So usually when I am on site at a customer most people don’t want their users to have to type http://internalFQDN/Citrix/StoreNameWeb. So most people since you really need NetScaler why not do a rewrite on what gets passed to redirect users.

Rewrite Explained

1. Login to NetScaler
2. Open your StoreFront virtual Server
3. Click on the Polices tab
4. Then Click on Rewrite
5. Now Insert a New Policy
6. Give the policy a name. For our example we are going to use rw_pol_storefront
7. Next create a new action. On this action we are going to do the following.
   1. Name: rw_action_storefront
   2. Type: Replace
   3. Expression to choose target text reference: HTTP.REQ.URL
   4. String expression for replacement text: “/Citrix/<storename>Web”
   5. Example 
   6. Click ok
8. Now we need to Set the Expression that will invoke the rewrite policy.  This value is that needs to be check is… HTTP.REQ.URL.EQ(“/”)
9. Click Ok all the way out
10. Save your configuration
11. Now Open up your favorite browser and type internal StoreNameFQDN and you should be redirected to the StoreWeb site. *Note you might need to clear your browser cache.

So one thing I find getting asked a lot about is how to speed up StoreFront Services. I have found a lot of articles on this and I have found that some work in some environments and some don’t.  I have seen the Synergy Session Advanced best practices for migrating from Web Interface to StoreFront.  In this session there are a couple of things that where said to speed up StoreFront to get it close to it predecessor. The first change doesn’t get much of a result as the second but I have seen it help.  This change is to turn on NetBIOS name resolution. Most everyone have gotten off of NetBIOS and have gone to a fully DNS environment.

1. Log into storefront server
2. Go to Run
3. Type ncpa.cpl
4. Right Click on the NIC that Storefront uses and go to properties
5. Click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and then click on properties
6. Click on advanced
7. Click on WINS tab
8. Click on Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP 
9. Click ok all the way out

The next thing that really speeds up  speeds up StoreFront and also Web Interface is turning off CRL checking in the .NET aspnet.conf file.  First thing you need to do is to detirming what version of .NET you are using for your application pools.  By Default StoreFront uses v 2.0 of .NET on 2008 R2 and v4.0 of .NET on Server 2012 and Server 2012 R2.  To verify this you can go into Internet Information Services and check for yourself.

1. Login to the StoreFront Server
2. Click on start and go to run
3. Type inetmgr
4. Expand your Web Server and go to Application Pools. The Application Pools you are concerned about for StoreFront are… Citrix Delivery Services Authentication, Citrix Delivery Services Resources, and Citrix Receiver for Web.

Now we know what version of .NET is being used we can now disabled CRL checking.

1. Browse out to the following files C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\Aspnet.config & C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\Aspnet.config
2.  The following line needs to be added to both files

   <generatePublisherEvidence enabled="false"/>

3. After the files are both updated reset IIS and enjoy the StoreFront Speed up.

Today I need to be able to to grab all users in the domain and add them to a group. I found a couple of examples that would get me part of the way but not finish the job.  After going around and piecing some others codes together here is what I came up with.

$user = Get-ADUser -SearchBase “DC=<DOMAIN>,DC=<TOPLEVELDOMAIN>” -Filter *;

$group = Get-ADGroup “CN=<GROUPNAME>,OU=<LOCATION OF GROUP>,DC=<DOMAIN>,DC=<TOPLEVELDOMAIN>”;

Add-ADGroupMember $group –Member $user

So it’s Jan 1 and I figured I wanted to put some goals out there for the coming year.

1. Pass Microsoft 70-642 exam

2. Pass Microsoft 70-646 exam

3. Pass Citrix CCIA exam – Passed On 09/10/2013

4. Pass Microsoft 70-417 exam

5. Start looking into CCNA, Netcaler, and and ITIL certifications

This should keep me plenty busy on the education front.

Also I plan on updating my blog more as I want to give back as much as I can.

Have a safe and happy new year.

Today I was working with a client and needed a way to count all of the users in the group.  We knew of nothing that was currently installed that could do that but we thought power shell could be able to do it.  I have not needed to use powershell that much and for what I have needed it for it has be pretty well documented. I had to piece this together from a couple of different articles but here goes nothing.

