Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Delivery Controller is responsible for managing user access, plus brokering and
optimizing connections. Controllers also provide the Machine Creation Services that
create desktop and server images for Virtual Machines (VMs).
A Site can have more than one Controller for high availability of components and
services, as well as workload balancing for larger deployments. A Site is the name you
give to a product deployment. It comprises the Controllers and the other core
components and VDAs, Host connections (if used), plus the machine catalogs and
Delivery Groups you create and manage. A Site does not necessarily correspond to
geographical location, although it can.
The Controller communicates with the Site Configuration Database to obtain session
and configuration information. By default, this Database is installed when you install
the Controller and is configured when you create a Site. This Site Configuration
Database stores configuration changes recorded by the Configuration Logging Service,
plus trend and performance data that is used by the Monitoring Service and displayed
by Citrix Director. Citrix recommends that you specify different locations for the
Configuration Logging and Monitoring databases if you use these features and store
more than seven days of data. You can configure different databases for each of these
services after you have create a Site.
Administrators, help desk, and other support personnel use Citrix Director to monitor
the deployment.
StoreFront authenticates users to Sites and manages stores of applications and desktops
that users access.
You can install the core components on the same server or on different servers. For
example, to manage a smaller deployment remotely, you can install Studio on a different
machine than the server where you installed the Controller. To accommodate future
expansion, consider installing components on separate servers; for example, install the
License Server and Director on different servers.
In addition to the core components, an environment requires a Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA)
on each VM on the Host, on standalone virtual or physical machines, and on servers that
host applications or desktops. The VDA registers for communication with the Controller,
then manages the HDX connection with user devices.
If you are using separate standalone virtual or physical machines, you install a VDA on
each machine.
There are two general types of VDAs: one for Windows servers and another for Windows
desktops. The VDA for Windows Desktop OS is used in full deployments and Remote PC
Access deployments. The VDA for Windows Desktop OS also offers an HDX 3D Pro version
that is optimized for applications and desktops that use a GPU for hardware acceleration.
When you install a VDA, Citrix Receiver is also installed by default. Citrix Receiver provides
secure on-demand access to documents, applications, and desktops from any user device.
The Components in this release topic illustrates a typical deployment.
Component installation and Site creation sequence
You can install components using a wizard-based graphical interface or a command-line
interface, which enables scripted installation. Both methods install prerequisites
automatically.
Unless otherwise noted, the following tasks are described in the topics in this section.
1. Install the core components.
2. From Studio, create a full deployment Site or a Remote PC Access Site.
3. If you will be using provisioning tools, install a VDA for Desktop OS and choose to build a
master image. Otherwise, install a VDA for Desktop OS or a VDA for Server OS directly
on each machine. You can customize configuration settings for the VDA later.
When you install the VDA, a new local user group called Direct Access Users is
automatically created. On a VDA for Windows Desktop OS, this group applies only to
RDP connections; on a VDA for Windows Server OS, this group applies to ICA and
RDP connections.
When you install a VDA for Windows Server OS, the installer automatically installs
and enables Remote Desktop Services role services, if they are not already installed
and enabled.
For Remote PC Access configurations, install the VDA for Windows Desktop OS on
each physical office PC that users will access remotely.
Install
4
See the HDX 3D Pro documentation for information about using the HDX 3D Pro
version of the VDA.
After installing components and creating a Site, follow the guidance in Studio to create
machine catalogs and Delivery Groups. Citrix also recommends you change the location of
the Configuration Logging and the Monitoring Databases. See Change secondary database
locations. If you chose during component installation to configure firewall port exceptions
manually, do so now.
Prepare for installation
Before beginning the installation:
Read the Known Issues and System requirements topics. Review the procedure for the
installation task to learn about choices and information you will specify during
installation.
Be sure that each operating system has the latest updates; otherwise, prerequisite
installation can take significantly longer to complete.
Be sure that the Controller and Host servers have synchronized system clocks.
Synchronization is required by the Kerberos infrastructure that secures
communication between the machines.
