How to Migrate Citrix XenApp
to VMware Horizon 6
T E C H N I C A L W H I T E PA P E R
How to Migrate Citrix XenApp to VMware Horizon 6
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Horizon and XenApp Components Comparison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Preparing for the Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Three Approaches to XenApp Migration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Integration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Replacement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Combination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Integrating XenApp with Horizon Through the Workspace Portal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Deploy the Workspace Portal for Horizon 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Implement the Citrix Integration Broker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Configure the Workspace Portal to Connect to XenApp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Decommission Citrix Web Interface or StoreFront. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Migrating or Replacing XenApp with Horizon 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Deploy Horizon with View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Deploy the Workspace Portal in Horizon (Optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Prepare the RDSH Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Create RDSH Server Farms and Application Pools and Entitle Users. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Add a RDSH Server Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Create Application Pools to Publish Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Manually Create Application Pools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Add Desktop Pools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Decommission XenApp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Additional Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
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How to Migrate Citrix XenApp to VMware Horizon 6
Introduction
The release of VMware® Horizon™ 6 with its support for Hosted Applications provides exciting new
opportunities for customers running Citrix XenApp. Tightly integrated with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services
(RDS), Horizon 6 is a new option for delivering Hosted Applications and desktops, virtual desktops, softwareas-a-service (SaaS) applications, and virtualized apps, all from a single Web portal and supported on the
devices end users want to use.
This white paper provides guidance for planning and undertaking a migration from Citrix XenApp to
Horizon 6. Three approaches to XenApp migration are detailed, including the major steps required for their
implementation. Whether the goal is to migrate XenApp to Horizon, replace it with a new system, or simply
integrate the legacy Citrix infrastructure with your Horizon virtual desktop deployment, Horizon 6 provides the
technology required and a simple path forward.
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How to Migrate Citrix XenApp to VMware Horizon 6
Horizon and XenApp Components Comparison
Before preparing for the migration, it is useful to understand how the major components of Citrix XenApp
correlate to Horizon 6. The two platforms are similar: They both provide end users access to Hosted
Applications and desktops installed on Microsoft Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH) servers using an
advanced protocol and client application. The following figure shows the major XenApp 6.x components and
their Horizon counterparts.
Figure 1. Comparing XenApp 6.x and Horizon 6 Components
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Preparing for the Migration
Successful migrations require careful planning. Properly identifying the essential business and technical
requirements, combined with a solid understanding of the state of the XenApp infrastructure and its hosted
applications, facilitates designing a solution that fits and selecting a migration approach that works. The following
are examples of the types of questions to ask and information to gather before undertaking the migration.
It is important to have a solid understanding of the business objectives and other nontechnical project
requirements. Identify the business factors that could influence the project requirements, system design, or
migration approach. For example:
•Is it a business priority to replace the Citrix infrastructure?
•Is the goal to provide users a more versatile Web portal with access to XenApp Published Applications, View™
virtual desktops, and other computing resources?
•Will the migration coincide with a major change to the business, such as the acquisition of another company
or the launch of a major new product or business initiative?
•Are there major changes to the number of office locations or users to be supported?
Inventory and assess the applications currently hosted by the XenApp infrastructure. Migrations can be a
good opportunity to phase out applications that are no longer needed and to verify that user entitlements to
applications are correct. Questions to consider are:
•What are the requirements of the applications and their performance characteristics?
•How many RD Session Hosts are they currently installed on?
•Who are the end users and which user communities do they serve?
•Are all the applications still in use or could any be decommissioned?
•Do any applications require significant changes, such as upgrades?
•Are you planning to replace an existing application with another?
Develop a thorough understanding of the XenApp published applications that need to be migrated with a
supporting application inventory. Evaluate the XenApp infrastructure and identify the major Citrix components
and the specifications of their supporting systems.
•Which versions of XenApp and RDSH servers are in use?
•Are any servers running on Windows Server 2003 or earlier versions?
•If the RDSH servers are running on Server 2008 R2, do you want to upgrade them to 2012?
