Avaya Solution and Interoperability Test Lab Configuring Avaya one-x Communicator 6.0 H.323 with Citrix XenApp TM 5 on Microsoft Windows 2003 (32-bit) Server Issue 1.0 Abstract This Application Note describes the configuration, performance, and capacities of Avaya one-x Communicator 6.0 on the Citrix XenApp TM 5.0 Feature Pack 3 on MS Windows 2003 (32-bit) server. Configuration of one-x Communicator 6.0 on Citrix XenApp is presented for telephony capabilities only. Presence and Instant Messaging and one-x Portal integration are not covered. Avaya one-x Communicator 6.0 was tested in Desk Phone and Other Phone Modes, as audio via My Computer Mode is not supported on Citrix XenApp. Performance and capacities of one-x Communicator 6.0 were captured on a standard server consisting of dual 2.8GHz quad core processors with 16GB of RAM. 1 of 33
Table of Contents 1. Introduction... 3 1.1. Interoperability Testing... 3 1.2. Product Descriptions... 3 1.3. Avaya one-x Communicator 6.0 Features Not Tested... 4 1.4. Support... 4 1.5. Acronyms... 5 2. Reference Configuration... 6 2.1. Assumptions... 6 3. Equipment and Software Validated... 7 4. Configure Avaya one-x Communicator on the Windows 2003 /Citrix XenApp TM Server... 8 4.1. Avaya one-x Communicator Admin Control Tool... 9 4.2. Citrix XenApp TM 5.0 Feature Pack 3 Server... 10 4.2.1. Citrix Services and Web Access... 10 4.2.2. Add the Avaya one-x Communicator to the List of Published Applications... 12 4.2.3. Starting the Avaya one-x Communicator Application... 25 4.3. Avaya Aura TM Communication Manager... 28 5. Test Scenarios... 28 5.1. Scenario 1 Basic Call... 28 5.2. Scenario 2 Transfer Call... 29 5.3. Scenario 3 Three Party Conference Call... 29 6. Results... 30 6.1. RAM Utilization... 30 6.2. Processor Occupancy (CPU)... 31 6.3. Observations... 31 7. Test Summary and Recommendations for Sizing... 32 8. Additional References... 32 2 of 33
1. Introduction The tested configuration consisted of a Windows 2003 (32-bit) server with Citrix XenApp TM 5.0 Feature Pack 3. Citrix XenApp 5.0 Feature Pack 3 is configured to deliver Avaya one-x Communicator 6.0 as an on-demand, server-hosted application. Avaya one-x Communicator was configured to leverage the features of Avaya Aura TM Communication Manager 5.2.1, Service Pack 1. Avaya one-x Communicator call scenarios for performance measurements consisted of typical transferred calls and Communicator conference calls, with the intention of providing a set of realistic conditions for a typical enterprise knowledge worker. The distribution of call types was 30% transfer, 30% conference and 40% basic call handling. To support the large number of Avaya one-x Communicator instances during testing, both a virtual infrastructure and automated tools were utilized. The virtual infrastructure provided Windows client sessions for the Citrix XenApp TM users running Avaya one-x Communicator. Endpoints call delivery and one-x Communicator user interface activities were managed by internal Avaya automation tools. 1.1. Interoperability Testing Several test scenarios were tested to provide a reasonable mixture of normal Avaya one-x Communicator call activities. The details of each test scenario are outlined in Section 5. Preliminary testing with Avaya one-x Communicator and the Citrix XenApp TM 5.0 Feature Pack 3 revealed that the maximum number of Communicator instances that the server could manage was 100, which were to include and accommodate peak station registration conditions. Typical call scenarios were utilized to determine impacts on CPU occupancy and RAM utilization. 1.2. Product Descriptions The following describes the components used for Avaya one-x Communicator 6.0 with Citrix XenApp TM 5.0 Feature Pack 3 on Windows 2003 (32-bit) Server. Avaya one-x Communicator 6.0: http://www.avaya.com/usa/product/avayaone-x-communicator Avaya one-x Communicator is an integrated telephony softphone solution that provides seamless connectivity to at-home, remote, and outsourced enterprise knowledge workers. Desk Phone Mode: Desk Phone mode leverages one-x Communicator s ability to control of a desk phone from the user s PC. This is also known as shared control where the desk phone can be controlled either using 3 of 33