If you plan to install a component in a location other than the default C:\Program
Files\Citrix, make sure that location has execute permissions for network service.
Decide where to install the Site Configuration Database. By default, Microsoft SQL
Server 2012 Express is installed when you install the Controller. If you want to use a
different supported SQL Server edition, you do not have to install it before you install
the core components; however, it must be installed before you create the Site. Review
database considerations in the Plan documentation, and set up any mirror, cluster, or
other supported redundancy infrastructure.
Consider whether you will move the Configuration Logging and Monitoring databases
after you create the Site. If needed, install SQL Server software on those servers, plus
any redundancy infrastructure.
Set up your virtual infrastructure, if you will be using hosted Virtual Machines (VMs).
When you configure a full deployment Site later, you specify Host information. See the
host platform documentation for setup instructions, and the Integrate documentation
for host deployment information.
Configure your Active Directory domain. See the Microsoft documentation for
instructions.
The servers where you will install the core components must be in the same forest.
To create a Site, you must have permission to create accounts on the Active
Directory domain controller.
Install
5
As well as being a domain user, you must be a local administrator on the machines
where you are installing core components. After you create a full deployment Site,
that user account is automatically made a Full Administrator.
If you install the license server, that user account is automatically made a full
administrator on the license server.
When you create objects before, during, and after installation, it is best practice to
specify unique names for each object (for example networks, groups, catalogs,
resources).
Install
6
7
Install using the graphical interface
Use the graphical interface to:
Install one or more core components: Delivery Controller, Citrix Studio, Citrix Director,
License Server, and StoreFront.
Install additional core components to extend your deployment. For example, installing
Studio on a separate system allows you to manage a deployment remotely.
Customize a VDA by updating Controller addresses, port numbers, and Windows Firewall
port exceptions.
Install a Universal Print Server, which provisions network session printers. (The
Controller already has the Universal Print Server functionality; you need only install the
Universal Print Server on the print servers in your environment.)
To launch the installer graphical interface
1. Download the product package and unzip it. Optionally, burn a DVD of the ISO file.
2. Log on to the server where you are installing the components, using a local
administrator account.
3. Insert the DVD in the drive or mount the ISO file. If the installer does not launch
automatically, double-click the AutoSelect application.
To install core components using the graphical
interface
Use this procedure to install a Delivery Controller, and optionally, other core components.
1. Launch the installer.
2. After clicking Start, select Delivery Controller.
3. Accept the license agreement.
4. On the Core Components page:
By default, all components are selected. Clear the checkboxes of the components
you do not want to install on this server.
5. On the Features page:
(Appears only when you are installing a Controller.) The Microsoft SQL Server 2012
Express feature is enabled by default, and that database software will be installed.
If you plan to use a supported SQL Server version on another server, clear the
checkbox. If you are not installing the Controller, you might be asked to specify the
address of an existing Controller that the components you are installing can
communicate with. If SQL Server is already installed on this server, this option does
not appear.
(Appears only when you are installing Director.) The Windows Remote Assistance
feature is always installed when you install Director; you enable or disable the
feature on this page. Windows Remote Assistance lets administrators and support
personnel help with common IT issues.
6. The Firewall page lists the ports used by each component being installed. You can print
this list. By default, these ports are opened automatically if the Windows Firewall
Service is running, even if the firewall is not enabled. If you use a third-party firewall
or no firewall, or you prefer to open the ports manually after installation, select
Manually.
Component Port number
Controller TCP 80, 443
Director TCP 80, 443
License Server TCP 7279, 8082, 8083, 27000
StoreFront TCP 80, 443
For complete port information, see CTX101810.
7. The Summary page lists the information you provided on previous pages, plus the
prerequisites that will be installed automatically. After you verify the information and
click Install, the display indicates installation progress. If a component does not install
successfully, the process stops and an error message appears. Components that
installed successfully are retained; you do not need to reinstall them.
If you installed Studio, it starts automatically by default after the installation
completes. You can disable this option. (If you install core components on a
non-domain-joined server, you cannot create a Site, so the option to start Studio is not
available.)
