MetaFrame Installation and Deployment Methods

MetaFrame XP Deployment Methods

There are 4 easy methods to install MetaFrame XP.
(Technically there are other methods, but for the sake of simplicity this article will only discuss items in the list below.)

1. Manual Install from CD or Network Share.

2. An image using 3rd party products such as ghost.

3. Unattended installation using Unattendedinstall.exe

4. Unattended installation using Windows Installer 2.0

1. Manual Installation:

MetaFrame XP is the easiest method out of the box. Just place the Citrix MetaFrame XP CD into your CD-Rom drive and it will auto launch into the installation menu screen.

Just click "Install or Upgrade MataFrame"

Then click "MetaFrame XP Feature Release ?"

And away you go.

2. Image deployment:

You can deploy an Imaged MetaFrame XP server into a Farm.

The first MetaFrame XP server must be installed manually.

Before Creating the Image:

Do not remap drives

Romove any hosted applications from this server in CMC.

Leave the server in the default zone

In Zone settings, set to Not Preferred

Install applications.


Before Imaging

1. Login to the CMC at least once

2. Stop the IMA service, and set its startup option to manual

3. Open the TCP/IP properties, remove all specifications, and set the server to receive IP addresses automatically. As a result, when the image is deployed successfully, the member server will not generate a duplicate IP address found on the network error.

4. Remove the following line from the mf20.dsn file: WSID=

5. Delete the wfcname.ini file

Run Microsoft Sysprep. Make sure that all programs and windows are closed.

After Imaging

1. Give the server a unique name.

2. Login to the computer after it restarts.

3. Configure the TCP/IP properties, and assign the server a manual IP address as well as other information.

4. Add the server to the appropriate domain.

5. Set the IMA service startup option to automatic. Do not start the service.

6. Edit the mf20.dsn file:

a. DATABASE= parameter should be set to the desired data store with an existing Zone Data Collector, no configured zones, and the same farm name as the one used during image creation

b. SERVER= parameter should be set to the SQL Server where the desired data store is located

c. UID= field should have the correct ODBC username with SQL db_owner rights to allow for data store access

7. Restart the computer.

8. Open the Services window and verify that the IMA service started.

9. Login to the CMC and check farm, zone, and member server properties.

10. After all member servers can login to the CMC, add MetaFrame licenses and configure zones as needed.

11. Publish the necessary applications on member servers.

12. It is very important to note that images created in farm A on database X located on SQL Server 1 cannot be deployed to farm B. They can however, be deployed to database Y located on SQL Server 2 if a similar farm A exists there. This means that only the name of the farm must be the same, the SQL Server, data store, Zone Data Collector names can be different.

Unattended Installation Using the UnattendedInstall.exe

The unattendedinstall.exe program is included on the MetaFrame XP CD in the \support\Install directory.

Along with a sample answer file named XPFR2_UnattendedTemplate.txt. Which you can modify to include specific configuration settings for your Farm.

Command line to launch the unattended install is as follows:

UnattendedInstall <Windows Installer package> <answer file>

Here is a sample answer file for reference:



Sample Answer File

Unattended installation using Windows Installer 2.0

Command line:

msiexec /i package.msi TRANSFORMS=TransformList

You can create a customized transform using one of the sample transform files

1. Using your preferred tool for editing Windows Installer packages, open the sample transform you want to modify.

2. Enter new values for the properties you want to change.

3. Save the file with a new name.



Excellent articles on this method of deployment:

MetaFrame XPe Feature Release 2 Enterprise Distribution

Upgrade to Feature Release 3 with Installation Manager