This article describes how to use the vDisk Update Management feature in Provisioning Services 6.x and how to test the image prior to configuring it for a production environment.
Requirements
- A working Provisioning Services 6.x environment
- Access to Provisioning Services console
- Access to hypervisor console with rights to create a new virtual machine from a template
Procedure
To use vDisk Update Management feature in Provisioning Services 6.x, complete the following procedure:
- Launch Provisioning Services Console, expand the vDisk management and Device Collections nodes.
- Right-click on Hosts under the vDisk Update Management node.
- Select Add host.
- Follow the on screen instructions in the Wizard and enter the information of the hypervisor hosting the virtual machines that you want to update. If you have multiple entries, then enter in the Pool Master.
After you complete the Wizard, an entry appears as shown on the following screen shot.
- Open the Virtual Machine Hypervisor Console. Note: In this example XenServer console is used.
- Create a virtual machine from the same template that was used to create the group of virtual machines that must be upgraded. Note: This virtual machine does not appear in the Provisioning Services console and it need not be added to Active Directory. Provisioning Services creates an Active Directory account in a later step of this procedure. The name chosen for this virtual machine should be relevant to the vDisk that must be upgraded, because this virtual machine only exists for the purpose of updating that particular vDisk.
- After you add a virtual machine, ensure that the new virtual machine is powered down.
- Open the Provisioning Services Console.
- Right-click on vDisks under the vDisk Update Management node.
- Select Add vDisk. Note: This does not create a new vDisk rather it creates an association with the vDisk to be updated and the virtual machine that was created in Step 6.
- Locate the vDisk to be upgraded.
- Select the OU where you want Provisioning Services to create the machine account.
After you complete the Wizard an entry as shown on the following screen shot appears:
- Locate the vDisk that must be upgraded, right-click on it and select Versions.
- Click New.
A new version of the vDisk is created and should appear as shown in the following screen shot: Note that the base vDisk has one device and the new vDisk has zero device.
- Power on the virtual machine that was created in step 6. The virtual machine attaches itself to the new version of the vDisk in Private or Read/Write mode. Note: To ensure that the virtual machine has started with the correct version refresh the vDisk Versions Window and ensure that a new device is showing on that version, as shown in the following screen shot:
- Log on to virtual machine from the Hypervisor console and upgrade the virtual machine as scheduled, such as hotfixes or software patches.
- After upgrading the virtual machine power down the virtual machine.
- To test the changes, the vDisk must be promoted to test. From the Provisioning Services console, select the vDisk, right-click and select Versions.
- Select Promote.
- Select Test.
- Select OK.
- Open Provisioning Services collection that is updated and select one virtual machine in the group, right-click on the virtual machine, and select Properties.
- Change the virtual machine Type to Test.
- Select OK.
- Restart if the virtual machine is powered on.
- Open the virtual machine from the Hypervisor console. You should get two options. Enter number for the option with [test], as shown in the following screen shot:
- Ensure that the virtual machine is correctly upgraded and shutdown the virtual machine. Note: If the virtual machine is not upgraded as expected, then the vDisk can be changed to Maintenance after shutdown from the Provisioning Services Console by selecting Revert in vDisk Versions Window.
- Select Promote in the vDisk Versions Window to promote the vDisk to Production. The promotion has two options Immediate or Scheduled. If you select Immediate, then the vDisk allows any virtual machine to access the new version it is restarted. If you select Scheduled, then the vDisk allows any virtual machine to access that version until the specified time.
After promotion is complete a green check mark appears, as shown in the following screen shot:
If you restart the virtual machines after an immediate promotion, then the connections to the new vDisk appear, as shown in the following screen shot:
You can read the entire article here at the Citrix Knowledgebase.
Hi there,
thanks for your tutorial.
but i don’t understand the point ???
why do you have to create the new version and promote the version by yourself ??
vDisk update management is suppose to do all of this ?
that’s what they say in the http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX137757
Thanks