Lab 611

Installing and Configuring App Layering

Jeff Pitsch
Solution Architect
@JeffPitsch

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Who Am I
Jeff Pitsch

• Solution Architect at Unidesk for 5 ½

years
• 20+ years working in technology
• Working with Citrix tech since
WinFrame days
• Ex-Microsoft MVP and founding
member of the CTP program

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 Things to know

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 Before you leave…
Recommended related breakout sessions
– SYN103 – Citrix App Layering
• May 24, 9:30am – 10:15am, West Concourse, Level IV, W415A
• May 25, 11:30am – 12:15pm, West Concourse, Level IV, W415D
– SYN717 – Project Pennsylvania: Citrix App Layering, Citrix Cloud and
XenApp in Azure
• May 23, 5:00pm – 5:30pm, MTE 3

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What do you get

• The download consists of 3 files

– App Layering Agent
– Gold Image Tools
– ELM OVA

• App Layering Agent is used with PVS

• Gold Image tools are a collection of tools including the Image Prep Utility
• OVA is used for import into the Hypervisor
– Each Hypervisor has its own download
– This actually expands another 5GB file so make sure you have room

• Upgrade downloads are universal (one download for all Hypervisors)

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What You Need to Know

• ELM has been imported

• OS gold has been created
– Just needs some final edits

• We will NOT be importing the gold image

– This already been done

• There is no XenDesktop infrastructure

– Will be using PVS though

• Will not be using Cloud Connector to talk to ELM

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Operating System Prerequisites

• Install OS from ISO

– Must use MBR
– DO NOT REUSE AN EXISTING GOLD IMAGE

• Install Hypervisor tools (Vmware tools, Xenserver tools, etc)

• Update Windows with all hotfixes from Windows Update
• Do NOT join the domain
• IP from DHCP
• Access to Unidesk Machine Tools
• Do not optimize
• Recommend minimum of 2 CPU’s
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 Layering Overview
A high level overview

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The technology is “Layering” its not the product/features

• Layering is the technology, not the product.

– Essentially the tech is file system and registry virtualization
combined with the logic on how to combine these elements from
different ‘layers’.

• Layers are unique virtual disks that contain only

the file system and registry for a given OS or
Application.
• This allows for any application to packaged as a
layer and separated from the OS, unlike previous
app-virt tools and other layering products on the
market.

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So what is it??? OS and App Management - Simplified

• A simple model for App and OS management

• Manages the CONTENT of the images for any Apps
provisioning system
• Hot Add (Elastic) App Layers for dynamic delivery of
apps at login Platform
Layers
• This model allows any of these OS or App layers to be
used on any hypervisor or to move to the cloud.
Operating
Systems

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How layers are deployed (2 methods)

Std Network Share

(UNC Path accessible)

Guest Layering Services

Citrix PVS
Citrix MCS
VMW Composer Windows Layered Image
Azure
ANY!!!!

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Layered Image
Layered Images

Master Layer Storage

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 Elastic Layer Repository
Elastic Layers

Session 2

Session 1

Layering Services
Windows Environment
Master Layer Storage
Base XenApp “Image”

Layering Services
Windows Environment

Base VDI “Image”

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Elastic Layers Multi-site

Elastic Layer Repository

One way replication
(Read Only)

Master Layer Storage

Datacenter 2

Datacenter 1

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 Layering Infrastructure
A technical dive into Citrix Layering

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Layering Infrastructure
Repository Replica(s)
Elastic Layer Repository

Connector 1
Master Layer Storage

Connector 2
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Layering Infrastructure
Elastic Layer Repository

• Enterprise Layer Manager (Virtual

Appliance)
– Contains & Manages OS and App Layers
– Platform Connector Engine and Connectors
– Layer Work Disk

• Platform Connector(s)
– Software that controls connections to hypervisors and
Connector 1
image deployment systems Master Layer Storage

• Layer Repository
– A single UNC path that the ELM is configured with where
elastic layers are initially copied to
Connector 2

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Platform Connectors
There are TWO types of platform connectors

• Connectors used for Layer creation
– Allows for the ELM to communicate with the
underlying/target hypervisor.
– The connector will create a virtual machine on the target
hypervisor or cloud service, that acts as a packaging
machine.
– For some hypervisors w/ out automated connectors, the
network share configured during initial setup will always
be available to export a disk for manual packaging
– Currently available connectors
• Microsoft Azure
• VMWare vSphere
• Citrix XenServer
• Nutanix AHV
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• Connectors used for Image publishing
– Connector used in image publishing that is aware of
target virtual environment AND provisioning engine.
– These include systems like Citrix PVS, Citrix MCS and
VMWare Composer.
– Most provisioning targets will combine a virtualization
technology and provisioning technology since a
template VM is required for cloning operations (not true
in PVS)
– Currently available connectors
• Microsoft Azure with Azure Template integration
• VMWare vSphere with Citrix MCS
• Citrix PVS
• VMware vSphere with VMware Horizon View
• Citrix XenServer with Citrix MCS
• Nutanix AHV with Citrix MCS
Layer Working Disk

• All the Layers created on the ELM are

stored on the layer work disk.
• This disk is attached to the ELM and is part
of its local Linux-based file system.
• The Layer work disk will also be used as a
“scratch disk” when the Layered Images are
put together. After assembly, they’ll be
placed on the provisioning platform of your
choosing.

