgroup-specific questions?
Cisco Services
• Cisco VXI Unified Solution Support
• Cisco VXI Desktop Virtualization Strategy Service
• Cisco VXI Desktop Virtualization Planning and Design Service
The Solution: A Unified, Pretested, and Validated Infrastructure
• Shared infrastructure that can scale easily
• Shared infrastructure that can accommodate a variety of virtual desktop workloads
Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 Image Creation and Provisioning
Create Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 Virtual Machine and Install Standard Software
Figure 3. Microsoft Windows 7 Image and vDisk Citrix Provisioning Process Overview
Create Microsoft Windows 7 Virtual Machine and Install Standard Software
Table 1. Citrix XenDesktop Virtual Desktop Image
Tune Microsoft Windows 7 Image for VDI
• Configure fixed 1.5-GB page file.
• Configure networking and firewall:
– Turn off firewall.
– Set the Domain Name Server (DNS) IP addresses for the domain.
– Turn off IPV6.
• Apply the Microsoft Windows 7 optimization recommendations from the following Citrix article: Microsoft Windows 7 Optimization Guide for Desktop Virtualization (http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX127050).
• Apply the best practices for configuring the Citrix Provisioning Server on a network from the following Citrix article: Best Practices for Configuring Citrix Provisioning Server on a Network (http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX117374).
• Apply the fix for the VMXNET3 driver for virtual machines: Hotfix CPVS56SP1E011 for Citrix Provisioning Services 5.1, 5.1 SP1, 5.1 SP2, 5.6, and 5.6 SP1 (http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX128160
• Using the Microsoft Management Console on the master (or golden) image, choose Local Computer Policy > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Scripts and enable "Run logon scripts synchronously."
• Using the Microsoft Management Console on the master (or golden) image, choose Local Computer Policy > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar and enable "Turn off user tracking."
• Apply the Citrix Provisioning Services 5.6 SP1 Hotfix 18672 target shutdown fix: Hotfix CPVS56SP1E033 for Citrix Provisioning Services 5.6 Service Pack 1 (http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX130661).
• Apply the Citrix Provisioning Services 5.6 SP1 and SP2 BNIstack update: Hotfix CPVS56SP2E002 for Citrix Provisioning Services 5.6 Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2 (http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX131544).
Citrix Provisioning Services vDisk and Virtual Machine Creation
a. Open the Citrix Provisioning Services Console on a Citrix Provisioning Server (Release 5.6 SP1 or later).
b. Create a new, fixed-size vDisk (16 GB, but size may vary depending on requirements).
c. Configure the Private Image Access Mode option on the new vDisk.
d. Configure the "Active Directory machine password management" option.
a. Assign the MAC address of the master (or golden) image virtual machine to this Citrix Provisioning Services object.
b. Set the device to boot from the hard disk.
c. Assign the vDisk created in step 1 on the vDisks tab.
a. Run the Citrix Provisioning Services Imaging Wizard.
b. Run the Citrix Provisioning Services Device Optimization Tool by clicking OK.
The image is to assigned the vDisk (E:\).
a. Using the Citrix Provisioning Services Console, change the target device options to "Boot from vDisk."
a. Add the host to the domain.
b. Restart the guest OS.
a. Citrix XenDesktop VDA 4.0.5010
b. Login VSI 3.0 Target Software (tools used for benchmarking)
You need to create and format an additional virtual disk on the Microsoft Windows 7 master (or golden) image virtual machine. This virtual disk will later be detached and used as the default virtual machine template for the cloning process, so that each provisioned virtual machine will have a unique 3-GB virtual disk (E:\ drive). This drive is where the provisioned virtual machine's Citrix Provisioning Server write cache will be placed and where all write I/O processing will subsequently be performed.
a. Create a new 3-GB hard disk using VMware vSphere standard procedures for the Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 master (or golden) image virtual machine.
b. Activate the new 3-GB hard disk on the Microsoft Windows 7 master (or golden) image virtual machine using the disk manager. (Bring the disk online and use the Standard mode. Do not use the Dynamic mode.)
c. Format the new volume as NTFS.
d. Shut down the virtual machine.
Create the virtual machine templates on the relevant NFS data stores hosted on the storage solution. If you are creating large numbers of clones, you should mount several NFS volumes on the hypervisors balanced between at least two storage controllers.
a. After the NFS volumes have been mounted on the hypervisors, use the VMware vSphere client to create a Microsoft Windows virtual machine in the usual way, but do not start it:
i. Create a new virtual machine (Win7_PVS_Temp) with a standard hard disk for Microsoft Windows 7.
ii. Allocate 1.5 GB of RAM.
iii. Assign the virtual machine to correct virtual machine network.
iv. Change boot order to use network boot.
v. Delete the assigned standard hard disk for the Microsoft Windows 7 virtual disk.
vi. Attach the virtual disk created in step 10.
b. Convert the virtual machine to a template using VMware vCenter.
a. Create and apply a full copy of the template to NFS volume 1 and name it (for example, Win7PVSTemp (1)).
b. Create and apply a full copy of the template to NFS volume 2 and name it (for example, Win7PVSTemp (2)).
c. Continue creating templates until you have applied a template to each target NFS volume that you want to use.
Large-scale provisioning can be achieved easily by using the Citrix XenDesktop Setup Wizard, which is invoked from the Citrix Provisioning Server. Alternatively, you can use the Streamed VM Setup Wizard on Citrix Provisioning Server 5.6 SP1 to provision the virtual machines in conjunction with the Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 Desktop Studio to import the streamed machines. This is the approach used here.
Note: The entire Citrix XenDesktop infrastructure should be set up and tested prior to creating clones registered or configured on each of the components, including Active Directory, with this tool.
The aim of this step is to create VDI virtual machines evenly distributed across all available mounted NFS data stores, so calculate how many virtual machines you will be creating on each data store and then run the Citrix XenDesktop Setup Wizard or the Streamed VM Setup Wizard.
a. Choose the site and choose "Streamed VM Setup Wizard."
b. Choose "VMware vSphere/ESX," provide the hypervisor location and credentials, and click Next.
c. Select the host or cluster to which the virtual machines will be provisioned; then click Next.
d. Select the template associated with the host or cluster and NFS volume to which you want to add virtual machine instances; then Click Next.
e. Select an existing Citrix Provisioning Services device collection and the vDisk to assign to the virtual desktops; then click Next.
f. Complete the Virtual Machine Configuration dialog box; then click Next.
g. Select the desired organization unit in which the virtual machines will be created in Active Directory and create the naming scheme; then click Next.
h. Click Finish to start the provisioning process.
i. After the process is complete, run the Streamed VM Setup Wizard again using the same process except this time select a different template with a different virtual desktop numbering scheme from the next available host and NFS volume until you have virtual machines for all NFS volumes.
Integrate Citrix XenDesktop 5.5
Architecture and Design of Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 on Cisco UCS and Storage Solution
Design Fundamentals
• Knowledge workers today do not just work in their offices all day; they attend meetings, visit branch offices, work from home, and even work from coffee shops. These "anywhere" workers expect access to all their applications and data wherever they are located.
• External contractors are increasingly part of everyday business. They need access to all your applications and data, yet administrators still have little control over the devices they use and the locations from which they work from. Consequently, IT has to make trade-offs, weighing the cost of providing these workers with a device compared to the security risk of allowing them access from their own devices.
• Task workers perform a set of well-defined tasks. These workers access a small set of applications and have limited requirements from their PCs. However, since these workers are interacting with your customers, partners, and employees, they have access to your most critical data.
• Mobile workers need access to their virtual desktops from everywhere, regardless of their capability to connect to a network. In addition, these workers expect the capability to personalize their PCs by installing their own applications and storing their own data, such as photos and music, on these devices.
• Shared workstation users are often found in state-of-the-art university and business computer labs, conference rooms, or training centers. Shared workstation environments have the constant requirement to reprovision desktops with the latest operating systems and applications as the needs of the organization change.
• Traditional PC: A traditional PC is what typically constituted a desktop environment: a physical device with a locally installed operating system.
• Hosted, server-based desktop: A hosted, server-based desktop is a desktop with which the user interacts through a delivery protocol. With hosted, server-based desktops, a single installed instance of a server operating system, such as Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, is shared by multiple users simultaneously. Each user receives a desktop session and works in an isolated memory space. Changes made by one user may affect the other users.
• Hosted virtual desktop: A hosted virtual desktop is a virtual desktop running either on a virtualization layer (Citrix XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V, or VMware ESXi) or on bare-metal hardware. The user does not work with and sit in front of the desktop, but instead the user interacts through a delivery protocol.
• Streamed desktop: A streamed desktop is a desktop running entirely on the user`s local client device. The user interacts with the desktop directly, but the desktop is available only while the user is connected to the network.
• Local virtual desktop: A local virtual desktop is a desktop running entirely on the user`s local device and continues to operate when the user is disconnected from the network.
Hosted VDI Design Fundamentals
Hypervisor Selection
• Citrix XenServer: Citrix XenServer is a complete, managed server virtualization platform built on the powerful Citrix Xen hypervisor. Citrix Xen technology is widely acknowledged as the fastest and most secure virtualization software in the industry. Citrix XenServer is designed for efficient management of Microsoft Windows and Linux virtual servers and delivers cost-effective server consolidation and business continuity. More information about Citrix XenServer can be obtained at the company website.
• VMware vSphere: VMware vSphere consists of the management infrastructure or virtual center server software and the hypervisor software that virtualizes the hardware resources on the servers. It offers features such as VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler, vMotion, High Availability, and Storage vMotion; VMware File System (VMFS); and a mutlipathing storage layer. More information about VMware vSphere can be obtained at the company website.
• Microsoft Hyper-V: Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V builds on the architecture and functions of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V by adding multiple new features that enhance product flexibility. Microsoft Hyper-V is available in standard, server core, and free Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 versions. More information about Microsoft Hyper-V can be obtained at the company web site.
Citrix Provisioning Services
• Private desktop: A private desktop is a single private desktop assigned to one distinct user.
• Pooled desktop: A pooled virtual desktop uses Citrix Provisioning Services to stream a standard desktop image to multiple desktop instances upon bootup.
• Cache on local HD: The cache on the local hard drive is stored in a file on a secondary local hard drive of the device. It is created as an invisible file in the root folder of the local hard drive. The cache file size grows as needed, but it never gets larger than the original vDisk, and it is frequently not larger than the free space on the original vDisk.
• RAM cache: The RAM cache is stored in the client's RAM (memory). The cache's maximum size is fixed by a setting in the vDisk properties. All written data can be read from local RAM instead of going back to the server. The RAM cache is faster than the server cache and works in a high-availability environment.
• Server cache: The server cache is stored in a file on the server, or on a share, SAN, or other device. The file size grows as needed, but it never becomes larger than the original vDisk, and it frequently is not larger than the free space on the original vDisk. It is slower than the RAM cache because all read and write operations have to go to the server and be read from a file. The cache is deleted when the device reboots: in other words, on every boot the device reverts to the base image. Changes remain only during a single boot session.
• Difference cache: The difference cache is in a file on the server, or on a share, SAN, or other device. The cache file size grows as needed, but it never becomes larger than the original vDisk, and it frequently is not larger than the free space on the original vDisk. It is slower than the RAM cache and the server cache.
Designing a Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 Deployment
Solution Validation
Configuration Topology for Scalable Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 VDI on Cisco UCS and Storage Solution
Figure 4. Cisco UCS VDI Reference Configuration
• Cisco UCS computing platform
• VDI that runs on Cisco UCS blade hypervisor hosts
• Network access layer and LAN
• SAN and storage array
Figure 5. Detailed Architecture of the Configuration
Cisco Unified Computing System Configuration
• Cisco UCS command-line interface (CLI) configuration guide: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/unified_computing/ucs/sw/cli/config/guide/2.0/b_UCSM_CLI_Configuration_Guide_2_0.html
• Cisco UCS Manager GUI configuration guide: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/unified_computing/ucs/sw/gui/config/guide/2.0/b_UCSM_GUI_Configuration_Guide_2_0.html
Base Cisco UCS System Configuration
Step 1. Bring up the fabric interconnect and from a serial console connection, set the IP address, gateway, and hostname of the primary fabric interconnect. Then bring up the second fabric interconnect after connecting the dual cables between them. The second fabric interconnect automatically recognizes the primary interconnect and a dialog box asks you if you want to be part of the cluster. Answer Yes and set the IP address, gateway, and hostname. After this is done, all access to the fabric interconnect can be performed remotely. You will also configure the virtual IP address to connect to the fabric interconnect. You need a total of three IP addresses to bring the fabric interconnect online. You can also connect the chassis to the fabric interconnect, using one, two, or four links per I/O module, depending on your application's bandwidth requirements. In the configuration discussed in this document, all four links were connected to each module.
Step 2. Next connect using your browser of choice to the virtual IP address and launch Cisco UCS Manager. The Java-based Cisco UCS Manager will let you do everything that you can do from the CLI; this document focuses on the GUI methodology.
Step 3. First check the firmware on the system and to see whether it is current (Figure 6). The firmware release used in this document is Cisco UCS Firmware Release 2.0(1t).
Figure 6. Checking the Firmware Release
Note: The BIOS and board controller version numbers do not match the I/O module, adapter, or Cisco Integrated Management Controller version number.
Figure 7. Configuring and Enabling the Server Port on the Fabric Interconnect
Figure 8. Configuring and Enabling Upstream Ethernet Links and Fibre Channel Links
Note: Make sure that you have a sufficient number of IP addresses for all the blades, and make sure that the gateway and subnet mask are set correctly.
Figure 9. Setting the KVM IP Addresses for Each Blade
Figure 10. Creating the MAC Address Pool
Figure 11. Creating the WWPN Pool
Figure 12. Creating the WWNN Pool
Figure 13. Creating the UUID Pool
Figure 14. Creating the Server Pool
Figure 15. Creating the vHBA Template
Figure 16. Creating VLANS
Figure 17. Creating a vNIC Template
Figure 18. Creating Performance Policies
Note: Be sure to save your changes by clicking the button at the bottom of the page to preserve these settings. Be sure to add this policy to your blade service profile template.
Figure 19. Creating a Service Profile Template
Figure 20. Completing the Service Profile Template
Note: On the Operational Policies page, select the appropriate performance BIOS policy you created earlier to help ensure maximum low-voltage DIMM performance.
Note: For automatic deployment of service profiles from your templates, you must associate a server pool that contains blades with the template.
Quality of Service and Class of Service in Cisco UCS
• System classes that specify the global configuration for certain types of traffic across the entire system
• QoS policies that assign system classes for individual vNICs
• Flow-control policies that determine how uplink Ethernet ports handle pause frames.
System Class Configuration
• By default, the system has a best-effort class and a Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) class.
– Best effort is equivalent to "match any" in modular QoS CLI (MQC) terminology.
– FCoE is a special class defined for FCoE traffic. The equivalent in MQC terminology is "match CoS 3."
• System class allowed with four more users define class with following configurable rules:
– CoS-to-class map
– Weight: Bandwidth
– Per-class MTU
– Class property: drop or no drop
• The highest MTU per class allowed is 9216.
• With Cisco UCS, one CoS value can be mapped to one particular class.
• In addition to the FCoE class, only one more class can be configured with the no-drop property.
• Weight can be configured as a value from 0 to 10. Internally, the system will calculate the bandwidth based on following equation (the number will be rounded):
Cisco UCS System Class Configuration
• Platinum
• Gold
• Silver
• Bronze
Table 2. Mapping of Cisco UCS and Cisco NX-OS Class Names
Cisco UCS Class Names |
Cisco NX-OS Class Names |
Best effort |
Class-default |
Fibre Channel (FC) |
Class-fc |
Platinum |
Class-Platinum |
Gold |
Class-Gold |
Silver |
Class-Silver |
Bronze |
Class-Bronze |
Table 3. Default Class-to-CoS Map for Cisco UCS
Cisco UCS Class Names |
Cisco UCS Default Class Value |
Best effort |
Match any |
Fibre Channel (FC) |
3 |
Platinum |
5 |
Gold |
4 |
Silver |
2 |
Bronze |
1 |
Table 4. Default Class-to-CoS Map for Cisco UCS
Steps to Enable QoS on Cisco UCS
Figure 21. Cisco UCS QoS System Class Configuration
Figure 22. Cisco UCS QoS Policy Configuration
Figure 23. Use QoS Policy in the vNIC Template
Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 and Provisioning Server 5.6 Configuration
Figure 24. Citrix XenDesktop Configuration
• 3 XenCitrix XenDesktop 5.5 delivery controllers
• 2 Citrix Provisioning Server 5.6 SP1 servers for virtual desktops
• 1 Citrix Provisioning Server 5.6 SP1 for virtual desktops
• 1 VMware vCenter with 2 infrastructure Cisco UCS B200 M2 blades, 8 Cisco UCS B230 M2 blades hosting Microsoft Windows 7 virtual machines, and 2 launcher blades for Login VSI client launchers
• 1080 virtual desktops
• 1 Citrix Licensing Server
• 2 file servers: 1 for Microsoft roaming profiles, and 1 for Login VSI
• 1 Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 for Citrix Provisioning Services and Citrix XenDesktop
• 1 storage solution includes 6 NFS volumes, and 12 Fibre Channel boot logical unit numbers (LUNs)
• 40 Login VSI launchers
Table 5. VMware ESXi 5
Table 6. Citrix Provisioning Server 5.6 SP1
Table 7. Citrix XenDesktop 5.5
Table 8. Citrix License Server
Table 9. Login VSI 3.0 Launchers
• 2 Microsoft Active Directory servers (directory services, DNS, and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol [DHCP])
• User profile server (hosts Microsoft roaming profiles)
• File server (collects Login VSI data)
• VMware vCenter server
Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 Desktop Delivery Controller
• Citrix Desktop Studio
• Citrix Desktop Director
Figure 25. Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 Desktop Studio
