How to Inventory Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp using FlexNet Manager Suite

[#1]

Introduction

This article is for anyone who uses FlexNet Manager Suite to inventory Citrix XenApp and/or XenDesktop. Note that Citrix has re-branded these from Citrix XenApp to Citrix Virtual Apps, and from Citrix XenDesktop to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop. However, for the sake of matching the current FlexNet Manager Suite user interface terminology, this article retains the XenApp/XenDesktop terminology. 

The article applies to FlexNet Manager Suite cloud implementations and on-premises implementations. And it is designed to help you properly set up FlexNet Manager Suite in order to inventory XenApp and/or XenDesktop. Most questions relating to XenApp or XenDesktop evidence recognition within FlexNet Manager Suite will most likely be answered or resolved by properly configuring FlexNet Manager Suite so that it can correctly inventory XenApp or XenDesktop within your organization.

One of the most basic questions some users have is, what is the difference between XenApp and XenDesktop? The easiest answer is this: if you just want to use an individual application and nothing more, XenApp is the choice. Conversely, XenDesktop lets users access physical machines (and have access to all applications on that machine) from anywhere. You just login to the Citrix from your device in either case.

Related Information

For more information, refer to the “XenApp Server Adapter” topic in the FlexNet Manager Suite Inventory Adapters and Connectors Reference, available on docs.flexera.com. Also see the “Discovery and Inventory Rules” topic within the online help.

How to Inventory Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp using FlexNet Manager Suite

Delivery of XenDesktop is backed by machines, physical or virtual, that exist in a data center. End users remotely log into one of these machines and have access to all applications on that machine.

Delivery of XenApp is through applications installed on machines that exist somewhere in a data center. When users launch an application, a session on these machines is launched, and the application is then delivered to the client device and users can use it just as if the app were installed on their own machine. Users can launch multiple applications assigned to them but do not always have access to all the applications installed on the machine.

Quick Steps

This section provides quick steps about how to configure FlexNet Manager Suite to inventory XenDesktop and XenApp. Most of the steps include a hyperlink to a section providing more details.  

Important! These steps are not required as long as you are collecting inventory from the machines. FlexNet Manager Suite needs to receive inventory data, but the mechanism itself is not important. With respect to inventory of the Citrix servers "serving up" the applications, FlexNet Inventory, SCCM, and ADDM are the most common. These steps provide one way to collect the inventory. 

Note: If you only need to inventory XenDesktop (and not XenApp), perform steps 1 through 3.
If you need to inventory XenApp only or both XenDesktop and XenApp, perform steps 1 through 4.

To configure FlexNet Manager Suite to inventory XenDesktop and XenApp:

1. Create a discovery and inventory rule to inventory XenDesktop.
2. Import all Active Directory data. This import provides FlexNet Manager Suite with AD group GUIDs that provide a mapping of users assigned to each AD group.
3. Create a discovery and inventory rule to inventory all delivery groups.
4. For XenApp inventory collection only—In addition to completing the previous three steps, you must also do the following to collect XenApp inventory:
1. Create the staging database. For more information, refer to the “Creating the Staging Database” section of the “XenApp Server Adapter” topic in the FlexNet Manager Suite Inventory Adapters and Connectors Reference, available on docs.flexera.com.
2. Install XenAppAgent and define its schedule. Note: The XenAppAgent was released in 2019 R1.3 for cloud implementations and will be released in FlexNet Manager Suite 2019 R2 for on-premises implementations. For more information, refer to the “Installing the XenApp Server Agent” section of the “XenApp Server Adapter” chapter in the FlexNet Manager Suite Inventory Adapters and Connectors Reference, available on docs.flexera.com. Also see XenAppAgent Information in this document.
3. Create a scheduled task. For more information, refer to the “Installing the XenApp Server Agent” section of the “XenApp Server Adapter” chapter in the FlexNet Manager Suite Inventory Adapters and Connectors Reference, available on docs.flexera.com.
4. Connect the XenApp Server connector to the staging database. This will send XenApp inventory data to FlexNet Manager Suite. For more information, refer to the “Create Connections for Data Upload” section of the “XenApp Server Adapter” topic in the FlexNet Manager Suite Inventory Adapters and Connectors Reference, available on docs.flexera.com.

Important! Keep in mind that FlexNet Manager Suite’s discovery and inventory rules are static, so when something changes within your Citrix server farm, you must update the corresponding discovery and inventory rules within FlexNet Manager Suite in order to keep your XenApp or XenDesktop evidence recognition accurate. Also keep in mind that in order for the Discovery and Inventory rules to work, you must add a Citrix admin account to the FlexNet Beacon.

