administrators guide for pvs

Administrator's Guide

Citrix Provisioning Services 5.6 SP1October 2010Revision 4

Provisioning Services: Copyright and Trademark NoticesUse of the product documented herein is subject to your prior acceptance of the End User License Agreement. Aprintable copy of the End User License Agreement is included with your installation media.Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Companies, names, and data used in examples hereinare fictitious unless otherwise noted. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by anymeans, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Citrix Systems, Inc. 2010 Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.The following are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in theUnited States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries:Branch Repeater, Citrix, Citrix Access Essentials, Citrix Access Gateway, Citrix DesktopReceiver, Citrix Desktop Server, Citrix EasyCall, Citrix Essentials, Citrix MerchandisingServer, Citrix Provisioning Server, Citrix Receiver, Citrix Repeater, Citrix StreamingServer, Citrix Subscription Advantage, Citrix Workflow Studio, Citrix XenApp, Dazzle,EdgeSight,HDX, ICA, NetScaler,Request Switching, StorageLink, VPX, WANScaler,XenDesktop, XenServer, Xen Data Center, Xen SourceAll other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Document code: June 26 2012 13:56:38

Contents

1 Provisioning Services Product Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Provisioning Services Streaming Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Provisioning Services Solution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Provisioning Services Editions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Product Licenses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Benefits and Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Benefits for XenApp and other Server Farm Administrators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Benefits for Desktop Administrators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Software-Streaming Process Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Provisioning Services Product Infrastructure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Provisioning Services Farm Hierarchy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21Sites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Device Collections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Product Utilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Additional Provisioning Services' Product Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Provisioning Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23Provisioning Services Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24vDisks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Target Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26Store. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27Device Collections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Network Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Provisioning Services Administrator Roles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Provisioning Services and Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Provisioning Services Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Getting Service and Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Getting the Subscription Advantage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Locating the Citrix Developer Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Participating in Citrix Education and Training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

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2 Product Technology Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33Getting the Bootstrap File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Network Booting a Target Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34Booting From an Optional Boot Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Provisioning Services vDisk Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Standard Image Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Private Image Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Difference Disk Image Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Selecting the Write Cache Destination for Standard vDisk Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38Cache on Device Hard Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38Cache Device Hard Drive Persisted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Cache in Device RAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Cache on a Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Cache on Server Persistent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

3 Using the Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41Starting the Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42Understanding the Console Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Using the Console Tree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42Basic Tree Hierarchy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42Using the Details View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Common Action Menu Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Performing Tasks in the Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44Action menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44Right-click (context) Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45Using Drag-and-Drop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45Using Copy and Paste. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Using Views. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

4 Managing Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47Configuring the Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Configuration Wizard Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48Starting the Configuration Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49Network Topology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49Identify the Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50Identify the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Create a New Store for a New Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52Identify the Site. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Contents

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Select the License Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53Configure User Account Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53Select network cards for the Stream Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Configure Bootstrap Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Running the Configuration Wizard Silently. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Prerequisite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57To Create the ConfigWizard.ans File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57To Copy and Modify the ConfigWizard.ans File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57To Run the ConfigWizard.exe Silently. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Farm Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58General Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Security Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Groups Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59Licensing Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59Options Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60vDisk Version Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Status Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Farm Tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Farm Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Connecting to a Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62Managing Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

5 Managing Sites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63Creating Sites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64Site Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

General Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Security Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65MAK Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65Options Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66vDisk Update Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

6 Managing Administrative Roles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67Managing Farm Administrators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Managing Site Administrators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69Managing Device Administrators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Managing Device Operators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

7 Managing Stores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Store Administrative Privileges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73


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Store Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73General Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73Paths Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74Servers Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Store Configuration and Management Tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75Working with Managed Stores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

Prerequisites and Supported Deployments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76Using the Store Management Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

8 Managing Provisioning Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81Provisioning Servers in the Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82Provisioning Server Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

General. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86Stores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87Logging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

Provisioning Server Tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88Adding Additional Provisioning Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89Copying and Pasting Provisioning Server Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89Deleting a Provisioning Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89Starting, Stopping, or Restarting Provisioning Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90Showing Provisioning Server Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91Balancing the Target Device Load on Provisioning Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91Checking for Provisioning Server vDisk Access Updates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93Configuring Provisioning Servers Manually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Re-Running the Configuration Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93Starting and Configuring the Stream Service Manually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Disabling Write Cache to Improve Performance When Using Storage DeviceDrives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94Providing Provisioning Servers Access to Stores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

9 Managing vDisks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97vDisks in the Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97vDisk Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

General Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99General Tab for vDisk file. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101Mode Tab for vDisk file. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101Identification Tab for vDisk file. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

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Microsoft Volume Licensing Tab for vDisk file. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103Options Tab for vDisk file. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Managing vDisks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103Using the Imaging Wizard to Create a New vDisk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104Creating and Formatting a New vDisk File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