application UI or the physical phone where call activities are mirrored on both devices. Other Phone Mode: Other Phone mode leverages one-x Communicator s ability to utilize a phone at another location leveraging all the same features as if the desk phone was nearby. This is also known as telecommuter. Citrix XenApp 5.0 Feature Pack 3: Citrix XenApp is an on-demand application delivery solution that enables any Windows application to be virtualized, centralized, and managed in the datacenter and instantly delivered as a service to users anywhere on any device. In use by over 100 million users worldwide, XenApp delivers on the promise of proven application compatibility. Compared to traditional application deployment technology, virtual application delivery with XenApp enables organizations to improve application management by: Centralizing applications in the datacenter to reduce costs Controlling and encrypting access to data and applications to improve security Delivering applications instantly to users anywhere For more information about Citrix XenApp, please visit: http://www.citrix.com/xenapp 1.3. Avaya one-x Communicator 6.0 Features Not Tested SIP Configuration Presence and Instant Messaging Audio via My Computer, Video via Avaya AVTS Avaya one-x Portal Integration 1.4. Support Technical support for the Citrix solution can be obtained by contacting: URL www.mycitrix.com Citrix Technical Support: 1-800-424-8749 4 of 33
1.5. Acronyms AVTS Avaya Video Telephony Solution (AVTS) enables videoconferencing for desktop applications and group video communications CM Avaya Aura TM Communication Manager CPU Central Processing Unit IM Instant Messaging MR Modification Request PC Personal Computer RAM Random Access Memory SIL Solution and Interoperability Test Lab SIP Session Initiation Protocol H.323 Protocols that provide audio-visual communication session on any packet network that includes call signaling and control. 5 of 33
2. Reference Configuration Figure 1: Reference Configuration 2.1. Assumptions Avaya Aura TM Communication Manager has been configured and is operational. Avaya one-x Communicators and their respective H.323 stations are configured on Avaya Aura TM Communication Manager. Citrix XenApp 5.0 Feature Pack 3 Server is installed, configured and operational on Windows 2003 server. 6 of 33
3. Equipment and Software Validated The following equipment and software/firmware were used for the reference configuration provided: Equipment Software/Firmware Avaya S8720 Servers Avaya Aura Communication (Duplex Mode, Processor Ethernet Manager 5.2.1 (R015x.02.1.016.4) Enabled) Avaya G650 Media Gateway TN2312BP IP Server Interface HW12 FW22 TN799DP C-LAN Interface HW1 FW32 TN2302AP IP Media Processor HW21 FW118 Avaya one-x Communicator Release 6.0 (Build 6.0.0.26) Dual 2.83GHz Quad Core Processor 16GB of RAM 135GB SCSI NTFS drive Avaya 4600 and 9600 Series IP Telephones 4621 (H.323) 9620 (H.323) 9630 (H.323) 9650 (H.323) Citrix XenApp Server TM Dual 2.83GHz Quad Core Processor 16GB of RAM 135GB NTFS SCSI drive Microsoft Windows 2003 Server 32- bit 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 Release 5.0 Feature Pack 3 Microsoft Windows 2003 Server 32 bit 7 of 33
4. Configure Avaya one-x Communicator on the Windows 2003 /Citrix XenApp TM Server Avaya one-x Communicator was installed on the Windows 2003 server in the default installation location, C:\Program Files\Avaya\Avaya one-x Communicator. This would be the shared application for all Avaya one-x Communicator instances. Running the Avaya one-x Communicator Admin Control Tool to Allow Citrix mode to be enabled is also required. Instant Messaging and Presence Services: Instant Messaging and Presence Services were not tested. Presence Services requires Instant Messaging capabilities which were not enabled. 8 of 33
4.1. Avaya one-x Communicator Admin Control Tool Upon completion of running the Avaya one-x Communicator setup application, a registry file will need to be generated using the Avaya one-x Communicator Admin Control Tool (onexcuiadmin_nn.exe) using an administrative rights account on the XenApp Server. Select the Features tab and next to the Allow Citrix mode, select the Yes option from the dropdown list, and then select the Save" button. 9 of 33
Select a folder location to save the onexcfeatures.reg registry file. Using regedit.exe, import onexcfeatures.reg into the local machine windows registry. 4.2. Citrix XenApp TM 5.0 Feature Pack 3 Server The following section provides more details on the reference configuration. Server configurations will vary depending on the entire Citrix solution being deployed. For this configuration, the Citrix XenApp server was on a single server with the Citrix farm and application hosting. 4.2.1. Citrix Services and Web Access The Solution and Interoperability Test Lab (SIL) Windows Domain was configured to support terminal services and provide authentication for the 100 Avaya one-x Communicator instances. The server was installed and configured to provide Citrix XenApp Service and XenApp web access. The web access is configured by creating/adding them to the Citrix Resources under the Web Interface section of the Citrix Access Management Console; refer to Citrix XenApp documentation for details. 10 of 33
The web portal was used to gain access to the server and launch the Avaya one-x Communicator application. 11 of 33
