spoxamigrate

Citrix Virtual Classroom

Citrix XenApp 6.5 migration made easy

Self-paced exercise guide

Citrix Virtual Classroom Table of Contents

Table of Contents .............................................................................................................................................. 2

Overview............................................................................................................................................................. 3

Exercise 1: Prepare the Environment ............................................................................................................ 6

Exercise 2: Direct Migration with the Migration Center ........................................................................... 12

Exercise 3: Direct Migration with the PowerShell Interface .................................................................... 21

Exercise 4: Indirect Migration with the PowerShell Interface .................................................................. 28

Citrix Virtual Classroom Overview

Citrix XenApp is an on-demand application delivery solution that enables any Windows® application to

be virtualized, centralized, and managed in the datacenter and instantly delivered as a service to users

anywhere on any device. In use by over 100 million users worldwide, XenApp delivers on the promise of

proven application compatibility. Once you’ve decided that the latest XenApp 6.5 version is the right fit

for your organization, it’s possible to migrate from a previous version of the product to maintain existing

data while providing a seamless transition for your users.

In this lab, we will step through performing multiple migrations from a XenApp 5 environment to a

XenApp 6.5 environment using the included migration components as well as the features of Web

Interface. Various options (both GUI and PowerShell) are available depending on the organizational

requirements. We’ll also see how it’s possible to segment users into distinct groups (Eg. Production and

pilot) to help facilitate the migration strategy.

Hands-on Training Module

This training module has the following details:

Objective Provide hands-on experience with migrating to XenApp 6.5 from earlier versions

Audience Primary: XenApp administrators and support staff


Lab Environment Details

This section is used to describe the lab environment and the virtual machines that are used.

Machine Details

AD.training.lab Windows Server 2008 R2

SQLServer Windows Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server

XA1 XenApp 6.5 on Windows Server 2008 R2

XA2 XenApp 6.5 on Windows Server 2008 R2

XA51 XenApp 5 on Windows Server 2003

XA52 XenApp 5 on Windows Server 2003

Win7Client Windows 7 endpoint device

NOTE: This is a shared lab environment image and not all virtual machines will be used.

NOTE: If prompted with a dialog to restart on any virtual machine, always select Restart Later.

Required Lab Credentials

Below are the login credentials required to connect to the workshop system and complete the lab

exercises.

Domain/Machine Username Password

Training Administrator Citrix123

All local machines Administrator citrix


How to log into the lab environment

The self-paced lab environment is hosted on a cloud-based Citrix XenServer. Connecting to your server

from the portal page is as easy as 1-2-3.

Step-by-step login instructions

Step Action

1. Once logged in to the self-paced portal, click the Start lab button to launch a connection to

published XenCenter.

2. When XenCenter loads, right-click the XenCenter node and select Add…

3. On the Add New Server screen enter the XenServer IP address provided on the portal

and in the Password field enter the password provided on the portal. The user name will

always be root.

Exercise 1: Prepare the Environment

Citrix Virtual Classroom Exercise 1: Prepare the Environment

Overview

In this exercise we will prepare the infrastructure to allow users to connect to the new XenApp 6.5

environment after the migration. We will create a group of pilot users, who will test this new server farm,

while the other users will continue to connect to the existing production farm based on XenApp 5.

Step-by-step guidance

Follow the steps below to complete the task.

Estimated time to complete this lab: 20 minutes.

Step Action

1. Start by powering off the XD, VDA and SQLServer2 virtual machines and power on the

XA51 and XA52 virtual machines. This is done by right-clicking the VMs in XenCenter.

2. Log on to the AD.training.lab virtual machine with user training\Administrator and

password Citrix123. (Click the VM in XenCenter and then click the Console tab.)

3. Open Active Directory Users & Computers from the Desktop.

4. Right-click the Users node and select New > Group

5. Name the group Production and click OK



Step Action

6. Double-click the new group and under the Members tab add in user User1 through

User10. Then click OK.

7. Refer to steps 4-6 and create another global security group called Pilot with user User11

through User 15.

8. Right-click the training.lab node and select New > Organizational Unit

9. Name this OU Main and click OK

10. Create a second OU also under training.lab called Backup

11. Drag the computer account for XA1 under the Computers container to Main and XA2 to

Backup. Click Yes on the dialog message.

