App Layering

Machine creation for Azure

A connector configuration contains the credentials and location information that the appliance needs to access a specific location in Machine Creation for Azure. For example, your organization can have one Machine Creation for Azure account and several storage locations, and you need a connector configuration so the appliance can access each storage location.

This article describes the settings included in the Machine Creation for Azure connector configuration. For more about connector configurations and how to add them, see Connect.

Note:

This connector can be used for any template you want to use in a non-persistent catalog. For example, if you deploy a template to Azure and want to use that template to create a Citrix Provisioning Personal vDisk for non-persistent machines, you must use the MCS connector to publish the template.

When to add a connector configuration for Azure

When you create your first layers, and later when you publish layered images for the first time, you will add a connector configuration for each task, as described below.

Required Azure information for Machine Creation for Azure

Your organization may have several Azure subscriptions. For the App Layering service to access your Azure subscriptions, whether it’s to import an OS Image or to publish a layered image, you must use the procedure below for each Azure subscription that you want to connect to via the App Layering service.

  • Name - A name you enter for a new connector configuration.
  • Subscription ID - In order to deploy Azure virtual machines, your organization must have a subscription ID.
  • Tenant ID - An Azure Active Directory instance, this GUID identifies your organization’s dedicated instance of Azure Active Directory (AD).
  • Client ID - An identifier for the App Registration, which your organization has created for App Layering.
  • Client Secret - The password for the Client ID you are using. If you have forgotten the Client Secret, you can create a new one. > Note:

    Each time you use a new subscription and Tenant ID, you must enter a new Client Secret. This is because client secrets are logically associated with Azure tenants.

  • Storage Account Name - The Azure storage account you want to use when storing Azure virtual machine disks. This name must adhere to Azure storage account naming restrictions. For example, the storage account name cannot contain uppercase characters.

You must either create a storage account through the portal or use an existing storage account that fits the following criteria. The account:

  • Cannot be a classic storage account.
  • Be a separate storage account from the one used for the appliance. This new storage account is used during layer creation and layered image publishing.
  • Must be in the Azure location where you will deploy virtual machines.
  • Must be one of the following types:
    • Standard Locally Redundant storage (LRS)
    • Standard Geo-Redundant storage (GRS)
    • Standard Read-Access Geo-Redundant storage (RAGRS)
  • Can be located in any resource group, as long as the resource group’s location is the same as the account’s location.
Machine creation for Azure