Figure 26. Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 Desktop Director
Site Configuration
• Eight machine catalogs corresponding to each of the eight blades in the test environment
• One desktop group containing all the desktops from each catalog
• Citrix XenDesktop HDX user policies to disable autoconnect client drives, client printer mappings, autocreation of a generic universal printer, and automatic installation of in-box printer drivers
• Power settings for the desktop group to start the desired number of virtual desktops when the group is removed from maintenance mode on the Assignments node of Citrix Desktop Studio; action upon disconnect set to "No action" (Figure 27)
Figure 27. Citrix XenDesktop Power Settings
• Maximum active actions and maximum new actions per minute changed from 10 (the default value) to 10 x Y, where Y represented the number of Cisco UCS B230 M2 blades participating in a test in the Advanced Host Details section of the Configuration > Hosts node of Citrix Desktop Studio (Figure 28)
Figure 28. Citrix XenDesktop Maximum Active and New Actions
Citrix Provisioning Services
Storage Configuration for VMware ESXi 5 Server Hosting Citrix Provisioning Server and Virtual Desktop vDisks
• Infrastructure virtual machine hard drives (one NFS volume)
• Write-cache drives provisioned with each Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 virtual machine (four NFS volumes)
• Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 vDisks storage accessed by the two of the provisioning servers (one NFS volume)
• Launcher vDisks accessed by a dedicated Citrix Provisioning Service launcher (one NFS volume)
Figure 29. Data Store Configuration on VMware ESXi 5
Citrix Provisioning Server 5.6 SP1 for Standard-Mode Desktops
• Citrix Provisioning Server is used to create the desired number of virtual machines based on parameters specified during setup in the setup wizard, and the virtual machines are associated with a machine template you create in advance on a hypervisor or in a cluster and a vDisk. Citrix Provisioning Server creates machine accounts in Active Directory as it creates the virtual machines.
• Virtual desktops are then configured to boot using PXE on the hypervisor server.
• Citrix Provisioning Server streams the vDisk image upon startup to the hypervisor, and the image is loaded into RAM.
• Citrix Provisioning Server injects a security identifier (SID) and hostname associated with the virtual machine as each desktop boots to maintain uniqueness in Active Directory. These object mappings are maintained and managed in the Citrix Provisioning Server and are visible in the Citrix Provisioning Services Console in the Collections view.
• Each virtual desktop is assigned a write cache (temporary file) in which any delta changes (write operations) to the default image are recorded and used by the virtual Microsoft Windows operating system throughout its lifecycle. The write cache is written to a dedicated 3-GB hard drive created by Citrix Provisioning Server with each new virtual desktop when it is properly configured.
Note: For best performance, a copy of the vDisk was hosted and maintained on each Citrix Provisioning Server's local disk to provide high availability and load balancing by all servers in the farm. The drive assigned by the hypervisor to each Citrix Provisioning Server for vDisk storage was on a dedicated NFS mount. Citrix Provisioning Servers were assigned 8 GB of RAM to help make the images persistent and capable of being serviced by RAM after they are read for the first time by each server.
• Citrix Provisioning Server
• Hypervisor RAM
• Device local disk (an additional virtual disk for VDI instances)
LAN Configuration
Cisco UCS Connectivity
Note: The upstream configuration is beyond the scope of this document. There are some good reference documents that cover best practices for Cisco Nexus 5000 and 7000 Series Switches. New with the Cisco Nexus 5500 platform is a Layer 3 module that was not used in these tests and that will not be discussed in this document.
Figure 30. Network Configuration with Upstream Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches from Cisco UCS
Storage LAN Connectivity
SAN Configuration
Boot from SAN Configuration
• Smaller server footprint: Boot from SAN alleviates the necessity for each server to have its own direct-attached disk, eliminating internal disks as a potential point of failure. Thin diskless servers also take up less facility space, require less power, and are generally less expensive because they have fewer hardware components.
• Simplified disaster and server failure recovery: All the boot information and production data stored on a local SAN can be replicated to a SAN at a remote disaster recovery site. If a disaster destroys the functionality of the servers at the primary site, the remote site can take over with little downtime. Recovery from server failure is simplified in a SAN environment. With the help of snapshots, mirrors of a failed server can be recovered quickly by booting from the original copy of the server image. As a result, boot-from-SAN capability can greatly reduce the time required for server recovery.
• High availability: A typical data center is highly redundant: redundant paths, redundant disks, and redundant storage controllers. Storage of operating system images on the SAN supports high availability and eliminates the potential for mechanical failure of a local disk.
• Rapid redeployment: Businesses that experience temporary high production workloads can take advantage of SAN technologies to clone the boot image and distribute the image to multiple servers for rapid deployment. Such servers may need to be in production for only hours or days and can be readily removed when the production need has been met. Highly efficient deployment of boot images makes temporary server use a cost-effective endeavor.
• Centralized image management: When operating system images are stored on networked disks, all upgrades and fixes can be managed at a centralized location. Changes made to disks in a storage array are readily accessible by each server.
Configuring Boot from SAN on the Storage System
Note: The two SAN fabrics are separate from a data perspective, and the dual-port HBAs and storage controller provide redundancy.
• Storage array configuration
• SAN zone configuration
• Cisco UCS service profile configuration
Storage Array Configuration
SAN Configuration on Cisco Nexus 5500 Platform Switches
Note: A Cisco Nexus 5500 platform switch supports a single VSAN configuration. If more VSANs are required, you should use a SAN switch such as the Cisco MDS 9100 Series Multilayer Fabric Switches.
Cisco UCS Manager Configuration for Boot from SAN
Step 1. Create a boot policy on the Servers tab. Select the policies and select Boot Policies; in the right pane, click Add (+) button. Enter a name and select Reboot on Boot Order Change. Be sure that Enforce vNIC/vHBA/iSCSI Name is not selected (Figure 31).
Figure 31. Creating Boot Policy
Step 2. Add SAN boot for the SAN primary to the new policy. The vHBA name is optional; this name does not need to be enforced. Click OK (Figure 32).
Figure 32. Adding SAN Boot for SAN Primary to New Policy
Step 3. Add SAN boot for the SAN secondary. Click OK. Again, the vHBA name is optional, and this field can be left blank (Figure 33).
Figure 33. Adding SAN Boot for SAN Secondary
Step 4. Add the boot target WWPN to the SAN primary. Make sure that this name is exactly the same as the storage system WWPN (Figure 34). To avoid any typos, copy and paste the Cisco Nexus 5500 platform command as shown here for each switch:
Figure 34. Creating Boot Policy
Step 5. Repeat step 4 for the SAN primary's SAN target secondary.
Step 6. Repeat step 4 for the SAN secondary's SAN target Primary.
Step 7. Repeat step 4 for the SAN secondary's SAN target Secondary.
When you are finished, your boot-from-SAN policy should look like Figure 35.
Figure 35. Boot-from-SAN Policy
Step 8. Associate the service profile template with the boot-from-SAN policy during the service profile template configuration. You can also modify the boot policy in use in a service profile template as shown in Figure 36.
Figure 36. Modifying a Service Profile Template Boot Policy
Hypervisor Operating System Installation and Configuration
Table 10. Cisco UCS B230 M2 Blade and Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 Virtual Machine Test Blade
Table 11. Cisco UCS B200 M2 Infrastructure Blade
Table 12. Cisco UCS B200 M2 Infrastructure Blade
Installing the OS
Configuring VMware vCenter for Citrix XenDesktop DDC Communications
Note: Citrix recommends that you either import the default certificate from the VMware vCenter Server on your desktop controllers or upgrade the default certificates with trusted third-party certificates, which should be installed on the DDCs.
Setting Up the Network Time Protocol Server in VMware vCenter
Figure 37. NTP Server Setup
Tuning VMware ESXi
• enic_driver_220.127.116.11-564611
• fnic_driver_188.8.131.52-563432
Configuring VMware vSphere
Figure 38. VMware Data Center Under Test
Configuring the Network
Figure 39. vSwitch Configuration
Figure 40. VMware vSwitch Management Network Edit
Figure 41. Vmnic1 Set as Standby Adapter for VMware vMotion and vmkernel Network Only on vSwitch0
Figure 42. VMware ESXi 5 Management vNICs
Figure 43. Active vNICs
Note: Keep in mind when mounting the NFS data store that NFS data stores require a vmkernel port that can connect to the storage NFS server. Cisco uses a different vSwitch and VLAN to separate the traffic from other desktop and management network traffic and to provide the necessary vmkernel port.
Figure 44. NFS Export Mounted on VMware ESXi 5 Host
Test Setup and Configuration
Cisco UCS Test Configuration for Single-Blade Scalability
Figure 45. Cisco UCS B200 M2 Infrastructure Services and Cisco UCS B230 M2 Blade Server with Microsoft Windows 7 Virtual Machine Host
• 1 Cisco UCS B230 M2 (Intel Xeon processor E7-2870 at 2.4 GHz) blade server with 256 GB of memory (8 GB x 32 DIMMs at 1333 MHz) Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 virtual desktops
• 2 Cisco UCS B200 M2 (Intel Xeon processor X5690 at 3.466 GHz) blade servers with 96 GB of memory (8 GB x 12 DIMMs at 1333 MHz) infrastructure servers
• 2 Cisco UCS B200 M2 (Intel Xeon processor X5690 at 3.466 GHz) blade servers with 96 GB of memory (8 GB x 12 DIMMs at 1333 MHz) load generators
• 1 Cisco UCS M81KR VIC per blade
• 2 Cisco UCS 6248UP Fabric Interconnects
• 2 Cisco Nexus 5548UP access switches
• 1 Storage Array, 2 Controllers, 2 dual-port 8-Gbps Fibre Channel cards, and 2 dual-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet cards with at least 26 600GB 15,000-rpm SAS drives and 2 100 GB SSDs for cache
• Cisco UCS Firmware Release 2.0(1t)
• VMware ESXi 5.0.0 Build 469512 and VMware vCenter 5.0
• Citrix XenDesktop 5.5
• Citrix Provisioning Server 5.6 SP1
• Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 32-bit, 1 vCPU, 1.5 GB of memory, and 20 GB per virtual machine
Cisco UCS Configuration for Single-Chassis Test
Figure 46. Single-Chassis Test Configuration: Eight Cisco UCS B230 M2 Blade Servers
• 8 Cisco UCS B230 M2 (Intel Xeon processor E7-2870 at 2.4 GHz) blade servers with 256 GB of memory (8 GB x 32 DIMMs at 1333 MHz) Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 virtual desktops
• 2 Cisco UCS B200 M2 (Intel Xeon processor X5690 at 3.466 GHz) blade servers with 96 GB of memory (8 GB x 12 DIMMs at 1333 MHz) infrastructure servers
• 2 Cisco UCS B200 M2 (Intel Xeon processor X5690 at 3.466 GHz) blade servers with 96 GB of memory (8 GB x 12 DIMMs at 1333 MHz) load generators
• 1 Cisco UCS M81KR VIC per blade
• 2 Cisco 6248UP Fabric Interconnects
• 2 Cisco Nexus 5548UP access switches
• 1 storage array, two service processors, 2 dual-port 8-GB Fibre Channel cards, and 2 dual-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet cards with 26 600-GB 10,000-rpm SAS drives and 3 100 GB SSDs for cache
• Cisco UCS Firmware Release 2.0(1t)
• VMware ESXi 5.0.0 Build 469512 and VMware vCenter 5.0
• Citrix XenDesktop 5.5
• Citrix Provisioning Server 5.6 SP1
• Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 32-bit, 1 vCPU, 1.5 GB of memory, and 20 GB per virtual machine
Testing Methodology and Success Criteria
Load Generation
User Workload Simulation: Login VSI from Login Consultants
Note: This test used the tool to benchmark the VDI environment only.
Note: For the purposes of this test, applications were installed locally, not streamed or hosted on Citrix XenApp.
• The workload emulated the medium workload of a knowledge working using Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer and PDF documents.
• After a session was started, the medium workload repeated every 12 minutes.
• During each loop, the response time was measured every two minutes.
• The medium workload opened up to five applications simultaneously.
• The typing rate was 160 milliseconds (ms) for each character.
• Approximately two minutes of idle time was included to simulate real-world users.
• Microsoft Outlook 2007 or 2010: 10 messages were browsed.
• Microsoft Internet Explorer: One instance was left open (BBC.co.uk), and one instance was browsed to Wired.com, and Lonelyplanet.com.
• 480p Adobe Flash application gettheglass.com: This application was not used with the MediumNoFlash workload.
• Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010: One instance was used to measure response time, and one instance was used to review and edit a document.
• Bullzip PDF Printer and Adobe Acrobat Reader: The Microsoft Word document was printed and reviewed as a PDF file.
• Microsoft Excel 2007 or 2010: A very large randomized sheet was opened.
• Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 or 2010: A presentation was reviewed and edited.
• 7-zip: Using the command-line version, the output of the session was zipped.
Figure 47. Graphical Overview of Test Workload
Success Criteria
Login VSImax Value
Note: In the prior version of Login VSI, the threshold for the response time was 2000 ms. The workloads and the analyses have been upgraded in Login VSI 3 to make the testing better aligned with real-world use. In the medium workload in Login VSI 3.0, a CPU-intensive 480p Adobe Flash movie is incorporated in each test loop. In general, the redesigned workload results in an approximately 20 percent decrease in the number of users passing the test compared to Login VSI 2.0 on the same server and storage hardware.
Calculating the Login VSImax Value
• Copying a new document from the document pool on the home drive: This operation refreshes a new document to be used for measuring the response time. This activity is mostly a file system operation.
• Starting Microsoft Word with a document: This operation measures the responsiveness of the operating system and the file system. Microsoft Word is started and loaded into memory, and the new document is automatically loaded into Microsoft Word. Extensive or even saturated disk I/O will affect the File Open dialog box considerably.
• Starting the File Open dialog box: This operation is handled partially by Microsoft Word and mainly by the operating system. The File Open dialog box uses generic subsystems and interface components of the OS. The OS provides the contents of this dialog box.
• Starting Microsoft Notepad: This operation is handled by the OS (loading and initiating notepad.exe) and by the Notepad.exe program itself through processing. This operation seems instant from an end user's point of view.
• Starting the Print dialog box: This operation is handled mainly by the OS subsystems, because the Print dialog box is provided by the OS. This dialog box loads the print subsystem and the drivers of the selected printer. As a result, this dialog box also depends on disk performance.
• Starting the Search and Replace dialog box: This operation is handled within the application completely; the presentation of the dialog box is almost instant. Serious bottlenecks at the application level affect the speed of this dialog box.
• Compressing the document into a Zip file with the 7-zip command line: This operation is handled by the command-line version of 7-zip. The compression very briefly spikes CPU and disk I/O.
VSImax Classic
• The task "starting Microsoft Word with a document" is divided by two (50 percent).
• The task "starting the Search and Replace dialog box" is multiplied by 5 (500 percent).
Figure 48. Sample of VSImax Classic Response Time Calculation
VSImax Dynamic
• Copying a new document from the document pool in the home drive: 100 percent
• Opening Microsoft Word with a document: 33.3 percent
• Starting the File Open dialog box: 100 percent
• Starting Microsoft Notepad: 300 percent
• Starting the Print dialog box: 200 percent
• Starting the Search and Replace dialog box: 400 percent
• Compressing the document into a Zip file using the 7-zip command line: 200 percent
Figure 49. Sample of VSImax Dynamic Response Time Calculation
Determining the VSImax Threshold
• Vertical axis: Response time in milliseconds
• Horizontal axis: Total active sessions
• Red line: Maximum response (worst response time for an individual measurement in a single session)
• Orange line: Average response time (within each level of active sessions)
• Blue line: VSImax average.
• Green line: Minimum response (best response time for an individual measurement in a single session)
Figure 50. Sample Login VSI Analyzer Graphic Output
Test Results
Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 Hosted VDI Standard Mode VDI Test Results
Single Cisco UCS B230 M2 Blade Server Single-Chassis Validation
Single-Blade Login VSI Medium Workload with Adobe Flash: 135 Users
Figure 51. 135 Desktop Sessions on VMware ESXi 5 Below 4000 ms
Figure 52. 135-User Single Cisco UCS B230 M2 CPU Utilization Boot Phase: 15 Minutes
Figure 53. 135-User Single Cisco UCS B230 M2 Memory Utilization Boot Phase: 15 Minutes
Figure 54. 135-User Single Cisco UCS B230 M2 Network Utilization Boot Phase: 15 Minutes
Figure 55. 135-User Single Cisco UCS B230 M2 CPU Test Phase: 15-Minute Ramp Up (2 Times Faster)
Figure 56. 135-User Single Cisco UCS B230 M2 Network Rate Test Phase: 15-Minute Ramp Up (2 Times Faster)
Single-Blade Login VSI Medium No Flash Workload: 155 Users
Figure 57. 155 Desktop Sessions on VMware ESXi 5 Below 4000 ms
Figure 58. 155-User Single Cisco UCS B230 M2 CPU Test Phase: 15-Minute Ramp Up (2 Times Faster)
Figure 59. 155-User Single Cisco UCS B230 M2 Active Compared to Allocated Memory Test Phase: 15-Minute Ramp Up (2 Times Faster)
Figure 60. 155-User Single Cisco UCS B230 M2 Network Rate Test Phase: 15-Minute Ramp Up (2 Times Faster)
Eight Cisco UCS B230 M2 Blade Servers: Single-Chassis Validation
Figure 61. 1080 Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 Sessions on VMware ESXi 5 Below 4000 ms
Figure 62. 1080-User Blade 6-CPU Boot Phase: 15-Minute Ramp Up (2 Times Faster)
Figure 63. 1080-User Blade 6 Memory Granted Compared to Active Boot Phase: 15-Minute Boot Up (2 Times Faster)
Figure 64. 1080-User Blade 6 Network Rate Boot Phase: 15-Minute Bootup (2 Times Faster)
Figure 65. 1080-User Blade 6 Cisco UCS B230 M2 CPU Test Phase: 15-Minute Ramp Up (2 Times Faster)
Figure 66. 1080-User Blade 6 Memory Granted Compared to Active Test Phase: 15-Minute Ramp Up (2 Times Faster)
Figure 67. 1080-User Blade 6 Memory Granted Compared to Active Test Phase: 15-Minute Ramp Up (2 Times Faster)
Scalability Considerations and Guidelines
Cisco UCS System Configuration
Table 13. VMware ESXi 5 Hosting Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 with Citrix Provisioning Services 5.6.1
Number of Chasis Tested |
Number of Cisco UCS B230 M2 Servers Tested |
Number of Virtual Machines Hosted |
Virtual Machines per Physical Core Ratio |
1 |
1 |
135 |
6.75 |
1 |
8 |
1080 |
6.75 |
• Cisco UCS 2.0 management software supports up to 20 chassis within a single Cisco UCS domain on the second-generation Cisco UCS 6248UP and 6296UP Fabric Interconnects.
• Given adequate storage capability to support 20 chassis, you could easily scale to 20,000 users in a single Cisco UCS domain. You would need to add hypervisor virtual machine management virtual servers on each two-chassis deployment to manage the VDI environment.
• To accommodate the Cisco Nexus 5500 platform upstream connectivity as described in the "LAN Configuration" section, you need four Ethernet uplinks configured on the Cisco UCS fabric interconnect. Also, depending on the number of uplinks from each chassis, you could calculate the number of desktops that can be hosted in a single Cisco UCS domain. Assuming eight links per chassis, four to each Cisco UCS 6248UP, scaling beyond 10 chassis would require a pair of Cisco UCS 6296UP Fabric Interconnects. A building block of 20,000 virtual desktops can be built from the Reference Architecture described in this study with eight links per chassis and 20 Cisco UCS chassis composed of seven Cisco UCS B230 M2 servers and one Cisco UCS B200 M2 server in each chassis.
Storage Sizing Best Practices
• Gather essential solution requirements.
• Perform performance-based and capacity-based storage estimation.
• Get recommendations about storage system physical and logical configuration from the storage provider.
For More Information


