Citrix PVS - After Reverse Imaging Unable To Change Computer Name

Purpose:

Show the steps taken after reverse imaging a W2K8R2 Citrix PVS Target Device to fix the inability to rename the server and add back to the AD Domain

Symptom:

After the reverse imaging process is done, the machine removed from the domain, rebooted, name changed and rebooted again the name of the server doesn't change and the ability to add the machine back to the domain is grayed out.



Resolution:

In the registry navigate to the below location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ComputerName

There are 2 subkeys called ActiveComputerName and ComputerName and within each of there are valumes called ComputerName. Verify that both have the new computer name.

On my issue the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ComputerName\ActiveComputerName\ComputerName value had the old computer name. I renamed the key and then restarted the computer.

Cause:
Computer account not updating correctly

SageLike Post ID: SL0014

Applies to:

Citrix Provisioned Target Devices
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows 7

Maybe others but these are the OS's that I've had issues with.

References:

http://discussions.citrix.com/topic/283685-after-reverse-image-unable-to-change-computer-name/

XenDesktop The Registration Was Refused Due To No Reason Provided

Purpose:
This post addresses a XenDesktop VDA registration issue with an obscure registration error.

Symptoms:
XenDesktop VDA's will not register to XD Controller and receives the below errors in the event log

The VDA registration process results in a error, Event ID 1023, with a message

"The Citrix Desktop Service was refused a connection to the delivery controller 'xdcontroller.domain.local' (IP Address 'xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx').

The registration was refused due to 'No Reason Provided'."

The Server or Desktop VDA may have been running for quite some time before this error appears and it seems to be linked to an HDX policy update

Resolution #1:

Ultimately this turned out to be a policy update issue. These machines were migrated from a XD 5.6 environment to a 7.x environment. After the HDX policy update the VDA would not accept the policy update and would fail to register to the controller. The ultimate fix was to determine where all the group policies are stored on the machine when it does do the application of the group policy. I found these directories: C:\ProgramData\Citrix\GroupPolicy & C:\ProgramData\CitrixCseCache:

 

 

First stop the Citrix Group Policy Engine (citrixcseengine). Then delete the contents of these directories (you’ll need administrative rights to do this), run a gpupdate /force and then perform a reboot.

After the reboot the registration of the server and the application of the HDX policies applied correctly

Resolution #2

Use the Citrix VDA Removal Utility to completely remove the VDA then reinstall the VDA. This will wipe out all of the settings and configs on the server and reapply everything

https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX209255

Cause:

It seems like the updated HDX policies were conflicting with the ones cached on the local machine. Clearing out the cache and forcing an update addressed the issue.

SageLike Post ID: SL0013

Applies To:
 XenDesktop VDAs that were migrated from XenApp 6.5 or XenDesktop 5.6 environments to XenDesktop 7.x

Windows 7
Windows 2008 R2
XenApp
XenDesktop

Using Ping on a Mac

Being a long time Microsoft Windows user, I was surprised to find out a fun feature of Apple MacOS terminal command--ping.

If you are not familiar with the ubiquitous tool, on most systems it is a way to send a simple ICMP ECHO_REQUEST packet to network hosts. In plain English, it means you can send a small network message to a node on the network and it will reply back. Depending on the length of time between the send and the reply you can figure out rough network performance.

Below is the familiar interface on Windows.

ping -t 192.168.1.1

Note: the -t makes the command continuous.  This means that it will continue to ping over and over again--never stopping vs the default of a three ping count.

On a Mac, you have a couple of extra options.

By default, every ping on a Mac is continuous. 

You can ping a node on the network and have it make an audible beep every time it gets a successful reply. This is very useful if you want to verify a machine is still up and running while doing other tasks.

ping -a 192.168.1.1

Conversely, you may want to get an audible beep only when a server is NOT responding. This is very handy if you have requested a server to reboot after installing updates. The audible and visual cues make it easy to pin point exactly when the reboot occurs.

ping -A 192.168.1.1

Depending on which system you are using, there are many other options you can run while using ping but these are a couple I find useful while using a Mac.

Drop me a line in the comments if this is useful to you or if you have any questions,

Brian Olsen @sagelikebrian
 

Getting Things Done

Purpose:
To discuss the tools I use to get things done.

