I have been involved with Citrix products since the MetaFrame 1.8 days and liked how Citrix has added new features and functionality with each new release of their application and desktop virtualization products. Over the years acquisitions have been made to also provide more value to the product editions of XenApp and XenDesktop. Think about some of the acquisitions of the years.

• Net6 – Access Gateway
• Orbital Data – Repeater/Branch Repeater
• Reflectent – EdgeSight
• Ardence – Provisioning Services
• RingCube – Personal vDisk
• Virtual Computing – XenClient
• XenSource – XenServer
• NetScaler
• AppDNA
• Kaviza – VDI-in-a-Box

There have been other acquisitions as well. These are just a few off the top of my head. While most of these acquisitions or pieces of these acquisitions have made it into some of the product editions for XenApp and/or XenDesktop, others are still sold as separate products. If you look at what you get for a XenApp or XenDesktop Platinum license, is it really still worth the cost over purchasing the Enterprise edition of these products? Has the value of Platinum edition diminished compared to what Citrix has for other product offerings not included in Platinum editions of XenApp and XenDesktop today?

Let’s look at what you get in XenApp and XenDesktop Platinum edition today.

• EdgeSight
• Smart Auditor
• Single Sign-On/Password Manager
• Access Gateway Universal Licenses
• Provisioning Services (XenApp Platinum)
• Branch Repeater VPX 45 (XenDesktop Platinum)
• Branch Repeater Plug-in Licenses

EdgeSight – When EdgeSight was first released it was a very useful tool. It still is in some cases. Over the years EdgeSight has taken a back seat to other monitoring tools out there. EdgeSight also has some overhead that cannot be overlooked when sizing your XenApp and XenDesktop environments. Tools like Splunk, eG Innovations, and System Center Operations Manager with the ComTrade management packs are used instead of EdgeSight in some customer environments. There are others out there, these are just to name a few. In some cases Desktop Director is good enough for some environments because it is simple and easy to use for the help desk staff. I even still come across customers using Resource Manager because of the flexibility to customize it to their needs that EdgeSight doesn’t have. Even Citrix has conceded XenServer monitoring to System Center Operations Manager. Why not use their own in house product for XenServer monitoring? It seems over the last few releases/updates, not much development has gone into EdgeSight.

Smart Auditor – I feel this is one product Citrix missed some opportunities with. For some customers this is a hidden gem/easter egg. Most customers don’t know about it, but when they see it in demos they love it. That is until they ask about being able to record XenDesktop sessions and find out it is limited to XenApp only. Also there are limitations in XenApp. You have to think about which applications you are going to record then silo them off to their own application silo or disable session sharing. Two things that could make Smart Auditor more widely used are monitor for process launch instead of session launch and enable XenDesktop session recording. Also making the product more user friendly could go a long way. This is a great troubleshooting tool.

Single Sign-On/Password Manager – Single Sign-On is another tool that I used to work with a lot in the past, but don’t see it as widely used anymore. In most recent deployments, the main feature I get requests for and deploy is the self service password reset feature. Along with EdgeSight, it doesn’t seem like much development has gone into recent updates. Citrix could go a few different ways with this product. They could either stop doing single sign-on all together, move single sign-on into Cloud Gateway (at least the self service password and reset feature), or develop it further with a tap in and tap out solution. From my understanding Cloud Gateway won’t work with Windows/terminal based applications. This is where merging Cloud Gateway and Single Sign-On would have great benefits. Cloud Gateway would handle web based apps (being browser agnostic where current Single Sign-On today is limited to Internet Explorer) and have a Windows agent that would use the Cloud Gateway database for Windows/terminal based application definitions and credentials. I work with a lot of customers in healthcare throughout the midwest and this is one area where an opportunity is missed. Yes there are products like Aventura, Imprivata, HealthCast, etc that do more than just tap in and tap out, but if those products are purchased as add-ons then why not just go with Enterprise edition of XenApp or XenDesktop? Save the money in the licensing cost difference between Enterprise and Platinum to put that money towards the third party solution. Now I like solutions like Shared Workstations that integrate with Single Sign-On. I have a customer testing this now and results are good so far.

Access Gateway Universal Licenses – If you think about what the Access Gateway Universal Licenses offers, the use of these are a case by case basis. The features you get with these licenses are Smart Access, End Point Analysis Scanning, Clientless Access and SSL VPN. In most deployments I come across don’t use the majority of these features. With the introduction of the Access Gateway Platform license, I only see the Access Gateway Universal License used for SSL VPN. Smart Access, End Point Analysis Scanning, and Client Access have small uses cases. The OPSWAT integration with the Access Gateway (CAG) has renewed some interest in End Point Analysis Scanning, but the lack of integration with Access Gateway Enterprise/NetScaler hasn’t helped for NetScaler deployments. So that leaves SSL VPN. When SSL VPN is used, it is mostly only used for administrators/IT Staff. Instead of getting Platinum edition, why not just go with Enterprise and purchase the licenses you need for SSL VPN separately. If you think about, majority of users only need ICA Proxy which the Access Gateway Platform license provides and is included when you purchase a physical appliance, virtual appliance, or bandwidth license for NetScaler VPX. Appliance purchase still necessary. Majority of installs I have worked with purchase physical NetScaler appliances because they are consolidating multiple products from other vendors and are replacing it with a NetScaler application delivery controller.

