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Hello, hello! What's been up, how's it going?! Hope you are all doing just fine!
I've been talking to one of our Intranet Portal clients recently, - they purchased Bitrix Intranet Portal with unlimited user license because there is around 5K employees in their company. Now that the employees are ready to be linked together into a corporate network and start collaborating in an Enterprise2.0 style ))) they've chosen us to be an ECM solution provider for their business. It does flatter us to have such a big enterprise deciding to use our products and services.
Well I'd better cut down this introductory bullshoots and get down to business. The thing is that the IT specialists working for this company have been thinking over the idea to use Bitrix Virtual Appliance (BVA) as an environment for their Intranet Portal project...
When I learned that from them, I spoke to our IT guys who said it might not be quite a good idea to use a BVA for such great loads that could happen when a large number of users get their accounts activated and start interacting online simultaneously. However, there are some other ways to deploy Bitrix Intranet Portal. Let me share with you more information on the most commonly used ways to deploy Bitrix products... UPD: 05FEB2010[CUT]
Deployment options
For both testing purposes and common use we offer several options that you may choose when developing and running web projects on Bitrix platforms:
Bitrix Virtual Appliance
The fastest and most convenient way to utilize Bitrix products is, of course, deploying them in any of existing editions of Bitrix Virtual Appliance (BVAs) that can be hosted both locally and on a remote server. However, BVAs have a number of inherent functional and technological limitations, for example, low scalability of web projects. We do not recommend using a BVA for commercial purposes especially when high loads are involved (intensive traffic, large number of active visitors).
Bitrix Environment
The Bitrix Web Environment package is extremely useful for testing the trial versions of Bitrix Site Manager and Bitrix Intranet Portal. The Bitrix Web Environment installation wizard deploys the following applications required by the system: MySQL 5.0.51, Apache 2.2, PHP 5.2, ZendOptimizer 3.3, eAccselerator 0.9. It creates a good web environment that is suitable and required by Bitrix products. Still, it might lack flexibility when new hardware added or modified (e.g. when upgrading web server facilities or extending HDD capacity). The Bitrix Web Environment is used for MS Windows platform only.
RPM package
There is also a special RPM package that has been created by Bitrix IT-department. It can be installed and deployed on any server that uses UNIX environment. Just like any edition of BVA, the RPM package has been designed to make the Bitrix products' operability more efficient, plus it helps avoid limitations in project scalability that are common to virtual appliances. In that case, using more advanced hardware infrastructure (e.g. multi processor systems) will allow users scale and control equipment and, depending on traffic and actual loads, adjust it for better performance. That means that you will be able to solve project scalability problems flexibly by adding or disabling processor capacity, increasing or limiting hard disk drive space, etc.
Bitrix RPM is being optimized for the US and European markets and not yet available on our official website. However, if you are interested in deploying you Bitrix projects using an RPM package, I shall send you a link where you can download RPM package. Just write me your email address in the comments to this post, or contact me via email: consult-at-bitrixsoft.com
What is the user limit for Bitrix Intranet Portal that can bring down the system?
Well, you cannot say for sure what should be the exact quantity of users simultaneously working on the Bitrix Intranet Portal so that the system won't show any signs of overload and remains 100% stable. There are a lot of different factors that are to be considered. Let me give you an example why it cannot be estimated as precise as one would want it to do. There is a big different between:
As you can see, the number of online users is the same, but the different actions they perform on the intranet portal create different levels of system loading.
One of my colleagues from the IT department told me that ...being under high loads of data traffic, the best performance of Bitrix Intranet Portal can be achieved using either a (a) more advanced instance that can be rented at Amazon EC2, or (b) by deploying a web project using a really good set of hardware equipment at your own premises combined with the advantages of RPM package... So, what are they actually?
