Install issues combining Citrix Web Interface and other products on x64.

Often times when setting up Citrix environments outside of production, it makes sense to combine multiple pieces onto one server. After recently setting up XenDesktop using an x64 environment, there was an unexpected issue trying to combine the XenDesktop DDC, Web Interface, and the Licensing Management Console. This combination has never been a problem in a 32-bit environment so what could be different in x64? The answer... IIS

It was all very confusing at first because the License Server installation happened at the very beginning and worked without a hitch. Licenses were added and then DDS was installed on the same machine. The complete desktop environment was built without encountering any problems until time to configure Web Interface. At that point, no web pages on that machine were accessible, not even the Licensing Management Console which had worked fine previously. After some research, the cause of the problem was found along with the solution midway through the release notes for Presentation Server 4.5 with Feature Pack 1 which can be found here:

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX112222

The DDC behaves a lot like XenApp and the same information regarding x64 applies. Quoting from the release notes found above, Citrix points out that "On a 64-bit version of Windows, the Citrix Web Interface installation will enable 32-bit Web extension support in IIS and this will disable 64-bit extension support."

And the solution.... Install Web Interface FIRST.


Still quoting from the above article "Due to this requirement, if you are installing the Web Interface on a 64-bit version of the Windows operating system, ensure that you install Web Interface prior to installing any other Citrix software, including Citrix Presentation Server and Citrix License Management Console. This particular order of installation allows the products to adapt to the 32-bit support in IIS. If you install these products in an incorrect order, the Web server may produce errors messages when it is accessed, such as “Service unavailable.”

So, uninstall and reinstall making sure to do Web Interface first. This will prep IIS for all the subsequent pieces.

Deleting Stub VMs and their Meta Data in XenServer

Sometimes on a failed XenConvert, the process will leave "stubbed" VM meta data behind on the XenServer. Any attempts to delete this VM through Xen Center will fail. Even though the Xen Convert process will have to be re-evaluated and restarted, there's a quick two step process to remove the stubbed VM from XenServer.

1. From the console of the XenServer containing the VM get a list of uuids by running "xe vm-list".

2. Copy the uuid of the VM in question and then run this command to destroy it "xe vm-destroy uuid="

It might take a couple of minutes for this command to complete but when it does the reference to the VM is now also removed from XenCenter. If a disk was associated with it, there should now be an option to delete it or it can also be attached to a different VM. It's possible that the data on this disk is salvageable but should be verified that it is in tact and consistent.

XenDesktop Receiver Embedded Client (Full-Screen-Only)

I had an opportunity last Friday to experiment with the Desktop Receiver Embedded Client for XenDesktop. After my past experiences with Thin Clients, I knew the embedded client would make a lot of sense for both administration and ease of use. The install package is fairly small (11MB) and the functionality is almost seamless.

After logging into a standard MS Windows GINA, the user will be redirected to a full screen only edition of their XenDesktop. By enabling write filters on the thin clients and also having VMs reboot after a XenDesktop user log off, laborious desktop management becomes almost non-existent. The user experience takes place in an almost completely read-only environment that moves with them wherever they go.

According to the Desktop Receiver Admin Guide, the embedded client replaces the shell for each Windows user except for the user account that installs the software. Therefore, any future windows user that logs in and is successfully authenticated will also automatically be given a full-screen-only desktop. Admin accounts, such as members of Domain Admins, are not excluded from a full-screen-only desktop. Any changes that need to be made to the client device will require the account that was used to install the embedded software.

It seems that the software presents the full-screen-only desktop by modifying the "Shell" registry key in: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon from "explorer.exe" to "pnagent.exe".

Citrix also mentions that if the account used to install DesktopApplianceLock_en.msi is later deleted, you will not be able to log on and administer the endpoint device.

Dell ExtPart

I learned about this great tool from a colleague of mine this week. Dell ExtPart conveniently extends any windows partition including your c: drive! Even more amazing is this tool has been around since 2003 and I'm just now hearing about it... What's up with that!?

Working in IT and especially with VMWare, there are always times where you add more disk or a case where you forgot to format properly during OS install and you need to expand your system disk. In the past, I've always had to re-install or turn to tools such as partition magic or opensource software for physical machines. VMs were somewhat easier because you could mount the system disk on another VM perform the expansion.

Now the process couldn't be easier. Download this 36KB utility at the link below, extract and run extpart.exe, follow the promtps, and in 15-30 seconds you're done!

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&releaseid=R64398&formatcnt=2&fileid=83929

NOTE: A word of caution. When I first ran the utility and it asked me for an expand size, I entered the total size that I wanted my system drive to be. This is wrong because it is actually asking how much space you would like to add to your existing drive size. If you want to go from 15G to 20G, then you would only enter 5G into the prompt.