CXD-105-1I-en-StudentExerciseWorkbook-Softlayer-v01[1].pdf

Citrix XenDesktop 7.x Helpdesk Support Citrix Course CXD-105-I

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© Copyright 2016 Citrix Systems, Inc.

Citrix XenDesktop 7.x Helpdesk Support Citrix Course CXD-105-I September 2015 Version 1.1

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Table of Contents Module 1: Supporting XenDesktop 7.x as a Helpdesk Representative .......................................... 13 Supporting XenDesktop 7.x as a Helpdesk Representative ......................................................................................... 15 Citrix Solutions ......................................................................................................................................................... 15 Application and Desktop Virtualization ................................................................................................................. 15 Networking Solutions ........................................................................................................................................... 15 Collaboration and Data Sharing ........................................................................................................................... 15 Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................................ 16 Desktop Virtualization Architecture ........................................................................................................................... 16 Understanding Citrix XenDesktop 7.x Components ............................................................................................. 16 Citrix Receiver .................................................................................................................................................. 17 Citrix StoreFront ............................................................................................................................................... 17 Delivery Controller ............................................................................................................................................ 17 Citrix Studio ..................................................................................................................................................... 18 Citrix Director ................................................................................................................................................... 18 Server OS Machines ........................................................................................................................................ 18 Desktop OS Machines ..................................................................................................................................... 18 Discussion Question ........................................................................................................................................ 18 Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA) ............................................................................................................................. 19 SQL Database ................................................................................................................................................. 19 NetScaler ......................................................................................................................................................... 19 Citrix License Server ........................................................................................................................................ 19 Hypervisor ........................................................................................................................................................ 19 Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................................ 19 XenDesktop Infrastructure ................................................................................................................................... 20 Port Utilization ...................................................................................................................................................... 21 Helpdesk Overview .................................................................................................................................................. 21 Support Levels and Responsibilities ..................................................................................................................... 21 Troubleshooting Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 21 Defining the Issue ............................................................................................................................................ 22 Gathering Detailed Information ......................................................................................................................... 22 Considering Possible Causes ........................................................................................................................... 23 Creating an Action Plan ................................................................................................................................... 23 Implementing the Action Plan .......................................................................................................................... 23 Observing the Results of the Action Plan ......................................................................................................... 24 Documenting Changes Following Issue Resolution .......................................................................................... 24 Discussion Question ........................................................................................................................................ 24 Troubleshooting Flowchart ...................................................................................................................................... 24 Reinforcement Exercise: Understanding XenDesktop Components ......................................................................... 25 Reinforcement Exercise: Simulating a Helpdesk Call ................................................................................................ 26

Module 2: Configuring Citrix Receiver and Using Citrix StoreFront ................................................ 27 Configuring Citrix Receiver and Using Citrix StoreFront ............................................................................................... 29 Authenticating to the XenDesktop Environment ....................................................................................................... 29 Understanding StoreFront Components .............................................................................................................. 29 Understanding the Authentication Process .......................................................................................................... 30 Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................................ 31 Accessing StoreFront .......................................................................................................................................... 31 To Access StoreFront ...................................................................................................................................... 31 Verifying Delivery Controllers Associated with a Store .......................................................................................... 31 To Verify Delivery Controllers Associated with a Store ...................................................................................... 31 Verifying a Receiver for Web Address .................................................................................................................. 32 To Verify a Receiver for Web Address .............................................................................................................. 32 Understanding Citrix Receiver .................................................................................................................................. 32 Installing Receiver from Citrix.com ....................................................................................................................... 32 To Install Receiver from Citrix.com ................................................................................................................... 32 Installing Receiver from the Receiver for Web Site ............................................................................................... 33 To Install Receiver from the Receiver for Web Site ........................................................................................... 33 Configuring Receiver with the Configuration File .................................................................................................. 33 © Copyright 2016 Citrix Systems, Inc.

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To Configure Receiver with the Configuration File ............................................................................................ 33 Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................................ 34 Navigating Receiver ................................................................................................................................................. 34 Launching Applications and Desktops ................................................................................................................. 34 To Launch an Application using Receiver ......................................................................................................... 34 To Launch an Application or Desktop using Receiver for Web ......................................................................... 35 Troubleshooting Receiver Issues ............................................................................................................................. 35 Verifying the Version of Receiver .......................................................................................................................... 35 To Verify the Version of Receiver ...................................................................................................................... 35 Disconnecting an Application Using Connection Center ....................................................................................... 36 To Disconnect an Application Using Connection Center .................................................................................. 36 Resetting Receiver ............................................................................................................................................... 36 To Reset Receiver ........................................................................................................................................... 36 Viewing Event Logs ............................................................................................................................................. 37 To View Event Logs ......................................................................................................................................... 37 Using Citrix Scout and Citrix Insight Services (CIS) ............................................................................................. 37 Addressing Simple Log-on Issues ........................................................................................................................ 37 Reinforcement Exercise: Troubleshooting Issues with Receiver ............................................................................... 38

Module 3: Researching Issues Using Citrix Studio ........................................................................ 39 Researching Issues Using Citrix Studio ........................................................................................................................ 41 Working with Delegated Administration .................................................................................................................... 41 Working with Administrators ................................................................................................................................ 41 Working with Roles .............................................................................................................................................. 41 Working with Scopes ........................................................................................................................................... 42 To Create an Administrator with a Role and Scope Pair ................................................................................... 43 Tracking Administrator Activity ............................................................................................................................. 44 Working with Machine Catalogs .............................................................................................................................. 44 Creating and Viewing a Machine Catalog ............................................................................................................. 45 To Create and View a Machine Catalog ........................................................................................................... 45 Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................................ 46 Working with Delivery Groups .................................................................................................................................. 46 Creating Delivery Groups ..................................................................................................................................... 46 To Create a Delivery Group .............................................................................................................................. 47 Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................................ 48 Enabling and Disabling Maintenance Mode .......................................................................................................... 48 To Enable or Disable Maintenance Mode ......................................................................................................... 48 Registered and Unregistered States .................................................................................................................... 49 To Check the State of a Virtual Machine .......................................................................................................... 49 Understanding Citrix Policies ................................................................................................................................... 49 Creating and Viewing Citrix Policies ..................................................................................................................... 49 To Create a Policy and View its Settings .......................................................................................................... 50 Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................................ 51 Understanding End-User Profiles ............................................................................................................................. 52 Understanding Citrix Profile Management ............................................................................................................ 52 Configuring Profile Management Settings ............................................................................................................ 53 Redirecting Folders .............................................................................................................................................. 54 To Redirect a Folder ........................................................................................................................................ 54 Troubleshooting Policies .......................................................................................................................................... 55 Running the Citrix Policy Modeling Report ........................................................................................................... 55 To Run the Citrix Policy Modeling Report ......................................................................................................... 55 Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................................ 55 Reinforcement Exercise: Managing Delivery Groups ................................................................................................ 56 Reinforcement Exercise: Redirecting Folders ........................................................................................................... 56

Module 4: Printing in a XenDesktop 7.x Environment .................................................................... 57 Printing in a XenDesktop 7 Environment ...................................................................................................................... 59 Printing Concepts .................................................................................................................................................... 59 Printer Types ........................................................................................................................................................... 60 Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................................ 60 Default Printing Behavior .......................................................................................................................................... 60 6


Printing Policies ................................................................................................................................................... 61 Altering the Default Printing Behavior ................................................................................................................... 62 To Alter the Default Printing Behavior .............................................................................................................. 62 Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................................ 62 Provisioning Printers ................................................................................................................................................ 62 Auto-Creating Client Printers ............................................................................................................................... 63 Controlling Client Printer Auto-Creation ................................................................................................................ 63 To Control Client Printer Auto-Creation ............................................................................................................ 63 Session Printers ................................................................................................................................................... 64 To Configure the Session Printers Policy .......................................................................................................... 65 End User Self-Provisioning ....................................................................................................................................... 65 Auto-Retained Printers ......................................................................................................................................... 65 Printer Drivers .......................................................................................................................................................... 65 Citrix Universal Print Server ...................................................................................................................................... 66 Universal Printer Driver ............................................................................................................................................. 67 Configuring the Universal Print Server .................................................................................................................. 68 To Configure the Universal Print Server ............................................................................................................ 68 Discussion Question ........................................................................................................................................ 68 Troubleshooting End-User Printing Issues ............................................................................................................... 69 Running the Citrix Print Detective Tool ................................................................................................................. 69 To Run the Citrix Print Detective Tool .............................................................................................................. 70 Running the StressPrinters Tool ........................................................................................................................... 70 Troubleshooting Printing Issues ............................................................................................................................... 71 Reinforcement Exercise 1: Setting the Default Printer .............................................................................................. 72 Reinforcement Exercise 2: Troubleshoot Printing Issues ......................................................................................... 72

Module 5: Resolving Issues Using Citrix Director .......................................................................... 73 Resolving Issues Using Citrix Director .......................................................................................................................... 75 Citrix Director ........................................................................................................................................................... 75 Accessing Director and Searching for End Users ................................................................................................ 75 To Access Director and Search for an End User ............................................................................................. 76 Activity Manager .................................................................................................................................................. 76 Viewing the Details Page ..................................................................................................................................... 76 To View the Details page ................................................................................................................................. 76 Machine Details ................................................................................................................................................... 77 Session Details .................................................................................................................................................... 77 Logon Duration .................................................................................................................................................... 77 Personalization ..................................................................................................................................................... 77 HDX Panel ........................................................................................................................................................... 78 Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................................ 78 Interacting with the End User ................................................................................................................................... 78 Sending a Message to an End User .................................................................................................................... 78 To Send a Message to an End User ................................................................................................................ 78 Shadowing an End-User Session ......................................................................................................................... 79 To Shadow an End-User Session .................................................................................................................... 79 Resolving Issues for the End User ........................................................................................................................... 80 Resetting an End-User Profile .............................................................................................................................. 80 To Reset an End-User Profile ........................................................................................................................... 80 Ending Machine Process ..................................................................................................................................... 81 To End a Machine Process .............................................................................................................................. 81 Ending Applications ............................................................................................................................................. 81 To End Applications ......................................................................................................................................... 81 Enabling and Disabling Maintenance Mode .......................................................................................................... 82 To Enable and Disable Maintenance Mode ...................................................................................................... 82 Managing an End-User's Machine Power Status ................................................................................................. 82 To Manage an End-User's Machine Power Status ........................................................................................... 83 Disconnecting an End-User Session .................................................................................................................... 83 To Disconnect an End-User Session ................................................................................................................ 83 Logging Off an End User ..................................................................................................................................... 84 To Log Off an End User ................................................................................................................................... 84 Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................................ 85 Monitoring with the Director Dashboard .................................................................................................................. 85 Monitoring Infrastructure 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To Monitor the Infrastructure ............................................................................................................................ 85 Monitoring Connected Sessions .......................................................................................................................... 86 To Monitor Connected Sessions ...................................................................................................................... 86 Monitoring Logon Duration Averages ................................................................................................................... 86 To Monitor Logon Duration Averages .............................................................................................................. 86 Monitoring Machine and End-User Connection Failures ....................................................................................... 87 To Monitor End-User Connection Failures ........................................................................................................ 87 Monitoring Historical Trends ................................................................................................................................ 87 To Monitor Historical Trends ............................................................................................................................ 88 Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................................ 88 Troubleshooting Director Issues ............................................................................................................................... 88 Reinforcement Exercise: Improving System Performance ........................................................................................ 89

Appendix A: Reinforcement Exercise Solutions ............................................................................. 91 Reinforcement Exercise Solutions ................................................................................................................................ 93 Module 1 Reinforcement Exercise 1: Understanding XenDesktop Components ...................................................... 93 Module 1 Reinforcement Exercise 2: Simulating a Helpdesk Call ............................................................................ 93 Module 2 Reinforcement Exercise: Troubleshooting Issues with Receiver Solution ................................................. 93 Module 3 Reinforcement Exercise 1: Managing Delivery Groups ............................................................................. 94 Module 3 Reinforcement Exercise 2: Redirecting Folders ........................................................................................ 94 Module 4 Reinforcement Exercise 1: Setting the Default Printer .............................................................................. 95 Module 4 Reinforcement Exercise 2: Troubleshoot Printing Issues ......................................................................... 95 Module 5 Reinforcement Exercise: Improving System Performance ......................................................................... 95

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Citrix Hands-on Labs What are Hands-on Labs? Hands-on Labs from Citrix Education allows you to revisit, relearn, and master the lab exercises covered during the course. This offer gives you 25 days of unlimited lab access to continue your learning experience outside of the classroom. Claim introductory pricing of $500 for 25 days of access. Contact your Citrix Education representative or purchase online here.

Why Hands-on Labs? Practice outside of the classroom

You'll receive a fresh set of labs, giving you the opportunity to recreate and master each step in the lab exercises.

Test before implementing

Whether you're migrating to a new version of a product or discovered a product feature you previously didn’t know about, you can test it out in a safe sandbox environment before putting in live production.

25 days of access

Get unlimited access to the labs for 25 days after you launch, giving you plenty of time to sharpen your skills.

Certification exam preparation

Get ready for your Citrix certification exam by practicing test materials covered by lab exercises.

Notices Citrix Systems, Inc. (Citrix) makes no representations or warranties with respect to the content or use of this publication. Citrix specifically disclaims any expressed or implied warranties, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. Citrix reserves the right to make any changes in specifications and other information contained in this publication without prior notice and without obligation to notify any person or entity of such revisions or changes. © Copyright 2015 Citrix Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval systems, for any purpose other than the purchaser’s personal use, without express written permission of: Citrix Systems, Inc. 851 West Cypress Creek Road Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 USA http://www.citrix.com The following marks are service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners in the United States and other countries.

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Adobe Systems, Inc.

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Citrix®, Citrix Provisioning Services™, XenApp™, XenDesktop™, XenServer™, XenCenter™, NetScaler®, Citrix Desktop Receiver™, GoToMeeting™, GoToWebinar™, GoToTraining™, Podio™, XenMobile™, EdgeSight®

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Other product and company names mentioned herein might be the service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners in the United States and other countries.

Credits Instructional Designers:

Karen Bridgewater, Orlando Martinez, Omid Mirshafiei, John Spina

Product Specialist:

Andrew Garfield, Ramon Scott

Graphic Artist:

Tyler Fromma, Andres Mungarrieta

Manager:

Gina Alesse

Editor:

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Translation Project Manager:

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Primary Subject Matter Expert:

Rob Blincoe, Carsten Thue

Subject Matter Experts:

Lisa Green, Karla Stagray

Special Thanks:

Allen Furmanski

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Module 1

Supporting XenDesktop 7.x as a Helpdesk Representative

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Supporting XenDesktop 7.x as a Helpdesk Representative Discuss the role of the helpdesk and the basics of who Citrix is and what we offer.

This module teaches you about application and desktop virtualization and covers the different roles within a support department and the troubleshooting methodology that you should follow when attempting to resolve end-user issues. After completing this module you will be able to: • • • •

Discuss the benefits of desktop virtualization and how it affects your role. Identify the architecture and components of a XenDesktop 7.x Solution. Apply the troubleshooting methodology within your support role. Evaluate the architecture and components of a virtualized environment.

Module timing: 3 hours

Citrix Solutions Citrix enables mobile work-styles by empowering people to work and collaborate from anywhere with secure access to applications and data on any device as if they never left the office. Citrix helps organizations of all sizes by providing the following solutions: • • • •

Application and desktop virtualization Networking Collaboration Data sharing

Application and Desktop Virtualization Traditional business environments reduce worker's productivity during PC refreshes, replacements, and updates. XenDesktop 7.x helps to avoid such disruptions. Application and Desktop Virtualization allows end users to connect to applications or operating systems housed somewhere other than the local device, hence the name “virtualization”. XenDesktop 7.x brings multiple advantages, including: • • • •

The capability to centrally manage desktops within a datacenter. The ability for end users to access their desktop from anywhere on any device. The reduced cost of upgrading outdated computers and hardware. The ability to have a more secure environment and control the type of information that can be accessed internally and externally.