(a) Rented Amazon EC2 instances
The main advantage of using an Amazon EC2 instance (large instance is recommended - see the table, below) is that it allows you both to use advanced (virtual / rented) hardware equipment and ready-to-deploy BVA Amazon EC2 Edition . Plus you can also use BVA Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Storage) as the core element of your data backup strategy. You won't have to buy any of expensive hardware equipment to set it on your company's premises or spend money on its maintenance; neither will you have to spend extra money on a numerous IT staff. It can be done at Amazon EC2 online. You just rent it.
| Type | CPU | Memory | Storage | Platform | I/O | Name |
|
Small |
1 EC2 Compute Unit (1 virtual core with 1 EC2 Compute Unit) |
1.7 GB |
160 GB instance storage (150 GB plus 10 GB root partition) |
32-bit |
Moderate |
m1.small |
|
Large |
4 EC2 Compute Units (2 virtual cores with 2 EC2 Compute Units each) |
7.5 GB |
850 GB instance storage (2 x 420 GB plus 10 GB root partition) |
64-bit |
High |
m1.large |
|
Extra Large |
8 EC2 Compute Units (4 virtual cores with 2 EC2 Compute Units each) |
15 GB |
1690 GB instance storage (4 x 420 GB plus 10 GB root partition) |
64-bit |
High |
m1.xlarge |
|
High-CPU Medium |
5 EC2 Compute Units (2 virtual cores with 2.5 EC2 Compute Units each) |
1.7 GB |
350 GB instance storage (340 GB plus 10 GB root partition) |
32-bit |
Moderate |
c1.medium |
|
High-CPU Extra Large |
20 EC2 Compute Units (8 virtual cores with 2.5 EC2 Compute Units each) |
7 GB |
1,690 GB instance storage (4 x 420 GB plus 10 GB root partition) |
64-bit |
High |
c1.xlarge |
|
High-Memory Double Extra Large |
13 EC2 Compute Units (4 virtual cores with 3.25 EC2 Compute Units each) |
34.2 GB |
850 GB instance storage (1 x 840 GB plus 10 GB root partition) |
64-bit |
High |
m2.2xlarge |
|
High-Memory Quadruple Extra Large |
26 EC2 Compute Units (8 virtual cores with 3.25 EC2 Compute Units each) |
68.4 GB |
1690 GB instance storage (2 x 840 GB plus 10 GB root partition) |
64-bit |
High |
m2.4xlarge |
The small instance type is the original Amazon EC2 instance type available since the launch of Amazon EC2. It is the default instance type for all customers. To use other instance types, you must specify them through the RunInstances operation. More information on Amazon Instance sizes you can find here. More informatio on Amazon Instance prices can be found here.
However, there are some disadvantages. For example, once you choose the instance, it will be pain in the neck to change it to a bigger/smaller one or relocate the project to some other services.
(b) Advanced hardware equipment and RPM
The greatest thing about using your own equipment and RPM package is that you can fine tune the system very easily, and it belongs to you. The more users you have on the portal, the more upgrades you may choose to make to the hardware you use (change CPU processor, add RAM, increase HDD capacity, etc.); it offers you incredible flexibility. To understand whether it is a good solution for your company to use RPM package, think on the following questions:
Summary
| Bitrix Environment
| BVA Amazon EC2 | RPM package |
|
|
|
Hope this information was useful.
I wish you all the best! See you later!
Our clients and partners got used to the idea that when you set up and run Bitrix Intranet Portal it is presupposed that you can use only a limited number of users (let's say "employees") within your corporate network. Well, I can say that this statement is now wrong… Twice.
First of all, you have an option to buy Bitrix Intranet Portal with unlimited user licenses. And secondly, the product has a brand new Extranet module that allows third party users (we can call them "non-employees") to access a part of your corporate network and interact with you and your colleagues!
Basically, the Extranet module is a kind of additional story built on your corporate network (Intranet Portal) that can be used as a neutral territory for inviting and working with people who do not belong to your company directly. [CUT]
Extranet: what's it for?
Features available in the Extranet part of your Intranet Portal
Preparing to work with the Extranet
Understanding the difference between the Intranet and Extranet users
Registering new users for the Extranet
Creating workgroups and inviting users from the "outside"
Finishing projects and archiving workgroups
Give it a try - 30-day trial is already available!
Features available in the Extranet part of your Intranet Portal
Besides its main social networking functions (user profiles, workgroups with blogs and forums, file sharing, etc.), the Extranet has a number of other features and tools available for the benefits of your colleagues and the people invited into your Extranet.
| The "Contacts" section displays available contact names of the non-employees (users invited from the "outside") and your company employees who have been granted access to the Extranet;
| |
| Information on absent users, and users' upcoming birthdays is also displayed.
