citrix xenapp 50 for windows 2008 - a hands-on guide

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Trond Eirik Haavarstein Revision 1.0 March 6, 2010

Trond Eirik Haavarstein Revision 1.1 – Added Rackspace October 12, 2010

http://www.xenappblog.com – Follow us on Twitter – Facebook - YouTube Page 2

Table of Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 4

Configure lab on Rackspace Cloud ...................................................................................................... 4

Introduction to Rackspace ............................................................................................................... 4

Getting started with Rackspace Cloud ............................................................................................ 4

Sign in to your account .................................................................................................................... 5

Setting up your iPhone/iPad with the Rackspace Cloud App .......................................................... 8

Some Rackspace Cloud App Screenshots ........................................................................................ 9

Configure lab on Citrix XenServer ....................................................................................................... 9

How to Install Citrix XenServer from USB ....................................................................................... 9

Install Citrix XenServer 5.5 ............................................................................................................ 10

Install Citrix XenCenter 5.5 ............................................................................................................ 13

Update XenServer & XenCenter .................................................................................................... 15

Configure ISO repository ............................................................................................................... 18

Create a XenServer Windows 2008 x32 template ......................................................................... 20

Citrix Lab Configuration Information................................................................................................. 27

Configure Domain Controller – DC01 ................................................................................................ 28

Install Active Directory .................................................................................................................. 28

Install DHCP Server ........................................................................................................................ 33

Create File Share and System Environment Variable .................................................................... 37

Install Remote Desktop Licensing Pre Req’s for Citrix Licensing / Web Interface ........................ 46

Install Citrix License Server ............................................................................................................ 47

Install Citrix Web Interface ............................................................................................................ 50

Install Microsoft SQL Server Express ............................................................................................. 52

Configure Terminal Server – XA01 .................................................................................................... 53

Install Microsoft Terminal Services ............................................................................................... 53

Install and Configure Com+ Network Access................................................................................. 59

Optimize Virtual Machine for Citrix XenApp ................................................................................. 59

Install Citrix XenApp 50 for Windows 2008 x32 ............................................................................ 60

Install Citrix Profile Management .................................................................................................. 69

Install free Core Applications on the Citrix XenApp Server ........................................................... 70

Publish Applications with Citrix Access Management Console ..................................................... 70

Configure Citrix Web Interface - DC01 .............................................................................................. 75

Configure Group Policies – DC01....................................................................................................... 78

Configure Group Policy Central Store ........................................................................................... 78

Import Group Policy from backup ................................................................................................. 79

Create Active Directory test users ................................................................................................. 83

How to Clone a Citrix Server.............................................................................................................. 84

Online Resources used in this lab ...................................................................................................... 86

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................... 87

Introduction The content in this guide assumes that the reader is familiar with Citrix and Microsoft technology,

and is planning or evaluating the use of Citrix XenApp on Terminal Services.

A picture speaks a thousand words and this guide uses mainly picture to take you through the steps

to setup your lab environment. Please note that this guide is provided “as is” and that using this is at

your own risk.

Configure lab on Rackspace Cloud

Introduction to Rackspace

If you don’t have access to your own lab environment you could create your own in the cloud. The

process is very simple, fast and cheap. For those of you that have the proper hardware to install

XenServer on could jump to the next chapter “Configure lab on XenServer”.

The advantages of a cloud based lab are many, but I would like to highlight some.

Fast download speed – I got 8 mb/s from Microsoft

Fast deployment – Server up and running in less than 2 minutes

You pay per hour – Set up your lab on a weekend to minimize the cost

No access to the XenServer

Not possible to setup a XenDesktop / Provisioning Services lab

Getting started with Rackspace Cloud

Head over to www.RackSpace.com and Click Order Now in the Cloud Servers section.

Select Cloud Server and fill in your desire username & password and billing information.

After you have placed your order you’ll receive a phone call within 15 minutes to verify your account.

Once the account has been verified you’ll receive an email from Rackspace Cloud.

Sign in to your account

Select the Windows tab and the image you would want to provision.