Networking Solutions The Citrix NetScaler offers the industry’s most advanced cloud network platform. It enables the datacenter network to become an end-to-end service delivery solution that optimizes the delivery of applications over the Internet and private networks. NetScaler combines application-level security and traffic management into a single, integrated appliance. When deployed in front of application servers, a NetScaler ensures optimal distribution of traffic. Numerous load balancing algorithms and extensive server health checks improve application availability by directing client requests to the appropriate servers.

Collaboration and Data Sharing Citrix products allow businesses to save time, get more done, and stay connected with easy-to-use online meeting and collaboration tools including:


Module 1: Supporting XenDesktop 7.x as a Helpdesk Representative

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GoToMeeting

Web conferencing software that makes it simple and cost-effective to collaborate online with colleagues and customers.

GoToWebinar

Software that allows you to host professional webinars from the comfort of your office. GoToWebinar offers participation tools and accommodates large audiences.

GoToTraining

Online training software enables individuals and enterprises to provide interactive training sessions to customers and employees in any location.

Podio

Build apps and set up workspaces with this collaborative platform to support your preferred workflows and be more effective. Easily manage projects and other business processes, and interact with clients, partners and team members, anytime, anywhere.

ShareFile

An enterprise follow-me data solution that enables IT to deliver a robust data sharing and sync service that meets the mobility and collaboration needs of end users and the data security requirements of the enterprise. By making follow-me data a seamless and intuitive part of every end-user’s day, ShareFile enables optimal productivity for today’s highly mobile, anywhere, any-device workforce.

XenMobile

XenMobile brings mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) solutions for a BYOD environment. With the MDM tool, you can monitor and manage mobile devices to ensure secure access to the network. MDM allows for securely wiping data in the event of a perimeter breach, for example, when end users lose a company devices take them too far offsite. MAM and the Worx application suite and SDK enable development of enterprise-grade applications.

Discussion Question What benefits do Citrix solutions bring to your organization? How do these solutions affect your role?

Desktop Virtualization Architecture Citrix built XenDesktop 7.x on an architecture that offers simple, powerful configuration and operations management and cloud-style automation and scalability. XenDesktop delivers Windows applications and desktops as secure mobile services. End users can use tablets, smart phones, PCs, Macs, and thin clients to self-select applications from an application store. High Definition Experience (HDX) technologies, a key component of XenDesktop, optimize the end-user experience for different endpoints and network conditions. Virtualized environments are very complex and have many components that are necessary for them to function as intended. In this section, you will review some of the main components as well as how they communicate. This high-level understanding of components allows you to more efficiently troubleshoot end-user issues.

Understanding Citrix XenDesktop 7.x Components The diagram below details the components found in a XenDesktop environment.

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Citrix Receiver Installed on end-user devices, Citrix Receiver provides end users with secure access to documents, applications, and desktops from any of the end-users’ devices. Receiver provides: • • • •

Simple, self-service access to virtual desktops, applications, and IT services. A hi-definition experience on any network or device. Instant updates to end users with IT control and visibility. Easier management of enterprise data, applications, and desktops through secure, centralized deployment to any device.

Citrix StoreFront The app store concept came about from the increase in mobile activity by end users, providing them with a centralized access point for all the applications specific to a platform. StoreFront enables you to create universal enterprise application stores to facilitate your end users' mobile workstyles while giving you centralized control. StoreFront is an integral component of any XenDesktop implementation, authenticating end users to Microsoft Active Directory and managing the delivery of desktops and applications from your servers in the datacenter to end-users' devices. End users access StoreFront stores through Citrix Receiver or by browsing to a Receiver for Web or Desktop Appliance site, which enable end users to access stores through a webpage. StoreFront keeps a record of each end-user application and automatically updates devices, ensuring that end users have a consistent experience as they roam between their devices.

Delivery Controller Installed on servers in the datacenter, the Delivery Controller consists of services that communicate with the hypervisor or physical machines to distribute applications and desktops, authenticate and manage end-user access, and broker connections between end users and their virtual desktops and applications. The Controller manages the state of the desktops, starting and stopping them based on demand and administrative configuration. Each site can have one or more Delivery Controllers.



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Citrix Studio Citrix Studio is the management console that enables you to manage and troubleshoot your XenDesktop environment, eliminating the need for separate management consoles for managing delivery of applications and desktops. Studio is also used by Citrix administrators to deploy and assign applications and desktops to end users.

Citrix Director Director is a web-based tool that enables IT support and helpdesk teams to monitor an environment, troubleshoot issues before they become critical, and perform support tasks for end users. You can also view and interact with an end user’s session. Director offers: • • • •

A Details page that displays connection information and resource utilization. An Activity Manager page that allows helpdesk representatives to troubleshoot and resolve issues quickly. A Dashboard that provides a graphical summary of your environment in a central location. A Trends page that provides in-depth, graphical monitoring and troubleshooting of the entire deployment with various time ranges.

Server OS Machines With the Server OS machine model, a single server-based OS can host multiple desktops. The Server OS machine model provides a low-cost, high-density solution; however, applications must be compatible with a multiuser, server-based OS. In addition, because multiple end users share a single OS, they are restricted from performing actions that may negatively affect others. Example of such actions include: installing applications, changing system settings, and restarting the OS. A single end user may also consume too many resources, which may negatively affect others.

Desktop OS Machines With the Desktop OS machine model, each end user has a full desktop OS, which provides administrators with a granular level of control over the number of virtual processors and memory assigned to each desktop. You can deliver Desktop OS machines as: Random Desktops

Desktops in which end users are dynamically connected to one of the desktops in the pool each time they log on. Restarting the machine will lose changes to the desktop image.

Static Desktops

Desktops that assign a virtual desktop or allocate a virtual desktop to end users on first access. Once assigned, end users will always be connected to the same virtual desktop. Changes to the desktop image are lost when end users restart the machine, unless you implement persistent write cache or Personal vDisk (PvD).

PvD is a dedicated virtual disk attached to an environment and can add flexibility and persistence of end-user installed applications and end user settings. The PvD is merged along with the write cache.

Discussion Question Why would you use Random desktops over Static? Why would you use Static over Random?

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Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA) You must install the Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA) on any server or workstation-based OS used to deliver applications or desktops to the end user. The VDA incorporates functionality, applicable group policy, and Personal vDisk (PvD) settings. You cannot install the VDA from XenDesktop7 on Windows XP or Vista. You must use the VDA from XenDesktop 5.x

SQL Database After completing the authentication process, the Delivery Controller contacts the Microsoft SQL database to discover the machines and applications available to the end user. The SQL Server is a relational database and management system that you can install on a Windows server. A total of three databases store the following information: the Site, configuration logging, and statistical data for the implementation. By default, XenDesktop creates the required databases on the SQL Server.

NetScaler NetScaler provides a secure application access solution that brings granular application-level policy and action controls. NetScaler optimizes the delivery of applications over the Internet and private networks, combining application-level security, optimization, and traffic management into a single, integrated appliance.

Citrix License Server The Citrix License Server stores and manages the license files for all Citrix components within the XenDesktop architecture, with the exception of NetScaler components, which you manually configure with license files.

Hypervisor A hypervisor is a thin layer of software that allows you to allocate physical resources of a device amongst multiple virtual machines. These virtual machines reside on the hypervisor. Citrix administrators will use the hypervisor to manage resources and monitor the environment. XenDesktop supports several hypervisors, including: • • •

Citrix XenServer Microsoft Hyper-V VMware ESX

Discussion Question What are the benefits of hosting virtual machines within a hypervisor as opposed to using physical machines?



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XenDesktop Infrastructure Now that you have an understanding of the XenDesktop 7.x components, below you will see each layer of the infrastructure and the basic flow of an end-user device as it accesses the environment.

User Layer

The user layer contains Citrix Receiver, regardless of whether the end user connects from an internal or external device.

Access Layer

The access layer contains the components that provide end-user access to the environment, Citrix NetScaler, and StoreFront. The NetScaler provides secure access and intelligent load-balancing for StoreFront, Delivery Controller, and related infrastructure. Internal end-user devices connect from the user layer to the access layer using Citrix StoreFront. In a Citrix-recommended implementation, external end-user devices connect first through Citrix NetScaler---and often a firewall and perimeter network---and then through StoreFront to access resources.

Control Layer

The control layer houses various controllers and infrastructure components required for managing and delivering virtual desktops. The control layer addresses decisions surrounding the management and maintenance of the overall solution. The control layer is comprised of access controllers, Delivery Controllers, and infrastructure controllers. Once an end-user connection moves past the access layer, Citrix StoreFront communicates with the Delivery Controller in the control layer.

Resource Layer

The resource layer contains the end user's virtual desktop and applications. It contains three components: applications, operating system image, and personalization, which contain the end-user profiles and policies.

Management Layer

The management layer contains all of the consoles and utilities used to configure and manage the XenDesktop components.

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Port Utilization The following is a summary of the ports used by the components we have discussed throughout this module.

For more information about the ports used in a XenDesktop environment, see Citrix article CTX101810 at http://support.citrix.com.

Helpdesk Overview Helpdesk representatives solve a variety of issues for end users with the assistance of administrative tools. Every organization follows different policies and procedures. Yet when troubleshooting within an environment, you will find the methodology remains consistent. This section discusses the methodology and helps build your skills of documenting, troubleshooting, and resolving issues.

Support Levels and Responsibilities Tier 1 and tier 2 helpdesk administrators act as the first line of defense for IT support, though their roles vary between organizations. Many of the common tasks performed between the two levels include: • • • • •

Answering helpdesk calls and email queues. Following guidelines and procedures to troubleshoot common software, hardware, network, and telecom issues. Documenting and tracking end-user issues and resolutions. Providing onsite and offsite support. Monitoring the environment to help prevent potential issues from developing and becoming system-critical.

The boundaries for what a specific helpdesk tier can and cannot do depend on the size of the organization, whether the helpdesk provides dedicated support for Citrix components, and whether the helpdesk is the first-level entry point for all issues in an environment. This course will present tasks and utilities that some helpdesk teams may not have access to, while other helpdesk teams will be able to complete these tasks and more. This section provides the knowledge you need to understand the XenDesktop architecture and the communication flow between the components. This knowledge will enable you to diagnose and troubleshoot end-user issues.

Troubleshooting Methodology The diagram below outlines the troubleshooting methodology. You can use this troubleshooting methodology regardless of the product, components, or environment.



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The Citrix troubleshooting methodology consists of: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Defining the issue. Gathering detailed information. Considering the possible causes. Creating an action plan to address the issue. Implementing the action plan. Observing the results of the action plan. Documenting any changes following resolutions.

Each time you discover a new issue, the process will start from the beginning. Depending on your organization and the level of support you work in, you may have to escalate an issue before reaching the end of the methodology.

Defining the Issue Your first step in troubleshooting is to define the issue by analyzing general information to find the likely cause. Information is limited to the end user reports about their issues. You must create an issue statement, a concise and accurate summary of the known facts. Using an issue statement places the focus on the true issue and prevents you from troubleshooting any other out-of-scope issues.

Gathering Detailed Information Gathering detailed information involves reviewing helpdesk reports and investigating further if necessary using tools such as Citrix Director or Citrix Studio. This additional information should include data that serves to exclude other possible causes and helps to narrow the scope of the issue. 22



Use the following tasks to narrow the scope of the issue: Identify Symptoms

Further define the scope of the issue by identifying, categorizing, and documenting symptoms.

Reproduce the Issue

Attempt to reproduce the issue and obtain a clear representation of the environment.

Investigate the Timeline

Determine when the issue began and how often it occurs.

Determine the Scope of the Issue

The scope of the issue is the number of end users impacted or the extent to which it affects performance.

Check Baseline Information

Review historical data about the environment such as resource usage. This information can help determine if recent changes made to the environment may be at fault.

Considering Possible Causes The clues gathered from the investigation in the previous steps will help point to possible causes of the issue. Define the scope of the issue and create a list of possible causes. This list of possible causes assists in troubleshooting.

Creating an Action Plan Investigate each possible cause and create an action plan based on this information. The action plan may involve actions such as configuring the end-user device and investigating settings. When creating an action plan, you should consider how a repair to one component may cause another issue. Questions to consider include: • What is the scope of the change? • When will the change occur and how long will it take? • Who will be involved in the change? • Will the change occur in a controlled environment? • Is there a plan to roll back whatever changes you implemented, if needed? • In what ways does the test environment differ from the production environment? When creating an action plan, you should first test potential changes in a controlled environment. For example, if you suspect that memory optimization is the cause of an issue, you should test potential corrective actions, such as disabling memory optimization, prior to implementing them into production.

Implementing the Action Plan The next step is implementing the action plan, which could be an investigation leading to identifying additional action items or a full repair of the issue. When implementing action plans, Citrix recommends making only one change at a time. Also, it is best to make changes in small sets when situations require multiple simultaneous changes. This methodology helps to track the process and differentiate between successful and failed actions. Ideally, you should implement all changes in a test environment that mimics the actual environment. This will allow trial and error without consequences. You may even find unintended behaviors after implementing your solution in the test environment, another reason not to first implement in the actual environment.



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Observing the Results of the Action Plan Observing results consists of monitoring the changes made to the environment during implementation. The issue may require more than one repair. You must observe each repair separately to ensure that the action plan does not create other issues. You must gather enough information to determine whether a change is effective, even when the action plan does not resolve the issue. If the repair is successful, move on to the next step of the Citrix troubleshooting methodology. Otherwise, you must investigate further and create another action plan.

Documenting Changes Following Issue Resolution Documentation is an integral part of troubleshooting and change control. Recording changes and, in some instances, the time these changes occurred provides valuable information for future reference. Before closing a case, you must document all troubleshooting steps and actions taken. In general, while working through the initial action plan, you should consider that changing something during the repair might impact the environment in some other way. Recording allows you to retrace and therefore undo those changes if needed. Documentation provides the following advantages: • • •

It explains exactly what was done to repair the issue, which can be helpful in repairing similar issues. It provides valuable historical information to colleagues. It includes troubleshooting steps and their results, which can reduce the likelihood of repeated actions and promote faster case closings with escalated issues.

Citrix recommends documenting all actions, including key information provided by the end user, as they occur. Doing so ensures you do not overlook vital information. In addition, when you document while troubleshooting, you save time after the helpdesk call that could go toward working with other end users. This workflow promotes efficient case management, resulting in quicker case resolutions.

Discussion Question In what instances has documentation saved you time or trouble? When have you tried to resolve an issue and not had proper documentation?

Troubleshooting Flowchart Problems can arise in multiple areas within an environment. Sometimes the issue may seem related to the virtualization aspect; however, you must properly configure many other components XenDesktop to function properly. Prior to escalation, ask the right questions to ensure that you escalate the issue to the appropriate group within your organization. Below is a flowchart that will help you rule out components by answering questions based on what is happening during troubleshooting. This is also available within a job aid in your Student Resource Kit.

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Reinforcement Exercise: Understanding XenDesktop Components This exercise does not provide step-by-step instructions. Apply the concepts you just learned in this module to solve the problem. In most instances, the default value or choice will be the best choice, but you should explore other solutions whenever possible. If you have a question or get stuck, ask the instructor or a fellow student for assistance. In this module you learned how to: • • • •

Describe Citrix solutions at a high level. Discuss the benefits of desktop virtualization and how it affects your role. Apply the troubleshooting methodology within your support role. Evaluate the architecture and components of a virtualized environment.

Directions: Read each statement and match it to the appropriate XenDesktop component. Approximate time to complete: 10 minutes

Choices

Choices

A. Citrix Receiver

E. Citrix StoreFront

B. Citrix NetScaler

F. Delivery Controller

C. Hypervisor

G. Virtual Delivery Agent



25

Choices

Choices

D. Citrix Director

H. Citrix Studio

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Provides end users with quick, secure, self-service access to documents, applications, and desktops from any end-user device. A Web-based tool that enables IT support to monitor a XenDesktop environment, troubleshoot issues, and perform support tasks for end users. A management console that enables you to configure and manage your XenDesktop implementation. A thin layer of software that allows you to share physical resources of a device with several virtual machines. Enables virtual machines to register with a Delivery Controller. Communicates with the hypervisor to distribute applications and desktops, authenticates and manages end-user access, and brokers connections between end users and their virtual desktops and applications. A self-service Windows application store that provides a single aggregation point for all IT user services. Functions as an application accelerator and also provides advanced management using load balancing, content switching, and application security.

