XenDesktop 7 setup and AppController setup

So the big day is here, XenDesktop 7 is released from Citrix and with it ends the old XenApp architecture.
Support for Server based session hosts is still there but the architecture is merged into XenDesktop.

Other features include:
App-V integration
License console integrated into Studio
Storefront administration also from the same console.
The list goes on and pictures say more than a thousand words.

(Can also say that Citrix also released a new version of the Receiver platform for both Mac and Windows today, which includes support for XenDesktop 7 and Storefront.

http://blogs.citrix.com/2013/06/25/receiver-for-windows-4-0-released-today/
http://blogs.citrix.com/2013/06/25/whats-new-with-receiver-for-mac-11-8/

XenDesktop 7 can be downloaded from Mycitrix.com à

http://www.citrix.com/downloads/xendesktop.html

Now the installation is pretty straight forward just choose Standard delivery controller install and it will include all of the needed components. After they are installed we need to create a deployment.
When you start Desktop Studio we choose create new deployment.

So we create a new site.

Choose a new database (if we have a SQL server we choose that) (Itworks with SQL server 2012)
Next we define license settings, we can add licenses directly. This can be altered either by PowerShell or in the GUI afterwards.

Next we add some virtual infrastructure, this can either be System Center 2012, XenServer og vSphere.
NOTE: That even thou you can connect to a System Center 2012 R2 SCVMM it will not function properly.

I could even fetch info about my virtual network running on the 2012 R2 Preview.

It will also get any active storage clusters from SCVMM

Next we define if you have an app-v infrastructure. (Note that this does not include System Center integrated )
After that is done we will have an “site”

Next we create a machine catalog. This catalog contains physical and virtual machines (that are either server os or client oses) or Remote PC.
In my case I just have one windows server OS RDS which has the VDA agent installed.

Next we choose HOW this infrastructure is going to be built.
Either MCS, PVS or other tools such as VMM VM deployment with VDA agent installed.

For my case I choose another service or technology and I add a local VM

and I choose that this catalog should include this VM. After that is done we are completed with creating a machine catalog.
Next we have to create a delivery group. This group binds a user/group to destkops/apps.

Choose a type of delivery

Add users

Add a storefront server which this delivery controller will speak to.

After that is done we have a fully functional XenDesktop site and catalog.
We also have to install a VDA agent on an RDS server.

Choose enable connections to this server, then add a desktop controller.

Click next, next then finish.
The VDA agent will install and do a couple of reboots.

If we head back to the console we can now see that we have the option to change the URL of the Storefront deployment from the Storefront console, this was previously only available from PowerShell

Now in order to add AppController to the mix we have a certificate installed on both StoreFront and AppCtontroller, then go into Stores à and choose Manage Deliver controllers.
Then you chosoe Add, type AppController and enter the FQDN of the Appcontroller.

Then press OK, you must also log into Trust Settings of the AppController deployment to change authentication change this to StoreFront.
NOTE: This has to be in form of HTTPS:

Then we can create some web applications in the Apps & Docs part of AppController and next time we log into Citrix Receiver Web Store we can see that Apps from AppController appears.
Users also have the ability to restart their own sessions or VM’s from the web receiver

Here is the AppController application.
Now a couple of things that I would like to take note about.
Powershell support is included for pretty much everything. When I run a command in the GUI I actually run a PowerShell command in the back.
However, when I launch PowerShell from the console It does not include most of the PowerShell modules.

Therefore I’m including the path and the modules here à

import-module
‘C:Program FilescitrixStudioAppVIntegrationSnapInCitrix.AppV.Admin.V1Citrix.VirtApp.PowerShellSnapIn.dll’

import-module
‘C:Program FilesCitrixStudioAppVIntegrationSnapInCitrix.AppV.Admin.V1Citrix.GroupPolicy.PowerShellProvider.dll’

import-module
‘C:Program FilescitrixBrokerSnapinv2BrokerSnapin.dll’

import-module
‘C:Program FilescitrixLicensingSnapInCitrix.Licensing.Admin.V1Citrix.LicensingAdmin.PowerShellSnapIn.dll’

import-module
‘C:Program FilesCitrixMachineCreationSnapInCitrix.MachineCreation.Admin.V2Citrix.MachineCreation.PowerShellSnapIn.dll’

import-module
‘C:Program FilesCitrixStorefrontSnapInCitrix.Storefront.Admin.V1Citrix.Storefront.PowerShellSnapIn.dll’

Import these modules in PowerShell ISE and you can automate and configure most of your deployment from here.
For instance, I can make use of these in for instance Orchestrator, automate a new user process, and create a new VM for that user.
(ill come back to that in another post J

I recently had a speak event for the Norwegian Citrix User Group where I spoke about automation with XenDesktop 7 and Orchestrator, but that is another story.

But back to storefront, you now have the option to add web links directly from there as well à
You have the option to choose HTML5 client as a fallback if local clients does not install properly.

So when I choose, use HTML5 as fallback Storefront will create local folder containing HTML5 client

And some other resources for XenDesktop 7:

deprecated features: http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xendesktop-7/cds-overview-deprecated-features.html
Unattended installation XenDestkop 7 http://blog.myvirtualvision.com/2013/06/26/xendesktop-7-the-unattended-installation/
XenDesktop 7 edocs (How do I…. http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xendesktop-7/how-do-i.html