SYN214: Tips and best practices for

getting the best from your Virtual Apps

and Desktops deployments.

#CitrixSynergy
#SYN214
#CitrixCTP #CitrixSynergy
1 © 2019 Citrix
 Dennis Span
Citrix Technology Professional
@dennisspan
https://dennisspan.com

Session David Wilkinson

Citrix Technology Professional
@WilkyIT

Speakers https://wilkyit.com

George Spiers
Citrix Technology Professional
@JGSpiers
https://jgspiers.com
#CitrixSynergy
#SYN214
#CitrixCTP
2 © 2019 Citrix
What's on the Agenda for the Session?

Profile
Management App Layering
Office 365

Google
Optimization Chrome
&
Sealing WEM

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3 © 2019 Citrix
 1. Tips & Best Practices

Office 365

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 Office 365 – 3 Main Challenges
1.Outlook Cache OST

2.OneDrive for Business

3.Outlook Search

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 Office 365 – Products
• Choose the right product!
• Citrix App Layering
• Office 365 User Layer
• User Layer

• Citrix User Profile Management (7.18 or above)

• Other 3rd Party solutions

• Microsoft/FSLogix, Ivanti Workspace, Liquidware, Vmware UEM etc..

• Understand the limitations of each!

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 Office 365 – Outlook (Cached Exchange Mode)

• Limit OST Size

• Reduce the Sync Period
• Reduces the Local storage required

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 Office 365 – Outlook (Cached Exchange Mode)
• Network / Storage Impact
• Field test show 300+ IOPS required for initial cache creation
• Average of 5 Write IOPS / 8 Read IOPS per User!

• Permissions
• Ensure appropriate access is granted to VHD(x) directory as this may be above and beyond the normal
permissions required for Citrix UPM.

DW
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 Office 365 – Outlook (Search)
• Why?
• End User Experience is key!
• Rebuilding your search index takes time and resources from your VDA

• Search Service
• Ensure Windows Search Service is started, and set to automatic (Not Enabled by Default in
WS2012)
• Provisioning Services Device Optimization Tool disables this service, remember to re-enable
Before After

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 Office 365 – OneDrive for Business
• Enable Files on Demand
• 1TB per user, usually more than that
• Only sync’s the files used

• Citrix Files Personal Cloud Connector

• Enable Files on Demand

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 2. Tips & Best Practices

Profile Management

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 Profile Management – General Tips
Logon impact: 1000 logons per week + 10sec increase = 2.7hrs per week

• Keep the profile as small as possible. Exclude, exclude, exclude!

• Folder Redirection
• Exclude AppData\Local
• Enable default exclusion lists

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 Profile Management – General Tips

• Container based technologies (VHDX)

• Captures your complete profile through profile disk
• Microsoft acquisition of FSLogix & WVD

• Monitor your profile servers closely

• A logon is a sensitive process – lack of resource will slow logons

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 Profile Management – General Tips

• Start Menu Tile. Understand it!

• Default layout, allow change or not, partial changes!

• Capturing Profile changes

• Windows Server 2016
• Windows 10 1803 onwards
• (captured by default in latest CPM version)

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 Profile Management - Large File Handling/Profile Containers
• No need to cache large files/folders
to the VDA, CPM creates a symbolic
link

• Avoids caching or streaming the

file/folder to the desktop

• Large Files supported in CVAD 7.16 and above

• Profile Container supported in CVAD 1903 and above
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 Profile Management – Logon Exclusion Check

• Exclude unwanted files and folders from

caching to the desktop ever again

• Reduce profile bloat after initial

deployment

• Proactively keep on top of user profile size

to combat logon time increases

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 3. Tips & Best Practices

Optimizations & Image

Sealing

DS
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 Image Preparation – The Different Phases

Optimization Sealing

Applications

Citrix VDA Citrix Receiver Citrix UPM Citrix Target Device

.Net Framework Anti-Virus Visual C++ Runtimes

Operating System

DS
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 Optimizations – Why do It!

ü Better performing ü Lower logon times ü Lower RAM, CPU, ü Increased user
desktops IOPS consumption density

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 Optimizations – The Result!

