Gerrish's IT Blog

Load Balance A Citrix Web Interface

2013-11-21T08:59:00.000+00:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

To me if you don't configure all of your Citrix Web Interfaces (WI) to use a network load balance (NLB) setup you are asking for trouble as you have now created a single point of failure within your environment!

NLB is available in Windows Server 2008 standard and enterprise so you should now have no excuses to implement this in to your environment.

First thing First lets configure 2 Windows 2008 R2 server with NLB, in my test environment the two servers are XenApp.ctxlab.com (192.168.219.129) and XenApp2.ctxlab.com (192.168.219.131) and the NLB address will be XANLB.ctxlab.com (192.168.219.135).

1. Install the Network Load Balancing feature on both servers that will be hosting both the WI.

2. Once NLB is installed start the NLB manager and right click to create new cluster.

3. Enter the first member in the NLB cluster and click Connect and the Next

4. Check that the IP address is correct and put a tick in the retain suspended state (to help avoid a webserver kicking in after rebooting during controlled maintenance) and click next.

5. Enter the clusters IP address and Subnet Mask and click on OK.

6. Add in the FQDN of the cluster and change the Cluster mode to Multicast.

7. Click on edit to the current port.

8. Change the port range to 80-80 and the protocol to TCP

9. Once the port is changed click on finish.

10. You should now see the first member of the cluster added correctly and add the other member of the cluster. I wont give a description of each point here as this is done in nearly the exact same way as above I'd add the screenshots to help if anyone gets stuck.

11. Once you have added the second member to the cluster you should now see both members working correctly.

I Have Moved......

2013-05-24T19:10:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that i'll no longer be updating this blog as I've finally pulled my finger out and started up my own business - www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk!

All the information on this blog is on the new website so don't hesitate to have a look at all the new content.

CHECK US OUT....!

www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk

An error occurred while making the requested connection

2013-03-19T13:59:00.002+00:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

Recently I had an issue where I was getting the following error when trying to launch a Virtual Desktop via a CAG.

Upon looking closer at the issue I noticed that the Web Interface config had not been setup right and the URL for the STA was actually missing the correct path (http://IPAddressOfDDC/scripts/ctxsta.dll) to the STA and once it was changes to the correct format the Virtual Desktops could launch successfully.

If you have the same issue check the event logs of the Web Interface and see if event ID's 30016 and 30205 are being logged.

Hope this helps someone out.

How to delete License's on XenDesktop

2013-03-18T10:59:00.000+00:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

Every now and then you'll find that you might need to delete a few licenses on your XenDesktop installation generally due to over usage, bit of a pain when a user gets this error as it displays an error about not enough licenses available.

First from where you have installed the license server run the following commands from C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Licensing\LS

udadmin -list

This will display who is currently using a license and when it is due to expire.

siobhan.andrews XDT_ENT_UD 2013.0815
stephen.dunn XDT_ENT_UD 2013.0815
steve.jerome XDT_ENT_UD 2013.0731
suzanne.ballantine XDT_ENT_UD 2013.0815
sylvia.munn XDT_ENT_UD 2013.0815
teena.omara XDT_ENT_UD 2013.0815

Next find the user who you want to delete and then type the following command.

udadmin -f XDT_ENT_UD -user teena.omara -delete

you have now released a license

Examples
udadmin -list
Displays all the users and devices.

udadmin -list -a
Lists all features, versions, counts of licenses, and the users and devices for each feature.

udadmin -f XDT_ENT_UD -user u8.08 -delete
Releases one user from one feature.

udadmin -f XDT_ENT_UD -device dn01.88 -delete
Releases one device from one feature.

This operation cannot be performed because the specified virtual disk could not be found.

2013-02-14T08:57:00.000+00:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

Just had a customer who got the following error when booting a VM

"This operation cannot be performed because the specified virtual disk could not be found."

Turns out that sometimes if you have an ISO mounted in the DVD drive this can sometimes cause the above error.

Hope this helps someone out.

Poor performance with AMD

2013-02-08T17:52:00.000+00:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

Had some fun recently with some Dell server’s and getting any type of respectable performance from the VM’s on each Xenserver host.

Turns out that if you have a AMD Opteron 62** it is only support on 6.0.2 XenServer (this is all it should require) and even after running the upgrade to 6.0.2 it also then required HOTFIX XS602E016 and to also change the power settings in the BIOS to max power and then upgrade the XenTools of each VM.

Just thought that this might help someone if they are experiencing this type of issue.

Sluggish Windows 7/2008 - XenServer 6.1

2013-02-08T17:43:00.005+00:00

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If you get any issues with sluggish Windows 7 VM’s on XenServer 6.1 ensure you have the following hotfixes applied to the XenHost and then upgrade the XenTools on all VM’s after the Hotfixes have been applied.

XS61E003

XS61E004

XS61E006

XS61E008

XS61E009

XS61E010

Also other possible MS issue could be related to the following - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2617858

KMS with VDI

2013-02-04T10:10:00.000+00:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

Anyone doing VDI at somepoint will have to deal with MS licensing and the joys of KMS! Now if you haven't done it before and you start to read about it on the Technet and what not apparently its really easy to setup and all you need is 25 unique connections to the KMS host to start activating Windows 7 and 5 unique connections for office 2010. RUBBISH - there's loads of little "gotcha's" that both MS and Citrix don't make you aware of.

Hopefully this will help a few people out with the pain that is KMS...!

Setting up the KMS Host

NOTE: Always run a CMD in elevated mode.

Designate a KMS host – has to be 2008 R2 or Windows 7. (You can use 2003... If you have too.)
Get KMS host key from your MS volume licensing site. DO NOT USE THE KMS CLIENT KEY!
Run a cscript slmgr.vbs /dlv and you'll see that the KMS Host is currently using a KMS Client key.
Run cscript slmgr.vbs /ipk XXXXX-KMS-host-key-XXXXX. This changes the licensing mode to be a KMS Host instead of a KMS Client.
cscript slmgr.vbs /ato to activate your KMS Host against your MS volume licensing.
After activating the KMS key, restart the Software Protection Service.
Re-run a cscript slmgr.vbs /dlv to see the current KMS count is 0 and you'll also notice that the licensing has changes to a KMS Host.