12. Minimize the console and open the Citrix Web Interface Management console from the

Desktop.

13. Select the XenApp Web Sites node on the left and then click Server Farms in the Actions

pane on the right.



Step Action

14. Click the Add button to add a new server farm to the existing site. Use the following

settings and then click OK.

Farm name: XenApp65

Servers: XA1

XML Service port: 8080



Step Action

15. Move the XenApp65 farm name up in the list to ensure it’s the top entry. Then click OK

on the Manage Server Farms dialog box.

16. Browse to C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\XenApp\conf in Windows Explorer

17. Open the file WebInterface.conf with Notepad. Scroll all the way down until you see a line

that starts with Farm2. Select the whole line and cut it (CTRL-X). Scroll up until you see

the line that starts with Farm1. Create a new line underneath and paste the contents

(CTRL-V).

18. Remove the # in front of Farm1Groups. Replace domain\group with training\pilot. Create

an empty line underneath and type:

Farm2Groups=training\production

19. Your file should now contain a section like the following (more text will be after 443,):

Save the file and close Notepad.

20. Switch to the Win7Client virtual machine and log on as training\administrator with

password Citrix123.

21. Open Internet Explorer and browse to http://ad.training.lab. Wait a moment for the

Web Interface Site to load.

http://ad.training.lab/



Step Action

22. Log on with username User1 and password Citrix123. You should see the following

published resources for this user.

NOTE: This user is in the Production Active Directory Group and connects to the

current XenApp 5 production farm per our Web Interface configuration.

23. Log off from the Web Interface.

24. Log back on to the Web Interface with username User11 and password Citrix123. This

user is a member of the Pilot Active Directory Group and logs on to the new XenApp 6.5

farm. You should see Paint as the only published application.

25. Log off from the Web Interface.

END OF EXERCISE

Summary

Key

Takeaways

The key takeaways for this exercise are:

Users can be separated into distinct Active Directory groups for the

migration process

Web Interface allows user groups to target specific farms within the same

site



NOTES Troubleshooting points to consider for your own environment:

o Farm1 needs to be XenApp 6.0 or later

o If you use Farm#Group for one farm, you have to use it for every farm

o Make sure the XML port specified is correct

Exercise 2: Direct Migration with the Migration Center

Citrix Virtual Classroom Exercise 2: Direct Migration with the Migration

Center

Overview

In this exercise we will perform a direct migration from XenApp 5 to XenApp 6.5 using the Migration

Center GUI.


Follow the steps below to complete the task.


Step Action

1. Start by going to the XA51 virtual machine (XenApp 5) and logging in as

training\administrator with password Citrix123.

2. Go to Add or Remove Programs from the Control Panel

3. Click Add/Remove Windows Components

4. Double-click Application Server

5. Ensure the “Enable network COM+ access” is checked. This is required in order for the

migration components on XenApp 6.5 to remotely query the farm data.

6. Close all open dialogs and windows on XA51



Step Action

7. Switch to the XA1 virtual machine (XenApp 6.5) and logon as training\Administrator

with password Citrix123

8. We need to ensure that the PowerShell Execution Policy is set correctly on this server that

we’ll be performing the migration from. Start by launching a new PowerShell instance from

the Windows taskbar or through the Start Menu.

9. Type Set-ExecutionPolicy AllSigned and press Enter. Type “Y” and press

Enter to accept the change.

10. Close the PowerShell window

11. Run the Citrix XenApp Migration Center from Start -> Administrative Tools -> Citrix

-> XenApp Migration. The following dialog will be briefly displayed as the components

initialize.

12. Enter XA51 as the server for the source farm and click Check



Step Action

13. The server farm information should be resolved. Click on OK

NOTE: The version of our source server will show as XenApp 4.5 since XenApp 5 for

Windows Server 2003 is essentially the same product as Presentation Server or XenApp 4.5

for Windows Server 2003.

14. Once in the main Migration Center interface, click on Worker group mappings…

15. Click the Add button and enter XA51 for the Representative server name and Main for the

Worker group name. Then click OK. Click Yes on the confirmation since the worker

group does not currently exist.

16. Click the Add button again and enter XA52 for the Representative server name and

Backup for the Worker group name. Then click on OK and Yes on the confirmation.



