Citrix XenDesktop

Instructional Guide

Presented By:

Hamid Salehian

Table of Content

  • XenDesktop Architecture
    • XenDekstop Components
  • Installing XenDesktop
  • Setup XenDesktop Site
    • ​Connecting to Hypervisor
  • Delivering Virtual Desktops
    • Install VDA
      • VDA on Linux
    • Setup Machine Catalog
    • Setup Delivery Group
    • Setup StoreFront

Citrix XenDesktop Architecture

Concept and Terminology

Master Image: Virtual hard disk that is pre-installed and configured with the OS, applications and the virtual delivery agent (VDA)

 

Provisioning Method:  Mechanism which automatically creates a specified number of virtual machines from a pre-defined master image such MCS and PVS

 

Machine Catalog: single manageable entity, which specifies a collection of similar physical or virtual machines.

 

Delivery Group: Collection of users,with similar requirements, are given access to a common group of resources through machine catalogs.

Components

Delivery Controller: It is the server that centrally manages the XenDesktop site and manage the hypervisor resources, the user authentication and access, the broker between the user requests and their virtual desktops and applications

 

Studio: It is the management console that is made available for the XenDesktop

 

License Server: It stores the licenses of all of the Citrix products and allocates the licenses to each user’s session requests from the controller.

 

Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA): Communicates only with the delivery and It has a smaller footprint as it consists of the components that are needed for delivering the hosting sessions.
 

StoreFront: IIS web application that lets you create stores of desktops and applications that the users can access over the web.

 

Director: Web-based portal that lets the support/helpdesk teams access the real-time status update information of delivered machines.

Components

Provisioning Services (PVS): VM provisioning technologies that employs streaming of the master image to the user device and it can be run on hard disk-less devices as well. When PVS is used as a provisioning method, the delivery controller communicates with PVS for the VM provisioning.

 

Machine Creation Services (MCS): VM provisioning technologies includes a collection of services which automatically creates virtual machinesrom a master image on demand. MCS uses the snapshot copying for creating new VMs as clones.

 

NetScaler Gateway: It is a networking device to let the users access the resources from the external world, which is outside of your corporate intranet firewall.

 

Receiver: It is the only client side component is installed on user devices.Users can access their assigned applications, desktops, Remote PCs, web sites, and any other resources.

Install XenDesktop

My Lab Environment

Hardware:

  • Intel Corei5  32 GB RAM
  • 2 x  Samsung SSD 500GB                          

​Software:

  • VMWare ESXi 5.5 /Citrix XenServer 6.2
  • Citrix XenDesktop 7.6
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Datacenter
  • Microsoft Windows SQL Server 2008 Enterprise

Virtual Machines Configs

DDC:

  • 2 x vCPU
  • 8GB RAM
  • 40GB Storage
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard

SFP:

  • 2 x vCPU
  • 2GB RAM
  • 40GB Storage
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard

 

PDC:

  • 2 x vCPU
  • 8GB RAM
  • 40GB Storage
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard

 

 

Install XenDesktop

1st - Review software requirements available in Citrix documentation:

http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/xenapp-and-xendesktop/7-8/system-requirements.html

2nd - Add Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Certificate Authority feature on PDC

3rd - Follow the instruction based on Citrix Docs as follows

4th - Install all component except StoreFront on DDC

5th - Install StoreFront on SFP

 

Note : It's better to review Prepare Installation Document on Citrix Documents although this is not have any issues http://docs.citrix.com/en-us/xenapp-and-xendesktop/7-8/system-requirements.html

Caution

  • All this instruction is just for lab environment and for production environment its prefered to install all component and Windows Services with HA on different Machine as follow document:

 

https://docs.citrix.com/content/dam/docs/en-us/solutions/assess/downloads/XAXD_Disaster_Recovery.pdf

let's do some delivery stuff

To deliver Desktop follow steps are required

1 – Configure XenDesktop Site

2 – Install and configure VDA

3 – Create and configure machine catalog

4 – Create and configure delivery group

5 – Install and configure StoreFront

Configure XenDesktop Site

Licensing Problem

Connect it later

APP-V Publishing

This software retrieves virtual applications, publishes the applications on the client, and automatically sets up and manages virtual environments at runtime on Windows devices.

