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IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE

EMC VSPEX END-USER COMPUTING Citrix XenDesktop and Microsoft Hyper-V with EMC ScaleIO

EMC VSPEX

Abstract

This Implementation Guide describes the high-level steps required to deploy an EMC® VSPEX® End-User Computing solution for Citrix XenDesktop and Microsoft Hyper-V enabled by EMC ScaleIO™ storage.

February 2015

2 EMC VSPEX End-User Computing: Citrix XenDesktop and Microsoft Hyper-V with EMC ScaleIO Implementation Guide

Copyright © 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Published in the USA.

Published February 2015

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EMC VSPEX End-User Computing: Citrix XenDesktop and Microsoft Hyper-V with EMC ScaleIO Implementation Guide

Part Number H13843

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Contents

3 EMC VSPEX End-User Computing: Citrix XenDesktop and Microsoft Hyper-V with EMC ScaleIO

Implementation Guide

Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction 9

Purpose of this guide ................................................................................................ 10

Business value ......................................................................................................... 10

Scope ....................................................................................................................... 11

Audience .................................................................................................................. 11

Terminology.............................................................................................................. 12

Chapter 2 Before You Start 13

Overview .................................................................................................................. 14

Pre-deployment tasks ............................................................................................... 14

Deployment workflow ............................................................................................... 15

Deployment prerequisites ........................................................................................ 16

Essential reading ...................................................................................................... 17

Chapter 3 Solution Overview 19

Overview .................................................................................................................. 20

VSPEX Proven Infrastructures ................................................................................... 20

Solution architecture ................................................................................................ 21

High-level architecture ......................................................................................... 21

Logical architecture ............................................................................................. 23

Summary of key components.................................................................................... 24

Chapter 4 Solution Implementation 25

Overview .................................................................................................................. 26

Setting up the network ............................................................................................. 27

Configuring the infrastructure network ................................................................. 27

Configuring the VLANs ......................................................................................... 28

Completing the network cabling........................................................................... 28

Installing and configuring Microsoft Hyper-V ............................................................ 29

Installing Windows Server .................................................................................... 29

Configuring Hyper-V networking ........................................................................... 29

Installing and configuring the SQL Server database .................................................. 30

Deploying the System Center Virtual Machine Manager server .................................. 31

Creating the SCVMM server virtual machine ......................................................... 31

Installing the SCVMM guest OS ............................................................................ 31

Contents


Installing the SCVMM server ................................................................................ 32

Installing the VMM Management Console ............................................................ 32

Installing the SCVMM agent locally on a host ....................................................... 32

Adding the Hyper-V cluster into SCVMM ............................................................... 32

Creating a virtual machine in SCVMM................................................................... 32

Creating a template virtual machine..................................................................... 32

Deploying virtual machines from the template virtual machine ............................ 33

Preparing and configuring the storage ...................................................................... 33

Preparing the installation worksheet .................................................................... 33

Installing the ScaleIO components....................................................................... 35

Creating and mapping volumes ........................................................................... 40

Creating the CSV (Cluster Shared Volume) disk .................................................... 42

Installing the GUI ................................................................................................. 43

Installing and configuring XenDesktop Delivery Controllers ...................................... 43

Creating VMs for XenDesktop Delivery Controllers ................................................ 44

Installing the guest OS for the XenDesktop Delivery Controllers ........................... 44

Installing server-side components of XenDesktop ................................................ 44

Installing Citrix Studio.......................................................................................... 44

Configuring a site ................................................................................................. 44

Adding a second controller .................................................................................. 45

Provisioning MCS-based virtual desktops ................................................................. 45

Preparing the master virtual machine ................................................................... 45

Provisioning virtual desktops ............................................................................... 45

Installing and configuring Citrix Provisioning Services (PVS) ..................................... 46

Configuring a PVS server farm .............................................................................. 47

Adding a second PVS server ................................................................................. 47

Creating a PVS store ............................................................................................ 47

Configuring inbound communication ................................................................... 48

Configuring a bootstrap file.................................................................................. 48

Configuring boot options 66 and 67 on DHCP server ............................................ 49

Provisioning PVS-based virtual desktops .................................................................. 49

Preparing the master virtual machine ................................................................... 49

Provisioning virtual desktops ............................................................................... 49

Chapter 5 Solution Verification 51

Overview .................................................................................................................. 52

Verifying installation with post-installation checklist ................................................ 52

Deploying and testing a single virtual desktop ......................................................... 53

Verifying the redundancy of the solution components .............................................. 53

Contents



Chapter 6 Reference Documentation 55

EMC documentation ................................................................................................. 56

Other documentation ............................................................................................... 56

Microsoft ............................................................................................................. 56

Citrix .................................................................................................................... 56

Appendix A Configuration Worksheet 57

Customer Configuration Worksheet .......................................................................... 58

Contents


Figures VSPEX Proven Infrastructures .............................................................. 21 Figure 1.

Architecture of the validated solution .................................................. 22 Figure 2.

Logical architecture ............................................................................. 23 Figure 3.

Sample Ethernet network architecture ................................................. 27 Figure 4.

Installation Manager Home page ......................................................... 36 Figure 5.

Manage Installation Packages ............................................................. 36 Figure 6.

Upload installation packages .............................................................. 37 Figure 7.

Upload Installation CSV ....................................................................... 37 Figure 8.

Review Installation Configuration ........................................................ 38 Figure 9.

Monitor page ....................................................................................... 39 Figure 10.

Completed Install Operation ................................................................ 40 Figure 11.

Configure Bootstrap dialog box ........................................................... 48 Figure 12.

Opening attachments in a PDF file ....................................................... 58 Figure 13.

Tables Terminology......................................................................................... 12 Table 1.

Tasks for predeployment ..................................................................... 14 Table 2.

Deployment workflow .......................................................................... 15 Table 3.

Deployment prerequisites checklist ..................................................... 16 Table 4.

Solution components .......................................................................... 24 Table 5.

Implementation process overview ....................................................... 26 Table 6.

Tasks for switch and network configuration ......................................... 27 Table 7.

Tasks for server installation ................................................................. 29 Table 8.

Tasks for SQL Server database setup ................................................... 30 Table 9.

Tasks for vCenter configuration ........................................................... 31 Table 10.

Tasks for storage configuration ............................................................ 33 Table 11.

CSV installation spreadsheet ............................................................... 34 Table 12.

add_volume command parameters ..................................................... 41 Table 13.

map_volume_to_sdc command parameters ........................................ 42 Table 14.

Tasks for XenDesktop controller setup ................................................. 43 Table 15.

Tasks for XenDesktop controller setup ................................................. 46 Table 16.

Tasks for testing the installation .......................................................... 52 Table 17.

Common server information ................................................................ 59 Table 18.

Microsoft Hyper-V Server information .................................................. 59 Table 19.

ScaleIO information ............................................................................. 59 Table 20.

Network infrastructure information ...................................................... 60 Table 21.

Contents



VLAN information ................................................................................ 60 Table 22.

Service accounts ................................................................................. 60 Table 23.

Contents


Chapter 1: Introduction



Chapter 1 Introduction

This chapter presents the following topics:

Purpose of this guide ............................................................................................... 10

Business value ......................................................................................................... 10

Scope ....................................................................................................................... 11

Audience .................................................................................................................. 11

Terminology ............................................................................................................. 12



Purpose of this guide

The EMC® VSPEX® End-User Computing solution provides the customer with a modern system capable of hosting a large number of virtual desktops at a consistent performance level. This VSPEX End-User Computing solution for Citrix XenDesktop runs on a Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization layer backed by the highly available EMC ScaleIO® software-only storage area network. The desktop virtualization infrastructure components are layered on a VSPEX Private Cloud for Microsoft Hyper-V Proven Infrastructure, while the desktops are hosted on dedicated resources.

