Before we jump into integrating provisioning services with Citrix, let’s understand Citrix and why we need it. Citrix is a software product that offers virtualization solutions to enable remote working.
Desktops, windows applications, and resources required to run them are published by Citrix software virtually. They are made available to remote users through a virtualization mechanism.
Using High Definition Experience (HDX) protocol for transferring data, Citrix virtual apps and desktops are accessed with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. Free Citrix virtual apps and desktops training are available in plenty on the internet.
What is PVS?
- Citrix Provisioning Services, also known as PVS, is a streaming technology that supports software patches and updates to remote desktops.
- PVS was initially developed to centralize virtual machines. However, the main advantage of PVS is to reduce operational and storage costs.
Workspace cloud connector:
A workspace cloud connector is needed as a bridge to integrating Citrix applications and desktops with PVS. Citrix itself provides this connector for integration with cloud applications. For on-premise deployments, this connector is used for similar functionality.
Fundamentals to build an integration:
1. The delivery controller in Citrix cloud:
- A subset of Citrix provisioning on-premises cmdlet, called Citrix provisioning PowerShell snap-in, is built by the Citrix apps and desktops.
- This serves as a controller, mainly communicating with the Citrix cloud environment.
2. On-premise cloud connector:
- The cloud connector acts as a bridge by exposing the provisional services endpoints to enable communication between Citrix virtual apps and the delivery controller.
3. On-premise server and its version:
- The provisioning server should be on-premise and version 7.18 or above. Compatibility issues might arise if there is a different version installed.
- As a result, frequent disconnections might occur, and the virtual desktop slowness if a version mismatch occurs.
4. Powershell SDK:
- Installation of the provisioning console includes desktop SDKs and Citrix virtual apps.
- The SDK is used by Citrix virtual apps and the virtual desktops to enable remote connection with the users.
5. On-premise licensing server:
- The Citrix license server must be on-prem for Citrix provisioning deployments.
Points to note when using the Citrix cloud feature:
- Uninstall the older version of Citrix apps and desktops snap-in before installing the latest version of the remote PowerShell SDK.
- Once the provisioning console is installed, it can no longer function with on-prem desktops and Citrix virtual apps.
- During the setup, a wizard pops up, which prompts the IP address of the cloud connector.
Citrix Cloud and Citrix provisioning dependencies:
- Citrix studio
- Citrix cloud connector
- Citrix virtual applications and desktops remote PowerShell SDK
Advantages of using a PVS:
The Citrix provisioning services made instance management easier. With a single instance of an image created/updated, the model can be streamed to hundreds of virtual desktops.
Even software installations have become more accessible and more friendly across virtual desktops. For example, installing the application software in the primary instance reflects across all the virtual desktops with just a reboot.
Rollbacks have become more accessible:
The PVS image in the Citrix world is stored in a vDisk or a virtual disk. Updates made to this vDisk create a new disk every time and keep it in the form of a version control system. Since we have a versioned vDisks stored, the rollback option is more accessible.
An unreliable software installation might have disrupted the cloud services, and its uninstallation is riskier than rolling back to the previous version of the vDisk. This gives the cloud environment an undo functionality with minimal risk.
1. Increased scalability:
- There is no limit to the provision of virtual machines supported by PVS. Predefined storage locations are configured in the Citrix studio so that a pool of virtual desktops can be assigned to dedicated storage and executed from there.
2. PVS also supports physical machines:
- An additional feature is that a physical desktop could be connected to a pool of virtual desktops. PVS supports this feature. However, it is pretty rare as it is against the concept of cloud virtualization.
Conclusion
The main goal of Citrix Provisioning Services is to centralize cloud infrastructure usage. The PVS configures machines in a data center, manages them, and serves them to the clients located remotely, with the help of high-definition streaming technology.
Versioned images are the main advantage of using a PVS infra, and undoing a problem is relatively easier than anywhere else when a PVS is used.