Step Action

17. Confirm that your mappings dialog looks like the following:

NOTE: It is not required for all servers in a XenApp 5 source farm to be mapped to a

worker group in the destination farm. A minimum of one mapping, however, does need to

be created.

18. Click OK on the mappings dialog

19. Click Analyze Farms and wait a moment for the process to complete



Step Action

20. When the Migration Center finishes analyzing the data in the source farm, click on View

log to see the information it contains. Close the log file when done viewing.

21. Let’s begin the migration. Click on Migrate to Target Farm and wait for the process to

complete.

22. Click on View log to see the results of the migration. Close the log file when done viewing.

23. Close the Migration Center

24. Launch the Citrix AppCenter from the Desktop

25. Expand all of the sub-nodes under XA65 and take a moment to browse the objects. Notice

the administrators, applications, load evaluators, policies, and worker groups.

26. Right-click the Internet Explorer published application and select Application properties



Step Action

27. Click Location on the left and note that the standard “Program Files” path was imported

from the source farm. Since this environment is 64-bit, let’s change the command line path

to “C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe” and the working directory to

“C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer” to run the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer.

Then click OK.

NOTE: At this point the administrator would need to perform the post-migration tasks

which include assigning load evaluators and placing objects into folders. The Migration

Center itself can be run multiple times to bring in new settings or ones which may have

changed in the source environment.

28. Switch to the XA51 server and launch the Delivery Services Console from the Desktop

29. Expand the XA5PROD node and right-click on Administrators and select New > Add

administrator

30. Click the Add button and then Add List of Names…

31. Enter training\user8 and click OK twice

32. Click the Next button twice

33. Select Full Administration and click Finish

34. Launch the XenApp Advanced Configuration Console from the Desktop

35. Click the Policies node and then double-click the Remote Users Policy

36. Expand HDX Plug-n-Play > Client Resources > Audio and click on Turn off speakers

37. Select the Enabled button and then click OK



Step Action

38. Switch back to the XA1 server and launch the Citrix XenApp Migration Center

application from the Start menu

39. The application retains the previous settings so simply click Analyze Farms

40. When the analysis completes, verify that the following results are shown. The administrator

object and policy configuration change was performed in the XenApp 5 source farm and

the application change for Internet Explorer was performed in the destination farm.

41. Click Migrate to Target Farm to bring over the new data

42. After the migration, switch to Citrix AppCenter or re-launch it from the Desktop

43. Click the XenApp node and select Run discovery from the Actions pane on the right.

Click OK if the confirmation dialog is displayed.

44. Verify under the Administrators node that TRAINING\user8 is shown

45. Right-click Internet Explorer and go to Application properties

46. Click Location on the left and note that the path has reverted back to “Program Files”

from “Program Files (x86)” that we had previously changed it to. This is because the

source farm settings will override the destination ones. Click OK.

47. Click the Policies node and then the User tab



Step Action

48. Under the Remote Users policy, note that Client audio redirection is set to Prohibited

per the setting we configured in the source XenApp 5 farm

END OF EXERCISE



Summary

Key

Takeaways


The Citrix XenApp Migration Center is an easy way to migrate farm settings

from XenApp 6.x or 5.0 to XenApp 6.5

The XenApp 6.5 farm needs to be able to communicate with the source

farm and a common administrative account must be used to perform a direct

migration

Migrations may be performed multiple times as needed and the source farm

settings will override conflicting ones in the destination farm

Exercise 3: Direct Migration with the PowerShell Interface

Citrix Virtual Classroom Exercise 3: Direct Migration with the

PowerShell Interface

Overview

In this exercise we will perform a direct migration from an earlier version of XenApp to XenApp 6.5 using

the PowerShell interface. The PowerShell interface allows us to be selective with the settings we want to

bring over and provides additional control over the migration process.


Follow the steps below to complete the task. Note that PowerShell cmdlets are not case-sensitive but are

shown capitalized for readability purposes. PowerShell accepts standard command prompt input and

supports autocomplete with the tab key as well.


Step Action

1. Before we begin the steps for this next migration, we’ll need to start by deleting the current

data in the XenApp 6.5 farm. A PowerShell script has been created to assist us with the

process. From XA1, launch a new PowerShell session from the blue icon on the taskbar.

