RES Software have released RES Automation Manager 2012. RES Automation Manager now supports Linux and better integration with Microsoft System Center. In the following article i will describe whats new in RES Automation Manager 2012.

Whats new in RES Automation Manager 2012

RES Automation Manager 2012 introduces the RES Automation Manager Agent for Linux Operating Systems. With this Agent, you can execute the following new RES Automation Manager Tasks on machines running Linux Operating Systems:

• Linux Command (Execute) (“Task “Linux Command (Execute)
• Linux Computer (Reboot, Shutdown) (“Tasks “Linux Computer (Reboot, Shutdown)
• Linux Resource (Download) (“Task “Linux Resource (Download)RES Automation Manager Agents for Linux need to be installed with a separate installation file. The RES Automation Manager Agents for Linux will run on the following Linux Operating Systems:

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 4: 4.5 and higher
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 5: 5.3 and higher
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server release 10: versions higher than 10.0
• IBM AIX 5L: version 5.3

Licensing: Evaluation licenses valid for 45 days

When you install RES Automation Manager 2012, 75 evaluation licenses are provided automatically. These evaluation licenses are now valid for 45 days, instead of 60.

New RES Automation Manager Dispatcher: Dispatcher+

RES Automation Manager 2012 introduces a new Dispatcher that has been developed using the latest Microsoft tools. This has enhanced the Dispatcher with the following capabilities:

• Improved scalability: The Dispatcher+ is no longer limited to 150 concurrent connections.
• Native 64-bit installer.
• Resource integrity check: When the Dispatcher+ starts, an integrity check is now performed on the available Resources in the Resource cache of the Dispatcher+. This ensures that Agents can always download valid Resources from the Dispatcher+.
• The availability of a Web API provides full support for building and deploying RESTful and SOAP web services. This allows you to integrate Job scheduling in external systems.
• The Dispatcher+ logs all events in the Event log, which can be viewed with e.g. the Event Viewer that is part of the Microsoft Windows Operating System.The new Dispatcher requires the installation of Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (full version) on all machines hosting a Dispatcher. Please make sure to update all Dispatcher hosts with this version before installing or upgrading to RES Automation Manager 2012

New RES Automation Manager Upgrade Pack

RES Automation Manager 2012 introduces a new Upgrade Pack: the Upgrade Pack now consists of a standalone executable file. This differs from Upgrade Packs of previous releases of RES Automation Manager, in which you could upgrade your RES Automation Manager environment by importing a .WUP file in the Console. The RES Automation Manager 2012 Upgrade Pack can also be used on machines on which no Console has been installed.

As a result of the new Upgrade Pack, the buttons Update Wizard and have been removed from the node Infrastructure > Datastore > Setup > Components in the Console.

If necessary, it is now possible to downgrade to a previous version of RES Automation Manager by right-clicking the node Infrastructure > Datastore > Setup > Components and choosing Downgrade (WUP).

The RES Automation Manager 2012 Upgrade Pack needs to be deployed manually and is not suitable for unattended installations.

RES Automation Manager 2012 upgrade requirements

• RES Automation Manager 2011 SR3 or later
• Microsoft Windows XP SP3 Professional or later (x64/x86)
• Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1
• Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 or later: Client Profile is the minimum requirement for the machine on which the Upgrade Pack is run; Full Version (Client Profile and Extended) is required for all Dispatchers. Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 Full Version can be installed on your Dispatchers from the Console.

RES Automation Manager samples for RES Automation Manager 2012

RES Automation Manager introduces a set of samples that make it easier to perform certain IT tasks. These samples are Building Blocks of predefined Modules and include hypervisor Modules, Linux Modules and Microsoft Windows Modules. After importing these Building Blocks into your RES Automation Manager environment, you can adapt the predefined Tasks to your situation if necessary.

The samples are included in the file RES-AM-2012-Samples-6.5.0.0.zip, which can be downloaded from the support portal.

