2010's Top 20 eDocs Topics

posted on http://community.citrix.com/blogs/ by Beth Pollock

In the spirit of end of year Top 10 lists, we thought we'd provide a list of the 20 most-viewed eDocs topics between 1 January and 27 December 2010. The list is compiled based on unique pageviews. Landing pages for products or platforms are not counted. For this exercise, we are more interested in seeing which topics readers are going to for information that helps them accomplish a task, rather than gauging how popular certain products or platforms are.
Not surprisingly, system requirements and readmes are the most-read topics, along with installation instructions.

Rank	Title	Unique Pageviews
1	System Requirements for XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2	50,290
2	Readme for XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2	34,827
3	Evaluating XenDesktop (XenDesktop 4)	30,773
4	Readme for Citrix Receiver for Linux, Version 11.100	30,231
5	Designing a XenApp Deployment (XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2)	26,499
6	Readme for Citrix XenDesktop 4	25,740
7	Requirements for Delivery Controllers (XenDesktop 4)	25,714
8	Installing and Configuring XenApp (XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2)	24,932
9	Preparing to Install and Configure XenApp (XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2)	21,805
10	To extract, install, and remove the individual plug-in .msi files (Online Plug-in 11.2 for Windows)	19,619
11	System Requirements for iOS	19,343
12	Virtual Desktop Requirements (XenDesktop 4)	17,356
13	Data Store Database Requirements (XenDesktop 4)	17,169
14	How to Use Citrix eDocs	16,861
15	Installing XenApp Using the Wizard-Based Server Role Manager (XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2)	16,172
16	Readme for Citrix Licensing 11.6 for Windows	16,000
17	Hosting Infrastructures (XenDesktop 4)	15,829
18	Readme for Citrix Licensing 11.6.1 for Windows (Build 10007)	15,703
19	Readme for Citrix Online Plug-in for Macintosh 11.1	15,453
20	Configuring XenApp Using the Wizard-based Server Configuration Tool (XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008 R2)	15,391

Are you surprised by any of these entries? Are there any topics missing that you would expect to be represented here? What's your personal top 5?

XenDesktop 5 SQL Profiler Template Availble

A useful troubleshooting tool from Citrix has been released for XenDesktop.

The SQL profiler template allows data capture of XenDesktop 5 SQL activity for troubleshooting purposes. There are two templates included:
XenDesktop 5 SQL2008R2 Profiler Template for SQL 2008R2
XenDesktop 5 SQL2008 Profiler Template for SQL 2008

Prerequisites

SQL 2008 or SQL 2008 R2

Installing XenDesktop 5 SQL Profiler Template

1.     Start SQL Profiler 2008 or SQL 2008.
Example Start > All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 > Performance Tools > SQL Server Profiler

2.     Click on File > Templates > Import Template.

3.     Select XD5 SQL Profiler Trace SQL2008R2 or SQL 2008, depending on your SQL edition.

4.     Enable file rollover and set the value to at least 100 megabytes.

5.     When you are ready to reproduce the event, click Run.

6.     Once the event has been reproduced, click on the red Stop button to stop the trace.

7.     Save the log file and upload for analysis.

Download here: http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX127257

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Introduction to UEFI

To follow up on my previsou post on UEFI causing boot issues on IBM Servers.

This article is worth a read if working with the new UEFI firmware.

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/systems/support/system_x_pdf/introducing_uefi-compliant_fireware_on_ibm_system_x.1.1.pdf

Specifically interesting sections are Page 12:

Optimizing boot-time performance

The simplest way to achieve quicker boot times for a configuration is to install and boot UEFIaware operating systems whenever possible. For deployments in which a UEFI-aware operating

system is not available, this section introduces concepts and techniques for optimally configuring adapter support for legacy boots. The major variable determinants of server boot-time performance are how much memory capacity is available and what adapters are installed. Other determinants of boot-time performance are inherent to the design and core technologies of the server design (such as

CRTM/TPM, platform self-test, and power management) and are not configurable. Always usethe latest available firmware, because any optimizations to these core features will be in the latest firmware releases.

