614W: Platform Training on XenDesktop with Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) and NetApp

Transcription

1 614W: Platform Training on XenDesktop with Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) and NetApp Hands-on lab exercise guide Page 1

2 Table of Contents Table of Contents... 2 How to log into the lab environment... 4 Exercise 1: Connecting to UCS Manager... 6 Exercise 2: Create Pools in UCSM... 9 Exercise 3: Create Policies in UCSM Exercise 4: Creating Resource Templates Exercise 5: Creating Service Profile Templates Exercise 6: Deploying Service Profiles from Template NetApp Section 1: Provisioning Storage with the NetApp VSC for Citrix XenServer Exercise 1: Access the NetApp VSC plugin on Citrix XenCenter Exercise 2: Simplifying Storage Repository (SR) Provisioning, Provisioning SRs Quickly and Easily Exercise 3: Growing or Shrinking Live Storage Repositories with Ease and Non-disruptively Exercise 4: Cloning Virtual Machines with the NetApp VSC for XenServer55 NetApp Section 2: Storage 101 with NetApp System Manager Exercise 1: Logging in and Discovering Storage Exercise 2: Validating a Volume and Examining an Aggregate Exercise 3: Validating the CIFS Service and Creating a New CIFS Share. 73 NetApp Section 3: Optimizing Performance and Capacity Exercise 1: Troubleshooting Your Environment Page 2

3 XenDesktop 5.6 MCS & PVS Exercise 1: StoreFront Configuration Exercise 2: Installing XD 5.6 VDA to prepare the Base VM Exercise 3: Creating a XenDesktop Site for MCS based Desktop Group 119 Exercise 4: PVS vdisk Versioning Exercise 5: Creating Streamed VM s using PVS-XenDesktop Setup Wizard Page 3

4 How to log into the lab environment The student lab environment is hosted on a Citrix XenServer. Follow the directions below to access the server. Note: Browser support: IE, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari (on MAC). Step by step login instructions Step Action 1. Launch your web browser and go to 2. On the website, type in the session code provided by your instructor and your business address. Click Get started. 3. Once you ve logged in, click the Start Lab button. This will launch your lab session. Note: Please wait for the application to launch. 4. Right-click XenCenter and select Add. 5. On the Add New Server screen enter the XenServer IP address provided on the website and in the Password field enter the password provided on the site. Page 4

5 Cisco Unified Computing System Manager (UCSM) Hands-on Training Module This training module has the following details: Objective Provide hands-on experience UCSM configuring service profiles for hosting a XenDesktop environment. Audience Citrix Partners and Customers Lab Environment Details This section is used to describe the lab environment and the virtual machines that are used for this section of the lab: VM Name IP Address Description StudentVM DHCP Windows 7 Professional Cisco UCSM VM Static (Provided on paper) CentOS open source Linux Required Lab Credentials Below you can find the login credentials required to connect to the environment and complete the lab exercises. Domain/Machine Username Password Description Training.lab Administrator Citrix123 Domain Administrator Local Administrator citrix Local Administrator Page 5

6 Exercise 1: Connecting to UCS Manager Overview In this exercise we will connect from your StudentVM on XenServer to the UCS system you are going to configure for hosting a XenDesktop deployment. You will be using your web browser from your StudentVM to connect first to the UCSM launch page. From there you will launch UCSM and connect to the UCS simulator you will configure. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 10 minutes. Step Action 1. The lab exercises start here with XenCenter. Click on the StudentVM and select the Console tab. On top right, Click Switch to Remote Desktop button to get better console performance. At the bottom of the page, click on the Undock button. 2. Open the web browser on your StudentVM desktop and enter your unique Cisco UCSM IP address assigned to you on the printed paper. Page 6

7 3. When you connect you will see the following screen. 4. Click the Launch UCS Manager button to launch the UCSM java client 5. When the UCS login appears login using User: admin Password: cisco When the UCSM GUI appears notice it has 2 sections, the Nav Pane on the left: Page 7

8 7. And the content pane on the right. Notes The Nav-Pane and the Content Pane will be used to help reference navigating the UCSM GUI through out the UCS exercises. Page 8

9 Exercise 2: Create Pools in UCSM Overview In this exercise, you will create resources pools for your organization VDI-callcen01. The organization already exists and you will be creating resource pools for several resource types. Organization allow for resource segmentation assuming you choose to have multiple tenants to this UCS system. While you could assign specific resources at the time you are creating a service profile, resource pools allow this to be more dynamic, in particular when using templates which in turns allows us to scale easily and quickly. In this exercise we will create a pool for server blades. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 40 minutes. Step Action 1. In the UCSM GUI look under the nav-pane and click on the Server tab. 2. In the Filter drop down box below the server tab select Pools. 3. Under your organization point to the Server Pool object and right click. From the subsequent pop-up menu select Create Server Pool as depicted in the graphic below: Exercise 2: Creating a XenDesktop Site with a Personal vdisk enabled Desktop Group Page 9

10 4. In the Create Server Pool pop-up windows enter the pool name VDI-01-INF and then click Next to continue: 5. On the Add Servers pop-up window select all the servers with the exception of the blades 3, 4, 5 and 7 on chassis 1. Let s assume these 4 blades belong to a different workload. (If you have time you can later check the features of these different blades). 6. Note: We are placing all blades in the pool regardless of their type. We use different types of blades for different purposes and it is often considered easier to create pools that contain only 1 type of blades. In our case we will use the capabilities of UCSM to select specifically the correct blade out of ths pool. When your blades are selected, click the server pool to move them into your organizations Exercise 2: Creating a XenDesktop Site with a Personal vdisk enabled Desktop Group Page 10

11 7. Click the Finish button to complete this task and the OK button on the confirmation pop-up. END OF EXERCISE Notes Upon completion you have created the following: o Server-Pool: We created a single server pool and will use qualifiers to select specific blades: Exercise 2: Creating a XenDesktop Site with a Personal vdisk enabled Desktop Group Page 11

12 Exercise 3: Create Policies in UCSM Overview You will now create policies that will be consumed by the resources of the service profile. Remember that policies are used to apply behaviors characteristics to objects in a service profile. An example of this would be a QoS policy that will be applied to adapters in the service profile. In this exercise we will create a boot policy and 2 QoS policies for our adapters. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 10 minutes. Step Action 1. In the nav-pane, in the filter drop down box, select the Policies. 2. Under the Sub Organization branch and then your organizations branch point to Boot Policies object and right click on it. When the pop-up menu appears select Create Boot Policy as depicted below: Exercise 3: Resetting and resizing the Personal vdisk Page 12

13 3. In the Create Boot Policy pop-up window, enter the name VDI-01-SAN in the name filed: 4. After entering the name in the boot device options menus on the left side of the pop-up window, click on the double arrow button to expand the vhbas object. 5. Click on the Add SAN Boot link under vhbas as seen in the picture below. 6. In the vhba field put fc0 ; select the Primary radio button; and click the OK button to complete. 7. Again click on the Add SAN Boot link under vhbas Exercise 3: Resetting and resizing the Personal vdisk Page 13

14 8. In the vhba field put fc1 ; select the Secondary radio button if needed; and click the OK button to complete. 9. Click on the Add SAN Boot Target link under vhbas as seen in the picture below. 10. In the pop-up menu select Add San Boot Target to SAN Primary In the Add SAN Boot Target pop-up window enter 0 in the Boot Target LUN field. In the Boot Target WWPN field enter 50:00:00:25:b5:be:ef:01 Select the Primary radio button if it is not already selected and click the OK button and the subsequent OK button on the confirmation window to complete. 11. Click on the Add SAN Boot Target link under vhbas as seen in the picture below. Exercise 3: Resetting and resizing the Personal vdisk Page 14

