Archive
New v3 #AWS CloudFormation Template for #XenApp with support for #NetScaler and #StoreFront
Great info and post from Peter Bats!
Since Paul Wilson and myself first introduced a CloudFormation template in the blog “Jumpstarting your XenDesktop Farm in AWS with a CloudFormation Template,” we’ve added support for multiple Regions and Availability Zones in a v2 version of this CloudFormation template in the blog “Announcing the Multi-Region AWS CloudFormation Template for XenDesktop”.
We are now announcing the third version of our AWS CloudFormation template which adds the new Asia Pacific Sydney region and support for StoreFront and NetScaler Access Gateway Enterprise. This release makes use of the NetScaler VPX instances available via AWS MarketPlace, and replaces Web Interface with StoreFront to be able to support all the advanced features of our latest Citrix Receivers.
Version 3 of the CloudFormation JSON template can be downloaded from here.
We’ve also made a video available for you that walks you through the whole process on Citrix TV. Check it out here.
For detailed instructions on using the v3 CloudFormation template, download the setup guide here.
Using this new template, in only a couple of hours you’ve constructed a XenApp farm in your selected Region within the AWS cloud using Netscaler and StoreFront technology. You can use the farm for a number of purposes, including:
- Application Testing
- Business Continuity
- Proof-of-Concept
- Testing XenApp performance in the cloud
- Learning how to manage AWS resources
We welcome your…
Continue reading here!
//Richard
Vulnerability in Remote Desktop Client – #RDS
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS13-029 – Critical
Vulnerability in Remote Desktop Client Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2828223)
Published: Tuesday, April 09, 2013 | Updated: Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Version: 1.1
This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Windows Remote Desktop Client. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
This security update is rated Critical for Remote Desktop Connection 6.1 Client, Remote Desktop Connection 7.0 Client, and Remote Desktop Connection 7.1 Client where affected on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. It is rated Moderate for Remote Desktop Connection 6.1 Client, Remote Desktop Connection 7.0 Client, and Remote Desktop 7.1 Client where affected on Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.
The security update addresses the vulnerability by modifying the way that Remote Desktop Client handles objects in memory. For more information about the vulnerability, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection for the specific vulnerability entry under the next section, Vulnerability Information.
Recommendation. Most customers have automatic updating enabled…
Continue reading here!
//Richard
Demystifying Citrix Excalibur Architecture – via @kbaggerman
A great blog post by Kees Baggerman! 🙂
For all XenApp admins and consultants out there Project Avalon will bring a big change as we are used to having XenApp servers running on the (what seemed to be) everlasting Citrix Independent Management Architecture and we’re heading to Citrix FlexCast Management Architecture (already included in XenDesktop at this moment) and will be included in the Citrix Excalibur Architecture.
IMA
When looking up IMA in the eDocs you’ll find:
Independent Management Architecture (IMA) is the underlying architecture used in XenApp for configuring, monitoring, and operating all XenApp functions. The IMA data store stores all XenApp configurations.
Basically IMA exists to manage the XenApp or Presentation Server farms by enabling the communications between servers. As stated it transfers information about all XenApp functions like licenses, policies, sessions and server loads. All management tooling within these versions of Citrix’s PS/XA rely on this service for information.
According to Communication ports used by Citrix Technologies IMA uses the following ports:
| Ports | Source | Prot. | Comment |
| 2512 | Common Citrix Communication Ports | TCP | Independent Management Architecture (IMA) |
| 2513 | Access Gateway 5.0 Controller administration | TCP | IMA-based Communication |
As we can see IMA uses 2512 (by default) to communicate with other servers and the Access Gateway Controller uses 2513 (by default) for IMA-based communication. The port IMA uses can be changed or queried via the commandline tool IMAPORT.
Brian Madden did a blogpost way back in 2007 but it’s definition of IMA is still current:
Independent Management Architecture is:
- A data store, which is a database for storing MetaFrame XP server configuration information, such as published applications, total licenses, load balancing configuration, MetaFrame XP security rights, and printer configuration.