The compute and network components, which are defined by the VSPEX partners, are designed to be redundant and sufficiently powerful to handle the processing and data needs of a large virtual machine environment.

This VSPEX End-User-Computing solution is validated to support up to 200 virtual desktops. The validated configurations are based on a reference desktop workload and form the basis for creating cost-effective, custom solutions for individual customers.

An end-user computing or virtual desktop infrastructure is a complex system offering. This Implementation Guide describes how to implement, with best practices, the resources necessary to deploy an end-user computing solution using Citrix XenDesktop for Microsoft Hyper-V enabled by EMC ScaleIO.

Business value

Business applications are moving into a consolidated compute, network, and storage environment. This VSPEX End-User Computing solution for Citrix XenDesktop reduces the complexity of configuring every component of a traditional deployment model. The solution reduces the complexity of integration management while maintaining application design and implementation options. It also provides unified administration, while enabling adequate control and monitoring of process separation.

This solution provides:

End-to-end virtualization to utilize the capabilities of the unified infrastructure components

Efficient virtualization of up to 200 virtual desktops for varied customer use cases

Reliable, flexible, and scalable reference architectures




Scope

This Implementation Guide describes the high-level steps required to deploy the VSPEX End-User Computing solution for Citrix XenDesktop, in which the desktop virtualization infrastructure components are layered on a VSPEX Private Cloud for Microsoft Hyper-V Proven Infrastructure. It provides examples of deployments on EMC ScaleIO storage. The same principles and guidelines apply to all ScaleIO models that have been validated as part of the VSPEX program.

Audience

This guide is intended for internal EMC personnel and qualified EMC VSPEX Partners. The guide assumes that VSPEX partners who intend to deploy this VSPEX end-user computing solution have the necessary training and background to install and configure an end-user computing solution based on Citrix XenDesktop with Microsoft Hyper-V as the hypervisor, ScaleIO storage systems, and associated infrastructure.

Readers should also be familiar with the infrastructure and database security policies of the customer installation.

This guide provides external references where applicable. EMC recommends that partners implementing this solution be familiar with these documents. For details, refer to Essential reading and Chapter 6: Reference Documentation.



Terminology

Table 1 lists the terminology used in this guide.

Terminology Table 1.

Term Definition

End-user computing Decouples the desktop from the physical machine.

In an end-user computing environment, the desktop operating system (OS) and applications reside inside a virtual machine running on a host computer, with data residing on shared storage. Users access their virtual desktop from any computer or mobile device over a private network or internet connection.

MCS Machine Creation Services, a component of XenDesktop that can be used to deliver desktop images. MCS works with the relevant hypervisor to create, start, stop, and delete virtual machines.

MDM Meta Data Manager, a ScaleIO component that configures and monitors a ScaleIO system. The MDM can be configured in a redundant mode on three servers, or in a single mode on a single server.

Reference architecture

The validated architecture that supports this VSPEX end-user-computing solution at a particular point of scale.

Reference workload For VSPEX end-user computing solutions, a single virtual desktop—the reference virtual desktop—with the workload characteristics indicated in the Design Guide.

By comparing the customer’s actual usage to this reference workload, you can extrapolate which reference architecture to choose as the basis for the customer’s VSPEX deployment.

Refer to the EMC VSPEX End-User Computing: Citrix XenDesktop and Microsoft Hyper-V with EMC ScaleIO Design Guide for details.

SDC ScaleIO Data Client, a device driver that exposes ScaleIO volumes as block devices to the application residing on the server on which the SDC is installed.

SDS ScaleIO Data Server, a ScaleIO component that manages the capacity of a single server and acts as a backend for data access. It is installed on all servers that contribute storage devices to the ScaleIO system.

Virtual desktop The desktop OS and applications that reside on a virtual machine running on a host computer.

Chapter 2: Before You Start



Chapter 2 Before You Start


Overview .................................................................................................................. 14

Pre-deployment tasks .............................................................................................. 14

Deployment workflow .............................................................................................. 15

Deployment prerequisites ........................................................................................ 16

Essential reading ..................................................................................................... 17



Overview

This chapter provides an overview of important information of which you need to be aware, documents with which you need to be familiar, and tasks you need to perform before you start implementing your VSPEX End-User Computing with Citrix XenDesktop solution.

The Design Guide for this solution—EMC VSPEX End-User Computing: Citrix XenDesktop and Microsoft Hyper-V with EMC ScaleIO—describes how to design and size your solution, allocate resources following best practices, and use all the benefits that VSPEX offers. The deployment examples in this Implementation Guide are based on the recommendations and examples in the Design Guide.

Pre-deployment tasks

Pre-deployment tasks include procedures that do not directly relate to environment installation and configuration, but you will need the results from these tasks at the time of installation. Examples of pre-deployment tasks include collection of host names, IP addresses, VLAN IDs, license keys, installation media, and so on. You should perform these tasks before the customer visit to reduce the amount of time required on site.

Tasks for predeployment Table 2.

Task Description Reference

Gather documents

Gather the related documents listed in Essential reading and Reference Documentation. These are used throughout this document to provide details on setup procedures, sizing, and deployment best practices for the solution components.

Essential reading

Reference Documentation

Gather tools Gather the required and optional tools for the deployment. Use Table 4 to confirm that all equipment, software, and appropriate licenses are available before the deployment process.

Deployment prerequisites checklist

Gather data Collect the customer-specific configuration data for networking, accounts, and so on. Enter this information into the Customer Configuration Worksheet for reference during the deployment process.

In addition, for the most comprehensive storage-specific information, complete the relevant ScaleIO worksheet. These worksheets are available on EMC Online Support.

Customer Configuration Worksheet




Deployment workflow

To design and implement your end-user computing solution, refer to the process flow in Table 3.

Deployment workflow Table 3.

Step Action

1 Use the Customer Sizing Worksheet in the Design Guide to collect customer requirements.

2 Use the EMC VSPEX Sizing Tool to determine the recommended VSPEX reference architecture for your end-user computing solution, based on the user requirements collected in step 1.

For more information about the Sizing Tool, refer to the EMC VSPEX Sizing Tool portal.

Note: If the Sizing Tool is not available, you can manually size the application using the guidelines in the Design Guide.

3 Use the Design Guide to determine the final design for your VSPEX solution.

Note: Ensure that all resource requirements are considered, not just the requirements for end-user computing.

4 Select and order the right VSPEX reference architecture and Proven Infrastructure. Refer to the VSPEX Proven Infrastructure Guide in Essential reading for guidance on selecting a Private Cloud Proven Infrastructure.

5 Follow this Implementation Guide to deploy and test your VSPEX solution.

Note: If you already have a VSPEX Proven Infrastructure environment, you can skip the implementation steps that are already completed.

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Deployment prerequisites

Table 4 itemizes the hardware, software, and license requirements to configure the solution. Visit EMC Online Support for more information on these prerequisites.

Deployment prerequisites checklist Table 4.

Requirement Description

Hardware Physical servers with sufficient resources, including disk drives for ScaleIO storage to host the virtual desktops as recommended in the Design Guide

Microsoft Hyper-V servers to host virtual infrastructure servers

Networking switch port capacity and capabilities as required for end-user computing

Note: The existing infrastructure might satisfy these requirements.

