Machine Creation Services (MCS)
Citrix XenDesktop 5
Jits Langedijk
Sr. Consultant
Application & Desktop Delivery
jla@pqr.nl
@JRLangedijk
JitsLangedijk
Agenda
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Citrix XenDesktop 5.x
Why MCS?
Where can I “find” MCS?
What does MCS do exactly?
How does MCS work?
What is IntelliCache?
• What about PVS?
Citrix XenDesktop 5 (december 2010)
XenDesktop 4
XenDesktop 5
• Farm
• Site
• Desktop Group
• Catalog with Desktop Group
• DDC / Broker / Controller
• XenDesktop Controller
• IMA datastore
• SQL database
• Terminal Services
• Removed Dependency
XenDesktop 5.5 (August 2011)
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Second Generation Flash Redirection
Windows Media Redirection
Multi-Stream ICA (UDP for audio)
MS RemoteFX Support
Windows 7 Aero Redirection
HDX 3D Pro
HDX Plug-N-Play
Desktop Director 2.0
XenDesktop 5.6 (march 2012)
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Personal vDisk (RingCube)
SCCM 2012 support
Virtual Desktop Agent (5.5.100)
Desktop Director 2.1
Why MCS?
• Single image management
• Less complex infrastructure
• Easy to deploy
• Citrix IntelliCache
Where can I find MCS?
• MCS is integrated in to XenDesktop 5.0 >
MCS based Virtual Desktops
Direct copies of the master VM. Changes are not persisted. (Random / Static)
Permanently assigned to individual users. Changes are persisted.
VM’s that were previously created.
Desktops hosted on dedicated blade servers
vDisk imaged from a master target device with PVS
New Desktop Machine Types XD 5.6
• Pooled with personal vDisk
• Streamed with personal vDisk
Personal vDisk session
15:30 hr
MCS Desktop Machine Types XD 5.6
• Pooled (Stateless)
– Random
– Users are randomly assigned a machine at logon
– Static
– Users are assigned the same machine at logon
• Dedicated (Stateful)
• Pooled with personal vDisk (next session)
Create Catalog with MCS
Type
Master
Image
VMs
Accounts
Admini
stration
Summary
• Machine Type
• Master Image
• Number of VMs
• Create accounts
• Administration
• Summary
Create Catalog with MCS
• Create machine accounts
• Create a proviosiong scheme by copying master VM
• Create machines using the provisioning scheme
• Add machines to the broker catalog
What does MCS do exactly?
Hypervisor
1
2
3
4
Admin selects “Golden Master
Image”, this is copied as Full Clone
and becomes the “Golden Master
VM Image”
Admin Provisions ‘x’ VM’s
MCS creates an ID Disk and a
Difference Disk and attaches them
to each VM
ID
DIFF
ID
DIFF
ID
DIFF
ID
DIFF
Golden
Master
VM Image
Golden
Master
Image(BASE)
Storage
MCS Powers up the VM, obtains
Identity from the ID Disk
OS Reads come from the Base
OS Writes go to the Diff Disk
What does MCS do exectly?
Each VM consists of three “parts”
1 – Master VM
2 – Difference Disk (diff disk)
3 – Identidy Disk (ID disk)
The ID Disk
• The Identidy disk
• 16 MB in size
• Contains the “Identidy” of the virtual machine
• A file called ‘CTXSOSID.INI’, The ListOfDDCs key
• Attached as a second disk to the VM at creation
• Remains untouched for the lifetime of the VM
The Diff Disk
• The Difference disk
• The “primary” disk for the provisioned machine
• Created by making a difference disk to the master image
• Destroyed at VM boot (Pooled)
• Persistent at VM Boot (Dedicated)
Citrix XenDesktop 5.6 “Small Overview”
Desktop Studio
Machine
Creation
Service
AD Identity
Service
Desktop Director
XenDesktop Controller
Machine
Identity
Service
Machine Creation
Services
Host Service
Broker
Service
Configuration
Service
Broker
Services
Infrastructure
Services
SQL Server
Virtual
Desktop
Agent
Machine Creation Services consists of…
• Machine Creation Service
• Responsible for the creation of the VMs
• AD Identity Service
• Creates / Manages AD computer accounts and passwords of VM.
• Machine Identity Service
• Create DIFF and ID disks for VMs
• Manages storage attached to provisioned VMs
• Machine Identity Agent (VDA based)
• Component that resides on the VDA that ensures VDA Identity within the domain
• Maintains the computer AD password of the Virtual Desktop
Machine Creation Process
• Provisioning process consists of 2 mechanisms
• Creation of a Provisioning Scheme
• Creation of Machines
• The Provisioning Scheme defines
• Name, CPU Count, Memory size, Master Image VM,
Identity Pool, Hosting Unit, Boot Behaviour
• Tasks on the Provisioning Scheme
are synchronous
• i.e. you cannot provision and delete at the same time
Snapshot chain is consolidated for
performance into new Golden Master
VM Image
Master VM
Desktop Group is updated to
reference new Golden Master VM
Image
consolidate
New “image” is propagated to Virtual
Machines at reboot
IntelliCache
XenDesktop
011
001
0011
0101
0011
0101
Master
Image
Cache
NFS Based Storage
1.
Master Image created through XenDesktop
MCS
2.
VM is configured to use Master Image
3.
VM using Master Image is started
4.
XenServer creates read cache object on
local storage
5.
Reads in VM being done from local cache
6.
Additional Reads done from SAN when
required
7.
Writes will happen in VHD child per VM
8.
Local “write” cache is deleted when VM is
shutdown/restarted
9.
Additional VMs will use same read cache
What about PVS?
Provisioning Services:
Hypervisor(s)
Provisioning
Services
Storage
• Caches ‘base image’ in RAM for fast
delivery
Machine Creation Service:
Hypervisor(s)
RAM
Cache
Storage
• Caches ‘base image’ in RAM for fast
delivery
What about IOPS?
XenDesktop MCS produces about 1.5x more IOPS than PVS
1100 Desktops on XS
MCS
PVS
Total IOPS
18,000
11,000
Read:Write IOPS ratio
50:50
10:90
16
10
Average IOPS per desktop
Stated by Citrix!!
Summary
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Citrix XenDesktop 5.6
Why MCS?
Where can I “find” MCS?
What does MCS do exactly?
How does MCS work
IntelliCache
Thanks for your patience!
jla@pqr.nl