The samples cover the following:

• Linux Tasks:
  • Application Management
  • Disk Management
  • Network Management
  • Security Management
  • Service Management
  • System Management
  • User Management
• Hypervisor Tasks: These Tasks allow you to manage snapshots and VMs on:
  • VMware vSphere Hypervisor
  • Microsoft Hyper-V Server
  • Citrix XenServer
• Additional Tasks:
  • Citrix XenApp 6.5 Unattended Deployment
  • Write Event to Microsoft Windows Event Log

Support for Bare Metal OS deployment using WDS and RES Automation Manager

When deploying new workstations or servers, Bare Metal OS deployment usually is the first task that is performed. This task can now easily be carried out by combining Microsoft Windows Deployment Services (WDS) and RES Automation Manager.

For more information about Microsoft Windows Deployment Services, please refer to the Windows Deployment Services Getting Started Guide, available at http://technet.microsoft.com/en- us/library/cc771670(WS.10).aspx.

For more information about Bare Metal OS deployment using WDS and RES Automation Manager, please refer to the chapter Appendices\Best Practices\Bare Metal OS deployment using WDS and RES Automation Manager of the RES Automation Manager 2012 Administration Guide, available at http://support.ressoftware.com/automationmanageradminguide2012.

Variables

RES Automation Manager 2012 introduces Variables.

When configuring a Task, the values of many fields can now optionally be replaced with Variables. Similar to parameters, Variables function as placeholders for customer-specific values, such as, for example, server names, passwords or credentials. Different from parameters however, Variables are resolved at the moment of Job execution, rather than at the moment of Job scheduling.

The global values of Variables can be set up at Infrastructure > Datastore > Settings > Global Variables. These values are inherited by default by all Teams and Agents, but exceptions for individual Teams and Agents can be set up on the Team’s Team Variables tab and the Agent’s Agent Variables tab.

Team Variables and Agent Variables allow “owners” of a specific Team or Agent to override the Global Variables by specifying a custom-value. This makes Variables especially useful for use in multitenant RES Automation Manager sites, because it makes it easier to manage different settings for different customers and assigned projects, and to exchange Modules, Projects and Run Books with other branches of an organization.

Example

You can set up Global Variables to specify a Domain, Security Context and Domain controller for usage in a Task Manage Active Directory Computer. This creates a generic Task that can be used by all customers in your multitenant site. “Owners” of a specific Team or Agent at the customer site can override the global values of these Variables by specifying a custom-value that only applies to their site. When the Task is executed, the Task automatically gets the correct values that applies to the individual customer site. Depending on the hierarchy of these Variables, these can be the global values, Team-specific values or Agent-specific values.

Video tutorials

As of RES Automation Manager 2012, video tutorials are available that will help you quickly start using RES Automation Manager. These tutorials cover a broad range of subjects, from planning, installing and setting up an environment to using the functionality of RES Automation Manager.

Video tutorials can be accessed from the Help:

Custom Properties from previous versions of RES Automation Manager will automatically be migrated to Variables in RES Automation Manager 2012. Because names of categories in Variables must be unique, any categories in Custom Properties with the same name will be merged into one category in Variables and any existing Custom Properties objects in these categories will be categorized in this category.

A complete list of all available video tutorials by category can be found in the Help, by clicking Help > Video Tutorials from the menu bar of the Console.

Depending on availability, individual tutorials can be accessed from the matching Help topic, by clicking “View tutorial”.

New Tasks in RES Automation Manager 2012

Task “Linux Command (Execute)”

At Repository > Modules, a new Task has been added to the library folder Linux: Execute Linux Commands. With this Task, you can run commands on Agents running on Linux Operating Systems.

Scripts that you run on the RES Automation Manager Agent for Linux using the Task Execute Linux Command cannot include reboot and shutdown commands. Use the Tasks Reboot Linux Computer or Shutdown Linux Computer instead. See Tasks “Linux Computer (Reboot, Shutdown)” (on page 6).

The library Linux and its Tasks will only be available in the Console if your RES Automation Manager environment contains at least one RES Automation Manager Agent for Linux.