•Which XenApp features are in use and why?
•How many physical locations have XenApp infrastructure? How many farms?
•What sort of load balancing is in place?
•Is the XenApp infrastructure stable? Are there significant system stability or application issues?
Identify end-user requirements.
•Which devices do they use to access the system?
•Where do they need to access the system from?
•Which peripherals need to be supported?
•Which users should be migrated first?
•What is the best approach to notifying and training end users about the new system?
These are examples of the questions to ask and information to gather before considering the different
approaches to migration and designing the Horizon infrastructure.
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Three Approaches to XenApp Migration
After you have a solid understanding of the project requirements, consider whether the best approach is to
integrate, migrate, or replace.
Integration
Integrating XenApp with Horizon replaces the Citrix Web Interface or StoreFront with VMware Workspace™
Portal. An integration broker synchronizes the list of available XenApp published applications, remote
desktops, and associated user entitlements with Horizon through the Workspace Portal. This solution provides
end users access to XenApp published applications, View virtual desktops, SaaS applications, and VMware
ThinApp® virtualized applications, all through a single Web portal without making major changes to the Citrix
infrastructure.
Follow this approach when the business priority is a more versatile Web portal or coexistence between XenApp
and Horizon virtual desktops. Also consider this approach if you have legacy XenApp RDSHs with critical
applications running on old operating systems (pre 2008 R2) that cannot easily be migrated to new servers.
Integration is also a good option if niche XenApp features are still required to support critical applications and
when existing RDSH servers are simply too unhealthy to risk migrating.
This approach provides a flexible way to handle the legacy infrastructure while providing users a single Web
portal for the application and desktop resources they need to do their job. Integration with XenApp can also be
combined with migration or replacement to handle complex XenApp infrastructures or multiphase migrations.
Because integrating XenApp with Horizon leaves much of the Citrix infrastructure in place, it is not the
recommended approach if the immediate goal is to phase out XenApp.
Migration
Migrating the XenApp RDSHs and their installed applications to Horizon enables publishing the existing
applications and remote desktops without deploying new RDSH servers. You can deploy the Workspace Portal
to replace the Citrix Web Interface or StoreFront, providing users a single Web portal with access to View
Hosted Applications, remote desktops and virtual desktops, SaaS applications, ThinApp virtualized applications,
and XenApp published applications if any legacy Citrix infrastructure remains. Users access the migrated
infrastructure using the Horizon Client for View and compatible devices, replacing the Citrix Receiver.
Select this approach if the existing RDSH servers are stable and do not require major changes to the server OS
or installed applications. This approach allows you to phase out and decommission the entire Citrix XenApp
infrastructure and can be considerably faster than deploying new RDSH servers. To prevent bad system
configurations or application issues from spreading to the Horizon infrastructure, make sure that the RDSH
servers are stable before migration.
Replacement
Consider replacement when the existing RDSHs are unstable, require substantial application changes, are
running on legacy operating systems (pre 2008 R2), or need to be migrated to a new server OS (2012 R2).
Replacing XenApp hosts with new Horizon RDSH servers with freshly installed applications is the cleanest
approach and the least likely to propagate existing issues from the XenApp infrastructure to Horizon.
Users access the new infrastructure using the Horizon Client for View and compatible devices, replacing the
Citrix Receiver. You can also deploy the VMware Workspace Portal to replace the Citrix Web Interface or
StoreFront, providing users a single Web portal with access to Horizon Hosted Applications, remote desktops
and virtual desktops, SaaS applications, and ThinApp virtual applications.
If you can replace all RDSH servers with new systems configured for Horizon, you can phase out and
decommission the entire Citrix XenApp infrastructure.
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Combination
If the legacy XenApp infrastructure must remain to support old operating systems, applications, or niche
XenApp features, or if some of the existing RDSH servers have clean configurations and up-to-date operating
systems that could be migrated to Horizon, a combination of two or all three of these approaches is often the
best option. In such a scenario, you can migrate stable XenApp RDSH servers with their installed applications to
Horizon, replace unstable RDSH servers with new systems and clean application installations, and integrate the
Workspace Portal with any Citrix infrastructure that must remain to support legacy applications, old operating
systems, or niche XenApp features.