To create a new vDisk file in the database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106To format a vDisk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107To unmount a vDisk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Create and Assign a Target Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108To create a target device entry in the database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108To assign a vDisk to a target device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

Creating vDisks Automatically. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109Creating a Common Image for use with Multiple Physical Device Types. . . . . . . . . . . .109

Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109Building the Common Image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Configuring the Master Target Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110Exporting Specific Data Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111Booting the Master Target Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111Adding Additional Target Devices to the Common Image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Configuring the vDisk Access Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112Adding Existing vDisks to a vDisk Pool or Store. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113Viewing vDisk Usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

View target device connections to a vDisk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114Releasing vDisk Locks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114Unassigning vDisks from Target Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Deleting a vDisk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115Deleting Cache on a Difference Disk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116Copying vDisks to Different Locations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116Copying and Pasting vDisk Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Backing Up a vDisk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Updating vDisks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117

Choosing a vDisk Update Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Automatically Updating vDisks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Incrementally Updating vDisks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121Rolling Back vDisk Changes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

Using Maintenance Utilities with a vDisk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124Working with Physical Disks and vDisks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124Configuring a vDisk for Microsoft Volume Licensing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125


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10 Managing Target Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Target Device Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129

General Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129vDisk Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130Personality Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131Authentication Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131Status Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132Logging tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Target Device Tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133Preparing a Master Target Device for Imaging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Preparing the Master Target Device's Hard Disk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134Configuring a Master Target Device's BIOS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135Installing Master Target Device Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136Installing Provisioning Services Target Device Software on a Windows Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

Adding Target Devices to the Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137Using the Console to Manually Create Target Device Entries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138Importing Target Devices Entries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Using the Auto-Add Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138Assigning vDisks to Target Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140Set the Target Device as the Template for this Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141Copy and Paste Target Device Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142Booting Target Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142Checking a Target Device's Status from the Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142Sending Messages to Target Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143Disabling a Target Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Deleting Target Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144Shutting Down Target Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144Restarting Target Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144Moving Target Devices Between Collections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145Using the Status Tray on a Target Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Starting the Virtual Disk Status Tray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145Using the General Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146Using the Statistics Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Setting Virtual Disk Status Tray Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147

Managing Target Device Personality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148Define personality data from a single target device using the Console. . . . . . . . .148Define personality data for multiple target device using the Console. . . . . . . . . . .149

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Using Target Device Personality Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

11 Managing Device Collections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153Device Collection Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

General Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155Security Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155Auto-Add Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

Device Collection Management Tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158Creating a Device Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158Importing Target Devices into a Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159Deleting a Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159Refreshing a Collection in the Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160Booting Target Devices within a Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160Restarting Target Devices within a Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160Shutdown Target Devices within a Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161Sending Messages to Target Devices within a Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161Moving Collections within a Site. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161Managing Microsoft KMS Volume Licensing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162

Preparing the New Base vDisk Image for KMS Volume Licensing. . . . . . . . . . . . .162Maintaining or Upgrading a vDisk Image that Uses KMS Volume Licensing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

Configuring Microsoft MAK Volume Licensing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164

12 Managing User Assigned vDisks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167User Group Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169

General Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169vDisks Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169

Managing User Group vDisk Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169Enabling or Disabling User Group Management for a Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170Creating a User Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170Enabling or Disabling User Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171Deleting User Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171Assigning a vDisk to a User Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171Unassigning User Groups From vDisks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171

13 Managing Views. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173View Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174

General Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174Members Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174


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Managing Views in the Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174Creating a View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175Pasting Device Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175Deleting a View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176Refreshing a View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176Booting Devices within a View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176Restarting Devices within a View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176Shutdown Devices within a View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176Sending Messages to Target Devices within a View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177

14 Managing Network Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179Preparing Network Switches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180

Switch Manufacturers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180Using UNC Names. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180

Syntax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181Accessing a Remote Network Share. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

Reducing Network Utilization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182Configuring Windows features on a Standard vDisk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183Configuring the Recycle Bin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183Configuring Offline Folders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183Configuring Event Logs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184Configuring System Restore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185Configuring Logical Prefetch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185Configuring Automatic Disk Defragmentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185Disabling Windows Automatic Updates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185

Managing Roaming User Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186Configuring Roaming User Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187Configuring Folder Redirection with Roaming User Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187Disabling Offline Folders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

Booting Through a Router. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189Configuring for DHCP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190Configuring the Provisioning Services for PXE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190Running PXE and DHCP on the Same Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190

Updating NIC Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191Upgrading NIC Drivers on Target Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191Upgrading NIC Drivers on a Provisioning Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191

Managing and Accessing a LUN Without Using a Network Share. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192Prerequisites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193Implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193

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Modifying vDisk Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195

15 Managing for Highly Available Implementations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197Offline Database Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199

Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199Enabling Offline Database Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200