To install additional components using the graphical
interface
1. Launch the installer.
2. After clicking Start, select the component you want to install from the entries in the
Extend Deployment column. Follow the wizard.
If you install an additional Controller, you must add it to the Site; see To add a Controller.
Install using the graphical interface
8
To install a VDA using the graphical interface
Note: Follow these instructions when installing a Virtual Delivery Agent on Windows 7,
Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 operating systems. For
information about installing an earlier Virtual Desktop Agent on Windows XP or Windows
Vista systems, see Install an earlier Virtual Desktop Agent on Windows XP or Windows
Vista.
On the host or machine where you are installing the VDA:
1. Launch the installer.
2. After clicking Start, click the VDA entry. The installer automatically detects your
operating system and offers only the VDA type supported on that system: Virtual
Delivery Agent for Windows Server OS or Virtual Delivery Agent for Windows Desktop
OS.
3. On the Environment page, choose whether you want to build a master image that will
be used to create other machines (default) or you want users to connect to an existing
machine.
4. When installing a VDA for Windows Desktop OS, choose whether to install the VDA for
HDX 3D Pro. The HDX 3D Pro feature delivers desktops and applications that perform
best with a GPU for hardware acceleration. By default, this option is disabled. For more
information, see the HDX 3D Pro documentation.
5. On the Core Components page:
Manually, by typing the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of a Controller, then
clicking Add. Although you can specify a Controller that is not currently in the
domain, a VDA can connect only to a Controller in the domain. Also, you can test
the connection only for Controllers in the domain.
Later, by rerunning the installer, using Citrix policies, setting registry values, or by
using Active Directory OUs.
Citrix Group Policy settings that specify Controller locations override settings provided
during installation.
After you initially specify the Controller location, you can use the auto-update feature
to update VDAs when additional Controllers are installed. See Manage your Delivery
Controller environment.
7. On the Features page, select the features you want to enable:
Install using the graphical interface
9
Feature Description
Optimize performance Enables or disables optimization for VDAs running in a VM
on a hypervisor. VM optimization includes disabling
offline files, disabling background defragmentation, and
reducing event log size. For more information about the
optimization tool, see CTX125874. For Remote PC
Access, do not enable this option. Default = enabled.
Use Windows Remote
Assistance
Enables or disables Windows Remote Assistance for use
with Director. When this feature is enabled, Windows
automatically opens TCP port 3389 in the firewall (even
if you choose to open firewall ports manually on the next
wizard page). Default = enabled.
Use Real-Time Audio
Transport for audio
Enables or disables use of UDP for audio packets.
Enabling this feature can improve audio performance.
Default = enabled.
Personal vDisk (Appears only when you are installing a VDA for Windows
Desktop OS on a VM.) Enables or disables the use of
Personal vDisks with a master image. For more
information, see Manage Personal vDisks. Default =
disabled.
8. The Firewall page lists the ports used to communicate with the Controller and the
features you enabled on the previous page. You can print this list. By default, these
ports are opened automatically if the Windows Firewall Service is running, even if the
firewall is not enabled. If you use a third-party firewall or no firewall, or you prefer to
open the ports manually after installation, select Manually.
Component or feature Port number
Controller
Controller addresses.
Install one or more core components: Delivery Controller, Citrix Studio, Citrix Director,
License Server, and StoreFront.
Install a Universal Print Server, which provisions network session printers. (The
Controller already has the Universal Print Server functionality; you need only install the
Universal Print Server on the print servers in your environment.)
You can also remove previously-installed XenDesktop 7 components, using the /remove or
/removeall options. For more information, see Remove components.
To see command execution progress and return values, you must be the original
administrator or use 'Run as administrator.' For more information, see Microsoft command
documentation.
To install core components using the command line
From the \x64\XenDesktop Setup directory on the media, run the
XenDesktopServerSetup.exe command. The following table describes command options.
Option Description
/help or /h Displays command help.
