Section 3: Monitoring Citrix XenDesktop 7 Solutions
3.1
Task Description: Use Director to monitor the environment
Testing Aspect: How
When troubleshooting a user or virtual desktop issue, the operator is able to shadow the end user by starting a Remote Assistance connection to the virtual desktop machine.
- In XenDesktop 7, Citrix Director is the management console.
- Remote Desktop is RDP, which can only have one session on Desktop OS, is not used for shadowing.
- Shadow Taskbar is used in XenApp, not XenDesktop.
How to Enable Remote Assistance for Citrix Director
http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX127388
XenApp > XenApp 5 Feature Pack for Windows Server 2003 > XenApp Administration > Managing Session Environments and Connections > Viewing User Sessions
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xenapp5fp-w2k3/ps-sessions-use-sess-shad-v2.html
Identifying and handling an unregistered VDI:
- The administrator should use Citrix Director and filter State is Unregistered.
- This shows a VDI’s State is Unregistered and means there is an issue with VDA to DDC communications.
- This also includes the situation when Citrix Desktop Service is Stopped or Citrix Desktop Service is Started but still having issues communicating with the DDC.
- The Last Connection Failure is historical data.
- Using WMI and querying Citrix Desktop Service status is Stopped only shows the VDIs that the VDA service is stopped.
- Citrix ICA Service is used to handle ICA sessions, but does not communicate with a DDC.
Troubleshooting XenDesktop brokering process
http://blogs.citrix.com/2012/07/23/troubleshooting-xendesktop-brokering-process-2
XenDesktop 7 > Monitor > Monitor environments with Director > Monitor deployments > Filter data to troubleshoot failures > Filter data to troubleshoot failures
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xendesktop-7/cds-use-create-filters.html
3.2
Task Description: Interpret Alerts in Citrix Director
Testing Aspect: How
In Citrix Director, Unavailable Capacity means that the Desktop/Server OS session is not available due to max capacity reached.
When Unavailable Capacity count is greater than 0, it means the VM in a Delivery Group has no more free sessions to hand out.
- An administrator should add more VMs to the Delivery Group.
XenDesktop > XenDesktop 7 > Monitor Monitor environments with Director > Monitor deployments on the Dashboard
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xendesktop-7/cds-monitor-deployment-wrapper.html
Image
https://citrixxperience.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/unavailable-capacity-count.jpg
(3.3 intentionally left out. See Citrix Education’s 1Y0-200 Exam Prep Guide)
3.4
Task Description: Monitor Machine Processes and Failures
Testing Aspect: How
View processes running under a user's VDI session with Citrix Director.
- Citrix admins should also use Director to end non-responsive applications or processes.
XenDesktop 7 > Monitor > Monitor environments with Director > Troubleshoot user issues > Resolve application failures
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xendesktop-7/cds-help-app-failure.html
3.5
Task Description: Monitor the Virtual Delivery Agent
Testing Aspect: How
Using Citrix Director, administrators can monitor the Usage table.
- The Usage table shows whether each machine is:
- Off
- Ready
- Connected
- Disconnected
- Unregistered
- When a machine's registration state becomes unregistered, there is an issue with virtual delivery agent on the virtual machine.
- A user will not be able to login to a VDI.
- A disconnected user will not be able to re-connect back to a VDI.
- When a machine's registration state becomes unregistered, there is an issue with virtual delivery agent on the virtual machine.
- This results in a login failed event.
- The Category table can also be monitored for Unregistered machines.
Technologies > Desktop Director > Desktop Director 2.1 > Use > Interpreting the Information Displayed > Dashboard > Usage
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/director-210/director-dashboard-usage.html
Technologies > Desktop Director > Desktop Director 2.1 > Use > Interpreting the Information Displayed > Dashboard > Machines
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/director-210/director-dashboard-summary.html
An administrator can monitor machines from Director.
In the Director Dashboard, the Category table lists the machines in the following states, which might require action:
- All
- Unregistered
- High CPU
- High Latency
- High Profile Load Time
- Last Connection Failed
- Pending Update
Technologies > Desktop Director > Desktop Director 2.1 > Use > Interpreting the Information Displayed > Dashboard > Machines
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/director-210/director-dashboard-summary.html
3.6
Task Description: Monitor Configuration Logging
Testing Aspect: How
Configuration Logging is provided through Citrix Studio > Logging.
- Anyone that needs to view the logs should be in the Read Only Administrator role.
- Don't allow them the Full Administrator role.
XenDesktop > XenDesktop 7 > Manage > Configuration Logging
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xendesktop-7/cds-configlog-wrapper.html
Image
https://citrixxperience.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/configuration-logging.jpg
3.7
Task Description: Monitor hosted server workload
Testing Aspect: How
IntelliCache is a XenServer host related feature.
- The IntelliCache related counter is on a XenServer host.
- There are three IntelliCache counters available on a XenServer host Performance tab:
- IntelliCache Cache Hits
- IntelliCache Cache Misses
- IntelliCache Cache Size
- Options to monitor Virtual Machine related counters include:
- Performance Monitor
- Resource Monitor
- Selecting a Virtual Machine on a XenServer host's Performance tab
XenDesktop > XenDesktop 7 > Manage > Connections and resources > Use IntelliCache with XenDesktop
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xendesktop-7/cds-manage-hosts-intellicache.html
Image
https://citrixxperience.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/xenserver-intellicache.jpg
The Hosts table in Director contains:
- Health status icons
- Display alerts about issues with:
- XenDesktop Controller's connection to a host
- CPU
- Memory
- Bandwidth (network usage)
- Storage
- Display alerts about issues with:
- Alerts are based on thresholds defined by the hypervisor administrator.
