ALERT: vSphere 5.1 is not compatible with any versions of VMware View

I thought it prudent to post this before people start randomly upgrading their environments that already were using VMware View.

VMware vSphere 5.1 is not currently supported with any versions of VMware View.

vSphere 5.1 is in the process of being certified against VMware View. We recommend that you do not upgrade vSphere above the supported versions listed in the VMware View 5.1 Release Notes.

For further updates and more information on this alert, refer to KB article:
vSphere 5.1 is not compatible with any versions VMware View (2035268).

vSphere 5 vCenter Server Virtual Appliance Quick-Start Guide

The vCenter Server Linux Virtual Appliance (vCSA) is a preconfigured Linux-based virtual machine that is optimized for running vCenter Server and associated services.

vCenter Server Virtual Appliance provides all features as the Windows vCenter Server but does not support the following features:

• Microsoft SQL as the database for vCenter – requires stable ODBC driver for Linux that can scale.
  
• vCenter Server Linked Mode – requires ADAM.
  
• vCenter Server Heartbeat – requires Windows.
  
• IPv6.
  
• Single sign-on using Windows session credentials.
  
• VMware View Composer (Linked Clones) – installed on Windows vCenter Server only.
  
• vSphere Storage Appliance – VSA Manager & VSA Cluster Server installed on Windows vCenter Server.
  
• VIX Plugin for vCenter Orchestrator – VMware Tools API only works with Windows vCenter Server.
  

Other VMware products that work with the vCSA:

• vCenter Operations.
  
• vCenter Orchestrator.
  
• vCenter CapacityIQ.
  
• SRM5.
  
• Auto Deploy.
  
• vCenter Update Manager.
  
• vMA.
  
• vSphere Client.
  
• vSphere Web Client.
  

The following table lists the required files that you will need, gather these files before proceeding.

Watch the 10-minute installation video (Optimized for iPad)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6DY7FHEr2M&feature=player_embedded

Deploy the vCenter Server Linux Virtual Appliance

• Launch your vSphere Client and navigate to File | Deploy OVF Template.
  
• Browse to the location of the vCenter Appliance .ovf file, then click on Open.
  
• On the following screen click on Next.
  
• Then click on Next again on the OVF Template Details page.
  
• Under Name and Location, give your vCenter Appliance a name then click Next.
  
• Choose a datastore then click Next.
  
• Select a disk format on the next page then click on Next to continue.
  
• Click on Finish to start deploying.
  

  
  

Configuring the vCenter Server Linux Virtual Appliance

• Boot the appliance.
  
• Open a vSphere Client console session to the virtual appliance and configure the network and timezone.
  
• Now open up a browser and type https://<ip_of_appliance&gt;:5480 to continue the configuration.
  
• Accept the certificate error to continue.
  
• Login as root, the default password is vmware.
  

• Now read through the entire EULA and click on Accept EULA to continue. Please be patient while the vCenter is configured (this takes a few minutes). If you look at the appliance remote console you’ll see the services being configured and started.
  

• You can start using the web interface again once the console screen returns to default.
  

• Next click on Status, and view the current status of the vCenter Server. The service should be on a Stopped state and the Database Type should show not configured.
  
• Click on the tab, you will notice that there are no DNS Servers configured and the appliance’s hostname is the standard localhost.localdom, lets change this.
  
• The best way to change the Network settings is to go to the console of the vCenter server and select configure network. Walk through changing the IP address, DNS servers, and the Hostname for the appliance.
  

  
  

• Log back into the interface using the IP address which you just configured. https://<ip_of_appliance&gt;:5480 Setup authentication by clicking on and then on either NIS or Active Directory. My ‘thevbox.info’ lab environment uses AD.
  
• Click on the tick box and then fill in your domain details and then click on Save Settings. You should receive an Operation is successful message to confirm that the authentication settings has worked.
  

