@NStipster Series: NetScaler Insight Center - Part 1 - Preparing for your implementation

5:36 PM
@NStipster Series: NetScaler Insight Center - Part 1 - Preparing for your implementation -

@NStipster: NetScaler Insight Center - Part 1 - Preparing for your implementation

so, you've heard great things about the monitoring of your virtualized applications and desktops using NetScaler Insight Center. However, perhaps you do not know how or where to start. In this first blog post, I'll try to give you enough information in one place to lay the foundation for your implementation.

software versions and builds

One of the most important aspects of Insight Center is making sure you have the correct versions of the components to allow you to achieve a successful implementation. There are details below NetScaler version, and supported versions Citrix Receiver you need if you are interested in using Insight Web versions or XenApp and XenDesktop HDX required for Insight.

Web Insight

NetScaler 9.3 build 61.2 or later; NetScaler 10.0 build 73.5 or later and NetScaler 10.1 build 112.15 or later. If you are not sure of the exact version and build number of NetScaler please access the Web user interface and check the banner:

NetScaler Build Number

Or from the command line:

> show version NetScaler NS10.1: Build 0.13.nc, date: September 12, 2013, 7:00:12 
HDX Insight

HRP01 XenApp 6.5 (build 6682 or later); XenDesktop 5.6 build 56060 or more and XenDesktop 7.0 build 3018 or greater

How to check the number of XenDesktop building :.

[Run the get-brokercontroller cmdlet in PowerShell on the Desktop Delivery Controller]

How to check the build number XenApp: Open the Registry Editor and navigate to

 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE  SYSTEM  CurrentControlSet  Control  Citrix 

There should be a key called 'ProductBuild' which, in my example is 6682 which is the minimum on XenApp 6.5 to support HDX Insight.

Windows services for HDX Insight

The "Citrix End User Experience Monitoring" service enabled, set to automatic and started on XenApp. This the same applies to XenDesktop where the same service must be enabled and started on each individual VDI.

CloudBridge

Citrix CloudBridge is supported by CloudBridge version 7.3 or higher.

Citrix Receivers

Windows 7 = Receiver 3.4 Enterprise Edition / 4.0 standard Edition

Windows 8 = Receiver 3.4 Enterprise Edition / 4.0 standard Edition

Mac OS X = receiver 11.8 (build 23801 or later)

Linux = receiver for Linux 13.0 or higher

Licensing
Licensing depends important on how visibility historical data you need. The good news is if you have a license on your NetScaler Platinum there is no restriction on functionality or limitations on historical data.

If you want to benefit from the HDX Insight feature, a business license is minimum and it provides up to one hour reports. Web Insight for when performing a Standard or Enterprise license of NetScaler Insight Center does not report the details to the response time, charge time, render time, server processing time and options graphics cascade.

Check your license on the NetScaler CLI:

> show license 

NetScaler UI:

NetScaler> System> Licenses

More on this below in the "characteristics of NetScaler

Prepare your hypervisor for NetScaler Insight Center

NetScaler Insight Center is a FreeBSD virtual machine that will run on your hypervisor . The requirements are the same regardless of whether your XenServer or VMware's hypervisor. Each virtual machine NetScaler Insight Center supports up to four NetScaler appliances. The full requirements for the virtual machine are in the table below:

3Gb RAM

2 virtual CPUs (vCPUs) or more

0GB storage space, 240GB or most recommended

1Gbps Throughput

ports

If there is a firewall between the NetScaler (s) and NetScaler Insight Center and the following ports must be open:

TCP ports 80 and 443 for the Nitro communication between NetScaler Insight Center and NetScaler (s)

TCP port 22 for SSH communication between NetScaler Insight Center and NetScaler (s)

UDP port 4739 for AppFlow communication between NetScaler Insight Center and NetScaler (s)

ICMP to ping reachability between NetScaler Insight Center and NetScaler (s)

notes NITRO is the API used by the NetScaler and uses HTTP / HTTPS. The UDP 4739 port is used by AppFlow is the analytical reports on the NetScaler technology based on the IPFIX protocol. AppFlow is used exclusively for data communication in NetScaler Insight Center.

Plan your traffic management

What traffic do you monitor? Want to monitor particular load switched virtual servers or balanced content? All ICA traffic / HDX? The Insight web module allow you to take advantage of the infrastructure of the policy (IP) capabilities of NetScaler to create policies that correspond to certain criteria, some examples would be based on the source IP address, hostname-based, based on the URL, etc. . This will allow you to refine the focus on the traffic you want to monitor. Specific example: HTTP.REQ.HOSTNAME.CONTAINS ( "xyz.com") This example will examine requests and HTTP matches when the host name is "xyz.com". AppFlow a correspondence on file is sent by the NetScaler NetScaler Insight Center.

NetScaler Features

Once you have the appropriate license NetScaler in place, you do not have to worry about activating the features needed to support NetScaler Insight. These are the basic characteristic Rewrite and advanced features AppFlow and EdgeSight Monitoring (HTML Injection). EdgeSight Monitoring (HTML injection) is required only if you want to see the time of a web page to make know how long the page takes to load. This is achieved injects some JavaScript before and after the body of HTML pages. HTML Injection is optional.

Summary

This should throw tillage enough to get the ball rolling for the implementation. Check out Part 2 of this series to actually get started with the data in and out of NetScaler Insight Center, Part 3 contains tips, troubleshooting and how to get your system up to date!

Follow @NStipster

Previous
Next Post »
0 Komentar