citrix virtual apps and desktops

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Your Implementation Guide – App Layering Configuration

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Service Installation Guide – App Layering Configuration

© COPYRIGHT 2019 CITRIX SYSTEMS

CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.

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LEGAL NOTICE This document is furnished "AS IS" without warranty of any kind. This document is not supported under any Citrix standard support program. Citrix Systems, Inc. disclaims all warranties regarding the contents of this document, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for any particular purpose. This document may contain technical or other inaccuracies or typographical errors. Citrix Systems, Inc. reserves the right to revise the information in this document at any time without notice. This document and the software described in this document constitute confidential information of Citrix Systems, Inc. and its licensors, and are furnished under a license from Citrix Systems, Inc. Copyright © 2019 Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Citrix, the Citrix logo, and other marks herein are the property of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the U.S. and other countries. Other marks appearing herein are trademarks of their respective owners.




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CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................1

1.1 DOCUMENT PURPOSE ......................................................................................................... 1

1.2 INTENDED AUDIENCE .......................................................................................................... 1

2 CONFIGURATION STEPS .............................................................................................................2

2.1 APP LAYERING ENTREPRISE LAYER MANAGER.................................................................... 2 2.1.1 ELM Initial Configuration .....................................................................................................................2 2.1.2 Connect to the ELM Console................................................................................................................5 2.1.3 File Share Configuration.......................................................................................................................7 2.1.4 Hypervisor Connector Configuration ...................................................................................................7 2.1.5 Active Directory Configuration ............................................................................................................8

2.2 OS LAYER CREATION .......................................................................................................... 11 2.2.1 Template VM Preparation .................................................................................................................11 2.2.2 Create the OS Layer ...........................................................................................................................17

2.3 PLATFORM LAYER CREATION ............................................................................................ 20 2.3.1 Create the Layer .................................................................................................................................20 2.3.2 Edit the Layer .....................................................................................................................................22 2.3.3 Finalize the Layer ...............................................................................................................................23

2.4 APPLICATION LAYER CREATION ........................................................................................ 25 2.4.1 Create the Layer .................................................................................................................................25 2.4.2 Edit the Layer .....................................................................................................................................28 2.4.3 Finalize the Layer ...............................................................................................................................29

2.5 CREATE A LAYERED MACHINE CATALOG .......................................................................... 31 2.5.1 Template Creation .............................................................................................................................31 2.5.2 Publish the Layered Image .................................................................................................................34 2.5.3 Create the Machine Catalog and Delivery Group ..............................................................................34

2.6 CREATE ELASTIC APP LAYERS ............................................................................................ 35 2.6.1 Elastic Layer Assignment ....................................................................................................................35

3 APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................... 37

3.1 APP LAYERING ELM AZURE DEPLOYMENT ........................................................................ 37 3.1.1 ELM Package Download .....................................................................................................................37 3.1.2 Deploy the Appliance .........................................................................................................................39 3.1.3 App Layering Connector App Registration.........................................................................................40 3.1.4 App Layering Connector Storage Account .........................................................................................43




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1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 DOCUMENT PURPOSE

This Implementation Guide outlines the steps to configure App Layering to be used in conjunction with the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Service and the On-Premises equivalent. App Layering is a Citrix technology utilized to separate your Operating System, platform tools and applications in separate layers, allowing you to reduce the time taken to manage your Windows applications and images, regardless of the hypervisor or Provisioning Service in use (including Microsoft Azure as a platform for App Layering).

This document details the steps to follow, after importing your corresponding Enterprise Layer Management (ELM) appliance on your corresponding hypervisor. It covers common configuration options and is not intended for custom designs or specialized use cases of the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Service or the On-Premises equivalent and App Layering. For additional information, please see the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Service product documentation and the Citrix App Layering product documentation.

1.2 INTENDED AUDIENCE

The intended audience for this document includes systems administrators, engineers, architects and technical stakeholders in charge of configuring App Layering for the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service.

https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/citrix-virtual-apps-desktops-service.html

https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/citrix-app-layering/4/install-appliance/citrix-hypervisor.html




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2 CONFIGURATION STEPS

Pre-requisites: In order to configure App Layering, you will need a specific appliance that runs the Enterprise Layer Manager (ELM) technology.

- Currently, these are the supported hypervisors: Citrix Hypervisor, MS Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV and VMWare vSphere. This is also supported on both MS Azure and Azure Government.

- Each backend environment has its own unique appliance. You must download the corresponding appliance or installation package (for MS Azure) and import it to your environment. All appliances can be found on the Citrix Downloads website.