- A protocol for transferring the ever-changing background information between MetaFrame XP servers, including server load, current users and connections, and licenses in use
FMA
With the introduction of XenDesktop we got a new architecture called Flexcast Management Architecture. This new architecture has got an agent-based setup where we can install the operating system including the basic applications that need to be installed and after that we can install an agent. This agent registers itself to a controller and is offered through StoreFront to the end user.
This will be delivered by two different types of agents, one to support Windows Server OS’s and one for Windows Desktop OS’s.
Andrew Wood did an article on Excalibur and used this diagram to explain the architecture:
Citrix FlexCast Management Architecture
- Receiver provides users with self-service access to published resources.
- StoreFront authenticates users to site(s) hosting resources and manages stores of desktops and applications that users access – Web Interface as a platform is essentially resting, but it will cease to be.
- Studio is a single management console that enables you to configure and manage your deployment, a dramatic reduction over the 23 consoles you could well have today. Studio provides various wizards to guide you through the process of setting up an environment, creating workloads to host applications and desktops, and assigning applications and desktops to users.
- Delivery Controller distributes applications and desktops, manages user access, and optimizes…
Continue reading here!
//Richard
Tech Preview of #Citrix #XenApp support for the #Lync 2013 VDI Plug-in
Good info from Derek Thorslund.
As you may have already noticed, earlier this week we opened up our Tech Preview program for optimized support of the Microsoft Lync™ 2013 client to all current Citrix XenApp customers under active Subscription Advantage. This phase of the Tech Preview program gives our customers the opportunity to evaluate the Citrix Receiver Display Adapter that integrates with Microsoft’s Lync™ 2013 VDI Plug-in for Windows. The Display Adapter plug-in has been posted on the Citrix Downloads page under “Citrix Receiver” in the “Betas and Tech Previews” section (visible to Citrix customers and partners after login). Please use the Support Forum to provide feedback or request assistance from the community.
Read more here!
//Richard
Delivering #Citrix #XenApp on #Hyper-V with PVS and #McAfee – via @TonySanchez_CTX
Good Citrix blog post from Tony Sanchez!
Architectures—whether physical or virtual—should be flexible enough to adapt to different workloads, allowing them to support changing business needs. Although implementing a new IT architecture takes time and careful planning, the process to test and validate an architecture should be easy. In the case of a virtual desktop architecture, test engineers should be able to follow a repeatable pattern, step by step, simply changing out the workload to validate the architecture under different anticipated user densities, application workloads, and configuration assumptions. The procedure should be as easy as learning a new series of dance steps (think PSY’s Gangnam Style, the most watched dance video on YouTube). The point causes me as a test engineer to ask the question: in the case of VDI, why can’t a hypervisor simply learn a new workload just like I might learn a new sequence of dance steps?
Luckily for test engineers, Citrix FlexCast® provides the ability to learn and deliver any workload type by leveraging the power of the Citrix Provisioning Services® (PVS). Recently I worked with engineers from Citrix and Dell, collaborating to build a FlexCast reference architecture for deploying XenApp® and XenDesktop® on Hyper-V on a Dell infrastructure. Testing of this reference architecture looked at how XenApp and XenDesktop performed under various workloads, altering hypervisor configuration settings and examining the overall user experience and user densities. At the drop of dime, FlexCast and PVS enabled a simple switch of the architecture to a new workload.
Based on that reference architecture effort, we recently began a Single Server Scalability (SSS) test using the latest hardware and software releases available. This blog focuses on that effort — what I call the “XenApp dance step for FlexCast style” and how XenApp workloads perform on Hyper-V. (A follow-on blog article will focus on an alternate “dance” sequence for XenDesktop.) The focus of this blog is how the configuration of the McAfee virus scanning software can impact performance and scaling.
In previous blogs, I describe the testing process and methodology that leverages the Login VSI test harness, along with key tips for success. Since those same methods and recommendations apply here, let’s review the configurations we used for this scalability testing as well as the workloads and actual test results.