Memory

The more memory that is installed, the more there is to initialize ECC and test. You can install less memory, but that usually does not result in significant boot-time improvement. The best approach for optimizing boot time and memory use is to balance DIMMs and memory capacity across installed processors. Balancing memory optimizes memory initialization on servers with integrated memory controllers (such as Intel Xeon® 5500 based servers). For details, see the Optimizing the Performance of IBM System x and BladeCenter Servers using Intel Xeon 5500 Series Processors white paper.

Adapters

Some classes of server adapters, such as network or RAID controllers, can take considerable time to initialize in the pre-operating-system UEFI or BIOS environment. Because IBM System x Server Firmware simultaneously supports both UEFI and BIOS boot mechanisms, there can be unwanted repetition of adapter initialization when BIOS operating systems are booted. This repetition can occur with an adapter that includes native UEFI device drivers in addition to BIOS code on its adapter ROM. For suggested approaches to tuning adapter support for better boot-time performance, see “UEFI and BIOS adapter support details” and “Enabling and disabling adapter ROM support.”

Page 24 also advised how to disable adapters for UEFI.

IBM X3650 UEFI Causes XenServer 5.6 Boot Issues

I have been installing XenServer on to some new IBM X3650 M3 Servers recently and have experienced very slow boot times and also issues in connecting to Fibre attached storage.

Symptom:

It takes some 10-20+ minutes every boot for the QLogic cards to present all the LUNS/Paths to the UEFI before continuing the ordinary boot-sequence.

When XenServer is installed without any HBA cards installed the servers will boot without issue. When the HBA cards are installed the XenServer fails to boot.

Issue:

The new Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) which replaces BIOS causes issues. The problem is that XenServer does not support UEFI Yet!

The problem happened when we assigned a LUN to the Qlogic FC, after that, the server won't boot into local drive, which is where XenServer is installed.

Resolution:

To fix this, you need
1. Press F1 to get into uefi bios
2. Add "legacy only" as a boot option
3. set "legacy only" as the first in boot order
4. commit to all the changes

Citrix Knowledge Center Top 10 - September 2010

Find below the Citrix Knowledge Center Top 10 for September 2010.

Top 10 Technical Articles

Article Number	Article Title
CTX368624	Troubleshooting Citrix Pass-through Authentication (Single Sign-On)
CTX711855	Common SSL Error Messages, and Respective Cause and Resolution
CTX238200	Troubleshooting Client Drive Mapping
CTX101644	Seamless Configuration Settings
CTX106531	Troubleshooting the Citrix XTE Service and Errors: There is no route to the specified address ... Protocol Driver Error
CTX107572	Troubleshooting Tools for Citrix Environments
CTX677542	Advanced Concepts - Farm Maintenance
CTX106192	Access Gateway Software Updates
CTX564283	Troubleshooting 1003 and 1004 Terminal Server Licensing Errors
CTX101705	Troubleshooting Slow Logons

Top 10 Whitepapers

Article Number	Article Title
CTX110351	User Profile Best Practices for MetaFrame Presentation Server
CTX124565	Best Practices: Customizing Microsoft Office 2010 for Streaming Environments
CTX117913	Technical Guide for Upgrading / Migrating to XenApp 5.0
CTX124087	XenDesktop Modular Reference Architecture
CTX126190	Desktop Virtualization Top 10 Mistakes Made
CTX101997	Citrix Secure Gateway Secure Ticket Authority Frequently Asked Questions
CTX101739	Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Data Store Replication
CTX119036	User Profile Manager Deployment Best Practices
CTX118735	XenServer Demo and Evaluation Setup Guide
CTX124799	User Profiles for XenApp and XenDesktop