Configure VMware vCenter Integration

  1. Log into VMware vCenter Client with admin rights
  2. Navigate to Home >> Administration >> Roles
  3. Create a new Security Role for XenApp Access

4. Configure the XenApp security role with the permissions required by Citrix XenApp server.

Note: You can find the details of the permissions required here:

http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xenapp-xendesktop-76/xad-install-prep-host-vmware.html

5. Navigate to Home >> Inventory >> Hosts & Clusters >> vCenter >> Permissions tab

6. Assign XenApp Access security role to XenApp Service Account

7. Connect to VMware vCenter URL  (https://your-vcenter-ip)

8. From the address bar click on Certificate Error and select View Certificates

9. From the Certificate Properties window, click the Details tab and click Copy to File

10. Select the "DER encoded binary X.509 (.CER)" option and click Next

11. Store the certificate on the local disk and click Next

12. Navigate to the saved location and double click on the certificate to view the properties window. From here click Install Certificate

13. Select Local Machine and click Next

14. From the Certificate Store screen, complete the following:

 

      1. Select the "Place all certificates in the following store" option

      2. From the browse button select Trusted People

      3. Click Next

15. Launch Citrix Studio >> Configuration >> Hosting >> Add Connections and Resources

16. From the Connection screen, complete the information as per the screenshot below and then click Next

####Important####

If any previous step taken wrong this error will appear.

17. From the Resources sreen, complete the following:

      1. Enter a name for the resources

      2. Select a cluster where new VMs will be provisioned

      3. Select the Networks that can be used by Citrix VMs

Note: The information provided here is used for when deploying servers \ desktops via MCS

18. Select the Datastores you want to allow Citrix to use and click Next

 pow.. Finish

Install VDA

What Comes Easy won't Last,

            what lasts won come Easy

Let's Start with the Easy One

VDA on Windows

1. Click on Virtual Delivery Agent for Windows OS to commence the VDA installation

2. Select "Enable Connections to a Server Machine" and click Next

3. Click Next

4. From the Delivery Controller screen, complete the following:

    1. Select the "Do it Manually" option

    2. From the Controllers Address field, enter the FQDN of a Citrix Delivery Controller

    3. Click on Test Connection and then if successful click on Add

    4. Click Next

4. Ensure all options are selected and click Next

5. Click Next

6. Click Install

Note : During the installation, the server will need to reboot

Your Windows Machine is Ready to Deliver

VDA on Linux

The Hardest Part

  1. Download Hotfix CTX142438
  2. On Delivery Controller open PowerShell
  3. Run Command
    • Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
  4. Locate and change to the folder containing the script you download
  5. Run Command
    • .\Update-BrokerServiceConfig.ps1

Update Delivery Controller Configuration

Prepare Linux Machine for VDA Installation

Assign Loopback Address to Hostname

1. Open /etc/hosts file

  •  vim /etc/hosts

2. Change the following line

  • 127.0.0.1 hostname-fqdn hostname localhost localhost.localdomain
    localhost4 localhost4.localdomain4

Verify Changes

  • hostname -f
  • nslookup domain-controller-fqdn
  • ping domain-controller-fqdn
  • nslookup delivery-controller-fqdn
  • ping delivery-controller-fqdn

Disable Network Proxy Authentication Popup

 

  1. Create the file /etc/polkit-1/localauthority/30-site.d/20-no-show-proxy-dialog.pkla
  2. Add the following content:
  • [No Show Proxy Dialog]

        Identity=unix-user:*
        Action=org.freedesktop.packagekit.system-network-proxy-configure
       ResultAny=no
       ResultInactive=no

Install OpenJDK

  • sudo yum -y update java-1.7.0-openjdk

  Adding the following line to ~/.bashrc

  • export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java

Install other packages

  • sudo yum -y install openmotif
  • sudo yum -y install redhat-lsb-core
  • sudo yum -y install ImageMagick

 

Install PostgreSQL

  • sudo yum -y install postgresql-server postgresql-jdbc
  • sudo /sbin/service postgresql initdb

Start PostgreSQL

  • sudo /sbin/chkconfig postgresql on
  • sudo /sbin/service postgresql start

Verify PostgreSQL

  • sudo -u postgres psql -c 'show data_directory'

Add Linux Machine to Windows Domain

  • sudo yum -y install samba-winbind

  • sudo yum -y install samba-winbind-clients

  • sudo yum -y install krb5-workstation

  • sudo yum -y install authconfig

  • sudo yum -y install oddjob-mkhomedir

Enable Winbind Daemon to Start on Boot

  • sudo /sbin/chkconfig winbind on

Configure Winbind Authentication

  • sudo authconfig \
    --disablecache \
    --disablesssd \
    --disablesssdauth \
    --enablewinbind \
    --enablewinbindauth \
    --disablewinbindoffline \
    --smbsecurity=ads \
    --smbworkgroup=domain \
    --smbrealm=REALM \
    --krb5realm=REALM \
    --krb5kdc=fqdn-of-domain-controller \
    --winbindtemplateshell=/bin/bash \
    --enablemkhomedir --updateall

Where REALM is the Kerberos realm name in upper-case and domain is the short NetBIOS name of the domain

Configure Winbind Authentication (Cont.)