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Integrating XenApp with Horizon Through the
Workspace Portal
A benefit of integrating XenApp with Horizon through the Workspace Portal is that it accommodates legacy
XenApp RDSHs with critical applications that cannot be migrated to a new infrastructure.
Integrating XenApp with the Workspace Portal involves the following steps.
1.Deploy the Workspace Portal for Horizon 6.
2.Implement the Citrix Integration Broker.
3.Configure the Workspace Portal to connect to XenApp.
4.Decommission the Citrix Web Interface or StoreFront.
The following figure shows the major Microsoft, Citrix, and VMware components required.
Figure 2. Components Required for Integrating Citrix XenApp with VMware Horizon
Deploy the Workspace Portal for Horizon 6
The first step in the integration project is to deploy the Workspace Portal. The Workspace Portal is a purposebuilt virtual appliance providing access to Hosted Applications and desktops, Horizon virtual desktops, SaaS
applications, ThinApp virtualized applications, and Citrix XenApp published applications.
For resources on how to deploy the Workspace Portal, see Additional Documentation in this guide. After the
Workspace Portal has been deployed, the next step is to implement the Citrix Integration Broker.
Implement the Citrix Integration Broker
The Citrix Integration Broker communicates with XenApp farms to support single sign-on and to synchronize
the XenApp published applications and desktops that each user is entitled to access. Workspace does not
make changes to the XenApp infrastructure; it simply copies the information it requires from XenApp. Installing
VMware software on the XenApp RDSHs is not required.
Install the Integration Broker on a Windows 2008 R2, 2012, or 2012 R2 server running Microsoft Internet
Information Server (IIS) 7 or 8 with the IIS 6 Management Tools and the .NET Framework v3.5. The Integration
Broker supports XenApp versions 5.0, 6.0, and 6.5. For more information, see How to Implement the Citrix
Integration Broker for the Workspace Portal.
Citrix Powershell Remoting, which enables communication with XenApp using the XenApp software
development kit, must also be installed on the XenApp RDSH that communicates with the Workspace Portal.
You can download the Citrix Powershell Remoting from Citrix.
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Configure the Workspace Portal to Connect to XenApp
After the Citrix Integration Broker has been deployed, you can configure the Workspace Portal to synchronize
with the XenApp infrastructure.
1.In the Workspace Portal Configurator, navigate to the Module Configuration window.
2.Under Published Apps – Citrix, click Go to your Connector to begin the configuration.
Figure 3. Workspace Portal Module Configuration
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3.Enter the Workspace Admin password.
Figure 4. Configuring the Workspace Portal for the Citrix Integration Broker
4.Enter the appropriate settings in the dialog box to configure the Citrix Integration Broker. The settings are
specified in Table 1.
O P TI O N
DESCR IPTION
Enable Citrix-based Applications
Select to enable XenApp published applications and remote desktops.
Sync Integration Broker
Fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the system running the Citrix
Integration Broker used for synchronizing XenApp published
applications, remote desktops, and user entitlements.
Server Port
TCP/IP port that the Integration Broker uses. Typically, 80 or 443 (for SSL).
Use SSL
Select if the Integration Broker uses SSL to secure the synchronization.
SSO Integration Broker
FQDN of the system running the Integration Broker that is responsible
for single sign-on (SSO) to the XenApp system.
If the same Integration Broker provides both synchronization and
XenApp SSO integration, click Use same as Sync Integration Broker to
populate this field, Server Port, and Use SSL.
Server Port
TCP/IP port that the Integration Broker uses for SSO. Typically, 80 or 443
(for SSL).
Use SSL
Select if the Integration Broker uses SSL to secure the SSO integration.
Table 1. Citrix Integration Broker Configuration Settings
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5.Specify the XenApp RDSH servers and their failover order for each server farm, as detailed in Table 2, and
then click Add Server Farm.