| |
| Blog feeds will be available only to those users who have permission to view this content;
| |
| All users in the Extranet will be able to view the content of the "Documents" section (which is built on the standard bitrix:webdav component);
| |
| Besides general information, the "Company" section contains also a "Subscription" page where Extranet users can subscribe to receive newsletters via email;
| |
| The "Help" section contains both help topics and a webpage on which you can submit a TechSupport ticket. You can modify the TechSupport tickets submission procedure by using the "Wizard - Extranet" component (go to Adminstrative Panel > Content > Information blocks > Information block types > Services);
| |
| Synchronization with Outlook is limited to and regulated by your access permission level to Extranet content, e.g. you will be able to synchronize only the data from the workgroups (incl. workgroup calendars and workgroup tasks) where you have group member status;
| |
| The "Contacts" gadget can be displayed on your Desktop. In the Extranet part of your Portal it is split into two lists: "Members in my workgroups" and "All accessible Extranet users". The number of entries in each of them can be customized in the gadget settings. The most recently contacted person will appear automatically on the top of each list.
|
The "Contacts" gadget on your Desktop
Preparing to work with the Extranet
You have probably noticed that when installing Bitrix Intranet Portal, the Extranet module is not available by default. To use the Extranet network, you will have to install the Extranet module first.
Go to the Administrative Part > Settings > System Settings > Modules > and then choose to install the Extranet module from the list of all modules available according to your license. After you have install the Extranet module, follow the link shown in the last step of the installation process (or displayed in the Extranet Setup Wizard list menu), and launch the Extranet Customizer (bitrix:extranet).
When using the Extranet Customizer, you'll be able to set all the parameters you need for the proper use of your Intranet and Extranet portals, including the new website ID, its root folder, etc.
When you are finished with creating and customizing your Extranet, it will be then available with for the user groups described above; your brand new Extranet will use the template you have chosen during the installation process and can be changed anytime you want -- just click the "Extranet Configuration Wizard" in the Control Panel.
Important: To avoid "license agreement violation" error code, please disable and remove the Extranet part of your Portal before buying and registering Bitrix Intranet Portal: Office Edition. In this edition you are allowed to have one website only, and the Extranet part of your Portal will count as the second website.
Understanding the difference between the Intranet and Extranet users
So, here is the main question: Can the Extranet users access your company's Intranet? The answer is NO they can't. And that's the point, that's the essence of the Extranet module concept! Your extranet users are persons you want to keep close enough to cooperate with, but still at a secure distance that helps you remain business-private.
All Extranet users (non-employees) have permission to view/modify only the content of the workgroups to which they had been invited. Think of it as of a separate room inside your company where people from the "outside world" have been invited to discuss a project with some of your colleagues. They use a backdoor and cannot see the rest of your company's adjoining premises or other employees
But what about the Intranet users wanting to get access to the Extranet part of your Portal? It's not a problem at all! Any Intranet user with appropriate user permissions is able access the Extranet part of the company's Portal. For employees, access restrictions are controlled by standard mechanisms that you use for the Intranet Portal: all you have to do is bind a user to a user group to limit (or grant additional) access permissions.
But then how is the access to the Extranet limited for the non-employees? If the user is not bound (assigned) to any of the Intranet Portal user groups, then after authorization they will be recognized by the system as "non-employees" and will be automatically directed to the Extranet.
Registering new users for the Extranet
There are different Extranet user groups that regulate access permission level for employees and non-employees of your Corporate Portal that can be registered as Extranet users. When creating a new user you can choose whether or not they will have access to the Extranet part. It can be done when managing User group membership settings, here:
Administrative Panel > Settings > Manage Users > User List > ... Create New User … "Groups" Tab
Different Extranet user groups
As I've already mentioned, the Extranet is specifically created to help connect employees and non-employees. Users from either of these two groups must be assigned to the “Extranet users” group which can be modified in the administrative part of the Intranet Portal
Administrative Panel > Settings > Manage Users > User List > ... "Groups" Tab
Important: Remember that the Intranet users have to be assigned to the " Extranet users" group as well to be able to switch to and use the Extranet part of their company's Portal.
Users (both employees and non-employees) can create workgroups in the Extranet only if they are assigned both to the "Extranet Users" group and to the "Allowed to create extranet user groups" group.
Users assigned to the "Extranet Support" user group have access to all TechSupport requests submitted from the Extranet.
Users with "Extranet Site Administrators" access permissions can manage all third party users' accounts (non-employee accounts with access to the Extranet); these users will be able to view and edit all data present on the Extranet pages and sections, as well.