 

Open /etc/samba/smb.conf and add the following entries under the [Global] section,

  • kerberos method = secrets and keytab
    winbind refresh tickets = true

 

The system keytab file /etc/krb5.keytab is required by the Linux VDA to authenticate and register with the Delivery Controller.

The kerberos method setting above will force Winbind to create the system keytab file when the machine is first joined to the domain.

Join Windows Domain

  • sudo net ads join REALM -U user 

​Where REALM is the Kerberos realm name in upper-case, and user is a domain user with permissions to addcomputers to the domain

 

 

Configure PAM for Winbind

 

Open /etc/security/pam_winbind.conf and add or change the following
entries under the [Global] section:

  • krb5_auth = yes
  • krb5_ccache_type = FILE
  • mkhomedir = yes
  • sudo /sbin/service winbind restart

Verify Domain Membership

  • sudo net ads testjoin
  • sudo net ads info

 

Verify Kerberos Configuration

  • sudo klist -ke

 

Run the Kerberos kinit command to authenticate the machine with the domain controller using these keys:

  • sudo kinit -k MACHINE\$@REALM

 

Verify User Authentication

  • wbinfo --krb5auth=domain\\username%password
  • ssh localhost -l domain\\username
  • id -u

Install Linux VDA

  • sudo rpm -i XenDesktopVDA-1.1.0.240-0.x86_64.rpm

 

Configure Linux VDA

  • sudo /usr/local/sbin/ctxsetup.sh

 

Configure for Dedicated Desktops (VDI mode)

 

  • sudo /usr/local/bin/ctxreg create \
    -k "HKLM/System/CurrentControlSet/Control/Citrix/WinStations/tcp" \
    -t "REG_DWORD" \
    -v "StackSessionMode" \
    -d "0" \
    --force

 

To restore the default hosted shared desktop delivery model:

 

  • sudo /usr/local/bin/ctxreg delete \

        -k "HKLM/System/CurrentControlSet/Control/Citrix/WinStations/tcp" \

        -v "StackSessionMode" \

        --force

 

 

Start Linux VDA

 

  • sudo /sbin/service ctxhdx start
  • sudo /sbin/service ctxvda start

HoOray.... :-)

 

 

 

Now you can deliver linux

Create Machine Catalog

From the Citrix Studio root window, click on "Create a new Machine Catalog" link

Note: Alternatively you can create a new Machine Catalog from the corresponding section in the Main Menu

Install Delivery Group

From the Citrix Studio root window, click on "Create a new Delivery Group" link

Note: Alternatively you can create a new Delivery Group from the corresponding section in the Main Menu

From the Machines screen, complete the following steps:

     1.Select the Machine Catalog you want to add into the Delivery Group (in this example we only have one)

     2. Chose the number of machines from the Machine Catalog that will be used in the Delivery Group

     3. Click Next

Setup StoreFront

Launch Citrix Studio >> Citrix StoreFront >> Create a Store​

Note: You can also create a Citrix Store via the Citrix StoreFront Management Console

1. Ensure XenApp 7.5 (or later) is selected

2 .Click on Add and enter the name of the Citrix Delivery Controller (repeat for all controllers)

3. Set the appropriate transport type as per the site URL type (default is HTTP)

NetScaler Gateway is for external delivering so just click Create

 Navigate to your Citrix Store’s URL

Good Job ;)

Reference

  • Mastering Citrix XenDesktop - Pack Publishing - Govardhan Gunnala, Daniele Tosatto

  • Linux Virtual Desktop Installation Guide for Redhat Enterprise Linux - Citrix Doc
  • Optimizing Citrix ® XenDesktop ® for
    High Performance     - Packt Publishing - Craig Thomas Ellrod
  • http://9to5it.com/citrix-xendesktop
  • http://blog.citrix24.com/xendesktop-7-part-2-configure-site/
  • https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/xenapp-and-xendesktop/
  • https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/xenapp-and-xendesktop/7-8/install-configure/appv.html

Questions!?

Thank You For Your Atention

Citrix XenDesktop: Instructional Guide

By Hamid Salehian

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