Multiple farms are supported.
O P TI O N
DESCR IPTION
Version
XenApp version installed on the RDSH server. XenApp 5.0, 6.0, and 6.5
are supported.
Server name
FQDN of the XenApp RDSH server. Click Add to List to add it to the
Servers list. Multiple servers can be added, one at a time.
Servers (failover order)
XenApp RDSH servers in the server farm listed in preferred failover order.
If multiple RDSH servers are listed, use the Move up and Move down
buttons to select the order. Click Delete to remove an RDSH server from
the list.
Transport type
Specifies whether to use HTTP or HTTPS (SSL) to connect the RDSH
servers.
Port
TCP/IP port that the RDSH servers use. Typically, 80 for HTTP, and 443
for HTTPS.
Sync categories from server
farms
Select this option to synchronize categories in addition to XenApp
published applications, remote desktops, and user entitlements.
Choose frequency
Synchronization frequency. The default is every hour.
Table 2. RDSH Server Settings
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6.Click Save to save the settings.
Figure 5. Adding XenApp Server Farms to the Workspace Portal
7.Click Sync Now to synchronize the Workspace Portal with XenApp.
To display synchronization alerts, click Check Alerts.
When the synchronization has successfully completed, the XenApp published applications and desktops
that users are entitled to access are added to their Workspace Portal in Horizon.
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8.Click an icon to start the Citrix Receiver to connect to the desired XenApp or remote desktop using the
ICA or HDX protocol.
Figure 6. Workspace Portal with Published Applications
Decommission Citrix Web Interface or StoreFront
After Horizon with View has been successfully integrated with the Citrix infrastructure, you can notify users to
begin accessing their XenApp published applications from the Workspace Portal, phasing out the Citrix Web
Interface or StoreFront. You can also deliver Horizon virtual desktops, SaaS applications, and packages from the
same Workspace Portal.
You can decommission the Web Interface or StoreFront when all users have switched to Horizon. Do not
decommission any other Citrix components, including the License Server and Citrix Receiver. They are required
to support the XenApp published applications and desktops, which are still hosted by the Citrix infrastructure.
If you are building a combination system with legacy XenApp assets integrated with the Workspace Portal,
continue to the next topic, Migrating or Replacing XenApp with Horizon 6.
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Migrating or Replacing XenApp with Horizon 6
If decommissioning the Citrix infrastructure is your goal, you can either migrate the XenApp infrastructure
to Horizon or replace it. Migrating entails moving stable and up-to-date XenApp RD Session Hosts with their
installed applications to Horizon with View. Replacing involves deploying new Horizon RD Session Hosts with
clean installations of applications.
Replacing XenApp with Horizon 6 is typically the option to choose when the existing XenApp RDSH servers are
unstable or outdated, or the project goal is to move all systems to a newer version of Windows Server, or the
applications installed on the XenApp RDSH servers require significant changes.
You can also deploy the Workspace Portal when migrating or replacing XenApp to provide a single Web portal
for access to Horizon Hosted Applications, remote desktops, virtual desktops, SaaS applications, and ThinApp
packages.
Migrating or replacing XenApp with Horizon 6 involves the following steps:
1.Deploy Horizon with View.
2.(Optional) Deploy the Workspace Portal in Horizon.
3.Prepare RDSH servers.
4.Create RDSH server farms and application pools, and entitle users.
5.Decommission XenApp.
The following figure shows the major Microsoft and Horizon components required. No Citrix components are
necessary when migrating the XenApp infrastructure or replacing it because the goal is to decommission the
Citrix infrastructure.
Figure 7. Components Required for Migrating or Replacing XenApp
Deploy Horizon with View
Application remoting is an integrated component of Horizon with View. Before migrating XenApp published
applications, View must be deployed. The View Connection Servers handle connection brokering, Hosted
Applications publishing, and virtual desktop deployment. View Connection Servers also provide the Webbased View Administrator console that administrators use to manage the system and entitle users to published
applications and desktops. View Security servers provide secure access to remote desktops and applications
from untrusted networks, like the Internet, without requiring a VPN. Users connect to their applications and
desktops with the Horizon Client for View and PC over IP (PCoIP).