  
  

• We now need to configure a database for vCenter to use, for this article, let’s use the embedded DB2 database. Click on to continue.
  
• When using the embedded database, there is no need to enter any details, just click on . This will take several minutes to complete, once done click on . After what seems to be too long, the database will complete configuration, you should receive an Operation is successful message to confirm.
  

  
  

• Set the time zone by clicking on and then . Select your time zone and then click
  

  
  

• Now reboot the virtual appliance one last time. To reboot click on and then click on . Click Reboot again to confirm.
  
• This time the vCenter Appliance will successfully start the vpxd daemon and initialize the database, eventually vCenter 5.0 will be ready for you to use.
  

Connecting to vCenter 5.0 for the first time

With all VMware vSphere Clients, when you start the vSphere Client and connect to either a vCenter Server or an ESX/ESXi host, it will check whether the vSphere Client is compatible. This is still the case with vSphere 5.0 and you will need to update your vSphere Client if you haven’t already done so. You can update by connecting to vCenter Server or ESX/ESXi or you can download the vSphere Client executable from the VMware Downloads website.

1. Launch the vSphere Client and connect to your newly configured vCenter Server.
   
2. You must use root | vmware to login, domain credentials will not work until the permissions are added to vCenter.
   

1. Update the vSphere Client as necessary.
   
2. Add an AD group into vCenter permissions and set the role as Administrator. [See video].
   
3. Now you will be able to log in with domain credentials.
   
4. You will need to enter your username in DOMAIN\Username or username@DOMAIN format.
   

The little things…

• To make sure that you can continue to use host customization files, use the following KB Article combined with WinSCP. Connect to the virtual appliance using WinSCP and navigate to the /etc/vmware-vpx/sysprep and place the appropriate sysprep files in their proper folders.

  

• More to come….

Hooray! Citrix Provisioning Server 6.0 is here at last!

According to http://blogs.citrix.com/2011/09/28/provisioning-services-6-0-from-single-image-delivery-to-single-image-management/ Citrix has finally released a long awaited update to Provisioning Server 5.6 in its newest form 6.0! With the 6.0 release it brings with it a lot of great enhancements including but not limited to Distributed vDisk Storage and Integrated vDisk Versioning. One of the other things that isn’t advertised in this version should be the fix which allows a template to use a distributed vSwitch. This is talked about in this forum: http://forums.citrix.com/message.jspa?messageID=1541298. Also, see that error message below:

This should be a welcome upgrade for those who use provisioning server and use the built-in distributed switches or the Nexus 1000v. I will definitely be posting more on this version of Provisioning Server at a later date. Right now I am going to get this deployed in my lab! ENJOY!!!

Major Citrix Annoucements Today for RingCube, XenDesktop, XenApp, and XenClient

If you are having a hard time keeping track of all the announcements today, here are the articles that have have spotted so far, discussing RingCube, XenDesktop 5.5, XenApp 6.5, XenClient 2, etc.:

• Introducing XenApp 6.5, The definitive solution for on-demand app delivery: http://bit.ly/r2xkFf

• HDX is even better in XenDesktop 5.5:  http://bit.ly/rj8Hrw

• Personalization – Where does Citrix RingCube fit?:  http://bit.ly/o0nD8C

• New Receivers for Windows and Mac (OS X Lion) raise the bar along with Citrix XenDesktop 5.5!:  http://bit.ly/oSMJ8l

• Citrix XenClient 2 released, Find out what’s new:  http://bit.ly/qeuGhO

• Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 Enhances User Personalization & High-Definition Experience over the LAN or WAN:  http://bit.ly/rde32F

• XenDesktop 5.5 – Optimizing for the Private Cloud:  http://bit.ly/ojppNT

XenDesktop 5 Service Pack 1 Released- [vBOX]

Citrix has released XenDesktop 5 Service Pack 1 for download.

What’s new?