Database Mirroring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200Enabling Mirroring when Configuring a New Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201Enabling Mirroring Within an Existing Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201

Provisioning Server Failover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202Configuring the Boot File for HA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203

Adding Provisioning Servers to the boot file. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203Adding Login Servers using the Configuration Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204Adding Login Servers Using the Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205

Enabling HA on vDisks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206Providing Provisioning Servers Access to Stores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206Configuring for High Availability with Shared Storage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206

Windows Shared-Storage Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207Creating Stream-Service Account Credentials on the Domain Controller . . . . .207Assigning Stream-Service Account Credentials Manually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208Configuring Storage Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208SAN Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209

Disabling Write Cache to Improve Performance When Using Storage DeviceDrives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209Testing HA Failover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

16 Configuring vDisks for Active Directory Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211Active Directory Integration Prerequistes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212Managing Domain Passwords. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212

Password Management Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213Enabling Domain Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213

Enabling Machine Account Password Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214Enabling Automatic Password Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214

Managing Domain Computer Accounts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214Supporting Cross-Forest Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214Giving Access to Users from Another Domain Provisioning Services AdministratorPrivileges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215Adding Target Devices to a Domain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216Removing Target Devices From a Domain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216


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Reset Computer Accounts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216

17 Managing Bootstrap Files and Boot Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219Configuring the Bootstrap File From the Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220

Configuring the Bootstrap File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222Using the Manage Boot Devices Utility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224

Configuring Boot Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225

18 Managing Printers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229Installing Printers on a vDisk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230Enabling or Disabling Printers on a vDisk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230Methods for Enabling Printers on a vDisk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231

Enabling printers for target devices using the Printer Settings option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232Enabling printers for target devices using the Printers group folder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232Enabling printers using Copy and Paste. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233Enabling printers using an existing target device as a template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233

Enabling the Printer Management Feature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234

19 Logging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235Configuring Provisioning Server Log Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236Configuring Target Device Log Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237Log Files and Content. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238

Log File Location. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238Log File Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239

20 Auditing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241Enabling Auditing Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243Accessing Auditing Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243Archiving Audit Trail Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246

21 Managing Multiple Network Interface Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247Requirements and Considerations for Manufacturer's NIC Teaming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249Requirements and Considerations for Provisioning Services NIC Failover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249

22 Installing and Configuring Embedded Target Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251System Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252Installing Embedded Target Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252Un-installing an Embedded Target Device Package. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253

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Windows XP Embedded Build Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253Setting Up Embedded Target Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

Glossary...............................................................................................259


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Contents

xiv

Chapter 1

Provisioning Services Product OverviewTopics: Benefits and Features Software-Streaming Process

Overview Provisioning Services

Product Infrastructure Product Utilities Additional Provisioning

Services' ProductComponents

Provisioning ServicesAdministrator Roles

Provisioning Services andResources

Most enterprises struggle to keep up with the proliferationand management of computers in their environment. Eachcomputer, whether it is a desktop PC, a server in a datacenter, or a kiosk-type device, must be managed as anindividual entity. The benefits of distributed processing comeat the cost of distributed management. It costs time andmoney to set up, update, support and ultimatelydecommission each computer. The initial cost of the machineis often dwarfed by operational costs.Over the years, various software solutions have been offeredthat are designed to address the operational challenges facedby IT organizations. For example:w Imaging solutions allow backup and duplication of existing

machines.w Distribution tools can automate many of the tasks required

to install and upgrade software across many computers.w Simplifies the management of the end points by removing

most software and processing locally.Each of these approaches has benefits and limitations.Provisioning Services takes a very different approach byfundamentally changing the relationship between hardwareand the software that runs on it. By streaming a single shareddisk image rather than copying images to individual machines,Provisioning Services enables organizations to reduce thenumber of systems that they manage, even as the number ofcomputers continues to grow. This solution simultaneouslyprovides the efficiencies of a centrally managed solution withthe benefits of distributed processing.

Provisioning ServicesStreaming TechnologyProvisioning Services streaming technology allows computersto be provisioned and re-provisioned in real-time from a singleshared-disk image. In doing so, administrators can completelyeliminate the need to manage and patch individual systems.Instead, all image management is done on the master image.The local hard-disk drive of each system may be used for

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runtime data caching or, in some scenarios, removed from thesystem entirely, which reduces power usage, system failurerates, and security risks.

Provisioning ServicesSolutionThe Provisioning-Services solutions infrastructure is based onsoftware-streaming technology. Using Provisioning Services,administrators prepare a device (master target device) forimaging by installing any required software on that device. AvDisk image is then created from the master target deviceshard drive and saved to the network (on a Provisioning Serveror storage device).Once the vDisk is available from the network, the targetdevice no longer needs its local hard drive to operate; it bootsdirectly across the network. The Provisioning Server streamsthe contents of the vDisk to the target device on demand, inreal time. The target device behaves as if it is running fromits local drive. Unlike thin-client technology, processing takesplace on the target device.

