1Y0-200 Citrix Study Guide Part Three

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.
          • 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
  • 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.

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

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