Setting up a KMS Client

On the golden image if you have changed the license key to a MAK change back to a KMS client key. Windows automatically comes using a KMS client Key but if you need to change it back use the key from the KMS Client Key website. DO NOT ENTER THE KMS HOST KEY IN TO A CLIENT!
On the golden image type the following command to verify the DNS SRV Record: nslookup –type= srv_vlmcs._tcp
Check that you can ping the KMS host.
Attempt Windows 7 KMS Client activation using the following command: slmgr.vbs /ato
The activation attempt will fail with an error that the activation count is insufficient, this is fine but check on the KMS Host that it has received the request by running a cscript slmgr.vbs /dlv on the designated KMKS Host and the count should be 1.
Since KMS requires 25 unique activation requests to activate the clients spin up 25 desktops.
VDI-in-a-Box ensure that the activation timer is enabled within the template and for XenDesktop PVS install ensure that the vDisk is set to KMS.

Now a KMS client will automatically try to register against the KMS host using the DNS SRV record but you can speed this process up by using the VAMT 2.0 to force the activation. Select 25 or more VM’s and choose to active via KMS.

Run a cscript slmgr.vbs /dlv to see the current KMS count should be above 25, all other windows 7 VM’s will now rergister.

Setting up Office 2010

For office make sure that the KMS host has the Microsoft Office 2010 KMS Host License Pack installed along with the KMS Host Office 2010 key from the your MS volume licensing site.
On the golden image make sure that the Office 2010 installation have the KMS client key and like Windows 7 Office 2010 comes with a KMS Client key.
From a CMD run a cscript ospp.vbs /dcmid from C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14 to see the CMID.
Start a new CMD and run the following command to allow access to run the Office rearm correctly - icacls C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\OfficeSoftwareProtectionPlatform /grant "Network Service:(OI)(CI)(R,W,D)" /t.
Start a CMD and run a OSPPREARM.EXE from C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\OfficeSoftwareProtectionPlatform and this will clear the CMID.
Rerun a cscript ospp.vbs /dcmid and you'll see the CMID is now cleared.
Save and/or publish image so that it is now live, if you are using VDI-in-a-Box make sure you tick the "reset activation timer" in the template.
Activate Office 2010 on 5 desktops by running a CMD from %programfiles(x86)%\microsoft office\office14\cscript ospp.vbs /act (note: activation will fail for the first 5 desktops and you can also use VAMT 2.0 to do this.)
Veryify that unique CMIDs are created for each desktop by running %programfiles(x86)%\microsoft office\office14\cscript ospp.vbs /dcmid
On desktop number 6, KMS activation should work without errors.

I hope this help a few people out and if i get some time I'll put some screenshots of the commands being run just to give a little bit more help.

Troubleshooting Tips
if you have to re-enter a office KMS key as you are currently using a MAK use the following command from %programfiles%\Microsoft Office\Office14.

cscript ospp.vbs /inpkey:

Thanks

Citrix Access Gateway - Recovery Mode

2013-02-04T09:31:00.003+00:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

I had an issue this week where I'd setup a XenDesktop environment and everything was looking good and internal testing showed everything was working as it should be. I moved on to the configuration of the CAG VPX and after configuring just the hostname, Licensing, STA, Access List, Logon Points and the Date and time the CAG would restart it self over and over again until it went in to Recovery Mode.

Upon troubleshooting I started to configure the CAG bit by bit and I found that once I configured the STA the CAG would then restart - very strange.

So I enabled logging on the DDC using the Log EnablerV3 and I could see that I was getting STA error's logged in the broker log, so i started to think that this must have been a dodgy install even though XD installer didn't highlight anything once it had finshed.

So I had a quick peek in the registry and i could see under the following key that the STA identifier wasn't created correctly.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\DesktopServer

So I re-ran the Broker_Service_x64.msi from the XD iso and then refreshed the registry and I could now see that the STA identifier was now correctly configured in the registry.

Hope this helps someone out.

1030 Connection Error - VDI-in-a-Box

2012-11-22T11:56:00.002+00:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

Had an issue the other day on VDI-in-a-Box 5.1.1 where remote access was through a CAG 5.04 and i was getting the dreaded 1030 error!

Checked all the usual places to check for a 1030 error.

Is the STA generated from the vdiMrg in the CAG.
Used an SSL checker to see if the SSL was created correctly.
Checked that the vDesktop DHCP range is in the ICA access control list on the CAG.
CHecked that the correct ports are opened up on the firewall.

just to name a few.

If you log in to the vdiMgr console and go to advance properties and look under gateways ensure that you have specified the "Internal HDX gateway IP Addresses" which HAS TO point to the internal IP address of the CAG.

A way you can test if you 1030 error is because the "Internal HDX gateway IP Addresses" is wrong is by downloaded and saving the ICA file and seeing if it has been marked with the internal IP address of the vDesktops rather than with the STA.

VDI-in-a-Box - Best Practices

2012-11-07T16:08:00.000+00:00

Best Practices: Scale One by One

Creating the VDI-in-a-Box Grid

Start with one server then expand, or one image then expand
Scale the grid one server at a time
Keep host versions consistent
Assign static IP addresses to servers
Use of thin provisioning to cut down dramatically on disk space
Size your server using recommended best practice
Ensure that you can generate desktops and users can log on before adding a second or third or fourth server to the grid.

Joining servers to the Grid

Do not join multiple servers at the same time
Let the second server join, receive images, provision desktops before joining the third

Use IP addresses instead of DNS names

To remove the dependency on DNS
For setting up the hypervisor connection
For the vdiManager console when configuring the Grid
For the Active Directory User database connection

Create a base image

Start with an ISO to create a base published image
Test this base image first and use this to make additional copies for production
Keep image sizes small (20-30GB). Less storage space consumed
Create one domain administrator account for both user authentication (Active Directory) and for image syspreps
Minimize password changes to accounts. You can do this by creating special “Citrix” accounts

Ports

vdiManager <> Hypervisor | HTTP over SSL/TLS (HTTPS):443
vdiManager <> Active Directory | LDAP:389 | LDAP over SSL/TLS (LDAPS):636
Endpoint <> vdiManager | HTTP over SSL/TLS (HTTPS):443
Endpoint <> Secure Remote Access (CAG VPX) |HTTP over SSL/TLS (HTTPS):443
Desktop Receiver <> Virtual Desktop | ICA:1494 or 2598 RDP:3389

Logins and username and passwords

Management COnsole https://vdiMgrIPaddress/admin - Account: vdiadmin/kaviza
VDI-in-a-Box appliance logon (vdiMgrIPaddress) - User: kvm/kaviza123|User: root/kaviza123
User logon from a web browser https://vdiMgrIPaddres
User logon from the Java Client http://vdiMgrIPaddres/dt/vdiclient.jnlp
User logon from mobile devices http://vdiMgrIPaddres/dt/PNAgent/config.xml

Migrating the Datastore from SQL Express to SQL 2005 or SQL 2008

2012-11-07T11:29:00.002+00:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

I was recently at a client that had a requirement to migrate their Datastore from an old XenApp server to the enterprise class SQL cluster, the only problem was that the Datastore was a SQL Express 2005 database and which was due to go on to a SQL 2008 instance.