XenDesktop 5 Service Pack 1 follows the December 2010 XenDesktop 5 release with a number of bug fixes and quality improvements for hosted VDI desktop deployments as well as support for the new Microsoft Server 2008R2 SP1, Microsoft Hyper-‐V 2008R2 SP1, and Windows 7 SP1 platforms.

In addition, this release provides support for XenServer IntelliCacheTM which dramatically reduces the infrastructure costs for XenDesktop deployments by reducing the IO load on central storage by as much as 90% and thus improving storage efficiency.

The XenDesktop 5 SP1 release also provides support and administrative tools to manage new XenDesktop licensing options. Finally, the Service Pack will also include new tools to ease the migration from XenDesktop 4 deployments and a setup wizard for leveraging a Citrix Provisioning Services to provision server-‐hosted virtual desktops in a XenDesktop 5 deployment.

Keep in Mind: You must use Licensing Server 11.9 when using XD5SP1.

This service pack provides the following server-side quality improvements to XenDesktop 5:

• Licensing enhancements. Version 11.9 of the License Server supports user/device licensing, manages license checkout information, and provides information that enables you to check out the least number of licenses. For further details, including any changes to system requirements, see Licensing Your Product. You can use Desktop Studio to track and manage license usage and license models, and also to access the License Administration Console; for further details see Managing Licensing.
  
• Support for XenServer 5.6 Service Pack 2. This includes support for IntelliCache. For further details see Using IntelliCache with XenDesktop.
  
• Blade power management. Support is provided for third party plug-ins for blade servers. You can add machines to an Existing catalog by using the Import List option to specify a .csv file in which machines are specified by unique ID instead of by name. The set of power management options available in Desktop Studio is based on the capabilities reported by the plug-in.
  
• Support for Microsoft SCVMM R2 Service Pack 1 and Hyper-V 2008 R2 Service Pack 1.
  
• Support for VMware VSphere 4.1 Update 1.
  
• Fixes for the XenDesktop 5 issues listed at http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX124164.
  

For details of how to install this service pack, see Installing and Upgrading to XenDesktop 5 Service Pack 1.

Known issues specific to this service pack are listed below. For details of known issues with XenDesktop 5, see Known Issues in XenDesktop 5.

Click here to download ( requires a valid mycitrix.com account! )

Recommended Citrix and Microsoft Hotfixes for XenApp 6 and Windows Server 2008 R2 [vBOX]

This is a great post from Citrix; post can be found here: http://forums.citrix.com/thread.jspa?threadID=282924

Based Citrix Technical Support experience and customer feedback, the following Citrix and Microsoft hotfixes have been found to resolve the most common issues with XenApp 6 and Windows Server 2008 R2. These hotfixes focus on basic functionality and stability. For a complete list of Citrix hotfixes for XenApp 6, please click here.

Citrix
XA600W2K8R2X64002

• Installing hotfixes or performing a repair on the base product for Citrix XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2 can inadvertently remove the Citrix Licensing component, if present, from the system. This fix prevents the Citrix Licensing component from being removed when installing subsequent hotfixes. Replaced by XA600W2K8R2X64060
  

XA600W2K8R2X64003

• Servers running XenApp 6 can become unresponsive while shutting down. The issue occurs when when the picadm.sys driver encounters certain error conditions that prevent it from shutting down gracefully. Replaced by XA600W2K8R2X64046
  

XA600W2K8R2X64010

• This enhancement is a part of the XenApp Printing Optimization Pack. The Printing Optimization Pack improves the user experience and printing speed by reducing the printer bandwidth required. For more information, including system requirements, required components, and known issues, see XenApp Printing Optimization Pack in eDocs, the Citrix Product Documentation Library.
  

XA600W2K8R2X64017

• This fix addresses session reliability issues that can occur when using multiple, disparate client devices to reconnect to the same session.
  