Note: Click on the Select a product… dropdown and then click on the Citrix App Layering download button to obtain the latest Product Software version.

- For specific details on how to download and import ELM appliances to your hypervisor or Public Cloud, please refer to the “Install Appliance” section on the Citrix App Layering product documentation.

2.1 APP LAYERING ENTREPRISE LAYER MANAGER

2.1.1 ELM Initial Configuration

1- After the ELM appliance has been

imported to your hypervisor as

noted in the Pre-requisites section

above, start the App Layering ELM

appliance.

2- Open the VM console view.

Note: If deploying the appliance in Microsoft

Azure, skip this step and continue with Step

2.1.2.

3- Login to the ELM with the

following default credentials:

a. Username:

administrator

b. Password: Unidesk1





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4- On the app layering appliance

configuration screen you will have

the following configuration

options:

S is used to show the current configuration

of the appliance.

C is used to configure the network settings

of the appliance.

P is used to change the appliance password.

T is used to change the time zone.

N is used to define the NTP servers.

Q is used to quit and logoff the

administrator account.

5- Type P and press enter to change

the default Administrator

Password.

a. Enter your new

administrator password

and press enter.

b. Confirm your new

administrator password

and press enter.

c. Press enter one more

time.

6- Type C and press enter to change

the appliance Network

configuration.

a. Press S for static

configuration.

b. Type the IP Address and

press enter.

c. Type the Network Mask

and press enter.

d. Type the Default

Gateway and press

enter.

e. Type the DNS Server and

press enter.

f. Type a secondary DNS

Server and press enter.

(Optional)

g. Type S and press enter

to save the settings.

h. Press enter one more

time.




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7- Type N and press enter to change

the appliance NTP Server

configuration.

a. Type the number of NTP

Servers you wish to

configure and press

enter.

b. Type the IP Address or

DNS Name and press

enter. (Repeat this for

any additional NTP

Server you wish to

configure)

c. Type S and press enter

to save the settings.

8- Type T and press enter to change

the appliance Time Zone

configuration.

a. Press enter to see a list

of time zones.

b. After looking at the time

zone list, note the

number of time zone you

wish to use and press Q.

c. Type the time zone

number and press Enter.

d. Type Y to confirm the

selection and press

enter.

e. Press enter one more

time.

9- Type Q and press enter to exit the

ELM configuration screen.




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2.1.2 Connect to the ELM Console

1- Open a web browser session to

the ELM IP Address configured on

the previous step.

2- On the ELM console login screen,

enter the following credentials:

a. Username:

Administrator

b. Password: Unidesk1

Note: The command-line administrator

account configured in Step 5 is unrelated to

the Management Console administrator

account. They are different records in

different authentication systems that

happen to have the same name.

3- On the Citrix License Agreement

select I accept the Terms and

Conditions and click Close.

4- On the About Your Credentials

page, click the Down Arrow.




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5- On the Change Passwords page,

change the password for the

Management Console

Administrator, ELM Root User, and

the ELM Configuration Tool.

6- Click the Down Arrow.

7- On the Confirm and Complete

page, click Change Credentials.

8- On the Credentials Changed pop

up, click OK.

9- On the Welcome to… notification,

click Close.




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2.1.3 File Share Configuration

1- Navigate to System > Settings and

Configuration and scroll down to

Network File Shares.

2- Click Edit.

3- On the Network File Shares

screen, enter the following

information:

a. SMB File Share Path

b. User name

c. Password

4- Click Test SMB Share and make

sure a Success response is

received.

5- Click Save.

2.1.4 Hypervisor Connector Configuration

1- Navigate to System > Connectors.

2- Click Add Connector Config

3- On the Choose a Connector Type

pop up, select the type that

matches your configuration

requirements and click New.

Note: The steps to configure the connector

can change from one hypervisor to another.

4- On the connector configuration

page, enter a name for your

Configuration.




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5- On the Connector Configuration

blade, enter the required

information.

6- Click CHECK CREDENTIALS to

validate the communication.

Note: The required information in this

screen will vary from one connector type to

another.

7- On the Virtual Machine Clone

Settings blade, select your Virtual

Machine Template and Storage

Repository.

8- Click TEST to make sure the

configuration is valid.

9- Click Save.

Note: The virtual machine template to be

selected here must already be configured on

your hypervisor, this template does not

require an OS disk and can be quickly

created by simply creating a VM on your

hypervisor, configure its vCPU and RAM, and

then convert the VM to a template.

2.1.5 Active Directory Configuration

1- Navigate to Users > Directory

Service.

2- Click Create Directory Junction.