Reinforcement Exercise: Simulating a Helpdesk Call This exercise does not provide step-by-step instructions. Apply the concepts you just learned in this module to solve the problem. In most instances, the default value or choice will be the best choice, but you should explore other solutions whenever possible. If you have a question or get stuck, ask the instructor or a fellow student for assistance. In this module you learned how to: • • • •

Describe Citrix solutions at a high level. Discuss the benefits of desktop virtualization and how it affects your role. Apply the troubleshooting methodology within your support role. Evaluate the architecture and components of a virtualized environment.

Approximate time to complete: 15 minutes You receive a call from an end user who needs assistance. Below is a conversation between yourself and the end user.

Helpdesk Administrator

End User

Hello, how can I help you today?

Hello. I am trying to open the HR program from Citrix and it will not work. I have restarted my computer and signed in and attempted to open the program again but it would not work. Can you please help me?

Sure. How are you trying to open the HR program?

I am going to the Citrix webpage that has all my applications.

Can you log on successfully?

Yes.

Can you see the HR application after you log on?

Yes.

What happens when you click the application?

It asks me if I would like to open the file. When I click open, it asks which program I would like to open it with.

Do you have Receiver installed?

I do not see it available within my programs.

To complete your objective: • • • 26

Complete the Troubleshooting Worksheet found in the Student Resource Kit. Ensure you are clear and concise as you document the information given to you by the end user. Use the troubleshooting flowchart to determine the resolution or whom you should escalate it to. Module 1: Supporting XenDesktop 7.x as a Helpdesk Representative


Module 2

Configuring Citrix Receiver and Using Citrix StoreFront

2

28


Configuring Citrix Receiver and Using Citrix StoreFront In order to help end users through issues, you must know what the end user should experience in a properly working environment. This module will discuss that experience and give you an understanding of how Receiver and StoreFront work together to deliver applications and desktops to the end user. After completing this module, you will be able to: • • • • • • •

Discuss the logon process of an end user. Verify Delivery Controllers associated with stores. Install, configure, and reset Receiver. Access a desktop and open applications from Receiver. Verify the version of Receiver. Access Connection Center. Access and view event logs.


Authenticating to the XenDesktop Environment Citrix StoreFront authenticates end users to XenDesktop sites, enumerating and aggregating available desktops and applications into stores that end users access through Citrix Receiver. StoreFront is the successor to Web Interface and was built on a modern, more flexible and powerful framework that enables StoreFront to provide next-generation features, such as: • • • •

A unified StoreFront that delivers Software as a Service (SaaS) & native mobile applications and XenDesktop resources. Simplified Account Provisioning, which enables end users to connect to assigned desktops and applications by simply entering their email or a server address, or by opening a provisioning file in Receiver. Access from any Receiver with a consistent end-user experience, including automatic fallback to an HTML5 client if a native client is not available locally and cannot be installed. Synchronization of resource subscriptions across all platforms and devices (Follow-me Apps & Data).

Understanding StoreFront Components StoreFront has several key parts that perform specific functions. You must gain an understanding of each in order to better troubleshoot issues reported by the end user. An issue could arise specific to each component. StoreFront Server

The StoreFront server locally records application subscriptions, shortcut names, and locations. When an end user accesses a store, the application synchronization feature automatically updates the subscribed applications on the end-user device to match the configuration stored on the StoreFront server. The Store Service retrieves the credentials to authenticate to XenDesktop, ensuring that end users have a consistent experience across all devices.

Authentication Service

This service authenticates end users to XenDesktop sites. Built-in Windows security features store the credentials, so the end user only needs to log on once.

Store

The store authenticates end users to the components providing the resources. The store also enumerates resources available from XenDesktop sites and the Delivery Controller (SaaS applications). End users access the store through Citrix Receiver or Receiver for Web.


Module 2: Configuring Citrix Receiver and Using Citrix StoreFront

29

Receiver for Web site

This site enables end users to access stores through a web page. The site can verify the installed version of Receiver and guide the end user through an upgrade or installation process. For scenarios in which end users cannot locally install Receiver, they can use HTML5 Receiver.

Understanding the Authentication Process

1. 2.

3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

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An end user enters a username and password into Receiver, which sends the information to the StoreFront server (end users may skip this step if an administrator already configured pass-through authentication). The authentication service of StoreFront retrieves the end-user credentials and validates them with a domain controller. The StoreFront server must be a member of the same Active Directory forest as the end-user account and the accessed resources. StoreFront retrieves the end-user’s application subscriptions locally and loads them into memory. StoreFront forwards the end-user credentials as part of an XML query to the Delivery Controller. The Controller validates the end-user credentials with a domain controller. After successful validation, the Controller checks which resources in its database it has already published to the end user. The Controller sends an XML response to StoreFront containing all resources available to the end user. StoreFront sends the list of available resources including the existing subscriptions to the Citrix Receiver or displays them in the Receiver for Web. The end user requests a resource. Receiver sends the request to the Controller, which starts the broker service. The broker service finds a machine to fulfill the session request and powers it on if needed. The Controller sends the connection details to the StoreFront Server. The StoreFront Server sends the information in an ICA file to the Receiver client on the end-user’s device. Receiver client launches a connection to the server hosting the resource.



Discussion Question What key concerns do you have about this diagram?

Accessing StoreFront The StoreFront console provides ways to manage your deployment. You can: • • • •

Add or remove servers and change their base URLs to scale your deployment and add redundancy. Configure the authentication service. You can also enable end users to change their passwords or you can change the password expiry period. Create stores to group together resources or create additional stores for a specific group of end users. Deploy Receiver for Web.

To Access StoreFront 1.

Log on to the Stf-001 VM machine that is hosting StoreFront. PLEASE USE THE REMOTE DESKTOP MANAGER TOOL LOCATED ON THE STUDENT DESKTOP TO ACCESS VMs WITHIN EACH LAB a. b.

2.

Enter TRAINING\Administrator and Password1. Click Submit.

Click the Citrix StoreFront icon in the Taskbar.

Verifying Delivery Controllers Associated with a Store If the end user can access the store but unable to access any applications or desktops, verify that the Controller address is correctly entered within StoreFront.

To Verify Delivery Controllers Associated with a Store 1.

Log on to the stf-001 VM that is hosting StoreFront. Log on to the stf-001 virtual machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3. 4.

Open StoreFront. Select the Stores node. Select a store to view its controller address. Select MiamiStore.

5. 6.

Select Manage Delivery Controllers in the Actions pane. View the controller address under the Servers column. You can try to ping the FQDN of the Controller from the end user's machine. This will determine if the end user's machine can communicate at all with the Controller. Misspelling the server address might also create a conflict.



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Verifying a Receiver for Web Address In the event an end user is unable to access Receiver for Web, you will want to verify that they are using the appropriate address. You can do this within StoreFront.

To Verify a Receiver for Web Address 1.

Log on to the stf-001 VM machine that is hosting StoreFront. Log on to the stf-001 virtual machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3. 4.

Open StoreFront. Select the Receiver for Web node. Select the Store you would like to view the URL for. Select the MiamiStore Receiver.

5.

Note the URL that appears within the Overview and ensure that the end user is using the appropriate address. Verify that the end user is using https://storefront.TRAINING.lab/Citrix/MiamiStoreWeb

Understanding Citrix Receiver Citrix Receiver is a universal software client that provides secure, high-performance delivery of virtual desktops and applications. Citrix Receiver provides: • • • •

Self-service access to virtual desktops, applications, and IT services. A high-definition experience on any device. Instant updates to end users with IT control and visibility. Easier management of Enterprise data, apps, desktops, and SaaS apps through a secure, centralized deployment.

Receiver handles the ICA extension, a file that contains details such as session properties and establishes a connection between the end user and the remote server. End users receive the ICA file when they request an application or desktop. You will first learn how to configure Receiver manually. You can also push a configuration file to the end user.

Installing Receiver from Citrix.com An end user downloads the CitrixReceiver.exe package from Citrix.com. During the installation, the end user can set up an account using an email address or a server URL. This is sometimes referred to as Receiver for Desktop. End users will want to install this version when they are able to establish a secure connection to the network, such as VPN from their work-issued physical machine. Citrix has a Receiver download site that will detect the end user's OS and offer the appropriate install package. This is one of the fastest and simplest methods of deployment. This version of Receiver may be newer than the version offered from the StoreFront server. Different versions may have different features or menus.

To Install Receiver from Citrix.com 1. 2. 3.

Log on to the machine you will perform the installation on. Open Internet Explorer. Type http://receiver.citrix.com. The site will auto-detect the endpoint OS and offer the appropriate installation package.

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4. 5. 6. 7.

Click Download Receiver for Windows and then run the file. Click Next on the welcome screen. Enter the FQDN of the StoreFront server or a valid domain email address when prompted. Click Finish.

Installing Receiver from the Receiver for Web Site This option enables users to access StoreFront stores through a web page and customize their applications and desktops. If the Receiver for Web site detects that an end user does not have a compatible version of Receiver, a prompt appears to download and install the latest version of Receiver. Receiver for Web allows a secure connection from any device and network. This installation method does not provide automatic updates. Email-based account discovery does not apply for this method. For more information about installing and configuring Receiver, see http://support.citrix.com. You may need administrator credentials if performing a complete installation of Receiver for Web.

To Install Receiver from the Receiver for Web Site 1.

Log on to the machine you will perform the installation on. Log on to the HR-PC virtual machine using the TRAINING\HR1 and Password1 credentials.

2. 3.

Open Internet Explorer from the taskbar. Access the Receiver for Web installation file on the network. Type https://storefront.TRAINING.lab/Citrix/MiamiStoreWeb.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Click I agree with the Citrix license agreement. Click Install. Click Run. Click Install at the Receiver Welcome screen. Click Finish when the installation completes. Click Log On. Type TRAINING\HR1 and Password1. Click Log On. If you are unable to run the Receiver installation, you can deploy Receiver HTML5 through StoreFront. For more information about installing Receiver, see http://support.citrix.com.

Configuring Receiver with the Configuration File The configuration file points Receiver to the appropriate store, so the end user does not have to type the server address or an email address. The file can include settings to display applications upon signing in and even automatically launch desktops and applications. You may prefer this configuration method for its automation, which is helpful in a mass deployment.

To Configure Receiver with the Configuration File 1.

Log on to the machine with Receiver installed. Log on to the HR-PC virtual machine using the TRAINING\HR1 and Password1 credentials.

2. 3.

Open Internet Explorer from the taskbar. Browse to Receiver for Web. Type https://storefront.TRAINING.lab/Citrix/MiamiStoreWeb/.



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4.

Sign in with your domain credentials. Type TRAINING\HR1 and Password1. Click Log On.

5.

Click the username at the top of the screen. Click HR1.

6. 7. 8. 9.

Click Activate. Select Open to open the receiverconfig.cr file. Click Add to accept the certificate provided by the TRAINING domain. Sign in with your domain credentials. Type TRAINING\HR1 and Password1 and click Log On.

Discussion Question Can you make a connection from an endpoint to a XenDesktop resource without installing Receiver installed on the endpoint? Why?

Navigating Receiver Citrix Receiver can be accessed from a device or from a browser. In both cases, the Receiver client and Receiver for Web act as gateways to the internal corporate network, requiring the end user to sign in. Once signed in, the end user can customize Receiver with the applications and virtual desktops needed to work on site or remotely.

Launching Applications and Desktops The end user can customize which applications and desktops appear in the dashboard upon logging in. Receiver will stream these to the end user's device. In many cases, the end user can add an application in Receiver faster than installing it locally. The end user's hardware does not limit the performance of streamed applications. The end user can also stream virtual desktops if the administrator has designated appropriate machines in the desktop OS machine catalogs. These virtual desktops can run as separate windows on the end-user's device. For example, the end user can run multiple desktops for code testing or a separate desktop OS in each window. Receiver allows end users to add desktops to access machines remotely or from their own device.

To Launch an Application using Receiver 1.

Log on to the machine with Receiver installed. Log on to the HR-PC virtual machine using the TRAINING\HR1 and Password1 credentials.

2. 3.

Click the up arrow in the system tray, right-click Receiver, and select Open. Enter your domain credentials if prompted. Type TRAINING\HR1 and Password1.

4. 5.

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Click the + sign at the left to add an application. Click All Applications to reveal a list of applications published to the app servers.



6.

Click the application you want to add. The icon will appear in the central window. Click Calculator, HR User Desktops - Win81, and WordPad.

7.

Click the application icon in the central window to see it launch. Click Calculator.

To Launch an Application or Desktop using Receiver for Web 1.

Log on to the machine accessing Receiver for Web. Log on to the HR-PC virtual machine using the TRAINING\HR1 and Password1 credentials.

2. 3.

Open Internet Explorer from the taskbar. Browse to Receiver for Web. Type https://storefront.TRAINING.lab/Citrix/MiamiStoreWeb/.

4.

Log on with your domain credentials. Type TRAINING\HR1 and Password1 and click Log On.

5. 6.

Click Apps. Click the icon to launch the application. Click Calculator.

7. 8.

Click Desktops. Click the desktop available to the end user. Click HR User Desktops . You define desktops in the machine catalogs, while assigning end users access to the machines using Delivery Groups. The Studio module covers both topics.

Troubleshooting Receiver Issues Since end users frequently access resources through Receiver, you may first want to investigate Receiver connectivity. Sometimes, a difference in software versions might explain why two end users are not experiencing the same issue. Other times, an incorrect Store URL could mean that one end user sees applications for a different group or office. Citrix offers a set of tools to analyze the environment for these variables.

Verifying the Version of Receiver End users may not have access to certain features of Receiver if they do not have the appropriate version. Verifying which version of Receiver the end user has will quickly help you determine if this could be the cause of the problem.

To Verify the Version of Receiver 1.

Log on to the machine hosting the version of Receiver you want to verify. Log on to the HR-PC virtual machine using the TRAINING\HR1 and Password1 credentials.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Click Desktop from the Start Screen. Click the Up Arrow in the system tray to show hidden icons. Right-click Receiver and click About. Document the version when writing the support ticket. Click OK.



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Disconnecting an Application Using Connection Center Citrix Connection Center allows you to manage how the local machine interacts with streamed applications and desktops. An application might become unresponsive, requiring you to terminate the streamed session. If the end user wants streamed applications to access the local hard drive, you can enable the right permissions in Connection Center.

To Disconnect an Application Using Connection Center 1.

Log on to the machine whose session you want to manage. Log on to the HR-PC virtual machine using the TRAINING\HR1 and Password1 credentials.

2. 3. 4.

Click Desktop from the Start screen. Open Internet Explorer from the taskbar. Browse to Receiver for Web. Type https://storefront.TRAINING.lab/Citrix/MiamiStoreWeb/.

5.

Log on with your domain credentials. Type TRAINING\HR1 and Password1 and click Log On.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Select Apps and click WordPad. Click the Receiver icon in the system tray to show hidden icons. Right-click Receiver Click Advance Preferences. Click Connection Center to view existing ICA connections. Expand the server node in which you would like to view existing connections. Expand the XDW-Apps-01 node.

12. Select the Server or Desktop you would like to disconnect. Select XDW-Apps-01 since you want to disconnect the Calculator and WordPad applications.

13. 14. 15. 16.

Click Disconnect. Click Yes to confirm. Click Close. Click OK.

Resetting Receiver There may be times an end user incorrectly configures Receiver by entering an invalid server address or the incorrect email address. Resetting will prompt Receiver to request a server or email address, allowing the end user to configure Receiver manually. Resetting will also delete account information, so the end user will lose the applications and desktops that appeared upon logging in.

To Reset Receiver 1.

Log on to the machine hosting an installation of Receiver. Log on to the HR-PC virtual machine using the TRAINING\HR1 and Password1 credentials.

2. 3. 4. 5. 36

Click Desktop from the Start Screen. Click the Up Arrow in the system tray to show hidden icons. Right-click Receiver and click About. Click Advanced. Module 2: Configuring Citrix Receiver and Using Citrix StoreFront


6. 7. 8. 9.