When the server is finished you’ll receive an email from Rackspace.

Setting up your iPhone/iPad with the Rackspace Cloud App

To enable API access you’ll need to find the API key from the Account page. Select “Show Key”

I recommend copy & pasting the API key into a mail and sending it to an email account you can

access from your iPhone / iPad. It’s pretty long so it’s much easier to copy & paste it into the

application.

Some Rackspace Cloud App Screenshots

You can even create new virtual machines from the application.

Configure lab on Citrix XenServer

How to Install Citrix XenServer from USB

Download Citrix XenServer ISO from http://www.citrix.com/xenserver/download and UNetbootin

from http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net. Format your USB drive with FAT32 and start the UNetbootin

program. Select “Disk image” and browse your computer for the XenServer ISO image.

To install XenServer you will need to enable Virtualization support in BIOS as well as setting the USB

drive as the first boot device or simply use the proper hotkey to select boot device.

Install Citrix XenServer 5.5

Select No to install Linux Pack

Install Citrix XenCenter 5.5

Download the latest version of Citrix XenCenter from http://www.citrix.com/xenserver/download

Start Citrix XenCenter – Server – Add

Follow the wizard to activate your XenServer license.

Update XenServer & XenCenter

From the XenCenter menu select Help – Check for Updates

Download and install available updates.

To install XenServer updates simply double click the .xsupdate file.

When the patching is finished you will need to reboot your XenServer. Select the Console tab and

type “xsconsole”

Select Reboot or Shutdown

Select Reboot Server and type your credentials

Press F8 to reboot

Configure ISO repository

From XenCenter select Storage –New Storage Repository – Windows File Sharing (CIFS)

You now have access to the ISO share from all your Virtual Machines. The ISO share is not part of this

Hands-On Guide setup, but you could create a share on your local computer.

Create a XenServer Windows 2008 x32 template

From the Citrix XenCenter Console select VM – New – Windows Server 2008

From the XenCenter menu select VM – Install XenServer Tools

Download and install Windows 2008 Service Pack 2 and all available Windows Updates. It will require

a couple of reboots to get all the updates installed.

We are now ready to convert this Virtual Machine to template.

Start - Run – Sysprep

Select Generalize and Shutdown - OK

After the machine has shutdown, right click the VM and select Convert to Template.

Now you have a Windows 2008 template. To create a new machine simply double click the template

and the new VM wizard will appear.

Citrix Lab Configuration Information DC01 Operation System Windows 2008 x32 IP address 10.0.10.10 Roles Active Directory / DNS / DHCP / Licensing Server / Citrix Web Interface / SQL XA01 Operation System Windows 2008 x32 IP address 10.0.10.11 Role Terminal Services / Citrix XenApp 5.0 FP2 XA02 Operation System Windows 2008 x32 IP address 10.0.10.12 Role Terminal Services / Citrix XenApp 5.0 FP2

Configure Domain Controller – DC01

Install Active Directory

Click ”View Network Connections” and “Properties” on your network card to set your IP address

Remove TCP/IPv6 and select Properties on TCP/IPv4

Click ”Add Roles”

Select ”Active Directory Domain Services”

Start - Run - dcpromo

Type “ctxlab.local” as the domain name

Type your preferred password

Install DHCP Server

Click ”Add Roles”

Select “DHCP Server”

Create File Share and System Environment Variable

Start – Administrative Tools – Share and Storage Management

Create two shares, one called XA (XenApp) and UserHome.

Select Provision Share and create C:\XA

Click Advanced and select “Enable access-based enumeration” and disable caching

Change the SMB permissions

Select Provision Share and create C:\UserHome

Select “Yes, change NTFS permissions” – “Edit Permissions”

Select “Advanced”

Deselect “Include inheritable permissions from this object’s parent” – “Copy”

Then Select Users – Remove - Apply

Add Authenticate User and select Edit

Set as show below and change Apply to : This Folder Only

Click Advanced and select “Enable access-based enumeration” and disable caching

Select “Users and groups have custom share permissions" – “Permissions”

Remove Everyone and set Administrators and Authenticated Users to Full Control

We are now going to make a System Environment Variable for the share we just created.