Citrix offers good pointers for migrating from Access to SQL/Oracle, Oracle to SQL, SQL to Oracle and same version SQL to SQL but nothing for SQL Express to SQL.

My saviour came in the form of Carl Webster (the accidental Citrix Admin) www.carlwebster.com.

Migrating from one database version to the other might be necessary to move the data store to a more powerful server. The best method for migrating between versions of the database is to back up and restore the database using the utilities provided by the database software vendor.

To point a Citrix XenApp Server farm to a new database complete the following steps. For the best performance, complete this procedure on the data collectors after all other servers are reconfigured.

Back up the existing farm database.

Create a new blank database on the destination SQL instance

Create a new DSN file that points to the new database:

Click Start -> Administrative Tools -> Data Sources (ODBC).

Note: What is ODBC? This is taken from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/110093

"Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is Microsoft's strategic interface for accessing data in a heterogeneous environment of relational and non- relational database management systems. Based on the Call Level Interface specification of the SQL Access Group, ODBC provides an open, vendor- neutral way of accessing data stored in a variety of proprietary personal computer, minicomputer, and mainframe databases.

ODBC alleviates the need for independent software vendors and corporate developers to learn multiple application programming interfaces. ODBC now provides a universal data access interface. With ODBC, application developers can allow an application to concurrently access, view, and modify data from multiple, diverse databases."

Click the File DSN Tab.

Note: What is the difference between "User DSN", "System DSN" and "File DSN"? This is taken from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/213772.

User DSN: The User DSN is a data source that is user-specific. A User DSN is stored locally but is available only to the user who creates it.

System DSN: Unlike a User DSN, a System DSN is not user-specific. A System DSN is stored locally and is not dedicated to a particular user. Any user who logs on to a computer that has permission to access the data source can use a System DSN. Some programs, such as Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), require a System DSN. This DSN must be created on the server where the program is located. System DSNs are stored in the Windows registry under the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Odbc\Odbc.ini\Odbc Data sources

File DSN: The File DSN is created locally and can be shared with other users. The File DSN is file-based, which means that the .dsn file contains all the information required to connect to the data source. Note that you must install the ODBC driver locally to use a File DSN. File DSNs are not stored in the Windows registry. The .dsn file is a text file that you can view in any text editor, such as Microsoft Notepad.

Change the Look in to C:\Program Files\Citrix\Independent Management Architecture. The new DSN must be placed in this folder. The IMASERVICE service is programmed to look in only this folder.

Click the Add button.

Click on SQL Server and click Next.

Type in C:\Program Files\Citrix\Independent Management Architecture\WebsterFarmDSMF20.dsn and click Next.

Note: The DSN can be named anything as long as it has a .dsn file extension. It does not need to contain "MF20" anywhere in the name.

Click Finish.

Enter a Description and type in the name of the SQL Server and click Next.

If a successful connection to the SQL Server is made click Next. A common problem is the Windows Firewall is not configured to allow SQL traffic (TCP Port 1433). To configure an instance of SQL Server 2005 to use a static port, follow the steps described in the "How to: Configure a Server to Listen on a Specific TCP Port (SQL Server Configuration Manager)" topic in SQL Server 2005 Books Online.

Note: If SQL Server is set to use a static port, click Client Configuration, then uncheck Dynamically determine port and enter the value for the static port number.

If the account listed in the grayed out Login ID authenticates successfully to the SQL Server, Change the default database to the new SQL Server data store and click Next.

Note: One problem could be the Login ID account is not setup to access the SQL Server.

Click Finish.

Click Test Data Source.

If the message TESTS COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY is shown, click OK. Otherwise, you will need to troubleshoot the ODBC connection to the SQL Server.

Click OK.

Your new DSN is created. Click OK.

Run the dsmaint config command on the server with the new DSN file:

dsmaint CONFIG /user:LAB\Administrator /pwd:Password1 /dsn:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Independent Management Architecture\XA65LABDS.dsn"

Stop and restart the IMA Service.

Important: Restarting the IMA Service instead of restarting the server might cause the SNMP service to initiate Dr. Watson if SNMP is enabled. This error is benign.

Ensure that the server is pointing to the new data store by checking the following registry setting:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\IMA\DataSourceName

If the IMA Service started successfully, copy the new DSN file to all servers in the farm.

Run the dsmaint config command to change the IMA Service configuration on all remaining servers in the farm.

Stop and restart the IMA Service on all servers in the farm.

Internet Explorer crashes in XenDesktop

2012-11-06T21:22:00.000+00:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

Recently had issue in XenDesktop where IE would just randomly crash. No event logged nothing!

Now I find there's a few ways that you can troubleshoot this problem.

Log directly in to a vDesktop and see if you can replicate the issue.
Check\Change the version of Citrix Receiver that is install on the endpoint.
Check\Change the version of flash that is installed on the endpoint.

If none of the above point you in the right direction try deleting the following regkey from the vDesktop and updating your MCS or PVS image.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\CtxHook\AppInit_Dlls\HDXMediaStreamForFlash\iexplore.exe

XenDesktop Virtual Channels

2012-09-25T10:00:00.000+01:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

This blog describes how to change the Virtual Channel Priorities in the VDA in XenDesktop 5 and above and it also has which

Virtual channels are used within an ICA connection exchange specific types of information between a client and server application. A few of the Virtual Channels implemented by Citrix are sound, graphics, CDM, USB, and printing. Based on different user scenarios, Virtual Channels priorities may need to be changed to lessen interactions between different types of content. This article describes how to change priorities of Virtual Channels in XenDesktop 5.