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3- On the Connection Details page,

enter the following information:

a. Directory Connection

Name.

b. Domain Controller

Server Address.

c. LDAP Communication

Port. (Automatically

populated)

4- Click Test Connection to ensure

communication with Active

Directory.


Note: If you check the Use SSL box, the port

is automatically updated to 636 (LDAPS).

6- On the Authentication Details

page, enter the details of a service

account to be utilized by App

Layering:

a. Bind DN

b. Bind Password

7- Click Test Authentication to

ensure service account

functionality.


9- On the Distinguished Name (DN)

Details page, enter the following

information:

a. Base DN to be utilized as

a starting point for

directory searches.

b. Click Test Base DN to

ensure it exists.


11- On the Attribute Mapping page,

leave the defaults and click the

Down Arrow.




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page, click Create Directory

Junction.




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2.2 OS LAYER CREATION

2.2.1 Template VM Preparation

1- Connect to your App Layering

template VM.

2- Right-click the Start Menu and

select System.

3- Scroll down to Related Settings

and click System Info.

4- Ensure the computer is not joined

to a domain.

Note: Domain join operation will be

performed on the platform layer.

5- Insert the hypervisor tools ISO and

installed them on the VM.




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Note: Hypervisor tools installation steps will

vary depending on the hypervisor. This step

is not required if deploying the machine in

Microsoft Azure.

Note 2: If you plan to use this machine on a

secondary hypervisor, install the tools from

the secondary hypervisor on the platform

layer.

6- Open a web browser and navigate

to Citrix Support and download

Citrix Optimizer.

Note: Citrix optimizer is saved to your disk as

a portable executable and does not need to

be installed.

7- Right-click the CitrixOptimizer.zip

file and click Extract All.

8- Navigate to Citrix Support and

download the Citrix Optimizer App

Layering Supplement.

https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX224676

https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX229705




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9- Right-click the

AppLayerSupplOpt.zip file and

click Extract All.

10- Copy the contents of the

AppLayerSupplOpt folder.

11- Paste the files on the Templates

folder inside Citrix Optimizer.

12- Open Windows PowerShell as

Administrator and change the

directory to point to the

Templates folder inside Citrix

Optimizer.

13- Run the UWP_XML Generator

script.




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14- Right-click Citrix Optimizer and

click Run as administrator.

15- Select the appropriate template

based on your OS Version.

Note: You can run the command “winver”

from command prompt in order to find out

which OS version are you running under.

16- Select the appropriate options

from the different sections in the

left pane, once complete click

Optimize.

17- Repeat these steps for the Citrix

App Layering Supplement and

UWP templates.

18- Restart the VM.

19- Open a web browser and navigate

to Citrix Downloads and download

the Citrix App Layering OS

Machine Tools.

https://www.citrix.com/downloads/citrix-app-layering/product-software/citrix-app-layering-413.html




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20- Right-click the Citrix App Layering

OS Machine Tools and click Run as

Administrator.

21- On the Citrix App Layering Gold

Image Tools window, click Install.

22- On the SetKMSVersion pop-up,

click User KMS.

23- Exit the Set KMS Version pop-up.

24- Open CMD and change the

directory to point to

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Fram

ework\v4.0.30319.

25- Type ngen update and press enter.




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26- Change the directory to point to

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Fram

ework64\v4.0.30319.

27- Type ngen update and press enter.

28- Run gpedit.msc and navigate to

Computer Configuration >

Administrative Templates >

Windows Components > Windows

Update.

29- Double-click Configure Automatic

Updates and click Disabled.

30- Navigate to

C:\Windows\Setup\scripts, right-

click setup_x64.exe and click Run

as Administrator.

31- On the Welcome window, click

Next.




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32- On the Specify your answer file

window, click Next.

33- On the InstallShield Wizard

Completed window, click Finish.

34- Shut down the virtual machine.

2.2.2 Create the OS Layer

1- Login to the ELM management

interface and navigate to Layers >

OS Layers.




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2- Click Create OS Layer.

3- On the Layer Details page, enter

the following information:

a. Layer Name

b. Layer Description

c. Version Number

d. Version Description

e. Max Layer Size (GB)


5- On the Connector page, select

your Hypervisor Connector created

earlier and click the Down Arrow.




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6- On the OS Disk Details page, click

Select Virtual Machine.

7- On the Hypervisor Connector

page, select your gold image and

click OK.

8- Back on the OS Disk Details page,

click the Down Arrow.

9- On the Icon Assignment page,

select an icon and click the Down

Arrow.


page, click Creater Layer.

Note: The process to create your OS layer

will take approximately 20 minutes.




