In this step-by-step installation guide I will install Citrix Provisioning Services 7.1 on a Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 system. I will install the PVS console, the server itself, configure the PVS farm, installing the target device software, running the Imaging Wizard, and finaly I will apply some optimizations.
For this installation I will use my current DHCP server, Microsoft SQL 2012 server and Citrix License server which are installed on a separate server. In addition to these components, you must also create a folder for the vDisk Store and create a services account before starting the installation.
Services account permissions
The services account needs the following permissions;
Database:
- db_datareader
- db_datawriter
- Execute permissions on stored procedures
System:
- Run as service
- Registry read access
- Program Files\Citrix\Provisioning Services (Full Control)
- Read/write access to any vDisk location
- If using Personal vDisk with XenDesktop, XenDesktop Full administrator privilages
- If using KMS licensing, the service account needs to be a member of the local administrators group
Active Directory:
- Domain User
- Create, Reset and Delete computer objects permissions on relating OU’s
- Reset password permissions on relating OU’s
User who performs the installation
The user you are using for the Citrix Provisioning Services Server installation needs the following SQL Database permissions;
- DBCreator
- Security Admin
Prerequisites (on Windows Server 2012 R2)
Provisioning Services Console
- Microsoft Management Console 3.0
- Windows PowerShell 2.0
- Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP1 (when using with XenDesktop)
- Microsoft .NET 4.0
Provisioning Services Server
- Windows PowerShell 2.0
- Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP1 (when using with XenDesktop)
- Microsoft .NET 4.0
Windows Target Device
- Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP1 (when using with XenDesktop)
- Microsoft .NET 4.0
DHCP Scope options
If PXE is not an option in your environment, you can configure the DHCP services to delivers the bootstrap file location. You can do this with the following DHCP scoop options;
- 66: Boot Server Host Name
- 67: Bootfile Name (ARDBP32.BIN)
Installing the Citrix Provisioning Services Console
Start the setup and click on Console Installation
Click Install
Click Next
Select I accept the terms in the license agreement and click Next
Click Next
Click Next
Select Custom and click Next
Click Next
Click Install
Click Finish
Installing the Citrix Provisioning Services Server
Select Server Installation
Select Install Server
Click on Install
For the Database Mirroring feature, the SQL native client is required on the server. Of you want to use this feature, click on Yes
Click Next
Select I accept the terms in het license agreement and click on Next
Click Next
Click Next
Click Install
Click Finish
Configuring Provisioning Services (Setting up the farm)
Click on Next
In my PoC environment the DHCP Services runs on another server.
Select what is applicable and click “Next”.
Select what is applicable and click “Next”.
Click Next
Browse to the SQL server and click Next
Fill in the requested information and click “Next”.
Fill in a Store name (anything you like), browse to the folder created for the vDisk and click Next
Fill in the Citrix License server address, optional select Validate License server version and communication and click Next
Select Specified user account, fill in the service account information and click Next
Click Next
Click Next
Select Use the Provisioning Services TFTP service and click Next
Click Next
Click Finish
Click Done
Installing the Citrix Provisioning Services Target Device (on a Windows Server 2012R2 Target)
Before installing the target device software I always disable IPV6 and Large Send Offload. See these steps under Optimizations (below this blog).
Start the installation and click on Target Device Installation
Click Target Device Installation
Click Next
Select I accept the terms in the license agreement and click Next
Click Next
Click Next
Click Install
If you want to launch the Imaging Wizard direct after this installation select Launch Imaging Wizard. Click Finish.
Running the Imaging Wizard
For this steps I already created a vDisk as described in this blog: How to create a Citrix XenApp 6.5 vDisk (will also apply for XenDesktop 7).
Click Next
Enter the Citrix Provisioning Services server where you created the vDisk and click Next
Select the vDisk and click Next
Click Next
Click Next
Click Next
Click Optimize for Provisioning Services
What to optimize depends on your environment, for example in most cases the Windows Autoupdate services can be disabled (also recommended sins the vDisk is read-only). But if System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection is used in the environment, the Windows Autoupdate services is needed for the anti-virus updates. Apply what is applicable for your environment and click OK.