text:
I am wondering whether anyone can give me some advise on T5 tubes and how I can dim / subdue my lighting without having to instal a dimmer. There are no plants in the tank. Just rocks and fish.
I have a 2metre tank which is currently powered by 4 T5 tubes (i believe they are 39wt Hagen Power Glo). They are housed in Akva-Stabil aquarium hood, 2 units side by side (left and right not front and back). Each unit has its own power supply. So I can switch off the left or the right (or both) if required. The problem is each unit has 2 tubes, one front and one back. So I can only switch off one side of the tank not both front of both back tubes...hopefully that makes sense .
I have considered removing both back tubes, but seeing as the units as so close to the top of the water I am concerned about water getting into the exposed light fittings which will have exposed electricity points.
So in order to dim / subdue the tank lighting I figure I need to reduce the intensity of the existing 4 T5 tubes.
Can anyone recommend a tube that would dim / subdue the tank ? or even recommend a dimmer that doesnt cost what the Akva-Stabil manufacturer produces which is crazy prices

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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Billy Joel
Billy Joel
River of Dreams
Original Release Date: August 10, 1993
Track Listing
1. No Man's Land
2. The Great Wall of China
3. Blonde Over Blue
4. A Minor Variation
5. Shades of Grey
6. All About Soul
7. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
8. The River of Dreams
9. Two Thousand Years
10. Famous Last Words
Will Downing: Choir, Chorus
Billy Joel: Organ, Synthesizer, Piano, Composer, Keyboards, Organ (Hammond), Vocals, Vocals (Background), Clavinet, Producer
Chuck Treece: Bass
Zachary Alford: Drums
Phillip Ballou: Choir, Chorus
Katreese Barnes: Choir, Chorus
Niko Bolas: Engineer, Mixing
Tommy Byrnes: Guitar
Richie Cannata: Sax (Tenor)
Don DeVito: A&R
Liberty DeVitto: Drums
Schuyler Deale: Bass
Laurence Etkin: Trumpet
Wrecia Ford: Vocals
Diane Garisto: Choir, Chorus
Jay Healy: Engineer
Stephanie James: Choir, Chorus
Ted Jensen: Remastering, Digital Remastering
Jef Lee Johnson: Bass
Brenda White-King: Choir, Chorus
Curtis Rance King, Jr.: Choir Conductor, Choir Contractor
Doug Kleeger: Technical Support
Danny Kortchmar: Guitar, Producer
Andy Kravitz: Percussion
Ira Newborn: Orchestration
Joe Nicolo: Producer, Engineer, Mixing
Phil Nicolo: Engineer, Mixing
Jim Saporito: Percussion
Frank Simms: Vocals, Vocals (Background)
George Simms: Vocals, Vocals (Background)
T.M. Stevens: Bass
Crystal Taliefero: Vocals, Vocal Arrangement
David Thoener: Producer, Mixing
Mike Tyler: Guitar
Brian Vibberts: Assistant Engineer
Leslie West: Guitar
Bill Zampino: Production Coordination
Carl Glanville: Engineer
Dan Hetzel: Assistant Engineer
Art Smith: Technical Support
Marlon Saunders: Vocals, Choir, Chorus
Devora Johnson: Choir, Chorus
Osvaldo Melindez: Trombone
B. David Witworth: Vocals
Christopher Austopchuk: Art Direction
Dirk Grobelny: Assistant Engineer, Mixing Assistant, Assistant
Lew Del Gatto: Orchestra Manager
Bradshaw Leigh: Engineer
Glen Erler: Photography
Sara Rotman: Design
Arno Hecht: Sax (Baritone)
Andrew Baker: Technical Support
Jeff Schock: Artwork
Patrick Demarchelier: Photography, Tray Photo
Steve Jordan: Drums
Dave Wilkerson: Engineer
Bob Thrasher: Engineer
John Naatjes: Tape Research
Steven "Steven J." Jordan: Drums
Jane Arginteanu: ?
Michiko Suzuki: Liner Notes
Lonnie Hillyer: Bass
Dennis Collins: Choir, Chorus