Software Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 installation media (suggested operating system for Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM), Citrix XenDesktop Controllers, and Citrix Provisioning Services servers)

Microsoft SCVMM 2012 R2 installation media

Citrix XenDesktop 7.6 installation media

Citrix Provisioning Services 7.6 installation media

Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 installation media

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 or later installation media

Note: The existing infrastructure might satisfy some of these requirements.

EMC ScaleIO 1.31

Licenses EMC ScaleIO 1.3 license key

Microsoft SCVMM 2012 R2 license key

Citrix XenDesktop 7.6 license files

Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Edition (or higher) license keys

Microsoft Windows 7 license keys

Microsoft SQL Server license key

Note: An existing Microsoft Key Management Server (KMS) license might satisfy the requirements for Windows Server and Windows 7; similarly, an existing license might satisfy the requirement for SQL Server.




Essential reading

EMC recommends that you read the following documents, available from the VSPEX space in the EMC Community Network or from EMC.com or the VSPEX Proven Infrastructure partner portal.

EMC VSPEX End-User Computing: Citrix XenDesktop and Microsoft Hyper-V with EMC ScaleIO Design Guide

EMC VSPEX Private Cloud: Microsoft Hyper-V and EMC ScaleIO Proven Infrastructure Guide

http://www.emc.com/resource-library/resource-library.htm

http://www.emc.com/platform/virtualizing-information-infrastructure/vspex.htm

http://www.emc.com/platform/virtualizing-information-infrastructure/vspex.htm

Chapter 3: Solution Overview



Chapter 3 Solution Overview


Overview .................................................................................................................. 20

VSPEX Proven Infrastructures................................................................................... 20

Solution architecture ............................................................................................... 21

Summary of key components ................................................................................... 24



Overview

This chapter provides an overview of the VSPEX End-User Computing for Citrix XenDesktop on Microsoft Hyper-V solution and the key technologies used in the solution. The solution has been designed and proven by EMC to provide the desktop virtualization, server, network, and storage to support reference architectures up to 200 virtual desktops.

The desktop virtualization infrastructure components of the solution are designed to be layered on a VSPEX Private Cloud for Microsoft Hyper-V Proven Infrastructure. However, the reference architectures do not include configuration details for the underlying infrastructure. Refer to the VSPEX Proven Infrastructure Guide listed in Essential reading for information on configuring the required infrastructure components.

VSPEX Proven Infrastructures

EMC has joined other IT infrastructure providers to create a complete virtualization solution that accelerates the deployment of the private cloud and Citrix XenDesktop virtual desktops. VSPEX enables customers to accelerate their IT transformation with faster deployment, greater simplicity and choice, higher efficiency, and lower risk, compared to the challenges and complexity of building an IT infrastructure themselves.

VSPEX validation by EMC ensures predictable performance and enables customers to select technology that uses their existing or newly acquired IT infrastructure while eliminating planning, sizing, and configuration burdens. VSPEX provides a virtual infrastructure for customers who want the simplicity that is characteristic of truly converged infrastructures, with more choice in individual stack components.

VSPEX Proven Infrastructures, as shown in Figure 1, are modular, virtualized infrastructures validated by EMC and delivered by EMC VSPEX partners. They include virtualization, server, network, storage, and backup layers. Partners can choose the virtualization, server, and network technologies that best fit a customer’s environment, while the EMC ScaleIO storage system provides the storage layer.




VSPEX Proven Infrastructures Figure 1.

Solution architecture

The EMC VSPEX End-User Computing for Citrix XenDesktop solution provides a complete system architecture to support up to 200 virtual desktops.

High-level architecture



Figure 2 shows the high-level architecture of the validated solution.

Architecture of the validated solution Figure 2.

The solution uses EMC ScaleIO and Microsoft Hyper-V to provide the storage and virtualization platforms for a Citrix XenDesktop environment of Microsoft Windows 7 virtual desktops provisioned by Citrix Provisioning Services (PVS) or Machine Creation Services (MCS).

The desktop virtualization components are designed to be layered on a VSPEX Private Cloud solution for Microsoft Hyper-V, backed by EMC ScaleIO, which provides the storage. The infrastructure services for the solution, as shown in Figure 3, can be provided by existing infrastructure at the customer site, by the VSPEX Private Cloud, or by deploying them as dedicated resources as part of the solution.

Planning and designing the storage infrastructure for a Citrix XenDesktop environment is critical because the shared storage must be able to absorb large bursts of I/O that occur during a day. These bursts can lead to periods of erratic and unpredictable virtual desktop performance. Users can adapt to slow performance, but unpredictable performance frustrates users and reduces efficiency.

To provide predictable performance for end-user computing solutions, the storage system must be able to handle the peak I/O load from the clients while keeping response time to a minimum.




Figure 3 shows the logical architecture of this solution.

Logical architecture Figure 3.

Note: The infrastructure servers for the solution can be provided by existing infrastructure at the customer site or by the VSPEX Private Cloud solution.

Logical architecture



Summary of key components

Table 5 summarizes the key technologies used in this solution. The Design Guide provides overviews of the individual components.

Solution components Table 5.

VSPEX layer Components

Application layer Citrix XenDesktop 7.6 with:

Receiver

Storefront

Studio

Delivery Controller

Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA)

Server OS machines

Desktop OS machines

Remote PC Access

License Server

Citrix Machine Creation Services (MCS)

Citrix Provisioning Services (PVS)

Citrix Personal vDisk (PvDisk or PvD)

Citrix Profile Management

Virtualization layer Microsoft Hyper-V

Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager

Compute layer VSPEX defines the minimum amount of compute layer resources required, but allows the customer to implement the requirements using any server hardware that meets these requirements.

Network layer VSPEX defines the minimum number of network ports required for the solution and provides general guidance on network architecture, but allows the customer to implement the requirements using any network hardware that meets these requirements.

Storage layer EMC ScaleIO

Chapter 4: Solution Implementation



Chapter 4 Solution Implementation


Overview .................................................................................................................. 26

Setting up the network ............................................................................................. 27

Installing and configuring Microsoft Hyper-V ........................................................... 29

Installing and configuring the SQL Server database ................................................ 30

Deploying the System Center Virtual Machine Manager server ................................ 31

Preparing and configuring the storage ..................................................................... 33

Installing and configuring XenDesktop Delivery Controllers .................................... 43

Provisioning MCS-based virtual desktops ................................................................ 45

Installing and configuring Citrix Provisioning Services (PVS) ................................... 46

Provisioning PVS-based virtual desktops ................................................................. 49



Overview

This chapter describes how to implement the reference architecture of the end-user computing solution. If you already have a VSPEX Proven Infrastructure environment, you can skip the sections for the implementation steps already completed. Otherwise, refer to the VSPEX Proven Infrastructure Guide listed in Essential reading for information on configuring the required infrastructure components.

Note: This solution requires certain infrastructure services, as shown in Figure 3 on page 23. These can be provided by existing infrastructure at the customer site, by a VSPEX Private Cloud, or by deploying them as dedicated resources as part of this solution.

Table 6 lists the main stages in the solution implementation process, with links to the relevant sections in the chapter.

Implementation process overview Table 6.

Stage Description Reference

1 Configure the switches and networks and connect to the customer network.

Setting up the network

2 Install and configure servers. Installing and configuring Microsoft Hyper-V

3 Set up SQL Server (used by Microsoft SCVMM, Citrix XenDesktop, and Citrix PVS).

Installing and configuring the SQL Server database

4 Install and configure SCVMM and virtual machine networking.

Deploying the System Center Virtual Machine Manager server

5 Configure the ScaleIO environment. Preparing and configuring the storage

6 Set up XenDesktop Controller. Installing and configuring XenDesktop Delivery Controllers

7 Provision MCS desktops Provisioning MCS-based virtual desktops

8 Set up Citrix Provisioning Services. Installing and configuring Citrix Provisioning Services (PVS)

9 Provision PVS desktops Provisioning PVS-based virtual desktops




Setting up the network

This section describes the requirements for preparing the network infrastructure required to support this solution. Table 7 summarizes the tasks to be completed, with references for further information.

