, Cardio Citrix XenDesktop 5 Best Practices Server Best Practices Master Images Proprietary Information FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc.
Disclaimer No part of this document may be reproduced without prior written permission. The information provided within this document is proprietary. Without prior written permission from FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc., the duplication or reproducing this document in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. Without prior written permission from FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc., disclosing the contents of this document, in whole or in part, to persons other than authorized personnel, is strictly prohibited. Without prior written permission from FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc., the lending or transferring of this document, in whole or in part, to a third party is strictly prohibited. The information contained in this document may be subject to change without prior notice. FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. shall not be liable for malfunctions and damages resulting from improper installation, relocation, remodeling, maintenance, and repair performed by FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. and all other FUJIFILM Subsidiaries or Distributors. FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. shall not be liable for malfunctions and damages of FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. products due to products of other manufacturers not supplied by FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. shall not be liable for malfunctions and damages resulting from remodeling, maintenance, and repair using repair parts other than those specified by FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. shall not be liable for malfunctions and damages resulting from negligence. FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. shall not be liable for malfunctions and damages resulting from natural disasters. FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. may have patents or pending patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering various subject matters contained in this document. The furnishing of this document does not extended any rights to said patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights, except as expressly set forth in any written license agreement from FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. Synapse is a computer program, which is protected by copyright law and international treaties. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this program, or any portion of this program, is strictly prohibited. Certain images/diagrams contained in this document may not appear clearly on high-resolution monitors. Synapse is a registered trademark of FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. Copyright 2011 FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. All rights reserved. All brand, product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or organizations. Page 2 of 18
Revision History Date Revision Description August 12, 2011 A Initial document release October 10, 2011 B Reformatted into current document template Page 3 of 18
Table of Contents 1 Introduction... 5 2 Overview... 6 3 References... 6 4 Intended Use... 6 5 System Prerequisites... 7 6 XenDesktop Terminology... 7 7 XenDesktop 5 Server Best Practices... 8 7.1 Server Resources... 8 7.2 Database Requirements... 9 7.3 Install SSL Certificate for Connectivity to vcenter... 9 7.4 Access to VMware vcenter from XenDesktop... 9 7.5 HDX Progressive Display... 12 7.6 Tuning Considerations... 15 8 Master Images... 16 8.1 vdesktop Configuration... 16 8.2 Memory Usage on a vdesktop... 17 9 Appendix A, Network Diagram... 18 Page 4 of 18
1 Introduction This document is intended for FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc. (FMSU) technical personnel, customer implementers, and others who have an interest in installing and configuring a Citrix XenDesktop 5 virtualized hardware environment to host Synapse PACS and Cardiovascular applications. The information contained in this manual has been carefully checked and is believed to be entirely reliable. However, as FMSU improves the reliability, function, and design of its products, the possibility exists that information or screen images may not be current. If you require technical service or support, contact FMSU at the following address or by calling the phone number listed below. For general information, visit our web site at http://www.fujimed.com. FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc 419 West Avenue Stamford, Connecticut 06902 Synapse (PACS/RIS/CV) Technical/Service Support 1-888-385-4633 (1-888-fujimed) Page 5 of 18