Click Reset Receiver. Click OK or Yes to reset Receiver to default settings. Click Cancel at the prompt to enter a work email address or server. Click OK on the confirmation message.

Viewing Event Logs Logs capture notable events such as services failing to respond. You can view these logs with Windows Event Viewer. View logs when you want to investigate behavior that is not typical for the end user. For example, if the end user could stream an application the day before but is unable to now, you should view the event logs of the end user's machine. When attempting to access the event viewer, ensure you are logged on to the machine you want to investigate.

To View Event Logs 1.

Log on to the machine you would like to view the event logs for. Log on to the HR-PC virtual machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3. 4.

Right-click the Start menu from the taskbar and select Event Viewer. Expand the Windows Logs node and then select Application. Look for warning signs and document the errors to assist with resolution.

Using Citrix Scout and Citrix Insight Services (CIS) Citrix Scout is a free tool from Citrix that analyzes your log files, profiles your virtualized environment, and scans for hundreds of known issues. Citrix support engineers use this tool to diagnose problems quickly and accurately. You can check the state of your farm and whether your environment requires hotfixes. The tool prompts you to enter your MyCitrix credentials so it can upload all data to Autosupport for analysis. For more information about Insight Services, see http://TaaS.citrix.com. For more information about Citrix Scout, see http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX130147.

Addressing Simple Log-on Issues Issue

Resolution

Receiver for Windows end users cannot log on to stores using pass-through authentication, even though the StoreFront authentication service enables the domain passthrough authentication method.

Open a PowerShell command prompt and run the following command on the Delivery Controller servers: SetBrokerSite TrustRequestsSentToTheXmlServicePort $True

Receiver for HTML5 is not available to end users.

• •


Enable Receiver for HTML5 in StoreFront and propagate the settings to all StoreFront servers in the environment. Ensure that a supported browser is being used. Supported browsers include Internet Explorer version 10, Safari version 6, Chrome version 23, and Firefox version 17.)


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Reinforcement Exercise: Troubleshooting Issues with Receiver This exercise does not provide step-by-step instructions. Apply the concepts you just learned in this module to solve the problem. In most instances, the default value or choice will be the best choice, but you should explore other solutions whenever possible. If you have a question or get stuck, ask the instructor or a fellow student for assistance. In this module, you learned to: • • • • • • •

Discuss the logon process of an end user. Verify Delivery Controllers associated with stores. Install, configure, and reset Receiver. Access a desktop and open applications from Receiver. Verify the version of Receiver. Access Connection Center. Access and view event logs.

Approximate time to complete: 15 minutes The Accounting department can log on to the NYC Store but does not see any applications. You must investigate why the group cannot access the store. To complete your objective: • • • • •

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Follow the troubleshooting methodology and document your findings. Log on to the Acct-PC using TRAINING\AcctUser1 and Password1 credentials. Browse to https://storefront.training.lab/Citrix/NYCStoreWeb and log on using TRAINING\AcctUser1 and Password1 credentials to verify the issue. Determine the possible causes of the issue. Open StoreFront on the stf-001 machine as an Administrator to verify that the NYC store is properly configured.



Module 3

Researching Issues Using Citrix Studio

3

40


Researching Issues Using Citrix Studio Citrix Studio is the console that enables you to configure and manage your deployment, eliminating the need for separate consoles to manage the delivery of applications and desktops. Studio provides various wizards to guide you through the process of setting up your environment, creating workloads to host applications and desktops, and assigning them to end users. Administrators will primarily use this console for monitoring and managing the environment, however this module will give you a better understanding of how the environment works on the back end. After completing this module, you will be able to: • • • • • •

Create an administrator with a role and scope pair. Enable and disable Maintenance Mode on machines. Verify the state of a virtual machine within a machine catalog. View, edit, and configure policies. Create and edit machine catalogs and Delivery Groups. Run the Policy Modeling report to investigate policy conflicts.


Working with Delegated Administration The delegated administration model uses role-based and object-based control to offer customized permissions to match the roles in your organization. Delegated administration uses three concepts: administrators, roles, and scopes.

Working with Administrators An administrator can be a single entity or group identified by a corresponding Active Directory account. Each administrator is associated with one or more role and scope pairs, allowing organizations to create administrative functions to match job roles.

Working with Roles Roles represent a job functions. XenDesktop has the following built-in roles: Full Administrator

Performs all tasks and operations. A Full Administrator has the All scope by default.

Machine Catalog Administrator

Creates and manages machine catalogs. This role can manage base images and install software, but cannot assign applications or desktops to end users.

Delivery Group Administrator

Delivers applications, desktops, and machines; manages associated Delivery Group sessions and also settings for policies and power management.

Host Administrator

Manages host connections and their associated resource settings. This role cannot deliver machines, applications, or desktops to end users.

Help Desk Administrator

Views Delivery Groups and manages their sessions and machines. Sees the machine catalog and host information of the active Delivery Groups and performs session and machine power management for the machines in those Delivery Groups.

Read-only Administrator

Reads all objects in specified scopes as well as global information, but cannot modify settings.


Module 3: Researching Issues Using Citrix Studio

41

Working with Scopes A role defines a set of permissions, while a scope defines what objects the role has control over. Scopes, group objects in a logical way that reflects your organization. Objects refer to desktops, Delivery Groups, machine catalogs, and hosts (for example, XenServer or vSphere). Different scopes may share the same objects. The All scope grants the Full Administrator control over all objects. You can also create scopes when you create a new administrator; you must associate each administrator with at least one role and scope pair. When you are creating or editing desktops, machine catalogs, applications, or hosts, you can add them to an existing scope. If you do not add them to a scope, they remain part of the All scope. You cannot use a scope to enable an administrator to create a Site, nor can a scope contain other roles and scopes; however, those objects are included in the All scope. You cannot directly scope machines, power actions, desktops, or sessions. You can grant administrators permissions over these objects through the associated machine catalogs or Delivery Groups.

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To Create an Administrator with a Role and Scope Pair 1.

Log on to the Controller machine that has Citrix Studio installed on it. PLEASE USE THE REMOTE DESKTOP MANAGER TOOL TO ACCESS VMs WITHIN EACH LAB a. b.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Select Other user and enter TRAINING\Administrator and Password1. Click Submit.

Click Start then click Citrix Studio. Click the Citrix Studio node to expand. Select Administrators under the Configuration node. Click Close on the Delegated Administration screen if it appears. Click Create Administrator. Locate a domain account to assign the role and scope pair to. Click Browse, type TRAINING\HR1, and click Check Names.

8. Click OK to accept the account. 9. Click Create Scope. 10. Type a name and description for the scope. Type Administer HR Desktops and Control Desktops for HRUsers group for the Description. 11. Select an object as part of the scope. Click to expand Delivery Groups, select the HR User Desktops , and then click Save. 12. Select the scope that you just created and then click Next. Select Administer HR Desktops. 13. Create a new role. Click Create Role. 14. Type a name and description for the new role. Type HR_Admin for the name and Administer HR user desktops in the description.



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15. Select the desired permission levels. Select the Administrators box and the Delivery Groups box. 16. Click to expand the options to see the total permissions granted. 17. Click Save. 18. Select the new role and then click Next. Select HR_Admin. 19. Verify the Enable Administrator box is checked and click Finish. 20. Verify the new role and scope pair appear in the Administrators tab.

Tracking Administrator Activity The Logging node in Studio records changes made by all administrators. This information is valuable for investigating whether reported issues came before or after the last administrative changes made in Studio. The logs show time stamps next to change. If an end user reports an issue at the start of your shift, check the Logging node to see what changes made by a previous administrator might have caused the issue. Document the time stamps and logged actions when troubleshooting. Studio records changes made to: • • • • •

Machine catalogs Delivery Groups (including changing power management settings) Administrator roles and scopes Host resources and connections Citrix policies through Studio

Examples of recorded activity include: • •

Power management of a virtual machine or an end user's desktop. A message sent to an end user through Studio or Director.

Working with Machine Catalogs A machine catalog is a collection of virtual machines or physical computers that you can manage as a single entity. Machine catalogs specify the virtual machines or computers available to host applications or desktops, the Active Directory computer accounts assigned to those virtual machines or computers, and in some cases, the master image that is copied to create the virtual machines. Aside from Studio, Citrix offers two methods of creating machine catalogs: Machine Creation Services (MCS)

MCS enables the rapid creation of machine catalogs based off a single master image. Since the master image contains a single OS and settings, MCS can provision identical VMs and place them in their own catalog. MCS will also create corresponding machine accounts in Active Directory. The power of MCS is in its ability to update the master image and replicate the changes to the provisioned VMs.

Provisioning Services (PVS)

PVS also enables the rapid creation of machine catalogs, but might be better suited for larger deployments and for storage performance considerations such as IOPS limitations. With PVS, you can start new VMs using PXE or BDE services and add them to a catalog specified in the PVS console. Like MCS, you can update the single master image and replicate changes to the members of your machine catalog.

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Creating and Viewing a Machine Catalog An administrator with the appropriate role and scope can create machine catalogs in Citrix Studio. If an OU needs to stream applications, you can create a machine catalog of server-based OS machines. If another OU needs desktops served as random sessions, you can create a machine catalog of desktop-based OS machines. A machine catalog cannot contain mixed-OS machines. You cannot add a desktop-OS machine to a catalog of server-OS machines. If the end user calls Helpdesk and reports a missing application or desktop, try viewing the catalog to determine if the hosting machine is down for maintenance. Viewing the catalog can give insight into the machine's status. For example, a machine hosting desktops could be down due to power failure or put into Maintenance Mode by another administrator to receive hotfixes.

To Create and View a Machine Catalog 1.

Log on to the Controller machine that has Citrix Studio installed on it.. Log on to the XDC-001 machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Open Studio. Click the Machine Catalogs node. Click Create Machine Catalog. Click Next in the machine catalog screen. Select the type of OS machines that will be part of the catalog and click Next. Select Desktop OS.

7.

Select whether to use virtual or physical machines. Verify that Machines that are power managed is selected.

8.

Select how you want to manage the desktop images and then click Next. Select Machine Creation Services (MCS).



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9.

Select a resource (host) for the catalog and then click Next. Verify that Internal-105 is selected.

10. Select whether to provide random or static desktops to end users and then click Next. Select I want users to connect to a new (random) desktop each time they log on. 11. Select a hosted VM to based the image on and then click Next. Select Win81-MCS-MSTR. 12. Specify the number of VMs and their specifications and then click Next. a. b.

Click + once to add two virtual machines. Type 1024 for the amount of memory.

13. Determine how the machines in the catalog will correspond to Active Directory accounts and then click Next. a. b. c.

Select Create new Active Directory accounts. Select TRAINlNG.lab for the domain. Type HR2-Win81-## and select 0-9.

14. Select a scope and click Next. Select Administer HR Desktops. 15. Review the summary and click Finish. Click Cancel unless told otherwise by the instructor. 16. Click Machine Catalogs. 17. Select a machine catalog to view its details below and document the status of the machines. Select HR Win81 Desktops and scroll the Details tab below.

Discussion Question Why would an application or desktop appear to the end user but fail to launch? If the machine does not register with the controller, why does the application or desktop still appear?

Working with Delivery Groups Delivery Groups tell you which end users should have access to certain resources. For example, an Accounting Delivery Group may only need access to Microsoft Office and accounting software, whereas an Engineering Delivery Group may need access to machine catalogs hosting CAD software. The machine catalogs might have a one-to-one relationship with their Delivery Groups.

Creating Delivery Groups You can edit a Delivery Group to manage power settings for the machines, such as: • •

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Days and times to turn off machines. The delay (in minutes) before suspending any disconnected machine for peak hours and off-peak hours.



•

The behavior of machines after they disconnect from all sessions: nothing, suspend, or shut down.

When you want to investigate the status of a machine, check to see if an administrator had previously configured these settings. You cannot create Delivery Groups from machine catalogs with different machine types. For example, a Delivery Group cannot mix machines from a Server OS catalog with a Desktop OS catalog.

To Create a Delivery Group You will not create a Delivery Group. This exercise is for demonstration purposes only.

1.

Log on to the XDC-001 machine that has Citrix Studio installed. Log on to the Controller machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Open Studio. Select the Delivery Groups node. Click Create Delivery Group. Click Next on the welcome screen. Select a machine catalog, the number of VMs to add, and then click Next. a. b.

7.

Select the TRAINING Applications machine catalog. Click + to add one machine.

Determine what resources the Delivery Group will provide and click Next. Select Desktops.

8.

Add end users who can access the Delivery Group and click Next. a. b. c.

9.

Click Add users. Type HRUsers. Click Check Names and then click OK.

Select the method for configuring Receiver on the machines in the Delivery Group and then click Next. a. b.

Select Automatically, using the StoreFront servers selected below. Click Receiver StoreFront URL.

10. Select the scope and click Next. Select Administer HR Desktops. 11. Enter the Delivery Group name, display name, and description and then click Next. a. b. c.

Type HRDeskServ for the Delivery Group name. Type HR Random Desktops fro the display name. Type Randomly allocated desktops for the Human Resources group for the description.

12. Click Finish. 13. Click Delivery Groups. 14. Select a Delivery Group to view its details below. Select HR User Desktops - Win811 and scroll the Details tab below.



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Note the applications, the machine catalogs used to deliver the them, the network usage, and the administrators allowed to modify the Delivery Group.

Discussion Question How would you handle a request that asks you to provide access to a Windows 8 machine catalog and a Server 2012 machine catalog for one group of end users?

Enabling and Disabling Maintenance Mode Administrators can use Citrix Studio to put a machine into Maintenance Mode before applying updates. This mode prohibits connections to the machine. No end user can log on to a machine in this state. Maintenance Mode takes effect as soon as end users log off. If they try to connect to a machine in Maintenance Mode, a message will report the machine is currently unavailable and to try reconnecting. Check with an administrator if a machine no longer requires Maintenance Mode, so you can turn off this mode to make the machine available.

To Enable or Disable Maintenance Mode 1.

Log on to the Controller machine that has Citrix Studio installed. Log on to the XDC-001 machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3.

Open Studio. Locate the machine or desktop group to put into Maintenance Mode. Click Search and select the XDW-Acct-01.TRAINING.lab desktop OS machine. If you do not see the machine, make sure to clear the search filter then click the Desktop OS Machines tab.

4.

. Click Turn On Maintenance Mode to enable or click Turn Off Maintenance Mode to disable maintenance mode. a. b. c. d. e. f.

Click Turn On Maintenance Mode. Click Yes to confirm. Verify that Maintenance Mode is On. Click Turn Off Maintenance Mode. Click Yes to confirm. Verify that Maintenance Mode is Off.

If you would like to adjust maintenance mode for a machine and do not know the FQDN, you can access the machines by double-clicking a particular machine catalog or Delivery Group.

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Registered and Unregistered States A virtual machine must register with the Controller to be accessible to end users. Unregistered machines may not be available to end users accessing the corresponding Delivery Groups. An incomplete VDA installation is a typical cause for a machine failing to register. The event log of a VDA machine is a good place to look for registration issues. The log should show which Controllers the VDA machine is trying to register with and why registration attempts are failing.

To Check the State of a Virtual Machine 1.

Log on to the Controller machine that has Citrix Studio installed Log on to the XDC-001 machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3. 4. 5.

Open Studio. Click the Delivery Groups node. Select HR User Desktops . Scroll the Details tab below and verify the states of machines under the State column to the right. There could be one registered machine and two total machines. Recall that you may have turned on Maintenance Mode in the previous lab task.

Understanding Citrix Policies After creating machine catalogs and Delivery Groups, you can personalize the end-user experience with Citrix policies. You can create policies for specific groups of end users, devices, or connection types. Each policy can contain multiple settings, which you can merge. A prioritization system minimizes the chances of conflict between settings. For example, you can configure settings to: • • • •

Control sound quality for end-user devices. Allow end users access to the Documents folder on their local machines. Allow or prevent remote end users from being able to save work to their hard drives. Allow or prevent end users access to the system clipboard.