At least one View Connection Server is required to support Hosted Applications and desktops, although at
least two are commonly deployed with load balancing to provide system scalability and redundancy. The same
Horizon with View design and deployment best practices developed for virtual desktop infrastructure apply to
implementing Horizon to support Hosted Applications and desktops. For resources on Horizon infrastructure
design and deployment, see Additional Documentation.
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Deploy the Workspace Portal in Horizon (Optional)
You can optionally deploy Workspace Portal to provide Web-based access to Hosted Applications and
desktops. The Workspace Portal is a purpose-built virtual appliance providing access to Hosted Applications
and desktops, Horizon virtual desktops, SaaS applications, ThinApp virtualized applications, and XenApp
published applications. Unlike the Citrix Web Interface and StoreFront, Workspace Portal does not use the
Microsoft IIS Web server.
For resources on how to deploy the Workspace Portal, see Additional Documentation. Follow the steps to
configure the View Connection Server for virtual desktops. The same configuration is required to provide access
to Hosted Applications and desktops.
After Workspace Portal is configured, it synchronizes the Hosted Applications, remote desktops, and virtual
desktops that each user is entitled to access from View and makes them available.
Prepare the RDSH Servers
After the View infrastructure and optional Workspace Portal have been implemented in Horizon, you can
prepare the RDSH servers. If you are migrating existing XenApp RDSH servers, preparing a host for Horizon
simply requires installing the View Agent. However, if you are replacing the XenApp servers, be sure to deploy
a sufficient number of new RDSH servers with fully installed and configured applications before installing the
View Agent.
The View Agent supports RDSH servers running Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows
Server 2012 R2. If the migrating XenApp RDSH servers are running earlier versions of Windows Server, you must
first upgrade the operating system. However, it is better to replace old systems with new RDSH servers and
implement the applications cleanly on the new servers, if possible.
Install the View Agent on all new RDSH servers and any existing XenApp RDSH servers that will be migrated.
Note: Before installing the View Agent, back up existing RDSH servers and their installed applications.
1.To configure the View Agent, during installation specify a View Connection Server (standard or replica)
and provide the credentials of an account with administrative rights to the View system.
2.Click Next, then wait for the installation to finish.
Figure 8. Installing Horizon Agent for View
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To complete the installation, you must reboot each RDSH server, so be sure to schedule appropriate downtime
to avoid interrupting active XenApp or native RDS users. The View Agent can also be silently installed to
support automated deployment during IT service windows.
After the View Agent has been installed on each RDSH server, you can configure View to provide users
published applications and desktop sessions.
Create RDSH Server Farms and Application Pools and Entitle Users
In both XenApp and Horizon, groups of RDSH servers are known as farms. You can use farms to group servers
that provide the same applications, typically to the same user communities. Before applications can be
published, you must create at least one farm.
Add a RDSH Server Farm
Creating a farm is simple. After the View Agent has been installed on the RDSH servers, you can access them
from the View Administrator console.
1.In the View Administrator console, go to View Configuration > Registered Machines > RDS Hosts.
2.Verify that each RDSH is enabled and its status is Available.
Figure 9. Registered RDS Hosts in View Administrator Console
3.Select Resources > Farms > Add to create a farm.
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4.Enter the information on the Identification and Settings page, as specified in Table 3, and then click Next.
O P TI O N
DESCR IPTION
ID
Alphanumeric identifier for the farm. Do not include spaces or special
characters.
Description
Add a description to help identify the farm. Spaces and special
characters are allowed.
Access group
(Optional) Access groups help organize and restrict access to the View
Administrator console using roles. Specify one here if an access group will
be used.
Default display protocol
Select the default display protocol. PCoIP is recommended and is the
only protocol that supports Hosted Applications.
