Personal vDisk Citrix XenDesktop 5.6 Jits Langedijk Sr. Consultant Application & Desktop Delivery [email protected] @JRLangedijk JitsLangedijk

Personal vDiskCitrix XenDesktop 5.6

Jits LangedijkSr. Consultant Application & Desktop Delivery

[email protected]

@JRLangedijk

JitsLangedijk

http://www.twitter.com/rspruijt

http://www.linkedin.com/in/rspruijt

• Citrix XenDesktop 5.6

• What is a Personal vDisk (PvD)?

• What are the PvD requirements?

• What does Personal vDisk do?

• How to install or upgrade PvD?

• What is a PvD Inventory?

Agenda

• March, 9 released

• Main Focus is integration of Personal vDisk (RingCube).

• Features•PvD integration into core components.•Support for Microsoft SCVMM 2012 and SCCM 2012.

•Updated Citrix License Server v11.10.•Desktop Director 2.1 adds support for PvD.•Fixed Issues.

Citrix XenDesktop 5.6

Complete personalizationPersonalized PC experienceDepartmental & user installed appsPersonalized apps, data & prefs

Efficiency and managementSingle OS image management Reduce storage by 65%Enables pooled VDI for all

Citrix Personal

vDisktechnology

• RingCube 5.5 user personalization technology.

• VDI with PvD offers a virtual desktop & workspace.

• Each user gets a workspace stored on a SAN.• Workspace contains entitlement based applications, data and settings.

• Workspace contains only user changes.• Reduces storage requirements.

What is a Personal vDisk?

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VDI Desktop Models – Dedicated Desktops

Increased storage

High per user cost

Increased management overhead

Complex and unique base images

Highly personalized for users

Increased user acceptance

User Profile & Settings

-------------Departmental Applications-------------

User Installed Applications-------------

Local Peripherals

Base Image

Operating System




Local Peripherals

Base Image

Operating System




Local Peripherals

Base Image

Operating System

VM1 VM2 VM3

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VDI Desktop Models – Pooled Desktops

No personalization

Poor user acceptance

Limited scope/user base

Reduced storage requirements

Centralized management

Uptime & predictability

Common Base Image

Operating System

BASE / PARENT VM

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Citrix Personal vDisk – Best of both worlds




Local Peripherals




Local Peripherals




Local Peripherals

PvD 1 PvD 2 PvD 3

Enterprise scope

Highly personalized for users

Increased user acceptance

Reduced infrastructure requirements

Centralized management

Uptime & predictability

Common Base Image

Operating System

BASE PARENT VM

• XenServer 5.6 SP2 or above

• VMware vSphere 5.0

• VMware vSphere 4.1, Update 1

• Hyper-V

• Citrix License Server v11.10• XenDesktop 5.6 will not work with older license servers

Personal vDisk Requirements

Component RequirementsController VDA with PvD VDA without PvD

Win2008, Standard or Enterprise Edition, SP2 (32- and 64-bit)

Windows XP 32-bit SP 3 or later Windows XP 32-bit SP3 or laterWindows XP 64-bit SP2 or later

Win2008 R2, Standard or Enterprise Edition (64-bit only)

Windows Vista 32-bit or 64-bit with SP2 or later

Win2008 R2 SP1, Standard or Enterprise Edition

Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit

• PvD intercepts application I/O requests (files, registry keys, registry values) and redirects these requests.• Requests are satisfied from the base Virtual Machine or Personal vDisk.

• PvD decides which layer to satisfy the request from by consulting a set of rules called the resource catalog.

• PvD provides a blended view of both base Virtual Machine and the users Personal vDisk.

What Does Personal vDisk Do?

PvD Storage Architecture

Assigned Desktops Pooled Desktops with Personal vDisk

MCS – ID Disk, Difference Disk, Base VM relationships

Virtual Desktop 1Diff Disk ID DiskVHD Chain

Windows 7 Master

This is what the user sees as Drive C:\

This is hidden from the users view


Virtual Desktop xDiff Disk ID DiskVHD Chain

Storage Subsystem

MCS with PVD – ID Disk, Difference Disk, PVDisk


Windows 7 Master

This is what the user sees as Drive C:\

This is hidden from the users view


Virtual Desktop xDiff Disk ID DiskVHD Chain

Storage Subsystem

MCS with PVD – ID Disk, Difference Disk, PVDisk

Virtual Desktop 1

VHD Chain

Windows 7 Master

Storage Subsystem

Diff Disk ID Disk

Personal vDisk• This part is seen by the user as Drive P:\

• Used for USERDATA e.g. My Documents

• By default user is allowed 50% of the PVDisk

• This part is Drive V:\• It’s hidden from the user• Merged with the Diff Disk• Seen by user as Drive C:\• E.g. Installed apps

• PVDisk is created by copying UserData.VDESK.TEMPLATE from Base VM during catalog creation

