Objectives:

Detailed Syllabus:

Session 01: Introduction to XenServer

XenServer Product Line
Product Simplification
Product Simplification
Architectural Changes
Virtual Appliances and Broader Vendor Support
Microsoft System Center Integration
XenDesktop Integration
Enhanced Operating System Support
Other Enhancements and Improvements
XenServer Architecture Overview
XenCenter Overview
Resource Pools
XenServer Storage Overview
XenServer Networking Overview
Provisioning Services Overview

Session 02: Installing and Configuring XenServer

XenServer Installation
Virtual Machine Storage
Installing Single and Multiple Disk Systems
Installing XenServe
Pre-Installation Checklist
XenServer Installation Process
IntelliCache
Configuring NTP
XenCenter Installation and Management Consoles
XenCenter Consoles
XenServer Licensing Components
License File Management
Citrix License Server Virtual Appliance
Obtaining License Files
License Management Console
Managing XenServer Users
Key Benefits of Active Directory Integration
Configuring Active Directory Integration
End-User Authentication Using Active Directory
Active Directory Integration
Exteal Authentication Process
Role-Based Access Control
Roles
Security Logs

Session 03: XenServer Networking

XenServer Networking Overview
Network Stacks Supported by XenServer
Network Components and Architecture
Network Architecture Diagram
Network Adapter Drivers
Private-Server and Exteal Networks
VLAN Support and Components
Initial Network Setup
NIC Bond
NIC Bonding Architecture
Load Balancing
NIC Bond Configuration for Resource Pools

Session 04: XenServer Storage Repositories

Storage Technologies
Virtual Disk Image Formats
Storage Technology Comparison
XenServer Storage Architecture
Storage Repository Architecture
Multiple Storage Repositories
Local Storage Repositories
Virtual Disk Size
Storage Capability Comparison
NFS Storage Overview
NFS Architecture
NFS Virtual Disks
NFS Remote Storage Configuration and Recommendations
iSCSI Storage Overview
iSCSI Architecture
iSCSI Adapters
iSCSI Setup Configuration and Recommendations
Resizing a Storage Repository
Resizing a Storage Repository – iSCSI
Resizing a Storage Repository – HBA
Fibre Channel SANs Overview
Fibre Channel Architecture
LUN Device Path
Dedicated NIC Bonds for Remote Storage
Dedicated Remote Storage Interface Configuration
Storage Multipathing
Citrix StorageLink Overview
Citrix StorageLink Storage Repository
StorageLink Supported Array Types
Upgrading to StorageLink with XenServer

Session 05: Creating and Managing Virtual Machines

Windows Virtual Machine Architecture
Virtual Memory and Disk Size Limits for Windows Virtual Machines
Virtual Device Support for Windows Virtual Machines
Installation from an ISO
ISO Libraries
To Create a Windows Virtual Machine
Linux Distributions
Creating Linux Virtual Machines
XenServer Tools
XenServer Tools for Windows Virtual Machines
XenServer Tools for Linux Virtual Machines
To Install XenServer Tools
Life Cycle Operations
Suspend and Resume
Deleting a Virtual Machine
Virtual Machine Templates
Virtual Machine Snapshots
To Create a Template from a Windows Virtual Machine
Creating a Template from a Linux Virtual Machine
Exporting a Virtual Machine
Copying a Virtual Machine
Assigning Resources to a Virtual Machine
Importing a Virtual Machine
Modifying Virtual Machine or Template Resources
Virtual Disks
Virtual Disk Sizes
Virtual NICs
Virtual CPUs
Memory
Virtual Appliance Packages
To Create Virtual Appliances
Exporting an Appliance Package
To Export an Appliance Package
Importing an Appliance Package
To Import an Appliance Package
XenConvert Overview
Physical Machine Conversion
Converting from Physical to Virtual Machine
Performing a PV Conversion
Dynamic Memory Control
Dynamic Memory Control Optimization
Static Memory Range
DMC Behavior when Launching New Virtual Machines

Session 06: Installing and Configuring Provisioning Services

Provisioning Services Technology
Provisioning Services for XenServer
Citrix Provisioning Services Components
Citrix Provisioning Services Infrastructure
Provisioning Services Administration
Administrative Roles
Key Services
DHCP Deployment Options
DHCP Configuration
Installation Planning
Provisioning Services Farm Design
Farms
SQL Database Server
SQL Database Authentication and Configuration
Configuration Wizard User Permissions
Service Account Permissions
Sites
Stores
Storage Requirements
Sample vDisk Storage Requirements
Provisioning Services Installation
Provisioning Services Configuration
Store Configuration
Provisioning Services Hosts in the Console
Target Device Connections
Server Properties
Target Device Collection
Target Device Template
Target Device Properties
Target Device Additions to the Database
Auto-Add Wizard
Active Directory Integration
Domain Password Validation Process
Automatic Password Renegotiation
To Integrate Active Directory
To Reset Computer Accounts for Target Devices

