SYN407D: Image Management made easy with Provisioning Services 6.0 Elisabeth Teixeira – Architect, Worldwide Technical Readiness October 2011

Agenda Streamed Virtual Machine Setup Wizard Integrated vDisk Versioning Automated vDisk Updates Inventory and Replication

Streamed Virtual Machine Setup Wizard

XenDesktop and Streamed VM Setup Wizards XenDesktop Setup Wizard: Similar functionality as XenDesktop 4 wizard, however it only works with XD5, not with XD4 PVS/XD requirements: At least one PVS collection and one vDisk in standard mode / At least one VM template Hosts and templates: Identical template settings for different hosts: vCPU, Memory, Disk CTX129381: Hotfix CPVS56SP1E029 - Citrix Provisioning Services 5.6 SP1 For use when not utilizing MCS but PVS Streamed VM use case is XenApp, but in general any VMs (web servers...) XenServer 5.6 FP1 XenServer 5.6 HyperV 2008 R2 via SCVMM 2008 R2 HyperV 2008 via SCVMM 2008 ESX/ESXi 4.1 via vCenter 4.1 ESX/ESXi 4.0 via vCenter 4.0

Streamed Virtual Machine Setup Wizard Functionality Creates VMs from template on hypervisor host(s) Creates PVS targets within specified Device Collection Creates AD computer accounts or import existing ones Assigns shared vDisk Deploy general VMs that leverage PVS like XenApp: Creates virtual machines Associates PVS target devices to the machines Assigns shared virtual disk Creates new AD computer accounts or import existing ones

Streamed Virtual Machine Setup Wizard Requirements One PVS Collection and one vDisk in standard mode At least one host with one VM template One template per host Hotfix CPVS56SP1E029 - For Citrix Provisioning Services 5.6 SP1 - Document ID: CTX129381   

Integrated vDisk Versioning

Updating a vDisk before Provisioning Services 6.0 Ver1.vhd 15.0 GB Ver2.vhd 15.3 GB Ver2.vhd 15.2 GB Ver2.vhd 15.0 GB Ver2.vhd 15.1 GB Clone Set to Private Image Mode Boot, Patch, Shut down Set to Standard Image Mode Assign devices to new disk Reboot production machines Previous versions of Provisioning Services: Updating a vDisk that was in use: Required copying the vDisk Copying > 10 GB vDisk takes time If updated vDisk did not work, had to re-copy Many companies opted to do a rebuild of the vDisk Clone

Provisioning Services 6.0 – The New Model vDisk.vhd 15.0 GB vDisk.1.avhd 300 MB vDisk.1.avhd 200 MB vDisk.1.avhd 0 MB vDisk.1.avhd 100 MB Create a new version Boot, Patch, Shut down Promote version Reboot production machines Provisioning Services 6.0 Instant new versions of vDisks – no copying! Adds vDisk lifecycle modes vDisk versioning simplifies Automatic vDisk Updates Parent

How does Versioning Work? New VHD types New vDisk lifecycle operations and modes New target device types The simple story vDisks are VHD files We basically leverage VHD chains

New VHD Types The existing VHD file types are preserved New VHD types Fixed Dynamic New VHD types VHD Base Disk, *.vhd (either fixed or dynamic VHD) VHD Differencing disk, *.avhd

VHD Chains – Examples

VHD Chains – Read/Write Access

VHD Chains – Multiple Streams

Properties & Lock Files Properties file for each version to retain printer configurations Cache type will be determined by top version Lock file will exist for each version Sidecar/properties file for each version to retain printer configurations Each version will have the .avhd file, .lok file and the .pvp file as well.

vDisk Lifecycle Management Maintenance Test Production Standard Mode Private Mode

New Target Device Types Maintenance Test Production Only a maintenace device can boot a vDisk in Maintenance mode Test devices boot a vDisk in test mode (can be assigned multiple test vDisks) Production is like the old normal disks