/quiet No user interface appears during the installation. The
only evidence of the installation process is in Windows
Task Manager. If this option is omitted, the graphical
interface launches.
/noreboot Prevents a restart after installation. (For most core
components, a restart is not enabled by default.)
/remove Removes the core components specified with the
/components option. For more information about
removing components, see Remove components.
/removeall Removes all installed core components. For more
information about removing components, see Remove
components.
/configure_firewall Opens all ports in the Windows firewall needed by
components being installed, if the Windows Firewall
Service is running, even if the firewall is not enabled. If
you are using a third-party firewall or no firewall, you
must manually open the ports.
CONTROLLER - Controller
DESKTOPSTUDIO - Studio
DESKTOPDIRECTOR - Director
STOREFRONT - StoreFront
If this option is omitted, all components are installed
(or removed, if the /remove option is also specified).
/installdir directory Existing empty directory where components will be
installed. Default = c:\Program Files\Citrix.
/tempdir directory Directory that holds temporary files during installation.
Default = c:\Wndows\Temp.
/nosql Prevents installation of Microsoft SQL Server Express on
the server where you are installing the Controller. If
this option is omitted, SQL Server Express will be
installed.
/enableremoteassistance (Valid only when installing Director.) Enables the
Windows Remote Assistance feature. Windows Remote
Assistance is always installed when you install Director;
you enable or disable the feature by including or
omitting this option in the command line.
For example, the following command installs a Controller, Studio, Citrix Licensing, and SQL
Server Express on the server. Ports in the Windows firewall that are required for Controller
and License Server communications will be opened automatically.
\x64\XenDesktop Setup\XenDesktopServerSetup.exe /components
controller,desktopstudio,licenseserver /configure_firewall
Install using the command line
13
To install a VDA using the command line
Note: Use these instructions when installing a Virtual Delivery Agent on Windows 7,
Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 operating systems. For
information about installing an earlier Virtual Desktop Agent version on Windows XP or
Windows Vista systems, see Install an earlier Virtual Desktop Agent on Windows XP or
Windows Vista.
When installing a VDA for use with Remote PC Access, specify only those options that are
valid on physical machines (not VMs or master images) and for VDAs for Windows Desktop
OS.
From the \x64\XenDesktop Setup directory on the product media, run the
XenDesktopVdaSetup.exe command. The following table describes command options. Unless
otherwise noted, options apply to physical and virtual machines, and to VDAs for Windows
Desktop OS and VDAs for Windows Server OS.
Option Description
/h or /help Displays command help.
/quiet No user interface appears during the installation. The
only evidence of the installation and configuration
process is in Windows Task Manager. If this option is
omitted, the graphical interface launches.
/noreboot Prevents a restart after installation. The VDA will not be
fully available for use until after a restart.
/remove Removes the components specified with the
/components option.
/removeall Removes all installed VDA components.
/reconfig Customizes VDA settings. If you specify this option
without also specifying the /quiet option, the graphical
interface for customizing the VDA launches. For more
information, see
/portnumber port (Valid only if the /reconfig option is specified.) Port
number to enable for communications between the VDA
and the Controller. The previously-configured port is
disabled, unless it is port 80.
/components
component[,component]
Comma-separated list of components to install or
remove. Valid values are:
/h or /help
/quiet
/noreboot
/controllers
/portnumber port
/enable_hdx_ports
To install the Universal Print Server using the
command line
Run one of the following commands on each print server:
On a supported 32-bit operating system: From the \x86\Universal Print Server\ on the
Citrix installation media, run UpsServer_x86.msi.
On a supported 64-bit operating systems: From the \x64\Universal Print Server\ on the
Citrix installation media, run UpsServer_x64.msi.
Install using the command line
17
18
Install or remove Virtual Delivery Agents
using scripts in Active Directory
The installation media contains sample scripts that install, upgrade, or remove Virtual
Delivery Agents (VDAs) for groups of machines in Active Directory. You can also apply the
scripts to individual machines, and use them to maintain master images used by Machine
Creation Services and Provisioning Services.