Provisioning Services in XenApp Platinum – This speaks for itself. Probably one of the most widely used features in XenApp Platinum. If you think about it though, just get XenDesktop Enterprise licenses and you get Provisioning Services along with other features like XenClient, XenDesktop, Remote PC, etc.

Branch Repeater VPX 45 in XenDesktop Platinum – Now most customers already have a type of WAN optimization/acceleration device. In most cases Riverbed or Cisco is already deployed. Branch Repeater is evaluated but results vary based on what kind of traffic is being optimized/accelerated. In most deployments where Branch Repeater is used, physical appliances are purchased. Smaller deployments will use the Branch Repeater VPX included with XenDesktop, but this few and far between. After all, you will have to put a server at the branch office to host the Branch Repeater VPX to use it if you don’t have any.

Branch Repeater Plug-in Licenses – I honestly don’t see much use of these. Most deployments I come across are site to site with physical or virtual appliances or they already have a WAN optimization/acceleration device in place. For XenApp Platinum, an appliance purchase is necessary to use these.

What can Citrix do to add value to Platinum licensing?

XenApp and XenDesktop – Why not add entitlements for Cloud Gateway Enterprise, AppDNA, and Access Gateway virtual appliances with Platform licenses? This would immediately add value to Platinum licensing for XenApp and XenDesktop. I am not saying give them everything that Cloud Gateway Enterprise and AppDNA offer in Platinum editions, but give them some features of the products. Cloud Gateway Enterprise could just be the single sign-on pieces, but not the mobile application management or MDX technologies. AppDNA could be just the Standard Edition or the Enterprise Edition with a fixed amount of applications.

XenDesktop – Why not change the XenServer entitlement to XenServer Platinum edition equivalent in XenDesktop Platinum? That way XenDesktop Platinum licensed customers have the site recovery option. Along with XenServer Platinum, why not also add VDI-in-a-Box to XenDesktop Platinum? Adding VDI-in-a-Box to XenDesktop Platinum would give licensed customers the full flex cast model Citrix offers. This needs to be added to Enterprise edition as well, but I will address that below since this is about Platinum licensing.

What needs to change in XenDesktop licensing?

The entire XenDesktop editions licensing needs to be updated. VDI-in-a-Box and XenDesktop VDI edition are competing products. VDI-in-a-Box feels like the red headed step child at Citrix. Depending who you talk to at Citrix, some love it and some hate it. The main advantage of XenDesktop VDI edition over VDI-in-a-Box is the ability to license key upgrade seamlessly to XenDesktop Enterprise or Platinum instead of a migration/forklift upgrade. Now if there were a better process of going from VDI-in-a-Box to XenDesktop, then XenDesktop VDI edition could just go away. Also let’s talk about one of the most talked about features of XenDesktop 5.6 Feature Pack 1, Remote PC. Remote PC has a lot of upside to it. Every time I talk about this feature or demo it to customers, they love it. The downside to Remote PC is that XenDesktop Enterprise or Platinum edition is needed for Remote PC. I feel Citrix could gain more traction with Remote PC if they had a lower edition than XenDesktop Enterprise that included Remote PC. So with that being said here’s what needs to change with XenDesktop editions licensing:

• XenDesktop VDI edition needs to go away and VDI-in-a-Box needs to become the new XenDesktop VDI edition
• XenDesktop Advanced needs to be added that includes XenApp Advanced, Remote PC, and Provisioning Services to physical machines along with all the features in the previous XenDesktop VDI edition
• XenDesktop Enterprise and Platinum have VDI-in-a-Box added
• XenDesktop Platinum has Cloud Gateway Enterprise (limited), AppDNA (Standard), Access Gateway VPX, and XenServer Platinum added

One last thought and this may sound a little out there, but why not just stop selling XenApp as a separate product and just have XenDesktop? If you think about what you get in XenDesktop versus XenApp along with the license options of per user/device and concurrent users, then why not just have XenDesktop? For a little more money (if buying concurrent) or less money (if buying per user/device), you get more value and flexibility for the licensing cost.  I blogged about this in a past article – With the new XenDesktop CCU License options will XenApp only be sold with XenDesktop?

So that’s my take on how Citrix could revamp licensing for XenApp and XenDesktop. With Citrix Synergy Barcelona coming up next week, hopefully Citrix announces some licensing changes around XenApp and XenDesktop along with adding to/restoring the value of Platinum licensing.

If you have found this article interesting or if you have other insights, please feel free to leave comments on this article.

With XenDesktop licenses I mean the entire flexcast model.  Not just desktops, but XenApp usage as well.  After all, with XenDesktop you can use any flexcast usage scenario with Enterprise or Platinum licensing. 