With policies you can apply different profile behaviors to the machines in each Delivery Group. For example, one Delivery Group might require Citrix mandatory profiles, whose template is stored in one network location, but another Delivery Group might require Citrix roaming profiles stored in another location with several redirected folders. You can manage Citrix policies through Group Policy in Windows or from Studio. The console or tool you use depends on whether you have the appropriate permissions to manage policies, where you want to store them, and how you plan to maintain them. The site database stores Citrix policies. The database also pushes updates to the end-user session, either when the machine registers with the Controller or when an end user connects to a resource. Before you create a policy, decide which group of end users or devices you want it to affect. You may want to create a policy based on job role, connection type, device, or geographic location. By default, Citrix provides Unfiltered policies for Computer and User policy settings. If you use Active Directory Group Policy Editor to manage Citrix policies, settings applied to the Citrix Unfiltered policy will apply to farm servers and connections that fall within the scope of the Group Policy Objects containing the Unfiltered policy. If you use Studio to manage Citrix policies, settings added to the Unfiltered policy affect servers and connections in the farm.

Creating and Viewing Citrix Policies You can apply policies at different levels: OU, domain, local machine, XenDesktop Site, and local system-level. Prioritization determines the order in which the environment processes Citrix Policies and Microsoft GPOs. Policy settings applied at one level may conflict with settings another level.



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When creating a policy, you will specify a filter and settings. The filter defines the objects affected by the policy, while the settings contain the specific rules of the policy. For example, a printing policy may specify that all objects (filter) within an OU retain the last installed printer as the default printer (settings). View policy details in Studio when you suspect there are policy conflicts. Documenting policy details can assist others during issue escalation. These are not the same as Group Policy Objects (GPOs), which an Active Directory administrator typically configures.

To Create a Policy and View its Settings 1.

Log on to the Controller machine thas has Citrix Studio installed. Log on to the XDC-001 machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3.

Open Studio. Click the Policies node. Click Close on the Citrix Policies Welcome screen if it appears.

4. 5. 6.

Click Create Policy. Select Printing in the All Settings drop-down menu. Select a Setting from the list. Click Select next to Auto-create client printers. Use the search field to narrow the list of settings. For instance, you can type Auto-create to find the Autocreate client printers setting.

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7.

Edit the policy settings to meet your requirements. Select Auto-create all client printer and then click OK.

8.

Select any additional settings. a. b. c. d.

Click Select next to Automatic installation of in-box printer. Select Disabled and click OK. Click Select next to Universal print driver usage. Select Use only printer model specific drivers and click OK.

9. Click Next. 10. Assign the policy to end users and machine objects. a. b. c. d. e.

Click Assign next to Organizational Unit (OU). Click Browse. Expand the TRAINING node and the XenDesktop node. Select Servers. Click OK two times.

11. Click Next 12. Name the policy and provide a description. Type Application Server Printing for the name. 13. Ensure that Enable policy is selected and click Finish. 14. Click the Policies tab at the top to view all policies. 15. Select a policy to view its settings. Select Application Server Printing. 16. Click the Settings tab and then click the > arrow beside each setting for a description of its function. 17. Click Assigned to tab and then click the > arrow beside each filter to see which end users and machines are affected. 18. Select the same policy and increase its priority. a. b.

Select Application Server Printing. Click Higher Priority until the policy to raise it into second position.

Discussion Question What is the purpose of Citrix policies?

Where are Active Directory policies stored?



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Understanding End-User Profiles An effective profile strategy improves network performance and the end-user experience by providing end users with faster logons, retained application setting and customized printers, and reduced administrative overhead. Designing this profile strategy requires analyzing end users' needs. Some important questions to ask: • • •

Do end users require streamed applications? Are desktops random or static? What percentage of end users are remote workers? How often do end users install their own printers?

The following are some common profile types: Local Profiles

The XenDesktop server stores local profiles and initially creates them based on the default profile. End users retain changes to their local profile on each individual server, but changes are only accessible for future sessions on that same server. Local profiles require no configuration.

Roaming Profiles

The site stores these profiles in a centralized network repository. Roaming profiles differ from local profiles, being available to end user sessions accessed from all XenDesktop servers in the environment. The first time the end user logs on to a XenDesktop server, the server creates the roaming profile based on the default profile. During logoff, the server copies the profile to a network location.

Mandatory Profiles

Sometimes called roaming mandatory profiles, the site also stores these in a centralized network location for each end user. They differ from roaming profiles by not retaining the end user’s changes at logoff.

Citrix Profile Management

This is a unique profile type that supersedes all other profiles. It addresses “last write wins” issues by only capturing changes within the profile, rather than writing the entire profile at logoff. This strategy minimizes conflicts that result from making profile changes when accessing multiple XenDesktop servers.

Understanding Citrix Profile Management Citrix Profile management allows end users to customize their virtual and physical desktops, applications, and server settings. Managed through Citrix policies or GPOs, Profile management provides a central point of configuration and control to give a consistent experience regardless of which machine hosts the end-user session.

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Citrix Profile management provides end users with fast logons and logoffs. The following steps describe how Citrix Profile management delivers a profile to the end user: 1. 2.

3. 4. 5.

The end user starts a session for a machine with Profile Management enabled. The Citrix Profile management service determines if the end user is a member of the processed group defined in the profile management policies. If the end user is a member, the service attempts to load the appropriate profile from the store. If the end user is not a member, a Microsoft profile is assigned. Profile management verifies that the store contains the profile. If a profile is not found on the store, the service migrates the end user's Microsoft profile to the store or creates a new one from a template specified in the policy. Profile management streams a local profile from the store to the virtual machine. Profile management monitors the end user's profile and logs any changes back to the end user's profile store. By default, Citrix Profile management installs silently on master images when you install the VDA. For more information about Profile Management best practices, see http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX136376

Configuring Profile Management Settings A sound profile strategy requires the right policy settings to optimize performance and the end-user experience. With XenDesktop 7, Citrix Profile Management installs silently during the VDA installation. You can enable the Profile Management policy through Studio and apply these commonly used settings: Enable Profile Management

You must first configure and enable this setting to enable the Profile Management policy.

Active Write Back

Traditional profile management faces the issue of "last write wins," meaning the NTUSER.DAT file stores system settings modified during each session and overwrites the version of the file on the network. With multiple active sessions, the NTUSER.DAT file saves settings for the last session to end, overwriting changes made during the previous sessions. Active write back addresses this by merging changes across all sessions and writing once to the NTUSER.DAT file.

Path to User Store

If enabled, the system stores end-user settings on the Store. The path can be relative to the home directory, a UNC path to a server share, or not configured. If disabled, the system stores settings in the Windows subdirectory of the home directory.

Profile Streaming

Reduce logon times by enabling this setting to stream files and folders only when accessed by the end user.

Exclusion List Setting

By default, Profile Management excludes some Microsoft system folders and roaming folders from syncing. You can configure this setting to exclude more folders or individual files from synchronizing with the end user's Store.

Inclusion List Setting

By default, Profile Management syncs folders and files within the end user's profile. With this setting enabled, Profile Management synchronizes the folders you've specified with a location on the end-user Store. Add folders outside the end user's profile or on the excluded folders list.

Profile Management processes domain profiles, not local accounts.



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For more information about Active Write Back, see http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/user-profile-manager-5x/upm-active-profile-write-back.html.

For more information about including and excluding files and folders from synchronization, see http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/user-profile-manager-sou/upm-include-task-den.html.

Redirecting Folders Folder redirection is fundamental to any successful profile strategy. If storage space on the network is scarce, you may want to store only essential files on the network. End users can store Downloads, Pictures, Favorites, and personal files locally, while you might redirect Documents to a network location. A redirected folder is a persisting folder, because data is preserved after the end user session is over.

To Redirect a Folder 1.

Log on to the XDC-001 machine that has Citrix Studio installed. Log on to the Controller machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3.

Open Studio. Click the Policies node. Click Close in the Citrix Policies Welcome screen if it appears.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Click Create Policy. Select Folder Redirection in the All Settings drop-down menu. Click Select next to Redirection settings for Documents. Click OK. Click Select next to Documents path. Select Enabled. Type the UNC path in which you would like to redirect the Documents folder. Select Enabled and type \\TRAINING\TRAININGUSERS$\.

11. Click OK and then click Next. 12. Select the users and machines affected by the policy. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.

Click Assign next to User or Group. Click Browse. Type HRUsers. Click Check Names and then click OK. Click + next to Browse. Click Browse in the new row. Type AccountingUsers. Click Check Names and then click OK twice.

13. Click Next. 14. Type a name for the Folder Redirection policy. Type Folder Redirection. 15. Click Finish after reviewing the policy settings and assignments.

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Troubleshooting Policies There may be many policies applied at multiple levels, such as site, domain controller, and organizational unit. The combination of Citrix and Microsoft policy settings creates a complex scenario. Conflicts can arise and often times it is because of the policy precedence and the order in which the session processes these settings.

Running the Citrix Policy Modeling Report Citrix Studio enables you to validate policies applied to the end user and corresponding machine of a session. When you suspect a reported issue to be caused by policy conflicts, you can run the Policy Modeling Report to check for conflicting settings. Document any conflicts to help the site administrator investigate the issue. You can run a similar tool from Microsoft, called Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP), from the Microsoft Media Console (MMC) or Active Directory. RSoP will only display Microsoft policies, while Policy Modeling in Studio displays both Citrix and Microsoft policies. You will be using Policy Modeling to view both types. For more information about Resultant Set of Policy, see http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/cc782615(v=ws.10).aspx

To Run the Citrix Policy Modeling Report 1.

Log on to the Controller machine that has Citrix Studio installed. Log on to the XDC-001 machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Open Studio. Click the Policies node. Select Modelling tab. Click Launch Modeling Wizard. Click Next at the Welcome screen. Select the domain and domain controller to perform the Modeling Wizard on and click Next. a. b.

8.

Select the User and Computer information and click Next. a. b. c. d.

9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Select TRAINING.lab from the drop down list. Select This domain controller and click AD.TRAINING.lab.

Select User, click Browse, and then type HR1. Click Check Names and then click OK. Select Computer, click Browse, then type HR2-Win8-01. Click Check Names and then click OK.

Click Next on the Filter Evidence page. Click Next on the Advanced Options page. Click Next on the Alternate Active Directory Paths. Click Run on the Summary page. Click Close. Select the most recent Modeling report and click View Modeling Report. Select hruser1.

15. Scroll the results to check for policy conflicts. Document your findings.

Discussion Question What policies can you view in the Citrix Studio Modeling Report? How can the administrator use this tool for troubleshooting? © Copyright 2016 Citrix Systems, Inc.


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Reinforcement Exercise: Managing Delivery Groups This exercise does not provide step-by-step instructions. Apply the concepts you just learned in this module to solve the problem. In most instances, the default value or choice will be the best choice, but you should explore other solutions whenever possible. If you have a question or get stuck, ask the instructor or a fellow student for assistance. In this module, you learned how to: • • • • • •

Create an administrator with a role and scope pair. Enable and disable Maintenance Mode on machines. Verify the state of a virtual machine within a machine catalog. View, edit, and configure policies. Create and edit machine catalogs and Delivery Groups. Run the Policy Modeling report to investigate policy conflicts.

An HR representative is having difficulties accessing a virtual desktop at certain times of the day, particularly when two other co-workers are also signed onto a desktop. The HR representative requests that you investigate the issue. Approximate time to complete: 30 minutes. To complete your objective: • • •

Follow the troubleshooting methodology and document your findings. Document the end-user's session info, machine state, and other relevant information. Review the machine catalog and Delivery Group that is related to the HR users.

Reinforcement Exercise: Redirecting Folders This exercise does not provide step-by-step instructions. Apply the concepts you just learned in this module to solve the problem. In most instances, the default value or choice will be the best choice, but you should explore other solutions whenever possible. If you have a question or get stuck, ask the instructor or a fellow student for assistance. IT has asked the Accounting group to move its documents from local storage to network storage. Your Administrator has provided the new UNC path. IT sent a memo to all employees stating that network storage must be used for work files only. Non-essential files must be stored locally. Create a Citrix Policy to redirect the HR group's Downloads folder to the UNC path \\TRAINING\TRAININGUsers$\ and make the employees store the Pictures folder locally. Approximate time to complete: 20 minutes. To complete your objective: • • •

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Use Studio to create the appropriate Citrix Policy. Ask the end user to log off then log on and save a file to the Pictures folder. Document the changes that are made within the environment.



Module 4

Printing in a XenDesktop 7.x Environment

4

58


Printing in a XenDesktop 7 Environment Printing is an important aspect of every Citrix infrastructure, but it is sometimes misunderstood and can be a common cause of issues. XenDesktop offers a variety of features that enable organizations to successfully integrate printing in almost any scenario. In this module you will first review the overall printing architecture in a virtualized environment and then consider other printing concepts. After completing this module, you will be able to: • • • •

Describe printing concepts. Describe the default printing behavior in XenDesktop. Alter the default printing behavior. Troubleshoot end-user printing issues.

Module timing: 2.5 hours

Printing Concepts In a virtualized environment, XenDesktop redirects print jobs through the network print server or end-user device to the printing device. When an end user prints, XenDesktop: • • •

Determines what printers to provide to the end user. This is known as printer provisioning. Restores the end user's printing preferences. Determines which printer is the default for the session.

The following concepts are crucial to understanding how printing in a virtualized environment works: Printer

A logical representation of a print device. A printer can be connected to a server, a client computer, or directly to a network.

Print Server

A computer on the network dedicated to managing printers on the network. The print server can be any computer on the network. Responsibilities include spooling, despooling, and managing and prioritizing print jobs.

Printer Driver

A program designed to allow other programs to work with a particular printer without involving the specifics of the printer's hardware and internal language.

Print Spooler

The Windows service and collection of dynamic link libraries (DLLs) that accepts a document sent to a printer by an application, then stores it on disk or in memory until the printer is available to process the job. This software receives, processes, schedules, and distributes documents for printing.

Spooling

The process of the printer driver taking device-independent commands from an application and formatting them into the device-specific format of a particular printer.

Print Queue

A group of documents waiting to print.

Citrix Universal Print Server

A server that provides universal printing support for network printers. The Universal Print Server uses the Universal Printer Driver, which enables you to use a single driver to allow network printing from any device.

Citrix Universal Printer Driver

A single driver installed and configured on the server to which an administrator can assign all auto-created client printers.


Module 4: Printing in a XenDesktop 7.x Environment

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For more information about Windows and Citrix printing concepts, see Citrix article CTX111967 at http://support.citrix.com.

Printer Types In a Windows environment, there are two types of printers: local printers and network printers. With XenDesktop there is also the redirected client printer. The type of printer determines where the print metafile containing the print job is spooled. Understanding where the job is spooled can be useful should an issue arise. Local (Client and Server)

Local printers are connected to an end-user device or server. By default, the local OS directly spools the print job to a Windows end-user device or server.

Network (Client and Server)

Network printers are connected to a print server and the server OS directly spools the print job to the print server.

Redirected Client

Printers are connected to the end-user device using an UNC path or a cable. The server OS spools the print job to the end-user device.

Discussion Question Which type of printing do you use within your organization and why?

Default Printing Behavior By default, if you do not configure any policy rules, XenDesktop printing behavior is as follows:

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• • • •

•

•

The Universal Print Server is disabled. All printers configured on the end user device will automatically create at the beginning of each session. This behavior is equivalent to configuring the policy setting Auto-create client printers with the Auto-create all client printers option. XenDesktop routes all print jobs queued to printers locally attached to end-user devices as client print jobs (over the ICA channel and through the end user device). XenDesktop routes all print jobs queued to network printers directly from Server OS or Desktop OS machines. If XenDesktop cannot route the jobs over the network, it will route them through the end-user device as a redirected client print job. This behavior is equivalent to disabling the policy setting Direct connection to print servers. XenDesktop attempts to store printing properties, a combination of the end user’s printing preferences and printing device-specific settings, on the end-user device. If the client does not support this operation, XenDesktop stores printing properties in end-user profiles on the client's machine. This behavior is equivalent to configuring the policy setting Printer properties retention with the Held in profile only if not saved on client option. XenDesktop uses the Windows version of the printer driver if it is available on the end user machine. If the printer driver is not available, XenDesktop attempts to install the driver from the Windows operating system. If the driver is not available in Windows, it uses a Citrix Universal printer driver. This behavior is equivalent to enabling the policy setting Automatic installation of in-box printer drivers and configuring the Universal printing setting with the Use universal printing only if the requested driver is unavailable.