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2.3 PLATFORM LAYER CREATION

2.3.1 Create the Layer

1- Login to the ELM console.

2- Navigate to Layers > Platform

Layers.

3- Click Create Platform Layer.



a. Layer Name


c. Version







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6- On the OS Layer page, ensure the

correct OS layer is selected and



your Hypervisor connector and


8- On the Platform Types page,

select This platform layer will be

used for publishing Layered

Images and enter the following

information:

a. Hypervisor

b. Provisioning Service

c. Connection Broker


Note: The details in this page will vary

depending on the Hypervisor you are

utilizing.




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10- On the Packaging Disk page, click

the Down Arrow.


select your icon and click the

Down Arrow.


page, click Create Layer.

Note: The process to create your platform

layer will take approximately 20 minutes.

2.3.2 Edit the Layer

1- When the layer creation process

finishes, you will see the layer in

the ELM with the word Editing on

the bottom right.




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2- A temporary VM will be created on

your hypervisor.

3- Login to the VM via hypervisor

console.

4- Perform the following

configurations on the Platform

Layer:

a. Join the machine to the

domain.

b. Install the Citrix VDA

Components.

c. Install the WEM Agent

(Optional).

d. Install the PVS Target

Device (Optional)

e. Install any other

recommended

component for the

Platform Layer based on

your requirements.

5- Restart the VM one last time (Even

if the applications prompted to

restart already).

6- Once finished configuring, right-

click the Shutdown for Finalize

icon on the desktop and click Run

as Administrator.

2.3.3 Finalize the Layer

1- On the ELM, navigate to Layers >

Platform Layers.




24

2- Right-click the layer and click

Finalize.


page, click Finalize.

Note: The process to finalize your platform





25

2.4 APPLICATION LAYER CREATION

2.4.1 Create the Layer


2- Navigate to Layers > App Layers.

3- Click Create App Layer.




26



a. Layer Name


c. Version




6- On the OS Layer page, ensure the

correct OS layer is selected and


7- On the Prerequisite Layers page,

select your required configuration

and click the Down Arrow.




27




9- On the Platform Layer page, select

your required configuration and


10- On the Packaging Disk page, click

the Down Arrow.




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select your icon and click the

Down Arrow.


page, click Create Layer.

Note 1: The process to create every app


Note 2: This process must be repeated for

every application layer you create.

2.4.2 Edit the Layer

1- When the layer creation process

finishes, you will see the layer in

the ELM with the word Editing on

the bottom right.

2- A temporary VM will be created on

your hypervisor.

3- Login to the VM via hypervisor

console.




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4- Perform the installation of your

desired applications on the layer.

5- Restart the VM one last time (Even

if the application prompted to

restart already).

6- Once finished configuring, right-

click the Shutdown for Finalize

icon on the desktop and click Run

as Administrator.

2.4.3 Finalize the Layer

1- On the ELM, navigate to Layers >

App Layers.

2- Right-click the layer and click

Finalize.

3- On the Script Path page, select

your required configuration and





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page, click Finalize.

5- Note: The process to finalize your

app layer will take approximately

20 minutes.




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2.5 CREATE A LAYERED MACHINE CATALOG

2.5.1 Template Creation


2- Navigate to Images.

3- Click Create Template.

4- On the Name and Description

page, enter the following

information:

a. Name

b. Description

5- Select an Icon and click the Down

Arrow.




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6- On the OS Layer page, select the

appropriate OS Layer and click the

Down Arrow.

7- On the Application Assignment

page, select your application layers

to be added to the layered image








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9- On the Platform Layer page, select

the appropriate Platform Layer


10- On the Layered Image Disk page,


a. Layered Image Disk

Filename

b. Layered Image Disk Size

c. Sysprep

d. Elastic Layering

e. User Layer


Note: This template should not be

syspreped, all sysprep activities will be

performed by machine creation services.


page, click Create Template.




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2.5.2 Publish the Layered Image

1- Right-click the template and click

Publish Layered Image.


page, click Publish Layered Image.

Note: The process to publish the layered

image will take approximately 20 minutes.

2.5.3 Create the Machine Catalog and Delivery Group

1- The Layered Image VM will be

created on your hypervisor.

2- After this processed is finished,

follow the regular steps to create

your machine catalog and delivery

group.




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2.6 CREATE ELASTIC APP LAYERS

2.6.1 Elastic Layer Assignment


2- Navigate to Layers > App Layers.

3- Right-click the app layer that you

wish to elastically assign and click

Add Assignments.




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4- On the Select Version page,

ensure that the right layer version

is selected and click the Down

Arrow.

5- On the Image Template

Assignment page, do not select

and image and click the Down

Arrow.