• Now that Citrix offers XenDesktop Enterprise and Platinum licenses in a concurrent user model, all XenDesktop license use cases/scenarios are covered.  If you had shift workers across the globe/different time zones, there wasn’t really a XenDesktop license model that would work.  XenDesktop users in the US working one shift could not share a XenDesktop license with users in Europe working another shift.  Now with the new XenDesktop concurrent Enterprise and Platinum license models, users across the globe/different times zones could share XenDesktop Enterprise and Platinum licenses.
• New license purchases/additional license purchases will most likely be XenDesktop Enterprise or Platinum concurrent user licenses instead of XenApp Enterprise or Platinum licenses.  If you are purchasing new/additional licenses why purchase just XenApp Enterprise or Platinum licenses when you could pay a little more and get XenDesktop Enterprise or Platinum concurrent users licenses?  When purchasing XenDesktop licenses you get flexcast with different options for delivering desktops and applications.
• Having a single product license would make licensing less complex.  You would no longer have to worry about XenApp vs XenDesktop, concurrent vs per user/device.  You would decide how you need licensing in a single product for concurrent or per user/device and not have to worry about XenApp vs XenDesktop licenses.  Purchase a XenDesktop license that best fits your needs and decide how you want to use flexcast.
• Everything is now about the desktop, everyone is focused on the desktop, and everyone is interested in the desktop.  Even on Citrix’s website there is a product category where XenApp is listed under the desktop category.

I don’t see concurrent user licenses as the only license option.  Per user/device licenses make sense for most environments.  Concurrent user licenses make sense for some environments.   Examples would be environments that have over 4 to 5 users to 1 license concurrency rate and/or environments that users aren’t accessing XenApp or XenDesktop for long periods of time.

What about XenApp Fundamentals and Advanced Edition?

For XenApp Fundamentals I could see that staying as is.  XenApp Fundamentals is for very small business’s and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.  I don’t come across XenApp Fundamentals a lot. Most customers I deal with for XenApp are Advanced, Enterprise, or Platinum edition.

Now XenApp Advanced edition I could see changing a few different ways.  I see XenApp Advanced licensing changing in one of the following ways:

• XenApp Advanced edition being included with XenDesktop VDI edition only.  No longer available to be purchased separately.  Only allowed to be used for delivering XenApp applications to a virtual desktop.  No flexcast.
• XenDesktop VDI edition being changed to XenDesktop Advanced edition.  Flexcast for XenDesktop Advanced but your options are only hosted virtual desktops, hosted shared desktops on XenApp, hosted applications on XenApp, and streamed applications from XenApp.  No streaming to physical desktops using Provisioning Services or offline desktops with XenClient.  Basically XenApp Advanced edition features + XenDesktop VDI edition features but with Provisioning Services for virtual desktops and virtual XenApp servers along with Profile Management for both XenDesktop and XenApp.  Go back to the XenDesktop licensing model of Express, Advanced, Enterprise, and Platinum editions.

With Citrix now selling XenDesktop concurrent licenses for Enterprise and Platinum editions, I could see  the only way to get XenApp in the future could be as part of a XenDesktop license.  I have already been asked this by a few people and have seen some others tweet the same thought since the latest XenDesktop trade up program announcement.  Now don’t get me wrong even if in the future XenApp will only be sold as part of a XenDesktop license, I still see XenApp as the use case for the majority of users out there.  Just because there could possibly only be one license, doesn’t mean there is only one use case.  You will still have flexcast and all the delivery options that come with it.

Now XenDesktop really has ”flex licensing” to go along with flexcast.

What are your thoughts on the new XenDesktop concurrent user license options?

Since The Citrix Blog post came out on How to run a NetScaler VPX on XenClient RC2 I have been thinking about other ways to use XenClient for a testing/lab tool and/or as a maintenance tool.  When updating  Provisioning Services images I have set up a single Hyper-V server at customers with XenDesktop deployments on VMware for the Hyper-V Direct VHD boot option, used the XenServer Direct VHD boot option by setting up a XenServer NFS storage repository, and have even thought about dual booting my laptop with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 for the Hyper-V Direct VHD boot option.  I have even considering installing Hyper-V on Provisioning Server for the Hyper-V Direct VHD boot option thanks to my friends over at The Generation V and their blog post Using Hyper-V for PVS vDisk Offline Maintenance.  Now with XenClient there is another option for maintenance on Provisioning Services images.

