NxTop Enterprise Quick Start Guide Revision 1 January 4, 2012
Use Virtual Computer’s Jumpstart Program to roll out a NxTop pilot in less than 90 minutes with no hardware investment!
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Table of Contents About this Document ...................................................................................................................... 3 About NxTop Center................................................................................................................ 3 NxTop Center Requirements ................................................................................................... 4 BIOS Settings ........................................................................................................................... 4 NxTop Engine Requirements ................................................................................................... 5 Testing Connectivity........................................................................................................................ 5 Verify NxTop Center Access ..................................................................................................... 5 Verify NxTop Engine Access ..................................................................................................... 5 Create a Test User ........................................................................................................................... 6 Adding Items to the NxTop Center Software Library ....................................................................... 7 Import ISO File Virtual Machine Creation ....................................................................................... 9 Creating a Virtual Machine ........................................................................................................... 10 Before you begin… ................................................................................................................ 11 Assign a Virtual Machine to a User ............................................................................................... 14 Register a Computer with NxTop Center ....................................................................................... 15 Appendix: Configuring Active Directory ....................................................................................... 16 How NxTop Center Implements Active Directories ....................................................................... 16 Downloading AD Explorer...................................................................................................... 16 Appendix: NxTop Installation and Evaluation Checklist ................................................................ 22 Preparation ................................................................................................................................... 22 NxTop Installation......................................................................................................................... 23 Evaluation ..................................................................................................................................... 24 Support ......................................................................................................................................... 24
NxTop™ Enterprise Quick Start Guide Copyright © 2012 Virtual Computer Inc. All rights reserved. This document may not be copied or reproduced in whole or part, including any part of text, diagrams, illustrations or art thereof by any means including translation for any purpose whatsoever, without express written permission from Virtual Computer Inc. Trademarks NxTop is a registered trademark of Virtual Computer, Inc. Virtual Computer is a trademark of Virtual Computer Inc. Any references made herein to other companies or products represent the trademarks of the respective owners of those trademarks, including Microsoft.
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About this Document This document provides information about NxTop Center, Virtual Computer’s network management application. For comprehensive information about installing and using NxTop Engine and NxTop Center, refer to the NxTop Administration Guide.
Use the procedures in this guide to become familiar with the processes used to create users and virtual machines. Start a free desktop virtualization pilot in less than 90 minutes at http://www.virtualcomputer.com/jumpstart-program.
About NxTop Center NxTop Center performs all the administrative tasks for the solution. It keeps a database of all objects in the NxTop solution:
Users (which computer is assigned to each, which VMs, Policies, and Virtual Applications are assigned, the backups for each NxTop Engine)
Groups (which users belong to which groups, and group assignments)
Virtual Machines (Which OS, and version, which Groups and Users, policies, and virtual applications are assigned)
Policies (policy definitions for Expiration, Backup, Lockout, USB device use)
Software (what is available in the Software library, and which NxTop Engine has it been assigned to)
Computers (which users are supposed to use them)
Events (detailed audit trail of actions for each object in NxTop Center)
NxTop Center builds the NxTop Engines, manages local users and groups, handles integration with Active Directory, and assigns VMs to users. When contacted by a NxTop Engine, it sends down (updated VMs, virtual applications, or policies, and restored user data) or accepts (backups) appropriate files and holds them as needed. NxTop Center can restore a user's data from backup onto the same or a new computer. NxTop Center itself can be backed up and restored using conventional backup tools. The NxTop Administrator can request information about the computer running a NxTop Engine - disk use, hardware available, diagnostics. The Administrator can create a copy of a NxTop Engine in a Workbench equipped with tools to examine and optimize it.
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NxTop Center Requirements NxTop Center requires the following: Processor: Operating System:
Intel Xeon 2.0 GHz, AMD Operton (Dual Core or better) Windows Server 2008 64bit R2 (Standard, Enterprise, or DataCenter) Microsoft Hyper-V (6.0.6002.18005 or higher) If Microsoft Hyper-V is not found, installation will halt and prompt you to install it. The required version is bundled with the operating system. For more information about Hyper-V requirements, refer to the BIOS Settings information below.