text:
If you love free samples, friendly + knowledgeable staff, and a fantastically broad variety of delicious fresh food, then you're in luck at Lemonade! If you don't love that stuff, then you're not normal. After my first visit today, Lemonade is definitely my new favorite lunch spot, and also a great place to grab dinner (and dessert, of course) to take home after a day at work. Which I just did after a lunch there.
Lemonade is perfect for foodies with culinary A.D.D. like me: you can split the marketplace salad portions between different types to get even more flavors in there, (SO many options! Good thing they're generous with samples!), and there are countless sandwich, soup, pot roast, and protein options, too. I think it's virtually impossible to not find at least 10 things you'll want to eat here! I had great ahi, and I'm picky about my fish. Had 2 marketplace salads but made it into 4; which was hard enough because I enjoyed every sample I had! The marketplace salad combinations were creative, refreshingly unique lunch options that all featured super high quality ingredients that were never "overdone," preserving the garden-fresh quality of the food.
And then I turn around…bakery, too?! The $1 cupcakes will be my diet demise: they're not overwhelming sweet or enormous like those "other" cupcakes (ahem, Sprinkles), and there are other enticing pies, cakes, etc. More options!
If a gourmet cooking school ever had a cafeteria–that's the concept of Lemonade. Reasonable prices for lunch, easy street parking, and a pleasant patio outside. With locations in WeHo, Venice, downtown, and at MOCA, you can easily enjoy the lunchtime bliss of Lemonade. Long live Lemonade!
–Abby Gould, Sage Wellness Intern


