CITRIX SERVER SETUP CHEAT SHEET

SET UP CHECKLIST

Terminal Services Licensing server - Include the server name and set per user or per device in the Citrix image before cloning.

Set RDP users not to get printers.

Configure Remote Desktop Users before cloning. What groups should have permission?

Add the Terminal Services service BEFORE cloning.

While we are talking permissions. Do you really want Domain Admins able to administer your Citrix servers and the Citrix Farm? I remember some quote about the "road to hell being paved with the best intentions". The paradigms of administering Citrix are different to Windows. Take Domain admins out of the Local Admins group on the server and replace it with a Citrix Admins group. If anyone uses their Domain Admins powers to add themselves to the Citrix Admins group without approval they should be fired. Best to just put named user in the Citrix Farm Admin roles so Domain Admins can't add themselves.

Review any logon and logoff scripts for Citrix compatibility.

Don't just trust Microsoft patches. Test them before applying them. Some patches can break your server or applications.

Remember to install Citrix after cloning and after running NewSID.

The Citrix License server.

Data Collectors - do I need dedicated boxes? On Citrix XenServer or VMware?

SETTING UP ROAMING PROFILES - and default profile

Remove splash screens on default profile.
get regional settings right and only have 1 language
cmd properties - green on black and layout 90 x 55 characters.
Turn off screen saver
Consider using non-standard Windows colour scheme to show that there is something different between the local application and the application running on Citrix.
Configure look of IE - Make sure proxy settings are configured in IE.
Turn off Grammar checking and check spelling as you type. Best done using Windows policies with the Office administrative templates that you can download form Microsoft and import into AD.
Remove default URLs from Favourites and add the corporate ones, Google etc.

When you set up the roaming profile share -

Don't forget the share permissions
Turn off the "Offline Caching" on the share - very important
Don't add %username% in the AD GPO.

Use Administrative Template in Active Directory to make settings on MS Office.

Office Macro settings,
Default Save locations to H:\,
Other default locations,
turn off background spelling and grammar - Important for CPU load in a heavily used server.
Turn off auto-archive.

Redirect My Documents and the Desktop? (These can be very confusing to users with published applications)

PRINTING use UPD or Sessions printers - use Group Policy to prevent users from adding printers

Don't use PCL 6 printer drivers. Try to only use printer drivers from the Windows CD. Only use native printer drivers if you can't use the Universal Printer Driver.

Citrix Group policy:

Use UPD if requested driver is not available
Set Roaming Profile for each server OU as required. Make sure you are not roaming across the WAN.
Set policy to: Do NOT automatically install drivers
Set appropriate encryption level
limit printing bandwidth - be careful as it could cause slow printing.
Time zones
IE Proxy server settings and exclusions. (Always include 10.* and 192.168.* in exclusions.)
Computer Configuration-->Administrative Templates-->System-->User Profiles, Delete Caches Copies of roaming profiles.

Microsoft Policy

Loopback on Group Policy set to Merge or Replace
Delete profiles on servers

By default install:

UPH Clean
Use the Foxit reader not Adobe Acrobat reader. Foxit is much more Citrix friendly.
CuteFTP FROM http://www.cutepdf.com/ or PDF Creator from http://www.pdfforge.org/
All service packs and hot fix roll up packs (not every individual hot fix.)
Group Policy Management Console if needed
Regmon - hidden
Filemon - hidden
Process Explorer - hidden - Very useful.
Sysprep or NewSID - hidden
Anti-virus client configured with the correct management server. - (I like Symantec.)

BEWARE OF FUNCTION CREEP ON PROJECTS AND DURING ONGOING ADMINISTRATION

ISYS Document search
This is a really effective document search tool that allows users to do text searches on document content.
Put it on IIS on your file server and users can then search all previous documents that for example relate to a particular customer. Helps users get over messy directory structures. How much time is wasted looking for that document with an obscure name 10 folders deep in the directory structure? Here is your solution:
http://www.isys-search.com/

Other useful Web sites:

www.Cheap-DomainRegistration.com
www.ddns.com.au

144.135.19.10 = telstra.com

TS License server

Screen saver

Sessions shutdown and idle sessison limit

Foxit

Reboot schedule

UHP clean

IE settings

Goolge
Proxy
Home page
Run once

Process explorer

Default proflile

Remote Desktop Users

Cmd settigns

Choice of OU

Set ica on a DNS server to resolve to a citrix server

Add server to group: central\domain servers itd

Remove ctfmon.exe http://support.microsoft.com/kb/282599

User latency

Latency of connected applications

Sound

Citrix client software

The 4 bottlenecks

Processor
Memory
Disk
Network

Application errors – see logs

Profile size and clean deletions

Printers

Drivers - how many
Even distributed across all servers
Print Manager published?
Can users add printers
Which printing methodology – it it best?

Cmstart.exe

Net view command

Use command line: tsshutdn

Good Clock for windows time updates: clock.isc.org

GOLDEN RULES FOR CITRIX

Check security updates before you install them.
If there is an new Windows security update out, don't apply them automatically or blindly! Search for knowing issues before you apply them.
[Prevent Sasser, SP4 installation disasters]

Install 3rd. party printer driver only if there is NO other way!
First use the drivers from the original Windows CD, check www.printingsupport.com for printer mappings etc. and don't use PCL 6 Printer Drivers.
[Prevent Stop errors - BSOD, wfshell issues, spooler crashes]

Automate as many as you can.
Automate Software installation (Administrative Installation Points, Installation Manager etc.), Software updates, Registry changes, user settings etc. but keep it under your control.
[Make you life easy]

Be in control of the Farm or Servers.
Create a special Administration group. Add the new group to the local Administration group of the Servers and remove the Domain Administrators. Keep the new group as small as possible.
[This is important for security and Troubleshooting]

Control changes made to the Farm or Servers.
Use a change Management so you can review changes that where made to the System. Use a central mechanism for Server changes, for instance the Citrix Installation Manager.
[This is important for Troubleshooting]

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RHYMING DICTIONARIES

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