Before After

30 Second Reduction on Logon times!

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20 © 2019 Citrix
 3. Optimizations – Under the Hood
“The act of making an operating system as effective as it can possibly be”.

Services Scheduled Tasks UWP Apps Registry Tweaks

BrancheCache Location Notifications Zune Video Disable First Logon
Animation
Fax Scheduled Defrag Windows Alarm Change Power Plan to
High Performance
Xbox Live Game Save RegIdleBackup Zune Music Hide hard error messages
Offline Files XblGameSaveTask Xbox App Disable crash dump
creation
Miscellaneous Optimizations
Disable Active Setup Run NGEN.exe Disable System Recovery Disable Data Execution
Prevention (DEP)

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21 © 2019 Citrix
 Optimizations – Available Methods
Citrix Optimizer OS Supported URL
v2 WS2012 R2
https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX224676

WS2016
Templates by WS2019 https://dennisspan.com/creating-a-custom-template-for-citrix-optimizer/
https://dennisspan.com/citrix-optimizer-custom-template-windows-
Dennis Span W10 1607 -> 1809
server-2016/
Optimizations

OS Supported URL
Scripts by WS2016 https://wilkyit.com/2017/04/28/citrix-xenapp-and-windows-server-2016-
David Wilkinson optimisation-script/
W10 1607/1703 https://wilkyit.com/2017/05/08/citrix-xendesktop-and-windows-10-
optimisation-script-2/

OS Supported URL
WS2012 R2 https://www.jgspiers.com/windows-server-2012-r2-optimisation-script/
WS2016 https://www.jgspiers.com/windows-server-2016-optimisation-script/
Scripts by W10 1709 https://www.jgspiers.com/windows-10-1709-optimisation-script/

GS
George Spiers W10 1803 https://www.jgspiers.com/windows-10-1803-optimisation-script/
22 © 2019 Citrix
 Outside the Image
Additional (logon) Optimizations

DS
© 2019 Citrix
 • Use as few as possible
• Avoid duplicate settings in
Other Recommended
multiple policies Optimizations
• Try to avoid WMI filters and
LDAP-based Item-Level
Targeting filters Group Policies
• (Optional) Use a different
product to manage your
user settings, such as (WEM)

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 Group Policies – Speed Up Logons
Computer Configuration / Policies / Administrative Computer Configuration / Policies / Administrative
Templates / System / Group Policy Templates / System / Logon

DS
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 Group Policies – Logon Scripts
Computer Configuration / Policies / Computer Configuration / Policies / Administrative
Administrative Templates / System / Scripts Templates / System / Group Policy

DS
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 Scripts, Drive Mappings, Anti-Virus & More…
Scripts for end-users (logon scripts, scheduled tasks, run keys, AD)
• Scripts have a negative impact on user logon times
• Keep your scripts to a minimum or avoid scripts by moving functions to other tools (e.g. move drive
mapping to Workspace Environment Manager or Group Policy Preferences)
• Refactor existing scripts (e.g. use “if” statements, “where” clauses, avoid LDAP queries, etc.)

Go easy on drive & printer mapping. Make them persistent if possible.

Anti-virus exclusions (on TechZone)

https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/tech-zone/build/tech-papers/antivirus-best-practices.html

Optimize your profile solution

DS
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 Sealing…
…is about de-personalizing and
cleaning the image in order to create
a generic image suitable for
deployment to multiple machines

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 Base Image Script Framework
(BIS-F)
• Reset Windows Update ID
• Reset Performance Counters
• Reset anti-virus settingsDelete ghost
devices
• Delete locally cached profiles
• Delete Windows Update software
distribution folder
• Delete Windows event logs
• Flush DNS / clear ARP cache
• Rearm operating system once
• Rearm Microsoft Office once

Download: https://eucweb.com/download-bis-f
Documentation: https://eucweb.com/docs
Main author and developer:
DS Matthias Schlimm (CTP) - @MatthiasSchlimm
 4. Tips & Best Practices

App Layering

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 App Layering – General Tips

• Machine OS Tools do not need to be upgraded in the OS Layer after upgrades.