Create a discovery and inventory rule to inventory XenDesktop

Inventorying XenDesktop requires creating a discovery and inventory rule comprising:

• A Target defining the XenDesktop Delivery Controller server.
  
  
• An Action corresponding to its XenDesktop environment. Ensure that you click the Discover Citrix XenDesktop environments and Gather Citrix XenDesktop environment inventory checkboxes.
  
  
  
  
• A Rule that can target a specific machine or set of machines. The rule performs the action you created on the target you created.
  
  

The XenDesktop inventory discovery rule is then triggered on the FlexNet Beacon by remotely executing commands on the delivery controller.

Import all Active Directory data

An Active Directory (AD) typically consists of a list of all users as well as a list of all AD groups. In the case of AD groups, FlexNet Manager Suite needs a way to determine which users are in which groups. Consequently, FlexNet Manager Suite requires an import of all Active Directory data. This import provides FlexNet Manager Suite with AD group GUIDs that provide a mapping of users assigned to each AD group.

Create a discovery and inventory rule to inventory all delivery groups

This section contains information about creating a discovery inventory rule to inventory delivery groups. For information about creating delivery groups, refer to the Citrix Delivery groups product documentation. At a minimum, each unique machine from every delivery group must be inventoried. In FlexNet Manager Suite, a discovery and inventory rule can be created to perform this; however, keep in mind that the machines to target are dependent upon how the machines were derived, as follows:

• Machines derived from a base image—If a catalog contains multiple machines from the same base image, then just one of those machines needs to be inventoried (assuming all machines derived from the base image are not unique). Any unique machine needs to be inventoried.
• Machines NOT derived from a base image—If a catalog contains multiple machines not derived from a base image, then each unique machine needs to be inventoried.

Inventorying machines from every machine catalog can be done in FlexNet Manager Suite by creating a discovery and inventory rule comprising:

• A Target containing all unique machines that need to be scanned for installed software.
  
  
  
  Note: In this example, the Adoption options section is set to Allow these targets to be adopted. If you do not want to allow the targets to be adopted, there is no need to adopt and install the agent on these machines because the inventory can be done remotely (zero touch). In that scenario, you would choose the Do not allow these targets to be adopted radio button in the Adoption options section.
  
  
• An Action for general hardware and software inventory.
  
  
• A Rule that can target a specific machine or set of machines.
  
  

Note: There is no need to adopt and install the agent on these machines, because the inventory can be done remotely (zero touch).

XenAppAgent Information

This section provides supplemental information regarding the XenAppAgent. For information about how to set up FlexNet Manager Suite to inventory XenApp, refer to How to Inventory Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp using FlexNet Manager Suite.

Note: The XenAppAgent was released in 2019 R1.3 for cloud implementations and will be released in FlexNet Manager Suite 2019 R2 for on-premises implementations.

Beginning with FlexNet Manager Suite R1.3 (for cloud implementations) and FlexNet Manager Suite R2 (for on-premises implementations), support for XenApp Applications Groups was added. To take advantage of support for Application Groups and the collection of user filters, you must use the new XenApp server agent, XenAppAgent. In addition, a one-time staging database update is required to use XenAppAgent to collect Application Group data and user filters from Application Groups.

Note: The XenAppAgent installer can be found within the XenAppAgent folder of the Citrix XenApp Server Agent subdirectory that is provided in the Adapter Tools for FlexNet Manager Suite archive.
For on-premises implementations, the Adapter Tools for FlexNet Manager Suite is available in a zip archive in the Product and License Center. For cloud implementations, the zip archive can be downloaded from the Flexera Community.

FlexNet Manager Suite’s XenApp server agent, XenAppAgent, is run on a Delivery Controller, which reads application assignment and populates a staging database. Then XenApp server adapter on FlexNet Beacon reads data from this staging database and uploads it to FlexNet Manager Suite, where it is processed with data from other components.

The XenAppAgent requires that the machines in the machine catalog are power-managed (so they can be powered on), and their Windows Admin share is not disabled (by default it is enabled).

[JanPie]

I have a question on how this article relates to current guidelines for XenApp inventory.

In "Inventory Adapters and Connectors Reference" there is no mention of setting up any Discovery & Inventory rules in XenApp chapter. Yet, here as per step 1. and 3. it is a requirement.