Often when I meet a new system administrator, the conversation of tools comes up.  Part of the fun of  being a consultant is learning new ways to get things done.  I have always wanted to collect this information into one place but the the closest thing we have to this idea on sagelike.com is "Windows 2008 R2 on a Laptop".  I have run into posts like this before, my favorite is probably @thurrott's "What I Use".  He updates his from time to time and I intend to do the same.

Devices:
On Black Friday, I pulled the trigger on a late 2013 Retina MacBook Pro 13" 512 GB.  This is a paradigm shift for me as my whole career revolves around Microsoft Windows.  In the month that I have been using it, I am totally in love.  It is the first laptop that fits in my messenger bag laptop sleeve and I barely know it is there.  The battery life has routinely gone a full work day and the trackpad / gestures have changed the way I interact with applications.

That being said, my favorite computer is my Windows 7 virtual desktop that runs in the SageLike lab.  I have a constantly changing pool of non-persistent desktops of various OSs available but I most often use the persistent Windows 7.  Outlook 2010 is alway running along with Dropbox, ShareFile, and SkyDrive so the second I connect--everything is ready to go.  XenDesktop does a great job of adjusting the resolution to any form factor and I can get to it from any place that has ultranet connectivity.

For over a year, I have been enjoying the iPad 2.  Oddly, I rarely take it out of the house because I always carry a laptop.  There is something really enjoyable about surfing the web or reading email while kicked back on the couch.  My favorite book reader is an older e-ink Amazon Kindle which is an ideal unitasker.

I'm a year into the iPhone 5 and still happy with it.  The power button is starting to go but the rest of the phone is solid.  I want to complain about the battery life but if I honestly look at my typical day I should not be surprised.  My morning commute often involves streaming a podcast (see below) from the internet and then, via Bluetooth, to my car stereo while simultaneously running Waze to avoid traffic issues and speed traps.

They say the best camera is the one you have with you and that is certainly true of the iPhone 5.  It really takes amazing photos for its size and coupled with a variety of apps and internet access it is a total package.  The Canon EOS T3i is my choice for those less spontaneous moments.  I'm also a big fan of using the Patagonia Atom Bag as a camera bag.  It is not meant to be a camera bag which is kind of the point.  Nothing says 'expensive camera' like a big over-padded Canon bag hanging off your shoulder.  Besides being more discreet, the sling nature of the bag allows for quick access to retrieve or store your camera.

Servers:
Stay tuned for a separate post on this subject.

Windows Software:
I still prefer Microsoft Office 2010 for professional document creation but I do have Office 2013 on some devices.  OneNote, also a part of the Office suite, is an app I can't live without.  OneNote contains five years of my notes, screenshots, white papers, and drawings.  They are organized by vendor and technology but a single search will span all sections.  OneNote does a great job of fitting all this information into 400 MB which syncs from computer currently via with Dropbox.

I also have a host of the typical admin tools like Citrix: GoToMeeting, HDX Monitor, Print Detective, Receiver, Scout, ShareFile, XenCenter; Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager, Putty, WinSCP, VMware Virtual Infrastructure Client,

Macintosh Software:
There is a lot to be said about the default software that comes on every Mac.  iPhoto is an excellent built-in photo organizer and editor but this summer I standardized on Adobe Lightroom because of its dual platform support (Windows, Mac) and good reviews.  My hope is that Lightroom will give me the tools to organize the rapidly growing personal photo collection.  It has only been six months but I'm very happy with the progress.  On this same note, I've only tinkered with iMovie but managed to make an amusing trailer using photos taken over Christmas in twenty minutes.

I don't have enough storage for my music collection but iTunes Radio is nice to have built-in.  The same could be said about Messages being handy for communicating with my iFriends.  I prefer Google Chrome for browsing on all platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad...).  The Microsoft Remote Desktop app is excellent for remoting to Windows machines.

There are many times when the Mac software ecosystem comes up short.  To solve that issue, I've been using VMware Fusion v6.  It is excellent and the ability to swipe back and forth between Mac and Window has changed the way I work.  I'm not sure if it is an issue with Mavericks or Fusion but it crashes every time I try to close the program--so for now, I don't.