Lifecycle and VHD Chain Operations Lifecycle operations New Promote Revert VHD chain operations Merge (2 ways) Delete Replication (Import / Export)

vDisk Versioning User Interface Icon Version Maintenance Test Pending Current Production Obsolete Pending: It has been promoted but the date/time has not yet passed Current Production: Based on settings from the “boot production machines from” drop down Obsolete: a merge version has been created after them

vDisk Versioning User Interface Pending – read-only version and not yet available for use by Production devices because the scheduled release date and time has not been reached and/or the version it is not yet available to all servers in the site. If the Boot production devices from version dropdown list is set to Newest released, after the release date and time is reached and all servers are able to access this version, access changes to Default. If access displays as blank, this version is considered released to production, however it is not the version currently selected as the version from which Production devices should boot.

Lifecycle Operations – Promoting a vDisk Version Promoting a Maintenance to Test or Production In order for Production devices to access the new version after it is promoted to Production, the following also applies: Access setting must be either Default or Override.

Lifecycle Operations – Reverting a vDisk Version Reverts a Production to Maintenance or Test Reverts a Test into Maintenance Reverting from Test version: if no maintenance access version exists, revert moves latest test version into Maintenance. Reverting from Production: any booted device will be shut down prior to reverting. Clicking Revert opens a dialog that allows the user to select to revert to Test or Maintenance.

VHD Chain Operations - Merge Consolidate differencing disks into Another differencing disk New base disk No Maintenance version can exist No Test version(s) can exist Required to keep disk access performance at an acceptable level Note: When we do a merge can the vDisk be in use, have a maintenance version/test version? Yes, the disk can be in use when a merge occurs however there can be no exclusive locks (i.e. it can’t be in use in private mode or be mounted from a console). No the disk can have no maintenance version or any test versions (regardless of their position in the chain) before a merge is allowed.

VHD Merge – Consolidated Differencing Disk Merging to a Consolidated Differencing Disk - PARTIAL A partial merge combines a chain of VHD differencing disks up to, but not including, the base disk into a new differencing disk. The new differencing disk has the same parent base disk image. This method consumes less disk space than the full merge and the merge process is quicker than performing a full merge.

VHD Merge – New Base Image Merging to a New Base Image - FULL A full merge to a new base image combines a chain of differencing disks and base image disks into a new single base disk. This new disk is the next version in the chain. This method allows for the fastest disk access to the base image and is recommended when performance is more important than disk space (a new base disk is created for every merge performed).

Automatic Merge Concerned that performance will suffer if automatic updates run frequently and the disk chain grows without bounds. An automatic consolidation of differencing disks can be configured from the Farm Properties dialogs' vDisk Version tab. On this tab, a maximum vDisk number is selected. When that number is reached, a merge is automatically performed and the availability of that vDisk depends on the mode selected on the tab (Production, Maintenance, or Test). Select the access mode for this vDisk version after a merge completes. Options include; Maintenance, Test (default), or Production. Note: If the access mode is set to Production and a test version(s) already exists, the state of the resulting auto-merged version will automatically be set to Maintenance or Test. If a Maintenance version exists, an automatic merge will not be performed.

Automatic Merge Warning Select the maximum number of differencing disk versions that can created for a referenced base disk before they are automatically merged. Minimum value is 3 and Maximum value is 100. Post Merging Access Note: If the access mode is set to Production and a test version(s) already exists, the state of the resulting auto-merged version will automatically be set to Maintenance or Test. If a Maintenance version exists, an automatic merge will not be performed.

Exporting vDisk Versions

Exporting vDisk Versions Copy new versions to new store location Copy XML file to new store location Note: When deleting a vDisk that will be exported, be sure to export the vDisk first then copy the resulting XML file to the new location before deleting it from the original location. Right-click on the vDisk in the Console, then select the Export menu option. The Export dialog appears. 2. Select the version to export from the drop-down menu, then click OK. The manifest file is created in the Store.