Tasks for switch and network configuration Table 7.


Configuring the infrastructure network

Configure the Hyper-V host infrastructure networking.


Configuring the VLANs

Configure private and public VLANs as required.


Vendor’s switch configuration guide

Completing the network cabling

Connect the switch interconnect ports, and Hyper-V server ports.


The infrastructure network requires redundant network links for each Hyper-V host, switch interconnect ports, and switch uplink ports. This configuration provides both redundancy and additional network bandwidth.

This configuration is required regardless of whether the network infrastructure for the solution already exists or is being deployed with other components of the solution.

Figure 4 shows a sample redundant Ethernet infrastructure for this solution. It illustrates the use of redundant switches and links to ensure that no single point of failure exists in network connectivity.

Sample Ethernet network architecture Figure 4.




Ensure that there are adequate switch ports for Hyper-V hosts. EMC recommends that you configure the Hyper-V hosts with a minimum of three VLANs:

Client access network: Virtual machine networking and CIFS traffic (customer-facing networks, which can be separated if needed)

Storage network: ScaleIO data networking (private network)

Management network: Management and live migration networking (private network)

Ensure that all solution servers, switch interconnects, and switch uplinks have redundant connections and are plugged into separate switching infrastructures. Ensure that there is a complete connection to the existing customer network.

Note: At this point, the new equipment is connected to the existing customer network. Ensure that unforeseen interactions do not cause service issues on the customer network.






Installing and configuring Microsoft Hyper-V

This section provides information about installing and configuring the Windows hosts and infrastructure servers required to support the architecture. Table 8 describes the tasks to be completed.

Tasks for server installation Table 8.


Installing Windows Server

Install Windows Server 2012 R2 on the physical servers for the solution.

Configure the servers’ networking, including NIC teaming.

Install and Deploy Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012

Installing Hyper-V and configure Failover Clustering

Add the Hyper-V Server role.

Add the Failover Clustering feature.

Create and configure the Hyper-V cluster.

Hyper-V Overview

Failover Cluster Overview

Configuring Hyper-V networking

Configure Hyper-V networking, including the virtual switch network.

Hyper-V Networking Virtualization Overview

Follow the Microsoft best practices to install Windows Server 2012 R2 on the physical servers for this solution. The Customer Configuration Worksheet will provide the appropriate values, including values for network configuration.

To ensure performance and availability, the following NICs are recommended for the physical servers:

At least two NICs for virtual machine networking and management (can be separated by network or VLAN if necessary); NIC teaming is recommended.

At least two 10 GbE NICs for the data network; NIC teaming is recommended.

To install Hyper-V and configure Failover Clustering, complete the following steps: 1. Install and patch Windows Server 2012 R2 on each Windows host.

2. Configure the Hyper-V role and the Failover Clustering feature.

To configure the Hyper-V networking, complete the following steps:

1. Open the Hyper-V manager, and click Virtual Switch Manager.

2. Select the virtual network switch that have been created, select External network as the connection type, and select the NIC that this virtual network switch is going to use.

Installing Windows Server

Installing Hyper-V and configuring Failover Clustering

Configuring Hyper-V networking

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Installing and configuring the SQL Server database

Table 9 describes the tasks for setting up and configuring a Microsoft SQL Server database for the solution. When the tasks are complete, SQL Server is set up on a virtual machine, with all the databases required by Microsoft SCVMM, Citrix XenDesktop, and Citrix Provisioning Services configured for use.

Tasks for SQL Server database setup Table 9.


Create a virtual machine for Microsoft SQL Server

Create a virtual machine to host SQL Server. Verify that the virtual server meets the hardware and software requirements.

Install Hyper-V and Configure a Virtual Machine

Install Microsoft Windows on the virtual machine

Install Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 on the virtual machine.

Installing Windows Server 2012 R2

Install Microsoft SQL Server

Install Microsoft SQL Server on the virtual machine.

SQL Server Installation (SQL Server 2012)

Configure the database for SCVMM

Create the database required for the SCVMM server on the appropriate datastore.

Virtual Machine Manager

Configure XenDesktop database permissions

Configure the database server with appropriate permissions for the XenDesktop installer.

Database Access and Permission Model for XenDesktop

Note: EMC recommends that you put the OS volume for the SQL Server virtual machine into the VSPEX Private Cloud pool. The recommended configuration for a SQL Server instance is 2 vCPUs and 6 GB RAM.





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http://technet.microsoft.com/library/gg610610.aspx

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX127998







Deploying the System Center Virtual Machine Manager server

Table 10 describes the tasks to be completed to configure SCVMM for the solution.

Tasks for vCenter configuration Table 10.


Creating the SCVMM host virtual machine

Create a virtual machine for the SCVMM server.

Creating Virtual Machines in Virtual Machine Manager

Installing the SCVMM guest OS

Install Windows Server 2012 R2 on the SCVMM host virtual machine.

SCVMM documentation

Installing the SCVMM server

Install an SCVMM server. Installing a VMM Management Server

Installing the SCVMM Management Console

Install an SCVMM Management Console.

Installing and Opening the VMM Console

Installing the SCVMM agent locally on the host

Install the SCVMM agent locally on the Hyper-V host that SCVMM manages.

Installing a VMM Agent Locally

Adding the Hyper-V cluster into SCVMM

Add the Hyper-V cluster in to SCVMM.

How to Add a Node to a Hyper-V Host Cluster in VMM

Creating a virtual machine in SCVMM

Create a virtual machine on SCVMM.

Creating and Deploying Virtual Machines in VMM

Creating a template virtual machine

Create a template virtual machine from the existing virtual machine.

Create the hardware profile and guest OS profile at this time.

How to Create a Virtual Machine Template

Create VM from Template

Deploying virtual machines from the template virtual machine

Deploy the virtual machines from the template virtual machine.

How to Create and Deploy a Virtual Machine from a Template

To deploy the SCVMM server as a virtual machine on a Hyper-V server that is installed as part of this solution, connect directly to an infrastructure Hyper-V server using the Hyper-V manager.

Create a virtual machine on the Hyper-V server with the customer guest OS configuration.

The memory and processor requirements for the SCVMM server depend on the number of Hyper-V hosts and virtual machines that SCVMM must manage.

Install the guest OS on the SCVMM server virtual machine.

Creating the SCVMM server virtual machine

Installing the SCVMM guest OS



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Install the required Windows Server version on the virtual machine and select the appropriate network, time, and authentication settings.

Set up the VMM database and the default library server, and then install the SCVMM server.

Refer to the TechNet article Installing a VMM Management Server to install the SCVMM server.

The VMM Management Console is a client tool used to manage the SCVMM server. Install the VMM Management Console on the same computer as the SCVMM server.

Refer to the TechNet article Installing the VMM Administrator Console to install the VMM Management Console.

When Hyper-V hosts in a trusted domain are added to SCVMM using the VMM Management Console, SCVMM automatically installs an agent on these hosts.

If the hosts are on a perimeter network or not joined to a domain with a trust relationship with the SCVMM server, the SCVMM agent must be installed locally on the hosts before they can be added to SCVMM.

Refer to the TechNet article Installing a VMM Agent Locally to install an SCVMM agent locally on a host.

