PVS Default Store Path Test

When configuring a store, administrators need to provide the default path to the store – this path represents the physical path to the vDisk. When a target device (desktop computer or server) boots, the Provisioning server checks the database for the Store name and the physical location where the vDisk assigned to that device resides, in order to provide it to the target device. If this path is unavailable or is slow, then the target device may not even boot. This is bound to leave users accessing those devices frustrated! To ensure that the user experience with PVS is top notch, administrators should identify unavailable and least responsive default store paths much before users complain of access delays. This is where the PVS Default Store Path test helps. This test auto-discovers the default path configured for each store and proactively alerts administrators to the non-availability of a default store path and slowness in accessing the vDisk via the default store path. This way, the test pinpoints unavailable store paths and the ones that are slow.

Target of the test : Citrix Provisioning server

Agent deploying the test : An internal agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for the default store path of each store assigned to the Provisioning server being monitored

Configurable parameters for the test
  1. TEST PERIOD – How often should the test be executed
  2. Host – The host for which the test is to be configured
  3. Port – Refers to the port used by the Citrix Provisioning server. By default, this is 54321.

  4. mcli path – This test executes commands using the Management Command Line Interface (MCLI) of the Provisioning server to collect the required metrics. To enable the test to execute the commands, the eG agent, by default, auto-discovers the full path MCLI.exe on the target Provisioning server. This is why, the mcli path is set to none by default. If, for some reason, the eG agent is unable to auto-discover the mcli path, then you will have to manually specify the path here using the following pointers:

    • Typically, in a 32-bit Windows system, the MCLI.exe will be available in the following location by default: <System_Root>\Program Files\Citrix\Provisioning Services Console
    • In a 64-bit Windows system on the other hand, the MCLI.exe will be available in the following location by default: <System_Root>\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Provisioning Services Console

  5. domain name, domain user and domain password – To report farm-related metrics, this test should run using the credentials of a user who fulfills the following requirements:

    • Should belong to the Security group with 'Farm Administrator' access.
    • Should be assigned the Allow log on locally security privilege on the Citrix Provisioning Server host.

    The steps for assigning such privileges to a user are detailed in the Pre-requisites for monitoring the Citrix Provisioning Server topic.

    Once you assigned the aforesaid privileges to the user, then configure this test with the domain name, domain user, and domain password of the same user.
Measurements made by the test
Measurement Description Measurement Unit Interpretation

Store path availability:

Indicates whether/not this default store path is available.

Percent

This measure reports the value 100 if the store path is available, and 0 if it is not.

Compare the value of this measure across store paths to identify those that are currently unavailable.

Breaks in network connection and absence of required access permissions are some of the common reasons for the non-availability of a store path.

For high availability of store paths, you may want to configure an override store path for each store. This way, it the default store path is unavailable for any reason, Provisioning services will automatically look up the override path to deliver vDisks to users.

Store path access time:

Indicates the time taken to access the vDisk via this default store path.

Secs

A low value is desired for this measure. A consistent increase in this value is a cause for concern, as it indicates that responsiveness of the default store path is deteriorating. This could be owing to a flaky network connection. It could also be due to the concurrent usage of the store path by multiple target devices.