How to update Provisioning Services images using XenClient

1. Create a new virtual machine on XenClient (Hard drive size doesn’t matter size disk will be deleted after virtual machine creation and select Create VM & Install OS later).
2. Get the IP address of your XenClient machine.  To do this you can hit Ctrl+Shift+T to break out to the terminal on your XenClient machine and run ifconfig.
3. SSH to your XenClient machine (login with the password set up during install) and change directory to /storage/disks to get the UUID of the virtual machine’s VHD  file you just created in step 1.  If you have more than one virtual machine on your XenClient machine you can also open the /config/vms/ *.db files and look for the virtual machine name and disk 1 values to get the VHD UUID.
4. Make a copy of the vDisk image (.VHD and .PVP files) you want to update.
5. Copy the vDisk image VHD file over to your XenClient machine (using a secure file transfer tool such as WinSCP) /storage/disks directory.
6. Follow the instructions in Citrix Knowledgeable Article CTX127075 – Attempting to Use a Virtual Hard Disk on XenClient 1.0 Creating using XenConvert or from a Pre-Release XenClient System Fails with Error Code 199 or the XenClient virtual machine will not boot and you will get Error Code 199.  Rename the VHD using the same UUID.vhd file name from step 3.
7. Boot the virtual machine in XenClient.
8. Update the XenServer tools (Remove Provisioning Services Tools, install XenServer tools, and reboot) and then Provisioning Services Target Device software (Reboot after install).
9. Check Provisioning Services Target Device NIC binding by running Program Files\Citrix\Provisioning Services\BindCfg.exe and then shut down the virtual machine.
10. Copy the vDisk image VHD file back to your Provisioning Services vDisk store.
11. Rename the vDisk image VHD file back to match the name of .PVP.
12. Import the vDisk into the Provisioning Services console.
13. Assign the vDisk image to a Target Device.
14. Boot the Target Device and test to make sure everything is working fine. 
15. Assign to the remaining Target Devices and boot or reboot them to get the updated vDisk image.

I have tested this process with Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 2008 R2 images running on XenServer 5.6 when I upgraded from XenServer 5.6 to XenServer 5.6 FP1 and Provisioning Services 5.6 to Provisioning Services 5.6 SP1. 

So now you have another option for updating Provisioning Services images.  If you have a desktop or laptop with XenClient installed, try out this process the next time you need to upgrade XenServer tools or Provisioning Services Target Device software.

What is required to use the EdgeSight for XenApp Agent when provisioning XenApp servers?

The EdgeSight for XenApp agent requires a local persistent disk when used in provisioned XenApp environments.  What this means is you need to setup a local disk, whether streaming XenApp to virtual or physical machines, for the EdgeSight data.  This local persistent disk is already setup if you using the Standard vDisk mode with write cache on target device hard drive.  If don’t have this setup, you are either placing the Provisioning Services write cache in the target device RAM or on the Provisioning Servers/shared location. 

Along with EdgeSight data, you can also store Windows Event Logs, Crash Dumps, Windows Page File, and Application Streaming rade cache on the local persistent disk.

Installing the EdgeSight for XenApp Agent

Installing the EdgeSight for XenApp Agent is the same process as installing it on a non provisioned XenApp server except for the following:

• When installing the EdgeSight for XenApp agent, the vDisk must be in Private Mode.
• At the Agent Location dialog, change the default location  of the data files folder to your persistent local disk.  Default location is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Citrix\System Monitoring\Data\ for Windows 2003 or C:\ProgramData\Citrix\System Monitoring\Data for Windows 2008.  Change this to your local persistent disk.  For example if my local persistent disk is E:\, I would change the data files folder to something like E:\Citrix\System Monitoring\Data.

• When the install completes, click NO when prompted to reboot.

• Set the Citrix System Monitoring Agent service startup type to Manual.

• Reboot

If you accidentally reboot before setting the Citrix System Monitoring Agent service startup type to Manual, see the EdgeSight Install Guide pages 47 to 48 for steps to clean up the XenApp for EdgeSight Agent install.  Starting the Citrix System Monitoring Agent while in Private Mode can cause registry settings to be generated that only apply the vDisk image that is in Private Mode that are pushed out to all Target Devices when the vDisk is change back to Standard Mode.

Now before shutting down the XenApp server and placing the vDisk image back into Standard Mode, you have two options:

• Change the Citrix System Monitoring Agent service startup type to Automatic so the service starts automatically in Standard Mode.
• Leave the Citrix System Monitoring Agent service startup type to Manual and control service via startup scripts.

I like to control the service via startup scripts so the Citrix System Monitoring Agent service only starts when the vDisk is in Standard Mode.  See the following example script that detects the vDisk mode and only starts the Citrix System Monitoring Agent service if the vDisk is in Standard Mode.  The script will also write and event to the Windows Event Log.

@Echo off
REM Script by Jarian Gibson for Provisioning Services and EdgeSight
REM Add this script as a startup script in Group Policy.
REM Set the Citrix System Monitoring Agent service (EdgeSight) to manual startup.
REM ***************************************************
REM This section will check to see the PVS vDisk Mode.
REM If the PVS vDisk is in Private Mode, then the EdgeSight service will not start.
Type C:\Personality.ini | FIND /I “$WriteCacheType=0″ >nul
If %errorlevel%==0 (
Echo “Warning: Private Mode vDisk – Citrix System Monitoring Agent Service (EdgeSight) Will Not Start”
REM Write Warning to Windows Application Event Log                         
eventcreate /t warning /id 100 /l application /so EdgeSight /d “Private Mode vDisk – Citrix System Monitoring Agent Service(EdgeSight) will not start.”
GoTo NoEdgeSight 
)
Net Start RSCorSVC
Echo “Info: Standard Mode vDisk – Citrix System Monitoring Agent Service (EdgeSight) Will Start”                             
REM Write Info to Windows Application Event Log                          
eventcreate /t information /id 100 /l application /so EdgeSight /d “Standard Mode vDisk – Citrix System Monitoring Agent Service(EdgeSight) will start.”
:NoEdgeSight
REM ***************************************************

This script can be combined with my script from my previous blog Updating Provisioned XenApp vDisks: To XenAppPrep to not to XenAppPrep? to detect the vDisk mode and only start the XenAppPrep service and Citrix System Monitoring Agent service if the vDisk image is in Standard Mode. 