Available Dist Space: System Memory:
200GB + client backup requirements (this is for install not user backups) 6 Gb (8 Gb or more recommended)
Once installed, access NxTop Center through a Web browser (Internet Explorer 7or 8 supported). Browser requirements include:
Windows XP with SP3, Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 2008 Server OS Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 installed RDP Active X control enabled
BIOS Settings For Hyper-V to operate correctly, the server must have the following BIOS settings enabled: Virtualization:
enabled (checked)
VT:
enabled (checked)
Trusted Execution:
off (unchecked)
For Lenovo computers: Timer wake with battery:
enabled
You need to restart the computer for changes to the BIOS to take effect. On some systems, it may be necessary to power-down the computer for a few minutes, and then restart.
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NxTop Engine Requirements NxTop Engine requires the following: Processor:
Intel Processor with Virtualization Technology (VT) VT-dis is not required.
Graphics:
Memory: Disk Space:
64-bit processor nVidia, Intel, or ATI single graphics adapter up to two monitors 4GB Minimum for 1 Guest VM and NxTop Connect. Add at least 1GB per running guest VM. Minimum of 80 Gb; the exact needs of your environment may differ.
Virtual Computer makes it easy to determine if your computer will work with NxTop Engine. Access the NxTop Compatibility Tool on the Virtual Computer Web site to verify if your existing Windows machine supports the virtualization required to run NxTop Engine.
Testing Connectivity Before beginning with the procedures described in this manual, you must first verify connectivity with NxTop Center (the management application) and NxTop Engine (the virtual platform used to run VMs).
Verify NxTop Center Access To verify connectivity to NxTop Center: 1. Open a Web browser. 2. Browse to NxTop Center: https://servername:8443/MgmtConsole). If you cannot establish connectivity, consult your IT Administrator.
Verify NxTop Engine Access To verify connectivity to NxTop Engine: 1. Open the NxTop Engine Control Panel. 2. Locate the Wired and Wireless networking Control Panel. 3. In the Related Tasks section of the Control Panel (located in the left panel of the interface), select Test.
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4. In the Test Your Network Connection screen, enter the IP address of the management server. 5. Click OK to test the connection. If you cannot establish connectivity, consult your IT Administrator.
Create a Test User To begin you must first create a test user using NxTop Center: 1. Open a Web browser. 2. Browse to NxTop Center: https://servername:8443/MgmtConsole). The logon page appears:
3. In the login screen, enter the following credentials: Username – localadministrator Virtual Computer | Create a Test User
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Password – localadminpassword
After logging into, you must create a local user: 1. In NxTop Center, select Users in the navigation panel:
2. Click Create Local User in the Actions Panel; the Create a New user screen appears:
3. Enter the user information. 4. Click Finish; the user appears in the Users section of the tree. After creating a new user, use NxTop Center to import an ISO file, create a VM and assign it to a user.
Adding Items to the NxTop Center Software Library NxTop Center includes a software library that can contain the following types of items:
ISO images - installation files used to install operating systems and other software on a virtual machine
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Virtual Machines (VMs) - containing VHD (virtual hard drive) files containing pre-installed operating systems used to create a virtual machine Virtualized Applications - applications prepared to run in a virtual environment NxTop Engine Updates - updates for the NxTop Engine
NxTop Center does not include the tools required to create ISO files or Virtualized Applications. Your organization should select the tools you prefer, and create the files to import into the Software Library as described below. NxTop Center does include a set of sample Xenocode Virtualized Applications that you can optionally while installing NxTop Center. To add an item to the Software Library: 1. Copy the item into: the import folder of NxTop Center (C: \Program Files (x86)\Virtual Computer\NxTop Center\File Import), or the computer whose browser is connected to the server running NxTop Center If the file is larger than 1.4 GB, copy it to the NxTop Center import folder to avoid Browser timeout issues. 2. Log into NxTop Center using a Web browser, and click Software Library in the navigation panel. 3. Click the Import action. The Import Software Wizard appears.
4. Enter a Name and description to identify the item. 5. Select the type of Software you will import. Virtual Computer | Adding Items to the NxTop Center Software Library
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6. Specify where you put the file in step 1: Location – select from the dropdown list: o Import from local system (where your browser is running), or o Import from the server(the File Import folder under NxTop Center) Specify the file: o From the local file system: browse to the file location and highlight the file o From the server: select from the drop-down list of files in the import folder 7. Click Finish. The Software is copied to the Library, and appears in the list of items of that type. Once the file is in the library, it can be imported to create or use with a VM.