Printing Policies When end users access printers from published applications, you can configure Citrix policies to specify: • • •

How printers are provisioned (or added to sessions). How print jobs are routed. How printer drivers are managed.

You can have different printing configurations for different end-user devices, end users, or any other objects on which policies are filtered. Configuring Citrix Printing policies will allow you to manage most printing functions. Printing settings follow standard policy behavior. By default, the system stores printer properties on the hard disk or in the end-user profile. When an end user changes printer properties during a session, the profile on the machine updates and saves those changes. The next time the end user logs on or reconnects, the end-user device inherits those retained settings. That is, printer property changes on the end-user device do not impact the current session until the end user logs off and then logs on again.



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Altering the Default Printing Behavior You can alter the default printing behavior in the environment using policies. Altering the printing behavior can affect the performance of printing in the environment and the end-user experience. There are several ways to configure printers for use in a session. When configuring printers, carefully consider the following items: • • • • • •

Available printing options Types of printer drivers Printing environment End-user requirements Administrative requirements Business needs Prior to changing the default printing behavior using policies, you should study basic XenDesktop printing concepts such as printer types, printing security, printer provisioning, printing pathways, and printer driver behavior to ensure the implemented changes are successful.

To Alter the Default Printing Behavior 1.

Log on to the Controller machine that hs Citrix Studio installed. PLEASE USE THE REMOTE DESKTOP MANAGER TOOL TO ACCESS VMs WITHIN EACH LAB Log on to the XDC-001 machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3.

Open Studio. Select the Policies node. Click Close if the Citrix Policies Welcome screen appears.

4. 5.

Click Create Policy in the Actions pane. Select Printing from the All Settings drop-down menu. There are more than 20 different printer policy settings that you can select and configure to change the default printing behavior.

Discussion Question When should you use the Citrix Universal printer driver in a XenDesktop environment?

Provisioning Printers The process by which XenDesktop makes printers available in a session is known as provisioning. Printer provisioning for XenDesktop is typically handled dynamically. Virtual machines will not store the printers that appear in a session. Instead, policies assemble the printers as the session is built during log on and reconnection. As a result, the printers can change according to policy, end-user location, and network changes. This means that end users who roam to a different location might see changes to their workspace.

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XenDesktop also monitors client-side printers and dynamically adjusts in-session auto-created printers based on additions, deletions, and changes to the client-side printers. This dynamic printer discovery benefits mobile end users as they connect from various devices. The sections below provide configuration information for the different XenDesktop printer provisioning methods.

Auto-Creating Client Printers XenDesktop uses auto-creation to create printers at the beginning of each session, depending on which printers the end-user device defines and which policies apply to that session. By default, XenDesktop makes session printers available by automatically creating all printers configured on the end-user device, including locally attached and network printers. After the end user terminates the session, the printers disconnect from that session. The next time a session starts, XenDesktop evaluates the printer creation policies and enumerates the appropriate printers on the end-user device. You can change the default auto-creation settings to limit the number or type of auto-created printers. XenDesktop can autocreate locally defined client and network printers. XenDesktop includes these universal printing solutions for client printers: Citrix Universal Printer

A generic printer created at the beginning of sessions that is not tied to a printing device. The Citrix Universal Printer does not need to enumerate the available client printers during logon, thereby reducing resource utilization and decreasing logon times.

The Universal Printer can print to any client-side printing device.

Citrix Universal printer drivers

A device-independent printer driver that supports advanced printer functionality, such as stapling and sorting. If you configure a Citrix Universal printer driver, XenDesktop uses the EMF-based Universal printer driver by default.

Controlling Client Printer Auto-Creation At the start of a session, XenDesktop auto-creates all printers on the end-user device by default. You can control which, if any, types of printers are provisioned to end users and can prevent auto-creation entirely. The Auto-create client printers policy rule allows you to control printer auto-creation. Located in the Citrix Policies node of the Group Policy Management Console or the Policies node of Studio, with this rule you can: • • • •

Prohibit printers visible to the end-user device from auto-creation. Automatically create only the default printer for the end-user device. Automatically create all non-network printers (such as LPT, USB, TCP) defined on the end-user device. Auto-define all printers visible to the end-user device, including network and locally attached printers, at the start of each session.

To Control Client Printer Auto-Creation 1.

Log on to the Controller machine that has Citrix Studio installed. Log on to the XDC-001 virtual machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3.




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4. 5. 6.

Click Create Policy in the Actions pane. Select Printing from the All Settings drop-down menu. Select the printing policy that you would like to configure. Click Select next to Auto-create client printers.

7.

Select the value that you would like to apply in your environment. Select Auto-create the client's default printer only from the Value drop-down menu.

8. Click OK. 9. Click Next. 10. Determine whether you want to assign the policy based on user and machine objects or if it will apply to all objects in a site. Verify that Assign to selected user and machine objects is selected and then click Assign next to Delivery Group. 11. Select the Delivery Group to which you would like to apply the policy and then click OK. Select Acct User Desktops - Win81 from the Delivery Group drop-down menu. 12. Click Next. 13. Enter a name for the policy and verify that Enable policy is selected. Enter Auto-create client default printer only - Acct in the Policy name field and verify that Enable policy is selected. 14. Click Finish.

Session Printers By default, XenDesktop automatically creates network printers on the end-user device at the beginning of a session. By specifying the network printers you want to create for each session, XenDesktop allows you to reduce the number of enumerated and mapped printers. These specified printers are called session printers. You can filter session printer policies by IP address to provide proximity printing. Proximity printing enables end users within a specified IP address range to automatically access the network printing devices that exist within that same range. Citrix Universal Print Server provides proximity printing.

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To Configure the Session Printers Policy 1.

Log on to the Controller machine that has Citrix Studio installed. Log on to the Controller machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3.


4. 5. 6.

Click Create Policy in the Actions pane. Select Printing from the All Settings drop-down menu. Select the printing policy that you would like to configure. Click Select next to Session printers.

7. 8.

Click Add to add the appropriate session printers. Browse for the appropriate Printer UNC path and click OK three times. Browse for Entire Network > Microsoft Windows Network > TR > FSR-001 > HP Color LaserJet 4550 PCL6 Class Driver.

9. Click Next. 10. Click Assign next to Delivery Group. 11. Select the Delivery Group to which you would like to apply the policy and click OK. Select Acct User Desktops - Win81 from the Delivery Group drop-down menu. 12. Click Next. 13. Enter a name for the policy and verify that Enable policy is selected. Enter Session Printer - Acct in the Policy name field and verify that Enable policy is selected. 14. Click Finish.

End User Self-Provisioning End users may need printers that are not auto-created at the beginning of their sessions. By default, end users can add network or client-defined printers in their sessions using the Windows Add Printer wizard on the server or an application that lets them browse to the printers.

Auto-Retained Printers Auto-retained printers are those in which end users add through user self-provisioning. Auto-retained printers are created again (or remembered) at the start of the next session and route print jobs along the client printing pathway. Auto-retained printers appear in the session on the end-user device until deletion of the client printer within the session is done manually. This will remove the remembered printer connection from the properties store of the end-user device. An auto-retained printer will show the notation "Auto Retained" in the Comment field of the printer properties. You can prohibit auto-retained printers from auto-creating at the beginning of a session using the Retained and restored client printers policy rule in the policies node of Studio or the Citrix policies node of the Group Policy Management Console.

Printer Drivers You must install the respective print driver in order to print on a print device. If the print device is changed, then you must install a new or updated driver. In large organizations with hundreds of printers, managing printer drivers can become an intensive management task.



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Citrix recommends that you never update a printer driver. Always uninstall a driver, restart the print server, and then install the replacement driver. This helps ensure consistency and decreases the chance that issues with existing drivers are transferred to the updated drivers.

Citrix Universal Print Server The Citrix Universal Print Server provides universal printing support for network printers. The Universal Print Server uses the Universal printer driver, a single driver on a Server OS or Desktop OS machine that allows local or network printing from any device, including thin clients and tablets. When you enable the Citrix Universal Print Server, all connected network printers use it automatically through autodiscovery.

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Universal Printer Driver To simplify printing in XenDesktop environments, Citrix recommends using the Citrix Universal printer driver. The Universal printer driver supports any print device, simplifying administration by reducing the number of required drivers. The Universal printer driver supports advanced printer functionality, such as stapling and sorting, and does not limit color depth. The Universal printer driver consists of two components: Server component

On a XenDesktop-based virtual desktop, the Universal printer driver is installed as part of the XenDesktop VDA installation. When a print job is initiated, this driver records the output of the application and sends it, without any modification, to the end-user device with the ICA/HDX connection.

Client component

The client component of the Universal printer driver is part of the Citrix Receiver installation. It receives the incoming print stream for the virtual desktop and forwards it to the local printing subsystem to render the print job using the device-specific printer driver.

It is important that if you support standard drivers in addition to the Citrix Universal printer driver, you should determine: • • •

Which types of drivers you can support. Whether to install printer drivers automatically when they are missing from machines. Whether to create driver compatibility tests.

If the Citrix Universal printer driver is not an option in your environment, you can map printer drivers to minimize the amount of drivers installed on the machines. In addition, mapping printer drivers enables you to: • • • •

Allow specified printers to use only the Citrix Universal printer driver. Allow or prevent printers to be created with a specified driver. Substitute good printer drivers for outdated or corrupted drivers. Substitute a driver that is available on a Windows server for a client driver name.



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Configuring the Universal Print Server You must enable the Universal Print Server to use it with a Windows-native driver. The Universal Print Server selects a Windows-native driver by default, or it can fall back on the Universal printer driver. You can modify this behavior to select only one driver type by configuring the Universal print driver usage setting.

To Configure the Universal Print Server 1.

Log on to the controller machine that has Citrix Studio installed using domain administrator credentials. Log on to the XDC-001 virtual machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Open Citrix Studio from the taskbar. Select the Policies node. Click Create Policy in the Actions pane. Select Universal Print Server from the All Settings drop-down menu. Click Select next to Universal Print Server enable. Select Enabled with fallback to Windows' native remote printing from the Value drop-down menu. Click OK. Click Select next to Universal Print Server print data stream (CGP) port. If needed, change the port to fit the needs of your environment. Leave the default value of 7229.

10. Click OK. 11. Click Select next to Universal Print Server print stream input bandwidth limit (kpbs). If needed, change the default value to fit the needs of your environment. Leave the default value of 0. 12. Click OK. 13. Click Select next to Universal Print Server web service (HTTP/SOAP) port. If needed, change the default value of 8080 to fit the needs of your environment. Leave the default value of 8080. 14. 15. 16. 17.

Click OK. Click Next. Verify that Assign to selected user and machine objects is selected and then click Assign next to Delivery Group. Select the Delivery Group to which you would like to apply the policy. Select Acct User Desktops - Win8 from the Delivery Group drop-down menu.

18. Click OK. 19. Click Next. 20. Enter a name for the policy and verify that Enable policy is selected. Enter Universal Print Server - Acct in the Policy name field and verify that Enable policy is selected. 21. Click Finish.

Discussion Question In which situations would you change the default value of "0" in the Universal Print Server print stream bandwidth limit (kpbs)?

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Troubleshooting End-User Printing Issues

You will likely need to ask several questions before you can begin to narrow the list of possible issues that are the root cause of any printing problem. The graphic shows some of the typical questions you may need to ask and how to proceed with your investigation . If during your investigation you realize that you need additional information that an end user cannot provide, for example, if you need to find out which printer drivers are in use, you can use a tool like Citrix Print Detective.

Running the Citrix Print Detective Tool Print Detective is a utility that can be used to gather printer driver-related information as part of the troubleshooting process. Print Detective: •

Enumerates all local printer drivers or those from remote systems from the specified Windows system.



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• • • •

Deletes specified printer drivers (requires Windows administrator privileges). Includes export capabilities. Allows to filter on non-native drivers. Provides a command-line interface. For more information about Print Detective and to download the utility, see Citrix article CTX116474 at http://support.citrix.com.

To Run the Citrix Print Detective Tool 1.

Log on to the Helpdesk-PC machine that has Citrix Print Detective on the desktop. Log on to the Helpdesk-PC machine using the TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2.

Launch the Print Detective utility. a. b. c.

3.

Double-click PrintDetective.zip on your Desktop. Double-click x86 folder. Double-click PrintDetective.

Click Run if the Compressed (zipped) folder dialog box appears.

Running the StressPrinters Tool Problems can occur when multiple users connect to the same server using the same printer driver. Symptoms include the failure to auto-create client printers, increased thread count of the printer spooler or Citrix Print Manager services, and possible unresponsiveness of these services. With the StressPrinters tool, you can simulate multiple sessions trying to auto-create printers from the same driver. You can also compare the CPU load and time required to create a printer using a particular driver. For more information about the StressPrinters tool, see http://support.citrix.com/CTX109374. Watch the CitrixTV episode on the page for instruction on how to use the tool.

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Troubleshooting Printing Issues Issue

Resolution

Printers do not auto-create

1.

2. 3. 4.

5.

Verify that the printer driver for the printer is installed on the server being accessed by the session. If not, install the printer driver on all XenDesktop machines or use a Citrix Universal printer driver. Verify that the Auto-create client printers policy setting does not prohibit the creation of the printer. Verify that a higher priority policy is not preventing the auto-creation of the printers. Verify that the administrator can auto-create client printers. If so, confirm that end users have at least Read, Write, and Execute permissions to the following folder and file: %SystemRoot%\System32\Spool and %System%\System32\printer.inf. Verify that the client device/Windows Terminal has the latest software/firmware installed. For more information about troubleshooting printer auto-creation, see Knowledge Center article CTX117008 at http://support.citrix.com

Print jobs are garbled or fail to print.

1.

2.

Verify that the printer driver name for the client is the same as the printer driver name for the server. If not, map the driver names. Remove the incompatible printer driver, restart the Citrix Print Manager services and use the Citrix Universal printer driver instead. Restarting the Citrix Print Manager services will discard all current print jobs in the session.

Network printers are not available in the end user's session.

1. 2. 3.

Verify that the Session printers policy rule is applied to the session. Verify that a higher priority policy is not preventing the use of the printer. Use the net use command from the end-user device to verify that the end user has permissions to the print server.

Session appears to stop responding at startup when end users Verify that network printers are attempting to auto-create for are disconnected from the network. the end user and then set the Auto-create client printers policy rule to Auto-create local (non-network) client printers only for mobile end users. The Universal Print Server does not appear.

1. 2.

Verify that the Universal Print Server is enabled. Ensure that the operating system is Windows Server 2008 or later.

Printers that are no longer used or no longer exist are still being created in end-user sessions.

1. 2.

Verify that the printing policies are set to retain printers. Verify that you have uninstalled all unused drivers.



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Reinforcement Exercise 1: Setting the Default Printer This exercise does not provide step-by-step instructions. Apply the concepts you just learned in this module to solve the problem. In most instances, the default value or choice will be the best choice, but you should explore other solutions whenever possible. If you have a question or get stuck, ask the instructor or a fellow student for assistance. In this module, you learned how to: • • • •


Approximate time to complete: 15 minutes You have received calls from several members of TRAINING's HR team stating that their default printer keeps changing daily and sometimes more than once a day. This is not the behavior intended in your XenDesktop environment. Instead, the HR team should have the Canon InkJet E600 printer as their default printer at all times. To complete your objective: • •

Check the printing policies in Studio to ensure that the appropriate policies are in place. Make note of any issues you find with the policies as currently configured.

As you investigate, remember to follow the troubleshooting methodology and document your findings during this exercise. Based on the results of the investigation, ensure that relevant policies are in place and correctly configured so that members of TRAINING's HR team always have the Canon InkJet E600 as their default printer.