@Echo off
REM Script by Jarian Gibson for Provisioning Services for XenApp with EdgeSight and XenAppPrep
REM Add this script as a startup script in Group Policy.
REM Set the XenAppPrep service to manual startup.
REM Make Sure EdgeSight Agent for XenApp Agent is installed, set service to manual startup, and local database files are on local PVS cache disk.
REM ***************************************************
REM This section will check to see the PVS vDisk Mode.
REM If the PVS vDisk is in Private Mode, then the Citrix System Monitoring Agent Service(EdgeSight) and XenAppPrep service will not start.
Type C:\Personality.ini | FIND /I “$WriteCacheType=0″ >nul
If %errorlevel%==0 (
Echo “Warning: Private Mode vDisk – Citrix System Monitoring Agent Service (EdgeSight) and XenAppPrep Service Will Not Start”
REM Write Warning to Windows Application Event Log                         
eventcreate /t warning /id 100 /l application /so EdgeSight_XenAppPrep /d “Private Mode vDisk – Citrix System Monitoring Agent Service(EdgeSight) and XenAppPrep Service will not start.”
GoTo NoEdgeSightXenAppPrep 
)
Net Start XenAppPrep
Net Start RSCorSVC
Echo “Info: Standard Mode vDisk – Citrix System Monitoring Agent Service (EdgeSight) and XenAppPrep Service Will Start”                             
REM Write Info to Windows Application Event Log                          
eventcreate /t information /id 100 /l application /so EdgeSight_XenAppPrep /d “Standard Mode vDisk – Citrix System Monitoring Agent Service(EdgeSight) and XenAppPrep Service will start.”
:NoEdgeSightXenAppPrep
REM ***************************************************

So as you can see, using EdgeSight with provisioned XenApp Servers is pretty straight forward as long as you following the proper installation steps.  Just make sure you have a local persistent disk for the EdgeSight database files, do not reboot when the EdgeSight for XenApp agent install completes, and set the Citrix System Monitoring Agent service to startup type to Manual.  Using the script examples above you can control the services thru Group Policy startup scripts.

Update: As of EdgeSight 5.2 Service Pack 1, you no longer need to set the Citrix System Monitoring Agent Service to manual.  The EdgeSight Agent is smart enough to detect the vDisk mode and won’t start in Private Mode just like it does with the EdgeSight for Virtual Desktop Agents in XenDesktop.  Thanks to Joe Shonk for pointing that out.

How do I use the EdgeSight for XenApp Agent with provisioned XenApp Servers in Private Mode?

All you have to do is set the REG_DWORD IgnorePVSMode to 1 in the registry at HKLM\Software\Citrix\System Monitoring\Agent\Core\4.00.  Thanks to David Sachon from Citrix for helping me out in the Citrix Support Forums.

If you have found this article interesting or if you have any other insights, please feel free to leave comments on this article.

What is XenAppPrep?

XenAppPrep is like Sysprep for XenApp servers that are going to be provisioned with Provisioning Services.  It generalizes a XenApp server for creating a master Provisioning Services image.  XenAppPrep is installed and ran on a XenApp server before XenConvert is ran to make a Provisioning Services vDisk image.  XenAppPrep runs as a service and controls XenApp services when the XenApp server boots.   For a full description of XenAppPrep and how to use it see the Citrix knowledgebase article CTX116063 – XenAppPrep Integration Utility for XenApp and Provisioning Services.

What is the process when updating provisioned XenApp Provisioning Services vDisk Images?

I have seen several Citrix support forums postings about this and also had some conversations on Twitter about this.  There are multiple ways of doing this.

One option is to rerun XenAppPrep and the Provisioning Services Target Device Optimization Utility every time you update your master in private mode before changing it back to standard mode.  This process involves stopping the XenAppPrep service, deleting the XenAppPrep service and running XenAppPrep again.  This process can be scripted and ran each time after making updates in private mode before changing back to standard mode.  See the following example script:

REM Script by Jarian Gibson for Provisioning Services for XenApp with XenAppPrep
REM Run this script after making updates in Private Mode before shutting down and putting back into Standard Mode.
REM Make sure XenAppPrep is installed.
REM ***************************************************
REM This section will stop the XenAppPrep Service, delete the XenAppPrep service, run XenAppPrep /PVS for XenApp to get ready standard mode, and launch the Target Device Optimizer
Net Stop XenAppPrep
SC Delete XenAppPrep
REM Add /MSMQ after /PVS if using Smart Auditor XenAppPrep /PVS /MSMQ
“C:\Program Files\Citrix\XenAppPrep\XenAppPrep.exe” /PVS
“C:\Program Files\Citrix\Provisioning Services\TargetOSOptimizer.exe”
REM Server is ready to be shutdown and be put in Standard Mode
Pause
REM ***************************************************