Tasks “Linux Computer (Reboot, Shutdown)”

At Repository > Modules, the following Tasks have been added to the library folder Linux: Reboot Linux Computer and Shutdown Linux Computer. With these Tasks, you can reboot or shut down Agents running on Linux Operating Systems automatically. A restart is often required after the installation of new software. These Tasks can also be useful after the execution of a Task Execute Linux Command. See Task “Linux Command (Execute)” (on page 6).

The library Linux and its Tasks will only be available in the Console if your RES Automation Manager environment contains at least one RES Automation Manager Agent for Linux.

Task “Linux Resource (Download)”

At Repository > Modules, a new Task has been added to the library folder Linux: Execute Linux Commands. With this Task, you can download Resources to Agents running on Linux Operating Systems.

The library Linux and its Tasks will only be available in the Console if your RES Automation Manager environment contains at least one RES Automation Manager Agent for Linux.

Tasks “Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (Distribute Software, Query Client)”

At Repository > Modules, the following Tasks have been added to the library folder Provisioning: Distribute Software with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager and Query Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager Client. You can find these Tasks in the Task library Provisioning.

Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager allows you to distribute, configure and manage software across virtual, distributed and mobile environments. RES Automation Manager supports Configuration Manager 2007 and 2012.

• With the Task Distribute Software with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager, you can deploy software distribution packages on Agents on which a Configuration Manager Client is running.
• With the Task Query Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager Client, you can:
  • Create status reports of Configuration Manager clients, including client version, cacheoptions, service states, etc.
  • Obtain an overview of all software distribution packages that were advertised to Configuration Manager clients, including local status of the advertisement, last run date and exit code.

Tasks “RES Automation Manager Job Results (Delete, Export)”

At Repository > Modules, the following Tasks have been added to the library folder RES Automation Manager: Delete RES Automation Manager Job Results and Export RES Automation Manager Job Results.

• With Delete RES Automation Manager Job Results, you can clean up the Datastore from Job results that are no longer relevant, for example because they have become obsolete through Snapshot Intelligence or because they are the results of recurring Jobs.
• With Export RES Automation Manager Job Results, you can export Job results to XML files. This allows you to back up Job results for review purposes. This Task is especially useful in combination with the Task Delete RES Automation Manager Job Results, in which you first back up certain Job results by exporting them to zipped XML files, and then clean up the Datastore by deleting them.In these Tasks, you can delete or export Job results from the Datastore, based on a combination of criteria:
• The type of Job that was performed (recurring/non-recurring)
• The relevance of the Job results (actual Job results/Job results that have become obsoletethrough Snapshot Intelligence)
• The Agent(s)/Team(s) that executed the JobThe period in which the Jobs were executed

Task “RES Automation Manager Team Membership (Change)”

At Repository > Modules, a new Task has been added to the library folder RES Automation Manager: Change RES Automation Manager Team Membership. With this Task, you can add or remove Agents from a Team, and offers a more dynamic way of adding and removing Agents to and from Teams.

This Task is typically used in combination with a Task Query Installed Programs in which an evaluator determines whether the succeeding Task Change Team Membership should be executed.

For example, suppose you want to add an Agent to the Team Office if Microsoft Office is installed on the Agent. You can achieve this by setting up a Module that contains the following:

• A Task Query Installed Programs with an evaluator for Microsoft Office that fails the Query if it does not return results.
• A Task Change RES Automation Manager Team Membership with a condition that executes the Task if the status of the previous Task is Completed. This Task adds the Agent to the Team Office.When the Module is executed, the Agent(s) that execute the Module will be added to the Team Office if Microsoft Office is installed; if not, they will not be added to the Team.

Enhancements and Improvements

Agents: Agents no longer shown as offline when using IBM DB2

When using an IBM DB2 database, all Agents were shown as being offline in the Console. This did not have any consequences for the functioning of these Agents: in reality, they were online and all RES Automation Manager functionality was available. This has been fixed. All online Agents will now also be shown as being online.