Also, a new option in the Custom Fields / Additional tab in the user profile customization window has been added, Public Extranet person (called "Visible to all in Extranet" in the updated version). If you check this box, the user will become visible to all Extranet users whether the user is a member of any workgroups or not. "Public Extranet persons" can be contacted by any employee or non-employee having access to the Extranet.
Administrative Part > Settings > Manage Users > User List > ... "Custom Fields" or "Additional" Tab
Public Extranet User / Visible in Extranet checkbox
Creating workgroups and inviting users from the "outside"
Logged in as a Portal Administrator or as a user with appropriate access permissions (e.g. when bound to the Allowed to create extranet user groups user group), you will be able to create workgroups in the Extranet, and invite users from the Intranet or people from the "outside" to join these workgroups.
We have developed a new component for creating workgroups within the Extranet Portal, called bitrix:extranet.group_create. Using this component, you can create a new workgroup in two simple steps:
- create a group (name, description, group image, keywords);
- build up members of the workgroup by inviting your colleagues (users who are your company's employees and who have access to the Intranet Portal) and by inviting users form the "outside" (by sending email notifications containing links and authorization instructions). Just have a look at the screenshots, below:
Creating a workgroup
Inviting people to join the workgroup
If you need to cancel invitations or invite more people to join the workgroup, click the "Group Invitations" link on the workgroup main page. A new page will appear containing the list of all persons who had been invited to the group but haven't accepted the invitation yet. You can modify the list of the invited persons by cancelling invitations or inviting new people to the group.
Important: When you invite a company employee (an Intranet user) to join an Extranet workgroup for the first time, they will be automatically assigned and bound to the "Extranet users" group. However, the "Extranet" button will appear in their Intranet site's upper navigation bar only after they log out and authorize into the system again.
Finishing projects and archiving workgroups
When a project’s goals have been reached and it comes to an end, the workgroup can be archived. By archiving a workgroup in the Extranet, you will make sure that its content will never be modified and that there will no longer be any new notifications sent to the former group members.
Important: Despite the fact that a workgroup once created in the Extranet was closed and archived, all users invited to join this workgroup from the outside will be able to view the content of the Extranet further on until you decide to remove them from the "Extranet Users" group manually.
Give it a try - 30-day trial is already available!
Hope this post helped you understand some of the advantages of the Extranet module your company could benifit from. Don't forget that is available in Bitrix Intranet Portal: Extranet Edition and in Bitrix Intranet Portal: Enterprise Edition, only. You can try for free either of these editions by downloading and installing a 30-day trial.
I will be glad if this new module will help you more easily and flexibly accomplish your everyday business tasks and effectivey re-organize ways you communicate with your partners and clients. Your comments will be very appreciated!
Well, what can I say... sales are going up, clients are showing more and more appreciation and satisfaction with the latest version of Bitrix intranet Portal, and we keep introducing new stuff that is supplied with our products. There's still a number of minor things that we can offer you along with the basic features and tools included in Bitrix Intranet Portal. My colleague, Ann, has already shared with you some details on the Clean-Up Wizard and how it can be used to remove all the demo data from your Bitrix Intranet Portal. And today I am going to write a couple of words concerning our new pricing policy.
As you may have already noticed, Bitrix Intranet Portal is split into three editions:
(1) Office - $ 1 499
(2) Extranet - $ 1 999
(3) and Enterprise - $ 2 999
Each edition is "subsplit" into two user license pack options:
(1) 25 user licenses included (until Jan. 03, 2010 it's 50 user licenses)
(2) and with unlimited user licenses
Now the product is also available in three different Updates & TechSupport period options:
(1) with 1 year of Updates and TechSuppotr Subscription
(2) with 2 years of Updates and TechSuppotr Subscription
(3) and with 3 years of Updates and TechSuppotr Subscription
And I tell you it's gonna save you a bunch of time! You just buy a product with the max Updates & TechSupport subscription and you won't have to bother no more for getting the latest bug fixes or the hottest features supplied to the subscribers only.
There will be no need to go to our website to authorize yourself once again and then go through all the boring procedures of choosing the right subscription option for the right edition, ordering it, confirming the order, confirming the payment, applying the coupon received upon positive transaction procedures, etc.. All those things will be just unnecessary for you if you plan to get the product updates and technical support for more than one year.