Services:
I don't need three file syncing services but unfortunately that is where I am at today.  All three have their benefits and drawbacks.  Lewan Technology's corporate standard is Citrix ShareFile which works well because I like the robust file delivery options it provides.  Microsoft SkyDrive gives everyone 7 GB which is reason enough but the integration with Office Web Apps and the remote PC connectivity make me think that this is the best of breed.  Moving to SkyDrive means migrating everything out of my 5 GB Dropbox.  Besides the time I invested in referring people and building up to 5 GB, Dropbox just works and I completely trust it.

Since the death of my beloved Google Reader, I started using Feedly which is a slick replacement but the idea of pouring over RSS feeds seems old fashion.  My new methodology for keeping up with announcements, blog posts, and documentation is save them to Pocket.  Pocket is available across all my devices and provides a great interface to keep track of what I have read or watched and what I'll save for later.  These various links primarily come from Twitter but it works just as well if something comes in by email or even SMS.

I have tried a variety of task management systems but my current trusted system for getting things done is Nirvana.   It is web based (key for me) and also has an iPhone app.

I'm also a big fan of Amazon MP3 and Prime, Aereo, Flickr, Blogger, Delicious, IFTTT, and Twitter.

Podcasts:
I do a lot of driving and podcasts are the key to my sanity.  Over the years it has become part of my routine and my main method of getting tech news.

Brian & Gabe Live - Ad-hoc audio of @brianmadden, @gabeknuth, @jackmadden talking frankly
MacBreak Weekly - Apple news, ratholes, weekly picks
Old Tech News - Audio version of @ihnatko's various columns
Radiolab - science, philosophy, and the human spirit
TechNet Radio - Microsoft's highly scripted interview show typically centered around a product
TedTalks - "ideas worth spreading"
Windows Weekly - Microsoft news, software and beer picks


SageLike Post ID: SL0005

References:

Everything:

• Citrix GoToMeeting
• Citrix Receiver
• Citrix ShareFile
• Delicious
• Dropbox
• Feedly
• Flickr
• Google Blogger
• Google Chrome
• IFTTT
• Microsoft SkyDrive
• Pocket
• Twitter

iOS:

• Nirvana

Windows:

• Citrix HDX Monitor 
• Citrix Print Detective
• Citrix Scout
• Citrix XenCenter
• Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager 
• Putty
• VMware Virtual Infrastructure Client
• WinSCP

Mac:

• 
  
• Adobe Lightroom
• Microsoft Remote Desktop App
• VMware Fusion v6

Microsoft Windows Profiles, Folder Redirection, GPO

Purpose:
This post contains two videos explaining Microsoft Windows user profiles, folder redirection, and Group Policy.

SageLike Post ID: SL0002

Symptom:
A big piece of the Windows user experience is stored in the profile of the user.  Microsoft Windows user profiles can be a complex topic because of the variety of ways applications use them to store files and registry settings.  Microsoft revamped user profiles starting with Windows Vista and made them incompatible with the prior versions (Citrix blog) which only adds to the confusion. Incorrectly configured profiles can result in a variety of application errors and a poor user experience.

Example of a V2 profile on Windows 2008 R2

Resolution:
The only way to solve problems that involve a Windows profile is to understand how they work and the options Microsoft provides to deploy and manage them.  Third party profile management solutions (AppSense Environment Manager, Citrix Profile Manager, VMware Persona...) are not the focus of this post.

The following video from brianmadden.com blogger, Gabe Knuth (@gabeknuth), covers Windows profiles, folder redirection, and group policy best practices.  It is a great starting point for people new to group policy and only familiar with local profiles.  Keep in mind it predates Windows 2008 but a majority of concepts still apply.




The second video is a technical introduction into Windows profiles types with a focus on Microsoft Terminal Services and Citrix XenApp.  These same concepts also apply to virtual desktop products like Citrix XenDesktop and VMware View.






Applies to:
Citrix XenApp
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Microsoft Windows Vista
Microsoft Windows 7
Microsoft Windows 2008
Microsoft Windows 2008 R2
Maybe others

References:

•  Citrix TV video “User Environment - profiles and group policy”: http://www.citrix.com/tv/#videos/1360
• Citrix TV video "Technical Intro to User Profiles": http://www.citrix.com/tv/#videos/595
• User Profile Best Practices for XenApp 5: http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120285