Technologies > Desktop Director > Desktop Director 2.1 > Use > Interpreting the Information Displayed > Desktop Groups > Infrastructure
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/director-210/director-infrastructure-health.html
3.8
Task Description: Monitor System Performance
Testing Aspect: How (to interpret data)
Before an administrator investigates the reason for a user's extended logon time, the administrator should:
- Look at the user's current and average logon duration.
- Look at the Delivery Group average logon duration.
When an administrator needs further investigation for the extended logon time, the administrator should:
- Ask the user to log off and log back on to observe the Logon Duration data.
- Examine each phase of the logon process.
- The total logon time is not an accurate sum of each of the phases.
XenDesktop > XenDesktop 7 > Monitor > Monitor environments with Director > Troubleshoot user issues > Diagnose user logon issues
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xendesktop-7/cds-help-logon-user.html
3.9
Task Description: Use PVS Auditing for Monitoring
Testing Aspect: How
Provisioning Services provides an auditing tool that records configuration actions on components within the Provisioning Services farm, to the Provisioning Services database.
- This provides administrators with a way to troubleshoot and monitor recent changes that might impact system performance and behavior.
- To enable auditing in the PVS Console:
- Right-click on the farm.
- Select the farm Properties menu option.
- On the Options tab, under Auditing, check the Enable auditing checkbox.
Technologies > Provisioning Services > Provisioning Services 7.x > Provisioning Services Administration > Auditing
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/provisioning-7/pvs-audit-wrapper.html
3.10
Task Description: Monitor StoreFront logs
Testing Aspect: Monitor Profile Management
When StoreFront tracing is enabled:
- Tracing information is written to files in the \Admin\Trace\ directory of the StoreFront installation.
- Typically located at C:\Program Files\Citrix\Receiver StoreFront\.
- The StoreFront installation log files can be found in C:\Windows\Temp\.
- The web.config file for the authentication service, store, or Receiver for Web site, is typically located in the following directories:
- C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\Authentication\
- C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\storename\
- C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\storenameWeb\
- Logs created by Windows PowerShell commands are stored in the \Admin\logs\ directory of the StoreFront installation.
- Typically located at C:\Program Files\Citrix\Receiver StoreFront\.
Technologies > StoreFront > StoreFront 2.1 > Troubleshoot StoreFront
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/dws-storefront-21/dws-troubleshoot.html
StoreFront supports Windows event logging for:
- The authentication service
- Stores
- Receiver for Web sites
Any events that are generated are written to the StoreFront application log.
- Events can be viewed using Event Viewer under:
- Application and Services Logs > Citrix Delivery Services
OR
- Windows Logs > Application
Technologies > StoreFront > StoreFront 2.1 > Troubleshoot StoreFront
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/dws-storefront-21/dws-troubleshoot.html
3.11
Task Description: Monitor Profile Management
Testing Aspect: How (where to find it is implied)
Citrix Profile Manager logs errors in the Windows Event Log.
All other warnings and informational messages are logged in a file named UserProfileManager.log in the directory:
- %SystemRoot%\system32\LogFiles\UserProfileManager\
Profile management collects data about the efficiency of a deployment using Microsoft Windows Performance Monitor (Perfmon) counters.
- For each session, counters are stored under the object called Citrix Profile Management.
Technologies > Profile Management > Profile Management 3.x > Manage > Performance Optimization > Tuning Profiles > Monitoring and Logging Profile Management
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/user-profile-manager-kib/upm-perfmon.html
Technologies > Profile Management > Profile Management 3.x > Manage > Performance Optimization > Tuning Profiles > Monitoring and Logging Profile Management > About the Profile Management Log File
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/user-profile-manager-kib/upm-logging-about-den.html
3.12
Task Description: Monitor the event log for NetScaler
Testing Aspect: How
NetScaler natively supports logging to:
- SYSLOG server
AND
- NSLOG server
- Either server can be running on:
- A remote system.
- Either server can be running on:
OR
- On NetScaler.
- Most deployments should have SYSLOG , NSLOG, or both in the environment, so configuring NetScaler to upload logs to one of them is an efficient solution.
NetScaler > NetScaler 10.1 > System > Administration
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/ns-system-10-1-map/ns-ag-asl-intor-wrapper-con.html
3.13
Task Description: Monitor NetScaler user sessions
Testing Aspect: How
The Citrix NetScaler appliance is a central point of control for all application traffic in the data center.
- It collects flow and user-session level information valuable for:
- application performance monitoring
- analytics
- business intelligence applications
AppFlow transmits the information by using the Internet Protocol Flow Information eXport (IPFIX) format.
- Using UDP as the transport protocol, AppFlow transmits the collected data, called flow records, to one or more IPv4 collectors.
- The collectors aggregate the flow records and generate real-time or historical reports.
NetScaler > NetScaler 10.1 > System > AppFlow
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/ns-system-10-1-map/ns-ag-appflow-intro-wrapper-con.html