Allow users to choose protocol
Choose whether to allow users to choose between PCoIP and RDP. Only
PCoIP is supported for Hosted Applications.
Empty session timeout
(applications only)
Amount of time after which an empty session is timed out. An empty
session is an open connection to an RDSH in which the user has closed
all applications. The default is 1 minute.
When timeout occurs
Choose how to handle an empty session that has timed out. Disconnect
closes all open connections. Log off logs off the user. The default is
Disconnect.
Log off disconnected sessions
Choose whether disconnected user sessions are logged off and when.
By default, disconnected sessions are never logged off, enabling users to
reconnect to applications they left running on the RDSH servers. If you
select After, specify the number of minutes before the user is logged off.
Immediate logs disconnected users off immediately.
Table 3. Identifications and Settings Specifications
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Figure 10. Adding an RDSH Server Farm in View: Identification and Settings
5.On the Select RDS Hosts page, select which hosts to add to the farm and then click Next.
Figure 11. Adding an RDSH Server Farm in View: Select RDS Hosts
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6.Review the configuration and click Finish.
Figure 12. Adding an RDSH Server Farm in View: Ready to Complete
After the farm is created, it is listed on the Farms page.
Figure 13. RDSH Server Farms in View Administrator Console
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Create Application Pools to Publish Applications
After you have created a farm, you create an application pool consisting of the XenApp published applications
that you want to migrate and make available to users.
1.In the View Administrator console, go to Catalog > Application Pools.
2.Click Add.
The Add Application Pools window appears listing the installed applications on the RDSH servers that
View located.
3.Select the farm and the applications to migrate from XenApp to the Workspace Portal and then click Next.
Figure 14. Select Applications to Migrate to an Application Pool
4.Review the application pools to be created and change their system-generated alphanumeric IDs and
display names, if necessary.
Application Pool IDs do not support special characters or spaces.
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5.Click Finish to create the application pool and publish the applications.
Figure 15. Edit IDs and Display Names
6.On the Add Entitlements page, add or remove the users and groups who can access the application pool
and then click OK.
Figure 16. Entitle Users and Groups
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7.To view and manage the application pools, go to Catalog > Application Pools.
Figure 17. Application Pools in View Administrator Console
Users can now access their Hosted Applications using the Horizon Client.
Figure 18. Horizon Client with Published Applications
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Users can also access published applications from the Web-based Workspace Portal if it is deployed.
Figure 19. Workspace Portal with Published Applications
Manually Create Application Pools
If any XenApp published applications to be migrated were not found when View scanned the XenApp RDSH
server, or if any applications require special parameters when started, you can publish them manually.
1.In the View Administrator console, go to Catalog > Application Pools.
2.Click Add.
3.In the Add Application Pools window, select the farm.
4.To select the users who are entitled to access this application pool, select Entitle users after this wizard
finishes.
5.Select Add application pool manually.
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6.Specify the configuration for the application to be manually published, as detailed in Table 4, and then
click Finish.
O P TI O N
DESCR IPTION
ID
Alphanumeric identifier for the farm. Do not include spaces or special
characters.
Display name
Name of the application pool displayed in the Horizon Client, Workspace
Portal, and View Administrator console.
Version
(Optional) Version identifier for the application.
Publisher
(Optional) Publisher of the application can be specified if desired.
Path
Complete path to the installed application on the RDSH, including
Windows drive letter.
Start Folder
Specify the folder the application starts in if required.
Parameters
(Optional) Launch time parameters for the application.
Description
(Optional) Description of the application pool. Spaces and special
characters are allowed.
Table 4. Add Application Pools Specifications
Figure 20. Manually Add an Application Pool
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If you selected the Entitle users after this wizard finishes option, the Add Entitlements page appears.
7.Add or remove the users and groups who can access the application pool and then click OK.
Figure 21. Entitle Users and Groups
Add Desktop Pools
Horizon with View can also publish remote desktops sessions, enabling you to migrate XenApp users who
require use of a full RDS desktop. In Horizon, published RDS desktops are referred to as RDS desktop pools.
