Installing Citrix VM Tools
Citrix VM Tools provide high performance I/O services without the overhead of traditional device emulation.
Citrix VM Tools for Windows
Citrix VM Tools for Windows consist of I/O drivers (also known as paravirtualized drivers or PV drivers) and the Management Agent.
The I/O drivers contain storage and network drivers, and low-level management interfaces. These drivers replace the emulated devices and provide high-speed transport between Windows and the Citrix Hypervisor product family software. While installing a Windows operating system, Citrix Hypervisor uses traditional device emulation to present a standard IDE controller and a standard network card to the VM. This emulation allows the Windows installation to use built-in drivers, but with reduced performance due to the overhead inherent in emulating the controller drivers.
The Management Agent, also known as the Guest Agent, is responsible for high-level virtual machine management features and provides a full set of functions to XenCenter
Get the Citrix VM Tools for Windows installer from the Citrix Hypervisor downloads page.
The version of the Citrix VM Tools for Windows is updated independently of the version of Citrix Hypervisor. For more information about the latest version of the tools, see Updates to Citrix VM Tools for Windows.
Install Citrix VM Tools for Windows on each Windows VM for that VM to have a fully supported configuration, and to be able to use the xe CLI or XenCenter. A VM functions without the Citrix VM Tools for Windows, but performance is hampered when the I/O drivers are not installed. Install Citrix VM Tools for Windows on Windows VMs to be able to perform the following operations:
-
Cleanly shut down, reboot, or suspend a VM
-
View VM performance data in XenCenter
-
Migrate a running VM (using live migration or storage live migration)
-
Create snapshots with memory (checkpoints) or revert to snapshots
For more information, see Install Citrix VM Tools for Windows.
Citrix VM Tools for Linux
Citrix VM Tools for Linux contain a guest agent that provides extra information about the VM to the host.
Get the Citrix VM Tools for Linux installer from the Citrix Hypervisor downloads page.
Install the Citrix VM Tools for Linux on Linux VMs to be able to perform the following operations:
-
View VM performance data in XenCenter
-
Adjust the number of vCPUs on a running Linux VM
-
Enable dynamic memory control
Note:
You cannot use the Dynamic Memory Control (DMC) feature on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Rocky Linux 8, Rocky Linux 9, or CentOS Stream 9 VMs as these operating systems do not support memory ballooning with the Xen hypervisor.
For more information, see Install Citrix VM Tools for Linux.
Important:
To have a supported configuration when running a VM, ensure that you install Citrix VM Tools. While a Windows VM can function without them, performance is hampered when the I/O drivers are not installed. Run Windows VMs with these drivers to be supported. Some features, such as live relocation across physical hosts, are available only with the I/O drivers installed and active.
Finding out the virtualization state of a VM
XenCenter reports the virtualization state of a VM on the VM’s General tab. You can see whether Citrix VM Tools (I/O drivers and the Management Agent) are installed, and whether the VM can install and receive updates from Windows Update. The following section lists the messages displayed in XenCenter:
I/O optimized (not optimized) - displays whether the I/O drivers are installed on the VM.
Management Agent installed (not installed) - displays whether the latest version of the Management Agent is installed on the VM.
Able to (Not able to) receive updates from Windows Update - specifies whether the VM is able to receive I/O drivers from Windows Update.
Install I/O drivers and Management Agent - indicates that the VM does not have the I/O drivers or the Management Agent installed.
Note:
If you have many VMs on your server or a pool, select the server or pool on the Resources pane and select the Search tab. From the Saved Searches list, select VMs without Citrix VM Tools Installed. This search displays a list of VMs that do not have Citrix VM Tools installed.
Updating Citrix VM Tools
Citrix Hypervisor has a simpler mechanism to automatically update I/O drivers (PV drivers) and the Management Agent for Windows VMs. This mechanism enables customers to install updates as they become available, without having to wait for a hotfix.
The Virtualization state section on a VM’s General tab specifies whether the VM is able to receive updates from Windows Update. The mechanism to receive I/O driver updates from Windows Update is turned on by default. If you do not want to receive I/O driver updates from Windows Update, disable Windows Update on your VM, or specify a group policy.
Important:
If you are currently using the 8.2.x.x drivers or earlier and want to use the Management Agent MSI file to update to the latest version of the drivers, you must use Device Manager to uninstall the 8.2.x.x drivers from your VM before installing these drivers. If you do not complete this step, the MSI install process fails.
Ensure that all requested VM restarts are completed as part of the update. Multiple restarts might be required. If all requested restarts are not completed, this update might result in unexpected behavior.
Updating the I/O drivers
If you are running newly created Windows VMs on Citrix Hypervisor or XenServer 7.0 or later, you can get I/O driver updates automatically from Microsoft Windows Update, provided:
- You are running Citrix Hypervisor with Premium Edition, or have access to Citrix Hypervisor through Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops entitlement or Citrix DaaS entitlement
- You have created a Windows VM using XenCenter issued with Citrix Hypervisor or XenServer 7.0 or higher
- Windows Update is enabled within the VM
- You have access to the internet, or are able to connect to a WSUS proxy server
Note:
Customers can also receive I/O driver updates automatically through the automatic Management Agent update mechanism. See Updating the Management Agent for details.
Updating the Management Agent
Citrix Hypervisor enables you to automatically update the Management Agent on both new and existing Windows VMs. By default, Citrix Hypervisor allows the automatic updating of the Management Agent. However, it does not allow the Management Agent to update the I/O drivers automatically. You can customize the Management Agent update settings during Citrix VM Tools installation. For more information, see Install Citrix VM Tools for Windows. The automatic updating of the Management Agent occurs seamlessly, and does not reboot your VM. In scenarios where a VM reboot is required, XenCenter issues notification to users about the required action.