Import ISO File Virtual Machine Creation You can attach an ISO file to a virtual machine. An ISO file is a single-file image of a CD/DVD installation or data disk. Attaching an ISO file to a virtual machine creates a virtual CD/DVD drive within the virtual machine. Once the Attach ISO action has taken place, proceed with accessing the virtual CD/DVD drive as you would normally. The VM does not have to be running when you attach an ISO file. However, if the ISO includes an autorun file, the VM needs to be running with a user logged on to automatically start the autorun file. Quick Installation of Hyper-V Integration Services To provide a (virtual) mouse for virtual machines running in the Console, install Hyper-V Integration Services (HIS) on the virtual machine. To simplify this task, NxTop Center offers the ISO for Hyper-V Integration Services. This functionality is specific to Windows XP and Vista VMs only. An attached ISO is listed on the virtual machine's Summary tab. You can only attach one ISO file to a virtual machine at a time. Installing software from an ISO file is the same as any installation of software to a VM base image. See Adding Applications to a Virtual Machine for more information. To attach the Hyper-V Integration Services ISO to a virtual machine: 1. Click Virtual Machines in the navigation panel, and select the virtual machine you want to attach an ISO file to. 2. In the Actions Panel, click the Attach ISO action. The Attach ISO Wizard screen appears:
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3. Select the ISO to attach: a. Click the Hyper-V Integration Services radio button, or b. Click Software Library ISO, and then select the ISO from the drop-down list. The drop-down list displays all ISOs in the Software Library except Hyper-V Integration Services. 4. Click Finish.
Creating a Virtual Machine A virtual machine (VM) is a container that is run on a computer by the NxTop Engine. In addition to the operating system and any installed applications, the VM may include virtualized applications and policies that control aspects of its operation, like backup, access, and USB use. When you create a VM, you are selecting and preparing the components for use. A virtual machine must include an operating system (OS). The operating system can be installed from an OS ISO file or from a VM image:
OS ISO File: An OS ISO file is an disk image of an operating system installation kit. When run or opened, it installs the operating system just as if installing from a CD. Virtual Machine Image: A virtual copy of an installed operating system. A Virtual Machine image is created from an installed operating system, including a (group) license. Also called a Virtual Hard Disk (VHD). The steps below include creating a virtual machine, but do not include the steps required to assign a VM to users or groups, or to make a VM available to users. Once you begin to create a virtual machine, you can add, modify, or remove its components as needed without affecting users until the VM is published. Virtual Computer | Creating a Virtual Machine
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Before you begin… Import the components to be used in the virtual machine into the Software Library. The components must include either an OS ISO or a VM image. Define the operating policies to be used. Policies are good practice, but are optional. Policies can be assigned to a virtual machine at a later point. To create a virtual machine: 1. Click the Virtual Machines navigation bar in the navigation panel; click Create in the Virtual Machines Actions panel.
2. Identify the new virtual machine, and select the operating system and its source (ISO or VM image).
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3. For an ISO, decide whether to use automatic installation, and enter the information needed to run installation, including the NxTop Administrator password and product key. More details
4. For all virtual machines, enter the RAM and storage requirements to be used by the image. This screen is automatically populated with default values.
5. Select existing policies to assign to the virtual machine. Policies can also be assigned to a virtual machine later.
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6. Decide if this virtual machine is Custom or Shared. Updates made to shared virtual machines are propagated to users assigned to that virtual machine; updates to custom virtual machines are not propagated once the VM has been downloaded.
7. If you want to run this virtual machine immediately after creation, fill the check box and click Finish. The virtual machine is created. It appears in the Navigation tree in the list of virtual machines. The Image can be started, which opens the Console and starts the operating system.
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For a VM built around an ISO, the operating system installation starts. If the automatic installation option was not selected (see step 5), you must perform the installation manually. Use the Attach ISO action to add Hyper-V Integration Services (HIS) to the VM. HIS provides services when running the VM in the Console window. When you are finished with the virtual machine, either installing the operating system or adding applications, shut it down from within the operating system (system Shut down). The virtual machine can be published and then assigned to users.