For background reading, I highly recommend that you review Frank Anderson’s post on XenApp physical versus virtual testing results with Hyper-V. Frank is my colleague and a great resource for insights about testing, including implementation tips and general best practices. In addition, the related Dell and Citrix white paper describing the FlexCast reference architecture for deploying XenApp and XenDesktop on Hyper-V is available here.
Continue reading here!
//Richard
#Citrix Virtual Desktop Handbook 5.x – #XenDesktop, #XenApp
Ok, this is a pretty good handbook I must admit. Have a look at it here!
And if you need help then of course you can always contact EnvokeIT! 😉
And here is a good blog post about this as well by Thomas Berger:
One of the foundational project management principals is that project success occurs when it is delivered on time, within budget and with a level of quality that is satisfactory to the client. Of course these three dimensions are valid for any desktop virtualization project as well.
While a lot of information about budget planning and TCO/ROI for virtual desktop / application delivery projects can be found on the internet (e.g. http://flexcast.citrix.com/analyzeandcompare.html), the amount of information about time planning and success criteria is very low.
Since this lack of publicly available information causes every customer to “reinvent the wheel” and therefore add some delays to their projects, we thought it’s time to provide some guidance around these topics.
The result of our efforts has become part of the newly released Citrix Virtual Desktop Handbook (http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX136546). Version 1 of this white paper focuses on the Assess phase that identifies the information required prior to starting the design phase and outlines the project management tasks I mentioned earlier.
But instead of just discussing the topics from a theoretical point of view, we provide detailed guidance and tools which can be used for your projects right away. For example you will get a sample project plan (Microsoft Project), which outlines and provides duration estimates for every step of a desktop virtualization project (sample below).
Furthermore the white paper discusses a general project methodology, describes how business priorities can be identified and provides detailed information about the roles required during a enterprise grade project (sample below).
This and even more can be found within the new Citrix Virtual Desktop Handbook..
//Richard
User-centric application delivery with Microsoft System Center and the #XenApp Connector for Configuration Manager
Another good blog post from Citrix:
This week we are happy to announce the release of the XenApp Connector for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager (a.k.a. Project Thor), marking the culmination of several months of collaboration between Citrix and Microsoft.
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager helps IT empower people to use the devices and applications they need to be productive, while maintaining corporate compliance and control. It provides a unified infrastructure for mobile, physical, and virtual environments that allows IT to deliver applications and manage user experiences based on identity, connectivity, and device.
More so than any previous release of Configuration Manager, the 2012 release supports the model of user-centric IT management. The new focus of Configuration Manager is one of empowering users by putting them at the center of the IT universe; one that supports user self-service, bring-your-own-device initiatives, workforce mobility, and the overall IT consumerization trend. We are very excited about the power this user-centric model provides and how that model is realized via integration of Configuration Manager and XenApp.
So what does the XenApp Connector do? Put simply, it extends the reach of admins using Configuration Manager to a much broader range of devices and user locations. Historically, Configuration Manager has been used for management of Windows OS & applications deployed to Windows PCs, Windows laptops, Windows Servers and Windows Phones operating within the traditional IT periphery – in other words Active Directory domain joined machines.
The XenApp Connector and Citrix Receiver extend the reach of Configuration Manager to deliver apps not just to Windows devices but all kinds of office and mobile devices including Linux, iOS, and Android devices; in fact nearly every device on the market today.. The Connector also enables a more flexible and mobile workforce. Users are able to gain access to the applications they need regardless of whether they are in the office, working from home, or on the road.