1. Launch power shell
2. Run the command Import-Module ActiveDirectory (this will load in all the power shell commands for Active Directory)
3. After that has finished loading you are going to need to run the following command to count the number of objects in a group (Get-ADGroupMember -Identity “Group Name”).Count (Note: Any nested groups will not be counted with this command)
4. On the Next Line it will display the number of users that are added to this account.

If I have more time I will update this post on how to loop through nested groups.

Since I know alot of people with a Home lab I am going to post how I upgraded to XenServer 6.1 since my home lab does not have a CD/DVD drive installed in it.  This is probably not recommended for production boxes so please do this at your own risk.

Things you will need….

1. XenServer 6.1 (Release 9/28/2012)
2. UNetbootin (Download Link)
3. 2GB Flash Drive or bigger

Setup Bootable Flash Drive

1. Plug in Flash Drive
2. Open Up UNetbootin
3. Browse out to location of XenServer ISO image
4. Make sure UNetbootin selects the correct drive
5. Hit ok
6. Wait until UNetbootin finishes installing on the thumb drive (took about 5 minutes to complete)
7. Eject from system

Install XenServer

1. Plug in Flash Drive to XenServer
2. Boot the XenServer from the Flash Drive
3. Select Other
4. Boot to the XenServer 6.1 Media
5. Install XenServer as normal

Moved website over to NameCheap from GoDaddy.

We have one internal web server at work that was running Windows 2003 server and a very old version oh PHP.  So it was time to upgrade this box to 2008 R2 and the latest version of PHP.  I thought that this was going to be a pretty easy migration and should be done in a couple of days and we could power off the old box.  Not so much.  PHP has changed since the last time I installed it.  Microsoft wants you to use it’s PHP drivers instead of you using the built in MSSQL commands. Since I couldn’t find anything in on place I am now going to post what I got to work.

PreReqs

1.  Download the latest version of PHP (5.4.3 at the time of writing this) Download Link

2.  Download the latest version of PHP MSSQL Drivers (3.0.1 at the time of writing this) Download Link

3.  Download the latest version of PHP Manager for IIS (1.2 at the time of writing this) Download Link (this is not needed but makes it easier to manage PHP on IIS

4. Download the Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Native Client Download Link

Installing IIS

1. Launch Server Manager and go to roles

2. Add Roles

3. Add the Web Server (IIS) role

4. Make sure that CGI

5. Click install

6. Test to make sure that IIS works by going to local host from a web browser installed on the server

Installing PHP

1. Extract PHP to a directory of your choice.  For this article I will extract it to C:Program Files (x86)PHP

2. Open Inetmgr

3. Click on the Server in the tree

4. Open up Handler Mappings 

5. In the Actions side bar click on Add Module Mapping

6. Fill in your fields like the ones below

7. Before clicking ok click on Request Restrictions and fill in your fields like the ones below

8. Click ok until you get back to the main Internet Information Services Manager Screen (Note: You will get a screen asking you to create a FastCGI application, Click Yes)

9. Close the Internet Information Services Manager Screen.

10.  Copy the php.ini-production file and rename it to php.ini

a. Make the following changes to php.ini

i. fastcgi.impersonate = 1

ii. fastcgi.logging = 0

iii. cgi.fix_pathinfo=1

iv. cgi.force_redirect = 0

11. Install PHP Manager for IIS

12. Reopen Internet Information Services Manager

13. Go to the Main Server Screen and open PHP Manager

14.  PHP Manager will tell you about any non optimal configuration settings. Fix any of these that you see fit

15. Test php by clicking on check phpinfo in PHP Manager.  If successful you should see something that has the php.net logo on it.

