March 20th, 2013
XenApp 6.5 Migration Center
Gerard Carragher – Support Readiness EMEA
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Overview
• Requirements and Architecture
• Tool Specifics
• Installation and Pre-migration Tasks
• Performing Migrations
• Best Practices and Troubleshooting
• Resources/Q+A
Agenda
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Step 1 – Upgrade/Migrate to 5.0• Follow this whitepaper for detailed steps• Technical Guide for Upgrading or Migrating to 5.0
• Step 2 – Upgrade/Migrate to 6.5• Then follow the steps in this whitepaper• Technical Guide for Upgrading or Migrating to 6.5
XA 4.5 Migration Steps
Overview
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• No direct upgrade to XenApp 6.5 from previous versions• All servers must be installed in a new farm with
Windows Server 2008 R2 and the XenApp install media
• Mixed farms are not supported
• No way to efficiently migrate settings between farms of the same version
Problem statement
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Allows admins to migrate settings from one farm to another• An updated version to the original tool for XenApp 6 that now includes a GUI
(It is still based on PowerShell)
• Provides two options for migrating settings• Direct (default/recommended): Exports settings in one step from the source
farm to the XenApp 6.5 farm provided there is an available network connection and the same administrator account is valid in both environments.
• Indirect: Settings are exported to XML files from the source farm and later imported into the XenApp 6.5 farm
• Enables supported settings to be migrated or allows administrators to select which specific settings to migrate
Tool highlights
Requirements and Architecture
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• A source farm containing the desired settings• XenApp 5 on Windows Server 2003 w/HRP05• XenApp 5 on Windows Server 2008• XenApp 6 on Windows Server 2008 R2• XenApp 6.5 on Windows Server 2008 R2
• A XenApp 6.5 destination farm
• A Citrix Administrator Account • Full admin permissions in the destination farm and a minimum of view-
only in the source farm (An account that is full admin in both farms is recommended)
Tool requirements
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• A domain admin account is recommended• Local admins and power users will work though
• DCOM group access is needed in the source farm
• Write access needed to working directory• C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Citrix\Citrix.XenApp.Migration
(The folder on the XenApp 6.5 server where data and logs reside)
Required OS permissions
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Network COM+ is needed if performing a direct migration
• The following pre-reqs are required if doing an indirect migration (e.g. running the tool on the source server to export the data)• .NET Framework 3.5 SP1• MSI 3.0• PowerShell
Microsoft pre-reqs for source servers
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
ArchitectureSource Environment
XenApp 5 2003/2008
XenApp 6.x
Target XenApp 6.5 Environment
MFCOMServer
XACOMServer
MFCOM
XACOM
XenApp Migration Commands
XenApp Migration Application
XenApp PowerShellImporter
XenAppCommands
XenApp MFCOMExporter
XenApp XACOMExporter
= PowerShell
Tool Specifics
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
What can we migrate with all XA versions?
• The following items may be migrated with any supported version of XenApp used for the source farm• Applications• Application and server folders• Load evaluators attached to apps (only attached to servers when source farm
is XenApp 6.x)• Policies (IMA/Farm policies only and not GPO policies in Active Directory)• Server settings• Farm settings• Farm administrators• HMR tests (Any custom test executables will need to be copied over)• Session printers (Printer paths will not be validated, see zones)
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
Settings and data that will not migrate
• Printer drivers and related settings• Drivers, driver replication settings, and driver mappings
• Configuration Logging• This is a historical log of administrative changes performed in the legacy farm
so there is no reason to migrate this information
• Server registry settings• Seamless flags and other registry settings will not come over
• Zones • This is related to the structure of a farm which is not practical to migrate
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Attaching load evaluators to servers
• Associating application folders with published applications
• Associating servers or OUs with worker groups
• Assigning server objects to folders
• Assigning zones
• Configuring printer settings
• Setup Configuration Logging within the new farm
• Copying Health Monitoring and Recovery test executables to new farm
Post-migration steps
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Citrix\Citrix.XenApp.Migration
Working directory
• Data – XML files containing the data for each object type
• Logs – XML and text log files of the migration processes
• UILogs – Logs from the Migration Center
• MigrationOptions.xml – Configuration settings(Delete to start fresh)
Installation and Considerations
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• The Migration Center is installed with the product
Installation on XenApp 6.5
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• For indirect migrations (exporting settings to be later imported into the new farm)
• The tool needs to be installed from the media• \Administration\Delivery Services Console\setup\Citrix.XenApp.Migration.Install_x64.msi• \Administration\Delivery Services Console\setup\Citrix.XenApp.Migration.Install_x86.msi
• Note that the Migration Center GUI application can only be used from the target XenApp 6.5 server• The PowerShell cmdlets must be used on the source server when
performing an indirect migration
Installation with earlier XenApp versions
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Direct modifications to the data store• The tool should ideally be run during a maintenance window with no users connected to
the XenApp 6.5 farm. As always, data store backups are essential!