You can buy Bitrix Intranet Portal with 1, 2, or 3-year Updates & TechSupport subscription period already in our online store. Just select the edition and the subscription period you need inside the table, as shown below:
Selecting the product in the online store
Very soon we'll substitute all the tables in our online store with product cards. They will have all kinds of convenient stuff like drop-down menues, tooltips, product hierarchy, smart buttons, etc. They will look like the one I'm showing right here:
(it's an exclusive screenshot by the way )))
These options will be also available for all Bitrix Site Manager editions, as well. We are also thinking whether we should offer 1, 2, and 3-year subscription period separately, or not. You see, extended (2 or 3-year) Updates & TechSupport subscription can be bought only with the product right now. But these are the marketing details that I don't want to bore you with. Okay, if you've got any question concerning the new pricing policy or the Bitrix products, you are very welcome to send them to sales@bitrixsoft.com, or just post them in our blogs and forums.
See you later folks!
And good luck to you all!
Greetings!
I hope you all enjoy using new tools and features available in the latest version of Bitrix Intranet Portal. I know that the majority of our clients are business-oriented professionals who know the real value of time. That's right - time is money! And I am going about to tell you more about new and exciting features and cool extensions introduced in the Event Calendar.

In the beginning I am going to make a brief list of major changes made in the Event Calendar:
I will try to explain not only the stuff that I've just mentioned, but also some other important things related to the Event Calendar.
Event Scheduler
Event Scheduler is a convenient tool for managing everyday group events that must be organized as quickly and flexibly as it can be. We wanted that the workgroup moderator(s) could see whether and when the group members are available or not right on the calendar grid where a new event could be fit into. It saves you a lot of time, because you will no longer need to do redundant communication to the group members asking them if they have time when a new event was supposed to be planned.
The Event Scheduler is placed in the New Event dialog window > "Guests" tab. You can first add the persons you want to participate in this event, and then click the Event Scheduler link to set a specific date and time, or add (remove) the invitees inside the Event Scheduler. Have a look at the screen shots:
New Event dialog window: Event Scheduler link inside the "Guests" tab
The scale or duration of an event can be set both by filling out the time fields (Start, End or Duration), or by stretching using the mouse. Look at the green area inside the Scheduler: it means that none of the invitees is occupied during the time you plan this new event to take place. The selected area will become red if any of the invitees has already planned something for the time you are planning to set for a new event:
Green color: Event can be planned for this time period, both participants are available.
Red color: Event cannot be created, one of the participants will be occupied with some other tasks (events overlapping).
As I mentioned, you can use the Start, End or Duration fields to set the event duration (will be automatically displayed on the time grid). Also, you can change the scale of the event time grid:
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| ![]() |
You can set a location (the place where the new event will take place) using the preset meeting rooms of your company. This option can be enabled in the Social Network: Users component settings:

After you have enabled this option in the Social Network: Users component, you will be able to choose a meeting room from the list of all meeting or conference rooms available in your company:

At the very bottom of the Event Scheduler dialog window you will find two useful links that allow you to add invitees in two different ways: you can add "+ All Group Members" (when you create an event within a workgroup) or you can add employees "+ From Company Structure" (available when you create an event in any calendar).

When developing the Event Scheduler, we tried to make it business-friendly and intuitive. Next time we'll probably include automated time adjustment for new events in the Event Scheduler, and other useful stuff. We are continuing to polish up our products, so if you have any comments or suggestions, I would be very thankful to receive them from you!
New interface for adding and modifying events
The dialog window for adding and modifying calendar events has been greatly improved. Now it has four tabs:
Tab: Event |
Tab: Description |
Tab: Guests |
Tab: More |
Note: If you choose a meeting room from the list on the first tab, then, if not occupied, the meeting room will be booked for the time you set for the event. If the meeting room is occupied, then when saving the event, this field will be cleared . That's why I recommend you to use the Event Scheduler found on the 3rd tab.
Also: To display the event previews (shown as a tooltip) on the calendar grid correctly, you will have to make sure that the Proactive Protection module is installed and enabled. If not, then the XSS filter will simply block all the HTML content and you won't be able to see any pics or HTML-formatting in the event previews. It will be improved, but for know I just wanted to let know about it.
Invitations through Notification Manager
The Social Network module has a built-in Notification Manger that can be used to send invitations throughout your corporate network. This method of notifying your colleagues about upcoming meetings or planned business negotiations is very convenient and mobile.

You can accept the invitation (confirm attendance) or reject it right inside the Notification Manager that will show up on any page you are when you are online.