Importing vDisks Versions Copy vDisk and any associated properties files to shared storage Check vDisk versions to be added to vDisk pool A vDisk or vDisk chain of differencing VHD files can be imported into a store if: The VHD being imported does not already exist in the store and both the highest version number of the VHD and associated manifest files match, and if the VHD chain includes a base image, and that base image version number matches the base image version in the manifest file. The VHD does exist in the store but the imported version number in the associated manifest file is greater than the existing VHD version number. Adding vDisk Versions To add a vDisk version to a site: 1. Copy the vDisk and that vDisks any associated properties files to shared storage, if they do not already exist there. 2. In the Console tree pane, right-click on the Store or a vDisk Pool, then select the Add vDisk Versions menu option. The Add vDisk Versions dialog appears. 3. Select the store to search for vDisks from the Store to search drop-down menu. 4. Select the server to use to search for vDisks from the Server to use for searching drop-down menu, then click Search. All vDisks in the store display in the Add checked vDisks new versions. 5. Check those vDisk versions that should be added to the vDisk pool. 6. Click Add to add the vDisk(s) to the vDisk pool.

VHD Chain Operations – Import/Export Import and export of both versioned and unversioned vDisks, from an existing store to a store in a different farm Import or Export of VHDs and VHD chains Treat disks from external sources as single VHD All differencing disks not exported with PVS must be merged to a base disk before imported Manifest file to include version information so entire chains may be moved between PVS farms and sites Provisioning Services allows for the importing and exporting of both versioned and unversioned vDisks, from an existing store to a store in a different farm. Note: If importing VHDs that were not exported using Provisioning Services, all differencing disks must first be merged to a base disk using third party tools, then the new VHD base disk can be imported.

Performance Considerations The longer the VHD chain the more IOPS and memory it will consume Upgrade and backward compatibility Upgrade ALL SERVERS before using vDisk versioning Old target drivers specific versions are compatible with vDisk versioning Back as to compatibility – versioning has no dependency on drivers

Automated vDisk Updates

Automated vDisk Updates Automates updating of vDisks Electronic Software Delivery (ESD) tools or scripts can be used: SCCM and WSUS in first release Others including AV tools in subsequent releases Multiple supported hypervisors XenServer, Hyper-V, ESX Multiple update modes Scheduled Manual Manually create maintenance device VM on hypervisor and configure it to boot from network Each vDisk must have a dedicated VM to process the updates VM must be regirstered in the ESD tool Name of the VM will be used to create a PVS maintenance device NOTE: There must not pre exist a target with the same name as the VM ESD client must be installed & configured on the vDisk The VM must be registered in the ESD tool

vDisk Update Management Components In the Console, the vDisk Update Management feature is used to configure the automation of vDisk updates using virtual machines. Automated vDisk updates can occur on a scheduled basis, or when the administrator evokes the update manually from the Console. This feature also supports updates detected and delivered from Electronic Software Delivery (ESD) servers. Note: If updating vDisks using ESD, the appropriate ESD licenses must be made available and the ESD client software must be installed and enabled on the vDisk. Hosts: Virtual Hosting Pool Hypervisor used to host the Maintenance Device Citrix XenServer, Vmware ESX/vSphere, Microsoft SCVMM/Hyper-V vDisks: Managed vDisks The vDisks that are automatically updated Designates the VM to use when updating this vDisk Tasks: Update Tasks Schedules when start an update List of Managed vDisks to update Maintenance Device Special PVS device used to process updates

Provisioning Services Provisioning Services designated for Automated vDisk Updates Provisioning Services 1. The vDisk update process starts either automatically (scheduled), or when an administrator right-clicks on a managed vDisk, then selects the Run update now menu option. 2. Provisioning Services creates a new version (VHD) and places that version in Maintenance mode (read/write). 3. The virtual machine boots the assigned vDisk. If this is a: • Scheduled update – vDisk Update Management performs the boot automatically. • User evoked update – the administrator evokes the update. 4. All updates are automatically made and captured in the new version of the VHD file. 5. After updating the vDisk, the virtual machine is shut down automatically. 6. The vDisk is promoted from Maintenance to either Test or Production. The availability of the new vDisk version depends on the Access mode that was selected when the Update Task Wizard was run, or the mode that is currently selected on the Update Task Properties' Finish tab (Maintenance, Test, or Production). After this version is made available in production, target devices will be able to access it the next time they boot that vDisk. Remote vDisk Store Virtual Host Provider Optional: ESD Server

