How to install Citrix XenDesktop VDA during deployment (part 2)

Earlier this year I wrote a blogpost about "Installing Citrix XenDesktop VDA and PVS Agent during deployment". Unfortunately enough it in't working, because there are to less folders during installation. I followed the guide found on Day to Day tech issues and tips. This is a really great guide to install Citrix VDA, but there is mentioned: Create a folder (x86 and/or x64) and copy the following folders from the Citrix installation media. The XenDesktop installation will look for additional information in the other folders, so they are needed as well. Based on the installation parameters even more folders could be necessary. (and they are for sure!)

Case is, this isn't enough for sure! Just copy the whole Citrix media to get it working, with the following folders and files in it. Otherwise the following errors will be mentioned in "%AppData%\Local\Temp\1\Citrix\XenDesktop Installer\XenDesktop Installation.txt"
-XenDesktopSetup:Unable to read product version details from file ProductVersion.txt Could not find file 'C:\Citrix XenDesktop\ProductVersion.txt'.
-XenDesktopSetup:InstallComponent: Failed to install component 'Machine Identity Service'. Could not find file 'C:\Citrix XenDesktop\ProductVersion.txt'.
-XenDesktopSetup:Recording installation failure. Could not find file 'C:\Citrix XenDesktop\ProductVersion.txt'.

Let's have a look at folders and files missing:

Root

x64 folder

After that Citrix XenDesktop VDA will be installed succesfully! Just have a look at the logfile again:
XenDesktopSetup:Installation complete, reboot needed
XenDesktopSetup:Installation Manager returned SuccessRebootNeeded

When installation is still failing because it's using x86 on a x64 system (seen that once), just use CD "x64\XenDesktop Setup" instead of "%PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE%" variable.
Happy that Citrix installation is working now!

More blogposts on this topic:
How to install Citrix XenDesktop VDA and PVS Agent during deployment
Implementing ConfigMgr in a XenDesktop VDI environment

How to install Citrix XenDesktop VDA and PVS Agent during deployment

Last week I had some troubles to install Citrix XenDesktop VDA and PVS agent during deployment. Citrix XenDesktop VDA deployment was installed partly and PVS did an unexpected reboot during installation. In both situations we had no good result. Lucky me someone else wrote blogposts about this. Let's have a (short) look.

Recently I have been struggling a little to get the XenDesktop VDA agent installed correctly during a ConfigMgr OSD deployment. I ended up with the following solution: Installing Citrix XenDesktop VDA Agent in ConfigMgr 2012 TS 

The PVS Agent on a VM is necessary to create the vDisk in Citrix PVS. In this small post I describe the steps to take in order to get this successfully deployed during a ConfigMgr OSD TS. Installing Citrix Provisioning Services Agent during ConfigMgr OSD deployment

Hope it helps!

Source: ConfigMgr 2012 & Citrix PVS/XenDesktop

More blogposts on this topic:
How to install Citrix XenDesktop VDA during deployment (part 2)

Windows 8 Consumer Preview available for download

On 29-2-2012 the second build of Windows 8 (server and client) is showed to the world. After the Windows Developer Preview earlier last year, there's now a Consumer Preview available for download. Windows 8 (server and client) is build on Metro, the User Interface we know from Windows Phone 7 devices. That way it's usable on servers, desktops, laptops and tablets, with touch interface!

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO can be download HERE
The Windows Server "8" Beta ISO can be download HERE

How to install Windows 8 Consumer Preview from an ISO image

The easiest way to convert an ISO file to a DVD in Windows 7 is to use Windows Disc Image Burner. On a PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista, a third-party program is required to convert an ISO file into installable media—and DVD burning software often includes this capability. One option is the USB/DVD download tool provided by the Microsoft Store. You can also download Windows 8 Consumer Preview Setup, which includes tools that allow you to create a DVD or USB flash drive from an ISO file (Windows Vista or Windows 7 required).

More blogposts available for Windows 8 also:

Guide to install Windows 8 on a VHD (Virtual Hard Disk)

Guide to remove Windows 8 on a VHD (Virtual Hard Disk)

Windows Developer Preview or Windows 8 for developers available

On 14-9-2011 the first build of Windows Developer Preview is showed to the world. The Windows Developer Preview is a pre-beta version of Windows 8 for developers. Windows 8 is build on Metro, the User Interface we know from Windows Phone 7. That way it's usable on desktops, laptops and tablets, with touch interface!

In this blog I show you the installation & look and feel. Support for ConfigMgr 2007/2012 functionality follows later. First download the ISO from here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/home/
I've created an virtual machine with 1 CPU, 2GB RAM and 20GB Disk. That's enough for having a smooth running virtual machine. The ISO can be mounted with a virtual CD/DVD-drive for installing Windows 8.

When the error message "This 64-bit application couldn't load because your PC doesn't have a 64-bit processor" is shown, enable "Virtualization" or "Hardware Virtualization" in your BIOS to get it working.

When using Virtual PC download the 32-bit version of Windows 8. Virtual PC can only handle 32 bit guest systems. I've download the 64-bit version and used Oracle VirtualBox to install Windows 8 and capture screenshots.

The installation is approximately done in 10 a 15 minutes. During installation the following screens are seen:

Looks the same as Windows 7 installation..

Finalizing your settings/ Preparing your PC

Windows 8 is already up and running, yeah!

Windows desktop is still available as TILE

When installing an program/tool a popup opens

This is the default screen when restarting..

A start menu in Metro UI is also available

Tiles can be managed by a ribbon with menu options

Nice to see in Windows 8 is the choice to switch between the Metro User Interface (UI) and the classic Windows (7) desktop. Known functionality as Control Panel, Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer are still available. New installations adds new tiles on the Metro UI. 

All tiles can be fully managed by an ribbon, which comes available when right-clicking a tile. When starting a tile/application, go back to the leftdown corner to access the start menu. That way going back to the Metro UI is possible. The application remains available that way.

Next time I have a look at more functionality and ConfigMgr support. Stay tuned for more!