2. Unlike the XenApp Migration components, this script is unsigned so the PowerShell

Execution Policy needs to be set to the most permissive unrestricted level. Type

Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted and press Enter. Type “Y” and press

Enter to confirm.

3. Type CD\ and press Enter to go to the drive root



Step Action

4. Type .\ResetFarm.ps1 and press Enter. Wait a moment for the script to finish

running.

NOTE: It is normal for some red errors to show here as certain built-in objects cannot be

deleted. Feel free to inspect the contents of the script file at C:\resetfarm.ps1 in Notepad.

As an alternative to running this script file, we could have also manually deleted these

objects from Citrix AppCenter or recreated the farm; however, use of this script is much

quicker and easier.

5. Next we’ll want to delete the migration user profile data from the previous migration.

These files contain the migration settings and options. On XA1, browse to

C:\Users\administrator.training\appdata\local\Citrix\Citrix.XenApp.Migration via

the Windows Explorer address bar and delete the contents there.

NOTE: The “appdata” folder is hidden by default so you’ll need to enter the path in the

address bar or enable showing hidden folders.



Step Action

6. Launch Windows PowerShell with Citrix XenApp Migration Module from Start ->

Administrative Tools -> Citrix -> XenApp Migration. (Alternatively you can bring up a

standard PowerShell prompt and run Import-Module

Citrix.XenApp.Migration)

7. As stated in the window, running Get-XAMigrationCommand will list all the cmdlets

for the migration component

8. Type the following and press Enter:

Set-XAMigrationOption –RemoteServerName XA51 –PassThru

This will configure the migration to pull all possible settings from the XA51 server and the

farm it belongs to. The –PassThru switch is a PowerShell option which outputs the

changes that have been made to the objects.

NOTE: Network COM+ Access was previously enabled and verified on the XA51 server.

This is a requirement when performing direct migrations (whether through the Migration

Center or by using the PowerShell cmdlets).

9. Let’s associate the XenApp 5 server to the worker group named “Main” by running

Add-XAServerMapping XA51 main and confirming the output. (If the worker

group doesn’t exist, which is the case in our environment, it will be created for us.)

10. Associate XA52 by running Add-XAServerMapping XA52 backup

11. Let’s take a look at the examples of the cmdlet

Set-XAMigrationOption by running:

Get-Help Set-XAMigrationOption –examples



Step Action

12. We’ll start by explicitly disabling all objects for the migration since we only want to bring

over specific ones this time. The following statement will accomplish this:

Set-XAMigrationOption -ObjectType * -Enabled $false

13. Next run Set-XAMigrationOption -ObjectType application

-Enabled $true to enable the migration of published applications (it is possible to get

even more granular and selectively include or exclude specific applications).

14. Run Set-XAMigrationOption -ObjectType policy -Enabled $true

to enable the migration of policies.

15. Now let’s ensure that the Internet Explorer published application transfers over with the

correct “Program Files (x86)” path this time. To do this, run:

Set-XAMigrationOption –x86ApplicationList “Internet

Explorer”

16. Before we begin the migration, let’s run Start-XAMigration

–PendingReportOnly to see the changes we are about to make before we commit.

(The

–pendingreportonly switch is preferred to PowerShell’s

–WhatIf switch as it provides more details).



Step Action

17. Type Start-XAMigration and press Enter to begin the migration process.

18. When the process completes, switch to Citrix AppCenter or re-launch it from the

Desktop.



20. Click the Administrators node and notice that the only administrator shown is

TRAINING\administrator since we did not import any administrators from the source

farm (only policies and applications were imported).

21. Right click the Internet Explorer published application and select Application properties



Step Action

22. Click Location on the left and notice the command line and working directory reflect

“Program Files (x86)” since we used the –x86Application list option for this application

during the migration process. Click OK when done viewing.

END OF EXERCISE



Summary

Key

Takeaways


The PowerShell interface provides more control over performing migrations

There are specific required cmdlets that must be run and several others

which are optional when performing migrations

Citrix Virtual Classroom Exercise 4: Indirect Migration with the

PowerShell Interface

Overview

In this exercise we will perform an indirect migration from XenApp 5 to XenApp 6.5 using the PowerShell

interface. This is required when there is no direct network path from the XenApp 6.5 farm to the source

farm and/or differences in administrative accounts.


