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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Worldwide Technical Readiness
Page 2
Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .............................................................................................................................................. 2
Overview ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Implementation Guide ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Pre-requisites ...................................................................................................................................................... 5
Preparing PVS vDisk to be used with Personal vDisk ................................................................................. 6
Creating a Desktop Group with Personal vDisk enabled .......................................................................... 16
Creating Streamed Virtual Machines to be used with Personal vDisk ..................................................... 21
Creating Desktop Group ................................................................................................................................ 27
Updating the Provisioning Services vDisk ................................................................................................... 30
Resizing the Personal vDisk ........................................................................................................................... 32
Resetting the Personal vDisk ......................................................................................................................... 36
Capturing Personal vDisk Log Files ............................................................................................................. 39
Preparing the base Virtual Machine to be used with PvD and MCS ....................................................... 41
Creating pooled Virtual Machines using Machines Creation Services ..................................................... 43
Validation Scenario .......................................................................................................................................... 50
Product Versions.............................................................................................................................................. 56
Revision History ............................................................................................................................................... 56
Page 3
Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Overview
This document provides the installation steps required to setup the personal vDisk feature of XenDesktop 5.6 with either Machine Creation Services (MCS) or Provisioning Services (PVS) running on the Citrix XenServer virtualization platform. This guide assumes the infrastructure aspects for Citrix products have been installed, including Citrix Licensing Server 11.9, Citrix XenDesktop 5.6, Provisioning Services 6.1, etc. Upon completion of the steps outlined in this document, an enterprise can provide XenDesktop virtual desktops with the personal vDisk feature enabled. Implementing XenDesktop is not a difficult or particularly complex process. However, installing XenDesktop should not be performed in a production environment without adequate testing beforehand. It is recommended to install in a test or lab environment and conduct thorough systems and user acceptance testing to determine the optimal configuration for the enterprise environment. Success Accelerator kits are available at http://www.citrix.com/successaccelerator/to ensure XenDesktop projects delivers value to the organization.
Page 4
Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Implementation Guide
Prerequisites for SQL database, Citrix Licensing, XenDesktop Controller, and Provisioning
Services.
Preparing Provisioning Services vDisk to be used with personal vDisk.
Creating a Citrix XenDesktop site with a Desktop Group featuring personal vDisks.
Creating streamed Virtual Machines with personal vDisks using XenDesktop Setup Wizard.
Updating the master vDisk and the personal vDisk inventory.
Resizing the personal vDisk.
Resetting the personal vDisk.
Capturing personal vDisk log files.
Preparing the base Virtual Machine to be used with personal vDisk and MCS.
Creating pooled Virtual Machines with personal vDisks using MCS.
Final validation steps.
Page 5
Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Pre-requisites SQL Database
Prerequisites for SQL Server: edocs.citrix.com For the purposes of this guide, it is assumed that Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise is the operating system for the SQL 2008 R2 database (already installed and configured) used for XenDesktop and Provisioning Services databases. Note: Step-by-step installation instructions are available on the XenDesktop Deployment Guide – CTX132111
Citrix Licensing
Prerequisites for Citrix Licensing Server 11.10: edocs.citrix.com
For the purposes of this guide, it is assumed that the Citrix Licensing Server is already installed and configured.
Note: Step-by-step installation instructions are available on the XenDesktop Deployment Guide – CTX132111
Desktop Controller
Prerequisites for XenDesktop Controller: edocs.citrix.com
For the purposes of this guide, it is assumed XenDesktop 5.6 is already installed.
Note: Step-by-step installation instructions are available on the XenDesktop Deployment Guide – CTX132111
Creating a Desktop Image VM
Prerequisites for a Desktop Image Virtual Machine suitable for XenDesktop. Ensure that there is a XenServer host with sufficient memory and CPU resources available to host a Windows 7 Virtual Machine.
A Workstation running XenCenter in order to manage the creation of the Virtual Machine.
Note: Step-by-step information about creating a Desktop Image Virtual Machine and optimizations for Windows 7 Desktop is available on the XenDesktop Deployment Guide – CTX132111
Citrix Provisioning Services
Prerequisites for Provisioning Services 6.1: edocs.citrix.com
For the purposes of this guide, it is assumed Provisioning Services is already installed and configured.