To deliver this functionality, the XenApp Connector leverages three capabilities introduced with System Center 2012:
- Deployment Types
- User-centric administration, and
- The Application Catalog
New #Citrix #Visio Stencils – via @djfeller – #XenApp #XenDesktop #XenClient #XenServer
Thanks a lot for the great work you did on Project Accelerator, and for sharing the Visio stencils!! 🙂
By spending a little time in the Assess phase, Project Accelerator creates this awesome looking diagram
The truth is, this diagram took many, many, many revisions. We wanted to create something that was easy to follow while providing the most important information people wanted to see, which included IOPS, servers, VMs, storage space, desktop images, infrastructure components, and so much more. It took a few revisions before I had something in Visio that did all of that. Then we gave my diagram to Marta Guerra, a senior designer on the Project Accelerator team. She turned the diagram into something easy to follow and very clean with new images/icons for all of the components. I’m still impressed. I know many of you are too because you’ve asked for the Visio stencils.
Unfortunately, Project Accelerator diagrams aren’t done in Visio, but that didn’t stop us from giving you what you wanted. With the help of Marta, I’ve been able to turn these images into a new set of Citrix Visio Stencils.
Get them here!
//Richard
Documenting #Citrix #XenApp 6.5 with MS PowerShell V2 – @CarlWebster via @anders_keis
Good work Carl and the rest of you guys! Will try it out ASAP! 🙂
The original article on Documenting a Citrix XenApp 6.5 Farm with Microsoft PowerShell was released on October 7, 2011. The original script has been downloaded over 15,000 times. I decided it was time to update the script to have the output match what was shown in AppCenter. With a lot of help (and patience) from Exchange MVP and PowerShell guru Michael B. Smith, I updated the original script from over 1800 lines to over 2900 lines of PowerShell to thoroughly document a XenApp 6.5 farm. This article will focus on the changes to the script.
I would like to thank the following people for helping to test the script.
- @BYODre
- Andrew Morgan
- Bart Jacobs
- Brian Hecker
- Derick
- Jarian Gibson
- J. L. Straat
- Jennifer Auiler
- Kees Baggerman
- Knut Gunnar Neggen
- Magnus Hjorleifsson
- Mark Fermin
- Thomas Poppelgaard
- And 25 others
Before we get started, I want you to know that I am NOT a programmer. I am NOT a software developer and I am NOT a real PowerShell coder. I am simply a hack who brute forces his way through all this PowerShell stuff until I either figure it out myself or have to use a lifeline. i.e. Michael B. Smith, Jeff Wouter or worse, I have to read a book!
The prerequisites to follow along with this article are:
- A server, physical or virtual, running Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 with or without SP1
- Citrix XenApp 6.5 installed with or without HRP01
Note: A few testers reported that neither this script nor AppCenter displayed the hotfixes installed on the data collectors. Citrix has a public hotfix that should resolve that specific issue. http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX132713
The nice thing about XenApp 6.5 compared to both XenApp 5 and XenApp 6 is that all the basic Citrix PowerShell stuff is installed when you install XenApp 6.5. But we still need the XenApp 6.5 PowerShell..
Continue reading here!
//Richard
Jan. Edition of XenDesktop Technical Newsletter Now Available – #XenDesktop, #Citrix
It’s out again with more exciting topics! Check it out!!!
Using XenDesktop? Then you need to get the XenDesktop Technical Newsletter! The newsletter is comprised of the best technical resources from across Citrix Services: Consulting, Technical Support, Education, and Technical Readiness. In its third year the newsletter is designed to help customers run their XenDesktop optimally and get more out of their investment in Citrix desktop virtualization. And its FREE!
I am pleased to announce that the January 2013 edition of the newsletter is now available.
Check out the archive page, where you can access both the current and past issues, as well as subscribe to the FREE monthly newsletter.
The January edition of the newsletter is packed with great content, including:
- Optimal XenApp 6.5 VM Configuration (Blog)
- Introduction to the new Project Accelerator (Blog)
- Deploying XenApp 6.5 using PVS (Blog)
- Insider Troubleshooting tips for Administrators (eBook)
- Whats new with Excalibur (Blog)
- Top Knowledge Center content for December 2012 (Articles, hotfixes, whitepapers, etc…)
- How to configure Access Gateway 5 standalone for use with XD5 (tech note)
- XenDesktop Tools & Hotfixes
- And much more.
If you have any..
Continue reading here!
//Richard
The IT Melting Pot! 