Agents: Delete Job history of Agents

At Infrastructure > Agents, it is now possible to delete the entire Job history of individual Agents.

If many snapshots of an Agent are made, for example by using a provisioning server, the Job history of such Agents can become very large and may contain many obsolete entries. In such situations, it can be desirable to clean up the Job history of the Agent.

For this purpose, a button Delete Job History has been added to the History tab of the Agent Properties window, which is available when viewing the properties of an Agent.

It is also possible to delete the Job history of an Agent at Infrastructure > Agents (right-click the Agent, select Delete Job History).

Further informations about RES Automation Manager 2012

For the full release notes read the informations from RES Automation Manager 2012 release notes which can be downloaded from the client portal at www.ressoftware.com

Finally its now supported to build a Citrix Provisioning Server 5.6.x or 6.0 on a VMware vSphere 5 solution.

Symptoms

Provisioning Server 5.6 and 6.0 Target Devices hosted on VMware vSphere 5.0 becomes unresponsive after Windows operating system restart (at a black screen with PXE)
- Or -
“hang” after “Found “!PXE” @ xxxx:yyyy” (with BDM).

Provisioning Server 5.6.x and 6.0 are now supported with vSphere 5 with an updated Bootstrap configuration change.

Workaround

The workaround for this issue is to select Interrupt safe mode in the Bootstrap.

This needs to be performed in one of two places:

If you are providing the Bootstrap through the Provisioning Server:

In the Provisioning Server Console, right click on Configure Bootstrap, click on Options, and select Interrupt safe mode, as shown in the following screen shot:

If you are using the BDM boot ISO to provide the bootstrap to your Target Devices, perform the following:

Citrix Consulting have created this great whitepaper that describes how you create High Availability for TFTP with Citrix Provisioning Services and Netscaler

Overview

Citrix Provisioning Services is a software streaming technology that allows servers and desktops to be provisioned and re-provisioned in real time from a single shared-disk image
1. The service is commonly integrated with Citrix virtualization solutions to optimize Operating System delivery and management. Often these solutions are critical to the operation of organizations and require high availability. Providing high availability for Provisioning Services requires designing each component of the service without a single point of failure across the network. The „bootstrap file‟, named ardbp32.bin, is a key component that must be delivered to Provisioning Services target devices in order for them to communicate with Provisioning Services over the network.

The bootstrap file is typically delivered via Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) services hosted on Provisioning Servers. This document focuses specifically on comparing high availability options fordelivery of the bootstrap file to target devices via TFTP. The advantages and disadvantages of each option are outlined as well as the steps to implement the load balancing options with NetScaler. The document scope does not include details of the implementation or operation of other aspects of Provisioning Services.

Read the full whitepaper Implementation Guide for High Availability for TFTP here

This document applies to:

• NetScaler 9.0
• NetScaler 9.1
• NetScaler 9.2
• NetScaler 9.3
• XenApp 6.0 for Windows Server 2008 R2
• XenApp 6.5 for Windows Server 2008 R2
• XenDesktop 4 x32
• XenDesktop 5 x32
• XenDesktop 5.5 x32

Short info about RES Automation Manager

The RES Automation Manager is a small-footprint, yet highly scaleable infrastructure management platform that allows you to make changes to any kind of Windows server or computer, without having to create a single script or policy. Automation Manager (abreviated AM) is driven by a userfriendly and easy-to-use management console, that allows for massive parallel operation: Multiple admins can schedule multiple jobs on multiple AM agents all at the same time. While retaining the ability to interface with Active Directory for the purpose of managing AD objects, RES Automation Manager itself does not need AD as a prereqisite to run. This means you can manage machines even outside of your own domain. AM supports multiple administrative roles, which will allow you to securely define exactly who can create or run jobs on what target computers. You can add the Service Orchestration Module to AM, which will allow you to deliverIT as a Service. (source resguru)

The Ultimate RES Software BuildingBlock for Citrix

Mr. Luca Lo Castro and Max Ranzau (resguru.com) have created this most awesome Run Books for RES Automation Manager.