Citrix Personal vDisk Technology Planning Guide
Note: Details about topics to be reviewed running a virtual desktop implementation design are available on the Citrix Personal vDisk Technology Planning Guide - CTX133227
Provisioning Services / Machine Creation Services
Note: Guidelines and ramifications about PVS and MCS are available on the XenDesktop Planning Guide: Image Delivery
Page 6
Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Preparing PVS vDisk to be used with Personal vDisk
Preparation of Provisioning Services vDisk
Screenshot Description
1
From Provisioning Services Server, click Start menu and select Provisioning Services Console.
2
Click Connect.
***NOTE***
Installation of the Provisioning Services software including the console and configuration of the farm is required before this step.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Preparation of Provisioning Services vDisk
Screenshot Description
3
The Farm node is displayed.
4
Expand the Provisioning Services Farm node and select vDisk Pool.
Right-click on Win7 vDisk on the right panel and select Versions…
***NOTE***
A virtual disk needs to be created from the base Virtual Machine to complete this step. Information about creating a new vDisk can be found on the Provisioning Services 6.1 product documentation.
5
Select Version 0.
Click New.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Preparation of Provisioning Services vDisk
Screenshot Description
6
Version 1 with Access set to Maintenance is created.
Click Done.
***NOTE***
You can also install the VDA in private image mode and then start creating new versions of the vDisk.
7
On the left pane Expand Device Collections.
Select Desktops.
Right-click on the target device and select Properties.
***NOTE***
You need to add the target device you used to create the vDisk to the PVS Console.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Preparation of Provisioning Services vDisk
Screenshot Description
8
Change the type to Maintenance.
Click OK.
9
From XenCenter, right-click on the
target device (target used to
create the vDisk) and select Start
to start the Virtual Machine.
10
Click on the Console tab of the
target device.
Select version 1) [maint] and
press enter.
Page 10
Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Preparation of Provisioning Services vDisk
Screenshot Description
11
Once the target device starts, log
on as Domain Administrator.
Open Windows Explorer and
navigate to the XenDesktop 5.6
cd.
Double-click AutoSelect to start
XenDesktop installation.
Select Install Virtual Desktop
Agent.
***NOTE***
You need to access the XenDesktop CD from the target device.
12
Select Advanced Install.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Preparation of Provisioning Services vDisk
Screenshot Description
13
Accept the Licensing Agreement.
Click Next.
14
Select Virtual Desktop Agent.
Click Next.
Page 12
Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Preparation of Provisioning Services vDisk
Screenshot Description
15
Leave Citrix Receiver selected.
Verify that the install location for
the Virtual Desktop Agent is
appropriate for the environment.
The default is C:\Program
Files\Citrix.
Once the installation location is
verified, click Next to begin the
Virtual Desktop Agent installation.
16
Select Yes, enable personal vDisk and click Next.
***NOTE***
With the XenDesktop 5.6 VDA, personal vDisk technology is always installed, yet remains in a disabled state until it is enabled. This step enables the feature. Personal vDisk utilizes V:\ as a reserved drive by default. In some circumstances, this might conflict with existing enterprise standards. Verify that this conflict does not exist prior to proceeding with installation of the VDA.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Preparation of Provisioning Services vDisk
Screenshot Description
17
Select Manually enter controller location(s).
In the input box, specific the fully qualified domain name (for example controller1.domain.com) of the Desktop Controllers. If there are multiple controllers, enter each controller’s fully qualified domain name separated by a space.
Click Check to allow the setup wizard to validate the network presence of the specified controllers. This check does not validate whether the FQDN provided is actually a Controller, so ensure that the actual Desktop Controller is specified and not another server.
Once the Desktop Controller is verified, click Next to proceed to the next step.
***NOTE***
In this scenario, the Desktop Controller is configured in the Virtual Desktop Agent. This can be done at a later time by using Group Policy or the setup wizard.
18
Validate all settings for the Virtual Desktop Agent Configuration. Default settings has the following options selected (enabled):
o XenDesktop Controller Communications
o Optimize XenDesktop Performance
o User Desktop Shadowing
o Real Time Monitoring
o Use Real-time Transport for Audio
Once all settings have been validated, click Next to proceed to the installation Summary validation for the XenDesktop Virtual Desktop Agent.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Preparation of Provisioning Services vDisk
Screenshot Description
19
Click Install at the summary screen and allow the installer run through to completion.