Provisioning ServicesEditionsThe Provisioning Server editions you can choose from include:w Provisioning Services for Datacentersw Provisioning Services for Desktops

Note:The ability to create an embedded target devices issupported in either edition.A single Provisioning Server can stream to both data centerand desktop target devices.

Product LicensesProduct licenses are issued based on the product edition thatyou choose. For Citrix product licensing documentation, open

Chapter 1 Provisioning Services Product Overview

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the Citrix Knowledge Center, then select Licensing under theKnowledge Resources section.

Note: The following licensing time out conditions exist:w If no licenses are available: 96 hrsw Contact is lost with the license server: 720 hoursw Out of Box Grace Period (OOBGP): 96 hours


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Benefits and FeaturesThere are many benefits associated with using vDisks as opposed to hard drives. One ofthose benefits includes not having to install software on each target device within afarm. Instead, when booting, software is dynamically assigned to the target device bythe Provisioning Server. This allows a target device to completely change theiroperating systems and application stack, in the time it takes to reboot.Using Provisioning Services, any vDisk can be configured in Standard Image mode. AvDisk in Standard Image mode allows many computers to boot from it simultaneously;greatly reducing the number of images that must be maintained and the amount ofstorage that would be required. The vDisk is in read-only format and the image can notbe changed by target devices.

Benefits for XenApp and other Server FarmAdministrators

If you manage pool of servers that work as a farm, such as XenApp servers or webservers, maintaining a uniform patch level on your servers can be difficult and timeconsuming. With traditional imaging solutions you start out with a pristine goldenmaster image, but as soon as a server is build with the master image, you now mustpatch the individual server along with all of the others. Rolling patches out toindividual servers in your farm is not only inefficient, but it can also be unreliable.Patches often fail on an individual server and you may not realize you have a problemuntil users start complaining or the server has an outage. Once that happens, gettingthe server back into sync with the rest of the farm can be challenging and sometimes itcan require a full re-imaging of the machine.With Provisioning Services, patch management for server farms is simple and reliable.You start out managing your golden image and you continue to manage that singlegolden image. All patching is done in one place and then streamed to your serverswhen they boot-up. Server build consistency is assured because all your servers areusing a single shared copy of the disk image. If a server becomes corrupted, simplyreboot it and it's instantly back to the known good state of your master image.Upgrades are extremely fast. Once you have your updated image ready for productionyou simply assign the new image version to the servers and reboot them. In the time ittakes them to reboot you can deploy the new image to any number of servers. Just asimportantly, roll-backs can be done in the same manner so problems with new imageswill not take your servers or your users out of commission for an extended period of time.

Benefits for Desktop AdministratorsAs part of XenDesktop, desktop administrators have the ability to use ProvisioningServices' streaming technology to simplify, consolidate, and reduce the costs of bothphysical and virtual desktop delivery. Many organizations are beginning to exploredesktop virtualization. While virtualization addresses many of the consolidation andsimplified management needs of IT, deploying it also requires deployment of supporting


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infrastructure. Without Provisioning Services, storage costs can put desktopvirtualization out of the budget. With Provisioning Services, IT can reduce the amountof storage required for VDI by as much as 90%. At the same time the ability to managea single image rather than hundreds or thousands of desktops significantly reduces thecost, effort, and complexity for desktop administration.Not all desktops applications or user groups can be supported by virtual desktops. Forthese scenarios, Provisioning Services IT can still reap the benefits of consolidation andsingle image management. Desktop images are stored and managed centrally in thedatacenter and streamed out to physical desktops on demand. This model worksparticularly well for standardized desktops such as those in lab and trainingenvironments, call centers, and "thin client" devices used to access virtual desktops.

Software-Streaming Process OverviewProvisioning Services provides all of the tools you need to bring software-streamingtechnology to your computing environment. After installing and configuring ProvisioningServices components, a vDisk is created from a devices hard drive by taking a snapshotof the OS and application image, and then storing that image as a vDisk file on thenetwork. A device that is used during this process is referred to as a Master targetdevice. The devices that use those vDisks are called target devices.vDisks can exist on a Provisioning Server, file share, or in larger deployments, on astorage system that the Provisioning Server can communicate with (iSCSI, SAN, NAS,and CIFS). vDisks can be assigned to a single target device as Private Image Mode, or tomultiple target devices as Standard Image Mode.When a target device is turned on, it is set to boot from the network and tocommunicate with a Provisioning Server (refer to Step 1 in the illustration that follows).