15 12. In the pop-up menu select Add San Boot Target to SAN Secondary In the Add SAN Boot Target pop-up window enter 0 in the Boot Target LUN field. In the Boot Target WWPN field enter 50:00:00:25:b5:be:f0:00 Select the Secondary radio button if it is not already selected and click the OK button and the subsequent OK button on the confirmation window to complete. 13. Click on the double arrow button to expand the Local Devices object 14. Click on the Add CD-ROM object to add this to the boot sequence. Note: This allows us to boot a service profile and if there is not boot image it will boot from a virtual media we could assign, like an ISO file that would allow us to install the OS onto the LUN 0 defined as our boot LUN. 15. Your boot order should look like the following. Click OK to complete followed by the OK button on the subsequent confirmation window. Exercise 3: Resetting and resizing the Personal vdisk Page 15

16 16. On the nav-pane click on the LAN tab and then in the filter drop down box, select Policies 17. In the nav-pan expand the Sub Organizations branch and then the sub branch of your organization so you can see the policy object for your org. 18. Point to the QoS Policy object and right click. Select the Create QoS Policy from the pop-up menu as in the example: Exercise 3: Resetting and resizing the Personal vdisk Page 16

17 19. In the Create QoS Policy enter the name VDI-01-prod In the priority drop down, select Platinum In the Burst (Bytes) field set that to and leave all other parameters as they are. 20. Click the OK button to complete and the OK button once again on the pop-up confirmation window. 21. Point to the QoS Policy object and right click. Select the Create QoS Policy from the pop-up menu as in the example: Exercise 3: Resetting and resizing the Personal vdisk Page 17

18 22. In the Create QoS Policy enter the name VDI-01-nonprod In the priority drop down, select Bronze In the Burst (Bytes) field set that to In the Rate (Kbps) field enter Remember Kbps is equal to 1Gbps. If you leave it at Line Rate means it is 10 Gbps. Leave all other parameters as they are and leave all other parameters as they are. 23. Click the OK button to complete and the OK button once again on the pop-up confirmation window. END OF EXERCISE At the end of the exercise you now have the following: Notes SAN Boot Policy. This is where you define what fibre channel interface you will boot from, the LUN id from the array, and the WWPN of the target the fibre channel interfaces boot from QoS Policy. You created 2 of these policies one for production traffic (our virtual desktops) which receives the highest priority and the other for nonproduction management traffic which requires less priority. Exercise 3: Resetting and resizing the Personal vdisk Page 18

19 Exercise 4: Creating Resource Templates Overview In this exercise, you will create vnic and vhba templates. By creating these as templates we can easily define vnic parameters each time we instantiated a new service profile. Without a template these parameters would have to be defined individually each time you add a vnic to the service profile. You will be creating templates for vnics (Ethernet Traffic) and for vhba (Fibre Channel Traffic). Since we have 2 fabrics (A and B) we will create 2 production templates (one for A one for B) and 2 nonproduction templates (one for A and one for B). We will also create a template for the vhbas (one for A and one for B). Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 30 minutes. Step Action 1. On the nav-pane click on the LAN tab and then in the filter drop down box, select Policies 2. In the nav-pane expand the Sub Organizations branch and then the sub branch of your organization so you can see the policy objects for your org. 3. Point to the vnic Templates object and right click. Select the Create vnic Template from the pop-up menu as in the example 4. In the Create vnic Template pop-up window enter the name VDI-prod01-A Exercise 4: Capturing and reviewing PvD log files Page 19

20 5. In the Fabric ID box select the Fabric A radio button and the check box to enable failover. In the Template Type box select the Updating Template radio button In the VLAN selection box, locate by scrolling to prod-101 When you locate it by name in the box click the check box to assign it. In the MAC Pool drop down box select default In the QoS drop down box select VDI-01-prod Exercise 4: Capturing and reviewing PvD log files Page 20 Note: Your environment might have just one vdeskserver-<#>.log file.

21 6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 once more this time creating an identical template for fabric B. Make sure to select fabric B for this template. Note: When you complete this you will have a production template for both fabric A and B now you need to create one for non-production traffic. 7. Point to the vnic Templates object and right click. Select the Create vnic Template from the pop-up menu as in the example 8. In the Create vnic Template pop-up window enter the name VDI-nonprod01-A Exercise 4: Capturing and reviewing PvD log files Page 21

22 9. In the Fabric ID box select the Fabric A radio button and the check box to enable failover. In the Template Type box select the Updating Template radio button In the VLAN selection box, locate by scrolling to nonprod-201 When you locate it by name in the box click the check box to assign it. In the MAC Pool drop down box select default In the QoS drop down box select VDI-01-nonprod Exercise 4: Capturing and reviewing PvD log files Page 22 Note: Your environment might have just one vdeskserver-<#>.log file.

23 10. Repeat steps 7 through 9 once more this time creating an identical template for fabric B. Make sure to select fabric B for this template. Note: When you complete this you will have a non-production template for both fabric A and B now you need to create your vhba templates 11. On the nav-pane click on the SAN tab and then in the filter drop down box, select Policies 12. In the nav-pane expand the Sub Organizations branch and then the sub branch of your organization so you can see the policy objects for your org. 13. Point to the vhba Templates object and right click. Select the Create vhba Template from the pop-up menu as in the example: 14. In the Create vhba Template pop-up window enter the name VDI-SAN01-A 15. In the Fabric ID box select the Fabric A radio button In the VSAN selection leave it on default. In the Template Type box select the Updating Template radio button In the WWN Pool drop down box select VDI-01 Exercise 4: Capturing and reviewing PvD log files Page 23

24 Step Action Click the OK button to complete and the OK button once again on the pop-up confirmation window. 16. Repeat steps 13 through 15 and create a second template this time for fabric B END OF EXERCISE Notes After completing this exercise you have created 2 production templates for vnics and 2 non-production templates for vnics as well as 2 for vhba or fibre channel connectivity. Each template consumed resources created in previous exercise. Now we need to build the templates for the service profiles that will use all the resources created. Exercise 4: Capturing and reviewing PvD log files Page 24

25 Exercise 5: Creating Service Profile Templates Overview In this exercise, you will create service profile templates for 2 types of XenServer Hosts. The first will be for the infrastructure VMs (PVS, XenApp, Licensing, AD, DHCP, etc.). Once we have created it we will repeat the steps to create a second template for our desktop hosts. Both these service profile templates will be designed to use the SAN boot policy for stateless ness that we created in previous exercise. The servers you create will already have XenServer installed on their boot LUN, so we should be able to create multiple service profiles from theses templates. Step by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 10 minutes. Step Action 1. In the nav-pane, click on the Server tab and then in the Filter drop down box select Service Profile Templates 2. In the nav-pane expand the Sub Organizations branch and then click and select your organization. 3. In the Actions Menu, click on the action, Create Service Profile Template as seen following this step: Exercise 5: Preparing the PVS vdisk for PVD Page 25

26 4. In the name field enter the name VDI-HOST In the Type box select the Initial Template radio button. In the UUID Assignment drop down box, click and select the default pool 5. Click the Next button to continue Exercise 5: Preparing the PVS vdisk for PVD Page 26

27 6. On the Local Storage drop down box select the policy default On the page where it asks, How do you want to configure SAN connectivity? click on the Expert radio button. In the select WWNN Assignment Drop down select node-default Near the bottom of the page click on the Add button to open the Create vhba popup window. Exercise 5: Preparing the PVS vdisk for PVD Page 27

28 7. On the Create vhba pop-up window, enter fc0 for the name of the vhba and then click to mark the box for Use SAN Connectivity Template. In the vhba Template drop down box select VDI-SAN01-A 8. Click the Ok button to complete When you return to the storage configuration window click on the Add again to add a second vhba. button 9. On the Create vhba pop-up window, enter fc1 for the name of the vhba and then click to mark the box for Use SAN Connectivity Template. In the vhba Template drop down box select VDI-SAN01-B Click the OK button to complete. 10. Click the Next button to continue Exercise 5: Preparing the PVS vdisk for PVD Page 28