***NOTE***
These settings create various
exceptions for ports in Windows
Firewall. Consult your Desktop Security
team to ensure that settings comply
with your enterprise standards. Refer to
the Citrix Knowledge Center article
CTX126969 for more information
regarding these settings.
20
Upon successful completion of the
wizard, a screen appears. This screen shows which components were installed. Validate that the XenDesktop Virtual Desktop Agent was presented.
Ensure to select Restart Machine (required to complete install).
Click Close to end the installation of the XenDesktop Virtual Desktop Agent.
***NOTE***
Your Windows 7 workstation
automatically restarts when you click
Close. Ensure to save any unsaved
work prior to clicking Close.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Preparation of Provisioning Services vDisk
Screenshot Description
21
Once the Virtual Machine restarts, click on the target device Virtual Machine Console tab.
Select Option 1 [maint] from the Boot Menu.
Login to the target Virtual Machine as Domain Administrator.
***NOTE***
If a message about Citrix Receiver shows up upon logging in the first time, it can be ignored for this step.
22
Click on Start -> All Programs -> Citrix -> Update Personal vDisk.
23
The Personal vDisk inventory is updated and the machine is shut down when complete.
***NOTE***
It might take a few minutes for the
inventory to update.
24
Switch back to the Provisioning Services Server. From the Provisioning Services Console, select vDisk Pool.
Right-click on vDisk on the right panel and select Versions…
Select the Maintenance version and click Promote…
Set the version access to Production, click OK and Done.
Page 16
Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating a Desktop Group with Personal vDisk enabled
XenDesktop Site Creation
Screenshot Description
1
Switch back to the XenDesktop Controller Server.
Start Desktop Studio from the Start Menu. Desktop Studio should appear under: Start > All Programs > Citrix > Desktop Studio
2
Click Desktop deployment.
***NOTE***
Quick Deploy cannot be used with Personal vDisk.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
XenDesktop Site Creation
Screenshot Description
3
Name your Site per your enterprise standards.
In Database Configuration, enter the FQDN of your SQL 2008 server in the Server location field.
Click Test connection. You should see a message that the services could not connect to the database. This is normal since the database has not been created yet.
Click Ok to proceed with the database server connectivity test. If the test is successful, you will see “All database connection tests passed”. If you do not see this message, you must resolve the connectivity issue to the database server before proceeding.
Click Next to continue.
4
Type your Citrix License Server.
Click Connect.
Select the appropriate license model for your company and click Next.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
XenDesktop Site Creation
Screenshot Description
5
Choose your host type.
Type in the IP address of your XenServer as an URL. For example: http://ip address.
Provide the root user and the root password.
Type a connection name that will identify this hypervisor connection.
Keep the Use XenDesktop to create virtual machines option selected.
Click Next.
6
Type a name for the Host name.
Select a network for the virtual machines to use.
Click Next.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
XenDesktop Site Creation
Screenshot Description
7
Select one or more storage devices for the new virtual machines.
Select the storage for the personal vDisk.
Click Next.
***NOTE***
Any storage targets defined/supported on the hypervisor might be used to store the Personal vDisk.
Click Finish.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
XenDesktop Site Creation
Screenshot Description
8
Initial configuration is complete. Machine creation is done using the XenDesktop Setup Wizard from the Provisioning Services console.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating Streamed Virtual Machines to be used with
Personal vDisk
Creating Virtual Machines with XenDesktop Setup Wizard
Screenshot Description
1
Switch back to the Provisioning Services Server.
From the Provisioning Services Console, right-click on the site name and click XenDesktop Setup Wizard.
2
Click Next on the welcome screen.
Enter the address (or IP address) of the XenDesktop Controller.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating Virtual Machines with XenDesktop Setup Wizard
Screenshot Description
3
Select the Host and click Set Template…
4
Type the password for your XenServer and click Log On.
Select the template for the host.
Click OK.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating Virtual Machines with XenDesktop Setup Wizard
Screenshot Description
5
Click Next.
6
A Connection status shows up and disappears quickly.
7
Select the standard-mode vDisk to be streamed.
Click Next.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating Virtual Machines with XenDesktop Setup Wizard
Screenshot Description
8
Select Create a new catalog.
Choose Streamed with personal vDisk for Machine type.
