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Citrix XenServer VM Tools installation on an IBM Cloud Virtual Server

How To


Summary

This article describes how to install and verify Citrix XenServer VM Tools (formerly Citrix VM Tools or XenServer PV Tools) on both Windows and Linux virtual servers on IBM Cloud.

Objective

To optimize performance and management operations, you want to update Citrix XenServer VM Tools on a classic virtual server.  Installing Citrix XenServer Tools enables the following operations:

•    Cleanly shut down, reboot, or suspend a virtual server from the IBM Cloud portal
To learn about Citrix XenServer Tools, refer to Installing XenServer Tools in the Citrix product documentation.

Environment

Virtual Servers for Classic running on Windows or Linux

Steps

This article also uses the term XenTools as an alternate name for XenServer Tools.
Important:  Before installing or upgrading XenTools, it is strongly recommended to take system level backup and data backup as a precautionary measure.

Important: Before beginning the XenTools installation process, check for pending Windows updates and complete them. Pending Windows updates might cause issues while the server is being rebooted as part of the installation process.
1. Download
You can download Citrix XenServer VM Tools from IBM software downloads website.  Always download and install the latest version available. At the time of publishing this article, the latest version published by Citrix is
  • 9.4.0 for Windows
  • 8.4.0-1 for Linux
To download the latest Citrix XenServer VM Tools version for the operating system for your device, either Windows or Linux, go to http://downloads.service.softlayer.com/citrix/xen/ or use the operating system links below.
NOTE: These links work only from your IBM Cloud virtual server.  You must be connected to your server to access the links above.
2. Ensure working KVM access
Before you update Citrix XenServer VM Tools, ensure you have a working KVM access to the system. Do not proceed without KVM access!
Doing so can leave your system disconnected with no ability to connect. If this disconnect happens, immediately contact IBM Cloud Support to Chat with a support agent, who can restore KVM access.
3.  Make a copy of network settings for Windows
Important: Sometimes, a restoration of the network settings might not happen correctly after the tool installation. As a precaution, use one of the following options to save the settings:
  • Text file: Save the settings in a text file that can be used for restoring the network settings later. To do so, run the following commands in the server's PowerShell as an administrator:
    ipconfig /all >> ip_config.txt
    route print >> ip_config.txt
  • Screen capture: Alternatively, you can take a screenshot of IP address, DNS details, and gateway details of both public and private network cards.
4. Installing on Windows Virtual Servers
Notes:
  • To install Citrix XenServer VM Tools for Windows on a Windows Virtual Servers, the Virtual Server must have Microsoft .NET Framework Version 4.0 or later installed. If you have an earlier version of Citrix XenTools installed, uninstall it from the Windows Control Panel and install the new version. You can find further information on the Microsoft .Net site.
  • You must be connected to the server through the KVM using the IBM Cloud VPN!  Do not connect directly by using Windows Remote Desktop for this installation. For information on connecting to a virtual server through KVM, refer to Accessing the KVM console for virtual servers.
  • When installing the new XenTools, be ready to reboot the server at least twice.
     
  1. Copy the Citrix XenServer VM Tools installer compressed file to your Windows Virtual Server or to a shared drive that the Windows Virtual Server can access.
  2. Extract the file and run the “managementagentx64.msi” binary as Windows Administrative user by double-clicking it to begin Citrix XenServer VM Tools installation.
  3. Follow these steps as given in Installing Citrix VM Tools on Windows VMs:
    1. Follow the instructions on the wizard to accept the license agreement and choose a destination folder.
    2. Customize the settings on the Installation and Updates Settings page. The Citrix Hypervisor Windows Management Agent Setup wizard displays the default settings. By default, the wizard displays the following settings:
      • Install I/O Drivers Now
      • Allow automatic management agent updates
      • Disallow automatic I/O drivers updates by the management agent
      •  Send anonymous usage information to Citrix
         
