Catalog Details Test

In XenDesktop, collections of virtual machines (VMs) or physical computers of the same type are managed as a single entity called a catalog. To deliver desktops to users, the machine administrator creates a catalog of machines and the assignment administrator allocates machines from the catalog to users by creating desktop groups.

This test auto-discovers the catalogs managed by the XenDesktop site being monitored, and reports useful statistics related to each catalog, which reveal:

  • The catalog type;
  • The type of desktops allocated to each catalog;
  • The availability, usage, and assignment of desktops in each catalog

Target of the test : A Citrix Delivery Controller 5.x

Agent deploying the test : An internal agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for each catalog managed by the target XenDesktop site.

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameter Description

Test Period

How often should the test be executed.

Host

The IP address of the host for which this test is to be configured.

Port

Refers to the port at which the DDC listens to.

Detailed Diagnosis

To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG Enterprise embeds an optional detailed diagnostic capability. With this capability, the eG agents can be configured to run detailed, more elaborate tests as and when specific problems are detected. To enable the detailed diagnosis capability of this test for a particular server, choose the On option. To disable the capability, click on the Off option.

The option to selectively enable/disable the detailed diagnosis capability will be available only if the following conditions are fulfilled:

  • The eG manager license should allow the detailed diagnosis capability
  • Both the normal and abnormal frequencies configured for the detailed diagnosis measures should not be 0.
Measurements made by the test
Measurement Description Measurement Unit Interpretation

Allocation type

Indicates the allocation type of the virtual desktops available in this catalog.

 

This measure can report one of the following values:

  • Permanent
  • Random

The table below provides the numeric values that correspond to the allocation types listed above, and a brief description of each type:

Allocation Type Numeric Value Description
Permanent 1 Indicates that the virtual desktops in this catalog are permanently assigned to the user.
Random 2 Indicates that the virtual desktops in this catalog are picked in random and are temporarily assigned to the user.

Note:

By default, this measure reports the Allocation Types listed in the table above. However, the graph of this measure will represent the allocation types using their corresponding numeric equivalents – i.e., 1 and 2.

Total machines

Indicates the number of virtual desktops in this catalog.

Number

 

Machines assigned to users

Indicates the number of virtual desktops in this catalog that are currently assigned to users.

Number

 

Machines assigned to users not in any desktop groups

Indicates the number of virtual desktops in this catalog, which are not part of any desktop group, but are assigned to users. 

Number

 

Machines not in any desktop group

Indicates the number of virtual desktops in this catalog, which are not part of any desktop group.

Number

 

Machines not assigned to users not in any desktop groups

Indicates the number of unassigned virtual desktops in this catalog that are not part of any desktop group.

Number

 

Machines not assigned to users

Indicates the number of virtual desktops in this catalog that are not assigned to any users.

Number

 

Machines used in desktop groups

Indicates the number of virtual desktops in this catalog that are within desktop groups.

Number

 

Catalog kind

Indicates the type of catalog.

 

 

 

This measure reports one of the following values:

  • ThinCloned
  • SingleImage
  • PowerManaged
  • Unmanaged
  • PVS
  • Unknown

The table below provides the description for each of the aforesaid catalog types:

Catalog Type Description

ThinCloned

This type of catalog is for the virtual desktops that are created and managed through Citrix Provisioning Service (PVS). These virtual desktops when managed, are associated with a hypervisor connection. This catalog type implies that the original golden VM image in the PVS gets cloned when the virtual desktops are assigned to the users and the data stored in the virtual desktops by the users is retained even after the restart of the virtual desktops.

SingleImage

This type of catalog is for the virtual desktops that are created and managed through Citrix Provisioning Service (PVS). These virtual desktops when managed, are associated with a hypervisor connection. This catalog type implies that a single golden VM image in the PVS is shared by multiple virtual desktops when they are assigned to users and the data available in the virtual desktops are lost, once the desktops are restarted.

PowerManaged

This type of catalog indicates that the managed virtual desktops are manually provisioned by the administrators. These virtual desktops when managed, are associated with a hypervisor connection.

Unmanaged

This catalog type indicates that the virtual desktops are not managed and hence, there is no need for a hypervisor connection.

PVS

This catalog type is for the managed virtual desktops that are provisioned using the existing PVS product. These virtual desktops when managed, are associated with a hypervisor connection. Only shared virtual desktops are suitable for this catalog type.

Unknown

Indicates that the type of the catalog for the virtual desktops is unknown.

The numeric values that correspond to the Catalog Types in the table are as follows:

State Numeric Value
ThinCloned 1
SingleImage 2
PowerManaged 3
Unmanaged 4
PVS 5
Unknown 0

Note:

By default, this measure reports the above-mentioned Catalog Types. However, the graph of this measure will represent the types using the numeric equivalents mentioned in the table above – i.e., 0 to 5.

Physical machines included in catalog

Indicates whether or not this catalog contains any physical desktops.

 

 

 

 

 

This measure is relevant only if the Catalog kind measure reports the value PVS – i.e., only if the type of catalog is PVS.

This measure reports the values Yes or No to indicate whether or not a catalog contains any physical desktops.

The numeric values that correspond to the Yes/No states are as follows:

State Numeric Value
Yes 1
No 0

Note:

By default, this measure reports the above-mentioned states while indicating whether the catalog contains any physical desktops. However, the graph of this measure will represent States using the corresponding numeric equivalents – i.e., 1 and 0 only.

The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the IP address and domain name of the server that provisioned the physical desktops. The eG agent will collect the detailed measures only if the catalog contains physical desktops - i.e., only if this measure returns the value Yes.