Type a name for the Catalog name.
Add a description.
Click Next.
9
Set the number of virtual machines to create. Allocate the desired amount of vCPUs and Memory per virtual machine.
Set the Personal vDisk size and the drive letter to be used by the Personal vDisk.
Click Next.
***NOTE***
The P: drive must not conflict with a reserved network drive on your corporate network.
The P: drive comprises of the C:\Users (in Win 7) folder. This contains user data, documents, and the user profile. By default XenDesktop uses the drive P: but you can choose a different drive letter.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating Virtual Machines with XenDesktop Setup Wizard
Screenshot Description
10
Select the Desktops OU for the machine accounts and change the Account naming scheme to your enterprise standards.
Click Next.
11
Review all configuration settings and click Finish.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating Virtual Machines with XenDesktop Setup Wizard
Screenshot Description
Click Done when Setup is complete.
12
In XenCenter, click on one of the Virtual Machines created by the XenDesktop Setup Wizard.
Select the Storage tab and verify that the personal vDisk was created according to your specifications. It appears as {prefix} pvdisk.
Page 27
Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating Desktop Group
Creating Desktop Group to be used with Streamed Virtual Machines and Personal vDisk
Screenshot Description
1
Switch to the Desktop Controller Virtual Machine and open Desktop Studio.
Right-click on Assignments and select Create Desktop Group.
2
Select the Catalog that was created from the XenDesktop Setup Wizard.
Add the number of machines to be assigned.
Click Next.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating Desktop Group to be used with Streamed Virtual Machines and Personal vDisk
Screenshot Description
3
Click on Add and select the users/groups that have access to the desktops.
Click Next and Next on the Delegation step.
4
Add a Display name.
o Display name is presented as the Desktop group to the user in Web Interface.
Add a Desktop Group name.
o Desktop group name is presented at the dashboard.
Click Finish.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating Desktop Group to be used with Streamed Virtual Machines and Personal vDisk
Screenshot Description
5
Return to the primary pane in Desktop Studio.
Click Go to site dashboard to see the current status.
6
Settings and information regarding this XenDesktop site is presented and available for Administration.
Desktop Group creation is now complete.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Updating the Provisioning Services vDisk
Updating the vDisk and running the inventory
Screenshot Description
1
From Desktop Studio on the left panel click on Machines.
Double-click on Provisioning Services streamed catalog on the middle panel.
2
Select the streamed Virtual Machines.
Right-click and choose Enable maintenance mode and click Yes.
3
Right-click on the streamed Virtual Machines and select Shut down.
When prompted to confirm shut down, click Yes.
4
Switch to the Provisioning Services server and start the console.
On the left panel select vDisk Pool.
Right-click on vDisk to be streamed on the main panel and select Versions…
Click on New to create a new version of vDisk.
Click Done.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Updating the vDisk and running the inventory
Screenshot Description
5
Start the target device that will be used to perform the update.
Select the maintenance vDisk option from the Boot Menu.
***NOTE***
Updates to Provisioning Services vDisks and Machines Creation Services disks must be done on Virtual Machines that do not have a personal vDisk attached. Maintenance mode disables the PvD allowing the updates to be written to the base vDisks.
6
Login as Domain Administrator.
Perform the vDisk updates.
Click on Start > All Programs > Citrix > Update Personal vDisk
The target device will be shutdown automatically when the inventory is done.
***NOTE***
Alternatively, you can just shut down the machine from inside the Windows after doing an update. You will be prompted to Update inventory as part of the shutdown sequence.
7
Open the Provisioning Services Console and select vDisk Pool on the left panel.
Right-click on the vDisk to be streamed on the right panel and select Versions…
Select the maintenance version and click on Promote…
Set version access to Production with Availability Immediate
Click OK and Done.
Switch back to XenDesktop controller.
Disable Maintenance mode for the streamed desktops (desktops are started automatically).
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Resizing the Personal vDisk
Resizing the Personal vDisk
Screenshot Description
1
From the XenDesktop controller, start Desktop Studio
Click on Launch PowerShell from within the PowerShell pane in Desktop Studio.
***NOTE***
It is important that you launch PoSH directly from Desktop Studio as instructed in this step and not independently through Windows; the new cmdlets will only run in a 32-bit console provided by Desktop Studio.