Another option is to change the XenAppPrep service to manual startup mode, have a group policy startup script detect whether provisioned XenApp server vDisk is in standard or private mode, and start or not start the XenAppPrep service depending on the vDisk mode.  Using this option takes advantage of the personality.ini file that gets created on the root of the target device’s system drive every time it boots.  The personality.ini contains information such as target device name, write cache type, etc.  You can also add custom fields on each target device in the personality tab in the Provisioning Services console for scripting other processes.  A good example would be for pre-caching streamed applications at startup depending on which streamed applications are published to the XenApp server.  You can add personality string with a name and strings for UNC paths to each streaming profile (separated by commas) in the personality tab.  The pre-cache startup script reads the personality.ini, reads the strings for streamed application profiles, and pre-caches those streamed applications when the server boots.

For reading the vDisk mode, the personality.ini has a string called $WriteCacheType.  $WriteCacheType is equal to a number that corresponds to what mode the vDisk is in.  See the following for $WriteCacheType values.

0 = <Private image>

1 through 7 = <Standard Image>:
1 (Server Disk)
2 (Server Disk Encrypted)
3 (RAM)
4 (Hard Disk)
5 (Hard Disk Encrypted)
6 (RAM Disk)
7 (Difference Disk)

By setting the XenAppPrep service to manual and using a group policy startup script to read the personality.ini file you can control whether the XenAppPrep service starts or doesn’t start depending on the vDisk mode.  The following example script reads the personality.ini file, detects the vDisk mode to start or not start the XenAppPrep service, and writes a Windows Application Event Log entry.

@Echo off
REM Script Jarian Gibson for Provisioning Services and XenAppPrep
REM Add this script as a startup script in Group Policy.
REM Set the XenAppPrep service to manual startup.
REM ***************************************************
REM This section will check to see the PVS vDisk Mode.
REM If the PVS vDisk is in Private Mode, then the XenAppPrep service will not start.
Type C:\Personality.ini | FIND /I “$WriteCacheType=0″ >nul
If %errorlevel%==0 (
Echo “Warning: Private Mode vDisk – XenAppPrep Service Will Not Start”
REM Write Warning to Windows Application Event Log
eventcreate /t warning /id 100 /l application /so XenAppPrep /d “Private Mode vDisk – XenAppPrep Service will not start.”
GoTo NoXenAppPrep
)
Net Start XenAppPrep
Echo “Info: Standard Mode vDisk – XenAppPrep Service Will Start”
REM Write Info to Windows Application Event Log
eventcreate /t information /id 100 /l application /so XenAppPrep /d “Standard Mode vDisk – XenAppPrep Service will start.”
:NoXenAppPrep
REM ***************************************************

Now XenAppPrep is not your only option when using provisioned XenApp images.  Pierre Marmignon has another tool called the XenApp Cloning Tool on his site, CitrixTools.net.  His tool works for provisioned and non provisioned XenApp cloning.

Update: As of XenAppPrep 3.0.0, you no longer need to stop and delete the XenAppPrep service before running XenAppPrep /PVS after updating your provisioned XenAppPrep image to re-seal it before deploying the updated image.

As you can see you have a few options for XenAppPrep when updating provisioned XenApp images.  What are method are you using when updating provisioned XenApp images?

If you have found this article interesting or if you have any other insights, please feel free to leave comments on this article.

XenApp

• A version of XenApp that runs on Windows Server 2008 R2
• One console only, at least for XenApp
• PowerShell SDK for managing XenApp
• Realtime audio/video so that, for example, Microsoft Office Communication Server can be used well
• Migration tool that exports an old farm’s settings and imports them after optional transformation into a new far
• Consistent feature set among the XenApp versions (2003 / 2008 / 2008 R2)
  • Special folder redirection, power management, HDX Flash, etc
• A revamped Installation Manager on Windows 2008
• Report Center in Access Management Console/Delivery Services Console that links to EdgeSight/pull reports from XenApp management console
• XenApp Setup Wizard similar to XenDesktop Setup Wizard
• Integration with hypervisors similar to XenDesktop power on, power off, reboot, etc
• Folder inheritance of published applications in a folder- add a new server to a folder in the console and have applications automatically published on that server that are published to other servers in that folder
• Content redirection/file type association between seamless hosted and seamless streamed applications

Support for XenApp in SCCM (Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager)

• XenApp collections
• Add application hosting information to SCCM package
• Autonomic server load management to allow SCCM software distribution

VM Hosted Apps

• Session sharing (multiple applications per session/VM)
• Real application publishin
• Integration in XenApp management console