29 11. On the page where it asks, How do you want to configure LAN connectivity? click on the Expert radio button. Near the bottom of the page click on the Add button to open the Create vnic popup window 12. In the Name field enter eth0 Click in the check box for Use LAN Connectivity Template In the vnic Template drop down box select the vnic template VDI-nonprod01-A Click the OK button to complete this vnic 13. When you return to the storage configuration window click on the Add again to add a second vnic. button Exercise 5: Preparing the PVS vdisk for PVD Page 29

30 14. In the Name field enter eth1 Click in the check box for Use LAN Connectivity Template In the vnic Template drop down box select the vnic template VDI-nonprod01-B Click the OK button to complete this vnic 15. When you return to the storage configuration window click on the Add again to add a third vnic. button 16. In the Name field enter eth2 Click in the check box for Use LAN Connectivity Template In the vnic Template drop down box select the vnic template VDI-prod01-A Click the OK button to complete this vnic Exercise 5: Preparing the PVS vdisk for PVD Page 30

31 Step 17. Action When you return to the storage configuration window click on the Add again to add a fourth vnic. 18. In the Name field enter eth3 button Click in the check box for Use LAN Connectivity Template In the vnic Template drop down box select the vnic template VDI-prod01-B Click the OK button to complete this vnic 19. Click the Next button to continue 20. Click Next again on the VNIC/VHBA Placement page Exercise 5: Preparing the PVS vdisk for PVD Page 31

32 21. In the Boot Policy drop down box select the SAN boot policy VDI-01-SAN You should see a primary and secondary boot from SAN 22. Click Next to continue 23. On the Maintenance Policy page just click Next to continue 24. In the Pool Assignment drop down box, select the server pool Assign Later Select the Down radio button for the selected power state after association 25. Click Next to continue 26. Click Next on the Operational Policies page 27. Click Finish to complete this Service Profile Template followed by the OK button on the subsequent pop-up window. END OF EXERCISE Exercise 5: Preparing the PVS vdisk for PVD Page 32

33 Notes Now that this is complete you can see how easy it is to assemble service profiles after defining these types of resource objects This make deployments consistent and easily scalable Now we need to instantiate 2 Infrastructure hosts and 2 Virtual Desktop Hosts Exercise 5: Preparing the PVS vdisk for PVD Page 33

34 Exercise 6: Deploying Service Profiles from Template Overview This exercise will now bring together all the efforts we have done in the previous 5 exercises. First we will instantiate 2 service profiles for the infrastructure VM hosts. Next we will instantiate 2 more for the virtual desktop VM hosts. Once this is complete you can examine easily in UCSM resource consumption from the resources you created. Finally you will instantiate a few more Infrastructure and desktop VM hosts while finally setting them to boot. Once you tell them to boot this exercise is complete. And you will continure by now setting up XenDesktop. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 40minutes. Step Action 1. In UCSM click on the Server tab in the nav-pane, and then in the Filter drop down box select Service Profile Templates In the nav-pane expand if needed the Sub Organizations branch and then the sub branch of your organization, finally right clicking on the template you just finished creating. 2. In the nav-pane expand if needed the Sub Organizations branch and then the sub branch of your organization, finally right clicking on the template VDI-HOST 3. In the pop-up menu select Create Service Profiles From Template following this task is an example of this Exercise 6: Creating Streamed VM s with Personal vdisk using PVS-XenDesktop Setup Wizard Page 34

35 4. In the Create Service Profiles From Template pop-up Window in the Naming Prefix field enter a name Infra-host and leave the number of service profiles at 2 5. Click the OK button to continue and once again on the confirmation pop-up 6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 again only this time use the naming prefix VDI-HOST-VDH 7. In the Filter drop down box in the nav-pane now select Service Profiles In the nav-pane under the Sub Organizations branch and finally under your organization you should see 4 service profile. Point to the first service profile (VDI-HOST-INF1) and left click on it. Exercise 6: Creating Streamed VM s with Personal vdisk using PVS-XenDesktop Setup Wizard Page 35

36 8. In the corresponding content pane; click on the button Change Service Profile Association in the Actions menu.. Exercise 6: Creating Streamed VM s with Personal vdisk using PVS-XenDesktop Setup Wizard Page 36

37 9. In the Associate Service Profile pop-up window; then in the Server Assignment drop down box select the pool VDI-01-INF In the Server Pool Qualification: drop down box select the qualification VDI01-INF Click OK button and then the subsequent YES and OK in the confirmation pop-ups to complete. Note: What we are doing is using a common pool for all blade types. The qualifier tells UCSM specifically what kind of blade to choose from a pool that contains multiple blade types. This way we need only 1 blade pool and can easily add blades to the pool and assign them easily from this single pool using qualifiers. 10. Repeat steps 7 through 10 for VDI-HOST-INF2 Exercise 6: Creating Streamed VM s with Personal vdisk using PVS-XenDesktop Setup Wizard Page 37

38 11. In the nav-pane under the Sub Organizations branch and finally under your organization you should see 4 service profile. Point to the third service profile (VDI-HOST-VDH1)and left click on it 12. In the corresponding content pane; click on the button Change Service Profile Association in the Actions menu.. Exercise 6: Creating Streamed VM s with Personal vdisk using PVS-XenDesktop Setup Wizard Page 38

39 13. In the Associate Service Profile pop-up window; then in the Server Assignment drop down box select the pool VDI-01-INF In the Server Pool Qualification: drop down box select the qualification VDI01-VDH Click OK button and then the subsequent YES and OK in the confirmation pop-ups to complete. Note: This qualifier does the same thing the previous qualifier does. Specifically in this qualifier I am stating that the service profile can only use a B250 blade type. The pool contains B200 and B250 blades, so this is how we ensure that the virtual desktop hosts will get the proper blade needed for performance and sizing. 14. Repeat steps 11 through 13 for VDI-HOST-VDH2 15. When the change is made the profile will immediately select a blade and begin to do the Association process which is configuring the blade with all that is specified in the profile. When they complete association they will be marked as down meaning they need to boot 16. Take some time to examine your service profiles. Check out their adapter configurations as well as the differences in the blades they have selected from their respective pools 17. When you are ready select each service profile and boot it separately by selecting it in the nav-pane and then choosing Boot Server from the actions menu. 18. The servers are actually on an emulator so we cannot monitor boot however you can see how easy it is to instantiate them. Exercise 6: Creating Streamed VM s with Personal vdisk using PVS-XenDesktop Setup Wizard Page 39

40 19. Examine your resources especially your server pools and see if you have exhausted any of your pools. 20. At this point you would be running the KVM built into UCSM to either monitor boot or install an OS. Either way this lab is complete and you are ready now to begin to install and configure XenDesktop END OF EXERCISE Notes This completes this exercise. Thank You for participating in UCS and Citrix XenDesktop. Exercise 6: Creating Streamed VM s with Personal vdisk using PVS-XenDesktop Setup Wizard Page 40

41 NetApp Section 1: Provisioning Storage with the NetApp VSC for Citrix XenServer Hands-on Training Module This training module has the following details: Objective Audience Give you the opportunity to test-drive NetApp storage and management technology. The lab will demonstrate how NetApp tools help you improve efficiency, optimize capacity, and increase operational agility. Citrix Partners and Customers; Citrix XenDesktop administrators, engineers and architects. Lab Environment Details This section is used to describe the lab environment and the virtual machines that are used for this section of the lab: VM Name IP Address Description StudentVM DHCP Windows 7 Professional Data ONTAP Simulator Static (Provided on paper) NetApp ONTAP OnCommand BALANCE Static (Provided on paper) Linux Required Lab Credentials Below you can find the login credentials required to connect to the environment and complete the lab exercises. Domain/Machine Username Password Description Training.lab Administrator Citrix123 Domain Administrator Local Administrator citrix Local Administrator ONTAP root netapp12 NetApp Simulator BALANCE administrator password Insight Balance Page 41