Configuring Image Updates (1) Enable vDisk Update in the site properties dialog You need the SCCM on the agents

Configuring Image Updates (2) Add a Host Hosts: Virtual Hosting Pool Hypervisor used to host the Maintenance Device Citrix XenServer, Vmware ESX/vSphere, Microsoft SCVMM/Hyper-V vDisks: Managed vDisks The vDisks that are automatically updated Designates the VM to use when updating this vDisk Tasks: Update Tasks Schedules when start an update List of Managed vDisks to update Maintenance Device Special PVS device used to process updates

Configuring Image Updates (3) Select vDisks and assign them to VMs The Update VM should not already pre-exist in the Provisioning Services database or Active Directory. If it does exist, the wizard will not run successfully.

Configuring Image Updates (4) Create an update task On the example we have SCCM but it could be WSUS We can run scripts before or after it’s done Manually create maintenance device VM on hypervisor and configure it to boot from network Each vDisk must have a dedicated VM to process the updates VM must be registered in the ESD tool Name of the VM will be used to create a PVS maintenance device NOTE: There must not pre exist a target with the same name as the VM ESD client must be installed & configured on the vDisk The VM must be registered in the ESD tool

Citrix vDisk Update Service New client service: Citrix vDisk Update Service Server side: The service runs as part of the SOAP service.

Add Scripting Points into Update Sequence Server Pre-update script Prepare Image Post-update script Start VM Maintenance Device Apply updates Shutdown Post-VM script Submit Image Update Complete There are 6 different times where you can run a script… Update Hooks Optional server-side & client-side scripts can hooked into the update process All scripts are synchronous and blocking Update won’t continue until script completes Returning a non-zero value from the script cancels the update

Enabling Scripting Server side Client side names to be exact Create ‘scripts’ folder under installation folder Client side names to be exact Preupdate.bat Postupdate.bat Special folder needs to be created on the client side – Client side Preinstall client scripts -> Names has to be exact: Preupdate.bat and Postupdate.bat in the installation folder

Inventory and Replication

vDisk Inventory Service In-memory Inventory Table created at startup Keeps track of every vDisk version in the file system Keeps track of which disks are up to date Let admin choose replication method Examples: DFS, PeerSync, Robocopy or scripts Provisioning Services 5.6: Distributed vDisk stores requires all vDisks correctly replicated across to all locations Local disks Multiple LUNs No tools to ensure all needed vDisks were available in all locations Missing vDisk could lead to a BSOD on target device in a failover situation No tools offered by PVS to ensure vDisk and vDisks versions were the same in all locations Initial state: Gather data from File System at startup / Data to & from other PVS Servers Continuous monitoring: Updates from File System and updates from other PVS servers Blog by Trevor Mansell: Using Microsoft's DFS replication with Provisioning Services HA

vDisk Replication Status Allows vDisk Stores to spread across multiple physical arrays: Multiple sites with shared storage Multiple servers with dedicated storage Each server is aware of disk/versions it can access Supports any replication technology Value added integrations with DFS

Replication Benefits Summary Will keep PVS server out of HA if vDisk version not available Better logon with no hanging devices Better reconnect with no Blue Screens A graphical view to check replication status Improved Standard & Private Failover. If Private Image is replicated in multiple locations, we’ll prefer the one that is on a shared volume accessible by multiple servers.

Key Takeaways Single Image Management New Wizard for quickly building XenApp farms Provisioning Services 6.0 simplifies and automates image management

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