2 Overview This document provides recommended best practices for setting up Citrix XenDesktop 5 virtualized hardware architectures for hosting Synapse PACS and Cardiovascular client applications. This document covers the following key topics related to XenDesktop 5 best practices: XenDesktop 5 server best practices XenDesktop 5 master images 3 References A FUJIFILM partner web site has been created to serve as a central public resource for implementers. http://www.citrix.com/ready/partners/fujifilm Detailed information for installing Citrix XenDesktop 5 is available at: http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/xendesktop/cds-library-wrapper-rho.html FUJIFILM personnel may reference the following internal documents: XenDesktop Configuration Guide (INT-0021800) XenDesktop Installation Guide (INT-0021801) 4 Intended Use Any Synapse application accessed from a Citrix XenDesktop 5 server farm is intended for nondiagnostic use only. This document provides a set of recommended best practices that have been developed for Synapse PACS and Cardiovascular applications hosted in a Citrix environment. Refer to all applicable Citrix documentation for detailed instructions for installing and configuring a baseline system. Page 6 of 18
5 System Prerequisites Implementers should make provisions for the following system prerequisites: 1. A host with sufficient processors, memory, and storage to accommodate the number of machines for the desktops you plan to create 2. Access to an administrator account with permissions to create new machines on the host 3. A master VM running the Virtual Desktop Agent from which to create the desktops. The master VM must be available on the host where the machines will be created 4. Access to an Active Directory domain containing accounts for the desktop users 5. Access to a domain administrator account with permissions to create new Active Directory computer accounts for the machines. If you intend to create computer accounts in a different domain to that containing the user accounts, a trust relationship must be established between the two domains 6. A single-server installation of all the XenDesktop server-side components, including the controller, Desktop Studio, the Web Interface, the Citrix License Server, and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 6 XenDesktop Terminology Farms are now referred to as sites. Think of a site as a deployment of XenDesktop in a single geographical location. A catalog is a collection of user desktops managed as a single entity. Catalogs specify virtual machines (VMs) or physical computers that host user desktops, the Active Directory computer accounts assigned to those VMs or computers, and, in some cases, the master VM that is copied to create the user desktops. Desktop groups and the virtual desktops they contain can be configured more flexibly. A single desktop group can contain desktops from a number of catalogs rather than being limited, as in earlier versions, to a single hypervisor pool. Also, a single desktop group can be published to users so that a single user may access multiple desktops in the group, and a single desktop may be assigned for use by multiple users. Desktops can also be assigned to client machines, rather than users, if required. A host is the infrastructure on which desktops are hosted, which comprises of hypervisors (resource pools or clusters), storage etc. Page 7 of 18
7 XenDesktop 5 Server Best Practices 7.1 Server Resources Table 1 lists minimum and recommended server resources: Server vhardware Minimum Recommended Operating System Windows 2008 Windows 2008 SP2 vram 2 GB 4 GB vcpu 1 x 2 GHz or greater 2 x 2 GHz or greater vvideo 1 MB 4 MB Network 100 MB 1 Gbps vdisks speeds 7200 RPM 10,000 RPM vdisks Size C:\40 GB D:\10 GB C:\60 GB D:\20 GB Storage 1 GB ISCSI SAN Fiber channel connected storage Database SQL 2008 SP1 SQL 2008 R2 Express Table 1, Server Resources Page 8 of 18
7.2 Database Requirements The controller supports the following versions of the Microsoft SQL Server database: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express Edition (this is installed automatically) Microsoft SQL Server 2008, with Service Pack 1 or later, installed 32 and 64-bit versions of SQL Server 2008 (non-express) are supported in stand-alone, clustered and mirrored mode SQL Server 2008 R2 Express is supported in stand-alone mode only 7.3 Install SSL Certificate for Connectivity to vcenter To establish connectivity to the hypervisor, the best practice is to use Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDN s). Example: http://vcenter-eng.fmsuz.com Install the certificate following instructions in the XenDesktop Installation Guide. 7.4 Access to VMware vcenter from XenDesktop Permissions are required to access vcenter from XenDesktop. Set up a custom role in vcenter for access from XenDesktop. Alternately use the vcenter administrator account as the administrator for XenDesktop. Table 2 provides a list of permissions: Datastore Permissions Allocate space Browse datastore File management is listed in Citrix edocs but it is Low level file operations in vcenter Network Permission Resource Permissions System Permissions: Assign network Assign virtual machine to resource pool Anonymous Read View Task Permissions Virtual Machine/Configuration Create Task Add existing disk Page 9 of 18