Install Microsoft SQL PHP Support

1. Install the SQL Server 2012 Native Client

2. Extract the PHP SQL Drivers to your system.

3. Copy the php_sqlsrv_54_nts.dll and php_pdo_sqlsrv_54_nts.dll to C:Program Files (x86)PHPExt

4. Open Up Internet Information Services Manager and go to PHP Manager

5. Click on Enable or disable an Extension

6. Enable both the dll’s from step 3

7. Restart the server

8. Open up Internet Information Services Manager and go to PHP Manager

9. Click on Check phpinfo() and make sure you have an entry for sqlsrv.

So… Its been a really long time since I wrote on here but I figured I would update the world on what I have been doing since my first passing certification post back in 2010. Wow its been that long since I started taking exams.  Anyway back to the the issue at hand.  Since I started my Certification journey I feel that I have come a long way and wanted to make sure that people just starting out down a certification route have something to read and or just something to fall asleep too. First before going on to my path and views I would like to point out to articles that really changed my view on my career.

1. The first article I would like to share is By Brandon Carroll entitled You Might Not Belong in I.T. Now I do not know Brandon but love his message.  If you work in IT your job doesn’t end at 5 when you leave.  I have been in meetings and discussions with people on this exact topic and people dont understand that in I.T. you only get out of your carrer what you put in.
2. The second article is a three part article By Carl Webster entitled. Preparing for Citrix Certification (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). Again I do not know Carl but I feel that he touched on very good points and you can take Citrix out of the title and put just about any other vendor in and will still have most most of his points valid.

So after you read those couple of post I am going to try and not put you to sleep with the rest of my article.  My Citrix journey started right after I came back from my first Citrix Item Development Session.  After I helped write  the XenServer 5.6 exam I decided to take it in beta.

Citrix A24: Citrix XenServer 5.6 Administration

One great thing about taking and exam in Beta is the cost or lack there of. Yes you guessed it they are free.  Now on to the first bad part of them, they usually have double the questions of a normal exam. Also you might get two of the same questions and my problem with that is that I then start to double guess myself.  So just way I am wired. Prior to this exam I have only taken Microsoft exams and if your reading this and have sat for both you know what a difference they both are. So my studying for the Exam began.  I download the admin guide and figured I would start there.  Since most of my work was learning by doing and then fixing things after I broke stuff.  So I figured it would be the best place to start.  Also Citrix makes a study guide that lays out the exam very well. If you have used this for a Citrix Exam I would highly suggest you do so. After sitting for this test for four hours it was over.  After I got up from my seat and turned in my scratch board and said to myself “Never Again”. Now Citrix will do two different kinds of beta exams.  They have beta not scored after you end and beta scored after you end..  This was a not scored and I had to wait 2 months to get my scores.  What a long two months to wait to know if you passed or not.  Well Good news is I Passed. Results: Pass

Citrix A19: Citrix XenDesktop 5 Administration

Next up on my CCEE journey was the XenDesktop 5 Administration. Now this one took longer to sit for as I got married and took some time away from studying for exams.  This was written after I helped out writing the A26 XenServer 6 exam.  I dont know what it is but writing exams get me in the mood to start studying again.  So for this exam I used the the same study method as I did for my A24 exam with the addition of using CirtixXperience.com. I have met the owner Jeff Rohrer while working on the A26 exam and very cool guy. Anyone that has not used his site to help prepare (it will not help with real world experience) please pay him a visit as it will help prepare you for the type of questions you will see on the exam.  So when I felt that I was prepared for the exam I headed down to my testing center and took my exam.  Two hours later I walked out with another CCA certification. Then it was off to Red Lobster for all you can eat shrimp. (I think the official count was 110) Result: Pass

Citrix A20: Citrix XenApp 6.5 Administration

So back to the grid of becoming a CCEE. So after I finished my A19 exam I found out they were offering the A20 exam in beta.  So me the sucker that I for the cheaper things in life I have now signed up for my second Citrix beta exam.  As much as I thought I knew XenApp I realized that I didn’t know enough about the new 6 and 6.5 products.  So I hit the Admin guide. Yes I really need something with a little more excitement cause yes I did find my self falling asleep reading it more than once. This is by no way a knock to the admin guide writers its more the nature of the beast.  After reading most of the Admin guide I started going over the console and reading up on as much as I can on the new features.  As most of my experience at this point was on PS4 PS4.5 and XA5 all on 2003. Anyway I headed back to the testing center to sit and look at a computer screen for 4 hours with an exam in front of me. I finished the exam with about 40 minutes left and had to wait for my score to come in the mail.  As I was turning in my stuff to the proctor I said to myself why did I do this to myself again! And thinking in two weeks I would be back down the testing center again. (I will explain this in more detail in the next section) After about a month and half I got my score back and found out I passed and also finished up all of my CCA requirements for my CCEE. Result: Pass