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The target device downloads the boot file from a Provisioning Server (refer to Step 2),and then the target device boots. Based on the device boot configuration settings, theappropriate vDisk is located, then mounted on the Streaming Server (refer to step 3).The software on that vDisk is streamed to the target device as needed. To the targetdevice, it appears like a regular hard drive to the system.Instead of immediately pulling all the vDisk contents down to the target device (asdone with traditional or imaging deployment solutions), the data is brought across thenetwork in real-time, as needed. This approach allows a target device to get acompletely new operating system and set of software in the time it takes to reboot,without requiring a visit to a workstation. This approach dramatically decreases theamount of network bandwidth required by traditional disk imaging tools; making itpossible to support a larger number of target devices on your network withoutimpacting overall network performance.

Provisioning Services Product InfrastructureThe infrastructure design includes a hierarchy that directly relates to administrativeroles within a Provisioning Services farm.The graphic that follows provides a high-level view of the Provisioning Servicesinfrastructure and illustrates how Provisioning Services components might appearwithin that implementation.


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Provisioning Services Farm HierarchyThe farm hierarchy consists of the following major levels:w Farms on page 21w Sites on page 22w Device Collections on page 22For each major component level, administrative roles exists.

FarmsA farm represents the top level of a Provisioning Services infrastructure. Farms providea Farm administrator with a method of representing, defining, and managing logicalgroups of Provisioning Services components into sites.All sites within a farm share that farms Microsoft SQL database. A farm also includes aCitrix License Server, local or network shared storage, and collections of target devices.In the Console window, administrators select the farm that they want to manage orview. Sample tasks that are specific to a farm can include managing:w Farm configurationsw Product licensingw High Availability configurationsw Active Directory configurationsw User Groups


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w Administrative roles

Note: The Console does not need to be directly associated with the farm becauseremote administration is now supported on any Console that can communicate withthat farms network.

SitesA site provides both a site administrator and farm administrator, with a method ofrepresenting and managing logical groupings of Provisioning Servers, Device Collections,and local shared storage.A site administrator can perform any task that a device administrator or deviceoperator can perform. A site administrator can also perform additional tasks such asmanaging:w Print serversw Device administrator and device operator role configurationsw Provisioning Serversw Shared storagew User GroupsProvisioning Servers within a site, communicate with farm components to obtain theinformation necessary to boot target devices and to provide target devices with theappropriate vDisk. Provisioning Server(s) must be able to communicate with the storewhere those vDisks exist.

Device CollectionsDevice collections provide the ability to create and manage logical groups of targetdevices, which are typically created and managed by a device administrator (a farmand site administrator can also perform a device administrators tasks).A device collection could represent a physical location, a subnet range, or a logicalgrouping of target devices. Creating device collections simplifies device managementby performing actions at the collection level rather than at the target-device level.A target device can only be a member of one device collection. For device collectiondetails, refer to Managing Device Collections on page 153.

Product UtilitiesIn addition, Provisioning Services includes several tools for use when configuring andmanaging a Provisioning Services deployment. After installing Provisioning Servicessoftware, the following tools become available:


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w Installation Wizard Use this wizard to install Provisioning Services components tocreate a Provisioning Servers and Master target devices.

w Configuration Wizard Use this wizard to configure Provisioning-Server components,including network services, and database permissions. This wizard is installed duringthe Provisioning Services installation process.

w Imaging Wizard On the master target device, run the Provisioning Services ImagingWizard to create a vDisk file in the Provisioning Services database and then image tothat file without having to physically go to a Provisioning Server. This utility isinstalled during the target device installation process.

w Virtual Disk Status Tray Use this target device utility to get target-deviceconnection status and streaming statistical information. This utility is installedduring the Provisioning Services target device installation process.

w Boot Device Manager Use this utility to configure a boot device, such as a USB or CD-ROM, which then receives the boot program from the Provisioning Services.

w Upgrade Utilities There are several upgrade methods available. The method youselect depends on your network requirements.

w Programming Utilities Provisioning Services provides programmers with amanagement application programming utility and a command line utility. Theseutilities can be accessed by all users. However, users can only use those commandsassociated with their administrator privileges. For example, a Device Operator isable to use this utility to get a list of all target devices that they have access to.

Additional Provisioning Services' ProductComponents

The Provisioning Services infrastructure also consists of the following additionalcomponents:Provisioning Servers on page 23Provisioning Services Database on page 24Console on page 24vDisks on page 25Target Devices on page 26Store on page 27Device Collections on page 28Network Services on page 28

Provisioning ServersA Provisioning Server is any server that has Stream Services installed. It is used tostream software from vDisks, as needed, to target devices. In some implementations,


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vDisks reside directly on the Provisioning Server. In larger implementations, ProvisioningServers get the vDisk from a shared-storage location on the network.Provisioning Servers also retrieve and provide configuration information to and from theProvisioning Server Database. Provisioning Server configuration options are available toensure high availability and load-balancing of target device connections.For Provisioning Server details, refer to Managing Provisioning Servers.