XA600W2K8R2X64019

• Certain applications fail to launch when Admin Approval Mode is enabled in User Account Control. Replaced by XA600W2K8R2X64068

XA600W2K8R2X64021

• This fix addresses a security vulnerability. For more information, see Knowledge Center article CTX128169
  

XA600W2K8R2X64026

• Attempts to log on to a XenApp 6 server using Version 7 or earlier of the clients can cause svchost.exe to exit unexpectedly. As a result, further connection attempts to the server fail until it is restarted.
  
• The CPU consumption of the CitrixCseEngine.exe process can spike unexpectedly and cause logon delays.
  
• Attempts to launch a published application that resides on a mapped network drive rather than on a XenApp server fail
  

XA600W2K8R2X64029

• Servers might experience a fatal exception, displaying a blue screen, with bugcheck code 0xf4 on IMAAdvanceSrv.exe.
  
• Attempts to launch Windows Internet Explorer from an http, https, or mms hyperlink embedded in a streamed application fail. The issue occurs because XenApp 6 does not create the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\htmlfile\shell\opennew\command_backup registry key as part of server file type association

Added – 8/9/2011

XA600W2K8R2X64062

• Servers might experience a fatal exception, displaying a blue screen, while shadowing is started.

XA600W2K8R2X64063

• Considered a Critical Update from Citrix: This fix addresses a security vulnerability. For more information, see Knowledge Center article CTX129430.

XA600W2K8R2X64046

• Servers might experience a fatal exception, displaying a blue screen, on picadm.sys. The issue occurs when the user removes a thumb drive from a client device while connected to a session.
• Servers can experience a fatal exception, displaying a blue screen, on picadm.sys. Dumps indicate that picadm.sys is referencing invalid, possibly disconnected volumes.
• When the ReadOnlyMappedDrive registry key (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Current Control Set\services\picadm\Parameters) is set to 1, published applications can no longer access and browse mapped client drives.
• With folder redirection enabled, servers can experience a fatal exception, displaying a blue screen, on picadm.sys. The issue can be observed when attempting to save a file that was introduced into the session on a USB device attached to and then removed from a thin client device.
• Servers with Hotfix XA600W2K8R2X64018 installed can become unresponsive intermittently. The issue occurs when a scheduled reboot is triggered by a Citrix policy while there are active sessions on the server.
• Unplugging a USB device from a thin client while a file is being copied to or from the USB device, can cause the following error message to appear:”An error has occurred. The destination you have specified does not exist. It might be an offline network location or an empty CD or DVD drive. Check the location and try again.”After clicking Cancel in response to the error message, the session eventually becomes unresponsive

XA600W2K8R2X64068

• Child windows of some applications position to where their lower boundaries dip below the Windows Taskbar. This is the server-side component of the fix. To resolve the issue in its entirety, you must also install a client-side hotfix that contains Fix #206851.
• Dock bars of published applications might overlap and obscure the local Windows Taskbar. This is the server-side component of the fix. To resolve the issue in its entirety, you must also install a client-side hotfix that contains Fix #206851.
• When run in seamless mode and/or in multiple monitor configurations, certain applications experience screen flickering.
• Certain applications can perform slowly when run in seamless mode.
• The CPU consumption of the winlogon.exe process can be higher than usual and cause new connection attempts to fail once a server hosts 70 connections or more. Eventually, servers can experience a fatal exception and need to be restarted.

XA600W2K8R2X64060

• This fix addresses two installation issues:
  • Hotfixes fail to install on a XA6 server that has not yet had the XenApp Server Role configured.
  • Installing hotfixes or performing a repair on the base product for Citrix XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2 can inadvertently remove the Citrix Licensing component, if present, from the system. This fix prevents the Citrix Licensing component from being removed when installing subsequent hotfixes.