Remote Session Screen Update (THINWIRE) - CTXTW  ,0
Seamless Windows Screen Update (THINWIRE) - CTXTWI ,0
Clipboard - CTXCLIP,1
Client Audio Mapping - CTXCAM ,1
License Management - CTXLIC ,1
Video Server (Dead – Remember VideoFrame ?) - CTXVFM ,1
Program Neighborhood - CTXPN  ,1
CTXSBR ,1
Windows Media Redirection - CTXMM  ,1
Flash - CTXFLSH,1
USB - CTXGUSB,1
Smart Cards - CTXSCRD,1
Still cant find this one - CTXCTL ,1
End User Experience Monitoring - CTXEUEM,1
Client COM Port Mapping - CTXCCM ,2
Client Drive Mapping - CTXCDM ,3
Client Management (Auto-Update) - CTXCM  ,3
Printer Mapping for Non-Spooling Clients - CTXLPT1,3
Printer Mapping for Non-Spooling Clients - CTXLPT2,3
Printer Mapping for Non-Spooling Clients - CTXCOM1,3
Printer Mapping for Non-Spooling Clients - CTXCOM2,3
Printer Mapping for Spooling Clients (nearly all) - CTXCPM ,3
OEMOEM2,3
OEMOEM ,3

If you want to implement these virtual channels on a VDA add the following regkey

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\GroupPolicy\Defaults\

Then create a MULTI_SZ named “VirtualChannelPriority” with the following contents but change these to your requirements:

CTXTW  ,0
CTXTWI ,0
CTXCLIP,1
CTXCAM ,1
CTXLIC ,1
CTXVFM ,1
CTXPN  ,1
CTXSBR ,1
CTXMM  ,1
CTXFLSH,1
CTXGUSB,1
CTXSCRD,1
CTXCTL ,1
CTXEUEM,1
CTXCCM ,2
CTXCDM ,3
CTXCM  ,3
CTXLPT1,3
CTXLPT2,3
CTXCOM1,3
CTXCOM2,3
CTXCPM ,3
OEMOEM2,3
OEMOEM ,3

Windows 7 Optimization and GPO's Settings

2012-09-18T14:05:00.003+01:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

Hi Guys,

I’d get my ideas down and put them up for discussion but no doubt over time I'll expand on this but this gives you a good base to work from.

Some are from Citrix best practices but the rest are what I think should be changed.

http://support.citrix.com/servlet/KbServlet/download/25161-102-648285/XD%20-%20Windows%207%20Optimization%20Guide.pdf

Disable following services

This can be done on the VM itself or via GPO added the settings to the below section.

Background Intelligent Transfer Service

Desktop Windows Manager Session Manager

Function Discovery Resource Publication

HomeGroup listener

HomeGroup provider

Offline Files

Security Center

SuperFetch

System Restore

Windows Defender

Windows Media Player Sharing Service

Group Policies applied to Windows 7 VM - Computer

Error Reporting: Administrative Templates – Windows Components – Windows Error Reporting Disable Windows Error Reporting: Enabled

Windows Update: Administrative Templates – Windows Components – Windows Updates Configure Automatic Updates: Disabled

System Restore: Administrative templates – System – System Restore Turn off System Restore: Enabled

Group Policies applied to Windows 7 VM - Users

Screensaver :Administrative Templates – Control Panel – Personalization

Enable screen saver: Enabled

Prevent changing screen saver: Enabled

Password protect screen saver: Enabled

Screen saver timeout: Enabled – 600 seconds

Force specific screen saver: Enabled – scrnsave.scr

Force folder redirection: Enabled (Include AppData, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Favourites and Pictures and Music depending on how strict we want to be.)

Ensure each folder redirection is setup like so.

Add following via registry preferences through a GPO

Force Offscreen Composition for Internet Explorer: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main] "Force Offscreen Composition"=dword:00000001

Reduce Menu Show Delay: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop] "MenuShowDelay"="150"

Disable all Visual Effects:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects] "VisualFXSetting"=dword:00000003

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics] "MinAnimate"="0"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced] "ListviewAlphaSelect"=dword:00000000 "TaskbarAnimations"=dword:00000000 "ListviewWatermark"=dword:00000000

"ListviewShadow"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop] "DragFullWindows"="0" "FontSmoothing"="0" "UserPreferencesMask"=binary:90,12,01,80 ,10,00,00,00

Citrix Profile Manager GPO – Version 4 and above

IMPORTANT: make sure the version of the ADM added to the GPO is exactly the same as the version of the installation that is in the image.

Profile Management – Enable Profile Management - Enabled

Profile Management – Processed groups: Enabled (add AD groups containing required users)

Profile Management – Process logons of local Administrators: Disabled

Profile Management – Path to Store: Enabled (specify path to store)

Profile Management – Active write back: Enabled

Profile Management – Profile Handling – Template profile: Enable (if we want to standardise user profiles)

Profile Management – Advanced settings – Process Internet cookies files on logoff: Enabled

Profile Management – Log Settings – Enable logging: Enabled

Profile Management – File System – Exclusion list – Directories

$Recycle.Bin

AppData\LocalLow

AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files

AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Burn

AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live

AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Contacts

AppData\Local\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client

AppData\Local\Microsoft\Messenger

AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneNote

AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

AppData\Local\Windows Live

AppData\Local\Temp

AppData\Local\Sun

AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Cache

AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Cached Theme Images

AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

AppData\Roaming\Sun\Java\Deployment\cache

AppData\Roaming\Sun\Java\Deployment\log

AppData\Roaming\Sun\Java\Deployment\tmp

Profile Management – File System – Synchronization – folders to mirror: Enabled (AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies)

Profile Management – Streamed user profile – Profile Streaming: Enabled

Changes applied directly to VM

Disable Large Send Offload :[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BNNS\Parameters] "EnableOffload"=dword:00000000

Disable TCP/IP Offload :[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters] "DisableTaskOffload"=dword:00000001

Increase Service Startup Timeout [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control] "ServicesPipeTimeout"=dword:0002bf20

Hide Hard Error Messages [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Windows] "ErrorMode"=dword:00000002

Disable CIFS Change Notifications :[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer] "NoRemoteRecursiveEvents"=dword:00000001

Disable Logon Screensaver :[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop] "ScreenSaveActive"="0"

Modify C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu to reflect a “tidy” start menu

Optimizer

If we are using a PVS in an environment ensure that the PVS optimizer is run at least once on image or at the end of each image update process just to be on the safe side.

