Edit the optimization.xml file for the Provisioning Server Target Device

Before converting a machine to a Provisioning Services vDisk with XenConvert you always have to start the Provisioning Services Device Optimizer.

This tool uses a file called optimization.xml to display all the settings you can choose during optimization.

This file is placed in the following folders:

1. C:\Program Files\Citrix\Provisioning Services
2. C:\Program Files\Citrix\XenConvert

You can simply edit this file to make your own settings, just open the file with an editor and place your own regkeys. If you use the optimization during XenConvert you only have to edit the file in the first folder, if you will use the standalone tool, you also have to edit the file in the second folder.

Here is an example, what to add to the file:

 

<optimization>
    <description>BNNS Disable Offload</description>
    <registrykey>[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BNNS\Parameters]</registrykey>
    <modification>"EnableOffload"=dword:00000000</modification>
</optimization>

<optimization>
        <description>Disable Wireless Configuration Service</description>
        <registrykey>[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WZCSVC]</registrykey>
        <modification>"Start"=dword:00000004</modification>
    </optimization>

This sets a regkey for tuning the target device in a PVS environment, as mentioned by Citrix in CTX117374 and disables the wireless configuration service on a Windows 2003 server.

This looks like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can set regkeys for whatever you want!

Useful BGInfo Background for XenApp

During my last XenApp / PVS projects I decided to make a BGInfo wallpaper for the XenApp servers with some Citrix XenApp related information. You see the German version  here, I also have an English one

The Citrix / TS based information  include:

1. XenApp Version
2. XenApp Hotfixes
3. XenApp Farm name
4. XenApp XML Port
5. Citrix license server
6. MS TS license server
7. TS basic folder
8. User profile path
(Citrix User Profile  Manager)

You can download the files here.

XenServer 5.5 Update 2 available

In a recent post, I told you about a XenServer 5.5 Update 1 issue, now Citrix released a new update XS55EU2 – XenServer 5.5 Update 2.

This update resolves the network connectivity issues with Windows VMs that affected customers who had both IPv4 and IPv6 network interfaces enabled, and lost connectivity when they installed they installed the Update 1 XenServer tools…

Update 1 is included in this new update and you can upgrade directly from XenServer 5.5 without installing update 1, so the new update 2 is highly recommended!

Citrix released Access Gateway VPX

I already told you about running the Access Gateway on a XenServer or VMWare ESX host. Now Citrix officially released a virtual appliance based on the CAG 4.6.2, it has the same features and characteristics.

This virtual appliance is for XenServer only, Hyper-V and ESX are not supported yet, but this could change in a couple of weeks…

Citrix also changed the license, new customers of the Access Gateway VPX now get a new Access Gateway Platform License with one year of subscription. Connections made through CAG to XenApp hosted apps or XenDesktop are now supported with a single license.
The Universal Platform License is also getting cheaper. You can change your CAG Standard licence (CCU) to the new license for free.

Here you can read about the Reference Architecture and Download you can download the XVA file. You must have a Mycitrix account to get this and I heard you even have to own a physical Model 2000 or 2010 Appliance to get the VPX, but I’m not sure about that.

I already installed the CAG VPX on XenServer without problems.

1. Download the XVA file
2. Import the XVA to a XenServer
3. The initial configuration of the CAG is 1vCPU, 1 GB RAM and 2 disks, with 10 GB and 2 GB
4. XenTools 5.5 are installed
5. Similar to the Merchandising server you can make a basic configuration as known from the serial console of the CAG model 2000 and 2010

XenServer Backup Software "Alike" from QuorumSoft

I received an interesting comment to my post XenServer 5.5 Update 1 available!. Tribble mentioned a backup tool called "Alike". This tool is able to support the ’storage leaf coalesce’ (aka. snapshot cleanup) abilities from XenServer 5.5 Update 1.
There is also a free edition available, so this is very cool stuff for XenServer users…
Check the website and give it a try, I will also test "Alike" and post my experiences.

Web Interface 5.2 breaks Desktop Viewer

We used Web Interface 5.1.2 and the current Citrix Online Plug-in 11.2. I like the new cool desktop viewer and it’s features like changing the screen resolution "on the fly". But after upgrading to Web Interface 5.2 the desktop session launched with the Online Plug-in (as it was called in the title bar). The new features of the desktop viewer were gone…

The reason was a missing entry in the webinterface.conf file on the Citrix Web Interface server. Just add the line "ShowDesktopViewer=On" and the desktop viewer works as expected.

Happy new year and all the best for 2010!

I hope you had a good start and I wish you all the best for the new year. I think it will be an interesting year with lots of new stuff for us… I’m excited and I will try to deliver you interesting news and tips from the community!

cheers
Dennis

XenServer 5.5 Update 1 issue

Attention: There is a first issue with update 1 for XenServer 5.5: XenServer 5.5 Update 1 upgrade causes virtual machines to lose network connectivity, these VMs are effected:

• Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 VMs that XenTools were upgraded from XenServer 5.5 to XenServer 5.5 Update 1

• Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 VMs with interfaces enabled for both IPv4 and IPv6.

• Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 VMs that are configured with a static IPv4 address.

• Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 VMs that are not configured with an IPv6 address.

So be careful, after installing the hotfix and update the XenTools, if you use Windows Sever 2008 or Vista VMs !