Add the deployed Microsoft Hyper-V cluster to SCVMM, which manages the Hyper-V cluster.

Refer to the TechNet article How to Add a Node to a Hyper-V Host Cluster in VMM to add the Hyper-V cluster.

Create a virtual machine in SCVMM to use as a virtual machine template. Install the virtual machine, then install the software, and change the Windows and application settings.

Refer to the TechNet article Creating and Deploying Virtual Machines in VMM to create a virtual machine.

Converting a virtual machine into a template removes the virtual machine. Back up the virtual machine, because it could be destroyed during template creation.

Create a hardware profile and a guest OS profile when creating a template. Use the profile to deploy the virtual machines.

Refer to the TechNet articles How to Create a Virtual Machine Template and Create VM from Template to create the template.

Installing the SCVMM server

Installing the VMM Management Console

Installing the SCVMM agent locally on a host

Adding the Hyper-V cluster into SCVMM

Creating a virtual machine in SCVMM

Creating a template virtual machine












Refer to the TechNet article How to Create and Deploy a Virtual Machine from a Template to deploy the virtual machines.

The Deployment Wizard allows you to save the PowerShell scripts and reuse them to deploy other virtual machines with the same configuration.

Preparing and configuring the storage

Table 11 describes how to install and configure ScaleIO on physical Windows Server systems in a Hyper-V environment.

Tasks for storage configuration Table 11.


Preparing the installation spreadsheet

Populate the ScaleIO installation spreadsheet with the configuration and topology information for the ScaleIO environment and save it as a comma-separated value (CSV) file.

EMC ScaleIO User Guide

Installing the ScaleIO components

Set up the Installation Manager server; install and configure the ScaleIO components.

Creating and mapping volumes

Create volumes with the required capacity using the command line interface (CLI). Map the volumes to the specific SDCs for the application.

Creating the Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) disk

Scan the ScaleIO LUN from the Windows servers and add the disks to CSV in the Failover Cluster Manager.

Use Cluster Shared Volumes in a Failover Cluster

Installing the GUI Install the ScaleIO GUI to manage the system.


ScaleIO Installation Manager uses a CSV file to install and configure ScaleIO components. This file contains configuration and topology information that Installation Manager uses to set up and configure all ScaleIO nodes on the physical Windows Server systems used in this solution.

Notes:

Use a combination of a CSV file and Installation Manager to add servers after the initial installation.

Use the CSV file to remove installed components.

To create the installation CSV file, populate a spreadsheet with all the required configuration information and save the spreadsheet in CSV format. Installation Manager prompts you to upload the installation CSV file during installation.

Deploying virtual machines from the template virtual machine

Preparing the installation worksheet








If you have not pre-created the CSV file, you can download one of the following spreadsheet templates during installation and create the CSV at that time:

Complete—Contains all available fields, both required and optional.

Minimal—Contains only the required fields. Installation Manager assigns default values to the optional fields when you use this spreadsheet.

Table 12 describes both the required and optional fields.

CSV installation spreadsheet Table 12.

Field Value Note

Domain If using a domain user, the name of the domain. Optional

Username The name of the domain user. Optional

IP IP address of the physical node. Required

Password Root password. Required

Operating System The server OS: Windows. Required

Is MDM/TB Primary, Secondary, TB, or blank Required

MDM Mgmt IP The IP for the management-only network. Optional

Is SDS Yes or No, depending on whether SDS should be installed on the node.

Required

SDS Name The name for the SDS node. Optional

SDS All IPs The SDS IP addresses to be used for communication among all ScaleIO nodes. Comma-separated, no spaces.

Optional

SDS-SDS Only IPs The SDS IP addresses to be used for communication among ScaleIO SDS nodes only. Comma-separated, no spaces.

Optional

SDS-SDC Only IPs The SDS IP addresses to be used for communication among ScaleIO SDS and SDC nodes only. Comma-separated, no spaces.

Optional

Protection Domain The Protection Domain to which to assign this SDS. Optional

Fault Set The Fault Set to which to assign this SDS. Optional

SDS Device List The devices to add to the SDS. Comma-separated, no spaces.

Required

SDS Pool List The Storage Pool to which to assign this SDS. Optional

Optimize IOPS Optimize SDS parameters when using fast devices, such as SSD. Yes or No.

Optional

Is SDC Yes or No, depending on whether SDC should be installed on the node.

Required




You can use the ScaleIO CLI or ScaleIO Installation Manager to install and configure ScaleIO components. This section describes the installation procedure using Installation Manager via the web client. For information on using the CLI to install ScaleIO components, refer to the EMC ScaleIO User Guide.

To install and configure ScaleIO components using Installation Manager, follow this process:

1. Prepare the Installation Manager server.

2. Log in to the Installation Manager server.

3. Upload the installation packages.

4. Upload the installation CSV file.

5. Configure credentials, syslog, and Call Home.

6. Complete the install and configuration phases.

Preparing the Installation Manager server

To prepare the Installation Manager server, follow these steps:

1. Copy the appropriate gateway MSI file to the Installation Manager server:

32-bit-EMC-ScaleIO-gateway-1.30.0.xxx-x86.msi

64-bit-EMC-ScaleIO-gateway-1.30.0.xxx-x64.msi

2. Run the MSI file.

3. Enter a new IM_PASSWORD for accessing Installation Manager.

Logging in to the Installation Manager server

To log in to Installation Manager, follow these steps:

1. Log in to: https://<IM_Server_URL>

where <IM_Server_URL> is the URL of the server where you installed the Installation Manager package.

2. Accept the certificate warning.

3. Type the default username (admin) and the password, and click Login.

The Home page appears, as shown in Figure 5.

Installing the ScaleIO components



Installation Manager Home page Figure 5.

Uploading the installation packages

To upload the installation packages, follow these steps:

1. Click Packages. You might need to re-authenticate with the login credentials.

The Manage Installation Packages page appears, as shown in Figure 6.

Manage Installation Packages Figure 6.

2. Browse to the location of the ScaleIO packages, select the files, and click Open.

3. Click Upload.

The uploaded installation packages appear in the file table, as shown in Figure 7.




Upload installation packages Figure 7.

4. Click Proceed to Install to go to the Install page.

Uploading the installation CSV file

If you have not pre-created the CSV file, use the Minimal or Complete option to download a template and create the CSV file at this time.

To upload the installation CSV file, follow these steps:

1. Under Upload Installation CSV, shown in Figure 8, browse to the location of the installation CSV file, select the file, and click Open.

2. Click Upload Installation CSV.

Upload Installation CSV Figure 8.

When the CSV file is uploaded successfully, Installation Manager displays the installation configuration for review, as shown in Figure 9.



Review Installation Configuration Figure 9.

Configuring credentials, syslog, and Call Home

To complete the installation configuration, follow these steps:

Note: If you do not configure syslog reporting and the Call Home feature during installation, you can configure them later using the CLI.

1. Type the MDM password and confirm it.

The MDM password is used to log in to the MDM server. The password must meet the following criteria:

Between 6 and 31 characters

Include at least three of the following groups: [a-z], [A-Z], [0-9], special characters (!@#$...)

No white spaces

2. Type the Lightweight Installation Agent (LIA) password and confirm it.

The LIA password is used to authenticate communication between Implementation Manager and the LIA. The password must meet the same criteria as the MDM password.

3. To configure syslog reporting, select Configure the sending of syslog events, and specify the following parameters:

Syslog Server—Host name of the syslog server to which the messages are to be sent.