One time changes

Disable Boot Animation: bcdedit /set bootux disabled

Remove unused Windows components : Windows Media Center, DVD Maker, Tablet Components

Page file : Minimum and maximum the same

Final actions to be performed at each image update process.

Disk Cleanup

Run defragmentation

Optimize Antivirus

Clear event logs

Run a windows updates (potential)

Rerun PVS optimizer if client is using a PVS

XenDesktop Planning

2012-08-30T17:00:00.002+01:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

Where and how do you start with planning a XenDesktop deployment??? After looking around the web for a bit I came to a conclusion that there really isn't anything out there that lays out exactly what you need and in what order to do it.

So after thumbling around the edocs that Citrix have on XenDesktop, finding some really good knowledge base articles and basically going through the installation of XenDesktop a few times this is what I've come up with.

By no means am I saying this is the correct way or order to do a deployment every single time but it will give you (and me...) a good starting point to work from, highlight a few options you should consider before you get started and basically just help you out.

VM Desktop (Golden Image)
It's important that you plan your "golden image" appropriately and decide on how you want to deploy your virtual desktops, are you going to use MCS or PVS? Are you going install all apps on your image or use XenApp? These are just some of the questions you need to ask yourself before you start, have a read of the Preparing a Master VM eDocs article.

What OS is required?
Ensure that the hard disk for the master VM is attached at device location 0.
Ensure you set enough hard drive space as this cannot be changed at a later date. vCpu's and memory can be changed though.
Install on the VM the appropriate integration tools for your hypervisor.
If you plan to deliver desktops from pooled and dedicated machines, join the VM to the domain of which you want users' desktops to be members and ensure that the master VM is available on the host where you want to create the machines.
Install the Virtual Desktop Agent from the XenDesktop installation media.
Install any third-party tools require such as AV.
Install and configure any third-party applications that you do not want to virtualize. Remember Citrix recommends virtualizing applications and delivering them to users' desktops with XenApp.

Note: In the case of streamed machines, image a vDisk from your master target device before you join the master target device to a domain - have a read of the following doc.

If you plan to deliver desktops from pooled and dedicated machines, Citrix recommends that you create a snapshot of your master VM and name the snapshot in a way that allows you to identify the master VM in the future. If you specify a VM rather than a snapshot when creating a pooled or dedicated machine catalog, Desktop Studio will create a snapshot for you but you will not be able to name it.

VDA
When installing the VDA ask yourself the following questions before you begin, a lot of this information I found dotted around and there was not a defined things to look out for a consider.

What VDA do you require? VDA for HDX 3D Pro or just the standard VDA? Remember if you require 3D pro you need to obtain your Key file beforehand.
Choose advanced Install unless you are setting up a POC without personal vDisks or HDX 3D Pro, in which case you can select Quick Deploy.
Remember to launch the install through the autorun and not by double clicking on the standalone installer.
If you are using Personal vDisks what drive letters are already currently in use? if you require to change the drive letter follow this article.
Do you want HA for the VDA? This is not an alternative to other HA solutions.
Have you meet all the VDA requirements?
What discovery method are you going to use to communicate with the controller? AD or registry based?

Planning your Database

XenDesktop 5 and upwards is now fully dependant on an SQL database, all information is stored on the database and controllers communicate only with the database and not with each other. Things to be considered and planned for are.

Windows authentication must be used when connecting to the database.
SQL Express can be used but should only be when doing a POC. Remember Express doesn't offer any kind clustering or mirroring.
Check the database requirements.
Citrix recommends that you use a HA solution for your database using either the hypervisior's HA feature, SQL mirroring or SQL clustering with mirroring being Citrix's preferred method.

Note: If you want to mirror the XenDesktop database, ensure that the database uses the full recovery model and not the simple model. When Desktop Studio is used to create a database on an external SQL server, the database is configured to use the simple model by default; this means the transaction log cannot be backed up and the database cannot be mirrored. To ensure the database is configured to use the full recovery model, create the database manually and then use Desktop Studio to generate the necessary setup scripts to be run on the database.

Planning your Controller

For desktops to be usable they must register with the correct controller or with any one of the controllers if there are more than one. Here is a good read on Controller planning but things to consider are...

How will your controller be discovered? AD or registry based?
Do you require SSL communication between controllers?
Is your SQL server spec'ed enough to handle possible boot stroms?
Is the site capacity too much for your controller to handle and will you possibly have to "Scale up" and add more resources to your controller and SQL or will you "Scale Out" and create a new site with its own controller and SQL. Here is a very good article on scaling.

XenDesktop Install

To be totally honest the install of XenDesktop is dead straight forward, its knowing how you want it configured and setup to provide you or your client with the best experience. Things to consider before you start your install on Xendesktop are.

How are you going to split the components?
Do you already have an existing license server that you can use?
What SQL server are you going to use? More about this later.
Is a firewall enabled on the controller? if so are the necessary ports open?
Have you installed the prerequisite? or will you let the install do it for you?

Configuring a XenDesktop site

Before you start to configure your XenDesktop environment it's a good idea to have a few of the following details already decided on before you begin as there is nothing worse than having to do something twice!!!

Specify a site name.
Licensing server name and port. NOTE: you will not be prompted for a license server if you've installed the license server component on the controller.
Specify the database to use.
What hyperversior will you be using? VMware, XenServer or Hyper-V? If you are using vmware you may need to either purchase a CA certificate or amend the the proxy.xml on the vCenter.
Cluster to use along with the Networking that the VM's will use on the hypervisor.
Storage to be used along with the personal vDisk storage if required.

Also another thing to consider when thinking about sites is do you require site failover for DR? You have a couple of options here but from a very high overview you have a couple of options.

Configuring the Web Interface RecoveryFarm setting with a list of alternate sites.
Use a NetScaler to intelligently load balance and validate that Web Interface and XML services.
Fault tolerance can be increased yet further by using the Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) features of NetScaler.

Choosing the Machine Type

It does help to have the machine type that you require decided on before you start to create your catalog's. What machine type you require will also decide what image delivery option you need to take - MCS or PVS. See below for some brief information on MCS vs PVS.