Required access:
The scripts need Everyone Read access to the network share where the VDA installation
command, XenDesktopVdaSetup.exe, is located.
Logging details are stored on each local machine. If you also want to log results
centrally for review and analysis, the scripts need Everyone Read and Write access to
the appropriate network share.
To check the results of running a script, examine the central log share. Captured logs
include the script log, the installer log, and the MSI installation logs. Each installation or
removal attempt is recorded in a time-stamped folder. The folder title indicates if the
operation was successful with the prefix PASS or FAIL. You can use standard directory
search tools to quickly find a failed installation or removal in the central log share, rather
than searching locally on the target machines. For more information, see the
Troubleshooting section below.
To install or upgrade VDAs using the script
1. Obtain the sample script InstallVDA.bat from \Support\AdDeploy\ on the XenDesktop
installation media. Citrix recommends that you make a backup of the original script
before customizing it.
2. Edit the script:
Specify the network share location from which the installer will be invoked. Point
to the root of the layout (the highest point of the tree): the appropriate version of
the installer (32-bit or 64-bit) will be called automatically when the script runs. For
example: SET DEPLOYSHARE=\\fileserver1\share1.
Optionally, specify a network share location for storing centralized logs. For
example: SET LOGSHARE=\\fileserver1\log1).
Specify VDA configuration options as described in Install using the command line.
The /quiet and /noreboot options are included by default in the script and are
required: SET COMMANDLINEOPTIONS=/QUIET /NOREBOOT.
3. Using Group Policy Startup Scripts, assign the script to the OU in Active Directory where
your machines are located. This OU should contain only machines on which you want to
install the VDA. When the machines in the OU are restarted, the script runs on all of
them, installing a VDA on each machine that has a supported operating system.
To remove VDAs using the script
1. Obtain the sample script UninstallVDA.bat from \Support\AdDeploy\ on the XenDesktop
installation media. Citrix recommends that you make a backup of the original script
before customizing it.
2. Edit the script.
Kickoff_VDA_Startup_Script_<DateTimeStamp>.log
Install VDAs using scripts in Active Directory
19
VDA_Install_ProcessLog_<DateTimeStamp>.log
Review the content of these logs to ensure that the script is:
Running as expected.
Correctly configured to point to the ROOT of the DEPLOYSHARE (contains the file named
AutoSelect.exe).
Create a deployment Configures a full deployment Site or a basic Site (basic Sites
are usually created by advanced users).
By default, the locally installed instance of SQL Server 2012 Express is used to
create the Database, and its location is provided. The default database name is
'Citrix<site-name>'.
To use another installed database server, enter its server name and database name.
You can test the connection to the database.
Database type What to enter With this database configuration
Standalone or
mirror
servername The default instance is used and
SQL Server uses the default port.
Servername\INSTANCENAM E A named instance is used and SQL
Server uses the default port.
servername,port-number The default instance is used and
SQL Server uses a custom port.
(The comma is required.)
Servername,port-number\I NSTANCENAME A named instance is used and SQL
Server uses a custom port. (The
comma is required.)
Other cluster-name A clustered database.
availability-group-listener An Always-On database.
After you click Next and are alerted that the services could not connect to a database,
indicate that you want Studio to create it.
If your database is locked down and you do not have edit permission, click Generate
database script. This generates two scripts that your database administrator can use to
set up the database and optionally, database mirroring. These scripts must be run
before you can finish creating the Site.
5. On the Licensing page:
If you installed the License Server on the same server as the Delivery Controller,
the License server field is filled in for you.
If the License Server is not installed on the same server as the Controller, specify
the license server address in the form name:[port], where name is a Fully Qualified
Domain Name (FQDN), NetBIOS, or IP address; FQDN is the recommended format. If
you omit the port number, the default is 27000.
You cannot proceed until a successful connection is made to the license server.
Create a Site
22
Choose either the 30-day free trial, which allows you to add license files later, or use
an existing license. You can also download licenses or add a license file.
