Hotfix XS602E009 for XenServer 6.0.2

Citrix has released a new hotfix for it’s free hypervisor XenServer version 6.0.2. Read here what issues are fixed and how to install it.

Issues Resolved In This Hotfix

This hotfix resolves the following issues:

  1. Windows Virtual Machines (VM) may hang during the boot process and may have to be forced to reboot.
  2. When Dynamic Memory Control (DMC) is enabled the VM’s virtual memory space may become 100% consumed, this can lead to applications failing to start, freezing and so on.
  3. After a VM migration, Debian 5.0 (Lenny) VMs can crash, hang, or display the incorrect time.
  4. When the Citrix Xen Guest Agent service is running, Cut and Paste will not work between a XenDesktop virtual desktop and the endpoint device.

Installing the Hotfix

  • The attachment to this article is a zip file. It contains the hotfix update package. Customers should use either XenCenter or the XenServer Command Line Interface (CLI) to install this update. As with any software update, please back up your data before applying this hotfix. Citrix recommends updating all hosts within a pool sequentially. Upgrading of hosts should be scheduled to minimize the amount of time the pool runs in a mixed state where some hosts have been upgraded and some have not. Running a mixed pool of updated and non-updated hosts for general operation is not supported.

    NOTES:

    • After applying this hotfix, users will need to update the XenServer Tools for each Windows and Debian 5.0 VMs. See the section “Updating XenServer Tools” later in this article.
    • Customers mustapply this hotfix to all hosts in the pool before attempting to update any VM’s XenServer Tools.
    • To minimise hotfix application time, specifically to avoid host reboot and VM migrations while applying this hotfix, customers should follow the instructions for installing the update using the XenServer CLI.

    Installing the update using XenCenter

    Note: The XenCenter controlled upgrade process reboots each host sequentially starting with the Pool Master. Where possible VMs will be migrated to other running hosts to avoid VM downtime. When the Pool Master is being rebooted, XenCenter will be unable to monitor the pool.

    1. Download the update to a known location on a computer that has XenCenter installed.
    2. In XenCenter, on the Tools menu, select Install New Update. This displays the Install Update wizard.
    3. Click Nextto start the Wizard.
    4. Click Add…to upload a new update.
    5. Browse to the location where you downloaded the hotfix, select it, and then click Open.
    6. From the list of updates select XS602E009.update and then click Next.
    7. Select the hosts you wish to apply the hotfix to, and then click Next.
    8. Follow the recommendations to resolve any upgrade prechecks.
    9. Click Install to start the installation.

    Installing the update using the XenServer CLI

    1. Download the update to a known location on a computer that has the XenServer CLI or XenCenter installed.
    2. Extract the xsupdate file from the zip.
    3. If using Windows, start a Command Prompt and navigate to the XenCenter directory, for example:

      cd C:Program filesCitrixXenCenter

    4. Upload the xsupdate file to the Pool Master by entering the following commands: (Where hostnameis the Pool Master’s IP address or DNS name.)

      xe patch-upload -s <hostname> -u root -pw <password> file-name=<path_to_update_file> XS602E009.xsupdate

      XenServer assigns the update file a UUID which this command prints. Note the UUID.

      6c9f9c22-d4b9-4c39-9343-7f0e6d0104b5

    5. Apply the hotfix to all hosts in the pool, specifying the UUID of the hotfix:

      xe patch-pool-apply uuid=<6c9f9c22-d4b9-4c39-9343-7f0e6d0104b5>

    6. Verify that the update was applied by using the patch-listcommand.

      xe patch-list -s <hostname> -u root -pw <password> name-label=XS602E009

      If the update has been successful, the hostsfield will contain the UUIDs of the hosts this patch was successfully applied to. This should be a complete list of all hosts in the pool. For example:

      uuid ( RO) : 6c9f9c22-d4b9-4c39-9343-7f0e6d0104b5 name-label ( RO): XS602E009 name-description ( RO): Public Availability: XenTools fixes size ( RO): 117525717 hosts (SRO): 92438ada-5d2f-45aa-bea7-4ff3beeb0d4a, cee0bfff-e8be-414b-ab0b-42fdd03a4872 after-apply-guidance (SRO):

    7. To verify in XenCenter that the update has been applied correctly, select the Pool, and then click the General tab. This displays the Pool properties. In the Updates section, ensure that the update is listed as Applied.

    Updating XenServer Tools in VMs

    Windows VMs

    After applying this hotfix to all hosts in the pool, customers should update the XenServer Tools in each Windows VM using the following procedure.

    Note: Installing XenServer Tools will cause any media in the VM’s CD/DVD-drive to be ejected. Do not attempt to install XenServer Tools if the VM’s virtual CD/DVD-drive is in use, for example, during OS install from CD.

    1. Select the pool, and then click the Searchtab. Any running Windows VMs that display “XenServer Tools out of date” should be updated.
    2. Click the Tools out of date link. This displays the Install XenServer Toolsdialog.
    3. Click Install XenServer Toolson the message dialog to go to the VM console and begin the installation. This mounts the xs-tools.iso in the virtual CD/DVD.
    4. If Autoplay is enabled for the VM CD drive, installation will be started automatically after a few moments. If Autoplay is not enabled, double-click on the CD drive to begin installing XenServer Tools.
    5. Follow the on-screen installation instructions, and reboot the VM when prompted.

    Debian 5.0 (Lenny) VMs

    After applying this hotfix to all hosts in the pool, customers should update the XenServer Tools in each Debian 5.0 (Lenny) VM using the following procedure.

    1. The files required are present on the built-in xs-tools.iso CD image, or alternatively can be installed by using the VM > Install XenServer Toolsoption in XenCenter.
    2. Mount the image onto the VM by running the command:

      mount -o ro,exec /dev/disk/by-label/XenServer\x20Tools /mnt

      Note: If mounting the image fails, you can locate the image by running the following:

      blkid -t LABEL="XenServer Tools"

    3. Execute the installation script as the root user:

      /mnt/Linux/install.sh

    4. Unmount the image from the VM by running the command:

      umount /mnt

    5. If the kernel has been upgraded, or the VM was upgraded from a previous version, reboot the VM now.Note: CD-ROM drives and ISOs attached to Linux Virtual Machines appear as devices, such as / dev/xvdd (or /dev/sdd in Ubuntu 10.10 and later) instead of as /dev/cdrom as you might expect. This is because they are not true CD-ROM devices, but normal devices. When the CD is ejected by either XenCenter or the CLI, it hot-unplugs the device from the VM and the device disappears. This is different from Windows Virtual Machines, where the CD remains in the VM in an empty state.

Download the hotfix here.

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