Assign a Virtual Machine to a User To begin using the centralized management paradigm, you must first create a user using NxTop Center. Once a virtual machine (VM) has been published in a deployable version, it is ready to be assigned to one or more users. Once assigned, when the user's NxTop Engine contacts NxTop Center, it downloads any updates to the user’s assigned VMs. If a VM is assigned to a group, it is assigned to all users in that group. See Assign VM - Advanced Detail for more details on assigning a VM to users. To assign a VM to users: 1. In the Navigation Panel, select Virtual Machines. 2. Click All Virtual Machines.
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3. Locate the VM to assign. 4. Click the Groups or Users tab to display all the groups or users.
5. Fill the checkbox of each Group (or User) you want to assign the VM. Users or groups already assigned to that VM already have a populated checkbox: Fill the checkbox in the Current column to assign the current version of the VM. Fill the checkbox in the stage column to assign the staged version of the VM. 6. Click Save. The current published and deployable version of that VM is sent to the selected users or all members of a selected group.
Register a Computer with NxTop Center After creating a user and a virtual machine, you can register the computer with NxTop Center. A user is registered to one computer at a time. This ensures that updates to virtual machines, backups, and other communication between a user and NxTop Center are sent to and from the correct computer. To register a computer to a user, the user logs in to the NxTop Engine on their computer. The NxTop Engine contacts NxTop Center, which then registers the computer to that user; during this checkin, user credentials are verified. During the registration process, consider the following:
The user must already have an account with credentials provided from Active Directory. For more information, see the Active Directory Appendix at the end of this document. If a user is already registered to a computer, NxTop Center does not accept the login at the new computer. The user receives a message on the NxTop Engine; the user must unregister the computer first. For more information, refer to the NxTop Center online Help.
If the user (without a registered computer) logs in from a new computer, NxTop Center:
updates the user's assigned virtual machines and any Virtualized Applications downloads the user's backup data registers the user with the computer Virtual Computer | Register a Computer with NxTop Center
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NxTop Engine:
removes any VMs previously associated with the registered user retains any personal (locally created) VMs from the system and carries them forward from one registered user to the next
Appendix: Configuring Active Directory NxTop Center can be synchronized with an Active Directory (AD) database of users and their Organizational Units (OU). The user and OU definitions are imported into the management server by an initial data feed; you can import updates to keep the management server synchronized with updates or deletions in AD. This provides your organization with consistency and security, and saves time and effort by only maintaining one set of user accounts. To integrate with AD, you need to: 1. 2.
Configure the management server's AD values. Import users and their group definitions from your AD.
These steps describe how to configure the management server for your AD. Use the same steps if you are linking it to AD for the first time or if you are changing your current configuration.
How NxTop Center Implements Active Directories An Active Directory (AD) provides the means to manage the identities and relationships that make up your organization's network. It provides the functionality needed to centrally configure and administer system, user, and application settings. To facilitate viewing AD, Virtual Computer recommends AD Explorer - an application used to view and edit elements of AD. Using this application, you can cut and paste the values from your AD into the Active Directory Configuration tab in NxTop Center.
Downloading AD Explorer AD Explorer provides a number of key benefits when integrating with NxTop Center, including the ability to navigate an AD database, view object properties and attributes, and view an object's schema. AD Explorer runs on a Windows XP (or higher) client, server support is for Windows Server 2003 (or higher). To download this application, click here (http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/sysinternals/bb963907.aspx).
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After installing AD Explorer, launch the application. The AD Explorer page appears:
Using the AD Explorer main screen, you can browse the Active Directory. Next, connect to the domain that you are going to be working with and copy the domain name:
Log into NxTop Center and select Configuration in the Navigation Panel:
The workspace changes to display the Active Directory tab:
In the Active Directory Server field, enter the Active Directory Server name; for example oldroadcomputer.net. You could enter a Domain Controller or any available domain name, which will allow it to browse through the domain:
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Next, under “Domain Root DN” paste the copied domain from earlier; in the example below, the Domain Root DN is dc-oldroadcomputing, dc=net. Remember to put a space after every comma in an LDAP script:
The field reading “Domain Server Port” should read 389 since that is the standard port for Active Directory. Now, enter the “Principal User DN”. The principal user that is used needs to have the following privileges; need to be able to read LDAP and also write computers with specific OU. This means that you will want to stick with account operator’s privileges with the ability to write to specific OU, which will allows us to read LDAP.