6. (Appears only when creating a full deployment Site.) On the Host Connection page:
Choose the type of Host you are using, its address, and the credentials to access it.
If you are not using a Host, or if you will use Studio to manage user desktops
hosted on dedicated blade PCs, select the Host type None.
Specify a connection name, which will be displayed in Studio. Choose a name that
will help identify the Host type and deployment address.
Specify whether you will use Machine Creation Services (MCS) or other tools to
create VMs.
7. (Appears only when creating a full deployment Site, and using a Host and MCS.) On the
Network page, enter a name for the resources and select a network for the VMs to use.
8. (Appears only when creating a full deployment Site, and using a Host and MCS.) On the
Storage Page:
Choose the storage type: Shared or Local. Shared storage (the default) is available
through the network. If you use shared storage, you can enable the use of
IntelliCache to reduce load on the storage device. Local storage is on the Host.
If you plan to use Personal vDisks to store user-installed applications and user
profiles, specify whether they will use the same storage as VMs (default), or
different storage.
9. (Appears only when creating a full deployment Site.) On the App-V Publishing page,
indicate whether you want to specify App-V management and App-V publishing server
information now. If you choose Yes, enter the server addresses.
10. (Appears only when creating a Remote PC Access Site.) On the Users page, click Add
Users. Select the users and user groups that will be allowed to access their office PCs
remotely. Then click Add users.
Note: You must add entries on this page; there is no default action that
automatically adds all users.
11. (Appears only when creating a Remote PC Access Site.) On the Machine Accounts page,
add the machines associated with the users and user groups. Use one of the following
methods:
Click Add machine accounts. Select the machine accounts, and then click Add
machine accounts.
Create a Site
23
Click Add OUs. Select the domain and Organizational Units. By default, only items
in the folders are included; to also include items in subfolders, enable the Include
subfolders checkbox. Click Add OUs.
12. On the Summary page, review the information you specified. After confirming the
settings, click Finish.
After creating the Site, follow the Studio guidance to create Machine Catalogs and Delivery
Groups.
Test a Site configuration
When creating a full deployment Site, configuration and environment tests are run
automatically afer you click Finish. You can also run the tests on demand.
To run the Site configuration and environment tests after a Site is successfully created:
1. From Studio, click the Studio (Site-name) entry at the top of the left pane.
2. In the center pane, click Test configuration.
Test progress is displayed, and you can view an HTML report of the results.
Create a Site
24
25
Install an earlier Virtual Desktop Agent on
Windows XP or Windows Vista
The Virtual Delivery Agents (VDAs) provided with XenDesktop 7 are not supported on
Windows XP or Windows Vista systems. Additionally, some of the features in this release are
not supported on those operating systems. To use the full functionality in this release,
Citrix recommends you replace Windows XP or Windows Vista systems with Windows 7 or
Windows 8, then install a Virtual Delivery Agent from this release.
To accommodate cases when you must install an earlier version of the Virtual Desktop
Agent to create a Machine Catalog and a Delivery Group to host Windows XP or Windows
Vista clients, or to create a Master Image to deliver Windows XP or Windows Vista desktops,
the media for this release includes the Virtual Desktop Agent software that is supported on
those systems. If the installer detects a Windows XP or Windows Vista system, it launches a
different installer that adds that Virtual Desktop Agent. See the Upgrade documentation to
learn about using Machine Catalogs and Delivery Groups with earlier installed Virtual
Desktop Agents.
You cannot install XenDesktop 7 core components (for example, Controller, Studio,
Director, StoreFront, Citrix License Server) on a Windows XP or Windows Vista system.
To remove a VDA, select Citrix Virtual Delivery Agent 7.0, then right-click and select
Uninstall. The installer launches and you can select the components to be removed.
To remove the Universal Print Server, select Citrix Universal Print Server, then
right-click and select Uninstall.
To remove core components using the command line
From the \x64\XenDesktop Setup directory on the installation media, run the
XenDesktopServerSetup.exe command.
To remove one or more core components, use the /remove and /components options.
To remove one or more core components, use the /remove and /components options.