Permissions Add new disk Configure Resource is listed in the Citrix edocs but it is Change resource in vcenter Remove Disk Virtual Machine Interaction Power Off Power On Reset Suspend Virtual Machine Inventory Create is listed in the Citrix edocs but it is Create New in vcenter Create from existing Delete is listed the Citrix edocs but is Remove in vcenter Register Virtual Machine Provisioning Virtual Machine State Clone is listed in the Citrix edocs but it is Clone virtual machine in vcenter Disk Random Access is listed in the Citrix edocs but it is Allow disk access in vcenter Get VM Files is listed in the Citrix edocs but it is Allow virtual machine download in vcenter Put VM Files is listed in the Citrix edocs but it is Allow virtual machine files upload in vcenter Create snapshot Revert to snapshot Table 2, vcenter Permissions Page 10 of 18
7.4.1 Important Steps for Permissions Setup 1. Assign the XenDesktop role at the Datacenter level but do not propagate by unselecting Propagate when adding the role 2. Assign the XenDesktop role at the Cluster level but do not propagate by unselecting Propagate when adding the role. If you want to control virtual machine creation at the Cluster level then leave Propagate selected 3. Assign the XenDesktop role to Servers within a Cluster if you want to limit virtual machine creation to certain Servers within a Cluster 4. Assign the XenDesktop role to the Networks you want the virtual machines to access 5. Assign the XenDesktop role to the Datastores where you want virtual machines to be created 6. If folders are being used within vcenter in the VMs and Templates view make sure to also assign the XenDesktop role to the folders where you want virtual machines created 7.4.2 Verifying Access Ensure that the account is accessible using the FQDN address and user with appropriate permissions. The vsphere administrator account should also work. Figure 1, Verifying Login Access Page 11 of 18
7.5 HDX Progressive Display The HDX progressive display functionality in XenDesktop 5 has matured over the last several years. In order to take advantage of HDX progressive display, the administrator must explicitly enable this feature via Citrix policy. When the graphics on the screen of a user's desktop or session are rapidly changing, a lossy compression algorithm is engaged. This reduces the fidelity of the graphics so that less data needs to be transmitted over the wire. The result is significant bandwidth savings that can make the application feel more responsive. Once the image stops moving or the pixels are no longer rapidly changing, the image is drawn in full fidelity. For example, when looking at a map after it stops scrolling, the image is shown in full fidelity. Lossy compression applies only to the images or pixels that are in motion. Progressive display works with any application that has a large amount of rapidly changing content. Some typical examples include scrolling a map, rotating an image in a CAD application, viewing a Power Point with heavy animations, or watching a video that is rendered on the server. 7.5.1 Progressive Display Compression Levels Progressive display provides five configurable levels of compression: 1. Low: Maintains the best image quality, but produces the smallest bandwidth savings 2. Medium: Provides good image quality and additional bandwidth savings over Low 3. High: Produces lower quality image and additional bandwidth savings over Medium 4. Very High: Significantly reduces image quality, but provides additional bandwidth savings 5. Ultra High: Extremely reduced image quality, but provides greatest bandwidth savings Page 12 of 18