Start Server Manager – Change System Properties – Advanced – Environment Variables

Click new under System variables

Now you always have easy access to your XenApp share and makes scripting much easier.

Create the following catalogs

Download the Core Applications ScriptFrameWork from http://www.xenappblog.com/downloads

and extract into the Applications folder. Follow the instructions in each \Source folder to download

the source files for each application.

Go to www.mycitrix.com and log in with your account to get access to XenApp 5.0 media under the

Downloads section.

Select Citrix XenApp – XenApp 5.0 Feature Pack 2 Platinum Edition

Download and copy the content of XA50W2K8.iso to %XA%\Applications\XA50WS08ENFP2. Then

extract the content of XA50W2K8FP2.zip and overwrite existing files in

%XA%\Applications\XA50WS08ENFP2

Install Remote Desktop Licensing Pre Req’s for Citrix Licensing / Web Interface

Start – Run – Cmd

Copy and paste into Command prompt :

ServerManagerCmd.exe -i TS-Licensing

ServerManagerCmd.exe -i Web-WebServer

ServerManagerCmd.exe -i Web-Metabase

ServerManagerCmd.exe -i Web-Asp-Net

ServerManagerCmd.exe -i Web-Windows-Auth

ServerManagerCmd.exe -i Web-WMI

ServerManagerCmd.exe -i Web-Client-Auth

ServerManagerCmd.exe -i Web-Lgcy-Scripting

ServerManagerCmd.exe -i Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console

ServerManagerCmd.exe -i Application-Server

To view installed Roles & Features type “ServerManagerCmd.exe –q”

Install Citrix License Server

Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\Sun Java 1.6.0.16\Scripts\Install.cmd Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\XA50WS08ENFP2\Licensing\CTX_Licensing.msi

Start Citrix Licensing Console and Upload your license file

Install Citrix Web Interface

Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\XA50WS08ENFP2\Support\JSharp20_SE\vjredist.exe Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\XA50WS08ENFP2\Web Interface\WebInterface.exe

Deselect “Start creating sites now”

Install Microsoft SQL Server Express

Start – Run -

%XA%\Applications\XA50WS08ENFP2\Support\SqlExpress_2005_SP2\SetupSqlExpressForCPS.cmd

Start – Run – Firewall.cpl

Select “Change settings” – “Exceptions”

Select “Add program” - C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Shared\sqlbrowser.exe

Configure Terminal Server – XA01

Install Microsoft Terminal Services

Click ”View Network Connections” and “Properties” on your network card to set your IP address

Remove TCP/IPv6 and select Properties on TCP/IPv4

Click “Change System Properties” and join the CTXLAB.local domain

Join the CTXLAB.local domain

Select Restart Now

Click “Switch User” to log on to the CTXLAB domain – “Other User”

Click “Configure IE ESC” in Server Manager and set to off for both Administrators and Users

Click ”Add Roles” and select Terminal Services

Add Domain Users

Install and Configure Com+ Network Access

Start – Run – Cmd

Copy and paste into Command prompt :

ServerManagerCmd.exe -i Application-Server ServerManagerCmd.exe -i AS-Ent-Services

Start – Programs – Administrative Tools - Computer Management – Local Users & Groups – Groups

Open “Distributed COM Users Properties” and add Domain Admins

Optimize Virtual Machine for Citrix XenApp

From XenCenter select Properties on the Virtual Machine – XA01

Select “Advanced Options” and select “Optimized for XenApp”

Install Citrix XenApp 50 for Windows 2008 x32

Start Server Manager – Change System Properties – Advanced – Environment Variables

Click new under System variables

Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\Sun Java 1.6.0.16\Scripts\Install.cmd Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\XA50WS08ENFP2\Citrix Receiver and Plug-ins\Windows\Online

Plug-in\CitrixOnlinePluginFull.exe

Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\XA50WS08ENFP2\Citrix Receiver and Plug-ins\Windows\Offline

