Tag Archives: xendesktop 7

Installing Citrix XenDesktop 7 Part 1 - Dedicated Desktop Controller

With the release of Citrix XenDesktop 7 this yesterday we have been busy updating our Demonstration Environment to showcase the latest technologies and to update some of our Virtual machines to utilise Microsoft Windows 2012 now that it is now a supported platform.

For this tutorial we are going to demonstrate the ease of deployment of your first Citrix XenDesktop 7 Dedicated Desktop Controller (DDC). On this virtual machine we are going to deploy the following components:

  • Citrix XenDesktop 7 Studio – the primary management platform for the new architecture
  • Citrix Desktop Director – the primary monitoring tool and the replacement for Citrix Edge sight
  • Citrix Storefront 2.0 – the updated release of Storefront 1.* and the replacement for the more traditional Web Interface 5.* infrastructure
  • Citrix Licensing server

In a production environment we would almost certainly separate these components onto their own virtual machines, but for this demonstration we will deploy all the required roles onto a single server.

As a minimum recommended specification the virtual machine is configured with the following hardware

Server OS Disk Drive 0 Disk Drive 1 Memory vCPU’s
Windows 2012 C:\ 50GB D:\ 20GB 5GB minimum 2

Citrix lists the full requirements for each separate application on their eDocs site here:

http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xendesktop-7/cds-sys-requirements.html

The 5GB minimum recommended requirement is made up of the 3GB requirement for the Desktop Controller and 2GB for Storefront.

After inserting the CD (ISO) and letting the CD auto run you are first presenting with the new start screen this is where your journey begins:

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You are now presented with a list of options dependant on what products you would like to deploy,

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We are going to select “Get Started” and deploy our first delivery controller, as you can see from here you can deploy all of the required components

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If we were deploying a Citrix XenDesktop Delivery Agent we would chose one of the following:

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As you can see the installer has detected we are on a server OS and greyed out the options to install a Desktop OS Agent.

As we said earlier all of the components can be installed individually and these can be selected from the final column “Extended Deployment”

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Once we launch the Getting started column the wizard is a fairly simply run through as we will show you now. As usual with most software these days the first menu is to agree to the terms of the liscensing agreement and click Next:

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Next you are given the option of what location to install the components to by default this is C:\Program Files\Citrix, and what components you would like to install: for the purposes of this demonstration we are going to install all of the components on a single server VM:

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Next you can choose if you would like to install SQL Express Locally on your server for the data store, and whether you would like the Windows Remote Management tools installing to enable shadowing FROM the server you are deploying to. In this instance we already have a SQL 2012 Server with an empty database ready for our deployment so we are not going to install SQL Express locally. If you do install SQL Express and create a local database this can be moved to a full blown SQL installation at a later date. We are also going to install the Windows Remote Management tools as we are deploying Desktop Director on this server and we will want to manage out from this machine.

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The next menu gives you the option to setup any locally installed firewalls, we utilise the inbuilt Microsoft firewall where possible, so we will allow the installer to make the necessary changes, this is a nice improvement as it lists the changes you will need to make if your are running any third party firewall products and gives you the details to manually make the changes.

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The wizard will then show a summary of your selections it is always worth double checking that everything is as required and then simply click install. As you can see all of the pre-requisites are handled with the installer so Visual C++ 2008 runtime, IIS and the Remote Support features will all be installed as part of the product installation.

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The program will begin installing the components as can be seen it is estimated to take 10 minutes or so.

All in all the installation took 5 minutes and once it is complete you can then launch Citrix Studio and configure your site

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And that is it for installing CItrix XenDesktop 7, it takes 7 mouse clicks (coincidence or planned???)

Once the Studio has launched you will be presented with several options for configuring your site:

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We will create a new post detailing the configuration options and what is required to complete the initial configuration to get you site up and running in a future post. Check back soon for an update.