2
Run SET-EXECUTIONPOLICY REMOTESIGNED.
Type Y to change the Execution Policy.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Resizing the Personal vDisk
Screenshot Description
3
Change the directory to access the Scripts folder.
Execute .\personal-vdisk-poolstats.
Enter the number corresponding with the streamed desktop catalog.
***NOTE***
Locate the script personal-vdisk-poolstats.ps1 in the Support\Tools\Scripts folder in the XenDesktop 5.6 media.
For the personal-vdisk-poolstats script to work, enable the following on the Firewall of the base Virtual Machine before taking the inventory:
1. File and Printer Sharing (SMB-In) 2. Windows Management. Instrumentation
(WMI-In).
4
View the current size and status of the Virtual Machines running personal vDisk.
5
From Desktop Studio on the left panel click on Machines.
Double-click on Provisioning Services streamed catalog on the middle panel.
Select the streamed Virtual Machines.
Right-click and choose Enable maintenance mode and click Yes.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Resizing the Personal vDisk
Screenshot Description
6
Right-click on the streamed Virtual Machines and select Shut down, then click Yes.
7
Execute .\resize-personal-vdiskpool cmdlet.
Select the desired catalog by typing the number corresponding with its name.
***NOTE***
This script should be used only to increase the size of the PvD. It is not possible at this time to reduce the size of the PvD pool using this script.
8
Enter the desired size for the personal vDisks in GB.
Enter Y to confirm.
Enter the root credentials for your XenServer to initiate the resize.
***NOTE***
If you try to resize the PvD and the virtual machine is powered on, a message is displayed: Virtual Machine is currently powered on, cannot resize disk…
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Resizing the Personal vDisk
Screenshot Description
From Desktop Studio on the left panel click on Machines.
Double-click on Provisioning Services streamed catalog on the middle panel.
Select the streamed Virtual Machines.
Right-click and choose Disable maintenance mode and click Yes.
9
Start the virtual machines using Desktop Studio.
From the Powershell command, execute .\personal-vdisk-poolstats.
Review the results of the PowerShell script to ensure changes were completed.
10
Verify from XenCenter that all virtual machines from the specified catalog had their personal vDisks resized.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Resetting the Personal vDisk
Resizing the Personal vDisk
Screenshot Description
1
Open Desktop Director and log on using Domain Administrator credentials.
2
Search for virtual machine hostname in which to reset the personal vDisk.
Change the Maintenance mode to ON.
Click on Reset Personal vDisk under Machine Details.
***NOTE***
Resetting a personal vDisk returns the application allocation to its original state. Data in the user profile will not be impacted. Once a reset has been completed, it cannot be undone and applications need to be re-installed or restored from backups.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Resizing the Personal vDisk
Screenshot Description
3
Click Reset.
4
It takes a few minutes to shut down the machine.
***NOTE***
Do not shutdown the machine manually.
5
After the Virtual Machine has completely shut down, click Start from Power Control.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Resizing the Personal vDisk
Screenshot Description
6
Disable the Maintenance Mode for the virtual machine. The machine is now able to accept user sessions again.
Page 39
Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Capturing Personal vDisk Log Files
Capturing Log Files
Screenshot Description
1
From a virtual machine with the personal vDisk attached, logon as Domain Administrator.
Start a command prompt and change directory to C:\Program Files\Citrix\personal vDisk\bin\.
Type ctxpvd.exe -log to automatically package all PvD logs files into a single folder (PVDLOGS).
2
Type start %temp% to start windows explorer.
Locate the PVDLOGS folder. The default location should be “P:\Users\{user_account} AppData\Local\ Temp.”
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Capturing Log Files
Screenshot Description
3
Review the contents of PVDLOGS folder, particularly the following files:
o Pud-IvmSupervisor.log
o PvDActivation.log
o PvDSvc.log
o PvDWMI.log
o SysVol-IvmSupervisor.log
o vDeskService-<#>.log
***NOTE***
Your environment might have just one vDeskServer-<#>.log file.
In XenDesktop 5.6 logging is enabled by default for the Citrix personal vDisk feature and the –log switch can be used in conjunction with ctxpvd.exe to automatically gather all relevant log files into a single PVDLOGS folder created under the %temp% directory.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Preparing the base Virtual Machine to be used with PvD
and MCS
Preparing the base Virtual Machine to be used with PvD using Machine Creation Services
Screenshot Description
1
Follow steps 10 through 18 from “Preparing PVS vDisk to be used with Personal vDisk”.
