How to Troubleshoot the XenDesktop VDA - Support - Citrix

How to Troubleshoot the
XenDesktop VDA
Karen Sciberras
Escalation Engineer
Agenda
вЂў How to troubleshoot effectively
вЂў XenDesktop Architecture
вЂў Troubleshooting VDA Connectivity
вЂў Tools
вЂў Case Studies
Effective Troubleshooting
вЂў Narrowing down the faulting component
вЂў Collect further information for rapid debugging
вЂў Avoids different root causes treated as same issue
вЂў Avoids issue being handed around the teams
вЂў Helps resolving the root cause instead of the symptoms
How to effectively troubleshoot issues?
вЂў Understand the architecture
вЂў Learn the shortcuts and tips
вЂў Preserve the VDA state
XenDesktop Broker System Architecture
вЂў Desktop Delivery Controller
(Broker) Farm
Licensing
вЂў Uses core XenApp
technology
XML
WI
User
вЂў Delivers and controls
DDC Servers
VM Host
(XenServer, Hyper-V, VMware)
Web
Service
вЂў IMA, licensing, Web Interface,
Web Service
access to virtual desktops
вЂў
вЂў
вЂў
вЂў
VDA technology independent
User authentication / single sign on
VM power management
ICA policy decision
AD
VDAs
(VMs, Blade PCs)
XenDesktop Architecture
DDC
VDA
Workstation
Pool Manager
IMAProxy
XML Svc
(VMWorkstation
or blade PC)
(VM or blade PC)
Citrix
Desktop Svc
Citrix ICA
Svc
Drivers
вЂњXTEвЂќ Svc
Controller Svc
WCF
IMA
VDA Registration
DDC Server
VDA
WCF
VDA
Desktop
Service
Controller
Service
DDC
п‚Ѓ Service starts, looks up farm OU
п‚‚
DC for
all at
SCPs
in that OU
п‚ѓ Service
Service queries
selects one
DDC
random,
IMA
up DDCKerberos
computerticket
account
п‚„ looks
OS retrieves
for DDC
and initiates a connection through WCF
п‚‰ Service validates that caller is member
of вЂњControllersвЂќ group, and sets
configuration from XML Blob
XML Blob
LDAP
AD
п‚… DDC service receives connection
п‚† Service looks up VDA computer account
п‚‡ DDC checks that computer account
(SID) is in published group in IMA
п‚€ Service initiates WCF connection to
VDA and sends XML blob
п‚Љ Call succeeds, VDA marked registered
Troubleshooting VDA Connectivity
XenDesktop Brokering
End user
Web Interface
Launch.ica
Clicks on desktop group
DDC
Request for brokering
StartListening()
Desktop Svc
StartListening()
ICA Svc
(PicaSvc)
ICA Stack (Listening)
VDA
XenDesktop ICA Connection
VDA
End user
ICA Connection
To DDC: Exchange Ticket
CGPService
Desktop Svc
Authentication
Logon
Lock()
SetRemote
PushPrelogonData()
ICA Svc
(PicaSvc)
PicaDisplayMgr
ConnectionAccept()
TcpIp.sys
ICA Stack
Thinwire
ICA Service (PicaSvc)
вЂў Orchestrates ICA connection, components, and features
вЂў Event driven (Connect, Disconnect, Logon, Logoff, etc.)
вЂў State machine per session to handle events
ICA Service Log File
вЂў Most important log file in the VDA
вЂў Allows us to narrow down the faulting component
вЂў How to configure: KB Article CTX118837
вЂў Use trace level 5
вЂў Level 9 is excessive for initial troubleshooting
Anatomy of the PicaSvc log file
вЂў Thread ID
вЂў Entry/Exits
вЂў State Machines Traces
вЂў Session IDs
вЂў PicaSvc log file common pitfalls
вЂў Search terms that need to be avoided. (error, exception, broken)
вЂў Instead search for вЂњfailвЂќ
вЂў Filtering the trace messages
Troubleshooting Tools
Troubleshooting Tools
вЂў XDPing
вЂў Clear-text CDF Tracing
вЂў Log files: Workstation Agent log, PortICA log
вЂў CDF Control
вЂў CDF Marker
вЂў PerfMon, PsExec,
Case 1
вЂў RPC_S_INVALID_BINDING is not a real error
вЂў вЂњConnectAccept failedвЂќ is an ICA stack problem
вЂў Next step: CDF
вЂў MF_Driver_Wdica
вЂў Portica_Driver_Picadd
вЂў Portica_Driver_Td
вЂў Provide the CDF log with the PicaSvc log for further analysis
Case 2
вЂў First few SwitchDisplayToLocal failure is not fatal. State
machine shows success.
вЂў No issues found on the VDA
вЂў Next step:
вЂў Collect traces from DDC and Workstation Agent
вЂў Collect network trace from client to verify if ICA Connection attempt
Desktop Delivery Controller Log
вЂў Enable Clear-Text CDF tracing
вЂў Read through Log file using Session Parser
вЂў Historical usage
вЂў Detailed Session data
вЂў Connection tracking per user or per workstation
KB Articles
вЂў XDPing вЂ“ CTX123278
вЂў DDC and WorkStation Agent Logs вЂ“ CTX117453
вЂў ICA Service (PortICA Log) вЂ“ CTX118837
вЂў CDF Marker вЂ“ CTX124577
вЂў CDF Marker and PSExec вЂ“ CTX125345
вЂў Session Parser вЂ“ CTX124012
CDFMarker
вЂў CDFMarker may not send a CDF Trace Message from the Command Line - CTX125346
вЂў How to Use CDFMarker and PerfMon when a Process Intermittently Spikes - CTX125347
вЂў How to Use CDFMarker to Add CDF Tracing to Batch Files and Scripts - CTX125486
вЂў How to Use CDFMarker to Mark an Intermittent End User Issue in a CDF Trace CTX125503
вЂў How to Use CDFMarker and PerfMon to Identify Large LHC Writes - CTX125634
вЂў How to Mark High Bandwidth in a CDF Trace using CDFMarker and PerfMon - CTX125724
вЂў How to Mark a Service Termination in a CDF Trace using CDFMarker - CTX125736
вЂў How to Mark when a Process Crash Occurs in a CDF Trace using CDFMarker - CTX125750
Takeaways
пѓјImportance of troubleshooting effectively
пѓјXenDesktop Architecture and Logon Process
пѓјXdPing
пѓјLog file on the DDC Controller Svc and VDA Desktop Svc
пѓјLog file on the ICA Service
пѓјRemote tracing вЂ“ CDF Control, CDF Marker and PSExec
пѓјSession parser to read DDC log file
Before you leaveвЂ¦
вЂў Recommended related breakout sessions:
вЂў Debugging XenApp and XenDesktop Issues by Lalit Kaushal.
вЂў Session surveys are available online at www.citrixsummit.com
starting Thursday, 7 October
вЂў Provide your feedback and pick up a complimentary gift card at the registration desk
вЂў Download presentations starting Friday, 15 October, from your My
Organiser Tool located in your My Synergy Microsite event account

Download Report