Port—Port of the syslog server (default 1468)




Syslog Facility—Facility level (default: Local0)) 4. To configure Call Home, select Configure call home, and specify the following

parameters:

SMTP Server—SMTP server that will send the Call Home messages.

SMTP Credentials—SMTP credentials, if required.

MDM Credentials—MDM credentials for a new user, with a monitor role, that will be created for the purpose of Call Home functions.

Email from—Sender email address.

Email to—Destination email address.

Customer name—Name of the customer.

Severity—Minimum event severity for Call Home messages.

5. Review the configuration information.

Completing the install and configuration phases

The Installation Manager install process performs the following phases: upload, install, and configure. Start each phase by clicking the Start install phase option on the Monitor page.

1. Click Start Installation.

2. Click Monitor to follow the progress of the current phase. Figure 10 shows the status of the upload phase during the installation process for this solution.

Monitor page Figure 10.

3. When the upload phase is complete, click Start install phase to continue to the install phase.



4. When all install commands are completed, click Start configure phase to continue to the configure phase.

Note: If you get an error message during the install process, you can abort or retry the install.

5. When all processes are finished, the Completed Install Operation message shown in Figure 11 appears.

Completed Install Operation Figure 11.

Click Mark operation completed. At this stage, the ScaleIO components are installed and running.

SDCs expose volumes as local storage devices to the application servers. This section describes how to create volumes and map them to SDCs using the CLI.

Use the add_volume command to create the volumes. Use the map_volume_to_sdc command to map the volumes to specific SDCs. Use the drv_cfg rescan command to get the most up-to-data status on a particular SDC node.

CLI basics

The CLI is the main management tool of the ScaleIO system. You use CLI commands to configure, maintain, and monitor the system. The CLI is part of the MDM component and is located in the following path in a Windows environment:

C:\Program Files\emc\scaleio\MDM\bin

All CLI commands use the following format in a Windows environment:

./scli [--mdm_ip <IP>] <command>

The mdm_ip parameter indicates the MDM that receives and executes the command. In a non-clustered environment, use the MDM IP address. In a clustered environment, use the IP addresses of the primary and secondary MDM, as follows:

scli –mdm_ip 192.168.10.21 –query

If the command is run from the primary MDM, you can omit the mdm_ip switch.

Notes:

The order of the parameters and command is not significant

CLI commands are lowercase and case-sensitive

All parameters are proceed with --

Creating and mapping volumes




For a list of all ScaleIO CLI commands, refer to EMC ScaleIO User Guide.

Creating volumes

Command

add_volume

Syntax

scli --add_volume(--protection_domain_id <ID> | --

protection_domain_name <NAME>) [--storage_pool_id <ID> | --

storage_pool_name <NAME>] --size_gb <SIZE> [--volume_name <NAME>]

[Options] [Obfuscation Options]

Description

Use this command to create a volume when the requested capacity is available. To start allocating volumes, the system requires at least three SDS nodes, with a combined system capacity exceeding 200 GB. The created volume cannot be used until it is mapped to at least one SDC.

Parameters

Table 13 describes the parameters of the add_volume command.

add_volume command parameters Table 13.

Parameter Description

--protection_domain_id <ID> Protection Domain ID

--protection_domain_name

<NAME> Protection Domain name

--storage_pool_id <ID> Storage Pool ID

--storage_pool_name <NAME> Storage Pool name

--size_gb <SIZE> Volume size, in GB—basic allocation granularity is 8 GB

--volume_name <NAME> Name to be associated with the added volume

Options: Choose one

--thin_provisioned The specified volume will be thin provisioned

--thick_provisioned The specified volume will be thick provisioned (default)

Obfuscation options: Choose one

--use_obfuscation Enable data obfuscation for this volume (default)

--dont_use_obfuscation Disable data obfuscation for this volume. This overrides the global obfuscation default.

Example

scli --mdm_ip 192.168.1.200 --add_volume --size_gb 5000 --

volume_name vol_1 --protection_domain_name rack_1.1



Mapping a volume to an SDC

Command

map_volume_to_sdc

Syntax

scli --map_volume_to_sdc (--volume_id <ID> |--volume_name <NAME>)

(--sdc_id <ID> |--sdc_name <NAME>|--sdc_ip <IP>)

Description

This command exposes the volume to the specified SDC, effectively creating a block device on the SDC.

Parameters

Table 14 describes the parameters of the map_volume_to_sdc command.

map_volume_to_sdc command parameters Table 14.

Parameter Description

--volume_id <ID> Volume ID

--volume_name <NAME> Volume name

--sdc_id <ID> SDC ID

--sdc_name <Name> SDC name

--sdc_ip <IP> SDC IP address

Example

scli --mdm_ip 192.168.1.200 --map_volume_to_sdc--volume_name vol_1

--sdc_ip 192.168.1.3

Detecting new volumes

Command

drv_cfg rescan

Syntax

/opt/emc/scaleio/sdc/bin/drv_cfg --rescan

Description

Volumes are always exposed to the OS as devices. ScaleIO periodically scans the system to detect new volumes. You can initiate a scan for the most up-to-date status on a particular SDC node. This command is not a CLI command, but rather an executable that is run on the specific SDC.

The following steps show how to create the CSV disk for the Failover Cluster.

1. On each Hyper-V host, open the Disk Management, click Action and Rescan disks. After rescan, all the ScaleIO volumes are displayed.

Creating the CSV (Cluster Shared Volume) disk




2. Initialize and format each ScaleIO disk with NTFS file system.

3. In the Failover Cluster Manager, expand the name of the cluster and then expand Storage. Right-click Disks, click Add Disk. Select the disks and then click OK.

4. Select all the cluster disks and right-click, then click Add to Cluster Shared Volumes to add the disks to CSV.

Refer to the TechNet article Use Cluster Shared Volumes in a Failover Cluster to create the CSV disks.

You can install the ScaleIO GUI on a Windows or Linux workstation. To install the GUI, type the command for the operating system that you use:

Windows:

EMC-ScaleIO-gui-1.30.0.xxx.msi

RHEL:

rpm -U scaleio-gui-1.30.0-xxx.noarch.rpm

Debian:

sudo dpkg -i scaleio-gui-1.30.0.xxx.deb

Installing and configuring XenDesktop Delivery Controllers

This section provides information on how to set up and configure XenDesktop Delivery Controllers for the solution. For a new installation of XenDesktop, Citrix recommends that you complete the tasks in Table 15 in the order shown.

Tasks for XenDesktop controller setup Table 15.


Creating virtual machines for XenDesktop Delivery Controllers

Create two virtual machines in Hyper-V. These virtual machines are used as XenDesktop Delivery Controllers.


Installing the guest operating system for the XenDesktop Delivery Controllers

Install the Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012 guest operating system on the virtual machines.

Install and Deploy Windows Server 2012R2 and Windows Server 2012

Installing the XenDesktop server-side components

Install the required XenDesktop server components on the first Delivery Controller.

Citrix website

Installing Citrix Studio Install Citrix Studio to manage XenDesktop deployment remotely.

Configuring a site Configure a site in Citrix Studio.

Installing the GUI










http://www.citrix.com/




Adding a second XenDesktop Delivery Controller

Install an additional Delivery Controller for high availability.

Preparing a master virtual machine

Create a master virtual machine as the base image for the virtual desktops.

Provisioning the virtual desktops

Provision the virtual desktops using MCS.

Refer to the Microsoft TechNet topic Install Hyper-V and Configure a Virtual Machine article for more information.

Refer to the Microsoft TechNet topic Install and Deploy Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012 article for more information.