Once the VDA has been installed on the base Virtual Machine, restart the Virtual Machine.
Logon as Domain Administrator.
Click on Start -> All Programs -> Citrix -> Update Personal vDisk.
2
The Personal vDisk inventory is updated and the machine is shut down when complete.
***NOTE***
It might take a few minutes for the inventory to
update.
The initial Inventory is now complete and the
machine is ready for use as a base image for
Personal vDisk.
3
From XenServer, start the base virtual machine and login as Domain Administrator.
Go to Control Panel -> Windows Firewall -> Advanced Settings -> Inbound Rules
Enable File and Printer Sharing (SMB-In) for the Domain profile.
4
Enable Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI-In) for the Domain profile.
***NOTE***
For the personal-vdisk-poolstats script to work, step 3 and step 4 should be followed to enable these two firewall rules prior to performing the Virtual Machine Inventory.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Preparing the base Virtual Machine to be used with PvD using Machine Creation Services
Screenshot Description
5
Shutdown the base Virtual Machine.
From XenCenter select Snapshots tab and create a snapshot.
***NOTE***
The Base Virtual Machine is now ready for
use as a XenDesktop “Master” image.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating pooled Virtual Machines using Machines Creation
Services
Creating pooled Virtual Machines with Personal vDisk using Machine Creation Services
Screenshot Description
1
Follow steps 1 through 5 from “Creating a Desktop Group with Personal vDisk enabled”.
Select Configure for Machine creation.
***NOTE***
As noted earlier in this guide, Quick Deploy
cannot be used when deploying Personal
vDisk.
2
In the Create Catalog dialog window, select Pooled with personal vDisk in the Machine Type drop-down.
Click Next.
***NOTE***
XenDesktop 5.6 adds two new catalog types.
They look similar to dedicated desktops but
can be thought of as a combination of Pooled
Assigned and Dedicated desktops. This
maintains the ability to use a centrally
managed image yet also adds the
“Personalisation” capabilities of dedicated
desktops.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating pooled Virtual Machines with Personal vDisk using Machine Creation Services
Screenshot Description
3
Select the appropriate Master Image template from the expansion tree.
Click Next to continue.
4
Configure the settings as appropriate to your enterprise. Ensure that the correct numbers of Virtual Machines are selected and that sufficient resources are available on the XenServer Host to support the desired virtual machine specifications.
Click Next to continue.
***NOTE***
The drive letter chosen for the end-user must not conflict with your corporate network.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating pooled Virtual Machines with Personal vDisk using Machine Creation Services
Screenshot Description
5
Select the Active Directory O-U from the expansion tree in which to create the virtual machine computer accounts.
Use the naming scheme to input a naming convention for the Virtual Machines that are created.
Click Next to continue.
6
Validate that the Administrators permitted to use this Catalog are correct.
Specify a catalog description.
Click Next to continue.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating pooled Virtual Machines with Personal vDisk using Machine Creation Services
Screenshot Description
7
View the Summary and verify all settings.
Provide a Catalog name for this XenDesktop Catalog.
Click Finish to allow the wizard to create Virtual Machine accounts.
Allow the Setup Wizard to Copy the master image and complete the installation process.
***NOTE***
It takes a couple of minutes to create the virtual machines.
Once the desktop group creation has completed, the wizard returns to Desktop Studio.
8
Ensure that machine creation now states as complete in the center pane with the correct number of Virtual Desktops created.
Click Configure in the User assignment pane to begin the process of assigning users to desktops.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating pooled Virtual Machines with Personal vDisk using Machine Creation Services
Screenshot Description
9
In the Create Desktop Group dialogue, select the Catalog from which to provision Virtual Desktops for Assignment.
Specify the number of machines by entering the value in Add machines textbox.
Click Next to continue.
10
Click Add to add users to this Desktop Group. This brings up the Active Directory user selection screen.
Determine the number of Desktops to be assigned per user and specify it in the text box at the bottom of the screen.
Click Next to continue.
Click Next on the Delegation screen.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating pooled Virtual Machines with Personal vDisk using Machine Creation Services
Screenshot Description
11
Provide a Display Name and Desktop Group Name for the Desktop Catalog.