• Use the Export/Import feature to export and import layers to a secondary ELM,
for example a testing or backup ELM appliance.

• If running ngen /update before finalizing a layer, you may run into bug.

• Modifying NTUSER.DAT in multiple layers will NOT work.

• Do not create users or groups in any layer other than the OS layer.

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31 © 2019 Citrix
 App Layering – General Tips

• When creating a Directory

Junction, under Server
Address, enter the domain
name.

• When upgrading the ELM,

use Snapshots as a roll back
option.

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 App Layering – Elastic Layers
Elastic Layers are mapped to a users session at logon.

• Citrix recommend that the Elastic Layer

file share runs off a file server with a
10GB network connection VDA, and
uses SMB3.
• Make sure the share is highly available.
• App Layering 4.14 loads Elastic Layers
after logon by default.

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 App Layering – Elastic Layers
Elastic Layers are mapped to a users session at logon.

• Don’t depend on the Elastic Fit feature – perform your own testing!

• Office 2016 cannot be used as an Elastic Layer.

• You can re-use Application layers with a new OS Layer, but it comes with risk!

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 5. Tips & Best Practices

Google Chrome

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 Is Google Chrome Supported on Citrix? Yes!

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 Publishing Chrome

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --allow-

no-sandbox-job --disable-gpu-sandbox
No longer required since Chrome version 58

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe"

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 Publishing Chrome
Disabling Citrix API hooks (for 32-bit Chrome on 64-bit Windows only)
Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\CtxHook
Value: ExcludedImageNames (REG_SZ)
Data: chrome.exe,nacl64.exe

How to Disable Citrix API Hooks on a Per-application Basis

https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX107825
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 Disable Chrome Cleanup to Prevent Server Crashes
Google Chrome Software Reporting Tool (Cleanup Tool):
C:\Users\%UserName%\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\SwReporter\%ToolVersion%\software_report_tool.exe

DS
39 © 2019 Citrix
 Deploying Chrome Extensions Using Group Policy
Download the Chrome bundle for Windows (https://cloud.google.com/chrome-
enterprise/browser/download/) and copy the ADMX files to the Group Policy central repository
(%logonserver%\sysvol\%domain%\Policies\PolicyDefinitions).

ndjpnladcallmjemlbaebfadecfhkepb;https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx
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 Deploying Chrome Extensions Using Group Policy

manifest.json

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 Reducing Chrome Resource Consumption

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 Reducing Chrome Resource Consumption
• Add a GPU to your physical server

• Citrix Workspace Environment Manager’s CPU and Memory management

• Using an extension that suspends inactive tabs (such as “The Great Suspender”)
DS
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 Reducing Chrome Resource Consumption
• Citrix Browser Content Redirection (BCR)

• On the VDA • On the local client

• Chrome version 66 + • Citrix Workspace app 1808 and higher
DS • CVAD 7.15 CU3 (LTSR) or CVAD 7.16 (CR) and higher
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 6. Tips & Best Practices

Workspace Environment
Manager (WEM)
WEM Logo?

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 WEM – The Purpose

Group Policies Logon Scripts Drive Mapping Printer Mapping

Without WEM

40 – 80 seconds

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 WEM – The Purpose

With WEM

15 – 25 seconds WEM Agent

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 WEM – CPU Management

• Enable CPU Spikes Protection &

Enable Intelligent CPU
Optimization

• Helps protect the user experience by

lowering the priority of process if it
exceeds the CPU Usage limit.

• Repeat offenders are penalized by less

CPU priority

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 WEM – Memory Management

Idle Session without WEM Idle Session with WEM

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50 © 2019 Citrix
 Don’t forget to Tweet about
this session with hashtags

#SYN214 and #citrixsynergy

#CitrixCTP

© 2019 Citrix
 Thank you for your
attention!

Before you go, we kindly ask you

for your feedback about this
session through the Synergy App
52 © 2019 Citrix
(SYN214)
 Q&A
(if we have time) or
Outside after the
presentation)
53 © 2019 Citrix