Click Finish
Click Yes to reboot the server. After the reboot the disk will be converted.
Optimizations
Kerberos Security
In an Active Directory environment, the PVS Console, Imaging Wizard and the PowerShell snap-in will first try to communicate with SOAP Service using Kerberos. To let this work, SPNs must be created.To check if the SPNs are created by the PVS installer (in my case with PVS 7.1) run the following command;
– Setspn –l <Services Account>
If this is not the case, they can be created with the following commands;
– Setspn –a PVSSoap/<PVS Server Name> <Services Account>
– Setspn –a PVSSoap/<FQDN> <Services Account>
Local and Remote Concurrent I/O limits
The Local and Remote Concurrent I/O limits controls the number of concurrent outstanding I/O transactions that can be sent to a storage device. By setting either count to 0 allows the PVS Services to run without any limits. If you change these values, the server must be rebooted before they have effect (keep an eye on the vDisk retries, if they are too high, the values must be modified).
Within the Provisioning Server console, right click the server and click Properties
Click Advanced
Change the Local / Remote concurrent I/O limit value to 0 (depending if the vDisks are on the local disk or on a remote location).
Disable IPv6
By default Microsoft Windows will try to communicate over IPv6 when it is enabled. Citrix Provisioning Services is not working with IPv6 jet. To disable IPv6 completely (and not only for a specific NIC) apply the following registry key;
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip6\Parameters\
DWORD (32-Bit) Value: DisabledComponents = 0xffffffff
Disable Large Send Offload
To disable Large Send Offload first open the NIC properties BNNS, go to Advanced.
Set Large Send Offload V2 (IPv4) to Disabled
Apply the following registry key on the Provisioning Server and the Target device;
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TCPIP\Parameters\
DWORD (32-Bit) Value: DisableTaskOffload = 1
Disable Check for publisher’s certificate and server certificate revocation
When the Citrix Provisioning server has no internet connection you can speed up the management console by disable the “Check for publisher’s certificate revocation” and “Check for server certificate revocation”. To do this open Internet Explorer, go to Internet Options, go to the Advanced tab and uncheck the Check for publisher’s certificate revocation and Check for server certificate revocation under Security.
Hi Robin,
Good info on the installation of PVS 7.1. Especially your tips on optimizing PVS are good to share.
In case you want to simplify the process of optimizing the target device (like disabling tcp offloading, IPv6, etc.), I wrote a PowerShell script that does that for you
http://www.ingmarverheij.com/citrix-pvs-optimize-endpoint-with-powershell/
Best regards,
Ingmar Verheij
Hi Ingmar, thanks for sharing! (your site is also added to the blogroll)
Best regards,
Robin
I enjoy your articles. Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic guide to PVS 7.X.
Does anyone know if PVS 7.1 works with Hyper-V R2? The eDocs say Hyper-V v2 and 3 are supported but nothing about v3 R2.
As well, it appears XenServer 6.2 is not supported.
Very nice work, very helpful 🙂 Thanks you
Mr.Robin,
We are very thanks full to given us this kind of document.
[…] XenDesktop 7.1 installation. For installing and configuring Provisioning Services server 7.1 see this […]
very good information, thanks so much.
what is optimal number of retries? I changed to 10 remote concurrent I/O and look now that I have retries in the boot process, is that normal?
Hi John, That depends on the situation and how quickly the retries are increasing.
I am creating the setup with PVS7.0 and I am getting “No standard image vDisk exist in this site” when I am launching Xendesktop Setup Wizard through site.
Be sure you remove the lock on the vDisk before starting the image wizard.
Hello Robin,
We are trying to get PVS to provision our Xenapp 6.5 farm but we still hesitate to use it.
Reason:
We don’t know where we need to keep the vDisk.
We don’t know how many PVS we need to compensate the failure.
My questions are:
What is the vDisk store that we can use to meet the performance requirement? I can see that you can just create a PVS server on a big datastore (VMware) and then just put the vDisk on that datastore. I am not sure about the overhead if I am going to do that way. Or do I need to map LUN direct to the VM and then store the vDisk in there. I know that we also can create a mount point within the OS and then mouth to a folder then also can store the vDisk there. I am not sure what the best way is to get the best performance out of multiple published desktop sessions.
