How to Clone the First Xenapp 6.5 Server in a Farm

Recently I was tasked to build a new Xenapp 6.5 Farm to replace the old, unsupported Metaframe 5 servers. Since I have managed several migrations to 6.5 over the last few months I had no hesitation taking this on. After all, it only involved building 4 new Xenapp servers - easy peasy.

 This particular project was a bit of a rush job because the IT manager wanted everything wrapped up within two weeks, however I had vacation booked for one of them. He had vacation booked for the two weeks after I was to come back. That leaves only 1 week to accomplish the build and configuration of a new Xenapp Farm.

From the beginning the idea was to build one server, install and test the corporate application then clone it and provision the rest of the servers from the clone. Since I was the technical lead and point of reference it was up to me to approve, plan and deploy the new farm. 

The short turn-around time almost came back to bite me in the arse though.  The client had a server with the application installed and tested by an end user - that was good. The server did not have and Remote Desktop Services installed and I was not sure that the user did not have elevated privileges. However, my contact assured me that it was working properly and ready for production in a new Citrix farm. His plan was to build install RDS and Xenapp on this server and create a new farm in the process. 

So I got to work, added the RDS Session Host role, created a database on a dedicated SQL server and installed Xenapp. After building a new Citrix License server everything was complete and working so it was time to hand it back to the client for cloning.  We were making good time and it looked like the project could be completed in the few days we had.

Then I remembered something! Something about how cloning the first server in a farm is a bad idea. This created a little panic. I went to Google to research this more, looking for a way to clone this 'first' server however after reading several threads I found nothing, just more techies saying that it is an incorrect approach. 

Two options remained, as far as I could see. Build a second server to be cloned, or remove Xenapp from the first one, delete the database and then clone the server before installing Xenapp. The second choice would take the least amount of time so it was decided to follow that path.

The Third Option
As I was looking at the options in the Xenapp Server Role Manager, I came across an option to Remove This Server From the Current Farm. That looked intriguing! 
Since I nothing to lose at this point, I decided to remove the server from the farm, reboot and add it back. Well, guess what.... I chose 'Join an Existing Farm' and it connected to the database, opened App Center and all of the farm settings were intact - Except that the server was removed from the application that was published. The Application was still published, but no servers were listed. No problem, I just added the server to the app again and Voila.

By now you are probably wanting me to talk less and shut-up more, so I will do that while you look at the screen shots.

1. Build your First Xenapp server to completion, Install all of the applications that you want in the clone. You may want to include all printer drivers that are necessary. Test ICA connectivity to the server and perform any other tests you deem necessary.

Choose 'Edit Configuration'

2. Prepare to Clone: Open Xenapp Server Role Manager and click on 'Edit Configuration' then click 'Remove the server from the current farm.

Choose 'Remove this server from the current farm'

3. When the action completes, change the IMA service to Disabled and shutdown the server. 4. You can clone this Xenapp 6.5 server at this point. Use your favourite SysPrep tools to prepare the clones for production.5. Restart the first server, open Xenapp Server Role Manager again, choose 'Configure'. You will be prompted for the usual information.  Choose 'Join an Existing Farm'.  Make sure you select 'Enable Controller and Session Host Modes'. 6. Change the IMA service back to Automatic and start the service. Open App Center, you should be able to connect to the datastore. Remember, if you published any applications to this server, you will need to add the server back into the Servers list.Now that your farm is ready, and in record time, you can relax and listen to some music. I suggest  finding an artist you haven't heard before... such as Shoot the Moon. Check out 'It's Alright'  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIQG9HN6c9c    

Intro to an Outro

Just a few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to record a drum track for a short musical piece that will become an 'outro' for an upcoming podcast on Matt and Corey Talk Too Much (aka M-C-Tittie-M). I received an email from Woody with a song attached and it read 'I need a real drummer for this'. I knew by the file name who it was for - I instantly grew anxious.

Anxious because it was for Matt and Corey. These guys have been supporting the band enormously and I have been waiting for Woody to ask me to be the drummer for one of these projects but he always relies on a Machine. Getting the call for this is a big honour, one that I wanted to put my stamp on.

Woody had already recorded the guitar, bass and some hand percussion for the 30 second track that he sent me. It's a cool, funky, Red-Hot-Chili-Peppers kind of groove that I instantly loved. I listened to it over and over while thinking of drum parts in my head. Only 8 bars of that funky guitar is played, followed by the 4 bar half-time ending. There was so much and yet so little. I had to find a way to play the funk, but stay out of the way of the guitar lick while complimenting the groove. I also wanted my drum pattern to be a challenge for me, something that I would find difficult. 

The first week I spent listening and trying things (in my meager spare time), looking for the right pattern. Woody and I scheduled a Sunday evening to record the drums and although I wasn't completely sure what I wanted to do, I figured Woody would help me find 'it'. However, that Sunday started early and was unforgiving. Here's my Facebook post of the days events:

So, as you can imagine I didn't make it to the recording studio, but instead we rescheduled for the next night. So Monday evening came and I cancelled again as I was sore, stiff and tired from Sunday's work. Friday was the next possible night we could get together, and this time it happened. Through the week I was still trying to figure out what to play until Friday afternoon; I was sitting at my computer and decided to open Rhythm Rascal (the Drum app) and build a drum part the easy way. I started with the Bass Drum played on the notes matching the Bass guitar (of course) in that funk pattern. Here's what I came up with:

It seems simple enough when you look at it, and my computer had NO problem playing it so I figured my hands and feet would be accommodating. That didn't quite happen. The problem for me was that both the bass drum and the snare play sometimes on the beat and sometimes on the 'and', but the hi-hat is consistent on the 'and'. It's really just a mind game but to play it smoothly I needed to run through it several times and thus provided the 'challenge' I was looking for.