• 10GB by default with 50/50 split for User Data / App Data

Operating System

•Common Base Setup •Install OS, common apps and VDA in base VM

•Create VM pool and entitle

•User Access•Login through XenDesktop Client

•PvD assigned on first login•Locally administered/User installed/streamed apps

•Image Update•Update base VM without affecting any user personalization

Workflow

Common Base Image

User’s Workspace

Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute

• Upgrade options exist for • XenDesktop 5, XenDesktop 5.5 and the VDA

• A ‘mixed’ site is permitted• Controllers running XenDesktop 4, 5 and 5.5 can control desktops running

XenDesktop 5.6 VDA’s.• Controllers running XenDesktop 5.6 can control desktops running the only the

XenDesktop 5.6 VDA.• Desktop Studio from XenDesktop 5 SP1 can manage sites created with

XenDesktop 5.6 unless they include desktops with PvD.• Desktop Studio from XenDesktop 5.6 can manage sites created with

XenDesktop 5, 5 SP1.

How do I install PvD?

• After installation/upgrade you need to configure a Site• This includes, Licensing, Database set up and Host connection

• Desktop Deployment Wizard is used to configure a site• Quick Deploy Wizard cannot be used with PvD

Controller Installation / Upgrade

Add Personal vDisks to existing hosts

• In Desktop Studio• Select host• Select Enable Personal vDisk• Add Personal vDisk storage

XenDesktop 5.6 – Post Installation (Existing Hosts)

Add Personal vDisks to a new site

• In Desktop Studio• Create a catalog

• Pooled with Personal vDisk (MCS)• Streamed with Personal vDisk (PVS)

• Number of VMs • Size (min of 3GB)• Drive letter

XenDesktop 5.6 – Post Installation (New Hosts)

• VDA can be installed in two modes: • Virtual Desktop Agent – includes the new features of XD 5.6• Virtual Desktop Agent for HDX 3D Pro

• Enable Personal vDisk for VDA• PvD is always installed. You either enable

or disable the drivers.

Virtual Desktop Agent Installation

PvD Disk

• May be attached to any storage targets defined in the hypervisor• Thin provisioning is supported for those hypervisors that support it• Can be located on same VM, or different (IOPS split among locations)

• Default size and location selected in Desktop Studio catalog creation• (or PVS XenDesktop Setup Wizard, if PVS in use)

• PvD disks can be resized

• The PvD inventory consists of a few things …• The resource catalog• A set of 0-byte files which track files sourced from the base VM• Essentially information about what is installed in the base VM

• The inventory is created by the administrator• Start -> Citrix -> Personal vDisk -> Update Inventory• At each base VM shutdown via the shutdown tracker• These options are only available in the base VM

What is a PvD Inventory?

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• The inventory is computed and placed in the template VHD• i.e. the resource catalog and sentry files corresponding to the base VM

• The template VHD is saved for use during first time boot in Pooled VM mode

• After inventory creation a snapshot is taken and the XenDesktop catalog is created• An empty, unformatted volume is attached to each virtual machine• This volume becomes the Personal vDisk for the user of that VM• Initial size and SR location are obtained from DS/PVS setup wizard

Template VHD

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• MCS / PVS starts each VM in the pool

• The Personal vDisk driver detects the unformatted volume and formats it

• The template VHD from the base VM is copied into the new volume.

• This is a VHD inside a volume

Pooled VM – First Time Boot

27

• On each subsequent VM boots the drivers perform the following tasks …• Detects the volume with the VHD inside• Mounts the VHD• Load the resource catalog from the VHD into the system registry• Begin interception / virtualization

• PvD also will detect if the volume has been increased in size and resize the VHD if needed

Pooled VM – Subsequent Boots

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• Over time users will make changes to their environment• Add/delete/change files• Add/delete/change registry keys/values• Install/uninstall software (if rights permit)• Receive provisioned applications (eg, via SCCM)

• It’s important to note that PvD captures all changes being made• These changes are redirected to the PvD VHD file• No changes to the VM image are permitted

Pooled VM – User Changes

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• Base VM images can and will change over time

• A new inventory will be computed and stored in the base VM

• On next pooled VM boot the VM will notice that it is out-of-date with respect to the new base VM• PvD drivers will mount the VHD and merge the changes from the previous

inventory with the new inventory, respecting any changes made by the user.• After this 3-way merge the VM will restart.

• Note – the broker will stop user logins during image update

Base VM – Life Cycle

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• PvD is not a User Environment Management solution

• Be aware of the 50/50% profile and apps split

• PvD turns pooled VDI into pooled-static

• Admin always wins

Reminders

31

• Citrix XenDesktop 5.6

• What is a Personal vDisk (PvD)?

• What are the PvD requirements?

• What does Personal vDisk do?

• How to install or upgrade PvD?

• What is a PvD Inventory?

Summary

Thanks for your patience!

[email protected]