Provisioning Services DatabaseThe database stores all system configuration settings that exist within a farm. Only onedatabase can exist within a farm and all Provisioning Servers in that farm must be ableto communicate with that database. You may choose to leverage an existing SQL Serverdatabase or install SQL Server Express, which is free and available from Microsoft.

ConsoleThe Console is a utility that is used to manage your Provisioning Servicesimplementation. After logging on to the Console, you select the farm that you want toconnect to. Your administrative role determines what you can view in the Console andmanage in the farm.The following illustration displays the farm hierarchy in the tree pane and the keyscomponents in the Console window.

Action Menu


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The Action menu displays Provisioning Services tasks that can be performed on anobject that is highlighted in the Console. The same tasks are available when you right-click on the object in the Console.Tasks are object specific and can only be performed if the user has the appropriate roleassigned (role-based administration). Your role determines what displays in theConsole. For example, if you are a farm administrator, you can perform all tasks andsee all objects in the farm. Device administrators can only perform device-collectionmanagement tasks on collections to which they have privileges. Administrator roles aredescribed later in this chapter.

Note:MMC (Microsoft Management Console) specific console features are not described inthis document. Refer to Microsofts MMC documentation for detailed information.

Console Tree and Details PaneTo view information about an object in the Details pane, click on the object or folder inthe Tree pane. The Details pane provides information such as the objects name and adescription of that object.Properties MenusTo view or change an objects properties, right-click on the object, then select theProperties menu option. You can also highlight the object in the Console window, thenselect Properties from the Action menu options. The Properties dialog displaysproperty settings in tabular format.

vDisksvDisks exist as disk image files on a Provisioning Server or on a shared storage device.vDisk images are configured to be in Private or Standard Image disk mode. (For moreinformation, refer to the Configuring vDisk Modes section in the Administrator's Guide).vDisks are associated with a sites vDisk pool. To view vDisks within a pool, expand thevDisk Pool folder in the Console tree.vDisk PoolsvDisk pools are the collection of all vDisks available to a site. There is only one vDiskpool per site. The method used to locate a vDisk on a server share is illustrated in thegraphic that follows.


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1. The target device begins the boot process by communicating with a ProvisioningServer and acquiring a license.

2. The Provisioning Server checks the vDisk pool for vDisk information, which includesidentifying the Provisioning Server(s) that can provide the vDisk to the targetdevice and the path information that server should use to get to the vDisk. In thisexample, the vDisk shows that only one Provisioning Server in this site can providethe target device with the vDisk and that the vDisk physically resides on theFinance Server (shared storage at the farm level).

3. The Provisioning Server locates the vDisk on Finance Server, then streams thatvDisk, on demand, to the target device.

On the Consoles Create a New vDisk dialog, you can add a new vDisk file to a store andselect the Provisioning Server that will create the vDisk file on a Provisioning Server oron shared storage.

Target DevicesA device, such as a desktop computer or server, that boots and gets software from avDisk on the network, is considered a target device.

Note: In the product documentation, the term target device is used generically whenreferring to any device within the a Provisioning Services Farm, which boots and getssoftware from a vDisk on the network.

Target devices deliver a higher level of security than traditional technologies, by fullyutilizing your existing management infrastructure. Each target device continues to haveits own unique identity on the network and within your existing network operatingsystem (i.e. Active Directory, Novell E-Directory and other LDAP directories). Target


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devices can continue to be managed by group policies and existing security policiespushed out by these directory management tools.In addition to using existing policy management tools, greater security is inherit by thefact that there is no longer a hard drive in the target device. If the target device isstolen, data is not lost. Instead, it is easily ported to another target device.A target device can only be a member of one device collection. Expanding a DeviceCollection folder in the Consoles tree allows you to view members of a devicecollection and information such as the target device name, IP address, vDisk, and theProvisioning Server currently providing the vDisk.Target device settings are made in the Consoles Device Properties dialog, whichincludes settings such as printer assignments.

StoreA store is a logical name that is given to a physical vDisk storage location. The storename is the common name used by all Provisioning Servers within the farm.Example OneThe physical vDisk for Windows XP (WINXP1) resides on a Provisioning Server (PVS1)local to a site. The vDisk path is:C:\vDisks\WINXP1.vhd

The logical name that is given to this physical location is the store.Store name (logical name): bostonwinxpExample TwoThe physical vDisk for Windows XP (WINXP1) resides on a network share (FinanceShare)at the farm level. The vDisk path for Provisioning Server (PVS1) to WINXP1 is:\\FinanceShare\vDisks\WINXP1.vhd

Access or visibility to a store depends on the users administrative privileges:w Farm administrators have full access to all stores within the farm.w Site administrators have access to only those stores owned by the site. They can

delete stores owned by the site but they can not modify store properties or addvDisks to the store.

w Device administrators and device operators have read-only access and can not viewstore information. Site Administrators may also have read-only access if that storeexists at the farm level, or if that store belongs to another site.