To update the Management Agent automatically:
- You must be running with Premium Edition, or have access to Citrix Hypervisor through Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops entitlement or Citrix DaaS entitlement.
- You must have installed Citrix VM Tools issued with Citrix Hypervisor or XenServer 7.0 or higher
- The Windows VM must be connected to the internet
Important:
- The ability to receive I/O drivers from Windows Update and the automatic updating of the Management Agent features are available for Citrix Hypervisor Premium Edition customers. This feature is also available to those customers who have access to Citrix Hypervisor through their Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops entitlement or Citrix DaaS entitlement.
Citrix VM Tools in Citrix Hypervisor 8.1 and earlier
On Citrix Hypervisor servers that run version 8.1 and earlier, the Citrix VM Tools are included as part of the server installation. For these servers, XenCenter provides the ability to start the Citrix VM Tools installation from within the XenCenter UI.
Installing Citrix VM Tools on Windows VMs
Important:
Installing Citrix VM Tools causes any media in the VM’s CD/DVD-drive to be ejected. Do not attempt to install Citrix VM Tools if the virtual machine’s CD/DVD-drive is in use, for example, during OS install from CD.
-
Select the VM in the Resources pane, right-click, and then select Install Citrix VM Tools on the shortcut menu. Alternatively, on the VM menu, select Install Citrix VM Tools.
Or
On the General tab of the VM, select Install I/O drivers and Management Agent.
Note:
When you install Citrix VM Tools on your VM, you are installing both I/O drivers (PV drivers) and the Management Agent.
- If AutoPlay is enabled for the VM’s CD/DVD drive, installation will start automatically after a few moments. The process installs the I/O drivers and the Management Agent. Restart the VM when prompted to get your VM to an optimized state.
-
If AutoPlay is not enabled, Citrix VM Tools installer displays the installation options. Click Install Citrix VM Tools to continue with the installation. This action mounts the Citrix VM Tools ISO (guest-tools.iso) on the VM’s CD/DVD drive.
When prompted, select one of the following options to choose what happens with the Citrix VM Tools ISO:
Click Run Setup.exe to begin Citrix VM Tools installation. This action opens the Citrix Hypervisor Windows Management Agent Setup wizard. Follow the instructions on the wizard to get your VM to an optimized state and perform any actions that are required to complete the installation process.
Note:
When you install Citrix VM Tools using this method, the Management Agent is configured to get updates automatically. However, the Management Agent update mechanism does not update the I/O drivers. This behavior is the default.
Alternatively:
- Click Open folders to view files and then run Setup.exe from the CD drive. This option opens the Citrix Hypervisor Windows Management Agent Setup wizard and lets you customize the Citrix VM Tools installation and the Management Agent update settings.
- Follow the instructions on the wizard to accept the license agreement and choose a destination folder.
-
Customize your settings on the Installation and Updates Settings page. The Citrix Hypervisor Windows Management Agent Setup wizard displays the default settings. By default, the wizard:
- Installs the I/O drivers
- Allows automatic updating of the Management Agent
- Does not allow the Management Agent to update the I/O drivers automatically.
- Sends anonymous usage information to Citrix
If you do not want to allow the automatic updating of the Management Agent, select Disallow automatic management agent updates from the menu.
If you prefer to update the I/O drivers automatically by the Management Agent, select Allow automatic I/O driver updates by the management agent.
Note:
If you receive I/O driver updates through the Windows Update mechanism, we recommend that you do not allow the Management Agent to update the I/O drivers automatically.
If you do not want to share anonymous usage information with Citrix, clear the Send anonymous usage information to Citrix check box. The information transmitted to Citrix contains the UUID of the VM requesting the update. No other information relating to the VM is collected or transmitted to Citrix.
- Click Next and then Install to begin the installation process.
- When prompted, perform any actions that are required to complete the Citrix VM Tools installation process and click Finish to exit the setup wizard.
Note:
- If you prefer to install the I/O drivers and the Management Agent on many Windows VMs, install
managementagentx86.msiormanagementagentx64.msiusing your preferred MSI installation tool. These files can be found on Citrix VM Tools ISO.- I/O drivers are automatically installed on a Windows VM that can receive updates from Windows Update. However, we recommend that you install the Citrix VM Tools package to install the Management Agent and to maintain a supported configuration.
Installing Citrix VM Tools on Linux VMs
- Select the VM in the Resources pane, right-click, and then click Install Citrix VM Tools on the shortcut menu. Alternatively, on the VM menu, click Install Citrix VM Tools.
- Click Install Citrix VM Tools on the message dialog to go to the VM’s console.
-
As the root user, mount the image into the VM:
mount -o ro,exec /dev/disk/by-label/Citrix\\x20VM\\x20Tools /mnt <!--NeedCopy-->Note:
If mounting the image fails, you can locate the image by running the command:
blkid -t LABEL="Citrix VM Tools" -
Run the installation script as the root user:
/mnt/Linux/install.sh <!--NeedCopy--> -
Unmount the image from the guest by running the command:
umount /mnt <!--NeedCopy--> - If the kernel has been upgraded, or the VM was upgraded from a previous version, reboot the VM now.
CD-ROM drives and ISOs attached to Linux VMs appear as /dev/xvdd (or /dev/sdd in Ubuntu), rather than /dev/cdrom. This naming is because they are not true CD-ROM devices, but normal devices. When XenCenter ejects the CD, it hot-unplugs the device from the VM and the device disappears. This behavior is different from Windows VMs, where the CD remains in the VM in an empty state.