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Layer Repository

• Layer repository is an external network

share where Elastic layers are stored for
distribution.
• When a layer is elastically assigned to
an AD user/Group, a task kicks off to
sync the layer work disk and the layer
repository.
• During this operation the layer is copied
to the repository and the
LayerAssignment file is updated.
• For Apps this is a read only share, and
easy to replicate

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 How Layering Works
A technical dive into Citrix Layering

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Understanding layering
There are four types of layers

• Personalization Layers
– User specific, contains user changes to the environment

• Application Layers
– Single or groups of applications, their specific file system
objects and registry

• Platform Layers
– Like an application layer but ONLY applied at image
build/compile. Should contain target environment drivers and
software (VDA, PVS target software, etc)

• Operating System Layers

– Clean OS install contained in a layer

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Contents of a layer
File system of OpenOffice application layer

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Basic File System Layering

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Basics of File System Layering
Results of layer filesystem and registry blending

• When that same layer is applied to a client

system, the file system and registry are merged
• Here we can see the OpenOffice file system
merged into the C:\ drive, along with the
applications registry loaded into HKLM
• The goal is that the application contained in the
layer should look and behave as if the
application was installed locally in the native C:
drive.

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Creation of a Layer
Layer Creation Process

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Versioning / Updating a Layer

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Layer Priority

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Understanding File System Delete Tokens

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Registry Layering

• Registry process not completely unlike the

FileSystem process (including Priority)
• But unlike the file system, there are
numerous locations in the registry can’t
simply be replaced and must be “Merged”
– Items like multi-string values, and .NET Fusion keys.

• For Layered images the registry values are

written directly into the image registry.
• For Elastic layers the registry is virtualized
and allows loading of the registry changes
for the layer at login.

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Registry load

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 Layered Images
A technical dive into Citrix Layering

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Layered Image Creation process

• Administrator creates “Template” that is

a list of layers
• “Publishing” process CREATES the a single
disk and essentially compiles the image
with all of the selected layers
• The image is then copied to the target
environment/provisioning system

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Layered Images
• One copy of any OS or Application

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 Elastic Layers
A technical dive into Citrix Layering

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Elastic Layers Agent reads rule
files/assignments Layer
Repository
Layering agent blends
the FS and registry JSON based rule files

Layering Agent
Windows Env. Layers

Windows VHD mount used

Layered Image to connect to the Volume

“In Guest” mount of elastic layer

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Elastic Layer Guest Layering Services

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Elastic Layer Control Files in Layer Repository

• Once the Layering Service has

located the layer repository, it then
reads the following files, in order:
• ElasticLayerAssignments.json
• Layers.json

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Layers

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Session Based Elastic Layers

• Multi-user aware layering

• VHDs are mounted at the system level but
only sessions (users) with assignments to
those apps have the filesystem and registry
exposed to their session
• The Session is boundary.
• Sharing a layer across multiple sessions is the
default, allowing app VHDs to be mounted
only once regardless of number of sessions
using the layer.

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 Performance
Understanding impact of elastic layering on
performance

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Elastic Layering Impact at Login
Process of connecting an elastic layer (viewing an attachment log)

1-Starting the Process

2-Identify the user
(& group membership)

3-Reading JSON rule files

4-Finding the disk(s)

5-Attaching layer

6-Layer(s) mounted and ready

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Single Layer vs Multi-Layer Mount

• Single Layer • Multiple Layers

– Identify User and group membership – Identify User and group membership
– Read the JSON/Rules files – Read the JSON/Rules files
– Find layer disk 1 – Find layer disk 1
– Attach layer 1 – Find layer disk 2
– Start services – Find layer disk 3
– Layering completed – Attach layer 1
– Attach layer 2
– Attach layer 3
– Start service Layer 2
– Start service Layer 3
– Layering completed

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Example of impact to logon

• Office 2016: 3.1 seconds average • Test environment

– XenApp server
• Firefox & Chrome: 1.9 seconds average
• Win2012R2 – on vSphere
• Winrar: 2.5 seconds average • 4 vCPUs and 8GB of RAM
• No other VMs running during testing
• All 3 Layers assigned: 4.5 seconds average
– Elastic Layer Repository
• Hosted on Windows Server 2012 R2
• Physical machine
• Standard Windows Share w/ read only permissions
• SSD drives for share’s physical storage
• 10GB Networking between the XenApp Server and Share

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Where to find more info

• Highly recommend the “How Unidesk 4 Works” whitepaper. This paper covers everything in
this presentation and more.
• Impact of Elastic Layers on Login Times whitepaper.

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