Stores that exist in a farm can be viewed by expanding the Store parent directory inthe Consoles tree. The Stores property settings can be modified from the PropertiesDialog.


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Device CollectionsDevice collections provide the ability to create and manage logical groups of targetdevices. A device collection could represent a physical location, a subnet range, or alogical grouping of target devices. Creating device collections simplifies devicemanagement by performing actions at the collection level rather than at the target-device level.

Note: A target device can only be a member of one device collection.

Device collections are created and managed by farm administrators, site administratorsthat have security privileges to that site, or device administrators that have securityprivileges to that collection. Device administrators can not modify the collection itself;only the devices within it. Device operators can only perform tasks on devicecollections that they are assigned to.

Network ServicesNetwork services include a BOOTP service, Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)service, and a TFTP service. These service options can be used during the boot processto retrieve IP addresses, and locate then download the boot program from theProvisioning Server to the target device. Alternative boot options are also available,refer to Booting From an Optional Boot Device.

Note: For network service details, refer to Managing Bootstrap Files and BootDevices on page 219 in this document.

Provisioning Services Administrator RolesThe ability to view and manage objects within a Provisioning Services implementationis determined by the administrative role assigned to a group of users. ProvisioningServices makes use of groups that already exist within the network (Windows or ActiveDirectory Groups).All members within a group share the same administrative privileges within a farm. Anadministrator may have multiple roles if they belong to more than one group.Groups are managed at the farm level through the Consoles Farm Properties dialog.The following roles exist within a Provisioning Services farm:w Farm Administrator Farm administrators can view and manage all objects within a

farm. Farm administrators can also create new sites and manage role membershipsthroughout the entire farm.

w Site Administrator Site administrators have full management access to the allobjects within a site. For example, a site administrator can manage ProvisioningServers, site properties, target devices, device collections, vDisks, vDisk pools, and


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local vDisk stores. A site administrator can also manage device administrator anddevice operator memberships.

w Device Administrator Device administrators can perform all device-collectionmanagement tasks on collections to which they have privileges, including; viewvDisk properties (read-only), assign or remove vDisks from a device, boot or shutdown target devices, edit device properties, and send messages to target deviceswithin a device collection to which they have privileges.

w Device Operator Device operators can view target device properties (read-only),boot or shut down target devices, and send messages to target devices within adevice collection to which they have privileges.

Provisioning Services and ResourcesThe following services and resources are available to support Provisioning Services.w Provisioning Services Documentationw Getting Service and Supportw Getting the Subscription Advantagew Locating the Citrix Developer Networkw Participating in Citrix Education and Training

Provisioning Services DocumentationThe following identifies the documentation that is available to support ProvisioningServices. All supporting documentation assumes that Provisioning Servicesadministrators are knowledgeable about networking components and administration,and that device operators are familiar with networking concepts.The majority of product documentation is provided as Adobe Portable DocumentFormat (PDF) files. To view, search, and print PDF documentation, you need to haveAdobe Reader 5.0.5 with Search, or a more recent version. You can download theseproducts for free from Adobe Systems Web site at http://www.adobe.com/Most PDF product documentation, including knowledge-based topics and white papers,are accessible from the Citrix Knowledge Center, http://support.citrix.com/ or fromCitrix eDocs at http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/index.jsp.Citrix Product Licensing DocumentationFor Citrix product licensing documentation, refer to Licensing Your Product under theTechnologies section on Citrix eDocs (http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/index.jsp).Release NotesThis document contains important product information and is intended to be read first.Contents include information on new product features, enhancements, and known


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product issues as well as late additions that were not included in the other productdocumentation.The release notes are accessible from:w Citrix Knowledge Center: http://support.citrix.com/w Product installation CD-ROM, when the installation executable is run.Programmers GuidesAdministrators with the appropriate privileges can use any of the following guides tomanage your implementation from command lines.w MCLI Programmers Guidew SOAP Server Programmers Guidew PowerShell Programmers GuideThese guides are available as a PDF and can be accessed from the Citrix KnowledgeCenter: http://support.citrix.com/Virtual Disk Status Tray HelpThe Virtual Disk (vDisk) Status Tray help is available to aid in the management andtroubleshooting of vDisks on target devices.This help system is assessable from the Help menu on the Virtual Disk Status Tray.Finding Additional DocumentationFrom the Help menu or product installation directory, the following additionaldocumentation is available for optional Provisioning Services utilities:w Boot Device Manager (BDM.chm)w BOOTPTab Editor (bootptab-editor-help.chm)w PXE (pxemap.chm)

