Citrix Provisioning 2112

Configuring the boot file for high availability

A Citrix Provisioning server can be selected as one of the servers used to connect target devices during the boot process. For a configuration to be highly available, at least two login servers must be listed in the boot file (maximum of four servers).

The target device boot file contains the IP addresses of up to four login servers, in addition to other configuration information. The boot file lists the servers that a target device can contact to get access to the Citrix Provisioning farm. The server that is contacted hands the target device off to a different server that is able to provide the target device with its virtual disk.

Note:

A shared storage system ensures the availability of the Citrix Provisioning server vDisks. Depending on the type of shared storage, the vDisks use either the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) or the usual DOS naming convention.

Adding Citrix Provisioning servers to the boot file

Add servers to the boot file to provide a target device with the information necessary to contact the Stream Service.

When configuring a server, the wizard allows you to select the server for TFTP services. There is one TFTP server per farm. If target devices are on multiple network segments, and each segment is configured as an independent site, then one TFTP server per site (network segment) is used.

Citrix Provisioning servers can also be configured as login servers in the Citrix Provisioning console using the Configure Bootstrap dialog.

Select from either method to add servers to the boot file.

Adding login servers using the configuration wizard

To add and configure the first Citrix Provisioning server as the TFTP and login server using the Configuration Wizard:

  1. Run the Configuration Wizard and when presented with the TFTP option and bootstrap location dialog, select the Use the Provisioning Server TFTP Service option.
  2. Enter or browse for the bootstrap file location, then click Next. The default location is: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Citrix\Provisioning Services\Tftpboot

    Note:

    If a previous version of the Citrix Provisioning server component was installed on this server, change the default location from C:\Program Files\Citrix\Provisioning Server\TFTPBoot or C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Citrix\Provisioning Server\TFTPboot to: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Citrix\Provisioning Services\TFTPboot. If the default is not changed, the bootstrap file cannot be configured from the Console and target devices fail to boot. The Missing TFTP error message appears.

  3. In the servers boot list, click Add to add more login servers to the list. Use the Move up or Move down buttons to change the server boot preference order.

    Note:

    In an high availability implementation, at least two servers must be selected as boot servers.

  4. To set advanced configuration settings, highlight the IP address of the server, click Advanced, then configure the bootstrap file. For field definitions, see Provisioning server properties.
  5. Click OK, then click Next.
  6. Review the configuration settings, then click Finish to confirm configuration settings and restart network services on this server. As configuration settings are saved, they display in the progress dialog.
  7. To exit the Configuration Wizard, click Done.

Adding login servers using the console

To add and configure more Citrix Provisioning servers as login servers:

  1. In the console, right-click on a server representing a login server, then select the Configure Bootstrap menu option. The Configure Bootstrap dialog appears.

    Note:

    Clicking Read DB populates the table with login servers that exist. When the Stream Service starts, it creates a record in the database with its own IP address. There is only one Stream Service option record per database. If the service is bound to multiple IP addresses, multiple records appear in the database. The Read DB function chooses only one IP address from each Citrix Provisioning server. This function can also be used to populate the boot file with the Stream Service IP settings already configured in the database.

  2. Click Add. A new login server is added to the bootstrap file. The Streaming Server dialog appears.
  3. Type the IP address and port number of this server in the appropriate text boxes.
  4. Select to either use subnet mask and gateway settings using DHCP/BOOTP, or type in the settings to use, then click OK. The Citrix Provisioning server information displays in the list of available login servers.
  5. To configure advanced bootstrap settings, on the Options tab, choose from the following settings:
    • Select Verbose Mode if you want to monitor the boot process on the target device (optional). Verbose mode enables system messaging on the target device.
    • Select Interrupt Safe Mode if the target device hangs early in the boot process.
    • Select the Advanced Memory Support check box. Do not use this option for older versions without PXE enabled.
  6. Select from the following Network Recovery Methods:
    • Restore Network Connections - Selecting this option results in the target device attempting, indefinitely, to restore its connection to the server.

      Note:

      Because the Seconds field does not apply, it becomes inactive when the Restore Network Connections option is selected.

    • Reboot to Hard Drive. Selecting this option instructs the target device to perform a hardware reset to force a reboot after failing to re-establish communications for a defined number of seconds. Determine the number of seconds to wait before rebooting. Assuming the network connection cannot be established, PXE fails, and the system reboots to the local hard drive. The default number of seconds is 50.
  7. Under Timeouts, scroll for the Login Polling Timeout, in milliseconds, between retries when polling for Citrix Provisioning servers.
  8. Under Timeouts, scroll for the Login General Timeout, in milliseconds, for all login associated packets, except the initial login polling time-out.
  9. Click OK to save your changes.
Configuring the boot file for high availability