Here is a VERY quick overview of what each desktop is and who it best suits, read the following article for more information.

Pooled - Desktops that are allocated to users on a per-session, first-come first-served basis. Pooled-random machines are assigned to users at each logon and returned to the pool when they log off. Perfect for task workers who require standardized desktops, who share workstation and do not require to install applications.

Dedicated - Desktops that are assigned to individual users. Machines can be assigned manually or automatically assigned to the first user to connect to them. Whenever users request a desktop, they are always connected to the same machine, so you can allow users to personalize their desktops to suit their needs.

Existing - The existing machine type enables you to use XenDesktop to manage and deliver user desktops that you have already migrated to VMs in the data center.

Physical - The physical machine type enables you to use XenDesktop to manage user desktops hosted on dedicated workstations or blade PCs, this enables you to support small numbers of users who have particularly demanding performance requirements.

Streamed - The streamed machine type enables you to deliver desktops to VMs and blade PCs that have been configured to load the operating system over the network from Provisioning services. Target devices are managed in Provisioning services as a device collection and the desktops are delivered from a Provisioning services vDisk imaged from a master target device. Using Provisioning services to deliver desktops enables you to leverage the processing power of existing hardware, while realizing all the benefits of centralized desktop management.

Machine Catalog

Machine catalog is a collections of VM's or physical computers are managed as a single entity and can only contain one machine type.

Pooled or dedicated machine catalog

A host with sufficient processors, memory, and storage to accommodate the number of machines you plan to create.
master VM from which to create the desktops.
An admin AD account or enough pre-created AD computer accounts to use.

Existing or physical machine catalog

VMs or dedicated blade PCs hosting user desktops.
Active Directory user and computer accounts to assign to the VMs or blade PCs.

Streamed machine catalog

A Provisioning services deployment with a vDisk.
Device collections configured to load the vDisk over the network.
AD computer accounts managed by PVS for each target device in the device collections.

PVS or Machine Creation Service?

As we are talking about machine types and catalogs I thought it best that we now add a little bit about whether to go with a PVS or use MCS. Just a few points to note on this matter and also read this article which has some really good pointers in.

MCS Pro's

Simpler to manage than PVS.
Ideal for smaller deployments.
Uses technology within the hypervisor and doesn't require an additional server(s) .

MCS Con's

In some tests, it was shown that MCS required 1.5x as many IOPS on the SAN as PVS.
MCS can only use dynamic disks, which incurs the expansion penalty during boot storms and reboots.
MCSs is limited in that it is meant for hosted VDI desktops only, pooled or dedicated.

PVS Pro's

Reduced IOPS compared to MCS.
Ideal for large deployments.
Organizations looking to utilize a hosted shared desktop model, a streamed VHD model or a Hosted VDI model with blade PCs can use be provided by a PVS.

PVS Con's

To some the additional steps required to manage a PVS prove to complicated.
Requires additional server(s) to host the PVS.

Client\User Considerations

Without doubt you will have to consider what the needs, wants and experience that a client\user requires. some pointers for things to consider

How are you going to Delegate Administration Tasks?
How are you going to manage printers?
Do you require USB devices within XenDesktop?
How are you going to configure the HDX policies? do you have a baseline?
What connection timers will suit your/their needs?
Do you require Workspace Control to be enabled?
What applications are required for the client/user? Are they even supported in XenDesktop or even XenApp.

This blog will be an ever expanding post but if you feel you would like to add something please don't hesitate to post your thoughts and i'll add them.

Hope this helps.

Event ID 10128 on Master Image

2012-08-29T14:53:00.003+01:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

In my POC environment I was getting the following event id that was stopping me from connecting to a virtual desktop

The WinRM service is not listening for HTTP requests because there was a failure binding to the URL (http://+:80/wsman/) in HTTP.SYS.
No remote requests will be serviced on that URL.
User Action
Please use "netsh http" to check if ACL for URL (http://+:80/wsman/) is set to Network Service.
Additional Data
The error code received from HTTP.sys is 5: Access is denied.
For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Once I ran the below command on the golden image, shut it down and took a snapshot and updated the catalogue to the updated image I could connect to the virtual desktop without any problems.

winrm set winrm/config/Service @{EnableCompatibilityHttpListener="true"}

Error: Unable to contact the Hypervisor

2012-08-29T10:47:00.002+01:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

I came across this error recently when doing a POC for XenDesktop on Vmware ESXi 5.

Error: Unable to contact the hypervisor. Check that the address, user name, and password are correct; the Controller and hypervisor are connected; and the SSL certificates have been set up correctly if you are using HTTPS.

To get around this issue I had to change the Proxy.xml file located on the Virtual Center to accept HTTP communication which is located in the following directory

C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\proxy.xml

Find the following sections of the XML file and change them from "httpWithRedirect" to "httpAndHttps"

Now from the knowledge base article its a tad confusing which part of the xml file you need to change, ignore the id= part and just look for "/" and change the access mode and also look for "/sdk"and change the access mode.

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX125578

Citrix XenApp failed to connect to the Data Store

2012-08-22T15:00:00.002+01:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

Recently ran in to an error where I couldn't connect to any XenApp server using the AppCenter and I was getting the following errors within the system event log.

Event ID 3989
Citrix XenApp failed to connect to the Data Store. ODBC error while connecting to the database: 28000 -> [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][SQL Server]Login failed. The login is from an untrusted domain and cannot be used with Windows authentication.

Event ID 3632
The server running Citrix XenApp failed to connect to the data store. Invalid database user name or password. Please make sure they are correct. If not, use DSMAINT CONFIG to change them. Error: IMA_RESULT_ACCESS_DENIED Indirect: 0 Server: DSN file: C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Independent Management Architecture\mf20.dsn

Event ID 3612
The server running Citrix XenApp failed to connect to the Data Store IMA_RESULT_ACCESS_DENIED. Invalid database user name or password. Please make sure they are correct. If not, use DSMAINT CONFIG to change them.

Now it turns out that the farm was configured to use the administrator account for access to the datastore and when the domain administrator password was changed these errors start to appear.

To get round this issue (Not use the domain admin account!!!) run the following DSMAINT command and set the correct password for the administrator account.

DSMAINT CONFIG /user:domain\administrator /pwd:password

Ideally you should change the account used for this to a different account that is used for XenApp only.