Plug-in\CitrixOfflinePlugin.exe

Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\XA50WS08ENFP2\autorun.exe

Select “Application Virtualization”

Click “OK” to Continue and ignore the message box

Type DC01

Restart the server

Install Citrix Profile Management

Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\XA50WS08ENFP2\Profile Management\profilemgt2.1.0_x86.msi

Install free Core Applications on the Citrix XenApp Server

Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\Adobe Flash Player 10.0.32.18\Scripts\Install.cmd Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\Adobe ShockWave Player 11.0\Scripts\Install.cmd Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\CutePDF Writer 2.71\Scripts\Install.cmd Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\Foxit Reader 3.0\Scripts\Install.cmd Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\Microsoft Silverlight 20\Scripts\Install.cmd Start – Run - %XA%\Applications\Mozilla FireFox 3.5.3\Scripts\Install.cmd

Publish Applications with Citrix Access Management Console

Start - Programs – Citrix – Management Consoles - Access Management Console

Select the Application Node – New – Publish application

Configure Citrix Web Interface - DC01 Start – Programs – Citrix – Management Consoles - Citrix Web Interface Management

Select XenApp Web Sites – Create Site

Select XenApp Services Sites – Create Site

Configure Group Policies – DC01

Configure Group Policy Central Store

In earlier operating systems, all the default Administrative Template files is added to the ADM folder

of a Group Policy object (GPO) on a domain controller. The GPOs are stored in the SYSVOL folder. The

SYSVOL folder is automatically replicated to other domain controllers in the same domain. A policy

file uses approximately 2 megabytes (MB) of hard disk space. Because each domain controller stores

a distinct version of a policy, replication traffic is increased.

Windows 2008 and Vista uses a Central Store to store Administrative Template files. Copy the folder

“C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions” to \\ctxlab.local\SYSVOL\ctxlab.local\Policies.

Once this has been completed, the GPMC on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 machines will

immediately begin using the templates within the central store.

Import Group Policy from backup

Start – Programs – Administrative Tools – Active Directory Users and Computers

Create two Organizational Units : Servers and XA50WS08

Move the XA01 Computer object into XA50WS08

Download and extract “XenApp 5.0 Server Tuning Policy” from

http://www.xenappblog.com/downloads and extract it to %XA%\Group Policy

Start – Programs – Administrative Tools – Group Policy Management

Select “Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here…”

Select “XenApp50 Server - Tuning Policy” from Group Policy Objects

Select Details and set GPO Status to “User configuration settings disabled”

Right click the policy and select “Import settings”

Create and link a new policy with User Configuration Disabled. Configure the policy as shown below :

Create Active Directory test users

The create home folder for the user and set permissions

Check the permissions on User1’s home folder to verify that the permissions are set correctly

How to Clone a Citrix Server Download and install Citrix XenApp Cloning Tools from http://www.citrixtools.net

Start – Run – CitrixTools.Net - XenApp Cloning Tool - Cloning Tool

Select “Standard Cloning”

Start - Run – Sysprep

Select Generalize

Change the IP address

Join the CTXlab.local domain

Move the Computer object to the proper OU

Restart the server

Online Resources used in this lab Rackspace Cloud http://www.rackspacecloud.com Citrix XenServer / XenCenter http://www.citrix.com/xenserver/download Citrix XenApp Media and Eval License http://www.mycitrix.com UNetbootin http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net Core Applications http://www.xenappblog.com/downloads XenApp 5.0 Server Tuning Policy http://www.xenappblog.com/downloads Thin Client PC http://www.xenappblog.com/downloads XenApp Cloning Tool http://www.citrixtools.net

Acknowledgements In principle, this guide should be about 10 - 15 pages but ended up at 87. I had so much stuff to put

in, but I really had to stop now to get the guide distributed. If this guide gets popular we would

probably see an expanded payable version in the future with more Citrix products, Best Practices and

deployment scripts.

I would really appreciate your feedback, please send me and email: feedback@xenappblog.com

Thanks

Trond Eirik Haavarstein xenappblog.com

citrix xenapp 50 for windows 2008 - a hands-on guide

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