Follow the steps below to complete the task


Step Action

1. Start by navigating to C:\ on XA1, right-click on ResetFarm.ps1 and select Run with

PowerShell

2. Switch to the XA51 virtual machine and go to \\ad\software in Windows Explorer.

3. Run Citrix.XenApp.Migration.Install_x86.msi. The pre-requisite of PowerShell 2.0 has

already been installed.


Step Action

4. Proceed through the setup and when it completes choose to Set the PowerShell execution

policy to AllSigned before clicking Finish.

5. Launch the Windows PowerShell with Citrix XenApp Migration Module from Start ->

All Programs -> Citrix -> XenApp Migration

6. Type “a” to Always run and press Enter

7. Run Set-XAMigrationOption –RemoteServername XA51 –PassThru

8. Run Set-XAMigrationOption –DataFolderPath c:\migration to set

the local path for the export files

9. Run Function Update-XAFileType {} which is required when performing

indirect migrations since this function needs a definition on the XenApp 5 platform.


Step Action

10. Run Start-XAMigration –ExportOnly to export the farm data to XML files.

11. In Windows Explorer, take a moment to browse and open the XML files at c:\migration

to observe the contents.

12. Switch to the XA1 virtual machine

13. Copy the XML files from \\XA51\C$\migration to

C:\Users\administrator.training\AppData\Local\Citrix\Citrix.XenApp.Migration\

Data

(remember that the AppData path is hidden by default) and override any existing files if

they exist

14. Delete the MigrationOptions.XML file located at

C:\Users\administrator.training\AppData\Local\Citrix\Citrix.XenApp.Migration\

since we want to start from scratch with default options. This is the safest way to ensure no

previous settings from earlier migrations will be transferred since this file contains the

migration options such as which server to use, settings to include or exclude, etc. (but not

the settings themselves which are in the data directory)


Step Action

15. Switch to the open instance of Windows PowerShell with Citrix XenApp Migration

Module or re-launch one from Start -> Administrative Tools -> Citrix -> XenApp

Migration. (Alternatively you can bring up a standard PowerShell prompt and run

Import-Module Citrix.XenApp.Migration)

16. Run Get-XAMigrationOption to confirm that all settings are enabled for the

migration. (They should be by default as we deleted the MigrationOptions.XML file.

Running this command recreates the file and sets the default options.)

17. Run Add-XAServerMapping XA51 main

18. Run Add-XAServerMapping XA52 backup

19. Run Start-XAMigration –ImportOnly to begin the data import process. Wait a

brief moment for it to complete.

20. Switch to Citrix AppCenter or re-launch it from the Desktop.



22. Observe that the farm data objects (applications, policies, etc.) have imported with the

default options just as we saw before with the Citrix Migration Center (though this time

the migration was performed indirectly).

23. IMPORTANT! This is the last exercise for this lab. Please go back to the Self-paced

Learning Lab site and do the following before you go:

Provide us feedback by selecting the “Take web survey…” link.

After completing the survey, click the “Logout” link towards the bottom right to

close out your lab session.

END OF EXERCISE


Step Action

Key

Takeaways


Indirect migrations may be performed when there is no direct connection

from the XenApp 6.5 farm to the source XenApp farm and/or administrator

accounts differ

An indirect migration is a two-step process where the data is first exported

to XML files and then these files are copied to a XenApp 6.5 server to be

imported

Please complete this survey

We value your feedback! Please take a moment to let us know about your self-paced

lab experience by completing a brief survey on the web portal before you logout.


Revision History

Revision Change Description Updated By Date

1.0 Original Version WW Technical Readiness October 2012

About Citrix

Citrix Systems, Inc. designs, develops and markets technology solutions that enable information technology (IT)

services. The Enterprise division and the Online Services division constitute its two segments. Its revenues are

derived from sales of Enterprise division products, which include its Desktop Solutions, Datacenter and Cloud

Solutions, Cloud-based Data Solutions and related technical services and from its Online Services division's Web

collaboration, remote access and support services. It markets and licenses its products directly to enterprise

customers, over the Web, and through systems integrators (Sis) in addition to indirectly through value-added

resellers (VARs), value-added distributors (VADs) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). In July 2012, the

Company acquired Bytemobile, provider of data and video optimization solutions for mobile network operators.

http://www.citrix.com

© 2012 Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

http://www.citrix.com/

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