Mobile Devices and CAG VPX

2012-08-14T17:30:00.004+01:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

Ok have you run in to the lovely issue with trying to configure a mobile device such as an iOS device or android to connect to a XenApp service site via a CAG VPX? We'll after reading all the edocs, multiple forums posts and just at of playing I finally got it working.

You may run in to an error and be presented with the following message

"The address given did not provide a valid App list. Please check the address, gateway settings, and your network connection.”"

I've spent a load of time on this and i could never find any documentation that specified what exactly was needed..... do I need to add config.xml to the basic logon point? Do use FQDN or Netbios....Ahh!

Anyways lets begin

Before you start

A Web Interface of 5.4 but at least 5.x.
Access Gateway 5.02 or above.
FQDN certs and intermediate cert.

Web Interface

Create a service site called /mobile but can be anything you choose.
Name farm and add Servers to the site along with XML port and transport type.
Configure the mobile site with "Gateway Direct" in secure access
Add address of externally FQDN (cagaddress.domain.com)
Set STA as http://XASrv.domain.com:port/scripts/ctxsta.dll
Authentications point at Web Interface
Set Authentication Method to Prompt

Access Gateway

Configure ICA Access Control List - ICA and SR.
Configure STA - Exact setting you configured for the WI.
Configure authentication profile you require.
add cert and make sure you also add the intermediate cert and then Chain the certs.
Create a Basic Logon Point called Mobile and check Authenticate with Web Interface
Website Configuration:

Home Page - http://XASrv/mobile/config.xml

Web Address - http://XASrv/mobile/config.xml

Note: for the Web Address also try just "http://XASrv"

Citrix Receiver mobile

The Root CA certificate that created the AG certificate must be present on the mobile device.
iPad - URL https://cagaddress.domain.com/lp/mobile
iPhone - URL https://cagaddress.domain.com/lp/mobile/http/XASrv/mobile/config.xml

Use the Online URL Generator http://bit.ly/URL_Generator to create simple way of setting up the receiver.

If you think i've missed something off please dont hesitate to let me know.

XenApp 6.5 Policies Best Practices

2012-08-01T17:15:00.001+01:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

Well not as such but this is what I setup for a baseline for each and every XenApp server I setup. It gives you a good starting point to work from and from this point you can then go on to create additional policy to suit your needs and then apply the additional policy with the use of filters so that it applies to the correct group. This is a mixture of policies that are recommended by Citrix and some that i just like to add in, the Citrix policies were taken from CTX134081 but this article also gives you some great pointers on UPM and Windows GPO's.

If you have any other policies that you like to set in your baseline policies and/or WAN/LAN/Tablet please post them.

XenApp Baseline User Policy.
Apply this policy as your baseline to all users connecting to your XenApp farm.

ICA\Adobe Flash Delivery\Flash Redirection
Flash acceleration - Enabled
Flash default behavior - Enable Flash Redirection
Flash event logging - Enabled
Flash intelligent fallback - Enabled
Flash latency threshold - 30 milliseconds
ICA\Audio
Audio Plug N Play - Allow
Audio quality - Medium
Client audio redirection - Allow
Client microphone redirection - Prohibit
ICA\Desktop UI
Desktop wallpaper - Allowed
Menu animation - Allowed
View window contents while dragging - prohibited
ICA\File Redirection
Client floppy drives - Prohibit
Client optical drives - Prohibit
Host to client redirection Disable
Read-only client drive access - Disable
Use asynchronous writes - Enabled
ICA\Port Redirection
Auto connect client COM ports - Disable
Auto connect client LPT ports - Disable
Client COM port redirection - Disable
Client LPT port redirection - Disable
ICA\Printing
Client printer redirection - Allow
Default printer - Set to client’s main printer
Printer auto creation log preference - Errors
Wait for printers to be created (desktop) - Disabled
ICA\Printing\Client Printers
Auto-create client printers - Default printer only
Auto-generate generic universal driver - Disabled
Client printer names - Standard names
Direct connections to print servers - enabled
Retained and restored client printers - Allowed
ICA\Printing\Drivers
Automatic installation of in-bo printer drivers - Disabled
Universal driver usage - Use Universal Printing only if requested driver is unavailable
ICA\Printing\Universal Printing
Universal printing EMF processing mode - Spool to printer
Universal printing image compression limit - Best Quality
Universal printing optimization defaults - Standard Quality
Caching of embedded images
Caching of embedded fonts
Universal printing preview preference - Use for auto-generated and generic
ICA\Session Limits
Linger Disconnect Timer Interval - 5 Minutes
Linger Terminate Timer Interval - 10 Minutes
Pre-Launch Disconnect Timer Interval - 15 Minutes
Pre-Launch Terminate Timer Interval - 30 Minutes
ICA\Shadowing
Log shadow attempts - Allow
Notify user of pending shadow connections - Allow
Users who can shadow other users - Defined by security
ICA\Time Zone Control
Estimate local time for legacy clients - Enable
Use local time of client - Use Client time zone
ICA\TWAIN devices
Client TWAIN device redirection - Enabled
TWAIN compression level - low
ICA\Visual Display\Moving Images
Moving Image Compression - Enabled
Server Session Settings
Session importance - Normal
Single Sign-on - Disabled

XenApp Baseline Computer Policy Setting.
Apply this policy as your baseline to all Servers in your XenApp farm.

ICA
ICA listener connection timeout - 120000 ms
ICA listener port number - 1494
ICA\Auto Client Reconnect
Auto client reconnect - Allow
Auto client reconnect authentication Not required Require
Auto client reconnect logging Disabled
ICA\End User Monitoring
ICA round trip calculation - Enable
ICA round trip calculations for idle connections - Disable
ICA\Graphics
Display memory limit 32768 KB
Display mode degrade preference - Degrade Color Depth First
Dynamic Windows preview - Enabled
Image caching - Enabled
Maimum allowed color depth 32 bit
Notify user when display mode is degraded - Disabled
Queuing and tossing - Enabled
ICA\Graphics Caching
Persistent Cache Threshold - 3000000 Kbps
ICA\Keep Alive
ICA keep alive timeout - 60 seconds
ICA keep alives - Enabled
ICA\Multimedia
Windows Media Redirection - Allowed
ICA\Session Reliability
Session reliability connections - Prohibited
ICA Shadowing
Shadowing - Allow
Licensing
License server host name - License Server name
License server port - 27000
Server Settings
DNS address resolution - Enabled
Full icon caching - enabled
Server Settings\Health Monitoring and Recovery
Health Monitoring - Enabled
Health Monitoring tests - Use Defaults (please configure as you see fit.)
Server Settings\Memory/CPU
CPU Management server lever - preferential load balancing
Memory optimization - Enabled
Memory optimization interval - enabled
Server Settings\Reboot Behaviour
Reboot logon disable time - Choose a value to suit your clients
Reboot Schedule frequency - Choose a value to suit your clients
Reboot Schedule start date - Reboot Schedule Choose first day of the reboot
Reboot Schedule time - Choose time to restart server
Reboot warning interval - Choose interval which the users are notified about pending restart
Reboot warning users - enabled
Scheduled Reboots - enabled
XML Service
Trust XML requests - enabled
XML server port - 8080