4.2.2. Add the Avaya one-x Communicator to the List of Published Applications Using the menu options from the Citrix Access Management Console, add Avaya one- X Communicator as a new published application by right-clicking to bring up the menu. Then select Publish application. The next few screens show the steps to complete the configuration. 12 of 33
*Give the application a Display name, i.e. one-x Communicator and then select the Next button. 13 of 33
*Select Accessed from a server. This would be a server located within the Citrix farm. Accept defaults for other fields and select the Next button. 14 of 33
*Using the Browse button on the wizard, navigate to the folder location containing the Avaya one-x Communicator executable. This is typically located in C:\Program Files\Avaya\Avaya one-x Communicator. Select the onexcui.exe. This is the executable that starts Avaya one-x Communicator and is the executable that will be launched from a Citrix session. After locating the executable, select the OK button. 15 of 33
*View of the final selections for the application location in the wizard. Click Next to continue. 16 of 33
*Select the server that will be used to execute the Avaya one-x Communicator application. In a Citrix server farm, there may be more than a single server. For this test configuration, only one server was used. First select Add from the wizard dialog, which will start a new window allowing for selection of the server. Select the server and then Add, which will add the server to the lower section of the window. Select the OK button to complete adding a server. 17 of 33
*Shown below is the view of the wizard after adding the server. Select the Next button. 18 of 33
*Select the users that are allowed to execute the application by selecting the Add button. Within the Select Users or Groups dialog, select the users which are granted access. For the reference configuration, access to all Domain Users was granted. Next, select the OK button. 19 of 33
*Shown below is the view after specifying the users who can access the application within the wizard. Select the Next button. 20 of 33
*An icon can be selected for display on the browser and then select the Next button. 21 of 33
*Select the Finish button to complete the publishing of the application. 22 of 33
*Optional Advanced Setting. Because only one instance of Communicator can login per user session, it is recommend that the application be set to allow only one instance for each user. This property is set by selecting the properties of the published application from the Citrix Access Management Console. 23 of 33
*Shown below is the view from the Citrix Access Management Console. Note the newly-created Avaya one-x Communicator application is listed here. 24 of 33
4.2.3. Starting the Avaya one-x Communicator Application *To start the one-x Communicator Citrix session, start a web browser session and type the URL for the Citrix XenApp server (i.e. http://mycitrixserver). Once the browser has refreshed, a log in can be accomplished as shown below. This is the standard Citrix browser client login. 25 of 33
*After completing the log in authentication process, the list of applications is presented. Note the published one-x Communicator application icon appears in the Citrix Applications group. 26 of 33
*After selecting the Avaya one-x Communicator application icon, the application starts and the user is presented with the extension and password log in prompt. 27 of 33
*After completing log in, the user is presented with the Avaya one-x Communicator application and can perform normal one-x Communicator activities as if the application was installed on the local PC. 4.3. Avaya Aura TM Communication Manager No specific Communication Manager configuration is required to support Citrix XenApp TM Server and provide Avaya one-x Communicator 6.0 as a hosted application. It is assumed that one-x Communicator feature buttons are all configured and in place to support the application. 5. Test Scenarios The test configuration for one-x Communicator was intended to provide validation of realistic end-user scenarios. The reference configuration validated the various call actions typical of an enterprise knowledge worker and covered many functional aspects. The following section describes the test scenarios, which were designed to provide a reasonable mixture of normal one-x Communicator activities. The details of each test scenario are outlined with goals for each test sequence. Preliminary testing with Avaya one-x Communicator and the Citrix XenApp TM 5.0 Feature Pack 3 server revealed that the maximum number of Communicator instances that the server could manage was 100. Typical call scenarios were utilized to determine impacts on CPU occupancy and RAM utilization. 5.1. Scenario 1 Basic Call 35 - Communicators were logged in through Avaya one-x Communicator to process typical calls. The details of the basic call scenario are presented below. Call Scenario: Basic Call Handling Calls are delivered to a one-x Communicator registered endpoint. Caller and Communicator are connected for 180 seconds Caller disconnects from Communicator and Communicator becomes available for next call. <Repeat> 28 of 33