While driving to Woody's to record the piece, I still wasn't sure if that was what he was looking for, if it was going to fit with the sound he wanted. It turned out that he liked it and we went from there, working out the ending which drops to a nice slow half time denouement, then playing the whole piece through several times until everything sounded great. 
Make sure to listen to Matt and Corey's podcasts at http://www.spreaker.com/user/mattandcorey.

The last few weeks have been hard, tiring, busy and most of all - satisfying. I can't say enough about spending time with the tractor, my drums and the animals, they are all part of an enjoyable life for me. All are challenging at times and I wouldn't have it any other way.

What's ahead?  - something for Scooby Doom and Shoot the Moon will be releasing another track with accompanying video. Follow @shoothemoonband for updates.

Sun on my Face

Spring is just around the corner, I can feel it. It may be a long walk to that corner still, but Spring is coming. The signs are all there. Very pregnant goats, more eggs from the chickens and our supply of hay is significantly reduced. That and the sun actually feels warmer on the skin - the little bit of skin that is exposed.
Its comforting to know we're only a few weeks away from the melting snow, even if it means a few sleepless nights during kidding. It`s also a welcome sign of optimism after a dreadful December and January. Not only were those two months cold and snowy, but several necessary tools and appliances threw in the towel. Washing Machine, Hot Water heater, cordless drill (required more so than the washing machine), car battery and tractor clutch all packed it in for the winter, never to return. 
We all understand that these things need replacing and try to plan ahead, knowing their life-expectancy, but having them all die in such a short time span kind'a hurts. Having that warm sun on my face today dissolved some of that hurt.

One of the things that keeps me going, trudging through winter and giving me hope to carry on is .... Shoot the Moon!  This winter has been a BLAST as we worked through and recorded some new songs.  You can hear our latest single release at http://reverbnation.com/shootthemoonband. Several other originals are well on their way to being finished, including a killer track called `Remember` - watch out for that one.  

Recently I subscribed to Mike Johnston`s Drum lessons site. With that you get live lessons 3 times a week, archived lessons, Drumless tracks, Mike`s comments on anything you send him and - best of all - to be a part of Mikes Lessons Family. The Family is a Facebook group consisting of drummers sharing their practice, progress and questions. It`s the best thing on the Internet - ever. Visit http://www.mikeslessons.com to get a better idea of what I am talking about.

 

Phones and Canines

One of the latest originals to grace the mixing board in the studio has both a reggae and swing feel. And I would describe the lyrics as an adult version of Harry S. Miller's comic children's song 'The Cat Came Back'. Woody's lyrics tell a story of a girlfriend who tries to return after leaving him with the idea that everything will be back to normal. However the boyfriend moved on with his life and has since concluded the the girlfriend was not the best house-guest. 
This one has been the most troubling for me as it reflects some work of The Police but has elements of a blues shuffle and 50's - 60's swing. For weeks now I have been listening to the bed tracks that have only guitar, bass and vocals and still do not have a clear idea of how I want to approach it. I have run through it in my mind thousands of times and on the kit tens of times. But maybe that's the problem - I haven't played along with it enough to breathe with it. I really need to spend some time with the headphones and kit, go through it again and again. 

I have been able to lay down and finish tracking the drums for two other originals in recent weeks. These tunes each have different grooves, their own styles that make them stand alone. These aren't the swingy shuffle style,  but instead draw their sounds from different eras again. One from the hard rock days, when The Who, Led Zeppelin and the like were gracing the turntables and the other from a more modern time, a time when you could turn on the radio and here U2, Phil Collins, and that crowd. In both cases, there are so many things a drummer can do, or not do to put his stamp on the song. Woody provides plenty of interesting and fun phrases that capture my imagination, making this my most creative album. It also reflects all of the techniques I have been focusing on in practice. Listening back to the track after recording, I found that there were parts I couldn't believe I had played. There are a few gems, subtle drum licks that I never thought I would be able to play well enough to record but end up sounding good and fit nicely. 

I have to thank M-C-Tittie-M again for plugging us on their recent podcast. The episode 'Good Good Friends' published on the 9th of November, includes a couple of call in guests. The first guest is a writer who has a couple of cool stories and is promoting a new book. The second caller is our own Woody. He makes the guys laugh while promising to punch Lance in the throat for 'The Little Lady'. They open the podcast with the full track of our song 'Friends'.  Thanks to Matt and Corey. Listen to them at http://www.spreaker.com/user/mattandcorey

 On the farm there's been plenty to gab about, but our big event of the year was the barnyard makeover. A couple of guys with heavy machinery removed about a half acre of mud and wasted hay in the winter pen and replaced it with rocks and sand. And like any good makeover, it really improved the look of the place. I think the animals liked it too, but they pooped on it anyway. 

From this:

 To this:

For more on this, check out the Farm's Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/rovingwindsfarm