• Published application paths• Application paths will be transferred over exactly as specified in the source farm. If the
path specified in the source farm does not exist for the installed applications in the XenApp 6.5 farm, the applications will not launch. This is especially true for 32-bit XenApp 5 servers and their applications being migrated to 64-bit XenApp 6.5.
• The -X86ApplicationList PowerShell switch may be used to force a x86 path
• Tool may be run multiple times as needed• Changes to previously migrated settings will be reflected
Things to keep in mind
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Update any configured FTAs• If the source farm uses file type associations for published applications, ensure
they are updated by running the “Update file types from registry” option in the Delivery Services Console (AppCenter for XenApp 6.5)
• Run DSCheck on the source farm with appropriate switches to ensure consistency • DSCheck /full apps• DSCheck /full groups• DSCheck /full servers• DSCheck /full folders• DSCheck /full printers
Before starting the migration
Performing Migrations
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Choose a source farm by entering a hostname or IP of a member server in the source farm
Using the Migration Center (1 of 6)
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• The main screen of the Migration Center will launch
• Begin by configuring worker group mappings
Using the Migration Center (2 of 6)
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Add one or more worker group mappings
• These mappings translate the server settings into worker group policies
Using the Migration Center (3 of 6)
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Click Analyze Farms from the main screen to begin the analysis process of the farm objects
Using the Migration Center (4 of 6)
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• The results of the analysis are presented
• Click “Migrate to Target Farm” to begin the migration process
Using the Migration Center (5 of 6)
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• The migration process has completed successfully
• Option to viewthe log file is available
Using the Migration Center (6 of 6)
Best Practices and Troubleshooting
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Migrate after hours and/or in phases• Reading and writing large amounts of farm data (and
generating potentially excessive network traffic) is best done with no users connected to either farm
• Migrate in a 1:1 fashion• A one-to-one mapping with the farms is the only supported
use of the tool. That is, while you can technically do it, it is not supported or recommended to migrate settings from multiple source farms into a single destination XenApp 6.5 farm
Best practices
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Once the migration process is started, it will typically only fail on one or more objects/sections (it’s not a boolean process where it either all works or all fails)
• Running DSCheck after the migration (especially when troubleshooting) is a good idea
Troubleshooting the migration
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• XenApp is not installed or the installation is corrupt, MFCOM is not running, a DCOM permissions issue is present, a firewall misconfiguration, etc.
Common issues
Resources and Q+A
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Migration Center Feature Spec• http://
support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xenapp65-w2k8/ps-migrate-xa6-wrapper.html
• Migration Center Demo Video on Citrix TV• http://www.citrix.com/tv/#videos/4475
• Tech Guide for Migrating/Upgrading to XenApp 6.5• http://
support.citrix.com/servlet/KbServlet/download/28732-102-671615/TechGuide%20Upgrading%20Migrating%20to%20XA6.5%201.0_1266.pdf
Resources
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• On a test system with 10 published MS Office applications and basic settings 9 – 10 minutes
• On a more complex, more mature XenApp Server timelines will vary depending on size and complexity, number of published apps etc..
How long will a migration take?
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
AboutCitrix Services
Citrix Services make sureyou succeed with yourvirtualization programs.
How we can help
Citrix Education – The fastest, most efficient way toget your team the virtualization skills they need. Online,on-site or in class.citrix.com/training
Citrix Consulting – Intensive engagements forcomplex, critical or just plain massive projects.citrix.com/consulting
Citrix Support – Always-on support services thatleverage everything we know about best-practicedeployment and maintenance.citrix.com/support
Educate | Guide | Support | Succeed
Here’s how we can help
Consulting
Let our experts help you speed up your migration process
Application readiness testing using AppDNA
Migrate your most critical apps
Fast track to 6.5 at a compelling price!
Education: 10% off Citrix Training Passes
Get your people up to speed on XenApp 6.5With 10% discount on Citrix Training Passes
Applies to all XenApp 6.5 coursesBasic and Advanced (self-paced or instructor-led)CCA and CCAA certifications
Request your Training Pass discount here
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
Premier Support Calculator
• 24x7x365 support• Unlimited number
of cases and admin contacts
• Remote support using GoToAssist
Calculate the cost!
Citrix Confidential - Do Not Distribute
• Whitepapers• Technical Guide for Upgrading/Migrating to
XenApp 6.5• Technical Guide for Upgrading/Migrating to
XenApp 6• Other Whitepapers
• Tools• XenApp 6 Migration Tool• Citrix Auto Support• List of tools for XenApp 6.5
Documentation
KC ArticlesNearly 300 technical articles on XenApp 6.5
eDocsProduct Documentation