1.In the View Administrator console, go to Catalog > Desktop Pools.
2.Click Add.
The Add Desktop Pools wizard starts.
3.Select RDS Desktop Pool and click Next.
Figure 22. Add an RDS Desktop Pool
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4.Under Desktop Pool Identification, specify the alphanumeric ID, display name, and optional description for
the RDS desktop pool and then click Next.
Figure 23. Desktop Pool Identification
5.Configure the desktop pool and click Next.
Figure 24. Configure the Desktop Pool
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6.Select an RDS farm for the desktop pool or create a new one and then click Next.
Figure 25. Add the RDS Desktop Pool to an RDS Farm
7.On the Ready to Complete page, verify the RDS desktop pool settings, select the Entitle users after this
wizard finishes check box, then click Finish.
Figure 26. Add RDS Desktop Pool: Ready to Complete
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8.On the Entitlements page, add or remove the users and groups who can access the desktop pool and then
click Close.
Figure 27. Entitle Users and Groups to the RDS Desktop Pool
The RDS desktop pool is created. You can view and manage desktop pools on the View Administrator console
Desktop Pools page.
Figure 28. View Administrator Console Desktop Pools Page
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Decommission XenApp
After all the XenApp published applications and desktops to be migrated have been published by Horizon with
View, the appropriate users and groups entitled, and the desktops and applications successfully have passed
the required QA and user acceptance testing, you can instruct users to use the Horizon Client, View-compatible
devices, such as zero clients and thin clients, and the Web-based Workspace Portal, if deployed.
After all users connect to their published applications and desktops using Horizon, and there are no business or
technical requirements for XenApp, you can decommission the Citrix infrastructure. Because Horizon does not
use the Citrix License Server, Web Interface, or StoreFront, you can dismantle these components immediately,
taking care not to disrupt any applications and systems that might use the same servers. If these components
are VMware vSphere® virtual machines, you can retask the vSphere capacity for new purposes. You can also
uninstall the Citrix Receiver client software from all client machines.
If XenApp RD Session Hosts were migrated to the Horizon infrastructure, you can now uninstall their XenApp
components. Back up each RDSH server before making any changes. The RDSH servers are now part of an
active Horizon farm, so it is best to uninstall XenApp when the systems are not in use, scheduling official
downtime as necessary.
You can temporarily disable individual RDSH servers to prevent the RD Session Hosts from accepting new
connections. This action does not disconnect any open hosts.
1.In the View Administrator console, go to View Configuration > Registered Machines > RDS Hosts.
2. Right-click an RDSH server, then select Disable from the menu that appears.
Figure 29. Temporarily Disabling RDSH Servers in View
After all active users have logged out from the RDSH server, you can uninstall the XenApp components. You
must reboot the system to re-enable and return it to service, XenApp free.
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Additional Documentation
VMware Horizon 6 with View Product Page
VMware Horizon 6 Datasheet
View Architecture Planning
View Installation
VMware Horizon View Large-Scale Reference Architecture
VMware Workspace Portal Product Page
Installing and Configuring VMware Workspace Portal
Providing Access to View Desktop and Application Pools from VMware Workspace Portal
How to Implement the VMware Workspace Portal Integration Broker for Citrix
About the Author
Mark Ewert is an architect on the VMware End-User Computing Technical Competition Team, with over 20
years of experience in enterprise IT architecture. Over his career, he has designed and implemented hundreds
of successful solutions, including numerous Citrix XenApp, Microsoft RDS, and VMware Horizon infrastructures.
Mark is also the author or co-author of several other VMware technical resources, a frequent VMworld speaker,
and developer of the View Controlled Recompose Script, VMware Fling.
VMware, Inc. 3401 Hillview Avenue Palo Alto CA 94304 USA Tel 877-486-9273 Fax 650-427-5001 www.vmware.com
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trademarks of their respective companies. Item No: VMW-TWP-HOWTOMIGRAXENAPPTOHORIZ-USLET-20140709-WEB