7.5.2 Baseline Compression Best Practices Determining the optimal balance of image quality and bandwidth savings requires testing and careful evaluation of the results. The following baseline settings should provide a good starting point for most customer environments: 1. Low: Configure for all LAN connections that are 100 Mb or higher 2. Medium: Configure for all WAN connections that are 10 Mb or higher 3. High: Configure for WAN connections that are 1.5 Mb - 10 Mb 4. Very High: Configure for slow or congested WAN links that are sub T1 in speed 5. Ultra High: Only use in the most extreme situations on a case-by-case basis These recommendations are a recommended starting point and can be adjusted to satisfy the image quality and speed requirements of the user community. For example, a medium compression level might be appropriate for a lightly used WAN link. 7.5.3 Bandwidth Savings of Progressive Display Table 3 provides a comparison of bandwidth savings for no, low, and medium compression settings: Progressive Display Compression Level Total Data Transmitted Avg. Bandwidth Peak Bandwidth Bandwidth Savings None 225 MB 23.9 Mbps 65 Mbps N/A Low 50 MB 5.2 Mbps 27 Mbps 78% Medium 26 MB 2.5 Mbps 15 Mbps 88% Table 3, Bandwidth Comparison Chart Page 13 of 18
7.5.4 Enabling Progressive Display Progressive Display is enabled through a Citrix policy applied to the server or virtual desktop. For XenApp 5 this is accomplished using the Citrix HDX policy. Figure 2 illustrates the setting in XenDesktop: These settings are found under HDX Policy\Users within the Citrix Desktop Studio console. Figure 2, Enabling Progressive Display Page 14 of 18
7.6 Tuning Considerations The following fine tunings are recommended: 1. In System Properties, Advanced Performance Options set Processor scheduling to Programs instead of Background Services. This will boost CPU scheduling for published applications 2. Turn off MDAC: bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOff 3. This article covers in detail how to tune parameters relating to the XenApp Farm. This article is for reference purposes only; not all settings are required http://www.citrixtools.net/en/articles/articletype/articleview/articleid/36/terminal- Server-XenApp-Tuning-Tips.aspx Operating System Tuning for XenApp / Terminal Services Additional Windows Explorer Tuning XenApp Tuning User Profile Tuning XenApp Client Tuning CAUTION Incorrectly using Registry Editor can cause serious problems that require reinstallation of the operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Make careful use of Registry Editor and back up the registry before editing. Page 15 of 18
8 Master Images 8.1 vdesktop Configuration Some machine types require a master VM that can be used to create user desktops. The master VM should contain those elements that will be common to all users, such as antivirus software, Citrix plug-ins, and other default programs. When a master VM is employed, all users start with desktops that are created from the master VM. Depending on the machine type you select, any user customizations and system updates made to the desktops can persist or be discarded when users log off. Table 4 defines the hardware to be configured for each Master Image to deploy vdesktops: Virtual Desktops Minimum Recommended Minimum Recommended Desktop OS Windows XP SP3 32-bit or higher Windows XP SP3 32-bit Windows 7 32-bit or higher vram 2 GB 2 GB 4 GB 4 GB vcpu 1 x 2 GHz or better 1 x 2 GHz or better 1 x 2 GHz or better vvideo 1 MB 1 MB 1 MB 1 MB Network 100 MB 1 GB 100 MB 1 GB vdisks speeds Windows 7 SP1 32-bit 2 x 2 GHz or better 7200 RPM 10,000 RPM 7200 RPM 10,000 RPM vdisks Size C:\20GB C:\30GB C:\30GB C:\40GB Storage Software 1 Gbps ISCSI SAN w/ 7200RPM Drives KB968930-x86 from Microsoft/ Virtual Desktop Agent/Citrix Receiver Fiber Channel Connected Storage 10K SAS drives KB968930-x86 from Microsoft/ Virtual Desktop Agent/Citrix Receiver 1 Gbps ISCSI SAN w/ 7200RPM Drives Virtual Desktop Agent/Citrix Receiver Fiber Channel Connected Storage. 10K SAS drives Virtual Desktop Agent/Citrix Receiver Table 4, Hardware Configurations for vdesktops Page 16 of 18
8.2 Memory Usage on a vdesktop The Synapse workstation application has the following minimum and recommended memory requirements depending on operating system: Windows XP requires a minimum of 512 MB RAM For XP, 2 GB or higher of RAM is recommended Windows 7 (32 bit) Ultimate, Professional and Home Premium require a minimum of 4 GB RAM For Windows 7, 4 GB or higher of RAM is recommended Page 17 of 18
9 Appendix A, Network Diagram Figure 3 illustrates a single controller configuration of XenDesktop. Note that this single controller configuration forms a single point of failure for administration and session brokering. It is possible to distribute the components of your deployment among a greater number of servers, or to provide greater scalability and failover by increasing the number of controllers in your site. You can install the management consoles on separate computers to enable you to manage your deployment remotely. A distributed deployment is also necessary for an infrastructure based on remote access through an Access Gateway. Figure 3, Single Controller XenDesktop Network Diagram Page 18 of 18