Citrix Provisioning Server 5.1 and XenDesktop Setup Wizard

With the new version of Provisioning Server Citrix changed the management console ports from 8000 and 8001 to 54321 and 54322. The reason for this change is so that PVS can be installed on the XenDesktop Desktop Delivery Controller without port conflicts.

The port change breaks the the XenDesktop Setup Wizard because by default the setup wizard tries to communicate with PVS on ports 8000 and 8001.

To fix this you must edit the SetupToolApplication.exe.config file that is located in the “C:\Program Files\Citrix\XenDesktop Setup Wizard” folder and change the two ports from 8000 to 54321 and from 8001 to 54322.

The Provisioning Server 5.1 release notes states that you only have to change the 8000 port but in my experience I had to change both.

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX121336

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New Citrix XenDesktop Virtual Desktop Agent

Citrix just released an updated build of the XenDesktop VDA.

I was experiencing slow login times at one of my clients with the previous 3.1 build and this updated build fixed the issue.

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX121590

Citrix XenConvert

Citrix XenConvert is a tool to migrate (P2V) physical (or virtual) Windows systems to XenServer.

XenConvert is similar to VMware Converter but without some of the advanced features and functions differently.

XenConvert is installed and executed on the source system and only one local disk can be converted at a time.

You must have 115% free space to convert a disk, the free space doesn’t have to be on the same local disk but cannot be a mapped network drive. XenConvert creates a local VHD file, mounts it as a new drive and then copies the contents of the local drive you are converting to the new VHD file.

If during the XenConvert wizard you chose to migrate to XenServer it then takes the VHD and creates an XVA (XenServer Virtual Applicance) and then moves it up to the XenServer and creates the new VM.

The process takes at least twice as long as it does with VMware Converter. Most of this time is spent copying the local disk to the local VHD file.

XenConvert does not have a feature that lets you resize the destination VHD, if your local disk is 72 GB then the virtual disk will be 72 GB.

Some other features of XenConvert include the ability to convert an offline VMDK to either a VHD or OVF and Microsoft VMs to OVF.

http://community.citrix.com/blogs/citrite/simoncr/2009/04/16/XenConvert+v2+Tech+Preview+-+OVF+and+VMDK+Support+for+XenServer