The Runbook does the following:

• Unattended installation of Citrix Provisioning Server 6.0 (PVS)
• Unattended installation of Citrix XenApp 6.5 (XA)
• Unattended installation of Xen Desktop 5.5 (XD)
• Preparation of a Windows 7 image (application of best practices, per Citrix’s recommendations.

This is quite valuable for anyone who installs these products for a living, no matter if you are a consultant, a Citrix SE or perhaps a Citrix admin. Note * SQL express is used in this Building block, for enterprise environments i would use a SQL server std/ent or HA.

The cool part is that ALL of the above is done in less than 45 minutes! Add that to the approx. 15 minutes it takes to stand up the RES Automation Manager infrastructure, and ask yourself this: How long does it take you to stand up a XenDesktop + PVS + XA environment under normal circumstances? I trust you see my point. So what are the prerequisites for all this? You’ll need the following:

• Your 3 .ISO files, respectively for PVS, XA and XD. If you haven’t got them, download them from MyCitrix.com
• A server (200x, doesn’t really matter), which will hold your DBMS for Automation Manager and be a mount point for your ISO’s. Let’s call itServer1. If you can run a compatible datastore for Automation Manager, this could be your laptop!
• Mount the ISO’s on this server using Daemon Tools or similar. Alternatively, if you are using a VM, you can just mount the ISO’s directly on the virtual machine as DVD drives. Finally if you already have the ISO’s extracted somewhere, you can just share those folders. Either way, make sure you share the individual mount folders, so the contents of each ISO is available as a \\server1\share UNC path.
• You will also need 3 blank x64 Server 2008R2 servers. And I do mean blank. For example, not manually install the .Net 4 client profile ahead, as it will mess up the unattended installation of SQL Express. These servers will be the target servers for PVS, XA and XD. Lets call these machines Server A, B and C
• Finally you’ll need a blank Windows 7 machine. This is the machine which will be prepped for use with PVS (registry hacks applied, services configured etc) as the golden image.

To get things stood up, here are some guidelines to get you started:

1. Download and install the RES Automation Manager aka AM. Refer to theGetting Started guide.
2. Deploy the AM Dispatcher to Server1
3. Deploy the AM Agents to the 3 blanks Servers A..C
4. Import the buildingblock, which you will find at the end of this article.
5. In the AM console, go to Repository | Run Books
6. Rightclick on the Citrix POC-Sales runbook and select Schedule Job
7. Fill out the parameters for the runbook as described below
8. Hit OK, then hit the local Starbucks..

The parameter screen needs a bit of explanation, because if you don’t fill things in right, then of course “interesting” things may happen. You know the drill: BS in, BS out. So let’s have a look at a screen I’ve already filled out below. Click to enlarge:

The table below explains each field and what you need to enter.

Issues Resolved in this Hotfix

This Hotfix addresses the following issues reported against Provisioning Services 6.0 release:

BUG0258446:
Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windows Server 2008/Windows Server 2008 R2 target devices cannot connect to PVS server across different subnets.

BUG0034058:
Bnistack automatically configures the dedicated dump file causing the file to be created on the local drive.

Source

Download hotfix here http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX131204

Finally its here, Citrix Provisioning Services 6.0 many people have been waiting for this “Big” release.

Key new features in Citrix Provisioning Services 6.0

Integrated vDisk Versioning
Automated vDisk Updating
Support for Replicated vDisk Storage
XenDesktop and Streamed VM Setup Wizards

New features in Citrix Provisioning Services 6.0

The Provisioning Services 6.0 Beta provides an early opportunity for citrites, customers and partners to try the new features in this release.  This release focuses on providing tools to streamline the image management process, including:

• Integrated vDisk Version Management: Allows you to create and manage versions directly within the Provisioning Services Console. Versions can be targeted specific groups of devices facilitating the image lifecycle flow through maintenance, test, and production. In addition, versions are maintained as difference files, conserving storage space.
• Automated vDisk Updates: Allows you to define recurring scheduled tasks that automate the process of vDisk patching using tools like Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).
• Support for vDisk Replication: Allows you to safely use replication solutions like Microsoft DFS Replication to distribute vDisks across multiple servers or geographic locations. Provisioning Servers will maintain an inventory of available vDisks and versions and adjust load balancing as needed to ensure sessions are only assigned to servers that have access to the required vDisk/version.