text:
Customizing SMF > Tips and Tricks
HowTo activate team badges
It has been awhile since I did this but I think you would have to edit the Display.template.php file.
Thanks Bigguy, that seemed to do the trick :D I just removed this bit:
--- Code: ---// Show the member's primary group (like 'Administrator') if they have one.
if (!empty($message['member']['group']))
echo '

', $message['member']['group'], '
';
--- End code ---
Yup that was the part I meant, good job. ;)
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Stock Quotes
New York 4/23/2012 08:12 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)
Your New Hampshire Business Can Expand Through Effective Internet Marketing
Massachusetts Businesses Look to Mobile as the Future of Internet Marketing
Google Makes SEO More Challenging, Raising the Bar for Marketing Professionals
Smartphones are so common that mobile search inquiries are becoming the primary way people surf the web and find businesses to patronize. A recent study by BIA/Kelsey suggests that mobile search will surpass traditional search by 2015, emphasizing the need for legal internet marketing agencies to optimize websites so they can be viewed on mobile devices.
According to the company, mobile search injuries will reach 31 billion by the end of 2012. In 2011 mobile search accounted 19.7 billion searches out of a total of 55 billion searches. By the end of 2015, the BIA/Kelsey believes that mobile search will far surpass searches done on laptops or desk tops.
A recent survey by Brafton News found that brands and legal internet marketing firms planned to spend more of their advertising budgets on developing and optimizing sites to be viewed on smartphones and tablets.
A highly visible website can help a business increase their customer base and grow their business. This highlights the need for a company to take whatever steps they can to optimize their website and achieve a high rankings in search. These steps should include developing websites that are easily accessed through mobile devices and having an effective social media marketing campaign.
A legal internet marketing company can help the growing business develop an appealing site and give them guidance on how to build a site for mobile platforms.
firstname.lastname@example.com digitalagemarketinggroup.com/
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text:
Orlando Men in Black Alien Attack Hotels + Pet Friendly
Know When You're Going?
More Search OptionsHotel Amenities
- Pet Friendly
Customers tell us...
- Clean Rooms (7)
- Friendly Staff (7)
- Good Value (6)
- Great Location (4)
- Good For The Family (3)
- Great Breakfast (3)
- Great Hotel (3)
- Better Than Expected (1)
- Comfortable Beds (1)
Hotels by Type
- Cheap Hotels (6)
- Extended Stay Hotels (6)
- Motels (4)
- Luxury Hotels (3)
- Resort Hotels (3)
- Vacation Rental Hotels (3)
- Boutique Hotels (2)
- Suite Hotels (2)
Hotels By Brand
- 4.0 5
- 93 Reviews
0.27 mi/0.44 km from search point (short walk)
"The staff was great and the manager went out of his way to introduce himself and chat... Read more"
"Our family of 5 just got back from the weekend at Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando and it w... Read more"
"Very disappointed. We stayed @ Hard Rock for 5 nights during a 19 day trip to FL in M... Read more"
- 4.0 5
- 57 Reviews
0.35 mi/0.56 km from search point (short walk)
"I have been an annual passholder to universal studios for the last 8 years and have s... Read more"
"My BFF and I wanted to go have a weekend getaway just girls. It was her birthday. We ... Read more"
"We stayed at Portofino Bay Hotel December 18 - 21, 2010, a very busy time of year. M... Read more"
- 3.0 5
- 28 Reviews
0.61 mi/0.99 km from search point (short walk)
"I didn't want to leave the rooms are lovely the beds are so comfortable i would recom... Read more"
"The hotel was clean and very convinence to Universal. we walked to the park. the staf... Read more"
"Checked in and was told they only had smoking rooms left but that they deoderize afte... Read more"
- 4.0 5
- 157 Reviews
0.74 mi/1.19 km from search point (short walk)
"We stayed the week before Christmas 2011. Staying onsite was the best decision we cou... Read more"
"The staff at this hotel and the added services (early entry to Universal) and... Read more"
"first time here & would stay again.Staff very friendly,Islands dining buffet breakfa... Read more"
- 4.0 5
- 55 Reviews
0.76 mi/1.23 km from search point (short walk)
"We had a great trip staying at the Hyatt Place. The staff was incredibly friendly an... Read more"
"This was the nicest hotel I have stayed in in years. We got a beautiful, family size... Read more"
"It is a three star hotel and service is really a three star - Over all hotel is clean... Read more"
"The location of this hotel was the biggest thing recommending it. The drive to Univer... Read more"
"While yes it was a deal this hotel is the worst hotel I have ever dealt with or staye... Read more"
"Soon as we checked in we had to report the ac unit in the room because it sounded lik... Read more"
"Great location across the street from Universal Studios. The room was spotless and th... Read more"
"The hotel and its staff was great. It was right next to universal studios and not far... Read more"
"Good location. Convenient and within walking distance to parks. Nice, clean room an... Read more"
- 4.0 5
- 19 Reviews
0.75 mi/1.21 km from search point (short walk)
"My husband and I stayed here 3 nights. The ONLY complaint we had was no shuttle to U... Read more"
"Just got back from staying here....Its a wonderful hotel in a great location. The roo... Read more"
"This was a nice hotel except that they only had 2 shuttles in the morning and then 2 ... Read more"
"My partner and I stayed there 2 nights while visiting Universal. The room was very cl... Read more"
"This was a good hotel for the price. The room was clean and spacious and the bathroo... Read more"
Note: The nightly rates shown above do not yet include Tax Recovery Charge & Service Fees or (if applicable) Extra Person Fees, Child Fees, Additional Mandatory Hotel Charges or optional incidentals, such as parking, room service or movies.


text:
Black Label - Black Label Duty Cap
The Black Label Duty Cap keeps the sun out of your eyes, be it on the range or in the field.
- The universal gray digital camo pattern helps you fade into any background in any season.
- You can instantly adjust the Duty Cap for a perfect fit with the hook and loop closure band in the rear.
- The Black Label 3D embroidery on the front panel adds a touch of adventure to your cap wardrobe.
Click the items below to get more detailed information about that item. | |||||||
Item Number | Color | Size | MSRP | ||||
308555291 | Duty Rip Stop Digi Desert | Adult cap adjustable fit | $18.00 |
Images, photographs, etc. shown do not necessarily represent the product in its entirety. They are shown for examples only.