Microsoft
KB979530

• A Windows Server 2008 R2-based Remote Desktop server denies some connection requests randomly under heavy logon or logoff conditions
  

KB975777

• Delay when you shut down, restart, or log off on a Windows Server 2008 R2
  

KB980663

• Stop error in Windows 7 and in Windows Server 2008 R2 if a heavy load situation exists or if connectivity issues exist: “STOP: 0x000000B8″
  

KB2265716

• A computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 stops responding randomly
  

KB2465772

• An application or service that uses Winsock API or Winsock Kernel API may randomly stop responding in Windows Server 2008 R2
  

KB917607

• Installs 32-Bit help System 2008R2 may be required if hosting 32-bit applicaitons
  

KB2383928

• Remote desktop sessions do not completely exit, and you cannot establish new remote desktop sessions to a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2
  

KB983460

• Startup takes a long time on a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer that has an Intel Nehalem-EX CPU installed
  

VMware View 4.5 Client fails to connect after recent Microsoft patch (MS11-003) – [vBOX]

Who should read this:  Customers who connect to VMWare View Connection Server with a Windows 7 laptop or desktop.
Who can disregard this: Customers who connect to VMWare View Connection Server with Windows XP PCs, Macs & iPads.

Please be aware:

1. Microsoft released security patch MS11-003 (KB2482017) yesterday.
2. After a Windows 7 physical PC installs this patch and reboots, connections to the View Connection Server will fail.  The View Client will look like this:

   

   This is documented in a VMWare KB.

3. You should check that your IT department is NOT deploying this patch to IT-managed PCs at this time.
4. If you have a self-managed home PC
   with Windows 7 which you use to connect to View, please be aware that this patch may have been applied to your system depending on how you have Automatic Updates configured.  If you see the symptoms described above, you have the option of uninstalling this patch from your self-managed home PC.  If you choose to uninstall the patch,  go to Control Panel, and click View Installed updates

   
   Find 2482017, uninstall it and reboot:



5. 4-11-2011 Update – VMWare resolved this by releasing a newer client. http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1034262

An Overview of Windows Profiles [vBOX]

What is a Windows Profile?
Have a rough idea of what Windows user profiles are, but a bit fuzzy on the details?  This article will provide an overview of Windows user profiles, and outline the different types of profiles and their significance.

A Windows profile is simply a record of user-related data characterizing a user’s computing environment. This record may include display and application settings, along with network connections. What the user sees on the screen and what the user has access to when they log on is all determined by how the system administrator has the profile configured.

Are there different types of Windows profiles?

Yes, there are four different types of Windows profiles: local, mandatory, roaming, and flex/hybrid profiles.

Local Profiles: profiles that are saved on a single computer. Users cannot access their profile from any other machine, regardless of whether the machine is attached to the network or not.

Mandatory Profiles: profiles that cannot be saved from one session to the next. A user may utilize any machine that is connected to the network. However, once a user logs off, any setting preferences made to the profile is permanently lost and must be reinstated at every log on. This ensures a profile will remain small and easy to manage, but renders users powerless from customizing their profile to their liking.

Roaming Profiles: do just what the name implies—they move around with you. If you log on to one computer today, and a different computer tomorrow, you’re making use of a roaming profile to load your customized user settings. Roaming Profiles are saved on the network so when you log on to any networked computer, your personalized desktop is loaded no matter what machine you’re on. Users have full freedom of what’s on their profile, which is convenient for them, but can lead to problems such as slow log on times and server crashes.

Flex / Hybrid Profiles: The last profile type is called a “flex” or “hybrid” profile. (These terms are usually interchangeable.) A flex profile is not really a profile type as defined by Microsoft. Instead, it is process that combines the security and control advantages of mandatory profiles with some scripting to achieve the flexibility of roaming profiles. Flex profiles have the advantages of roaming and mandatory profiles without the weaknesses.

Flex profiles allow you to control the user environment while still letting the users have some leeway in what they can and cannot change. The best part about flex profiles is that you can define which parts and settings of the profile are retained the next time the user logs on and which are discarded.

For a more complete introduction to these types of profiles, including their strengths and weaknesses, I suggest that you read BrianMadden’s blog located here.