The beta will run through July and August and is open to Citrix partners and existing customers who have Provisioning Services licenses, or Enterprise or Platinum XenDesktop, XenApp, or XenServer licenses. Provisioning Services 6.0 is compatible with XenDesktop 5 and SP1, XenApp 6, and XenServer 5.6, FP1, and SP2.

Click here to download the Provisioning Services 6.0 Beta

Before installing the beta, please read through the release notes.  They will provide you with information about what functionality is and is not available in the beta.

During the beta you can go to the Provisioning Services 6.0 Beta Forum to get updated information about the beta, post questions or problems, and get help from members of the Provisioning Services team and other beta participants.

Deep dig-in Citrix Provisioning Services 6.0

Check out this cool presentation that Patrick Carey made at Citrix Synergy in SF 2011

My Experience with Citrix Provisioning Services 6.0 Beta (updated 07-07-2011)

I have just downloaded and installed the Citrix Provisioning Services 6.0

• The installer looks great, you can now install the server with console, even if you installed the console first. This was an issue  before in later versions.
• Upgrading from Citrix Provisioning Services 5.6SP1 to 6.0 Beta runs smooth
• Citrix Storage controllers is a device software i noticed thats new, “windows security pops up ..”
• i keep you updated when i see some stuff in PVS6Beta that i want to share with you*

Introduction

Today, IT architects strive to virtualize most server workloads in the datacenter. When designing a virtual desktop solution with Citrix XenDesktop or Citrix XenApp, there are conflicting schools of thought with regard to implementing Citrix Provisioning Services as virtual servers. As architects begin to standardize on a virtualized platform, the imminent question that always appears to arise is ‘Should Citrix Provisioning Services be installed on a Physical or Virtual Server?’ In the past, it was always considered a best practice to have Citrix Provisioning Services installed on a physical server. Now with advances in virtualization technology, there are several options available that make virtualizing Provisioning Services a reality in the enterprise.

Citrix Consulting Solutions has been involved in multiple scenarios where Provisioning Services was successfully virtualized within XenDesktop and XenApp environments on all three major hypervisors (Citrix XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V, and VMware vSphere). The most notable reference of these successful implementations was accomplished in partnership with Cisco and is documented within the Cisco Validated Design documents. In each circumstance, the Provisioning Services virtual server was designed to ensure that it was adequately able to handle the assigned workload and ensure that the virtual Provisioning Services server was not the major restricting factor within the environment.1

Based on the experience of the Citrix Consulting Solutions team, this document provides detailed design considerations for virtualizing Provisioning Services such as:

• Ensure that the hypervisor host is able to distribute processing power across multiple CPUs.
• A 10Gbps network is the most conducive environment for virtualizing Provisioning Services and the respective Provisioning Services network traffic.
• If a 10Gbps network is not available, consider link aggregation at the hypervisor level to provide more available bandwidth for the virtual Provisioning Services machine.
• Consider utilizing SR-IOV or Pass-Through to minimize the virtualization overhead associated with network intensive virtual machines, such as Provisioning Services.
• Always configure Provisioning Services in a high-availability configuration with multiple virtual machines distributed across different hypervisor hosts.
• Virtualize Provisioning Services on an x64 version of Windows to take advantages of Windows System Cache.

In summary, Provisioning Services workloads can and have been successfully virtualized in both XenDesktop and XenApp deployments if the design considerations outlined in this document are thoroughly evaluated.

download the full whitepaper – Design Considerations for Virtualizing Provisioning Services here