5 Citrix XenDesktop VDI with Dell Compellent SC8000 All-Flash Arrays for 3,000 Persistent Desktop Users CML1079 Executive summary Desktop virtualization is an important strategy for organizations seeking to reduce the cost and complexity of managing an expanding variety of client desktops, laptops, and mobile handheld devices.
Citrix XenDesktop (now known as Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops) can have a number of different issues that severely impact end-user productivity, so it’s important to know what these issues are and how to avoid them.
- Citrix XenDesktop: Where the Real Problem Lies. All systems have their own set of issues. But what really makes Citrix environments exceptionally burdensome is the amount of time and effort IT admins must put in to troubleshoot a single issue. That’s because Citrix environments are so complex.
- XenDesktop 7 Database Configuration, Optimization, and Maintenance Tasks. Citrix Recommends that customers separate their Databases and configure nightly and weekly maintenance plans for your XenDesktop SQL databases.
- Citrix XenDesktop 7 Training Getting formal Citrix training can be a tall order for Citrix engineers that find themselves without a backup to take care of the farm while they are away at training or have difficulty getting training dollars approved.
Citrix XenDesktop Common Issues with Log-on
Arguably the most notorious of all issues in XenDesktop environments, log-on problems can range from slow log-on to complete login failures. They stem from a number of possible issues during the various phases in the XenDesktop log-on process. Problems can happen in the brokering, virtual machine (VM) start, HDX connection, authentication, group policy, log-on script, or profile load phases.
Desktop Icons Not Appearing on Citrix Receiver
Another common issue in Citrix XenDesktop environments happens in the enumeration stage. This is the part when application and desktop icons are supposed to populate Citrix Receiver on a user’s workstation. Sometimes those icons fail to appear. When that happens, you need to check several places. On NetScaler, you’ll want to check the Profile Settings, the NetScaler Trace, and the digital certificates used between StoreFront and NetScaler. You’ll also need to check some things on LDAP and XenDesktop.
Citrix Receiver Not Launching a Desktop
Sometimes a user can authenticate with Citrix Receiver and is even presented with desktop icons. However, once that user clicks on an icon, the desktop doesn’t launch. This can be due to several different problems: an outdated Receiver, an exhausted license, a NetScaler Gateway license type mismatch, an unlinked certificate on NetScaler, an unspecified Secure Ticket Authority ( and many others.
Citrix Printing Issues
Citrix XenDesktop has a long list of printing issues. This is because the software uses a complex virtualization technology that leads to numerous conflicts with the underlying OS. A case in point is printers deployed under universal printing not appearing in the Devices and Printers section of the Control panel. This issue is common on Windows 8, 10, and Windows Server 2012.
This problem arises when the Citrix Print Manager Service stops or restarts, leaving the “CpSvc.exe” process in an unresponsive state. As a workaround, you need to stop the “CpsSvc.exe” process restarting or stopping the Citrix Print Manager Service.
Citrix XenDesktop: Where the Real Problem Lies
All systems have their own set of issues. But what really makes Citrix environments exceptionally burdensome is the amount of time and effort IT admins must put in to troubleshoot a single issue. That’s because Citrix environments are so complex. For a simple launching problem, you’ll need to check your firewall, your NetScaler, licensing issues, XML errors, a corrupt local host cache, a corrupt datastore, and more.
How to Avoid Citrix XenDesktop Common Issues Completely
Citrix isn’t the only solution for delivering virtual applications and desktops. In fact, there’s another alternative. It’s called Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS). One of the main advantages of Parallels RAS is its simplified architecture, which makes it less prone to issues. If an issue does occur, it’s faster to troubleshoot. But don’t just take our word for it—try it out yourself.
References
XenDesktop 7 Database Configuration, Optimization, and Maintenance Tasks.
Citrix Recommends that customers separate their Databases and configure nightly and weekly maintenance plans for your XenDesktop SQL databases.
First we will go over how to configure the databases for Monitoring and Logging.
To do this, open Citrix Studio and click on the Configuration node. Select the Logging Database and click Change Database.
Change the Database Name and click OK.
Next we will need to change the Monitoring database. Select the Monitoring Database and click change database.
Change the Database Name and click OK.
Database Name change should be reflected below.
Below is how to setup and configure Index, Statistics and purge history maintenance.
Download the following scripts. IndexOptimize, CommandLog, CommandExecute.
http://ola.hallengren.com/sql-server-index-and-statistics-maintenance.html
http://ola.hallengren.com/
Open SQL Management Studio. Execute scripts.
Go to File, Open, Click on File…
Select all 3 downloaded files. “CommandExecute, CommandLog, IndexOptimize”.
Next we will need to execute the scripts. Click the Execute button for each script and verify they were executed successfully.
After the initial scripts have been executed we will need to create a SQL Server Agent Jobs for Index Maintenance. Right click on SQL Server Agent then New and select Job.
The first maintenance job we will create is for the Index. Specify a Name, Owner, Category and Description.
Select Steps then click on New.
Create a step name, change Type: “Operating System (CmdExec)” and paste the following command lines into the command box.
sqlcmd -E -S $(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(SRVR)) -d master -Q “EXECUTE [dbo].[IndexOptimize] @Databases = ‘USER_DATABASES’, @UpdateStatistics = ‘ALL’, @OnlyModifiedStatistics = ‘Y’, @StatisticsSample = ’50’, @LogToTable = ‘Y'” –b
Select Advanced page and change “On success action” to Quit the job reporting success. Click OK when finished.
Select Schedules and click New.
Type in a description in the Name field, change frequency and time. Click OK when finished.
If you would like a notification of Success or Failure you can select the communication type and select the options. When your finished click OK to finish the SQL Server Agent Job.
Next we will create a SQL Server Agent Job for Statistics maintenance. Right click on SQL Server Agent then New and select Job.
Specify a Name, Owner, Category and Description for the Stats Maintenance.
Select Steps then click on New.
Create a Step Name, Change Type: “Operating System (CmdExec)” and paste the following command lines into the Command field.
Citrix Xendesktop Version Comparison
sqlcmd -E -S $(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(SRVR)) -d master -Q “EXECUTE [dbo].[IndexOptimize] @Databases = ‘USER_DATABASES’, @FragmentationLow = NULL, @FragmentationMedium = NULL, @FragmentationHigh = NULL, @UpdateStatistics = ‘ALL’, @OnlyModifiedStatistics = ‘Y’, @LogToTable = ‘Y'” –b
Select Advanced page and change “On success action” to Quit the job reporting success. Click OK when finished.
Select Schedules and click New.
Type in a description in the Name field, change frequency and time. Click OK when finished.
If you would like a notifications of Success or Failure you can fill out this out. When your finished click OK to finish the SQL Server Agent Job.
Now we create the the last maintenance job which will be used to Clean Up history.
Navigate to the Management node and expand. Then right Maintenance Plans and select New Maintenance Plans.
Fill in the Name, Description and Select the Run As account. Click Next.
Select the Clean Up History box and click Next.
There is only one task that we are executing for Clean Up History. Click Next.
I choose to leave the default settings, but you can customize these options to fit your environment. Click Next.
I unchecked Write a report to a text file. If you want a report leave this checked or check the Email Report option. Click Next to continue.
Click Finish after verifying all settings.
Additional information about Citrix XenDesktop database maintenance can be found here.