text:
To make our list of Top 10 Hottest Women of Country Music, a nominee has to have not only great looks and sex appeal but also musical talent as well. (Hey, we love our music, too!) Every single one of these women is an outstanding vocalist, and many write their own music as well. Without further delay, here's our 2012 list of Top 10 Hottest Women of Country Music.
#10 – Shania Twain
This sensational performer needs little introduction. Dubbed "The First Lady of Country Music" the Canadian born Shania Twain has been wowing audiences since the 90′s and she's still going strong. Her album Come on Over is the best selling album of all time by any female musician, and the best selling country album of all time. She earned her Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2011, a rare accomplishment for a female country artist.
#9 – Sara Evans
This heartbreaker from Missouri started performing at a very early age and has a long list of awards and nominations to her name including AMA, ACA, Dove Awards, BMI Country Awards and more. She's had a whopping five #1 hits over the years. Sara Evans' single "A Little Bit Stronger" was nominated for best single by American Country Awards, and she was also nominated as American Music Awards Favorite Country Female Artist.
#8 – Hillary Scott
This country singer and songwriter is a founding member of the smash country group Lady Antebellum. Daughter of country music artist Linda Davis, Hillary Scott has won numerous awards with Lady Antebellum, including a Grammy for Best Country Album, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year for "Need You Now." We just can't decide whether we like her better as a blonde or a brunette.
#7 – Jennifer Nettles
Wow, can this Georgia born beauty belt out a melody. Along with Kristian Bush, Jennifer Nettles is the other member of the duo Sugarland, known for its country-pop smash hits. Sugarland has won dozens of awards including ACM Top Vocal Duo, ACA award for Single of the Year, and CMT award for Duo video of the year for "Stuck Like Glue." In a secret ceremony in 2011 she married her longtime boyfriend, but we're still holding out hope.
#6 – LeAnn Rimes
Will the world ever tire of seeing LeAnn Rimes in a bikini? We don't think so. This enormously talented country star is the winner of many major awards including Grammys, ACMs, CMAs, and Billboard Music Awards. The lists Barbra Streisand, Wynona Judd, and Reba McEntire as major influences in her career. After cheating on her then-husband with him, she's now happily married to Eddie Cibrian, star of NBC's canceled "The Playboy Club."
#5 – Jessie James
This smoking hot Italian-born country pop singer released her first album "Jessie James" in 2008 and has another one in the works. Jessie James lists Shania Twain, Shelby Lynne, and Janis Joplin as her major influences.
#4 – Julianne Hough
This country singer is probably best known as a professional ballroom dancer, having twice won ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Julianne Hough is one charming, gorgeous, and multi-talented lady, racking up ACM awards and CMT nominations in 2009, and appearing in two major Hollywood films – Burlesque (2010) and Footloose (2011).
#3 -Miranda Lambert
This Texas-born beauty broke more than a few hearts when she married longtime boyfriend Blake Shelton in 2011. She has had numerous top 20 hits and won the 2011 ACM single of the year, song of the year, and video of the year for "The House That Built Me."
#2 – Taylor Swift
It's hard to recall a female in country music who's had so much impact so quickly. Taylor Swift's career has taken off like a rocket since she released her debut single "Tim McGraw" in 2006. Her very first album went multi-platinum, and she hasn't looked back since. Politically active and involved in several philanthropic projects, Swift is also a spokesperson for Elizabeth Arden and the NHL. People magainze named her to its list of 100 Most Beautiful People in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Maxim's sexiest woman of 2008 is our #2 in 2012.
#1 – Carrie Underwood
Topping our list is the lady who's talent and stunning sexiness continue to propel her career nearly seven years after winning American Idol. The Oklahoma native has a long list of awards to her name, including most recently a Billboard Spin award for "Before He Cheats." The vegetarian and animal lover has also twice been named PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian, in 2005 and 2007. Carrie Underwood is the real deal.
Who's at the top of your list? Tell us in the comment section below!


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Where Is Boobie Miles Now?
An excerpt from Buzz Bissinger's After Friday Night Lights
By Buzz Bissinger onBoobie Miles lives in a house on Cedar Street in Kermit, Texas, with his girlfriend La Donna. It is modest, two bedrooms and a relatively small kitchen, but there is also a separate dwelling in the back with a bedroom and a full bath. It all needs work. But it's a house, giving Boobie a security he has rarely known since high school.
I open the side door, and there in a lounge chair sleeps Boobie, dressed in a red tracksuit. I call his name. There is no answer. I worry that something is wrong. He now weighs 315 pounds, and he recently discovered that he has diabetes. Neurotic Jew that I am, I wonder if he's dead. But then I realize that the sound I'm hearing, like the closing whistle at a steel factory, is Boobie snoring. I yell his name, but there is no response. I yell it louder. Finally I tap him hard on the shoulder. He wakes and looks at me.
"Hey!" he says, then gets up and gives me a bear hug that almost smothers me. I can feel his big hands and arms wrapping around me. He is soon to be 42. His face is still strong and youthful, just like it was in high school. The rest of him has not fared as well. If we ran the hundred-yard dash now, I might be able to beat him.
"So how you doing?" I ask.
"Man, I'm hanging in there."
"You're always hanging in there."
We settle down to catch up. I ask him about the new rap song by Big K.R.I.T. called "Boobie Miles."
"Big K.R.I.T. never asked permission to use your name, did he?"
"I don't even know that dude."
"You should sue the motherfucker. Everybody knows it's based on you."
Boobie is reluctant to accuse, the essential core of his decency.
"I wouldn't want to sue him, because he's doing something that I have a love of doing. I'm not a hater of anything like that."
He would like to meet Big K.R.I.T., just talk to him. But the phone hasn't rung. And Boobie makes his 12 dollars an hour, with no benefits until he has worked there long enough to get the benefits, and meanwhile he has to deal with the county probation officer who sometimes comes around unannounced and scares the shit out of him because he thinks his boss will freak out and fire him. He has to pay probation — $275 a month — as restitution for the aggravated assault he was convicted of in 2010. Plus there are support payments of $600 a month for the twins he had in 2000 with his now-estranged wife, Shayla, as well as another child born out of wedlock. (He also has two other kids.) The payments leave him with a take-home each month of about a thousand dollars, perhaps a little more depending on his hours.
Boobie says he is over what happened at Permian. But it isn't true. The experience still roils inside him, the distance of age giving him a fresher perspective and increased bitterness. "That dude didn't like me," he says of Permian's head coach at the time, Gary Gaines.
He is right; in hindsight, I wonder if I was too easily seduced by Gaines's golly-gee-willikers personality to see how he really viewed Boobie. Gaines did not swear, and he was not a yeller, but he didn't have to be one in order to manipulate his players. It rankles Boobie to this day that the 2004 film of Friday Night Lights showed him having dinner with Gaines and his wife, among others. The scene implied a close relationship, which there never was. Gaines only put up with Boobie because he saw the running back as his pathway to success, and Gaines was an ambitious coach. He believed he needed to tamp down Boobie's ego, keep him in his place.
When Boobie was a sophomore, he started missing offseason football practice because it conflicted with track, where he had already established himself as a varsity sprinter. He says the track coach told him to stop going to offseason football workouts because the biggest event of the spring, the Texas Relays, was coming up. Boobie says Gaines confronted him and asked why he was missing practice. After Boobie explained, Gaines told him he might as well go "major in track." Upset and confused, Boobie cleaned out his football locker.
Boobie says that Gaines then talked to the track coach, who confirmed Boobie's explanation for why he was missing football workouts. But Gaines nevertheless acted as if Boobie had disgraced the Permian uniform and made him apologize to the entire team, an exercise in humiliation for a 16-year-old kid.
When Boobie got hurt in Lubbock during that preseason scrimmage of 1988 and another black player with excellent skills came out of nowhere to replace him, the Permian coaches no longer had to pretend to deal with Boobie any longer. They were relieved he wasn't playing, and one white coach referred to Boobie as a "big ol' dumb n-----."
I never named the coach in the book because I liked him. This was also the price of access. I realize now that this was a mistake, because of the devastating impact his comment has had on Boobie. His name was Mike Belew. He coached the running backs, and he was otherwise affable and self-deprecating. He later married an African American woman, hardly the actions of a racist. It may have been ignorance speaking, but it doesn't matter. Belew's anonymous words, which Boobie came across in the book, scarred him forever.
As we drive to Monahans and sift through the cold ashes of Boobie's Permian experience, he asks me who called him "a big ol' dumb n-----." I tell him. I think he has known for a long time anyway. "I could not believe he would say that shit about me," Boobie says. "That hurt for real when he said that. I could not get that shit out of my mind. He actually called me that, bro."
When I put Belew's words in the book, the intent was to show the virulence of the racism expressed against Boobie once he got hurt. But several years later, we were talking about the book when Boobie railed against what the then-unnamed coach had said about him: "Do you have any fucking idea of how it feels to see this stuff said about you and know it's goin' to be there forever?"
He was right. In my mind, I had been protecting Boobie by using the anonymous quote. But the only person I was protecting was the coach who said it. If I exposed Boobie to the sentiments of that coach, I should have exposed Belew at the same time. So 22 years later, I am correcting the mistake. Maybe too much time has passed and maybe the decision is wrong. But I owe it to Boobie to set the record straight.
H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger is the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of the best-selling books Friday Night Lights, A Prayer for the City, and Three Nights in August. He is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a columnist for The Daily Beast. His new book, Father's Day: A Journey Into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary Son, will be published May 15 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. His Byliner Original, After Friday Night Lights, is available for $2.99 as a Quick Read at Apple's iBookstore, a Kindle Single at Amazon, and a NOOK Snap at BN.com.