To find the Principal User DN first go back into AD Explorer. Then expand the Domain:
Next, expand the users:
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Next, select the user you wish to use:
After selecting the user, highlight the string at the top and paste it into the Principal User DN field. Make sure to clear out any excess commas and add the spaces where they need to be:
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Next, enter the password for that particular user:
Enter the Operator Base DN which is just the container name where it’s located. It can be copied and pasted from above:
Specify where to import the users from. To import the entire domain, copy and paste the Operator Base DN into the Users Base DN field:
Use the same string in the Groups Base DN field:
After entering the Groups Base DN, specify where to create computers. Return to AD Explorer and select the location of your choosing. In the example below, a generic location Computers is chosen:
Copy the LDAP string: Virtual Computer | Appendix: Configuring Active DirectoryHow NxTop Center Implements Active Directories
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Paste the LDAP screen into the Computers Base DN field. Make sure to clear out any excess commas and add the spaces where they need to be:
There are advanced settings at the bottom of the Active Directory configuration panel. There is the capability to do an Auto Import. This setting is, by default, unchecked. This can automatically import your Active Directory every ten minutes. If you do decide to use this feature it is not recommended that the timing be reduced to five minutes or less. From here, click on the Test Active Directory button on the in the Actions Panel. This will verify the Active Directory, make sure you can connect to the Active Directory, and ensure that everything that you need is there.
After testing the AD connection, you can import users into AD. Select the Users tab in the Navigation Panel:
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Select Import from the Actions Panel:
Enter the account name and its corresponding password that can browse Active Directory. Then select Next to search for any changes in the Active Directory. Finally, click Finish and the changes that were found will be written to the database.
Appendix: NxTop Installation and Evaluation Checklist Use the information in this Appendix to verify the installation of NxTop Center and NxTop Engine. For additional information about installing NxTop, refer to the NxTop Center Installation Guide and the NxTop Engine Installation Guide.
Preparation Complete the following prior to starting the NxTop installation:
□ 1. Verify client system compatibility by running Virtual Computer’s HCL Tool. Make sure VT is enabled in the BIOS.
□ 2. Set up the NxTop server hardware. Ensure that the minimum specifications are met. □ 3. Download the NxTop Center Installation File from Virtual Computer’s customer portal. □ 4. Download the NxTop Engine Installation ISO from Virtual Computer’s customer portal and burn an installation CD.
□ 5. Download the NxTop Engine Upgrade Kit from Virtual Computer’s customer portal. □ 6. Install Windows Server 2008 R2, enable Hyper-V role and create a virtual network named “External Network”.
□ 7. Configure the server firewall to allow inbound HTTP connections on ports 443 and 8443. □ 8. Locate Active Directory information: domain server, domain root, principal user, and base Virtual Computer | Appendix: NxTop Installation and Evaluation ChecklistPreparation
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DN for operator, users, groups and computers. The Principal User has sufficient privileges to add computers.
□ 9. 32b Windows XP or Windows 7 Guest OS ISO file(s) available. Request instructions to import a virtual machine from an existing NxTop Center installation.
□ 10. Verify that client systems have network connectivity to the server. A wired gigabit connection is recommended for downloading Guest VM images. Physical access to client systems is needed to install NxTop Engine and enter user passwords.
□ 11. Be prepared to log into GoToMeeting via the Internet either on the Server or on a system with RDP connectivity to the server.
NxTop Installation Complete the following during NxTop installation:
□ 1. Install NxTop Center on W2K8 Server. Verify IE ActiveX Settings. □ 2. Set up the Hyper-V configuration using local Administrator credentials. To use a domain account, contact Virtual Computer for additional information.
□ 3. Set up and test Active Directory configuration. □ 4. Import AD users and/or create local users. □ 5. Import ISO or VHD files for guest virtual machines. □ 6. Create guest virtual machines. □ 7. Publish guest virtual machines and assign to users. □ 8. Install NxTop Engine on client systems. □ 9. Register client systems with NxTop Center. □ 10. Download guest virtual machines to the client system. □ 11. NxPrep, boot, and run guest virtual machines on the client system.
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Evaluation Use the following steps to evaluate the preparation and installation:
□ 1. Define evaluation and test plan acceptance criteria. □ 2. Expected duration defined (how long will the evaluation take?). □ 3. Status call scheduled with Virtual Computer. Support Please contact
[email protected] if you have any questions, feedback or need help during the evaluation.
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