XenApp WAN/External User Policy.
Apply this policy for users working from branch offices or remote locations with low bandwidth and/or high latency connections.

ICA\Adobe Flash Delivery\Flash Redirection
Flash acceleration - Enabled
ICA\Audio
Audio quality - Medium
ICA\Client Sensors\Location
Allow applications to use the physical locations of the client device - allowed (Tablet Devices)
ICA\Desktop UI
Desktop wallpaper - prohibited
Menu animation - prohibited
View window contents while dragging - prohibited
ICA\File Redirection
Use asynchronous writes - Enabled
ICA\Mobile Experience
Automatic Keyboard Display - Enabled (Tablet Devices)
Launch touch-optimized desktop - Enabled (Tablet Devices)
Remote the combo box - Enabled (Tablet Devices)
ICA\Printing Wait for printers to be created (desktop) - Disabled
ICA\Printing\Universal Printing
Universal printing optimization defaults - Standard Quality
Caching of embedded images
Caching of embedded fonts
ICA\TWAIN devices
Client TWAIN device redirection - Disabled
ICA\Visual Display
Max Frames per Second - 15 FPS
ICA\Visual Display\Still Images
Extra Color Compression - Enabled
Extra Color Compression Threshold - 8192 kbps
Lossy compression level - High
Lossy compression level threshold value - Unlimited

How to find your Datastore for XenApp

2012-07-23T14:47:00.000+01:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

Sometimes you inherit a customer/client that you have no details for and therefore cannot find out certain information quick enough!!!

If you need to find out where the Datastore is for a certain installation just check the following regkey.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Citrix\IMA\Database Settings.

Citrix Licensing Service will not start!!!

2012-07-20T09:32:00.001+01:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

OK I know I've not been working with Citrix as long as some people but this is the first time I've come across this this problem... For some reason on a customers Citrix environment the Citrix Licensing Service would not start...

you will get an event id something like the following

Faulting application name: lmadmin.exe, version: 11.9.0.0, time stamp: 0x4d6bbff6
Faulting module name: lmadmin.exe, version: 11.9.0.0, time stamp: 0x4d6bbff6
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x0005e222
Faulting process id: 0x2a58
Faulting application start time: 0x01cd65da86623391
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Licensing\LS\lmadmin.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Licensing\LS\lmadmin.exe
Report Id: c469cc23-d1cd-11e1-ab7b-0050568070dc

The client was running License server 11.9.0 Build 11011 and to resolve this issue i had to rename the "C:\Program Files\Citrix\Licensing\LS\conf\concurrent_state.xml" and then start the licensing service again and all works fine.

The issue is resolved in License server 11.10

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX129747

New Microsoft Excel 2010 Worksheets are Not Shown in Taskbar

2012-07-16T13:13:00.000+01:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

I came across this today when you open a new Microsoft Excel 2010 worksheet, the new sheet is not shown on the taskbar, only the main Microsoft Excel icon is shown on the taskbar.

This is because the Excel hook is not injected into any process because the seamless engine component (Sehook20.dll) responsible for the fix fails to load into the user session. Sehook20 fails to load because active accessibility hook is disabled in the Seamless Flags settings. Seamless flags are often used when troubleshooting problematic display issues.

I got round it by adding the following registry key.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Citrix\ExcelHook
Name: Enabled
Type: REG_DWORD
Data: 1

Get out the following article for more details.

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX133198 /

Citrix Session Monitoring & Control Console

2012-06-15T08:21:00.001+01:00

Please check out www.kaztechsolutions.co.uk for more of my technical posts, alternately please call us on 01932 268289.

I found this great article about Citrix Tool called "Citrix Session Monitoring & Control Console" from Thomas Koetzing that describes in detail the functions and use of SMCC.

http://www.thomaskoetzing.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=133&Itemid=205

You can also read a bit more about it on the edocs web page too.

http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xenapp65-admin/ps-printing-limiting-printing-bandwidth-all.html

The Situation:

You have performance problems with user session(s) and want to see what's going on in the session. Is the display not updated or the printing channel? Is speedscreen working or do I have network problems? You can use the performance monitor for that but there is also a GUI, the SMCC.

The running SMCCAfter you have started the SMCC you have to select a specific ICA Session. I have selected the ICA-tcp#2 of the remotely logged in Administrator. Now you will see the overall Session Data of the selected ica session. Check out the Compession, the Session Line speed or even the session Latency and also the update time.

Switch to the Session Channels

Now take a deeper look in the Admin ICA session. Switch to the Session Channels and see every single Channel that is running in the session. It depends on your MetaFrame settings which channel is active or you have allowed. For example the "old" Printing Channels (CTXLPT1, CTXLPT2), "old" COM Ports Channels (CTXCOM1, CTXCOM2), Clipboard... etc. and the main ICA Control Channel (CTXCTL).
In the Session Channels you can take Control of the Session total Bandwidth therefore use the slider, but in the next step you can take Control of each Virtual Session Channel.

Take Control of a Channel

Click on the CTXCTL and you will get the Virtual Channel Control. Now you can take control of that specific channel. Here a quick try out, copy as the Admin some megs to the mapped client drive and when the system is copying the files, open the CTXCDM and set the Priority to low and apply it You will see the copy time will decrease.

The SMCC might help you with your Thin Clients (Linux, Windows CE), Fat Client, PALM's or what ever you use for connecting to the Citrix MetaFrame Server and Montitor and Control the ICA Session for troubleshooting and pin point your problem.