Reinforcement Exercise 2: Troubleshoot Printing Issues This exercise does not provide step-by-step instructions. Apply the concepts you just learned in this module to solve the problem. In most instances, the default value or choice will be the best choice, but you should explore other solutions whenever possible. If you have a question or get stuck, ask the instructor or a fellow student for assistance. In this module, you learned how to: • • • •


Approximate time to complete: 15 minutes Recently, an administrator decided to restrict the automatic installation of printer drivers in the XenDesktop environment. However, after a few days, you began receiving calls from end users stating that their printers were not appearing in their sessions. Today, an end user from TRAINING's Accounting team called you and explained that she was unable to find her printer (Canon 9500 Accounting) after launching a published application. To complete your objective: • • • •

Verify the that the Canon 9500 Accounting printer is not available within application sessions. Review policies to see how the administrator restricted the automatic installation of printer drivers in the environment. Ensure that end users on the Accounting teams can print to their local printers. Following the troubleshooting methodology, investigate any reported errors or events.

Based on the results of the investigation, ensure that relevant policies are in place and configured correctly.

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Module 5

Resolving Issues Using Citrix Director

5

74


Resolving Issues Using Citrix Director As you support a XenDesktop environment, you will have the ability to manage end-user sessions with Citrix Director. You can use this console to streamline the troubleshooting process, helping you be more efficient. This module will focus primarily on Director and allow you the opportunity to browse the console. After completing this module, you will be able to: • • • •

View real-time sessions and their details within Director. Enable and disable Maintenance Mode. Interact with end users by sending messages and shadowing them. Resolve issues within end-user sessions.


Citrix Director Director is a Web-based tool that enables IT Support and Helpdesk teams to monitor a XenDesktop environment, troubleshoot issues before they become system critical, and perform support tasks for end users. Director allows you to search for end users and display their activity, such as: • • • • •

Finding the status of the end-user's applications and processes. Ending unresponsive applications or processes. Restarting an end-user's machine. Disconnecting end-user sessions. Shadowing an end-user session.

Director also provides additional administrator features and provides an overview of the key aspects of a deployment, such as the status of connections, sessions, and the site infrastructure. The dashboard displays meaningful performance metrics and graphs, together with information about the health of the hypervisors and controllers. Director updates information every minute. If issues occur, details appear automatically about the number and type of failures. You can view more detailed information. For example, you can display all the end users affected and the associated machines. To prepare for this module, log on as an end user and begin a session so that you can use Director to monitor that session in subsequent procedures. PLEASE USE THE REMOTE DESKTOP MANAGER TOOL TO ACCESS VMs WITHIN EACH LAB 1. Log on to the HR-PC. 2. Click Desktop and then click the Internet Explorer icon. 3. Type https://storefront.TRAINING.lab/Citrix/MiamiStoreWeb and press Enter. 4. Log on to Citrix Receiver using the TRAINING\HR1 and Password1 credentials. 5. Click HR User Desktops -Win81 desktop(TRAINING\XDW-HR-01) . 6. Minimize the HR User Desktops - Win81- Desktop Viewer window once the desktop launch is complete.. 7. Click Apps in Receiver. 8. Click Calculator to launch the application. 9. Click WordPad to launch the application. Citrix Receiver: It may be necessary to install the Citrix Receiver on the Receiver on the HR-PC machine.

Accessing Director and Searching for End Users You will access Director when troubleshooting your environment and when end users have issues with sessions. You have the ability to control these sessions and resolve issues within Director.


Module 5: Resolving Issues Using Citrix Director

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To Access Director and Search for an End User 1.

Log on to the HelpdeskPC computer. a. b.

2. 3. 4.

Select Other user and enter TRAINING\HelpdeskAdmin and Password1. Click Submit.

Click Desktop. Open Internet Explorer from the taskbar. Browse to the Director URL (https://server/Director). Open a browser and type https://stf-001.TRAINING.lab/Director.

5.

Type your username, password, and domain then click Log on. a. b. c. d.

6.

Type HelpdeskAdmin in the User name field. Type Password1 in the Password field. Type TRAINING into the Domain field, Click Log on.

Type the name of the end user you would like to search for and press Enter. Type TRAINING\HR1 and press Enter.

Activity Manager This pane allows you to view applications and processes that are currently running on the virtual desktop. You can end processes or applications from this pane if you have an understanding of the issue.

Viewing the Details Page The Details page within Director will give you the ability to view: • • • • • •

Open applications and processes Machine Details Session Details User Logon Durations Personalization Information HDX Panel

To View the Details page 1.

Log on to the Helpdesk-PC computer. Log on to the Helpdesk-PC machine using the TRAINING\HelpdeskAdmin and Password1 credentials.

2.

Log on to Director using Internet Explorer. Browse to https://stf-001.TRAINING.lab/director and log on with HelpdeskAdmin, Password1, and TRAINING domain credentials.

3.

Type the name of the end user you would like to search for into the Search field and press Enter. Type HR1 and press Enter.

4.

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Scroll to the right-hand side of the page, and click Details button.



Machine Details The Machine Details pane displays information about the virtual machine the end user is currently signed onto. The machine name whose information is displayed is on the top portion of the screen. If end users have multiple desktops assigned to them or have application sessions, you can choose the particular session that you would like to review by clicking the monitor icon besides the computer name. When end users state that they are having challenges with their virtual desktop, the Machine Details pane gives you a good understanding of other information that is displayed, including: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Site name Registration State Delivery Group Machine Catalog Operating System Type Allocation Type Machine IP Address Organization Unit VDA Version Host Server VM Name Resource Allocation (vCPUs, Memory, and Hard Disk) Average Disk Sec/Transfer Current Disk Queue Length

Session Details The Session Details pane displays information about the end-user's session, allows you to interact with the end user, and allows you to control the session. Information in this pane includes: • • • • • • • • • • •

Current state of the session Time in state Endpoint name Endpoint IP Connection type Receiver version Latency Launched via Connected via Policies applied SmartAccess filters

Logon Duration Below the Activity Manager, Machine Details, and Session Details pane, is the Logon Duration panel. This chart displays the logon times for the current session, the average logon for this end user, and the Delivery Group as a whole.

Personalization Below the Logon Duration panel is the Personalization panel, which helps you determine information about the end user's profile. If profile management and folder redirection have been set up, you have the ability to reset the end user's profile here. Also, if end users are allocated Personal vDisks, you can reset that as well.



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HDX Panel Monitor the status of the HDX channels within the end-user session in the HDX panel of the User Details page. The HDX channels monitor allows you to view the status and current configuration of end-users' specific HDX channels within their session, greatly assisting in the diagnostic of connections and performance concerns. You can gather detailed information around numerous HDX parameters including Audio and Media Stream, Thinwire, USB utilities, and Flash.

Discussion Question If an end user waits a long time for the desktop to load, where would you look within Director to find the problem? What could be possible causes?

Interacting with the End User You may need more information on an issue after reviewing an end-user's complaint. Director gives you the ability to send messages to the end user and also shadow the end user to view the problem and possibly correct the error remotely.

Sending a Message to an End User You can send messages to end users (or as a group message) to inform them about desktop maintenance or to communicate individually. For example, you may want to tell end users to log off before critical maintenance is about to take place to ensure they save their work, preventing loss of data.

To Send a Message to an End User 1.


2.

Log on to Director using Internet Explorer. Browse to https://stf-001.TRAINING.lab/director and log on with HelpdeskAdmin, Password1, and TRAINING credentials.

3.

Search for an end user who you would like to send a message to. Type HR1 in the Search users field and press Enter.

4.

Click Details below the Search users field. If Activity Manager appears instead of Details, you are already on the Details page.

5.

Ensure that the appropriate desktop or application connection for the end user is displayed. Click Session (Computer display icon) at the top of the Details page and then select the HR User Desktops -Win81 desktop(TRAINING\XDW-HR-01) desktop from the drop-down menu. The session icon is only available when the selected end user has multiple sessions running.

6. 78

Scroll the page to the right to view the Session Details pane. Module 5: Resolving Issues Using Citrix Director


7. 8.

Click Send Message. Type your message to the end user. Type Thank you for contacting the Helpdesk. Your issue should now be resolved.

9.

Click Send and then verify that the message was successfully sent. a. b. c. d.

Click Send. Switch to the HR-PC virtual machine. Click OK on the message to close it. Switch back to the HelpdeskPC virtual machine. The selected end user must have an active session running in order to receive the message. If the end user disconnects or the session times out, the message will not reach the recipient.

Shadowing an End-User Session Director allows you to shadow a XenDesktop session while assisting an end user. When shadowing, you are using the Microsoft Remote Assistance client, which allows you to view and work on the virtual machine of an end user whom you are assisting. You can also request that the end user allow you to share control of the keyboard and mouse. The system running Director, usually the Helpdesk Agent's desktop, must have the Microsoft Remote Assistance client installed. In addition, the virtual desktop must also have remote assistance enabled, either through the Virtual Delivery Agent Installation Wizard or through an Active Directory GPO. By default, only local administrators on the virtual desktop, including domain administrators, can launch a shadowing session. To provide shadowing access to Helpdesk administrators, you must configure an Active Directory GPO to add those administrators as remote assistance users.

To Shadow an End-User Session 1.


2.


3.

Search for an end user who you would like to send a message. Type HR1 in the Search users field, press Enter.

4.


5. 6. 7.

Scroll the page to the right to view the Session Details pane. Click the Shadow button. Click Open in the Opening Invite.msrcincident dialog box and wait for the end user to accept your invitation. Switch to the HR-PC machine and click Yes in the "Would you like to allow Helpdesk Admin to connect to your computer" message. If the end user does not respond within 120 seconds, the connection will fail. In such cases, click OK in the Windows Remote Assistance message on the system accessing Director, to end the shadowing request.



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8.

Click Request control at the top of the Windows Remote Assistance window. a. b. c. d.

9.

Click Request control from the Windows Remote Assistance window on the system running Director. Switch to the HR-PC virtual machine. Click Yes on the Windows Remote Assistance screen to allow Helpdesk Admin to share control. Switch back to the HelpdeskPC virtual machine.

Assist the end user from the system running Director and then close the Windows Remote Assistance window to end the shadowing session. Click the X in the small or full screen Windows Remote Assistance window. The end user could also end the shadowing session by clicking the X in the Windows Remote Assistance window displayed on the endpoint. If you end the shadowing session by closing the small Windows Remote Assistance window, you must close the full screen Windows Remote Assistance window separately.

Resolving Issues for the End User You can begin the troubleshooting process upon gathering details and determining that the end user's issue is within your scope. It is important to continue to document the troubleshooting process in the event that you need to escalate the issue or retrace your steps.

Resetting an End-User Profile Resetting a profile allows you to manage end-user settings stored within the end user's Citrix-based profile or Microsoft roaming-based profile. An end-user's folders and files are saved and copied to the new profile upon being reset. All other profile properties are reset to default, including registry, applications, and personalization settings.

To Reset an End-User Profile 1.


2.


3.

Search for an end user who you would like to send a message to. Type HR1 in the Search users field, press Enter.

4.


5.

Select the appropriate desktop or application connection for the user. Click the session icon (Computer display icon) at the top of the Activity Manager page and then select the Calculator resource from the drop-down menu. The session icon is only available when the end user has multiple sessions running.

6. 7. 8. 80

Scroll the Details page down until you reach the Personalization panel. Click Reset Profile in the Personalization panel of the Details page. Click Reset on the Reset Profile Confirmation screen. Module 5: Resolving Issues Using Citrix Director


Ending Machine Process When an end user calls the Helpdesk about a slow desktop machine, you can monitor the status of the processes on that machine without needing to start a Remote Assistance session and shadow the end user. One resolution for an unresponsive application or slow machine performance is to end the process consuming resources. If you stop a process, it will disappear from the list of running processes. If the process problems continue, you can escalate by restarting the machine or by resetting the end user's profile. This is similar to running Task Manager on the end user's machine.

To End a Machine Process 1.


2.


3.

Search for an end user who you would like to send a message to. Type HR1 in the Search users field, press Enter.

4.

Click Activity Manager below the Search users field. If Details is displayed below the Search users field, then the Activity Manager screen is already displayed.

5. 6.

Click the Processes tab in the Activity Manager. Select the process to be stopped, click End Process and then select Yes to confirm the action. Do not end any processes.

Ending Applications You can monitor end-user applications by performing the following tasks: • • •

View local and hosted applications for connected machines. View applications on all machines to which the end user has access. Stop an application.

To End Applications 1.


2.


3.

Search for an end user running an active session. Type HR1 in the Search users field and press Enter.

4.

Click Activity Manager below the Search users field to view the Activity Manager. If Details is displayed below the Search users field, then the Activity Manager screen is already displayed. The Activity Manager screen is white and the Details screen is black.



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5. 6.

Click the Applications tab menu in the Activity Manager to view a list of the applications and hosted applications being run by the selected end user. Select the process to be stopped, click End Application;click Yes if prompted to confirm the action. Select Calculator and click End Application.

7.

Select HR-PC to verify that the Calculator application is no longer running.

Enabling and Disabling Maintenance Mode Putting a machine in maintenance mode lets you perform administrative tasks on the associated image, such as applying updates and upgrades using image management tools. User connectivity is affected as follows when in maintenance mode: • •

With Server OS machines, end users can connect to existing sessions but cannot start new sessions. With Desktop OS and Remote PC Access machines, end users cannot connect or reconnect, once the machine is in maintenance mode. End users will stay connected until they either disconnect or log off.

Machines are available for end-user connections when you take them out of maintenance mode. You can only search for existing end-user sessions when using the Helpdesk Administrator role to access Director. If there is a particular machine you would like to place in maintenance mode, you must sign into Studio or access Director with administrator credentials.

To Enable and Disable Maintenance Mode 1.


2.


3.


4.


5.

Select the session that is using the machine you would like to put into maintenance mode. Click the session icon (Computer display icon) at the top of the Details page and then select HR User Desktops (XDW-HR-01).

6.

Click the Maintenance Mode button under Machine Details to change the mode. Ensure that maintenance mode is set to Off before continuing. It is important to be aware of which machine you place into maintenance mode and how it will affect end users.

Managing an End-User's Machine Power Status You can restart, shutdown, or suspend virtual machines within the environment using the details page of Director.

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To Manage an End-User's Machine Power Status 1.


2.


3.


4.


5. 6.

Click Power Control under Machine Details on the page Select the appropriate action to take on the machine. Do not select any of the available actions at this time. The following power controls are available: • Restart • Force Restart • Shutdown • Force Shutdown • Suspend • Resume • Start

Disconnecting an End-User Session Disconnecting a session will break the connection that end users have with their virtual desktop or application. However, the desktop or application will continue to run. When creating a new end-user session, the end user will have the ability to resume work from the point of interruption. This is valuable when an end user has difficulty during a session and may have unsaved work. In order to see that disconnecting an end-user session does not cause loss of unsaved work, complete the following as a prerequisite: 1. Switch to the HR-PC. 2. Select the open instance of the WordPad application within the taskbar. 3. Type Testing to verify if unsaved work appears after disconnecting a session.

To Disconnect an End-User Session 1.


2.




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3.


4.


5.

Ensure that the appropriate desktop or application connection for the user is displayed. Click the session icon (Computer display icon) at the top of the Activity Manager page and then select the TRAINING Applications resource from the drop-down menu. The session icon is only available when the selected end user has multiple sessions running.

6. 7. 8.

Scroll the Details page to the right and then click Session Control. Click Disconnect to disconnect the selected session. Verify that the state of the session has changed to Disconnected. Switch to the HR-PC and click WordPad to relaunch the session and verify that the text still appears.

Logging Off an End User Unlike disconnecting an end-user session, logging an end user off will completely log the end user off the desktop or application and can lead to a loss of data.

To Log Off an End User 1.

Log on to Helpdesk-PC computer. Log on to the Helpdesk-PC machine using the TRAINING\HelpdeskAdmin and Password1 credentials.

2.


3.


4.


5.

Select the appropriate desktop or application connection for the end user. Click the session icon (Computer display icon) at the top of the Activity Manager page and then select the WordPad resource from the drop-down menu. The session icon is only available when the selected end user has multiple sessions running.

6. 7.