Click Finish to complete the Desktop Assignment.
***NOTE***
The desktop type is displayed as Private Desktop.
12
Validate that the User Assignment appears in Desktop Studio.
If successful, click on Go to site dashboard to verify settings and information.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Creating pooled Virtual Machines with Personal vDisk using Machine Creation Services
Screenshot Description
13
The dashboard shows metrics and data regarding Desktop Catalogs, Groups, and Assignments.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
Validation Scenario
User’s View
Screenshot Description
1
FromXenCenter, start a Client Virtual Machine and login as a domain user.
Start Internet Explorer and navigate to the XenDesktop logon site.
Enter a username and password of an account with a Virtual Desktop provided by XenDesktop.
Click Log On to continue.
2
Observe the virtual desktops available for the end-user.
Click the icon representing an assigned virtual desktop to initiate the connection.
Allow the virtual desktop to fully load.
A splash screen appears once the virtual desktop has fully loaded.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
User’s View
Screenshot Description
3
On the virtual desktop, start Windows Explorer and select Computer to show the Hard Disk Drives.
Verify the Citrix Personal vDisk (P:) is showing.
***NOTE***
If you get a message about HDX File Access,
select Read/write access.
4
On the Virtual Desktop start a command window.
Change directory to the root (p:\).
Execute dir followed by dir /a.
Look at UserData.VHD. This started as a copy of UserData.VDESK.TEMPLATE file. In a running virtual machine this is the V: drive which is hidden.
***NOTE***
The VHD file on the Hypervisor is mounted as
P:\ on the virtual machine.
Within the P:\ drive, the UserData.VHD, which
originated as a copy of
UserData.DESK.TEMPLATE file (in the base
vDisk) is mounted as V:\ and is hidden. This is
where the Apps and Machine state is
captured.
5
Type fltmc and verify the Filter Name ivm exists in the list.
***NOTE***
ivm shows that the personal vDisk is enabled.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
User’s View
Screenshot Description
6
Open Windows Services and check that Citrix Personal vDisk service is running.
***NOTE***
CtxPvDSvc.exe is the process that
corresponds to Citrix Personal vDisk service.
7
Open Windows Explorer.
Double-click the Citrix Personal vDisk.
Verify the folders present and the IvmSupervisor log.
8
From Desktop Studio, under Assignments, double-click on the desktop in use from the Streamed catalog. Verify:
o User is logged on to your desktop.
o This desktop is assigned to the specific User.
***NOTE***
This step is showing the user is assigned to a
specific desktop upon his first login.
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User’s View
Screenshot Description
9
Open Desktop Director and log on as Domain Administrator.
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Personal vDisk Implementation Guide
User’s View
Screenshot Description
10
Search for the virtual desktop that is assigned to user from step 8.
Verify the percentage of vDisk being used for the streamed desktop.
11
From the streamed desktop, install an application.
Start the application once to ensure any post installation routines complete successfully.
Copy some data to My Documents.
Notice the data is being copied to P:
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User’s View
Screenshot Description
12
Over time, drive P:\ starts to fill up.
13
Depending on the amount of data copied, drive P:\ shows red when space is limited.
***NOTE***
Windows sees a personal vDisk as a normal
disk. Running out of space is reported as
such by the operating system.
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Product Versions
Product Version
Citrix XenDesktop 5.6
Citrix Provisioning Services 6.1
Revision History
Revision Change Description Updated By Date
0.1 Document Created WW Technical Readiness June 12, 2012
0.2 Feedback WW Consulting Solutions June 12, 2012
1.0 Final Document WW Technical Readiness June 12, 2012
1.1 Review Knowledge Center Team July 17th, 2012
About Citrix
Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) is the leading provider of virtualization, networking and software as a service
technologies for more than 230,000 organizations worldwide. Its Citrix Delivery Center, Citrix Cloud Center (C3)
and Citrix Online Services product families radically simplify computing for millions of users, delivering applications
as an on-demand service to any user, in any location on any device. Citrix customers include the world’s largest
Internet companies, 99 percent of Fortune Global 500 enterprises, and hundreds of thousands of small businesses
and prosumers worldwide. Citrix partners with over 10,000 companies worldwide in more than 100 countries.
Founded in 1989, annual revenue in 2010 was $1.9 billion.
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