XenClient

• Release a first version, if only for enterprise volume laptops initially
• Make it run on any system that supports VT-D and TXT (trusted execution technology)
• Provide a private image mode: copy a VM to a client initially and then sync back differentially by creating snapshots that are stored on a server. A user would “own” a VM in this scenario and could store data and install applications in it, but updates/application installs could not be easily centrally managed.
• Provide a shared image mode: copy a VM to a client initially that is reset to its original state when powering off. Provide a second disk (VHD file) for persistent user data. In this scenario, users could not install applications, since the OS VHD gets reset constantly, but administrators could manage updates to the OS VHD centrally by distributing snapshots containing new applications or patches to the clients. All user data would have to be stored on a second partition.
• Optionally encrypt VHD files on the client (we are talking about laptops)
• Map the GPU to any VM. That way we could use a private VM (with GPU, for games, etc.) and a more secure business VM.
• Run applications from one VM seamlessly in the other VM (over ICA)

XenDesktop

• Make HDX media stream for Flash optionally work in such a way that we do not need internet access in the client’s site. Stream Flash through ICA from the server to the client and only render it on the client.
• PowerShell SDK for managing all aspects for XenDesktop
• Merge the XenDesktop Setup Wizard into the “Create Desktop Group” Wizard
• Windows Server 2008 support

Provisioning Server

• Give us a tool for automating the management/patching of PVS images
• Make it run in one of three modes:
  • Monitoring: Monitor external ESD server to determine if updates have been assigned to a machine
  • Scheduled: Periodically start the VM and allow the machine to update itself
  • Manual: Admin initiates VM start/stop for manually updating
• Give the tool a PowerShell SDK so we can program it
• Easy way to upgrade virtualization tools (VMware Tools, XenTools, etc) and Provisioning Server Target Device of a vDisk
• Provisioning Services Database Replication and or Mirroring

XenServer

• VM-based snapshot and not disk-based snapshot
• Easy way to revert to taken snapshots
• Memory sharing / ballooning / over commitment (for VDI)
• Thin provisioning for block-based storage repositories
• Possibility to separate management and XenMotion network interface
• Advanced template management
  • Integration of Sysprep, possibility to change hostname, ip, etc
• Administrative Delegation
• Wake On LAN of XenServer VMs
• Move VMs/VDIs to storage repository without having to turn off VM and copy – Storage XenMotion

Workflow Studio

• More development/example workflows
• More integration with Citrix products – XenDesktop, etc

Various

• Release Branch Repeater as a virtual appliance. Better make it available for all three important hypervisors.
• Release a virtual appliance version of Access Gateway that can serve as a true replacement for CSG (Secure Gateway). For that, it needs to be free or very cheap at least. And better make it available for all three important hypervisors.
• Consistent management console for all versions of Access Gateway
• Citrix Receiver framework for the Mac and Linux platform
• Integration of all Citrix agents/clients/plug-ins into Merchandising Server
• NetScaler VPX virtual appliance for Hyper-V
• Merchandising Server virtual appliance for ESX

Please keep this wish list going.

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XenApp Platinum Edition

Earlier this year Citrix included Provisioning Services licensing for XenApp workloads in XenApp Platinum Edition.  To use Provisioning Services with XenApp Platinum Edition a patch had to be installed for Provisioning Services 5.0.  You also had to return and reallocate your Citrix licenses and have current Subscription Advantage.  Provisioning Services 5.1 included this fix so XenApp Platinum Edition workloads could be provisioned out of the box.  With Provisioning Services 5.0 and 5.1, the licenses for XenApp Platinum Edition allow you to provision XenApp workloads without the need for stand alone Provisioning Services Data Center licenses installed on your Citrix license server.

The only change to Provisioning Services 5.1 Service Pack 1 for XenApp Platinum Edition is the ability to use the new XenApp 5 Feature Pack 2 VM Hosted Applications feature.  Provisioning Services 5.1 Service Pack 1 includes the ability to provision VM Hosted Applications workloads on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 desktops for seamless one to one applications without the need to have stand alone Provisioning Services Desktop licenses installed on your Citrix license server.

XenApp Enterprise Edition

Citrix has never included Provisioning Services licensing for XenApp workloads in XenApp Enterprise Edition.  To use Provisioning Services with XenApp Enterprise Edition to provision XenApp workloads you need stand alone Provisioning Services Data Center licenses installed on your Citrix license server.  This doesn’t change with Provisioning Services 5.1 Service Pack 1 and XenApp 5 Feature Pack 2.

The only change to Provisioning Sevices 5.1 Service Pack 1 for XenApp Enterprise Edition is the ability to use the new XenApp 5 Feature Pack 2 VM Hosted Applications feature.  Provisioning Services 5.1 Service Pack 1 includes the ability to provision VM Hosted Applications workloads on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 desktops for seamless one to one applications without the need to have stand alone Provisioning Services Desktop licenses installed on your Citrix license server.

Provisioning Services 5.1 Service Pack 1 Licensing

XenApp Platinum Edition

• Provision XenApp Workloads
• Provision VM Hosted Applications Workloads – Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 desktops for seamless one to one applications

XenApp Enterprise Edition

• Provision VM Hosted Applications Workloads – Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 desktops for seamless one to one applications

So as you can see XenApp Enterprise Edition licensed customers can get confused on what workloads they can provision with Provisioning Services Service Pack 1 and XenApp 5 Feature Pack 2.