Personalizing your calendars
Now each employee has an extended set of calendar option that can be used for making your calendars personalized.

There aren't many options in the calendar settings yet. To tell you the truth, there were only two additional option added to what we'd previously had in the calendars. The "Invitation Calendar" option (now you can choose the calendar where all invites will be added), and the second option added is the checkbox used for making the non-confirmed events blink in red, i.e. "Visually highlight non-confirmed events":

Blinking of the event that are not yet confirmed is set by default. But we thought it might be quite important for some of your colleagues to be able to switch off the blinking while they may find it more annoying than useful
) That is why we included this option, as well.
For Website Developers
Despite the fact that there is still no calendar API documentation, you can nonetheless modify some features of your calendars. Also, you can submit TechSupport Tickets for receiving professional help or just for commenting on the product's functionality. For example, the latest update included two new event options to the Event Calendar module, as it was suggested by one of our business partners:
OnRemindEventCalendar - pops up when a new invitation reminder is sent to the recipient;
OnSendInvitationMessage - pops up when a new invitation is sent to the recipient, when the invitation was modified or cancelled.
There are many ways to improve or adjust the calendar settings the way you want. For instance, you can customize the Calendars' setting to be able to receive an SMS-notification when a new event is created or modified.
Not all of the bugs have been fixed yet, but we are working hard to get rid of these electronic parasite insects and, hopefully, next updates will prove that we were really industrious in making the Bitrix products bugs-free, intuitive and user-friendly.
That's right - it is time for Christmas and New Year Discounts! We have presents both for Bitrix Intranet Portal and Bitrix Site Manager users! Learn more about all Bitrix Christmas and New Year 2010 Discounts here...

The release date is set. Again.
Let me give you a couple of highlights on the upcoming Bitrix Intranet Portal release. Bitrix, Inc. is about to make available a new version of Bitrix Intranet Portal, and I can tell you that the product is getting more and more advanced. Recent huge demand on EIP/ECMs and Enterprise 2.0 applications has motivated us to make the product even more business-friendly and flexible. I know that a lot of our partners were very eager to get the v 8.5, but the final release date that was set on November 26th, 2009, had to be shifted for a later time because we decided to include even more new features than it had been planned previously. So, now the official release date is set on December 3rd, 2009 and I do hope that nothing's going to hold us back from releasing it on time.
New modules and features
The following new features will be available in v 8.5 along with other major system updates :
[CUT]
What will it look like?
Below is a couple of screenshots of newly introduced modules and features that will be available in different Bitrix Intranet Portal editions.
Extranet Part of your corporate Network
Business Processes: Composite dataflow management
Event Scheduler dialog window
New price and licensing policy
Just like Bitrix Site Manger, Bitrix Intranet Portal 8.5 will be available in several editions, each of them having its own set of features, modules and of course price. All our clients and partners who have already bought a copy of Bitrix Intranet Portal will be automatically upgraded to the highest possible edition through the SiteUpdate System. That means you'll get all modules available in the highest edition absolutely free of charge. More details on prices for each edition as well as on additional user licenses will be available on the release date, only.
Subscribe to be the first to test v 8.5!
Well, I guess we won't have to wait that long to get the latest version of Bitrix Intranet Portal! And remember, right after the official release date you will be able to download and test a free 30-day trial version of Bitrix Intranet Portal that will have no functional limitations! To be the first to know about all the product releases or discount campaigns, you can subscribe to Bitrix news.
UPD:
Ooopsy... there was a delay in product release once again. C'est la vie... The release date is set on Tuesday Dec. 08, 2009. Our developers called it back to make Bitrix Intranet Portal 8.5 "absolutely perfect, fantastically pretty and uncompromisingly brilliant..." )))
As I mentioned in my previous post , we were planning to make different editions (images) of Bitrix Virtual Appliance. Well, I have really good news for you: Bitrix Virtual Appliance is now available in Amazon EC2 ! All you have to do is simply use your Amazon Web Services™ account, or sign up and choose the Bitrix Virtual Appliance from the list of free Virtual Machines.