42 Exercise 1: Access the NetApp VSC plugin on Citrix XenCenter Overview This exercise focuses on the NetApp Virtual Storage Console (VSC) plugin for Citrix XenCenter. This section looks at how Citrix administrators can use NetApp VSC to improve efficiency by simplifying the provisioning and management of storage in a Citrix XenServer environment. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 10 minutes. Step Action 1. The lab exercises start here with XenCenter. Click on the StudentVM and select the Console tab. At the bottom of the page, click on the Undock button. Page 42

43 2. On the StudentVM Desktop, your first exercises will use the Citrix XenCenter. Additional exercises will use NetApp OnCommand System Manager and NetApp Insight Balance operational analytics software, accessed with the Internet Explorer browser. To begin the lab, double-click on the Citrix XenCenter icon. 3. When XenCenter opens, right-click on XenCenter and click on Add. Page 43

44 4. On the Add New Server screen enter the XenServer IP address provided on the Synergy website and in the Password field enter the password provided on the site. This is the same XenServer you added earlier. You are re-adding it in the Student VM since the NetApp VSC plugin is installed on the XenCenter instance within this Student VM. 5. Click on the newly added XenServer host then click on the Networking tab. Note the Gateway IP address of the Public Management interface. In the image below it is subtract one from the last number and make note of this IP address as it will be needed in step 7. In this example our new IP address will be Page 44

45 6. We can now adjust VSC preferences for your environment. Select Tools, NetApp User Preferences 7. A VSC User Preferences screen will appear. Double-click on NFS Mount Networks. Take the IP address of the Gateway minus 1 and enter it into the NFS Mount Networks. In this example the gateway address was , so the NFS Mount Networks will be Page 45

46 8. You will now use the VSC to add a storage controller to your XenCenter environment. Select Tools, NetApp Discovery and Management 9. Click on the Add a Controller button to add NetApp storage to your XenCenter environment. Page 46

47 10. The New Controller Wizard will launch. Ensure Add a single controller is selected and enter the address given to you and root/netapp12 as the credentials. Click Next. Page 47

48 11. You will see the interface used to connect to the storage controller is on the left side and the storage aggregates that can be used to create new storage repositories is on the right side. Ensure aggr0 is not selected because it is used for the storage controllers operating system and is best practice to not put any other data on it. Click Finish to continue. END OF EXERCISE Note You have now added NetApp storage to your XenCenter environment utilizing the NetApp VSC for Citrix XenServer tool. It is now ready for performing storage repository provisioning and cloning operations. Page 48

49 Exercise 2: Simplifying Storage Repository (SR) Provisioning, Provisioning SRs Quickly and Easily Overview In this exercise you will create a storage repository using the NetApp VSC for XenServer tool. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 5 minutes. Step Action 1. Notice that the XenServer in your lab is not a cluster. Choosing to act at the server-level allows VSC to connect the new storage repository to this specific XenServer host. If there were a cluster, you could provision the new storage repository at the cluster level and assign it to every XenServer in the cluster. 2. Right-click on the XenServer host and select NetApp Provision Storage Repository. Page 49

50 3. Select the default target controller. Click the Next button on the bottom right of the dialog to continue. The NetApp Storage Repository Provisioning Wizard will appear and you can select the target controller that will house the new volume. 4. Enter the following values in their respective fields, ignoring all others: Size: 200GB Storage Repository name: vscsr1_<yourfirstname>_<lastinitial> Aggregate: aggr1 ThinProv: Checked Click Next to continue. Notice that the aggregate only contains GB. By using Thin Provisioning, a volume will only consume storage capacity as needed. That is why the 200GB of virtual space can "fit" in the GB of space available. Page 50

51 5. Confirm the settings and click Finish. 6. A new task will appear in the lower left hand corner. A new NFS storage repository will be created on the NetApp storage controller attached to the XenServer host with settings that are optimized specifically for XenServer. Page 51

52 7. Click on the XenServer host and click the Storage tab. Here you can validate the values you entered. The new storage is now connected to this XenServer host. Note: The usage is at 51% due to thin provisioning. 8. Highlight the newly created storage repository, right click on it and select Set as Default. END OF EXERCISE Notes In this exercise you created a new Storage Repository using the NetApp VSC for XenServer tool. Page 52

53 Exercise 3: Growing or Shrinking Live Storage Repositories with Ease and Nondisruptively Overview In this exercise you will resize the storage repository you created in the previous exercise. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 5 minutes. Step Action 1. Click on the XenServer host and select the Storage tab. Highlight the vscsr1_<yourfirstname>_<lastinitial> storage repository. Right-click on it then select NetApp > Resize Storage Repository. Page 53

54 2. This interface presents the Volume Settings information for the vscsr1_<yourfirstname>_<lastinitial> storage repository and offers the ability to resize that storage repository by entering a new value. Clear the New Size field value and enter the new value of Click Ok. 3. Click on the XenServer host and select the Storage tab. Highlight the vscsr1_<yourfirstname>_<lastinitial> storage repository and note the new size of the storage repository is now 100GB. END OF EXERCISE Notes In this exercise the storage repository created in the previous exercise was quickly and easily resized on a live storage repository without disrupting production. Page 54

55 Exercise 4: Cloning Virtual Machines with the NetApp VSC for XenServer Overview In this exercise you will clone 10 virtual machines using the NetApp VSC for XenServer. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 15 minutes. Step Action 1. First we will create a new virtual machine using the storage repository created earlier in the lab. Highlight your XenServer, right click and select New VM. Page 55

56 2. Select Win7Template and click Next. 3. Enter the name of your new VM that you will clone with NetApp VSC. Enter VM_<YourFirstName>_<LastInitial>. Click Next. Page 56

57 4. Click Boot from network and click Next. 5. Click Place the VM on this server and select your XenServer. Click Next. Page 57

58 6. For processor and memory resources enter: Number of vcpus: 1 Memory: 1024 Click Next to continue. Page 58

59 7. Click on Use these virtual disks: and click on Add. Page 59

60 8. Next you will add virtual disk to your new virtual machine. Enter the following values: Name: NetApp_<YourFirstName>_<LastInitial> Size: 10GB Location: vscsr1_<yourfirstname>_<lastinitial> Click Add to continue and Next on the New VM screen. Page 60

61 9. Accept the defaults for Networking and click Next. 10. Uncheck Start the new VM automatically and click Finish. Page 61

62 11. Highlight the newly created machine and select the Storage tab. You will notice that the new virtual machine has been created on NetApp storage. 12. From XenCenter, right click on VM_<YourFirstName>_<LastInitial>and select NetApp VSC > Clone Virtual Machine. Page 62

63 13. Select the Storage Controller you added in the earlier exercise and click Next. Page 63

64 14. Enter the following information regarding the naming and number of clones to create. Number of Clones: 10 Base Clone Name: Clone_<YourFirstName>_<LastInitial> Starting Clone Number: 1 Clone Increment: 1 Power On: Leave unchecked. Click Next to continue. Page 64

65 15. Enter the following regarding the vcpu and memory each clone will be assigned. Number of vcpus: 1 Memory: 1024 MB Click Next to continue. Page 65

66 16. The storage repository will default to vscsr1_<yourfirstname>_<lastinitial> as its storage repository. Click Next. 17. Review the summary and click Finish to begin the cloning process. Page 66

67 18. After the cloning process is completed you will notice that no additional storage space has been used. The reason is that thee clones are thin provisioned and will only begin using storage when changes are made to them. END OF EXERCISE Notes In this exercise you created a new virtual machine on NetApp storage and created 10 NetApp clones using the NetApp VSC for XenServer. Page 67