Install the following XenDesktop server-side components on the first Delivery Controller:

Delivery Controller: Distributes applications and desktops, manages user access, and optimizes connections

Citrix Studio: Creates, configures, and manages infrastructure components, applications, and desktops

Citrix Director: Monitors performance and troubleshoot problems

License server: Manages product licenses

Citrix StoreFront: Provides authentication and resource delivery services for Citrix Receiver

Note: Citrix supports installation of XenDesktop components only through the procedures described in Citrix documentation.

Install Citrix Studio on the appropriate administrator consoles to manage your XenDesktop deployment remotely.

Start Citrix Studio and configure a site as follows:

1. License the site and specify which edition of XenDesktop to use.

Set up the site database using a designated login credential for SQL Server. 2.

3. Provide information about your virtual infrastructure, including the Microsoft SCVMM server that the controller will use to establish a connection to the Hyper-V infrastructure.

Creating VMs for XenDesktop Delivery Controllers

Installing the guest OS for the XenDesktop Delivery Controllers

Installing server-side components of XenDesktop

Installing Citrix Studio

Configuring a site







After you have configured a site, you can add a second Delivery Controller to provide high availability. The XenDesktop server-side components required for the second controller are:

Delivery Controller

Citrix Studio

Citrix Director

Citrix StoreFront

Note: Do not install the license-server component on the second controller because it is centrally managed on the first controller.

Provisioning MCS-based virtual desktops

Complete the following steps to prepare the master virtual machine:

1. Install the Windows 7 guest OS.

2. Install the Hyper-V Integration Services software package.

3. Optimize the OS settings to prevent unnecessary background services from generating inessential I/O operations that adversely affect the overall performance of the storage. Refer to the following White Paper for details: Citrix Windows 7 Optimization Guide for Desktop Virtualization.

4. Install the Virtual Delivery Agent.

5. Install the third-party tools or applications, such as Microsoft Office, relevant to your environment.

Complete the following steps in Citrix Studio to deploy MCS-based virtual desktops:

1. Click Create Machine Catalog to open the Machine Catalog Setup wizard and click Next.

2. Select an operation system for this Machine Catalog.

MCS allows the creation of a machine catalog that contains various types of desktops. We tested the following desktop types for this solution:

Windows Desktop OS:

Random: Users connect to a new (random) desktop each time they log on.

Personal vDisk: Users connect to the same (static) desktop each time they log on. Changes are saved on a separate Personal vDisk.

Windows Server OS: Provides hosted shared desktops for deployment of standardized machines

Adding a second controller

Preparing the master virtual machine

Provisioning virtual desktops

http://support.citrix.com/servlet/KbServlet/download/25161-102-665153/XD%20-%20Windows%207%20Optimization%20Guide.pdf



3. In the Machine Management step, select Machines that are power managed (for example, virtual machines or blade PCs) and Citrix Machine Creation Services (MCS), then click Next.

4. Select the master image virtual machine created in Preparing the master virtual machine or a snapshot under that virtual machine, and click Next.

5. Select the network interface cards for machines in this catalog and the network that this network interface card will use, and click Next.

6. Input the number of virtual machines needed, along with the CPU and memory configuration for each virtual desktop, and click Next.

7. Select the Active Directory location for computer accounts and input the account naming schemes.

8. Type the name and description for the Machine Catalog and click Finish; the virtual desktop provisioning then starts.

9. Add the machines created in the catalog to a delivery group so that the virtual desktops are available to the end users.

Installing and configuring Citrix Provisioning Services (PVS)

This section provides information on how to set up and configure Citrix PVS for the solution. For a new installation of PVS, Citrix recommends that you complete the tasks in Table 16 in the order shown.

Tasks for XenDesktop controller setup Table 16.


Creating virtual machines for PVS servers

Create two virtual machines in Hyper-V Server. These virtual machines are used as PVS servers.


Installing the guest operating system for the PVS servers.

Install the Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012 guest operating system for the PVS servers.

Install and Deploy Windows Server 2012R2 and Windows Server 2012

Installing the PVS server-side components

Install the PVS server components and console on the PVS server.

Citrix website

Configuring a PVS server farm

Run the Provisioning Services Configuration Wizard to create a PVS server farm.

Adding a second PVS server Install the PVS server components and console on the second server and join it to the existing server farm.

Creating a PVS store Specify the store path where the vDisks will reside.













Configuring inbound communication

Adjust the total number of threads to be used to communicate with each virtual desktop.

Configuring a bootstrap file Update the bootstrap image to use both PVS servers to provide streaming services

Configuring boot options 66 and 67 on the DHCP server

Specify the TFTP server IP and the name of the bootstrap image used for the Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) boot

Preparing a master virtual machine

Create a master virtual machine as the base image for the virtual desktops.

Provisioning the virtual desktops

Provision the virtual desktops using PVS.

After the PVS server components are installed on the PVS server, start the Provisioning Services Configuration Wizard and configure a new server farm using the following options:

1. Specify the DHCP service to be run on another computer.

2. Specify the PXE service to be run on this computer.

3. Select Create farm to create a new PVS server farm using a designated SQL Server database instance.

4. When creating a new server farm, you need to create a site. Provide an appropriate name for the new site and target device collection.

5. Select the license server that is running on the XenDesktop controller.

6. Select Use the Provisioning Services TFTP service.

After you have configured a PVS server farm, you can add a second PVS server to provide high availability. Install the PVS server components and console on the second PVS server and run the Provisioning Services Configuration Wizard to join the second server to the existing server farm.

A PVS store is a logical container for vDisks. PVS supports the use of a CIFS share as the storage target of a PVS store. When creating a PVS store, set the default store path to the local PVS drive or universal naming convention (UNC) path of a CIFS share that is hosted on the shared storage such as EMC VNX storage. In the Provisioning Services console, right-click a store. Select Properties and Validate to confirm that all PVS servers in the server farm can access the CIFS share.

Configuring a PVS server farm

Adding a second PVS server

Creating a PVS store



Each PVS server maintains a range of User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports to manage all inbound communications from virtual desktops. Ideally, there should be one thread dedicated to each desktop session. The total number of threads supported by a PVS server is calculated as:

Total threads = (Number of UDP ports * Threads per port * Number

of network adapters)

Adjust the thread count accordingly to match the number of deployed virtual desktops.

To update the bootstrap file required for the virtual desktops to PXE boot, complete the following steps:

1. In the Provisioning Services console, select Farm > Sites > Site-name > Servers.

2. Right-click a server and select Configure Bootstrap.

The Configure Bootstrap dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 12.

Configure Bootstrap dialog box Figure 12.

3. Update the bootstrap image to reflect the IP addresses used for all PVS servers that provide streaming services in a round-robin fashion. Select Read Servers from Database to obtain a list of PVS servers automatically or select Add to manually add the server information.

4. After modifying the configuration, click OK to update the ARDBP32.BIN bootstrap file, which is located at C:\ProgramData\Citrix\Provisioning Services\Tftpboot.

5. Navigate to the folder and examine the timestamp of the bootstrap file to ensure that it is updated on the intended PVS server.

Configuring inbound communication

Configuring a bootstrap file




To PXE boot the virtual desktops successfully from the bootstrap image supplied by the PVS servers, set the boot options 66 and 67 on the Microsoft DHCP server.

Complete the following steps to configure the boot options on the DHCP server:

1. From the DHCP management interface of the DHCP server, right-click Scope Options and select Configure Options.

2. Select 066 Boot Server Host Name. In String value, type the IP address of the PVS server configured as the TFTP server.