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Diet – Facing vs Fighting Your Emotions
Wednesday, September 5th, 2012Please help keep this project alive.
Donations can be made here – https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=98Q5NVT8NAFJL –
For more tips on how to lose weight, get fit, get healthy, succeed on a raw vegan diet, deal with depression and change your life, check out Tim Van Orden's latest AudioBook "Turbo Charge Your Life!" http://runningraw.com/store.html#audiobook
In this episode of the Running Raw Project: While attending the Woodstock Fruit Festival (http://woodstockfruitfestival.com) Tim takes a group of participants on a hike up Giant Mountain in New York's Adirondack park. Many great conversations took place, including this one with Raw Vegan pioneer and ultrarunner Grant Campbell from Australia. Tim and Grant talk about the importance of facing your emotions rather than fighting them. The result of fighting your challenging emotions can often lead to strict behavior, self punishment and self loathing. As Grant says, 'you can either be in a state of protection or a state of growth. But you can't do both at the same time.'
For those of you moving towards a dietary change, whether it be raw vegan, simply vegan, vegetarian, 80/10/10 or other variant, it's important to face the emotions that are showing up rather than forcing yourself through those feelings.
Click here to check out Tim Van Orden's race results – http://runningraw.com/results.html
Click here to check out the Running Raw Blog – http://runningraw.com/blog
Click here to like the Running Raw Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/runningraw
Click here to subscribe to Tim Van Orden's Facebook updates – https://www.facebook.com/tim.vanorden
Duration : 0:2:53


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John Brennan
The latest news on John Brennan
It's unclear if the three are allowed to do the community service for CODEPINK.
After a 13 hour filibuster, Brennan is confirmed as the director of the CIA.
Rand Paul called the administration's comments on domestic drones 'gobbledygook.'
Spy veteran, Obama adviser now faces full Senate vote.
Former FBI agent says Brennan became a Muslim in the 1990s while in Saudi Arabia.
The blogosphere notes questioning of CIA director nominee John Brennan demonstrated congressional desire for more information on drone policy.
Obama adviser outlines how CIA would be different under his watch.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nominated to head the CIA, John Brennan told a protest-disrupted Senate confirmation hearing Thursday the United States remains at war with al-Qaida and other terrorists and is under "daily cyberattack" by foreign countries and others.
The Obama administration announced it will provide memos detailing its targeted killing operations to congressional intelligence committees.
Drone policy must be debated openly, as other countries will follow America's example.


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Decorative Swarovski Knobs and Pulls
Filed under: Decor
Changing up knobs and pulls is one of the easiest ways to change the vibe of an entire room, and if you're looking for a new vibe that leans towards the luxurious without going too far these Art Déco Swarovski Knobs and Pulls from Bosetti Marella could be just the thing. Available in a variety of shapes and sizes they're absolutely beautiful in a nice, classy way. Becaues they're jeweled they are bling, but they don't strike you as bling right away -- which means you can get your fix without coming off as tacky.
Via Trendir


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HANG TIME SOUTHWEST – Greivis Vasquez deserves a raise — which he'll get in due time — or the key to the city or, heck, just make him mayor of New Orleans.
The city, and its beleaguered basketball team, couldn't ask for a better ambassador than the Venezuelan-born point guard who's leaving his heart and sweat on the floor every night as he emerges as a top talent in the league.
"The biggest thing is I'm getting an opportunity," said Vasquez, a recent player of the week recipient. "Still, people don't know about me as much because I'm playing in a small market, which I love. I love this city, I love this team."
Pretty refreshing stuff from a third-year player just starting to hit his stride for a franchise that's endured it's share of hard knocks in recent years — including a hard-luck 7-25 start to this season.
Yet as I wrote after Saturday's 99-96 overtime win at Dallas, the season really started at that moment. Add Monday's impressive thumping of the San Antonio Spurs in front of 11,599 that ended a seven-game home losing streak, and Wednesday's fourth-quarter comeback against the previously streaking Houston Rockets, and the Hornets are on a roll with their first three-game winning streak of the season.
Why the reset on the season?
Because the ridiculously youthful Hornets finally got game-changer and now-healthy shooting guard Eric Gordon in the starting lineup Saturday. It allowed coach Monty Williams to make other changes and roll out the starting five he envisioned.
And this is where Vasquez's ambassadorial value comes shining through. A 6-foot-6, bearded jolt of energy, smiles, enthusiasm and positivity, his team-first attitude is absolutely contagious. It's critical to the evolution of this franchise, and no more so than as it relates to Gordon, the 6-foot-3 scoring machine deemed the future of the franchise when New Orleans acquired him in the painful CP3 trade 13 months ago.
"I have a good relationship with Eric and I tell you this, we have been talking a lot," Vasquez said before Saturday's comeback victory. "Eric is a pro. I feel him as a player too, because his knee was really bothering him. But now he feels like his teammates got his back, we all got his back. We all know he's going to make us better and we're going to make him better. And now, we talked [Friday] night, we're going to make this situation a great situation. We're going to start winning games.
"For a guy like that to say that to a guy like me, that means a lot. I'm sure he's saying that on behalf of the whole team because we're winners, we want to win and we work. And that has been the main thing of our team, we're going to work regardless. Whether we lose or win tomorrow we are getting better because our vision is in the future." (more…)


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American Reunion (2012)
Director : Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
Screenplay : Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg (based on characters created by Adam Herz)
MPAA Rating : R
Year of Release : 2012
Stars : Jason Biggs (Jim Levenstein), Alyson Hannigan (Michelle), Chris Klein (Oz), Thomas Ian Nicholas (Kevin), Tara Reid (Vicky), Seann William Scott (Steve Stifler), Mena Suvari (Heather), Eddie Kaye Thomas (Finch), John Cho (MILF Guy #2), Jennifer Coolidge (Stifler's Mom), Eugene Levy (Jim's Dad), Ali Cobrin (Kara), Natasha Lyonne (Jessica), Dania Ramirez (Selena), Katrina Bowden (Mia), Jay Harrington (Dr. Ron), Chuck Hittinger (AJ), Shannon Elizabeth (Nadia), Chris Owen (Sherman)
Arriving nine years after the last installment in the series, American Reunion is true to its title, reuniting the entire cast of the raunchy high school comedy American Pie (1999) for the first time since, well, American Pie 2 (2001). Several cast members decided to sit out American Wedding (2003), so the prospect of bringing the entire group back together as adults, now more than a decade removed from their randy days as Clinton-era high school seniors striving to lose their virginity, has a natural allure for those who enjoyed the previous films. Like high school itself, there is an inherent curiosity in seeing where everyone ended up, although in real life such questions can easily be answered by checking Facebook (which is name-checked more than once in the movie). Thus, American Reunion's greatest strength is built right in, and while the writing/directing team of Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg don't completely squander it, the movie does lean a little too heavily on the familiar and fails to achieve that delicate balance of the nasty and the sweet that made the first one so memorable.
Like a James Bond movie, each American Pie entry must set the stage, not with an action-packed prologue, but with some form of sexual humiliation for the beleaguered, always vulnerable Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs), who, having married the lovably nympho "band geek" Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), has now settled into parenthood. Unfortunately, he and Michelle have hit a rut, and the opening sequence finds them both turning to alternate methods of sexual gratification that end, of course, in utter disaster. Jim's high school buddies are a mix of success and disappointment. Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is happily married, but is starting to itch at being a househusband, while Oz (Chris Klein) has hit it big as a successful sports broadcaster, although he is stuck in a meaningless relationship with a superficial model (Katrina Bowden). The only one of the bunch who seems to be truly living his dream is Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), who has been traveling the world in bohemian style, fulfilling his adolescent desire to stand apart and live by a different code.
And then, of course, there's Steve Stifler (Seann William Scott), who works as a temp at a huge investment firm and is constantly on the receiving end of the kind of debasement and humiliation that he was used to dishing out in his earlier years. Thankfully, it hasn't stopped him from being a gleefully obnoxious prick whose sexual politics rate somewhere beneath a caveman and whose sense of humor and fun are eternally mired in adolescence. While everyone else in the movie has been striving to grow up in some sense, Stifler hasn't even tried, although one of the film's more labored lessons involves his realization that, much as he'd like to, you can't spend your whole life partying like it's 1999.
The old friends are brought back together to celebrate their 13th high school reunion (don't ask) in East Great Falls, Michigan, which allows Hurwitz and Schlossberg to both indulge in all manner of vulgar antics while also contrasting the now older characters with current high school students, who are more sexually charged and obnoxious than Jim and company ever dreamed they could be (it makes one wonder just how more debased adolescence can become). There's a potential gold mine of material there, but the movie largely sidesteps the issue after raising it, preferring instead to develop a lengthy subplot about Kara (Ali Cobrin), the little girl next door who Jim used to babysit and who is now an overdeveloped 18 year old who really wants Jim to come to her birthday party. While Jim is dealing with temptation, both Kevin and Oz find their old feelings reignited by the presence of their ex-girlfriends, Vicky (Tara Reid) and Heather (Mena Suvari). The dynamic between Kevin and Vicky is largely stale, but the growing heat between Oz and Heather is nicely reminiscent of the more tender elements of the series.
Unfortunately, Hurwitz and Schlossberg, who have spent their entire cinematic careers writing and then directing the devolving Harold & Kumar series (the first of which remains one of the great gems of smart comedic raunch), are much more interested in the vulgar than the tender, and the balance throws the movie out of whack, especially for those who might be in some sense genuinely interested in the characters. They come up with a few nice twists on old scenarios, especially the subplot involving Jim's always well-meaning, but awkward dad (Eugene Levy), who is now a widower and possibly in need of some advice from his eternally awkward son. Outside of that, there is no real character growth to be had, and much of American Reunion simply rehashes elements from the previous films, with only modest results. While it was good to see the characters again, one wishes that the filmmakers had found some more interesting things to do with them then put them back through the motions, demonstrating (once again) that growing up is hard to do.
Copyright ©2012 James Kendrick
Thoughts? E-mail James Kendrick
All images copyright © Universal Pictures


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2013 PSE Dream Season DNA, 70lbs all black
Limbdriver Pro V, Tight spot quiver, Single pin Hogg Father, Fuse carbon blade.
Spot Hogg Wiseguy release, Easton FMJ's
AKA: Velvet Feather 😃
Beautiful 186" buck! Hope you can nail the other one too. Great way to get the season started.
Bucks are starting to go hard horned. Saw a couple this weekend...
2012 Bowtech Insanity CPXL
TT Xtreme FC Pro
Custom Black Gold Ascent 4 pin
GT Velocity 300's tipped with 125 Shuttle t's weighing 490 grains!!