68 NetApp Section 2: Storage 101 with NetApp System Manager Exercise 1: Logging in and Discovering Storage Overview In this exercise you will log into NetApp System Manager and discover storage. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 5 minutes. Step Action 1. Double click on the NetApp OnCommand System Manager icon to launch System Manager. Page 68

69 2. Once System Manager has launched you will be at the Home screen, click on the Add button to add a new storage controller. 3. Enter the IP Address of the ONTAP Simulator given to you and click Add. Page 69

70 4. The new storage controller will now appear on the Home screen. Click the Login button to login to the storage controller. 5. Enter the following credentials and click Sign in. User name: root Password: netapp12 Notes END OF EXERCISE In this section you logged into NetApp System Manager and added a storage controller, which allows you to administer NetApp storage from a GUI. Page 70

71 Exercise 2: Validating a Volume and Examining an Aggregate Overview In this exercise you will validate that the storage repository you created with VSC for XenServer is visible in NetApp System Manager and examine a storage aggregate. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 10 minutes. Step Action 1. Click on the arrow to the left of Storage and then click on Volumes. You will validate that the storage repository created earlier shows up in NetApp System Manager. In System Manager the storage repository is known as a Volume. 2. Next, click on the Aggregates icon. Page 71

72 3. Click on aggr1 and click on Edit. 4. The Edit Aggregate window will appear. You will notice that the RAID type is set to Dual Parity or DP and the RAID Group Size is set to 16. RAID DP provides redundant parity protection for the data drives in aggr1. The RAID Group Size is not the number of drives in the aggregate, only the number of drives per RAID grouping. Best practice is to make your aggregates as large as possible for best performance. Click Cancel to continue. Notes In this section you validated that a storage repository / volume you created in NetApp VSC for XenServer was available in NetApp System Manager and examined a storage aggregate. Page 72

73 Exercise 3: Validating the CIFS Service and Creating a New CIFS Share Overview In this exercise you will validate that CIFS has been setup and is running, create a new CIFS share using NetApp System Manager and create and restore a file using NetApp Snapshot copies. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 10 minutes. Step Action 1. You will now verify that the CIFS service is running. Click on the arrow next to Configuration, and then click on Protocols and next on CIFS. Page 73

74 2. Here you can see that CIFS is started and ready to have a share added to it. 3. Click on the Shares icon and click Create to create a new CIFS share. 4. Click on the Browse button to search for storage repositories / volumes to share to users. Page 74

75 5. Click on the arrow next to root and aggr1. Here you should see the storage repository / volume you created in VSC for XenServer. It should be named vscsr1_<yourlastname>_<first Initial>. Click on this storage repository /volume and click OK. Page 75

76 6. You will notice that the Folder to Share and Share Name are now populated. Click Create to create the new CIFS share. 7. In System Manager you will now see the newly created CIFS share. 8. Next you will mount your CIFS share from your virtual machine. Click the Windows Start button. 9. In the run box, type in the address of your ONTAP storage controller given to you at the beginning of the lab and hit enter. Page 76

77 10. You will now see your CIFS share listed in the window that opens. Since you are logged in as the administrator of this virtual machine you were not asked for a user name and password. Page 77

78 11. Double click the vscsr1_<yourlastname>_<first Initial> folder and create a new text file in that directory called <YourLastName>_<First Initial>.txt to ensure the CIFS share is working successfully. 12. Go back into NetApp System Manager. Click on Volumes, Snapshot Copies and select Create. 13. Name the snapshot snapshot_<yourlastname>_<first Initial> and click Create. Page 78

79 14. At the bottom of NetApp System Manager, click on the Snapshot Copies tab to see the snapshot copy that was created. 15. Go back to your virtual machine and delete the text file named <YourLastName>_<First Initial>.txt. You will restore it using the NetApp Snapshot copy you just created. Page 79

80 16. Go back to NetApp System Manager and click on the Restore button at the bottom of the screen. A Restore Volume menu will appear, check the Restore volume from this Snapshot copy box and click Restore. 17. Go back to Windows Explorer and refresh the CIFS share. You will notice the file you deleted has been restored using NetApp Snapshot copies. Notes In this section you validated that the CIFS service was running, created and mounted a new CIFS share and created and restored a NetApp Snapshot copy. Page 80

81 NetApp Section 3: Optimizing Performance and Capacity Exercise 1: Troubleshooting Your Environment Overview This portion of the NetApp Hands-on-Lab will introduce you to OnCommand Insight Balance. Insight Balance is a powerful operational analytics software package that gathers performance and capacity information about your environment and analyzes it to help you identify both existing and emergent performance issues. The Insight Balance portion of the lab will call on your abilities to use this performance information: Investigate a problem Gather information about it Identify the root causes Recommend a solution strategy The exercises are intended to demonstrate how you can use the information Insight Balance contains to improve the performance and efficiency of your infrastructure. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 20 minutes. Step Action 1. Launch OnCommand Insight Balance. Double-click Internet Explorer browser icon to access NetApp Insight Balance. 2. Enter the IP address of the Insight Balance VM provided to you in the URL bar, to access your NetApp Insight Balance environment. Page 81

82 3. If prompted, click on Continue to this website to dismiss the message. 4. Login to the Web Console by entering the following information in the respective fields: User: admin Password: password Click Login. Page 82

83 5. Understanding the Insight Balance Dashboard When the Insight Balance interface appears, maximize the size of the window. The top section (highlighted in RED) presents a set of tabs that allows you to select a segment of infrastructure on which to focus. The next section, abnormal storage events during the last 72 hours (highlighted in YELLOW), presents any abnormalities in storage for the past three days. The third section (highlighted in GREEN) presents the Top 5 VMs in trouble / at risk, which is a historical view of virtual machines with CPU, Memory or Storage issues. The forth section (highlighted in BLUE), presents virtual hosts in trouble / at risk, which is ESX, ESXi or Hyper-V hosts with CPU, Memory or Storage issues. The final section, Monitored environment summary (highlighted in PURPLE), displays an overall summary of the monitored environment. Page 83

84 6. Looking Into the Database Performance Problem Upon looking at the dashboard, notice that the database server, Windows2003_1_MsSQL, hosting the Microsoft SQL database in on the list of top 5 VMs in trouble / at risk, suggesting there is a problem. Looking at the right side of the interface, you will notice that both the memory and CPU status are normal. However, the storage status is critical (RED). This combination of statuses suggests that the server is experiencing an issue related to storage. 7. Click on Windows2003_1_MsSQL, on the left side of the interface. 8. Server Summary Page The Server page presents detailed information about the database server, Windows2003_1_MsSQL. Tabs at the top of the screen (CPU, Memory or Storage) provide access to basic statistics for this virtual machine. However, Insight Balance adds a powerful analytics engine that translates those statistics into information that you can use to identify and remediate performance issues in the infrastructure; even at a VM-granular level. Page 84

85 9. Trouble with storage. Notice the red exclamation (!) on the Storage tab. The presence of an error on this tab points to storage-related performance issues. Page 85

86 10. Click on the IRT tab to get started diagnosing the problem. Page 86

87 11. Drilling In To Diagnose the Issue The top chart, Infrastructure Response Time (IRT), presents the average total response time for the VM's data processing events, broken down by CPU Response Time and Storage Response Time. At the top of the chart are several statistical sample periods (from one day to one year) to choose from. 12. Click the one day button (1d) Page 87

88 13. Identifying Relative Contributions to IRT The information in the IRT chart is very telling. The IRT values for transactions processed by MSSQL VM are hovering in the range of 900 to 1100 milliseconds (ms), in the PINK band. Of that time, the CPU is contributing only 4 ms; a contribution so small it is barely visible on the chart (GREEN). On the other hand, storage latency is creating the remainder of the IRT; approximately ms (RED). If we managed to cut the CPU response time in half, the IRT would only decrease by 2 ms, improving performance by less than one percent. However, if we halved the storage response time, the IRT would be cut in half, reducing the IRT by over 450 ms. As storage is contributing over 99% of transactional latency, it appears we should focus our efforts there. Page 88