Top 10 Hotfixes

Article Number	Article Title
CTX122756	Hotfix Rollup Pack 6 for Citrix XenApp 5.0 and Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 32-bit Edition
CTX125480	Citrix Offline Plug-in 6.0.1 for Windows - English
CTX125235	Citrix Online Plug-in 12.0.3 for Windows
CTX116550	Citrix Presentation Server Client 10.200 for Windows
CTX120923	Hotfix Rollup Pack 5 for Citrix XenApp 5.0 and Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 32-bit Edition
CTX118445	Citrix XenApp Plug-in for Hosted Apps 11.0 and Streamed Apps 1.2 for Windows
CTX122761	Hotfix Rollup Pack 6 for Citrix XenApp 5.0 and Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 64-bit Edition
CTX109307	Hotfix Rollup Pack PSE400W2K3R02 - For Citrix Presentation Server 4.0, Citrix Access Essentials 1.0 and 1.5 for Windows Server 2003
CTX125388	Hotfix XA600W2K8R2X64001 - For Citrix XenApp 6.0 for Windows Server 2008 R2 - English
CTX126398	Hotfix CPVS51SP2E030 - For Citrix Provisioning Services 5.1 SP2

Top 10 Presentations

Article Number	Article Title
CTX105908	Get the Most Out of Your Resource Manager Summary Database
CTX111920	Selected Citrix Troubleshooting Tools
CTX111560	Health Checks for Citrix Services Using Advanced Monitors
CTX125175	TechEdge 2010 - Debugging a Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop Environment
CTX123530	XenDesktop 4.0 Core Infrastructure and Features - GoToWebinar
CTX125180	Troubleshooting XenDesktop, Provisioning Services & XenServer Integration
CTX121117	Troubleshooting Tools and Methodology for Citrix XenApp 5 Environment
CTX111562	Troubleshooting the Citrix NetScaler Application Switch
CTX119104	TechEdge 2008 - Troubleshooting Tools for a XenApp Environment
CTX125177	TechEdge 2010 - Troubleshooting XenDesktop Deployments

Top 10 Tools

Article Number	Article Title
CTX122536	Citrix Quick Launch
CTX113472	Citrix ICA File Creator
CTX106226	Repair Clipboard Chain 2.0.1
CTX116063	XenAppPrep Integration Utility for XenApp and Provisioning Services
CTX111961	CDFControl
CTX116474	Print Detective
CTX122962	Citrix Printing Tool
CTX109374	StressPrinters 1.3.2 for 32-bit and 64-bit Platforms
CTX126491	HDX Experience Monitor for XenApp
CTX107935	MedEvac 2.5

Password Manager - What happens when a certificate expires?

Well the answer is lots of errors, some event log entries and a pretty un-usable Password manager solution.
I have just seen this in a customer site where an Internal Certifcate Authority server had been used to create the web certificates for the web interface and password manager servers. The certificates expired after a year and Password Manager stopped functioning.

In order to resolve the issue a new certificate was issued from the CA server and assigned to the relevent servers.
We then needed to resign the data following the guidelines in the following admin guide. Pages 316/317

http://support.citrix.com/servlet/KbServlet/download/11635-102-15687/Password_Manager_Administrators_Guide45.pdf

In simple terms:
1. Create a new certificate.
Run CtxCreateSigningCert.exe from %ProgramFiles%\Citrix\MetaFrame Password Manager\Server folder. Enter the public key file name, the private key file name, and the time, in months, before the signing certificate expires. The new certificate is created.

Example:

ctxcreatesigningcert “C:\PublicKeyCert.cert” “C:\PrivateKeyCert.cert” “36”

2. Resign data at central store using the ctxsigndata command.

Example.

ctxsigndata -r mpmserver.mycompany.com/MPMService "C:\PrivateKeyCert.cert" mycompany.com AD

3. Verify data signatures at central store using the ctxsigndata command.

Example.

ctxsigndata -v mpmserver.mycompany.com/MPMService “https://mpmserver.mycompany.com/MPMService” mycompany.com AD

Done!