XenDesktop 5.6 Remote PC Deployment Checklist

Transcription

1 XenDesktop 5.6 Remote PC Deployment Checklist Overview Remote PC, released in XenDesktop 5.6 Feature Pack 1, allows users to access their physical desktops\laptops remotely. Remote PC can be incorporated into current XenDesktop deployments without requiring significant updates to existing infrastructure. Figure 1 Remote PC Installation Process Outline A XenDesktop 5.6 environment requires minor upgrades to infrastructure components to support Remote PC: 1. Install and configure the Citrix Remote PC Access service on the site controllers. This service allows for the automated discovery and incorporation of new office computers into the XenDesktop site. 2. Install the Virtual Desktop Agent (VDA) on all office computers to be remotely accessed with Remote PC. The controller for the site will use these VDAs to discover and to communicate with the desktops. 3. Verify that the office computer can be accessed remotely using Remote PC. After having logged into the computer a test user attempts to establish a Remote PC connection from another device. This document guides IT administrators and System Integrators through the steps required to incorporate Remote PC into existing XenDesktop 5.6 environments. All changes should be fully validated in a test environment prior to implementation.

2 Installation and Configuration Requirements Before Remote PC can be installed and configured it is necessary to implement a core XenDesktop infrastructure which must include a Citrix License Server, Web Interface / Cloud Gateway, XenDesktop Controller and a SQL database. Enterprise or platinum licenses must be purchased and uploaded to the Citrix License Server. In addition, office computers must be hard wired to the corporate network; wireless networks are not supported. The following table summarizes the requirements that must be in place before Remote PC can be incorporated into an existing XenDesktop site. Remote PC Requirements End Point Windows XP, Windows 7 Domain membership with a hardwired network connection Receiver Controller OS 3 (and above) Windows Server 2008 SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2 XenDesktop Version 5.6 Virtual Desktop Agent XenDesktop 5.6 Feature Pack 1.Net Framework 3.5, 4.0 Licensing Enterprise, Platinum Remote PC Service This section outlines the steps required to install, configure and activate the Remote PC service on a XenDesktop 5.6 Controller. Remote PC Service Installation & Configuration 1 Download the Remote PC Services and install the CitrixRemotePCService.msi on the XenDesktop site controller. Installs - Remote PC Access Service - RemotePCAccess.ps1 - RemotePCAccessConfig.xml 2 Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86 if applicable)\citrix\remote PC Service. Page 2

3 Remote PC Service Installation & Configuration Figure 2 Remote PC Service Directory 3 Open RemotePCAccessConfig.xml with a text editor to set site configurations. Note: Ensure the service is not running during configuration. The active service may interfere with setup. It is recommended that a backup copy of the file be made prior to editing. 4 When editing the RemotePCAccessConfig.xml set the following parameters to: Parameter (Value) Parameter Description - Enabled (True) Enables Remote PC Service. Line 12 - CatalogName (Name) Creates and adds discovered desktops to the XenDesktop Catalog provided. Line17 - DesktopGroup (Name) Creates and adds discovered desktops to the entered XenDesktop Desktop Group. Line 18 - MachinesExcluded () The * in MachinesExcluded prevents desktops from being included by the Remote PC Service and must be removed. Line 33 Page 3

4 Remote PC Service Installation & Configuration Figure 3 Setting Configurations in RemotePCAccessConfig.xml Note: This configuration is a bare minimum to setup the Remote PC Service. This will add any unassigned VDAs to the configured Catalog and Group. It is recommended that constraints such as MachineOU be setup once the service is proven to be functional. 5 Ensure the Citrix Remote PC service is active on the controller. Figure 4Started Citrix Remote PC Access Service Note: Only one Remote PC service may be active per site. The service will need to be disabled if installed on other controllers. 6 The Citrix Remote PC Service is now functional. The configured Catalog and Group will be automatically created and any available office computers will be added. Page 4

5 Virtual Desktop Agent Two methods for deploying the VDA to physical desktops are identified, but additional installation methods are available 1. The first installation option is to use a command prompt to install and configure the VDA. This option may be useful in situations where only a small number of computers require the Remote PC functionality. 2. The second deployment option tested is to use Active Directory Group Policies, which is useful in situations where Remote PC will be deployed to a large number of computers managed by Active Directory. This option uses new policies that are applied to automatically install and configure VDAs. Both options for installing VDAs are discussed below. Installation via Command Prompt VDA Deployment via Command Prompt 1 Download the Virtual Desktop Agent Update onto the office computers. Note: Upgrading VDAs is not supported and any previous versions of the agent must be removed. 2 Extract the contents of the VDA download. Figure 5 Unzipped contents from VDA_5.6FP1.zip 3 Open the command prompt and navigate to where the files are located. 4 Run the following command to install and configure the VDA: For the 32-bit Virtual Desktop Agent: cd x86 && msiexec /i XdsAgent_x86.msi CONTROLLER_NAMES=YourControllerFQDN ENABLE_HDX_PORTS=1 ENABLE_UDP_PORTS=1 /l*v "LogFilePath" /qb+ For the 64-bit Virtual Desktop Agent: Page 5