89 14. Drilling Into the Data Topology Now that we know the storage layer is introducing the vast majority of the transactional latency, it's time to drill into the environment and see what infrastructure components are involved in the flow of data. The Data Topology tab provides just such a view. 15. Click on the Data Topology tab. Page 89

90 16. Observations Applications VMs with Volumes/LUNs ESX servers with Datastores and LUNs Array with LUNs/Disks The Data Topology view provides a clear layout of how the pieces of the infrastructure supporting the MSSQL service are connected; from the database, to the VM, to the virtualization host, to the storage. In this case, two VMs are hosting database instances: Windows2003_1_MsSQL and MasterMsSQL. The MasterMsSQL instance has objects on two volumes: the C: and E: drives. The status of the C: drive is GREEN, while the status of the E: drive is RED. It appears that the storage volume supporting the E: drive, disk group 1 (a RAID-5 set composed of 3 drives), is experiencing performance issues. We will need to take a closer look at the E: drive. Page 90

91 17. Drilling In Further 18. Click on the E: drive to take a closer look. 19. Making the Path Clearer Selecting the E: drive highlights its entire data path. As the flow is now highlighted, it becomes clear that all objects on the path are experiencing performance issues. Notice that the icons representing the database, the storage volume, the host connections, and the RAID group on the storage array are all red. In general, Insight Balance best practices recommend troubleshooting an issue from right to left in the interface, as "upstream" objects, like servers, inherit problems that are experienced at the physical disk-layer. Page 91

92 20. Examining the RAID Group Since it's best to begin troubleshooting this issue at the level of the RAID disk group, this view of the topology is not ideal. It would be helpful to re-orient the display so that the topology of the connections to the disk group was more clearly visible. Fortunately, Insight Balance offers the "Re-orient" feature, allowing you to shift the focus of the display to highlight a specific piece of the infrastructure. 21. Right-click on red Array disk group labeled 2(3) and select Re-orient Topology. 22. A Clearer View After the re-orientation, the focus of the topology is now centered on disk group 2 (denoted by the yellow halo). In this view, all infrastructure dependencies on disk group 2 are now clearly evident. Notice that there are multiple server volumes with a red status connected to the disk group. While this view is better, we can improve the clarity of this display even further. 23. Left-click and drag the disk group so that disk group 2 is centered. Page 92

93 24. Clearer Still After shifting the placement of Disk Group 2, it is easy to see that multiple hosts (highlighted by RED ARROWS) are being affected by the performance issue of this disk group. As the issue is affecting multiple hosts, the need to isolate the cause of the issue becomes more urgent. Now we really need to determine what storage dependency these hosts have in common. 25. Summary Page 26. To display information about these hosts, right-click the disk group and select Open Summary Page. Page 93

94 27. The Performance Summary Page The link will take you to the Performance Summary display. A little orientation will be helpful. The top bar (highlighted in RED) indicates that we are on the Performance page. The first graph (highlighted in YELLOW) presents a view of the Infrastructure Response Time. The next graph (highlighted in GREEN) presents Throughput information. Measured in IOPS (Inputs/Outputs Operations Per Second), this chart indicates storage performance. The final section (highlighted in BLUE) presents I/O, Response Time, and Disk Utilization information for the dependent hosts. The list of hosts is sorted by the resources each host is consuming, from highest to lowest. Now, let's take a closer look at the information in two sections. Page 94

95 Step Action Infrastructure Response Time vs. Disk Utilization Please Note: The sample image provided is a composite of two samples for your convenience. The dark grey section of the top graph indicates that disk utilization is approaching 100% (RED). This value represents the total of the disk utilization for all workloads using that disk group. This value is based on throughput, response time, and queue depth. As the dark grey section extends upward, disk utilization increases, peaking at a maximum value of 100%. The light grey section of the graph represents response time for the host. As the light grey section extends downward, response time deteriorates, adding milliseconds to each transaction. 28. Mouse over the dark grey Disk Utilization section for the time period March 2, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Notice that the disk utilization has increased and remained quite high. 29. Now mouse over the light grey Response Time section for the time period March 2 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Notice that, as disk utilization rises, response time increases. This information reinforces the conclusion that the performance issue is related to disk contention. 30. A Closer Look at Disk IOPS Please Note: The sample image is a composite of two samples for your convenience. The next graph displays the IOPS the disks performed during that same time interval. 31. Mouse over the dark grey section (Read IOPS) for the time period March 2 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Notice that disk read activity varies from 439 IOPS to 437 IOPS during this period. Page 95

96 32. Now mouse over the light grey section (Write IOPS) for the time period March 2 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Notice that, disk write activity varies from 866 IOPS to 856 IOPS. 33. In this example, the storage is using RAID-5 as its configuration. RAID-5 is optimized for reading data, as each write requires the calculation and writing of parity data to allow data recovery in the event of a disk failure. RAID5 configurations are not particularly efficient. As a result, the number of IOPS is exceeding the I/O capacity of this disk group. The high percentage of writes also suggests that the I/O characteristics of the applications using it are incompatible with RAID-5. In that case, using this disk group was a poor choice, Using this information, we can concluded that the performance problem with the Raid Group 2 is caused by: An excessive amount of raw IO Application IO characteristics that are too write-intensive for RAID-5. Now, the critical question is: Which VM is consuming excessive resources? 34. Looking For a Bully The set of graphs at the bottom of the page presents the list of servers/vms using disk group 2, with those consuming the largest volume of resources at the top of the list. As virtualization relies on shared resources, any VM that consumes excessive resources may affect the operation of other VMs relying on those same resources; in essence "bullying" them by taking the resources they rely upon. At the top of the list of VMs are Win2K3 Converter and the MasterMsSQL server. These two VMs are the most likely bullies. However, we will need more information to be certain. That information can be found on the Contention tab (at the top of the page) or simply by clicking on the win2k3_converter server link in the current window. 35. Click on the win2k3_converter server link (highlighted in RED). Page 96

97 36. VM IO Details The win2k3_converter server link brings you to the page presenting the total IOPS for Disk Group 2, the win2k3_converter server's only disk group. If the VM used multiple disk groups, all would be displayed on this page. The performance issue seems to be related to a specific disk on a VM, so it makes sense to look at the performance of the volume behind that disk. 37. Click on the Volumes (2) link to see the IO break down by volume instead of by disk group. Note: The interface relies on Java. If the Java loading message appears and does not clear after a minute or two, please refresh the page by hitting the "Refresh" button on the browser menu bar. Page 97

98 38. The Volume Summary Overview The first thing that grabs your attention in the Volume Summary Overview pane is the red exclamation mark (!) next to the volume mapping to drive E:. This error state suggests there is a critical issue with that volume. Combining the following: The presence of that exclamation mark indicating a critical error The IO for that VM placed it at the top of the list of resource consumers This makes the VM is an excellent candidate for some additional scrutiny. Let's drill in further. 39. Click the details link to the right of the E: volume. Page 98

99 40. The Volume Details Overview Page The Volume Details Overview page contains information about the performance of the selected volume. Let's examine it, as well. The top graph, Perceived Disk Utilization (highlighted in RED), presents information about disk utilization from the server's (VM's) perspective. The second graph, Outstanding IO (highlighted in YELLOW) presents the average length of the volume's IO queue waiting to be processed. The third graph, Response Time (highlighted in PURPLE) presents response time for the volume.(explained earlier) The fourth graph, Throughput (highlighted in GREEN) conveys Read and Write IO statistics for the volume. (Explained earlier). The final graph, Capacity (highlighted in BLUE), conveys the amount of available and consumed space on the volume. For purposes of this exercise, we will be concerned with two data sets: Perceived Disk Utilization and Throughput. Page 99