Session 07: Managing vDisks and Target Devices

vDisk Image Modes
Standard Image Mode
Private Image Mode
Write Caches
Write-Cache Types
Cache on Server Disk
Cache on Server Disk: Local Storage
Cache on Server Disk: Shared Storage
Cache on Target Device Hard Drive
Cache on Target Device Hard Drive: Local Storage
Cache on Target Device Hard Drive: Shared Storage
Target Device-based RAM Cache
Target Device RAM
Cache Persistent on Server
Microsoft Licensing for Provisioning Services
Master Target Device
Preparing a Master Target Device
Preparing the Hard Disk of the Master Target Device
Configuring the BIOS of a Master Target Device
To Configure the BIOS of a Master Target Device
Installing Master Target Device Software
Imaging a Windows Target Device with XenConvert
vDisk File Creation
vDisk Lifecycle Operations
VHD Formats
Create vDisks Automatically Using Imaging Wizard
To Create a New vDisk Automatically Using the Imaging Wizard
Creating a vDisk Manually
vDisk Management
Assigning vDisks to Target Devices
To Assign a vDisk to a Single Target Device
vDisk Versions
vDisk Backup
vDisk Updates
Autoupdate Tool
vDisk Update Management Requirements
To Install Updates Automatically
Incremental Update Rollback
vDisk Replication
vDisk Inventory Service
High Availability Overview
Provisioning Services Failover
Configuring the Boot File for High Availability
Adding Provisioning Services Hosts to the Boot File
Enabling High Availability on vDisks
To Provide Provisioning Services Hosts with Access to Stores
Considerations for Offline Database Support
To Enable Offline Database Support
Stream Logging
To Enable Logging
Troubleshoot vDisk Images

Session 08: Implementing Resource Pools

Resource Pools
Pool Member Types
Resource Pool Communication
Homogeneous Pools
Heterogeneous Pools
Shared Configurations
Adding a Host to a Resource Pool
To Add a Member to a Resource Pool
To Remove a Secondary Member from a Resource Pool
XenMotion
Migrating a Virtual Machine or Template
Pool Member Failure Overview
Failure Detection Process
To Promote a Secondary Member to a Master

Session 09: Distributed Virtual Switching

Distributed Virtual Switching Features
Distributed Virtual Switching Components
vSwitch Controller Virtual Appliance Deployment
Accessing the vSwitch Controller
vSwitch Controller Configuration .
High Availability
Monitoring Network Activity
Viewing Flow Statistics
Exporting NetFlow Statistics
Managing Address Groups and Virtual Machine Groups
Distributed Virtual Switching Policy Configuration Hierarchy
Access Control List Policies
Access Control Policies Hierarchy
Defining Access Control List Rules
Access Control List Rule Enforcement Order
Configuring Fail Modes
Setting Up Port Configuration Policies
Configuring QoS
Configuring RSPAN
To Configure RSPAN
Configuring Mac Address Spoof Checking
Cross-Server Private Networks
Cross-Server Private Network Requirements
XenMotion with Cross-Server Private Networks
Recovering from a Failed vSwitch Controller

Session 10: Workload Balancing

Workload Balancing Overview
Workload Balancing Key Concepts
Workload Balancing Components
To Download the Workload Balancing Virtual Appliance
Import Considerations for the Workload Balancing Virtual Appliance
Workload Balancing Configuration
To Update Workload Balancing Credentials
Connecting to the Workload Balancing Virtual Appliance
Workload Balancing Access Control Permissions
Workload Balancing Settings
Critical Thresholds
Critical Threshold Evaluation and Edit
Metric Weighting
Fixed and Scheduled Optimization Modes
Optimization Recommendations
Workload Balancing Power Management
Power Management Behavior
Power Management and Virtual Machine Consolidation
To Apply Optimization Recommendations Automatically
Optimal Server Selection
Host Exclusion from Recommendations

Session 11: Configuring High Availability

High Availability Requirements
High Availability Considerations
Restart Priorities
Server Failure Tolerance
Overcommitting
Host Fencing
Disaster Recovery
Disaster Preparedness and Response
Backup and Recovery of XenServer Hosts and Virtual Machines
Metadata
Backing Up a Pool Installation
To Restore a Pool Installation
Backing Up Virtual Machines as Snapshots
To Take a Snapshot of a Virtual Machine
To Restore a Running XenServer Host
Listing Snapshots Using the Command-line Interface
Deleting a Snapshot
Restoring a Virtual Machine from a Snapshot

Session 12: Managing and Troubleshooting XenServer

Command-line Interface Overview
Command-line Interface Operations Targets
Command-line Interface Basics
Command-line Interface Shortcuts
XenServer Menu-Driven Text Console
Monitoring XenServer
Using the XenTop Utility to Monitor Host and Virtual Machine Performance
Logging to a Remote Syslog Server
To Log Using a Remote Syslog Server
Events and Alerts
Alert Customization
Persistent XenServer Performance Statistics
Performance Statistics in XenCenter
XenServer Logs and Reports
XenCenter Event Logs
Server Status Reports
Xen-Bugtool Utility
XenServer Crashdump Overview
Generating the Crashdump File in the Command-Line Interface
Running a Network Trace and Triggering a Memory Dump
XenServer Updates and Hotfixes
Update or Hotfix Considerations
To Update XenServer Hosts Using XenCenter
To Update Hosts or Pool Using the Command-line Interface
Rolling Pool Upgrade
Planning a Rolling Upgrade
Workload Balancing Reports Overview
Workload Balancing Reports