Are those new steps required to collect inventory?

for example, based on the article connection to XenDesktop can be done through inventory rule, but according to documentation we need a beacon to connect to XenDesktop db and there are no further steps described.

PS. For those rules to work, does fnms service account needs any sort of privileges on Citrix platform?

[GregBirk]

Thanks for your questions/comments and interest in this article.

These steps are not required as long as you are collecting inventory from the machines. As long as inventory data is received by FlexNet Manager Suitem, the mechanism is not important. With Respect to inventory of the Citrix Servers "serving up" the applications, FlexNet Inventory, SCCM, and ADDM are the most common. (I will add this statement to the above KB.)

Regarding the note that the above KB info is missing from the Adapters and Connectors Reference PDF, we wanted to get this KB info out ASAP rather than waiting for the next release. We are working to update the Adapters and Connectors Reference PDF as well.

With respect to the need for an inventory beacon, that is true in that connection to XenDesktop can be done through an inventory rule, and the inventory rule runs from the inventory beacon, so in that case, we do need an inventory beacon. However we don't need a connection to a database because the inventory rule is run remotely on the server and it uses APIs and not DB access.

Regarding privileges on Citrix, in order for the Discovery and Inventory rules to work, add a Citrix admin account to FlexNet Beacon. 

[jacques_wiehahn]

As part of the adapter, do you not still require a DB connection from the Beacon to the Citrix Monitoring database (EdgeSight / Director)?

[GregBirk]

Citrix EdgeSight was not included in the KB as it is an optional way to gather the Usage data. But yes, if you want to gather the usage data that way, you need to create the DB connection.

[beniamin_s]

Does the XenApp Adapter work with the XenApp 7.15 LTSR? Cannot find is explicit within the official documentation.
Thanks.:)

[Ronny_OO7]

Hello can you please explain, why does the connector also needs an agent or at least regular Inventory data? If you already collect the Cirtix applications from the FNMS XenApp agent or XenDesktop remote connection?

Also how does FNMS handle Non persistant VDI? If we included agent we would need many FNMS licenses and also get lots of devices to manage.So how would they be maintained in FNMS?

Thanks and Regards

Ronald 

[kclausen]

@Ronny_OO7 - You may find it helpful to read the Citrix XenApp chapter in the FNMS Adapters and Connectors guide:

https://docs.flexera.com/fnms/EN/WebHelp/PDF%20Documents/Cloud/FNMSInvAdaptersAndConnectorsReference.pdf

[Ronny_OO7]

Thanks Kirk, I did already did this.

[Ronny_OO7]

HI Kirk,

Did you get a change to look at my question regarding non persistent VDI?

[AFinlay]

Can the XenApp agent report directly to your FNMS cloud instance without the need for the staging database?

[SenthilNathan]

@AFinlay: not sure whether you already got the answer to your question.

Based on the "FNMSInvAdaptersAndConnectorsReference", I don't think we can directly import the data into the FNMS cloud without a staging database.

In the on-premise implementation, it can be done.

[SenthilNathan]

@kclausen 

I have questions related to importing application usage information from the Citrix – XenApp environment.  

From the above design, I assume and understand the following, please correct me if my understanding is wrong

1. In general, XenApp Server will have all the HW and SW inventory information from all the VDI including the user information.
2. Additionally, it has got a separate or different source that stores the application usage information of all the applications either by the HW or User reference.
3. To import the application usage information, do we have to connect to the XenDesktop DB?  For this, do we need an account/ID with reading permission on the specified DB? Is there any firewall port opening requirement?
4. With the XenDesktop DB connection string, we have to create a connection in the FlexNet Beacon to import it, like below

5. Once the connection is successful and data is imported, does it automatically upload it to the FNMS APP or DB? Or do we need to create additional connections like below to upload the data to FNMS Compliance DB staging?

[anttimustonen]

Hi guys, 

Do you know any method to gather installaer evidence via XenApp Agent for non-AppV applications? These applications from "Master Image" source do not record data for installer MSI (eg. what you see in registry/programs & features menu) and can only record the executable information. Some cases the applications are stated using .PS1 or .CMD scripts so not even .exe level version information is available for those. The desire would be to avoid manual mapping of .exe applications as evidence and matching them to what is installed on workers/delivery controllers.

[vytasdem]

Hi, the Server Agent extracts the XenApp instances/shortcuts, they end up in the unrecognized Installer evidence and you assign then to applications - that is fine. Where should we check the information from this integration? Where would we see the usage in Flexera One.

Sorry if this is googleable... I tried but failed, not even All mighty ChatGPT does not know about this 😄