Bitrix Virtual Appliance AMI has the same functionality as Bitrix Virtual Appliance VMWare . It includes Fedora operating system, MySQL5 with InnoDB support, MC File Manager, HTTPS support, NGINX and Zend Server CE support and many other features. Bitrix Virtual Appliance AMI helps you rapidly launch any of the Bitrix Content Management Systems or Intranet Solutions, or any other supported application and to get to work immediately
[CUT]
If you tried the Bitrix Virtual Appliance VMware edition, you've definitely noticed all the advantages of Cloud Computing. It is very convenient and time-saving because everything comes pre-configured! Better still, the performance of PHP applications is greatly increased when run using Bitrix Virtual Appliance.
Cloud computing represents an increasingly popular and convenient solution for business. We have chosen to develop Bitrix Virtual Appliance Amazon EC2 edition because of Amazon's superior cloud computing solutions at moderate prices. Amazon EC2 and S3 are not only easy to use, but also have really stable and proven computing environment. Just try it yourself, and I'm sure you will be satisfied both by Bitrix Virtual Appliance and the services provided by Amazon!
Learn more abot Bitrix Virtual Appliance Amazon EC2 Edition, here. For more information on all available editions of Bitrix Virtual Appliance, go here. For more information on Amazon Web Services, visit Amazon Web Services™ official website.

Hooray! The all new Bitrix Virtual Appliance is there! The Bitrix Virtual Appliance v1.3 is a free and a very reliable product that has been developed especially for PHP applications and is fully compatible with VMware Player. It is based on the new concept of Cloud Computing that is being widely used by a large number of independent software vendors. The Bitrix Virtual Appliance greatly increases speed and productivity of all Bitrix software products and makes the process of installing and deploying more understandable and easy.
But what does Cloud Computing actually mean? The all-knowing Wikipedia defines it the following way: "Cloud computing is a paradigm of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet. [...] Cloud computing customers do not generally own the physical infrastructure serving as host to the software platform in question. Instead, they avoid capital expenditure by renting usage from a third-party provider. They consume resources as a service and pay only for resources that they use. Many cloud-computing offerings employ the utility computing model, which is analogous to how traditional utility services (such as electricity) are consumed, while others bill on a subscription basis.[...] Clouds often appear as single points of access for all consumers' computing needs."

To put it simpler, it is like a virtual online office full of useful programs that you can access and use whenever a need arises. For instance, you want to edit a photo but the need to make changes to a graphic or a photo is so rare, that it is wiser not to buy an expensive graphical suite like Photoshop, instead – you can use a graphical application somewhere online which has been installed and configured in advance! Or think of it as of a cab that can be used once in a while. When using a cab you won't need to buy or maintain your own vehicle... The Bitrix Virtual Appliance is the 'cab' that's going to drive you to the Bitrix software products really fast, absolutely safe and... for free!
Not only will it make the whole process of installing and deploying the Bitrix products easier and much more faster, but also it will allow you to run them more efficiently in terms of speed and productivity. For instance, even the main page of the Bitrix Intranet Portal, full of different kinds of social network components and gadgets, loads 8-10 times faster if run inside the Virtual Appliance!

The Bitrix Virtual Appliance can be very useful when you consider changing your hosting provider. If you need to migrate/relocate your web project from one server to another, you will no longer need to re-configure the Bitrix products. They remain intact and fully customized because the environment of the virtual space remains the same. It does make you more independent, don't you think?
Moreover, the Bitrix Virtual Appliance can be used for other PHP application testing purposes. It's locked from the inside by itself so that any mishaps in trying out a new software product that might lack trustworthiness won't harm your host environment (i.e. your server or a PC/Mac) in case it really turned out to be harmful. Free, fast and secure! The Bitrix Virtual Appliance v1.3 features great stuff like Ubuntu operating sysrem, MySQL5 with InnoDB support, MC File Manager and enhancement tool, HTTPS support and much much more!
We do have a lot of customers and partners around the globe who really enjoy using our applications and business tools. They really appreciate our commitment and desire to make our products and services better. That is why we decided to spend our time and money for developing free products as a gesture of our thankfulness and appreciation towards the growing Bitrix community. By the way, we are planning to make some modifications to the Bitrix Virtual Appliance really soon. For example, the interface of the Virtual Appliance will be more user-friendly. Also, we are planning to make the Bitrix Virtual Appliance compatible with Amazon EC2, Parallels Virtuozzo and MS Azure!
You can download the free Bitrix Virtual Appliance .
The VMware Player is available for free download here.
It would be really great to read your comments and receive your feedback on the Bitrix Virtual Appliance.
Enjoy the Clouds!