100 41. The Impact of Perceived Disk Utilization So, how can we use Perceived Disk Utilization to diagnose the performance issue? In general, the amount of disk utilization reported by an operating system (OS) is not reliable, as the OS believes it is talking to a single disk rather than the multiple disks of a RAID group on shared storage. Since Insight Balance has end-to-end visibility into the storage infrastructure, it can correct that OS-derived value so that it represents the state of disk utilization accurately, taking into account all parts of the storage fabric. Looking at the graph: The yellow line represents the threshold at which a disk performance warning level has been reached. The red line represents the threshold at which a critical state has been reached. The green background represents the Perceived Disk Utilization the server is actually experiencing. In that the amount of Perceived Disk Utilization exceeds both the warning and critical thresholds by a significant amount, the server (VM) using this volume is clearly experiencing constrained IO. We now know that the server is having difficulty getting enough throughput to this volume to service the I/O requests that applications are demanding. This information confirms that this volume on this server is the likely culprit. But why is this volume having issues? Page 100

101 42. Examining Throughput Note: The sample image is a composite of two samples for your convenience. The fourth graph, throughput, presents the read and write IOPS for the volume under examination. The data indicate that the volume of IO is exceeding a total of 430 IOPS (totaling read and write IO). This volume of IO cannot be sustained by a three-disk RAID set. As a result, Win2K3_converter is generating more traffic than the disk group can manage. Compounding the problems caused by excessive IO, the ratio of read IOPS to write IOPS is nearly 1 to 1. As was mentioned earlier, RAID is optimized for read operations. A workload with this percentage of reads to writes is not compatible with a RAID-5 configuration; particularly a RAID group with only three disk spindles to share the load. This graph confirms the cause of the performance problem: an over utilized RAID group with excessive IO activity caused by a bullying VM. 43. Returning to the Data Topology View 44. Click on the Data Topology sub-tab. 45. Center the Data Topology Display Page 101

102 46. Click and hold the Win2k3_Converter icon and drag it to center the display. 47. We Have Our Bully! Through careful investigation, you can see that the performance problems on the Windows2003_1_MsSQL server are a result of a poor storage configuration. Win2K3_converter is generating more IO than the volume can handle. The small RAID set is being over utilized when accounting for the traffic generated by Win2K3_converter; let alone the combined traffic of Win2K3_converter and MS SQL. To solve the performance problem, Win2K3_converter's VM image files should be migrated to a datastore whose configuration is more appropriate for such a workload - perhaps a 16-disk NetApp RAID DP aggregate. END OF EXERCISE Notes In this exercise you learned about NetApp Insight Balance. NetApp Insight Balance is a powerful operational analytics software package that gathers performance and capacity information about your environment and analyzes it to help you identify both existing and emergent performance issues. This completes the NetApp lab and in your environment you would be ready to use what you learned and created to store your XenDesktop environment. Page 102

103 XenDesktop 5.6 MCS & PVS Hands-on Training Module This training module has the following details: Objective Provide hands-on experience with XenDesktop 5.6 virtual machine creation using Machine Creation Services and Provisioning Services to understand the differences in storage impact. Audience Citrix Partners; XenDesktop administrators, engineers and architects. Lab Environment Details This section is used to describe the lab environment and the virtual machines that are used. VM Name IP Address Description AD Win Server 2008 R2. Domain controller for training.lab, DNS, DHCP services, and license server. SQLServer Win Server 2008 R2. SQL Server 2008 R2 hosting XenDesktop and Provisioning Services databases. PVS Win Server 2008 R2. Provisioning Services 6.1 XD Win Server 2008 R2. XenDesktop 5.6 Win7Target DHCP Windows 7 Professional VDA and PVS 6.1 target installed Win7VDA DHCP Windows 7 Professional StudentVM DHCP Windows 7 Professional Page 103

104 Required Lab Credentials Below you can find the login credentials required to connect to the environment and complete the lab exercises. Domain/Machine Username Password Description Training.lab Administrator Citrix123 Domain Administrator Training.lab User1 Citrix123 Domain User Training.lab User2 Citrix123 Domain User Local Administrator citrix Local Administrator Page 104

105 Exercise 1: StoreFront Configuration Overview In this exercise we will provision Citrix Storefront which provides unified access to Windows, web, SaaS and mobile apps. It provides mobile end-users with an intuitive means of self-service to all their business apps and data. The setup will be a single server deployment with a local SQL Express database which then connects to the XenDesktop Controller that you will configure later in the labs. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 10 minutes. Step Action 1. Connect via XenCenter console to the Storefront VM and login as domain admin. (Administrator\Citrix123). Switch to Remote Desktop on the top right toolbar for better VM performance. 2. On the desktop search for the shortcut to the share on the AD server Storefront and open the folder. Next start the installation by opening the setup file CitrixReceiverStorefront-x64 Page 105

106 Step Action 3. In the following screen accept the license agreement and press Next Page 106

107 Step Action 4. Now you will see an overview of the components which will be installed and press next Page 107

108 Step 5. Action Wait for the installation to be finished. Page 108

109 Step Action 6. From the start menu choose the receiver storefront configuration which will show you this screen. Choose Deploy a single server 7. Use the preconfigured base URL which matches the servers host name. Page 109

110 Step Action 8. Next you have to configure the following things: Authentication, Stores and Receiver for Web. Start with Authentication. 9. Choose the first two options: User name and password, Domain pass-through Page 110

111 Step Action 10. Next start configuring the store: Page 111

112 Step Action 11. Enter a store name. In this case we can leave it as defined by the standard. Page 112

113 Step Action 12. In the next step you have to specify where the apps are located. We just have a XenDesktop desktops located at: xd In the last step you can configure a web site to connect to via a browser in addition to connecting to the store via Receiver. Page 113

114 Step Action 14. dtest URL after XD configuration is complete in exercise 3. d d Exercise 2: Installing XD 5.6 VDA to prepare the Base VM Overview In this exercise you will prepare a Base Image for use with XenDesktop 5.6. This will involve installing the VDA. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 10 minutes. Step Action 1. Start the Win7VDA VM and logon domain administrator with the credentials provided. 2. Connect to \\ad\xd56cd and run AutoSelect. Select Install Virtual Desktop Agent. Page 114

115 3. Select Advanced Install. 4. Accept the licensing agreement and click Next. 5. Select Virtual Desktop Agent and click Next. Page 115

116 6. Leave defaults and click Next. 7. Select No, don t enable personal vdisk right now. Note: Personal vdisk is always installed. This step simply enables the services. We are NOT using Personal vdisk in these labs. Page 116

117 8. Enter xd56.training.lab and click Check. Proceed with OK and Next. 9. Retain the default Virtual Desktop Configuration and click Next. Page 117

118 10. Click Install at the summary screen and let the installer run through to completion. Note: It should take around 4 minutes for the VDA to be installed; you can read the steps below. 11. Let the install complete and allow the base image to reboot. 12. Shutdown Win7VDA and create a snapshot. From XenCenter select Snapshots tab and create a snapshot with name: Win7-1. Note The Base VM is now ready for use as a XenDesktop Master image. Page 118

119 Exercise 3: Creating a XenDesktop Site for MCS based Desktop Group Overview In this exercise you will create XenDesktop 5.6 site for use with MCS based Dedicated Machines. This will involve completing the XenDesktop deployment wizard, connecting to the first desktop and examining what happens in the background. The Desktop Controller has been installed but not configured. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 40 minutes. Step Action 9. Switch to the XD56 VM and log on as the domain administrator with credentials provided. 10. Launch the Citrix Desktop Studio. Click on Desktop deployment. Note: Quick Deploy can also be used but for these labs, we will use the advanced option of Desktop Deployment for better understanding. Page 119

