Hello again DABCC readers.
Thought I would publish a few basic guidelines that we use when preparing for a Citrix streaming project which contains a large amount of applications. It is very tricky to get it right, actually streaming the apps can be the easy bit, managing what needs to be streamed, in what order and when and also where the media and documentation is located can be very difficult to manage especially when you are working to strict timescales. especially when the organisation you are working with doesn't really understand which applications are used and which aren't (I mean that with respect).
With this in mind, here is a basic process we designed in house to get things moving quickly when initially engaged with a client. If you are thinking of partnering with a solution provider to virtualise and stream your applications then this process can be done so far up front that by the time the Citrix XenApp servers have been provisioned, all the apps have been virtualised and have passed UAT and are ready to rock on roll. Nobody needs a production based environment to test application functionality and to run through a UAT program, a nice candidate XenServer which will host a a few UAT XenApp Servers and a couple of XenApp Profilers in all that's needed.
The principle reason for following this process is to produce a master plan.
Phase 1. Application Discovery - Prioritisation plus Media and Documentation Collection
This is the most important phase of any application virtualisation project, get this right and you will have all the tools needed to manage, track and report on application virtualisation status as the project gains momentum.
Step by Step
Configure software required for application inventory.
An application inventory can be provided in many ways, some clients have automated software that will analyse all client devices across the enterprise and some clients have nothing. There are a number of utilities out there that will do it for free, the free version of Platespin Recon is one of them. Either way, the software in question usually spits out some form of application list which are usually 'installed' on PC's across the enterprise. The list of applications will always need tweaking, filtering to represent what is actually used and what is to be delivered as part of your application virtualisation project.
Filter applications by business unit
Some poor guy is going to have the responsibility of reviewing the application list and separating each application out on a per business unit bases, ultimately you will need to tag each application with a 'marketing' or 'accounts' label, this is critical especially if you are delivering on a department by department basis. Once this is complete there is at least a reference for where the application is used and by whom.
Another way of doing this is by dumping the list on a share point portal and requesting action from all business unit leaders to identify which applications are used by their department.
Record description of applications
A basic description which helps the team review the applications in scope and can also set of a few alarm bells when you see a description like 'used to produce HD video in marketing'.
Record key users by business unit
Find a key user in the business, there is always someone (a user) who know the application inside and out. Make contact and get some commitment for future testing. Ask the key user if they will create a test script. What is a test script? Just a simple instruction document that you can follow which will enable you to perform a good unit test of the application.
Application scope check
Now that you have a basic description of all of the applications, a list of key users and a filter by business unit you can start asking questions about what is in or out of scope for virtualisation, which applications are just browser based, which apps just will not virtualise and may have to go down the VDI or install route and which apps just are used any more.
Record out of scope apps
Very important. If an application is categorised as out of scope then you need to record why and who authorised it as out of scope, which is why there is an entry to get sign off from the business unit.
Inventory of in-scope applications
By now your application spreadsheet or plan should start to look like it can actually be delivered without the need for assistance from Darren Brown of David Blaine. We can now start adding more information for the applications that are actually in scope such as the vendor details (so you can call them if needed), UAT details for your UAT plan and BAT users for your BAT plan.
Categorisation of Applications
If you end up with a list of applications which top 100 then you are going to need to know which application the business would like delivered first, which are critical and which are less critical. Move through the application list whilst speaking to the right people and categorise the applications into layers. Layer 1, critical. Layer 2, medium. Layer 3, whenever.
This will also provide the folder structure required for all the application media and documentation.
Application Status Planning Spreadsheet Created
Your application spreadsheet should be beginning to really take shape and hopefully it will look a little like this
Continued from Left to right (from the notes section)
It should contain all the fields and calculations listed above to help you track each and every application from being dumped into the media share to being delivered though UAT.
Record Permissions Needed for File Shares
An awful lot of applications require file shares and map drives to run. These need to be recorded in the spreadsheet so that the drives can be mapped via the normal logon script (which you will find usually happens) or via a pre launch logon script as part of the Citrix profile process.
Create Media File Share
This is one of the most critical parts of the process. Rather than being told where the media is you must create a file share with the correct structure and ensure that whoever is responsible for collecting the media and docs, they place it all in a central manageable place for everyone to access.
Your folder structure should look like this and should include all media and documentation (if the documentation doesn't exist then at least installation notes).
- Root Level
- Layer 1 Apps
- Apps for VDI, vDisk or Standard Install (apps that cannot be virtualised and need to be installed as part of an OS image)
- Outstanding Apps (apps placed in here are to be virtualised)
- In Progress
- Packagers name (once an application is started, the packager moves it onto their folder to ensure nobody else picks it up)
- Completed Apps (apps that have been virtualised)
- Layer 2 Apps
- Apps for VDI, vDisk or Standard Install (apps that cannot be virtualised and need to be installed as part of an OS image)
- Outstanding Apps (apps placed in here are to be virtualised)
- In Progress
- Packagers name (once an application is started, the packager moves it onto their folder to ensure nobody else picks it up)
- Completed Apps (apps that have been virtualised)
- Layer 3 Apps
- Apps for VDI, vDisk or Standard Install (apps that cannot be virtualised and need to be installed as part of an OS image)
- Outstanding Apps (apps placed in here are to be virtualised)
- In Progress
- Packagers name (once an application is started, the packager moves it onto their folder to ensure nobody else picks it up)
- Completed Apps (apps that have been virtualised)
Application Virtualisation
Applications are virtualised as the media and docs appear within the correct folder structure, Layer 1 applications are highlighted in the application status spreadsheet in red as outstanding. As each application is passed through the application virtualisation process it is updated with the application status spreadsheet accordingly.
Summary
That's the first stage of planning over and done with, as I have mentioned before to be effective, this really needs to be done months and months in advance of the production environment build.
Imagine as a Citrix XenApp engineer, your turn up onsite, build a few XenServers and add some Provisioning Servers to the mix and start booting your XenApp servers. Within a few days you could have hundreds of streamed applications running which were passed through UAT months before you even came onsite which streamlines the whole build process because we all know that Citrix XenApp, XenServer, Provisioning Server is fairly easy but the apps can be a friggin nighmare (especially if there are hundreds of the damn things).
Phase 2 will detail the actual application virtualisation process which goes hand in hand with the application status plan.
If I have made an obvious errors please don't flame me as we don't have as much time as we would like to contribute to dabcc.com!
Many Thanks
Lee
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