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OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Ottumwa was named the Video Game Capital of the world in 1983 and starting Friday, gamers from all over the country started flooding to the Bridge View Center for the 2nd annual Grassroots Gaming Expo.
Record holders have already taken their places at their respected games.
Name a video game from past or present and it's bound to be there.
"We also have a B.Y.O.C. area where you bring your own consul or computer and you can play with anyone and we have the internet set up too so you can play with anyone that's there. You can play with your friends out of town as well. We have a ton of tournaments going on for anything from arcade games all the way up to modern consuls such as pc's and x-boxes," said Elizabeth Bolinger, organizer.
The expo runs through Sunday evening. Kids 17 and under get in free with a paid parent.
Tickets are $10 for each day or $20 for the whole weekend. Sunday is family day and is only $5.


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- 24-hour front desk
- Airport transportation (surcharge)
- Business services
- Coffee/tea in lobby
- Free breakfast
- Elevator/lift
- Airport transportation
- Free parking
Situated near the airport, in Inglewood, this motel is close to Hollywood Park Racetrack, Hollywood Park Casino, and Los Angeles Forum. Local attractions also include Toyota Sports Center and Automobile Driving Museum.
Super 8 Motel - Inglewood/Lax/LA Airport offers a complimentary continental breakfast. Other amenities include free parking, a 24-hour front desk, and coffee/tea in the lobby.
Televisions come with cable channels. Guestrooms also feature refrigerators, microwaves, and air conditioning.
The preferred airport for Super 8 Motel - Inglewood/Lax/LA Airport is Los Angeles, CA (LAX-Los Angeles Intl.) - 4.9 km / 3.1 mi.
Distances are calculated in a straight line from the property's location to the point of interest or airport and may not reflect actual travel distance.
Distances are displayed to the nearest 0.1 mile and kilometre.


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You just about can't go wrong. For the price this is a great mattress. Slightly on the firm side, but not so much that it has caused any problems. Shipping was very quick and it enlarged to full size in a an hour or so. It had no odd smells or anything of the like. Doesn't retain heat as we told by some.
Never moved from the time I laid down til I awoke. Minor adjusting to getting out of bed. Wish we had done it years ago.
After waking up with a stiff neck, back pain, and a sore body for months my boyfriend and I decided it was time to purchase a new bed. We've been talking about memory foam mattress for quite some time and I finally found a website with affordable prices. He was a bit skeptical about buying a mattress online because he's the type to try the product before actually spending the money on it. It took weeks of persuading him that this site was actually legit. Shipping was fast and customer service was great. When the bed finally arrived it was little to no small at all and it took only a couple hours before it actually inflated to the full 11 inches. I must say, this is the bed thing we've ever spent money on. The first night we only slept for 4 hours but we woke up refreshed with absolutely no pains whatsoever. We also bought two biopedic pillows and a new comforter set. THANK-YOU, OVERSTOCK FOR THE BEST SLEEP WE'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME!!!!!!!!
I did a bit of research before purchasing this mattress. I'd gotten one from overstock several years ago and that was my first memory foam mattress. It was fine but usually slept too hot and would soften up more than I liked after I'd been in bed for a while. I bought this mattress because of the medium firmness and based on the reviews on here it seemed like it struck a happy medium between support and being too hard. I also bought this because of the aloe gel, which is supposed to be more comfortable and cooler. Overall I'd have to say that this bed hits my sweet spot. It doesn't retain too much heat, the aloe gel is a nice comfortable layer on top of a properly dense underlying foam. I weigh about 210lbs on a 6'1" frame, so I put a decent amount of load where I'm sleeping. I'm also a side sleeper, not sure if that helps anyone else reading this review. I've found the bed quite comfortable for sleeping, with sounder nights of rest. It's also quite nice for laying in and reading, watching a movie etc. An added bonus is that this mattress doesn't seem as heavy as the last memory foam I had, so moving it around to change the sheets is not too much of a strain. Shipping was fast, mattress arrived in a large, somewhat battered box. Inside was the mattress, double wrapped in plastic. It was very easy to remove the plastic and the mattress regained it's full size almost immediately. Keep in mind this is during the summer, so maybe the foam being warm helped it to expand quickly. I noticed almost no smell and by the time I slept on it later that evening, it was totally gone. Hope this helps!
A good buy for the money. Yes it smelled funny for a week or so, similar to the eggcrate mattresses we used to use in the hospital. I put a quilt on mattress and then regular bedding to hide the smell. Smell is gone now. My first memory foam mattress, I got this gel top. It is more firm than I would have thought or wanted but for back support it works very well. Comes out of shipping box about 4 inches thick. Inflates itself over a few hours to the advertised 11 inches thickness. I am happy with it and would purchase another when the time comes. Much cheaper than buying a similar set up from any bed shop.
Wow, bought this bed for my daughter. It's the most comfortable mattress I have ever laid on. I am going to replace my mattress next with one in a king size.
When my mattress arrived I did everything it said do prior to sleeping on it. It slept well for about 6 to 6 1/2 months and then I began to have sink holes. Moving to other parts of the bed helps but if you are sharing the bed some one will be in a sink hole. In month 8 I finally got a chance to check the "Warranty" I purchased for it and sink holes are not covered...so *** down the drain. :(. Don't get me wrong those first 6 months were the best sleep I had experienced in a while but now I can definitely not say the same.
Purchased this mattress in full size for my 13 year-old daughter who complained daily of back pain. I understood from the product description that a box spring wasn't required. When we took it out of its packaging, I couldn't believe it would be full enough to place directly onto the bed frame and look good (eg., not too low), but it expanded very quickly and looks quite nice (a box spring would have made it impossibly high). My daughter absolutely loves it; she says she sleeps very well, and she hasn't complained of back pain since! It's incredibly comfortable - firm and soft at the same time. (I had such bad mattress envy, I ordered a gel memory foam mattress pad for my own bed, since I couldn't afford a king size of the real deal). After lying on it, my sister has decided to order one herself, as she also suffers from recurring back pain. Excellent thickness and composition at an amazing price!
This is the third one that I have purchased! One for me, one for my mother who has severe arthritis and one for my sister and husband. For the price, I don't think you can beat this mattress. It is comfortable. Not too firm, not too soft. There is a definite odor when you unpack...just wait a few days to let it air out. It is worth the wait.
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Falkirk is famous for its engineering masterpiece the giant Falkirk Wheel, the world's first rotating boat lift. The wheel transports boats the 115 ft between the different levels of the Union, and Forth and Clyde canals. You can ride on the wheel, and learn all about it at a visitor centre.
Falkirk is alive with history. The Antonine Wall, dating from the 2nd century, marked the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. You can experience Victorian life at the impressive mansion of Callendar House, which stands in the attractive Callendar Park.
The 15th century fortress Blackness Castle made the perfect setting for the film version of Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson. In a real-life tragedy, the army of William Wallace fell to the English under Edward I at Falkirk in 1298 but in 1746 Bonnie Prince Charlie defeated the Hanoverians in the other battle of Falkirk.
Find out all about the area's industrial heritage at Grangemouth Museum, and look out for the unusual Dunmore Pineapple at Airth. Travel on a steam train on a seven-mile round trip along the southern shore of the Forth at Bo'ness and Kinneil Steam Railway, which boasts Scotland's largest collection of railway artefacts.
For Accommodation and information, please call:
0845 859 1006
Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday and Sunday - closed
*Calls may be recorded


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Enjoy free shipping both ways this holiday season. If for some reason you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, choose our FREE pre-paid shipping label and we'll cover your return! This offer is only good on eligible orders placed between November 13, 2013 and December 24, 2013. We've extended our normal return period to January 15, 2014 or 30 days after your order is received - whichever comes later. Learn more about our return policy.
Shop now and get Free Value Shipping on most orders over $29.95 to contiguous 48 states, DC and to all U.S. Military APO/FPO/DPO addresses.
Gunslick Benchrest Quality Attachments - Brass Handgun Jags designed specifically for benchrest shooters. These Brass Jags from Gunslick will help you accurately clean every time. Gunslick Cleaning Brass Jags treat your handgun to the gentle yet effective cleaning power. These Gunslick cleaning kits designed to bring benchrest quality components to all hunters and shooters. Also Gunslick offers a full spectrum of top-quality precisely designed cleaning kits that help to keep your firearm in top shape. In addition, we stock a full selection of gun maintenance supplies and gun care items and we back everything we sell with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Available Gunslick Benchrest Brass Jags for Handgun options:


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New year side dishes recipes with 200 or fewer calories
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Cooler CornLarge gatherings of people who like corn on the cob requires a couple of lobster pots or a wash tub and a lot of boiling water and patience. Not… |
Mar 2013 Beginner |
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Riverford's Corn on the cob with red pepper + chive butter |
Hannah Wearmouth
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Tropical sauceThis is a sauce I like to serve with the Hawaiian bread I make. you can use it for a variety of things. it's easy to make. |
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Happy May 1st! I can't believe it's May already. Today I want to share with you a cute hair style that I've recently discovered.
Now I'm not claiming to be hair savvy, so if I take the time to share with you a style that I can do on my own hair, that means it's an easy and simple style that can be done by anyone.
The Messy Bun
Tools: Fine tooth comb, ponytail holder, bobby pins, a brush, and some hairspray
First, I brush my hair and put it up in a high ponytail.
Then I take a fine tooth comb and tease out the ponytail. You want to tease in small sections so that you don't miss any strands of hair. If you need to, spray a little hair spray while teasing and get more volume.
Next, you take your hair and wrap it around the base of your ponytail. Insert some bobby pins, spray a little hair spray, and your done! If you want to dress up your bun, you can just add a cute little clip or bow.
Final Product:
I played around with this hair style on Sunday when Jeff and I went out for brunch and the movies. I love how it looks when I style my bangs out.