Also another one, how many PVS do you recommend to tolerate failure of the PVS?
Thanks
Udom
Use at least two PVS servers per site, both with there own storage with a copy of the vDisk.
very good.
The SQL port is 1433 if you get the dreaded “cannot browse to SQL …” error message 🙂
Hi, Robin.
Thanks for great guidelines on your site, helped us out a lot 😉
We have s site with one PVS Server, need to add another for load balancing. I haven’t been able to find any good guidelines regarding this, Citrix only tells us to run the wizard.
Is there anything we need to consider in the wizard, or is it just Next – Next .. ?
Thanks in advance.
Eirik
Thanks, for load balance your PVS with NetScaler you can use this Citrix guide: http://blogs.citrix.com/2014/04/01/a-solid-option-for-the-pvs-boot-method-tftp-load-balancing-using-netscaler-10-1/
Hi Robin,
thanks for your helpful blogposts.
i have a problem, hope you can give me a point to solve this issues.
i setup a lab with XenDeskop 7.5 and PVS 7.1 Servers.
i installed the target device installation on a Windows 7 64bit.
i want to run the Provisioning Services Imaging Wizard on a Windows 7 64bit but if i want connect to the PVS Server i get the message “Failed to connect to server.”
i tryed it with ip and FQDN.
i can ping the PVS with ip and FQDN.
logged in as domainadmin on the client.
no entries in Windows logfiles.
thanks for your help in advance
Markus
sorry Robin,
Windows FW is disabled on all mashines in the enviroment.
Have you checked the (Windows) FireWall?
Hi Robin,
thanks for your reply.
There is no Firewall in the envirement and WindowsFirewall is disabled on all maschines.
Hi Robin,
just for info.
This Problem come from an German OS. Same Problem with XenDesktop7.5 on German OS.
On english OS works all fine.
shame on citrix.
Brilliant Article. Quick question can I use PVS with Xendesktop 7.1 Ent. deploying servers with the VDA agent on?
Thanks,
Simon
That’s no problem
Awesome article but one quick question. I am in the process of upgrading my Citrix environment and was wondering can I upgrade PVS servers to the latest version while XenDesktop is still on 5.6?
Thanks! And yes, you can upgrade to PVS 7.1 first, it’s even an Citrix best practice.
Have you noticed that the dedicated dump file is automatically created even when set to disable in the registry?
I know this was a bug (BUG0034058) in previous versions but it was supposedly fixed as per http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX138199
any ideas?
Anyone know if PVS 7.1 has any integrated XenApp Prep abilities? I switched companies and they’re running PVS 7.1 without any sealup scripts running on shutdown of the vdisk…i’m used to running xenappconfigconsole with the /pvs flag, is this still required? I can’t find anything on it.
Can we deploy PVS without XenDesktop??
Yes you can.
Nice Article
Nice Document , Good work,Thanks for sharing with us….
Hi Robin,
This is a good article..can I use the same steps for 7.6? is there anything you would change for installing 7.6.
Yes, you can use it for XenDesktop 7.6 as well.
great article! how would you configure the db part if you are using sqlalwayson? Do you create the db first and add it to the availability group? If i do it without then i would need to change the db server name after adding the new db to the availability group since it uses a listener. just trying to find out the right steps.
Great Job Robin, thanks for sharing!!!
Hi, Nice Article, I saw citrix updated their best practices and they say for PVS Server to:
“Disable Offloads under NIC Advanced Properties (Avoid doing this during Production Hours).
”
I see there are many offload options on the vmxnet3
nic, do you suppose they mean ALL (like IP Options, Tagged Traffic, TCP Options, etc.)
??
http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX204107
Hi Avi, Yes, I always disable all the Offloads.
Hey Robin,
Alweer een artikel van jou in de exam prep guide, dit maal voor het 1Y0-301 examen (CCP-V). Proficiat!
Thanks for letting me know!