Getting Service and SupportCitrix provides technical support primarily through the Citrix Solutions AdvisorsProgram. Contact your supplier for the first-line support or check for your nearestSolutions Advisor. In addition to the Citrix Solutions Advisors Program, Citrix offers avariety of self-service, Web-based technical support tools from its Knowledge Centerat: http://support.citrix.com/The Knowledge Center feature includes:w A knowledge base containing thousands of technical solutions to support your Citrix

environment.w An online product documentation library.w Interactive support forums for every Citrix product.


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w Blogs and communities.w Access to the latest hotfixes and service packs.w Security bulletins.w Additional resources are available to customers with valid support contracts,

including online problem reporting and tracking.w Citrix Live Remote Assistance. Using Citrixs remote assistance product, GoToAssist,

a member of our support team can view your desktop and share control of yourmouse and keyboard to get you on your way to a solution.

Another source of support, Citrix Preferred Support Services, provides a range ofoptions that allows you to customize the level and type of support for yourorganizations Citrix products.

Getting the Subscription AdvantageSubscription Advantage gives you an easy way to stay current with the latest server-based software functionality and information. Not only do you get automatic deliveryof feature releases, software upgrades, enhancements, and maintenance releases thatbecome available during the term of your subscription, you also get priority access toimportant Citrix technology information.You can find more information on the Citrix Web site (http://www.citrix.com/) byselecting Subscription Advantage from the Support menu.You can also contact your Citrix sales representative or a member of the CitrixSolutions Advisors Program for more information.

Locating the Citrix Developer NetworkThe Citrix Developer Network (CDN) is at: http://www.citrix.com/cdn/This enrollment membership program provides access to developer toolkits, technicalinformation, and test programs for software and hardware vendors, system integrators,and corporate IT developers who incorporate Citrix computing solutions into theirproducts.

Note: There is no cost associated with enrolling with the Citrix Developer Network.

Participating in Citrix Education and TrainingThe following identifies the documentation that is available to support ProvisioningServices. All supporting documentation assumes that Provisioning Servicesadministrators are knowledgeable about networking components and administration,and that device operators are familiar with networking concepts.The majority of product documentation is provided as Adobe Portable DocumentFormat (PDF) files. To view, search, and print PDF documentation, you need to have


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Adobe Reader 5.0.5 with Search, or a more recent version. You can download theseproducts for free from Adobe Systems Web site at: http://www.adobe.com/


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Chapter 2

Product Technology OverviewTopics: Getting the Bootstrap File Provisioning Services vDisk

Modes Selecting the Write Cache

Destination for StandardvDisk Images

vDisk technology is the key to software streaming. Thistechnology allows a target device to connect to a ProvisioningServer to emulate a local hard drive. The difference betweena physical hard drive and a vDisk is unknown to the targetdevice.Understanding how Provisioning Services works requiresknowledge of the following underlaying technology:w Getting the Bootstrap File on page 34w Provisioning Services vDisk Modes on page 36w Selecting the Write Cache Destination for Standard vDisk

Images on page 38

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Getting the Bootstrap FileA target device initiates the boot process by first loading a bootstrap program. Abootstrap program is a small program that runs before the operating system is loaded.Provisioining Services uses a special bootstrap program which initializes the streamingsession between the target device and the Provisioning Server. After this session starts,the operating system begins to be streamed and loaded from the vDisk that was initiated.There are three ways that a target device may load the bootstrap program.w Over the network, via Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE)w From a boot device stored on attached mediaw From a BIOS Embedded bootstrap (OEM versions only)After the target device's BIOS is configured to allow it to boot from the network, thedevice can boot and get a vDisk assignment from the Provisioning Server. The targetdevice firmware gets the bootstrap file using standard network protocols.

Note: The device firmware (NIC) must support PXE 0.99j, PXE 2.1or greater.

Network Booting a Target DeviceThe DHCP service delivers IP configurations to a target device. It can also deliver thebootstrap file location using options 67, and 60 or 66. Consider delivering the bootstrapfile location with a DHCP service to reduce the number of services and increase reliability.

Note: The BOOTP service can deliver IP configuration to a target device according toBOOTP tab. It can also deliver the boot program location using optional fields. Use ofthis service is no longer typical. Use this service only if DHCP does not meet yourrequirements.

The PXE service can deliver the bootstrap file location to a target device according tothe PXE Specification Version 2.1. Use this service if a DHCP service exists and cannotbe changed, and

administrators guide for pvs

Documents