6- On the Elastic Assignment page,

select your AD users and groups to

which you want to elastically

assign the layer and click the

Down Arrow.




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page, click Assign Layer.

8- When a user with access to the

elastic layer launches a session,

their assigned applications will

appear as part of their VDI.

3 APPENDIX

3.1 APP LAYERING ELM AZURE DEPLOYMENT

3.1.1 ELM Package Download

1- Open a browser session to

https://citrix.com/downloads, click

on the dropdown list and select

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops.

https://citrix.com/downloads




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2- Select the latest available version

of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops

7.

3- Under Components that are

common to all editions and

distributed from other download

sections, under the App Layering

section, click Download File.

4- On the App Layering page, select

the latest available version of Citrix

App Layering.

5- On the Microsoft Azure Appliance

Installation Package section, click

Download File.

6- Once the download completes,

extract the components in the .ZIP

folders.




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3.1.2 Deploy the Appliance

7- Open Windows PowerShell and

install the Azure Resource

Manager PowerShell module by

typing the following command:

Install-Module -Name AzureRM -Force -

AllowClobber

8- On the PowerShell window,

change the directory to the App

Layering download folder and run

the AzureELMDeploymentV6.ps1

script.

9- On the Microsoft Azure login

prompt, enter your Azure Login ID

and password, as required by your

organization.

10- The script will ask you for the

following information before it

runs:

a. Deployment name

b. Azure Environment

c. Subscription Name

d. Resource Group

e. Storage Account

f. Azure Location

g. Virtual Network

h. Subnet

i. Appliance IP Address

j. VM Size

k. Username

l. Password




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Note 1: Do not use dashes on the

deployment name, this will cause

diagnostics storage account creation to fail.

Note 2: Resource Group and Storage

Account will be created if they do not

already exist on the Azure subscription.

Note 3: The password you enter on this step

is NOT the appliance management

password, use the following credentials to

login to the appliance management

interface:

• Username: Administrator

• Password: Unidesk1

11- When prompted, navigate to the

Citrix App Layering download

folder, select the unidesk_azure-

system.vhd file, and click Open.

Note: This whole process will take

approximately 45 minutes.

3.1.3 App Layering Connector App Registration


https://portal.azure.com and login

with your company credentials.

https://portal.azure.com/




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2- Navigate to Azure Active Directory

> App Registrations and click New

Application Registration.

3- On the Create blade, enter the

following information:

a. Name: Descriptive name

for the app, avoid

spaces

b. Application type: Web

app / API

c. Sign-on URL:

https://citrix.cloud.com

4- Click Create.

Note: In reality, the URL we are entering for

this app registration is just a place holder,

but it does not have any effect on the

configuration of the app registration for the

App Layering Connector.

5- On the app registration details

blade, click Settings.

6- On the Settings blade, click

Properties and copy the value of

the Application ID to notepad.

https://citrix.cloud.com/




42

7- On the Settings blade, click Keys

and enter the following

information:

a. Key description: A

descriptive name for

they key

b. Duration: As required by

your deployment

requirements, generally

“Never Expires”

c. Value: Leave blank

8- Click Save.

9- Copy the string from the Value

field to notepad.

Note: You can only copy this value once,

make sure you copy it before closing the

Keys blade.

10- Navigate to Subscription > [Your

Subscription] > Access Control

(IAM), click Add and Add role

assignment.

11- On the Add role assignment blade,


a. Role: Contributor

b. Assign access to: Azure

AD user, group, or

service principal

c. Select: Search for your

app registration and

select it

12- Click Save.




43

13- On the Subscription blade, click

Overview and copy the value of

the Subscription ID to notepad.

14- Navigate to Azure AD > Properties

and copy the value of the

Directory ID to notepad.

Note: Save all the values you have copied, as

they will be required when configuring a

connector in the App Layering ELM.

3.1.4 App Layering Connector Storage Account


https://portal.azure.com and login

with your company credentials.

Note: The Azure Storage Account will be

used to configure a connector in the ELM.

2- Navigate to Storage Accounts and

click Add.

https://portal.azure.com/




44

3- On the Basics blade, enter the

following information:

a. Subscription

b. Resource Group

c. Storage Account Name

d. Location

e. Performance: Premium

f. Account Kind: General

Purpose v1.

g. Replication: Locally

redundant storage (LRS)

4- Click Review + Create.

5- On the Review + Create blade,

ensure all information is correct

and click Create.

For additional information, please see the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Service product documentation and the Citrix App Layering product documentation.

https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/citrix-virtual-apps-desktops-service.html


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