3. Select 067 Bootfile Name. In String value, type ARDBP32.BIN.

The ARDBP32.BIN bootstrap image is loaded on a virtual desktop before the vDisk image is streamed from the PVS servers.

Provisioning PVS-based virtual desktops

Complete the following steps to prepare the master virtual machine:

1. Install the Windows 7 guest OS.

2. Install the Hyper-V Integration Services software package.

3. Optimize the OS settings to prevent unnecessary background services from generating inessential I/O operations that adversely affect the overall performance of the storage. Refer to the following White Paper for details: Citrix Windows 7 Optimization Guide for Desktop Virtualization.

4. Install the Virtual Delivery Agent.

5. Install the third-party tools or applications, such as Microsoft Office, relevant to your environment.

6. Install the PVS target device software on the master virtual machine.

7. Run the PVS Imaging Wizard to clone the master image on to a vDisk. Select the MAC address of the legacy network adapter when you register the image to the PVS server. Shut down the virtual machine when prompted to reboot.

8. Modify the BIOS of the master virtual machine so that the network adapter is at the top of the boot order to ensure PXE boot of the PVS bootstrap image, and then start the virtual machine.

9. Log in to the virtual machine to finish the vDisk preparation.

10. Shut down the virtual machine.

Note: Hyper-V only supports PXE boots with a legacy network adapter. Add a legacy network adapter to the master image and put it in the first network adapter slot.

Complete the following steps to deploy the PVS-based virtual desktops:

1. Run the PVS Imaging Wizard to clone the master image onto a vDisk.

Configuring boot options 66 and 67 on DHCP server

Preparing the master virtual machine

Provisioning virtual desktops

http://support.citrix.com/servlet/KbServlet/download/25161-102-665153/XD%20-%20Windows%207%20Optimization%20Guide.pdf



2. When the cloning is complete, shut down the master virtual machine and modify the following vDisk properties:

Access mode: Standard Image

Cache type: Cache on device hard drive

3. Prepare a virtual machine template to be used by the XenDesktop Setup Wizard in the next step.

4. Run the XenDesktop Setup Wizard in the PVS console to create a machine catalog that contains the specified number of virtual desktops.

5. Add the virtual desktops created in the catalog to a delivery group so that the virtual desktops are available to the end users.

Chapter 5: Solution Verification



Chapter 5 Solution Verification


Overview .................................................................................................................. 52

Verifying installation with post-installation checklist .............................................. 52

Deploying and testing a single virtual desktop ........................................................ 53

Verifying the redundancy of the solution components ............................................. 53



Overview

After you configure the solution, complete the tasks in Table 17 to verify the configuration and functionality of specific aspects of the solution and ensure that the configuration supports core availability requirements.

Tasks for testing the installation Table 17.


Verifying installation with post-installation checklist

Verify that adequate virtual ports exist on each Hyper-V host virtual network switch.

Hyper-V: How many network cards do I need?

Verify that each Windows server has access to the required storage and VLANs.

Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V Network Virtualization Survival Guide

Verify that the interfaces are configured correctly on all Windows servers.

Deploy and test a single virtual desktop

Deploy a single virtual machine from the SCVMM interface.

Deploying Hyper-V Hosts Using Microsoft System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager

Verify redundancy of the solution components

Verify the data protection of the ScaleIO system.

Verify the redundancy of switches. Vendor documentation

Verify the virtual machine Live Migration.

Virtual Machine Live Migration Overview

Provision remaining virtual desktops

Provision desktops using MCS or PVS.

Installing and configuring XenDesktop Delivery Controllers

Installing and configuring Citrix Provisioning Services (PVS)

Verifying installation with post-installation checklist

The following configuration items are critical to the functionality of the solution, and should be verified prior to deployment into production. On each Windows server used as part of this solution, verify that:

The VLAN for virtual machine networking is configured correctly.

The storage networking is configured correctly.

Each server can access the required CSVs.

A network interface is configured correctly for Live Migration.

http://blogs.technet.com/b/gavinmcshera/archive/2011/03/27/3416313.aspx

http://blogs.technet.com/b/gavinmcshera/archive/2011/03/27/3416313.aspx

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/11524.windows-server-2012-hyper-v-network-virtualization-survival-guide.aspx



http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/VIR310









Refer to the list of documents in Chapter 6 for more information.

Deploying and testing a single virtual desktop

Deploy a single virtual machine to verify the operation of the solution. Ensure that the virtual machine has been joined to the applicable domain, has access to the expected networks, and that it is possible to log in.

Verifying the redundancy of the solution components

To ensure that the various components of the solution maintain availability requirements, test the following scenarios that are related to maintenance or hardware failures:

Power off one of the physical Windows servers configured as a ScaleIO node and ensure that the data access of ScaleIO LUNs is maintained and that the data rebuild process is running properly.

Disable each of the redundant switches in turn and verify that the virtual machine running on the Hyper-V hosts remains intact.

Chapter 6: Reference Documentation



Chapter 6 Reference Documentation


EMC documentation ................................................................................................. 56

Other documentation ............................................................................................... 56

Chapter 6: Reference Documentation


EMC documentation

The following document, located on EMC Online Support, provides additional and relevant information. Access to the document depends on your login credentials. If you do not have access to a document, contact your EMC representative.


Other documentation

The following documents, available on the Microsoft MSDN website, provide additional and relevant information:

Deploying Hyper-V Hosts Using Microsoft System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager

Installing Windows Server 2012 R2

Installation for SQL Server 2012

Refer to the Citrix website for Citrix XenDesktop documentation, including:

Citrix Windows 7 Optimization Guide for Desktop Virtualization

Microsoft

Citrix

https://support.emc.com/

http://www.vmware.com/

http://msdn.microsoft.com/



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http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb500469(v=sql.110).aspx


Appendix A: Configuration Worksheet



Appendix A Configuration Worksheet

This appendix presents the following topic:

Customer Configuration Worksheet ......................................................................... 58



Customer Configuration Worksheet

Before configuring the solution, you need to gather some customer-specific configuration information such as IP addresses, hostnames, and so on. You can use the tables in this appendix as a worksheet to record the information. You can also print the worksheet and give it to the customer for future reference.

Printing the worksheet

A standalone copy of the worksheet is attached to this document in Microsoft Office Word format. To view and print the worksheet:

1. In Adobe Reader, open the Attachments panel, as follows:

Select View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Attachments.

or

Click the Attachments icon as shown in Figure 13.

Opening attachments in a PDF file Figure 13.

2. Under Attachments, double-click the attached file to open and print the worksheet.




Common server information Table 18.

Server name Purpose Primary IP

Domain Controller

DNS Primary

DNS Secondary

DHCP

NTP

SMTP

SNMP

SCVMM Console

XenDesktop Console

Microsoft SQL Server

Provisioning Services Console

Microsoft Hyper-V Server information Table 19.

Server Name Purpose Primary IP Private Net (storage) addresses

Live Migration IP

Hyper-V Host 1

Hyper-V Host 2

…

ScaleIO information Table 20.

Field Value

ScaleIO Management IP

Storage pool name

ScaleIO Volume name

ScaleIO Network IP



Network infrastructure information Table 21.

Name Purpose IP Subnet mask Default gateway

Ethernet switch 1

Ethernet switch 2

…

VLAN information Table 22.

Name Network purpose VLAN ID Allowed subnets

Client access network

Storage network

Management network

Service accounts Table 23.

Account Purpose Password (optional, secure appropriately)

administrator Windows Server administrator

administrator Hyper-V local administrator

admin ScaleIO administrator

SCVMM administrator

Citrix XenDesktop administrator

SQL Server administrator

Citrix Provisioning Services administrator

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