84

Scroll the Details page to the right and then click Session Control. Click Log Off to log the end user off the session.



Wait for the log off process to complete. Do not click Log Off again. Doing so will result in an error message. Afterward, the session details will disappear from the Details pane.

Discussion Question Can you recover unsaved work if an end-user's session stops? How would you troubleshoot the issue?

Monitoring with the Director Dashboard In addition to the features you have learned about Director, there are also tools that assist administrators with monitoring the overall health of the environment, helping them be aware of trends and potentially prevent issues before they happen. What you have seen so far are the features available to Helpdesk administrators based on their role. The roles and scopes assigned to administrators in Studio dictate the features available within Director. For this reason, an administrator has access to the Dashboard which includes information on your environment such as: • • •

Infrastructure Sessions Connected Average Logon Duration

Monitoring Infrastructure From the Infrastructure panel in Director, you can monitor the health status of your XenDesktop site components and view performance alerts. This panel lists all servers with alerts in alphabetical order. The columns list different states for each server. A green check represents that everything is working properly. An alert or error represents a warning or failure of an infrastructure component. The panel lets you monitor the status of the following entities: • • • • • • •

Hosts Delivery Controllers Services Database License Server Configuration Logging Database Monitoring Database

To Monitor the Infrastructure 1.

Log on to your Controller computer as an administrator. Log on to the XDC-001 virtual machine using TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2.

Log on to Director as an administrator. Open a browser and type https://stf-001.TRAINING.lab/director and then type the Administrator, Password1, and TRAINING credentials.



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3.

Scroll the Dashboard to view the Infrastructure panel of Director. If the Infrastructure panel is not available, click Trends at the top of the Director window and then click Dashboard again.

4.

Ensure that no alerts exist. If a performance alert appears, click the alert in the Infrastructure panel for more information.

Monitoring Connected Sessions The Dashboard shows information for Sessions Connected, which provides you with a real-time view of end users connected to the environment, including an option to view historical trends.

To Monitor Connected Sessions 1.

Log on to your Controller computer as an administrator. Log on to the XDC-001 virtual machine using TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2.


3. 4.

Perform a search forHR1. Click the number above the Sessions Connected text on the Dashboard. Click 1 to view information about the two connected sessions. Instead of clicking on the number of end users, you also have the option of clicking View Historical Trend in the Sessions Connected graph on the Dashboard if you would like to view information about the previous number of concurrent sessions.

Monitoring Logon Duration Averages From the Average Logon Duration panel within the Dashboard, you can view logon data for end users across a site. This panel provides data to determine where any patterns are affecting logon times. The logon duration chart displays two types of information at each data point: the average logon duration and the number of logons. When you hover over the chart, a red line appears at the cursor to highlight that point in time and to display a dialog box showing both the values of logon duration and logons at the same time.

To Monitor Logon Duration Averages 1.

Log on to your XDC-001 computer as an administrator. Log on to the XDC-001 virtual machine using TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials.

2.


3. 4. 5. 6.

Scroll the Dashboard to view the Average Logon Duration panel in Director. Point your cursor at the chart and view the logon duration and logon information at the same time. Click Trends at the top of the Director screen to view logon performance data across a site beyond the last 60 minutes. Select the Delivery Group that you want to view logon trend information about. Select All in the Delivery Group field.

7.

Select a time period for which you want to view logon trend information. Select Last 7 days in the Time period field.

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8. 9.

Click Apply to view the logon data for the Delivery Groups and time period selected. Click Dashboard at the top of the Director window to return to the Dashboard.

Monitoring Machine and End-User Connection Failures Additional panels will appear on the Director Dashboard automatically if there were Machine or User Connection failures in the previous 60 minutes. The large number on the left of the panel indicates the total number of failures for that type. If you click the large number, the Filters page opens and displays all the individual failures in this instance. Click the User Connection Failures number to see a list of these end users whose connections failed, so that you can troubleshoot and resolve the cause of these failures. The list and graph on the right displays data for each type of failure. If a particular category has more than one failure during the last 60 minutes, it is will automatically expand. These panels stay open even when you fix the failures, but you can click the tab to collapse them. End-user connection failures can be categorized as follows: • • • •

Client Connection Failures - Virtual machine unavailable, connection not established Machine failures - End-user connection failures resulting from machine failures Unavailable capacity - Desktop OS machine or Server OS machine session is not available due to maximum capacity reached No License Available - Failure to acquire a license for this end user

To Monitor End-User Connection Failures 1.


2.


3.

Click the User Connection Failures link at the top of the Dashboard to view information about connection failures. The number of end-user connection failures is listed to the right of the link. If the link is green, there are no failures identified.

4.

Click the Failed Desktop OS Machines link at the top of the Dashboard to view information about failed Desktop OS machine connections. The number of failed Desktop OS connections is listed to the right of the link. If the link is green, there are no failures identified.

5.

Click the Failed Server OS Machines link at the top of the Dashboard to view information about failed Server OS machine connections. The number of failed Server OS connections is listed to the right of the link. If the link is green, there are no failures identified.

6. 7.

Click View Historical Trend below any of the graphs to view additional information. Click Dashboard at the top of the Director window to return to the Dashboard.

Monitoring Historical Trends In Director, use the Trends page to access historical trend information for sessions, connection failures, machine failures, logon performance, and load evaluation for each site. To locate the information, on the Dashboard or Filters page, click Trends. © Copyright 2016 Citrix Systems, Inc.


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Each graph shows trend data for a specified period of time (the default is the previous 24 hours) and for specified Delivery Groups (default: all groups). You can also view data for a single point in time by pointing your cursor to that location. Click the refresh icon at any time to update the data. You can save the graph to a PDF file or save the data to a CSV file so that you can reuse the data in other applications. When the data is exported, you can view more detailed information that was not visible within the graph, assisting with the analysis of historical trends.

To Monitor Historical Trends 1.


2.


3. 4.

Click Trends at the top of the Director window. Select the appropriate tab according to the type of trend analysis you would like to perform. Select the Logon Performance tab.

5.

Select specific filters to view only important information that is relative to your analysis. a. b.

6. 7.

Select All in the Delivery Group field. Select Last 24 hours in the Time period field.

Click Apply. Review the information for specific trends.

Discussion Question How do historical trends assist you with troubleshooting an issue?

Troubleshooting Director Issues Issue

Resolution

Unable to shadow an end-user session in Director.

• • • •

The HDX panel is not available in the administrator's Director.

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Ensure that the end user has an active session. Verify that remote assistance is enabled on the virtual desktop. Verify that the administrator has the correct permissions to shadow end users within Director. Verify that the device you are trying to shadow accepts connections on port 3389.

Verify that the end user's machine is connected using HDX. If the end user is not connected using HDX, then the panel will not be available.



Issue

Resolution

Usage graphs do not appear in the dashboard.

Ensure that the latest version of Flash is installed on the system running Director.

You receive an error when running Real-Time reports.

Citrix Director requires that you install and enable WinRM 1.1 or later on the desktop machine. Citrix recommends upgrading to WinRM 2.0 - based on operating system compatibility.

Reinforcement Exercise: Improving System Performance During this exercise, you will not be given step-by-step instructions for performing the task. Instead, you are asked to use what you have learned to complete it. This exercise is designed to take your newly gained knowledge and determine if you can apply it to perform a task you have never done before. In most instances the default value/choice will be the best choice, but we encourage you to explore and try different options. If you have a question or need help, ask the instructor or a fellow student for assistance. In this module, you learned how to: • • • •

View real-time sessions and their details within Director. Enable and disable Maintenance Mode. Interact with end users by sending messages and shadowing them. Resolve issues related to end-user sessions

Approximate time to complete: 15 minutes As a prerequisite for this exercise, perform the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Log on to the Acct-PC using the AcctUser1 and Password1 credentials. Open Internet Explorer. Browse to https://storefront.TRAINING.lab/Citrix/MiamiStoreWeb. Log on to Citrix Receiver using the TRAINING\AcctUser1 and Password1 credentials. Launch the Win81 Desktop if it does not launch automatically. Click Apps. Click + and click AccountingApp. Launch the Accounting App.

You receive a call from AcctUser1, whose accounting application is not responding. After receiving this call, several end users from the Accounting department report that, although their sessions are responsive, their applications are running slowly. To complete your objective: • • • • •

Follow the troubleshooting methodology and document your findings. Send the end user a message that you are looking into the issue. Use Director to review and investigate the end-user's session. Resolve the issue for the end user and determine why the other members of Accounting are having issues. Discuss your findings with the class including what you did to resolve the issue as well as what you would escalate.



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Why Hands-on Labs? Practice outside of the classroom

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Appendix A

Reinforcement Exercise Solutions

A

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Reinforcement Exercise Solutions Module 1 Reinforcement Exercise 1: Understanding XenDesktop Components 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Provides end users with quick, secure, self-service access to documents, applications, and desktops from any end-user device. (A. Citrix Receiver) A Web-based tool that enabled IT support to monitor a XenDesktop environment, troubleshoot issues, and perform support tasks for end users. (D. Citrix Director) A management console that enables you to configure and manage your XenDesktop implementation. (H. Citrix Studio) A thin layer of software that allows you to share physical resources of a device amongst several virtual machines. (C. Hypervisor) Enables virtual machines to register with a Delivery Controller. (G. Virtual Delivery Agent) Communicates with the hypervisor to distribute applications and desktops, authenticates and manages end-user access, and brokers connections between end users and their virtual desktops and applications. (F. Delivery Controller) A self-service, Windows application store that provides a single aggregation point for all IT user services. (E. Citrix StoreFront) Functions as an application accelerator and also provides advanced management using load balancing, content switching, and application security. (B. Citrix NetScaler)

Module 1 Reinforcement Exercise 2: Simulating a Helpdesk Call The goal of this exercise is to have the students practice their documentation and use the troubleshooting flowchart to determine the proper actions. Upon completion of the Troubleshooting Worksheet, debrief with the class and discuss what they included within their documentation. Their documentation should include the following: • • • • • • •

Define the issue: End User is unable to open the HR application within Receiver. Gather detailed information: End user has Receiver installed and can successfully log on. The HR application is available to click, yet upon doing so, an error appears that the application is unavailable. Consider possible causes: The end user does not have Receiver installed and must do so in order to successfully open the ICA file. Create an action plan: Guide the end user through the installation of Receiver. Implement action plan: NA Observe results of the action plan: Upon installing Receiver, the end user successfully launched the HR application. Document Changes: The end user installed Receiver.

Module 2 Reinforcement Exercise: Troubleshooting Issues with Receiver Solution There is a misspelling in the controller URL within StoreFront. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Log on to the Acct-PC using the TRAINING\AcctUser1 and Password1. Click Desktop from the Start Screen. Open Internet Explorer and browse to https://storefront.TRAINING.lab/citrix/NYCStoreWeb. Log on using TRAINING\AcctUser1 and Password1 credentials. Notice apps and desktops don't display. Switch to the XDC-001 virtual machine and sign on using TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials. Open StoreFront. Click on Stores. Select the NYCStore. Click Manage Delivery Controllers. Select Controller and notice the FQDN is misspelled.


Appendix A: Reinforcement Exercise Solutions

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12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

Click Edit. Select XD-001.Training.lab in the list and click Edit. Correct the FQDN to XDC-001.Training.lab. Click OK three times. Switch to the Acct-PC. Click the refresh icon. If user is logged off, log on using TRAINING\AcctUser1 and Password1 credentials. Verify that applications and desktops are now available.

Module 3 Reinforcement Exercise 1: Managing Delivery Groups The goal of this exercise is for the students to use Studio to research the issue and escalate upon doing so. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Log on to the XDC-001 virtual machine using TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials. Open Studio. Click Delivery Groups node. Verify that there are sufficient resources available for the 3 end users to sign on at once. Escalate to the Citrix Administrator and request an additional machine added to this Delivery Group.

If this is an advanced helpdesk class and a host connection has been created, have them resolve the issue by creating a new machine catalog using the TRAINING Master resource with one additional machine. They can then add this machine to the Delivery Group. If you need to make up for lost time, start this process at step 14 and have the students utilize the HR2Win8-01 machine created in the machine catalog task. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

Log on to the XDC-001 virtual machine using TRAINING\Administrator and Password1 credentials. Open Studio. Click the Machine Catalogs node. Click Create Machine Catalog. Click Next three times. Select I want users to connect to a new (random) desktop each time they log on and click Next Select TRAINING Master as the resource. Select Win81-MCS-MSTR. Click Next twice Expand the XenDesktop OU and select Desktops. Type HR-Random-##. Click Next. Type "Additional HR Win81 Desktops" as the machine catalog name and click Finish. Click the Delivery Groups node upon completion of the machine catalog creation. Select HR User Desktops . Click Add Machines and verify that "Additional HR Win81 Desktops" is selected. Click the + to add one machine and then click Next. Click Finish.

Module 3 Reinforcement Exercise 2: Redirecting Folders 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 94

Open Studio. Click the Policy node and then Create Policy. Select Folder Redirection in the All Settings drop-down menu. Click Select next to the Downloads path policy. Click Enabled and type \\TRAINING\TRAININGUsers$\ as the location to redirect the end-user's downloaded files. Click OK. Click Select next to Redirection settings for Downloads. Click OK and then click Next. Appendix A: Reinforcement Exercise Solutions


9. Assign the policy to the HR Users (User or group setting) and click Next. 10. Type HR User Download Folder Redirection for the policy name and click Finish.

Module 4 Reinforcement Exercise 1: Setting the Default Printer 1.

2.

Students should check these policies: • Default printer: set so that the default printer is the client's main printer • Session printers: set so that a list of printers uses the UNC convention • Wait for printers to be created: Disabled • Auto-create client printers: Do not auto-create client printers • Direct connections to print servers: Enabled Students should note that TRAINING has disabled client printer auto-creation and assigned network printers using the Session Printers policy rule. Based on that, they can select and set one of the configured session printers to be the default printer during end-user sessions using the Default Printer policy rule. Whichever selection they make will then persist for subsequent ICA sessions. It is important to note however, that if the end user selects in session a different printer to be the new default printer out of the pool of Session Printers available, that selection will be lost after session logoff. This is by design. For more information about this topic, see Citrix article CTX107415 at http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX107415. Also, it is possible to disable this behavior. You can prevent the deletion of those printer objects at logoff to enable end users to retain their default printer selection; however, this will have repercussions for the end-user profiles. For more information about retaining Session Printers for the end user, see Citrix article CTX130848 at http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX130848.

Module 4 Reinforcement Exercise 2: Troubleshoot Printing Issues Students should: Session Printers can be found on the FSR-001 machine

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Log on to the Acct-PC and open Receiver. Launch WordPad. Verify that the Canon 9500 Accounting printer is not available. Close the WordPad session. Switch to the XDC-001 machine and open Studio. Review the Application Server Printing Policy and notice that the UPD is not enabled. Click Edit Policy and select Printing in the All Settings drop-down menu. Click Edit next to Universal print driver usage. Select Use universal printing only and click OK. Click Next twice and click Finish. Switch to the Acct-PC and launch a new WordPad session. Verify that the Canon 9500 Accounting printer is now available.

If the printer is not available, the policies may not have updated on the XDW-apps-01 machine.

Module 5 Reinforcement Exercise: Improving System Performance The AccountingApp is using all the resources on the application server. 1. 2. 3.

Log on to the Helpdesk-PC using the Administrator, Password1, TRAINING credentials. Search for AcctUser1. Click Details.



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4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Click the Session icon and select TRAINING\Acct-Win81-01. Click Send Message. Type Thank you for contacting the helpdesk, we are currently looking into your issue. Click Send. Review the session details. Click the Session icon and select AccountingApp. Review the session details. Click Processes. Notice the irregular CPU usage. This is causing other users to have slow sessions due to all applications being on the same server. 13. Select AccountingApp and click End Process. 14. Click Yes to confirm you would like to end the application. Process may error out in certain CPU states. Therefore access to the server may be necessary to completely end hung sessions 15. Document the issue and resolution as well as a potential issue with the AccountingApp consuming all resources.

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CXD-105-1I-en-StudentExerciseWorkbook-Softlayer-v01[1].pdf

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