Study guide
Technical reference and lesson notes
This article documents the process for preparing a master machine, installing the Citrix Provisioning Target Device software, running the Imaging Wizard, creating a vDisk, and validating that the machine can PXE boot and begin the imaging process.
This procedure is used when building a Citrix Provisioning Services image from a master device so that additional target devices can boot from the shared vDisk instead of using local disks.
Applies To
Citrix Provisioning
Citrix Provisioning Services Target Device Software
Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops master images
PXE boot environments
DHCP options 66 and 67
SQL-backed Citrix Provisioning farms
Overview
In a Citrix Provisioning environment, the master target device is the machine used to create the base image. The master device normally has the Citrix VDA installed first so it can communicate with the Citrix Delivery Controller once it is provisioned. After that, the Citrix Provisioning Target Device software is installed on the master device. Citrix’s documentation describes the master target device as the machine from which the hard disk image is built and stored on a virtual disk, which Citrix Provisioning then streams to other target devices.
Once the Target Device software is installed, the Imaging Wizard is used to connect to the Citrix Provisioning farm, create the vDisk definition, register the master device, and prepare the device for imaging. Citrix’s Imaging Wizard process starts from the master target device and connects to a Citrix Provisioning server in the farm.
Prerequisites
Before starting, confirm the following items are in place.
The Citrix Provisioning server is installed and configured.
The Citrix Provisioning Console can connect to the farm.
The master device has the Citrix VDA installed.
The master device has network connectivity to the PVS server.
The PVS server can access the Citrix Provisioning database.
The account used by Citrix Provisioning has the required SQL permissions.
DHCP/PXE boot options are configured or ready to be configured.
The master device can boot from the network.
For SQL-backed farms, Citrix notes that the admin database principal requires securityadmin for creating and updating SQL Server logins and db_owner for an existing database. If a new database is being created, dbcreator is also required.
Install the Citrix Provisioning Target Device Software
Log on to the master device.
Launch the Citrix Provisioning Target Device installation media.
Run the Target Device installer.
Accept the license agreement.
Proceed through the installation wizard using the default options unless the environment requires a custom configuration.
When prompted, allow the installer to complete.
After installation, the Imaging Wizard can be launched from the master device.
Check for Filter Driver Issues Before Imaging
Before running the imaging process, check the master device for third-party filter drivers that could interfere with the Citrix Provisioning Target Device software or the imaging process.
Open PowerShell or Command Prompt as Administrator.
Run:
fltmc
Review the loaded minifilter drivers.
In a clean environment, you should expect to see standard Microsoft filter drivers. If third-party antivirus, security, or unknown minifilter drivers are loaded above Citrix-related drivers, they may interfere with imaging or boot behavior.
If suspicious or unnecessary third-party filter drivers are present, temporarily remove or disable the related security software before imaging. After the image is successfully created and validated, the security tooling can be re-enabled or reinstalled as appropriate.
Resolve SQL Permission or Farm Connection Issues
During the Imaging Wizard, the master device must connect back to the Citrix Provisioning server and farm database. In the transcript scenario, the Imaging Wizard initially failed to connect correctly because of a SQL/database permission issue and an older leftover PVS database/user mapping.
To resolve this type of issue, verify the following.
Confirm the correct Citrix Provisioning database is being used.
In the Citrix Provisioning Console, right-click the farm and review the farm properties.
Confirm the database server and database name match the intended PVS database.
On SQL Server, review the login used by Citrix Provisioning.
Confirm the login is mapped to the correct PVS database.
Confirm the account has the required database role, normally db_owner for the PVS database.
Remove old or duplicate database mappings from previous lab or test installs if they are causing confusion.
If needed, recreate the SQL login and map it cleanly to the correct PVS database.
After correcting the SQL permissions and user mapping, rerun the Imaging Wizard from the master device.
Run the Citrix Provisioning Imaging Wizard
On the master device, open the Imaging Wizard from the Citrix Provisioning program group.
Enter the Citrix Provisioning server name.
Use the appropriate port and credentials.
Connect to the PVS farm.
Select the device collection where the master target device should be created.
Provide a name for the master target device.
Continue through the wizard.
The Imaging Wizard creates the target device record and associates it with the master machine’s MAC address. This is important because when the machine PXE boots, Citrix Provisioning uses the MAC address to identify the device and determine what it should boot from.