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The official release and features for XenApp 5 Feature Pack 2 was announced earlier this morning.  This new feature pack adds some very nice features to XenApp 5.  Some features of XenApp 5 Feature Pack 2 are only available on XenApp 5 for Windows Server 2003 and not XenApp 5 for Windows Server 2008.  I guess Citrix is waiting to update XenApp 5 for Windows Server 2008 functionality in XenApp 5 for Windows Server 2008 R2 Tech Preview which will be out soon.

What’s all included in XenApp 5 Feature Pack 2?

VM Hosted Apps - Now you can deliver Windows applications from centrally hosted virtual machines or physical machines running Windows XP, Windows Vista, and/or Windows 7.  This feature is great for applications that don’t work or are not supported on Terminal Services, causes performance issues/are resource intensive, and adds additional device compatibility.  One thing to be aware of is that VM Hosted Apps require Microsoft VECD licenses and not Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services CALs.

Windows 7 and Windows Mobile Support – Windows 7 and Windows Mobile devices are now supported.  Windows 7 devices are supported for online and offline apps.  An updated Windows Mobile client will be released as well.

New Application Streaming Components  - New application streaming components to support Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2.  The new application streaming components greatly improve performance for initial application launches and subsequent application launches.  The new application streaming components also addresses and fixes issues seen in current application streaming components.  I have been testing the beta components and they work very well.  I am very happy Citrix did this.  I hope they add support for services and printers soon.

Power and Capacity Management (XenApp 5 for Windows Server 2003 Only) - Now you can install an agent on your XenApp servers and have them turned on or off depending on when capacity is needed based on rules defined by you. 

Workflow Studio - Workflow Studio 2.0 has been improved and updated giving you greatly control over your Citrix infrastructure.  New API’s are included to expose custom workflows.  Some new key features are – Native XenApp activity libraries, Simplified Management Interface, and Simplified Workflow Designer.  For more information on Workflow Studio 2.o see the Citrix Blog – Workflow Studio 2.o Released.   Powershell Commandlets for XenApp that is currently in tech preview didn’t make into the feature pack but will be released shortly to give you even more greater control of your XenApp farm.

HDX – High Definition Experience for XenApp!  HDX MediaStream for Flash (XenApp 5 for Windows Server 2003 Only) - Now processing power for Flash content and applications is offloaded from the server and onto the users Windows device to improve performance for the user.  HDX Plug and Play for USB storage devices (XenApp 5 for Windows Server 2003 Only) - Now USB storage devices can be mapped automatically while in a session without having to restart the session.  The HDX features are available for Advanced, Enterprise, and Platinum licences on XenApp running Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

I don’t know about you but I am pumped about these new features in XenApp 5 Feature Pack 2.  I like the direction Citrix has gone and continues to go with their product line.  For more information on XenApp 5 Feature Pack 2 see the Citrix Blog – What’s in XenApp 5 Feature Pack 2 in plain English.  Also make sure to check out the section – Learn more about Citrix XenApp Feature Pack 2 - at the bottom of the Citrix Blog for links to more information on XenApp 5.0 Feature Pack 2.

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In the past when you launched additional applications that are published on the same server, XenApp would try to launch those in the same session if load balancing allowed it. If it didn’t, you would get a new session on another server with a lighter load. The same would happen for a disconnected session. XenApp would try to reconnect you to that disconnected session. If the server load was to high, it would start a new session on another server with lighter load.  This enhancement can be enabled on XenApp 5.0 Windows 2003 with Hotfix Rollup 4.  This can be done by creating the following registry key on your XenApp servers:

32-bit XenApp 5.0 Windows 2003

Path: HKLM\Software\Citrix\IMA

Value Name: OverrideLoadCheck

Type: REG_DWORD

Value: 1 (on) or 0 (off)

64-bit XenApp 5.0 Windows 2003

Path: HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Citrix\IMA

Value Name: OverrideLoadCheck

Type: REG_DWORD

Value: 1 (on) or 0 (off)

Recreate the local host cache on the XenApp servers the registry change was made on and restart the Citrix IMA service. 

Now with this enhancement enabled:

• Applications launched by users that have an active session join that session rather than going to the least loaded server
• Applications launched by users that have a disconnected session are directed to the server with the disconnected session rather than going to the least loaded server.

For more information see Citrix Knowledgebase Article CTX126839 – How to Set Up Session Sharing Precedence Over Load Balancing in a XenApp Farm

Enabling this enhancement can be good and bad.  The good side is that additional applications will launch faster and session share with an existing session.  The bad side is that enabling this enhancement could effect server performance.  If the server the session is already running on is overloaded, then this enhancement could cause the server additional performance degradation.  So the question is what’s more important…faster application launches or better session performance?  I leave that up to you.

If you have found this article interesting or if you have any other insights, please feel free to leave comments on this article.