5.2. Scenario 2 Transfer Call 30 - one-x Communicator instances were logged in through Avaya one-x Communicator to process typical transfer calls. There was essentially no difference in performance for Avaya one-x Communicator to process a blind transfer or a consultative transfer, as the phone interactions are the same. With a blind transfer, Avaya one-x Communicator performs the same functions as a consultative transfer in an automated fashion. The detailed transfer call scenario is presented below. Call Scenario: Transfer Call Communicator generates an outbound call Communicator talks on call for 150 seconds Communicator transfers call to another extension Transferred caller talks on call for 150 seconds Transferred call is released. <Repeat> 5.3. Scenario 3 Three Party Conference Call 30 - one-x Communicator instances were logged in through Avaya one-x Communicator to process typical conference calls where one Communicator user conferences in another Communicator user. The detailed transfer call scenario is presented below. Call Scenario: Conference Call Communicator (1) generates an outbound call Communicator (1) talks on call for 150 seconds Communicator (1) places caller on hold and calls Communicator (2) Communicator (1) talks to Communicator (2) for 150 seconds Communicator (1) conferences Communicator (2) with caller Communicator (1), Communicator (2), and Caller talk for 150 seconds Communicator (1) drops all parties <Repeat> 29 of 33
6. Results There was no significant impact on overall server performance. The following sections provided detailed measurements obtained during the testing. 6.1. RAM Utilization RAM utilization never exceeded the total RAM available in the server. Each Avaya one- X Communicator Citrix session takes approximately 110MB of RAM. 30 of 33
6.2. Processor Occupancy (CPU) The chart below represents the overall CPU occupancies with 100 one-x Communicator instances logged in processing basic calls, transfers and conferences. Note that the graph does not reflect peak CPU utilization pikes, which can occur during initial concurrent login registration activities. 6.3. Observations Each of the Avaya one-x Communicator applications under a Citrix XenApp TM session requires approximately 110MB of RAM. CPU occupancy with transfers in Other Phone Mode is very similar to transfers with Desk Phone Mode. No difference in performance observed. Normal inbound calls require very little CPU processing. High CPU utilization occurs where more than 30 concurrent station logins are attempted. WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) or other non-critical system services may need to be disabled to ensure sufficient system resources are available. 31 of 33
7. Test Summary and Recommendations for Sizing The following list provides the key findings and recommendations based on the standard type server platform hosting Avaya one-x Communicator with Citrix XenApp TM 5.0 Feature Pack 3 on Windows 2003 server with typical call scenarios. The Citrix XenApp TM 5.0 Feature Pack 3 server can host 100 instances of the Avaya one-x Communicator application with Communicators processing basic calls, some transfers, and some conferences. Careful attention should be taken to observe call activities to avoid performance issues when sizing a system. Transfer and conference scenarios result in higher CPU occupancy and should be considered when sizing a solution. Avoid creating conditions that result in high CPU occupancies (especially above 75%), as this will affect Avaya one-x Communicator overall application s performance. 8. Additional References This section references the product documentation relevant to these Application Notes. [1] Avaya one-x Communicator 6.0: https://support.avaya.com/css/products/p0516 [2] Avaya Aura TM Communication Manager information is available at http://support.avaya.com. 32 of 33
Avaya and the Avaya Logo are trademarks of Avaya Inc. All trademarks identified by and are registered trademarks or trademarks, respectively, of Avaya Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The information provided in these Application Notes is subject to change without notice. The configurations, technical data, and recommendations provided in these Application Notes are believed to be accurate and dependable, but are presented without express or implied warranty. Users are responsible for their application of any products specified in these Application Notes. Please e-mail any questions or comments pertaining to these Application Notes along with the full title name and filename, located in the lower right corner, directly to the Avaya Solution & Interoperability Test Lab at interoplabnotes@list.avaya.com 33 of 33