Create the vDisk
During the Imaging Wizard, create a new vDisk.
Provide a vDisk name.
Select the appropriate vDisk store.
Select the vDisk format.
For most modern deployments, use VHDX unless there is a specific reason to use another format.
Select dynamic sizing unless the environment requires fixed sizing.
Select the full disk unless only specific partitions need to be captured.
Run the target device optimization when prompted.
Citrix specifically notes that the Imaging Wizard is used to create the vDisk image, and that target device optimization should be selected when creating the image.
After the wizard completes the preparation stage, it does not immediately image the disk. It prepares the machine, creates the vDisk entry, and then prompts for a reboot or shutdown.
In the transcript scenario, the device was shut down so the boot settings could be adjusted before imaging.
Configure the Master Device to PXE Boot
After the Imaging Wizard prepares the master device, shut down the VM.
Adjust the VM boot order so the machine attempts to boot from the network.
If using Hyper-V Generation 1, a legacy network adapter may be required for PXE boot.
If a new network adapter is added, the MAC address may change. If the MAC address changes, update the target device record in the Citrix Provisioning Console so it matches the new adapter MAC address.
This step is critical. If the MAC address in Citrix Provisioning does not match the MAC address used during PXE boot, the PVS server will not correctly identify the target device.
Configure DHCP/PXE Options
If DHCP is being used to provide PXE boot information, configure the appropriate scope options.
Option 66 should point to the Citrix Provisioning/PXE server.
Option 67 should contain the bootstrap file name.
Citrix documentation states that DHCP can deliver the bootstrap file location using option 67 and either option 60 or 66.
In many environments, the common configuration is:
Option 66: PVS server name or IP address
Option 67: ARDBP32.BIN or the applicable Citrix bootstrap file
Confirm the exact bootstrap file name from the Citrix Provisioning server bootstrap configuration.
Boot the Master Device and Start Imaging
Power on the master device.
The device should PXE boot.
The device should obtain an IP address from DHCP.
The device should locate the PXE/TFTP server.
The bootstrap file should load.
The device should connect to the Citrix Provisioning server.
Citrix Provisioning should identify the device by MAC address.
The device should boot according to the settings configured in the PVS Console.
At this stage, the imaging process should begin and the contents of the master device disk should be written into the new vDisk.
Troubleshooting PXE or Imaging Issues
If the device does not PXE boot, verify the VM boot order and network adapter type.
If the device gets an IP address but does not find the PVS server, verify DHCP options 66 and 67.
If the bootstrap file does not load, verify TFTP accessibility and confirm the bootstrap file name.
If the device connects to PVS but does not boot correctly, verify the MAC address on the target device record.
If the Imaging Wizard cannot connect to the farm, verify the PVS server name, ports, credentials, firewall rules, and SQL database permissions.
If the device blue screens or hangs during boot, review recently installed drivers, antivirus software, security tools, and filter drivers.
For filter driver review, run:
fltmc
If needed, enable verbose bootstrap logging from the Citrix Provisioning bootstrap configuration to see more detail during the PXE boot process.
Validation
After the imaging process completes, validate the following.
The vDisk exists in the correct PVS store.
The vDisk is visible in the Citrix Provisioning Console.
The master target device record has the correct MAC address.
The target device can boot from the assigned vDisk.
The vDisk can be switched into the appropriate mode for testing.
The VDA can register with the Delivery Controller after boot.
The image can support additional target devices.
Internal Notes
The Target Device software should be installed after the VDA is already present on the master image.
The Imaging Wizard prepares the vDisk and device record before the actual imaging process begins.
The MAC address is a key part of the PVS boot process.
If a network adapter is changed after the Imaging Wizard runs, update the MAC address in the PVS Console.
DHCP option 66 and 67 must be correct for PXE boot scenarios.
SQL database user mapping issues can prevent the Imaging Wizard from connecting to the PVS farm correctly.
Third-party antivirus and filter drivers can interfere with imaging and should be reviewed before capturing the image.
Reference Links
https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/provisioning/current-release/install/target-image-prepare.html
https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/provisioning/current-release/install/vdisks-image-wizard.html
https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/provisioning/current-release/manage/managing-target-device.html
https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/provisioning/current-release/install/pre-install.html
https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/provisioning/7-15/install/bootstrap-file.html
https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/provisioning/1912-ltsr/install/network-components.html