Citrix A22: Citrix XenApp 6.5 Advanced Administration

So as I said in my last post in two weeks I will be down here again.  Well if you havent guessed it by now I was a sucker for another Citrix beta exam.  Two weeks after I just took the XenApp 6.5 Administration exam.  Well the good news is my studying was not over looked and I just continued  looking over more advanced aspects of XenApp 6.5.  This time a couple other guys around the office were looking at taking exams that weekend too and I talked them into taking at the same time.  I dont know if this was the best idea I have ever had.  Well we decided to grab breakfast/lunch before we went and sat for our exams.  After lunch we got to the testing center about 30 mins before the first person was going to start.  Since this exam was scored on site everyone was going to know scores before they left.  Well we went 2/3 at the office and I was in the losing column.  I want everyone to know that yes it does suck when you dont pass an exam. I have learned while in High School and also in college that tests are not my thing in life.  So I have learned that your not going to pass each exam you take but you have to just figured out where you went wrong and study more and next time will be better.  Result: Fail

Citrix A25: Engineering a Citrix Virtualization Solution

So Citrix offered this exam in beta.  When I scheduled this exam I did not expect myself to pass it. And figured that if I was going to pass I was going to need to setup a lab.  Looked to work and there was nothing that I could build out a good lab without touching production hardware.  So I did what any other person would do I bought myself a home lab.  After all the parts came in I built up the lab up and got everything I needed setup.  Maybe I will do another post on what I used to build my home lab. During the setup of my lab I felt that even though I have built servers at work I felt that I learned things I didnt learn in the past. After spending 2 weeks really using my lab to study it was day before test day.  I was studying with a friend that was taking the exam also a day before we were taking it. We went to his house and started discussing and white boarding out everything we could think of and use the admin guides if we were unsure about anything. After about 10 hours we called it a day.  The next day we met up for breakfast and drove to the testing center. This test took me all of the 4 hours allotted. Wow as much as I thought that this test was probably one of the one I felt the best going into, I did not want to hit the end exam button.  After ending it the message popped up that I had passed.  After not expecting to pass I felt that I did very good.  Result: Pass

Citrix A22: Citrix XenApp 6.5 Advanced Administration (Take 2)

So yes this is the only test I did not pass the first time.  No one is perfect.  After passing the CCEE exam I did not want to let all my studying go to waste to I picked back up and started looking stuff over.  Well that was the plan.  Some things came up at work and at home that I couldn’t get study time in.  So as the day got closer to my exam I started looking some things over at night.  The day of the exam came and I worked from at home while looking our production servers over to help me on the exam.  After I finished up at work I drove to the testing center.  Sat for the test and started my exam.  Most of the questions looked the same or simliar from what I remember from the last time I took the exam.  Anyway as I was watching the sun go down my time was winding down and I ended the exam. Low and behold I passed. Result: Pass

So now I have passed all the requirements and I hope that my experiences will help you in your journey.  And maybe I will do this again when I need to renew my certifications.

Currently I am working on deploying Windows 7 to a couple of Remote Call Center users using XenDesktop 5.5 and ShoreTel Communicator as a soft phone.  As I was testing some different headsets I received a message that my test user lost her connection to soft phone completely.  After pondering what was going on I realized that the XenDesktop image I was using was built of an image that ShoreTel Communicator client was launched on before putting it in standard mode. I started looking around and found that the client uses and End Point Name to connect to the server. I think looked at my test account settings and then the test call center users settings and found out that both were using the same End Point name.  Digging around the registry I found the following key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREWow6432NodeEyeP MediaMgcpEndPointName

What I did was created a script that changed this key on logon and all was good.