If you have any questions about the blog post please direct any questions to [email protected]

Citrix XenDesktop 7 Released Today

Iconic can announce the news that Citrix XenDesktop 7 (formerly Project Excalibur) is now available for download and install today - 26th June 2013.

We have already downloaded XenDesktop 7 and started an install- we will keep you posted how this goes.

New updates to this blog will include a step by step screenshot guide on a basic install so check back on our blogs to be kept up to date as this will be available shortly.

Iconic will deploy XenDesktop 7 to our Demonstration Environment – if you want to arrange a preview look at the new features please feel free to have a look.

Below is a copy of the reference architecture which XenDesktop 7 brings to the table. The ability to publish applications and desktops – both server and VDi Desktops from one console is quite simply brilliant. Above and beyond this the new storefront is pretty great as well.

Below is a list of features listed about XenDesktop 7 and how we anticipate a great take up from new and existing clients.

Citrix XenDesktop 7 offers integrated Windows application and desktop mobility, easier deployment options and simplified management, all delivered through cloud-style architecture console. Current XenDesktop and Citrix XenApp® customers will find the new architecture easier than ever to deploy, manage and support. XenDesktop 7 represents the state-of-the-art in application and desktop virtualization, enabling any business to mobilize Windows apps and desktops and deliver them as a cloud service to any device.

Feature List

New HDX Mobile™ Technologies Deliver an Intuitive, Mobile-Friendly Experience

Enterprises are under mounting pressure to respond to the demands of an increasingly mobile workforce and BYOD. However, most businesses use Windows apps that were never meant to be mobile. Breakthrough technologies in XenDesktop 7 enable any Windows app to function intuitively and transparently on mobile devices, providing a seamless experience on devices of any type. Innovative touch screen capabilities translate multi-touch gestures and finger swipes into smooth navigation and scrolling commands. Native menu controls streamline interaction with the application by translating pull-down lists and complex mouse navigation. Powerful compression and redirection technologies automatically adjust to accommodate mobile broadband networks. Industry-leading HDX technologies now fully incorporate H.264 compression for a 100 percent increase in WAN bandwidth efficiency. New HDX compression capabilities can dynamically optimize the bit rate of full HD video so it is viewable over 3G mobile networks. New Citrix StoreFront interface unifies and secures app and desktop access through a seamless user experience - whether on the corporate network or away from the office via the Citrix NetScaler® Gateway solution.

Simple to Deploy, Manage and Support

XenDesktop 7 simplifies administration and operations with purpose-built consoles for managing and deploying virtual apps and desktops:Simplified workflows and automated configuration checking to eliminate as much as 80 percent of the time and effort needed to deploy new services. Wizard-driven installation gets deployments up and running in 20 minutes. Advanced cloud management capabilities provide a purpose-built help desk console and real-time troubleshooting with EdgeSight® end-user experience analytics tools.

Cloud-style Architecture Designed for Automation and Scale

XenDesktop 7 integrates the market-leading XenApp and VDI desktop virtualization technologies into a unified FlexCast Management Architecture (FMA) for the most scalable solution for delivering Windows apps and desktops as cloud services. Simplified architecture can deliver Windows Server (RDS) or VDI desktops from a single console, speeding production deployments by as much as 80 percent. Automated physical to virtual app migration tools powered by Citrix AppDNA software speed application migration time by 90 percent compared to manual validation. Powerful new administration features automate common tasks while integrating the configuration of profile management, StoreFront, publishing and storage optimization. Built as an open platform that can be deployed on any hypervisor or cloud management solution, including Citrix CloudPlatform™, powered by Apache CloudStack, or Amazon Web Services.

Availability

XenDesktop 7 will be available in June 2013. XenDesktop 7 is available in Platinum, Enterprise and VDI editions on a per-user, per-device or concurrent basis. In addition, the new XenDesktop App edition is available for all hosted-shared (RDS) app and desktop workloads. XenApp Enterprise and Platinum customers with active Subscription Advantage can update to this edition at no additional charge and migrate their environments at their own pace.