VMware console won't open in Chrome after an update

So you are enjoying that shiny new version of chrome (59.0.3071.104 or higher) and realize that you can't open a VMware console any more.  It may or may not show you a flash error.  To fix, got to settings ->advanced -> content settings -> flash and click add.

Type in dns name of your Vcenter.  To do your entire domain, preface it with "[*.]" without the quotes just like in the example.

Good luck.

PVS Info to Environment Variables / Event Log Refreshed

In my old post I presented a Powershell startup script to grab some info from the PVS image and pump it into the eventlogs and environment variables for consumption.   I refreshed this for the VHDX disks and "Cache in Ram with overflow" cache type.  

Start by creating the event log from an elevated poweshell session by issuing the command:

New-EventLog -LogName Application -Source "Xenapp_Custom"

I run the script below in the local startup scripts on the PVS images.

------------PVS_Personality.ps1------------------------
$disk="ID not found"
$file="c:\personality.ini"

IF(Test-Path $File){
  $data=get-content $file
  Foreach ($line in $data) {
    if ($line.Contains("DiskName")){$iname=$line.replace("$","").replace("DiskName=","").replace(".vhdx","").replace(".vhd","")}
    if ($line.Contains("WriteCacheType")){$wc=$line.replace("$","").replace("WriteCacheType=","")}
    }


  switch ($wc)
  { 
  "0" {$wc1="PV"}
  "4" {$wc1="CD"}
  "6" {$wc1="CR"}
  "9" {$wc1="CRO"}
  "1" {$wc1="Server";Write-EventLog -LogName Application -Source "XenApp_Custom" -EntryType Error -EventID 911 -Message "PVS ALERT. VDisk is set to Cache on server.  Immediate action is required to prevent an outage if this is a PROD image. Image: $iname"}
default {$wc1="OTHER";Write-EventLog -LogName Application -Source "XenApp_Custom" -EntryType Warning -EventID 911 -Message "PVS ALERT. Nonstandard VDisk configuration has been detected. Image: $iname"}
}
  $disk=$iname+"_"+$wc1
  } 


ELSE 
  {$disk=$env:computername + "_Local"}

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PVS_Disk",$disk,"Machine")
---------------END OF LINE------------

Installing Adobe Acrobat Professional in a Sharee/Non Persistent Desktop Image Vmware / Citrix

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Four things are required to successfully install and license Acrobat Professional for a shared desktop.

1. The Adobe Acrobat Software
2. The Adobe Provisioning Toolkit, Enterprise Edition (APTEE)
3. The serial number for your product
4. The Adobe Customization Wizard that matches your product version
   

Acquiring the pieces: 

Items 1-3 are obtained from the Adobe Licensing Website

https://licensing.adobe.com

Logon.  Downloads has the Software and the APTEE.  The serial number is located in "Retrieve Serial Numbers"

Item 4 can be located on the Adobe FTP site:

ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/acrobat/win/AcrobatDC/misc/ for the AdobeDC version.  

Creating the PROV.XML file.

The prov.xml contains the serial number and an encrypted license key.  It is generated by the APTEE executable adobe_prtk.exe.  An internet connected machine is required at this step.  No adobe products are needed other than the executable.

Open a command prompt and enter the following:

adobe_prtk.exe --tool=VolumeSerialize --generate --serial=<SERIAL NUMBER FROM ADOBE LWS> --regsupress=ss --eulasupress

Return Code 0 indicates sucess

Customize the Adobe Package

Install the Adobe Customization Wizard

Navigate to the MSI in the directory where you unzipped the Adobe Acrobat Download

Customize as required.  Save and exit.

Install in the gold image

Open a command prompt and navigate to the directory unzipped the Adobe Acrobat Download.  Issue the command:

Msiexec /i acropro.msi /t acropro.mst

This will run through the standard adobe install.  Hopefully the customizations will run and minimal input is required.  Do not do a first run at the point.

Copy the adobe_prtk.exe file and the prov.xml to the image.  I choose C:\programdata\adobe to store those files.

issue the command:

c:\programdata\adobe\adobe_prtk.exe --tool=VolumeSerialize --provfile= c:\programdata\adobe\prov.xml --stream

Open Adobe and click through any first run prompts and allow the app to remain open for a minute or two.

Seal and publish the image.

Sources:

https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/AdminGuide/licensing.html#aptee-download-and-use

https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/AdminGuide/citrix.html

Foreign Security Principals in a Group

I needed a list of users in a group and GET-ADGROUPMEMBER was failing hard due to some foreign security principals.  This is what I came up with:

$LOCAL=@()
$FOREIGN=@()
$group="sec_group"
$alluser=(Get-ADGroup $group -properties member).member
foreach ($user in $alluser){
if ($user -like "*ForeignSecurityPrincipals*"){
$object = New-Object System.Security.Principal.SecurityIdentifier (($user.trimstart("CN=")).trimend(",CN=ForeignSecurityPrincipals,DC=ad,DC=orthoclinical,DC=com"))
$result = $object.Translate([System.Security.Principal.NTAccount]) 
$FOREIGN+=($result.Value).substring(($result.Value).IndexOf('\')+1)
}
else{$$LOCAL+=(Get-ADUser -identity $user).name}
}
Write-Host "---------"
Write-Host "GROUP:$group"
Write-Host "---------"
Write-Host "$LOCAL USERS"
Write-Host "---------"
$LOCAL
Write-Host "---------"
Write-Host "FOREIGN USERS"
Write-Host "---------"
$FOREIGN

It's not the prettiest script on the net, but it gets the job done.

Old school installer architecture selection script.

Some days you need to write a script that takes action based on whether you are installing on a x32 or x64 box.  Here is a simple VBscript that just works...

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

OSbits = WshShell.RegRead("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment\PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE")

If OSbits = "x86"
Then
WshShell.Run "msiexec.exe /qn /i install_x86.msi /norestart"
Else
WshShell.Run "msiexec.exe /qn /i install_x64.msi /norestart"
End If

Adding space to a Citrix Provisioning Services Vdisk without reverse imaging.

In the course of patching and modification a Citrix Provisioning Services disk image can sometimes exceed it's original storage capacity. Like a normal virtual machine, a PVS image can be extended to increase its useful life. As this is executed against an umnounted, unused PVS image the risk is minimal. Failback is to create a clean image from the current gold image.

Preparation 

Prior to attempting to extend a Vdisk ensure that it is not locked, in use or mounted in PVS (the lock icon indicates whether it is locked or not and if it is in use the Connections will be greater than 0).

Execution 

Open an command prompt and issue the Diskpart Command (on some systems escalation is required).:



 Select the Vdisk to modify and attach it to Diskpart:



Increase the maximum size of the VDisk (Size is in Megabytes):



Attach the vdisk and determine the correct volume to extend:



Select the volume to extend and execute the extend command:



Review your results:



Clean up and exit:

 

Command Cheat sheet

You must be an administrator to take these actions. Begin with a command prompt.

diskpart 
Select vdisk file="<PATH>\<VDISKFILE>.vhd" 
list vdisk
expand vdisk maximum=62000
attach vdisk
list disk
list volume
select volume 7
extend
list volume
detach vdisk
exit

Powershell One Liners for Xenapp 6.5

I am preparing a report and I needed some stats about a large 6.5 XenApp environment.  Powershell and ASNP Citrix* to the rescue.

Count of Applications

Get-XAApplication|measure

Count of Disabled Applicarions

Get-XAApplication|where{$_.enabled -eq $false}|measure

Count of Apps granted to "domain users"

Get-XAApplication|Get-XAAccount|where{$_.accountname -contains "domain users"}|measure

Happy counting...