6 VDA Deployment via Command Prompt cd x64 && msiexec /i XdsAgent_x64.msi CONTROLLER_NAMES=YourControllerFQDN ENABLE_HDX_PORTS=1 ENABLE_UDP_PORTS=1 /l*v "LogFilePath" /qb+ Figure 6 Installing VDA via command prompt Note: The Controller_Names parameter in the command will need to be updated to reflect the FQDN for the controller in this XenDesktop site. Also, if Windows Firewalls are not enabled on the office desktop the PORTS section must be removed or the command line install will fail. 5 Once the VDA install completes the office computer will be added within a few seconds to the appropriate Desktop Group by the Remote PC service running on the Desktop Controller. The desktop is now configured for remote access. The desktop assignment is discussed in the Testing section. Installation using Active Directory Group Policies This section covers the installation of VDAs using Active Directory Group Policies: VDA Deployment via Group Policy 1 Copy the VDA installation files to a network share accessible by the office computers. 2 Open Group Policy Management Editor. 3 Navigate to the Software Installation module under Computer Configuration\Policies\Software Settings. Page 6

7 VDA Deployment via Group Policy Figure 7 Software installation module in the Group Policy Editor 4 Create a new package that includes the VDA installation file. Figure 8 Creating new installation package 5 To assign the FQDN for the controller navigate to the Citrix Policy section underneath Policies for Computer Configuration. Figure 9 Citrix Policies 6 On the Citrix policy menu that is displayed select the New button and then next to configure the new policy. Scroll down to Virtual Desktop Settings in the left hand column. Page 7

8 VDA Deployment via Group Policy Figure 10 Virtual Desktop Agent Settings 7 Under the Virtual Desktop Agent Settings there is an option to Add Controllers. Select the Add button and enter the FQDN for the farm controller. Figure 11 Configuring the FQDN for the controller 8 This policy should now be applied to any physical desktop or OU that requires the VDA installed and configured on it. Page 8

9 Testing A Remote PC connection should be established to verify that the environment has been setup correctly. The table below outlines the steps required to configure, validate and launch new Remote PC connections to office computers. Post Install User Testing 1 Using Desktop Studio verify that the service has included the office computer into the assigned Machine Catalog and Desktop Group. Figure 12 Validating that Remote PC Desktops have been properly allocated 2 A test user should login and logoff of the office computer which has the VDA installed to establish an association between the test user and the physical desktop. 3 The new association can be verified by checking the End User Assignment for the desktop in Desktop Studio. Figure 13 Observing all assigned users to a physical desktop 4 The test user should switch to a new device and logon to Web Interface / Cloud Gateway where they should see a desktop icon for the physical desktop which they logged in to. Page 9

10 Post Install User Testing Figure 14 Screenshot of assigned desktops 5 Select the desktop icon for the Remote PC device to launch a connection. A new window will appears showing the connection being established before displaying the desktop of the office computer. Figure 15 Launching a new Remote PC connection Page 10

11 Appendix Recommended Downloads Virtual Desktop Agent Update (link) This download includes the new VDA for Feature Pack 1. This is required to be installed on the physical desktop to be accessed in order for Remote PC to function. Remote PC Service (link) This service is required in order to automate the assignment of physical desktops to a catalog and group. Group Policy Updates (link) This download applies newer HDX policies released with Feature Pack 1, like controlling the Touch Optimized Desktop interface. Reference Remote PC edocs (link) edocs is Citrix s product documentation repository. The Remote PC section covers in detail Remote PC s main functions and capabilities. Remote PC Explained (link) A quick video by Citrix TV explaining the key points for Remote PC. Remote PC Demo (link) A Citrix video clip demonstrating the capabilities and experience of Remote PC with Citrix Receiver available in any consumer app store. Page 11

12 Product Versions Product Version XenDesktop 5.6 Feature Pack 1 Revision History Revision Change Description Updated By Date 1.0 Document Created Charles Wright Consultant Adeel Arshed Principal Consultant September 10 th, 2012 About Citrix Citrix, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) is a leading provider of virtual computing solutions that help companies deliver IT as an on-demand service. Founded in 1989, Citrix combines virtualization, networking, and cloud computing technologies into a full portfolio of products that enable virtual workstyles for users and virtual datacenters for IT. More than 230,000 organizations worldwide rely on Citrix to help them build simpler and more cost-effective IT environments. Citrix partners with over 10,000 companies in more than 100 countries. Annual revenue in 2011 was $2.20 billion Citrix, Inc. All rights reserved. Citrix, Access Gateway, Branch Repeater, Citrix Repeater, HDX, XenServer, XenApp, XenDesktop and Citrix Delivery Center are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. Page 12