      • If you do not want to allow the automatic updating of the Management Agent, select Disallow automatic management agent updates from the list.  It is recommended that you disallow automatic updating until further notice due to known issues.
      • If you would like to allow the Management Agent to update the I/O drivers automatically, select Allow automatic I/O driver updates by the management agent. (Note: If you choose to receive I/O driver updates through the Windows Update mechanism, do not allow the Management Agent to update the I/O drivers automatically.)
      • If you do not want to share anonymous usage information with Citrix, clear the option for "Send anonymous usage information to Citrix." The information transmitted to Citrix contains the UUID of the Virtual Server requesting the update. No other information relating to the Virtual Server is collected or transmitted to Citrix.
    3. Click Next and then Install to begin the Citrix XenServer VM Tools for Windows installation process.
  4. This step is NOT required. However, if network configuration is lost due to installing new Citrix VM Tools, then you can restore the network configuration by using the saved details.
  5. Restart the Virtual Server when prompted to complete the installation process
     
5.  Uninstall previous version
  • If you have an older version or if you have 2 versions of XenServer VM Tools installed, then uninstall the oldest version. 
  • NOTE: Removing XenServer VM Tools causes a network outage for the server.  This behavior is why you need to be connected to the KVM and to download the updated tools onto the server before removal.
Uninstall steps for Windows 2016 or 2019 servers
  1. Go to the Control Panel, and open the Add/Remove Programs feature to uninstall XenTools
  2. Follow the prompts provided by the uninstaller, and allow the system to reboot
  3. After the installer completes, reboot the server again
6. Verification
  • After you reboot the server, in some situations the network configuration is cleared out. If this situation happens, you can access the system only by using the KVM console while connected to the IBM Cloud VPN.  To resolve the situation, connect to the server by using the KVM console, check both private and public network interfaces, and ensure that the correct IP address, subnet mask, gateway and DNS servers (10.0.80.11, 10.0.80.12) are set up. 
    (Note: When you add the network configuration back to the server, leave the gateway field blank on the private interface.).
  • Step-by-step instructions to correct the network settings in both public and private network card, from Using the IBM Cloud console to connect to the KVM console,  are as follows:
  1. In the IBM Cloud UI console, find your virtual server in the Device List and click the name of the virtual server to enter the details page.
  2. Click Actions > KVM Console.
  3. In the VPN notification window, click Continue.
  4. In the KVM console window, click the overflow icon (three dots) on the upper right of the console's window. Select Ctrl+Alt+Delete to enter your server’s credentials.

screen capture of menu in KVM console window

Using the IBM Cloud console check your VSI’s network settings

  1. In the IBM Cloud UI console, find your virtual server in the Device List and click the name of the virtual server to enter the details page.
  2. Locate the Network details section
  3. Click on the information icon next to your IP address to obtain the Gateway and Subnet Mask. If your VSI has a public interface, make note of the Gateway and Subnet Mask.

How to check and set your Windows VSI’s static network configuration

  1. Press the Windows icon
  2. Type Control Panel
  3. Click on Control Panel when it appears
  4. Click on Network and Internet
  5. Locate and click on Network and Sharing Center
  6. Locate and click on Change Adapter Settings

Screen capture of Network and Sharing Center

  1. Right click on the network adapter and select Properties
  2. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), then select Properties

image-20241101142904-3

  1. If the configuration is set to “Obtain an IP Address automatically” and “Obtain DNS server address automatically, select “Use the following IP address” and “User the following DNS server addresses”

Screen capture of IP properties

  1. Input the IP address, Subnet Mark and Gateway that you obtained from the IBM Cloud console, then click OK.

For DNS settings, IBM Cloud’s DNS resolvers are 10.0.80.11 and 10.0.80.12, if needed.

NOTE: Windows operating systems only takes ONE default gateway. If your VSI has public access, only input the PUBLIC GATEWAY on the public interface’s configuration and leave the gateway BLANK for the private interface’s configurationScreen capture with example settings

  • As a final verification, log in to the server by using Windows Remote Desktop, and confirm that you are able to access the server successfully.

Installing on Linux Virtual Servers
  • Copy the file to your Linux Virtual Server or to a shared drive that the Linux Virtual Server can access.
  • Extract the contents of the file, change to the extracted directory, and run the installation script as root user as shown:
     
# tar -zxvf LinuxGuestTools-8.4.0-1.tar.gz
LinuxGuestTools-8.4.0-1/
...
...
LinuxGuestTools-8.4.0-1/install.sh
...
...
# cd LinuxGuestTools-8.4.0-1/
# ./install.sh
Restart the virtual server after the installation.

Additional Information

References

Document Location

Worldwide

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Document Information

Modified date:
19 December 2024

UID

ibm16462327

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