120 11. Under site type XDPROD. Select Use existing database and under Server location type SQLServer. Click on Test connection Click OK to create the database, OK and Next. 12. Type licenses.mycitrixdemo.net for the License Server and click Connect. Click Next; the licenses will be selected on a later step. Page 120

121 13. Leave the default for host type Citrix XenServer and type in the IP address of your XenServer: address. Use root user and password provided. Type XS1 for the Connection name and keep the Use XenDesktop to create virtual machines. Click Next. 14. Type XD56 Host for the Host name and select Internal for the network. Click Next. Page 121

122 15. Verify Local Storage is selected and choose Use same storage for virtual machines and personal vdisk. Click Next. 16. Click Finish on the Summary and wait for the site creation to complete. 17. Select Configure for Machine creation. Page 122

123 18. Select Dedicated and click Next. 19. Select Win7VDA -> Win7-1 snapshot and click Next. Page 123

124 20. Create 1 virtual machine and leave the default for Active Directory computer accounts and click Next. 21. Use Win7M## for the Account naming scheme, select the OU Desktops and click Next. Page 124

125 22. Specify a catalog description and click Next. 23. Type a name for the Catalog and click Finish. Note: It will take around 5-6 minutes to create the virtual machine in the provided lab environment. Page 125

126 24. Click on Configure for the User assignment. 25. Select the Catalog, under Add machines add 1 and click Next. Page 126

127 26. Add Domain Users and click Next. 27. Click Next on the Delegation screen. 28. Add a Display name and a Desktop Group name as shown below and click Finish. Page 127

128 29. The initial configuration is now complete; click on Go to dashboard button to see the current status. Page 128

129 30. The dashboard will be displayed. 31. From Desktop Studio expand the Configuration tab and select Licensing. Click on Edit product edition on the right pane. 32. Select Platinum Edition and leave licensing model User/Device Licensing. Click OK. Page 129

130 Note The detailed license information won t show up because the license server is on a different domain with no trusts. For more information refer to CTX From Desktop Studio select Assignments and examine the Desktop Group and the properties. After that double-click on the Desktop Group Name and you ll see how the machine is in preparing or ready State and Power State of On. 34. Start the StudentVM from XenCenter and login as domain administrator with the credentials provided. Page 130

131 35. As soon as the first machine is in the Ready state in Desktop Studio, from the Student VM machine start IE. Browse to Select skip to log on and logon with domain credentials for User1 (training.lab\user1) with the credentials provided. Add your XenDesktop to your personal apps and connect to it. Launch Win 7 Desktop MCS and you should see your Dedicated Desktop. Page 131

132 36. Switch back to XD56 and from Desktop Studio double-click on Desktop Group under Assignments. A couple of things will now happen: You will be logged on to your desktop. This desktop will be assigned to you. The additional virtual machine will be started on the Hypervisor. 37. Switch back to the StudentVM and logoff from your personal desktop. 38. Switch back to XD56. From Desktop Studio click on Machines and then double-click on the Win7 Desktops MCS. Right-click on the desktop and click Enable maintenance mode. Page 132

133 39. From XenCenter, click on the Win7M01 VM and select the Storage tab. Verify the diff disk of 24 GB and a fixed size IdentityDisk of 16MB created. END OF EXERCISE Notes MCS based Dedicated VMs consist of two disks: The OS disk image or the Differential (Diff) disk which is the primary disk for the provisioned machine. This disk is created by making a differencing disk to the master image and is destroyed at VM boot for pooled sessions. It stays persistent for dedicated desktops. The second disk is the identity disk image which contains the identity of the virtual machine. This disk is attached as a second disk to the VM at creation and remains untouched for the lifetime of the VM. It is also a fixed 16MB size disk. Page 133

134 Exercise 4: PVS vdisk Versioning Overview In this exercise you will configure versioning on the Provisioning Services base vdisk. Step by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 10 minutes. Step Action 1. Switch to PVS61 VM and login as domain administrator. Launch the Provisioning Services Console, select vdisk Pool under Sites>FTL. Right-click on Win7 vdisk on the right panel and select Versions 2. Click on New and Version 1 with Access set to Maintenance is created. Click Done. 3. On the left pane select Device Collections and then Desktops. Right-click on Target2 and select Properties. Page 134

135 4. Change the type to Maintenance and click OK. 5. From XenCenter start the Win7Target VM. 6. Select version 1) Win7.1 [maint] and press enter. Note: It might take a few seconds for the machine to start. 7. Log on with domain administrator credentials. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Adobe10 and install Adobe Reader X. Note: Feel free to customize desktop wallpaper, other minor settings to check for persistency. 8. Shut down Win7Target from XenCenter. Page 135

136 9. Switch back to PVS61. From the Provisioning Services Console, select vdisk Pool. Right-click on Win7 vdisk on the right panel and select Versions Select the Maintenance version and click on Promote Set the version access to Production, click OK and Done. 10. Start the Win7Target again and login as domain administrator. Boot the VM and Verify that the changed settings persist and that Adobe Reader is showing on the Desktop. END OF EXERCISE Notes Integrated vdisk versioning is a feature of PVS 6.1 It is meant for better vdisk lifecycle management by providing three new target device types: Test Devices, Maintenance Devices and Production Devices. Create a new vdisk version in Maintenance mode to make updates. Promote the Maintenance device to either Test mode for conducting acceptance testing prior to promoting it to Production mode. Integrated vdisk versioning provides lifecycle operations of creating a new version, promoting between device types and reverting back between versions. It also provides VHD chain operations of merge (2 ways), delete and replication (import/export). Page 136

137 Exercise 5: Creating Streamed VM s using PVS-XenDesktop Setup Wizard Overview In this exercise you will use the XenDesktop Setup Wizard to deploy Streamed Pooled machines using Provisioning Services. Step-by-step guidance Estimated time to complete this lab: 40minutes. Step Action 21. From the Provisioning Services Console launch the XenDesktop Setup Wizard from the FTL Site level. 22. Click Next on the Welcome screen. Page 137

138 23. Type xd56.training.lab (or ) for the location of the XenDesktop Controller address and click Next. 24. Select the XenServer Host and click on Set Template 25. Type the password for your XenServer and click Log On. Select the Win7Template template and click OK. Page 138

139 26. Click Next. 27. Select the Store\Win7 vdisk and click Next. 28. Select Create a new catalog and for Machine type choose Streamed. Type PVSStreamed for the Catalog name and add a description. Click Next. Page 139

140 29. Set the number of virtual machines of 1 and leave the defaults as is. Click Next. 30. Select the Desktops OU and name the Account naming scheme to: Win7P## and click Next. 31. Review all configuration settings and click Finish. Click Done when Setup is complete. Page 140

141 32. Switch to XD56 and open Desktop Studio. Right-click on Assignments and select Create Desktop Group 33. Select the PVSStreamed Catalog and type 1 for Add machines. Click Next. 34. Click on Add and select Domain Users. Click Next. Page 141

142 35. Click Next on the Delegation step. 36. Add a Display name and a Desktop Group name and click Finish. 37. Log on to Win7P01 VM as the domain administrator. Verify the vdisk is in Read Only mode looking at the Virtual Disk Status located on the system tray. Page 142

143 38. Click on Win7P01 and Storage tab on XenCenter and verify that there is no local disk attached since this is a PVS Streamed VM with server side write-cache. Note: Citrix best practice is to configure write-cache on client hard drive for best performance and server scalability. 39. Log on to PVS61 VM as the domain administrator. Go to C:\vdisks\WriteCache and verify that the writecache file exists for Win7P01 VM. 40. From the Student VM machine start IE. Browse to Select skip to log on and logon with domain User1 with the credentials provided Launch Win 7 Desktop PVS and you should see your PVS Streamed Desktop. Keep the connection to the virtual desktop open. Page 143