Workspace Environment Manager is Citrix’s Performance Management and UEM tool for all XenApp/XenDesktop Enterprise or Platinum Customers with active Software Maintenance (Subscription Advantage is not sufficient).
Navigation
Install WEM Server (Broker Service)
Create WEM Database
WEM Broker Configuration
Install WEM Console
Import Recommended Settings
WEM Agent Configuration
WEM Agent Group Policy
Install WEM Agent
WEM Actions Configuration
Install WEM Server (Broker Service)
The WEM Broker Service can be installed on one or more servers. The WEM Agent cannot be installed on the Broker Server.
Go to the downloaded Workspace Environment Manager 4.0, and run Citrix Workspace Environment Management Infrastructure Services v4.00.00.00 Setup.exe.
Click Install to install the prerequisites.
In the Welcome to the InstallShield Wizard for Citrix Workspace Environment Magement Infrastructure Services page, click Next.
In the License Agreement page, select I accept the terms, and click Next.
In the Customer Information page, click Next.
In the Setup Type page, click Next.
In the Ready to Install the Program page, click Install.
In the InstallShield Wizard Completed page, click Finish.
Create WEM Database
The person running Database Management must be a sysadmin on the SQL Server. Or you can enter a SQL login.
On the WEM server, run Database Management from the Start Menu.
In the ribbon, click Create Database.
In the Create database Wizard page, click Next.
In the Database Informations page, enter the SQL server name, enter a new Database Name, and click Next.
In the Database Server Credentials page, if your account has sysadmin permissions, then leave the box checked. Otherwise, uncheck the box, and enter a SQL login that has sysadmin permissions. Click Next.
In the VUEM Administrators section, click Browse, and select your Citrix Admins group.
In the Database Security page, if you intend to load balance multiple WEM servers, then specify a Windows service account for database access. The Broker Service will run as this account. Click Next.
In the Database Information Summary page, click Create Database.
Click OK when prompted that the database was created successfully.
Click Finish.
WEM Broker Configuration
On the WEM Server, run Broker Service Configuration from the Start Menu.
On the Database Settings tab, enter the SQL Server name and database name.
Switch to the Advanced Settings tab.
If you intend to load balance WEM Servers, then Browse to a service acccount. This service account must have access to the database.
The service account must be in the local Administrators group on the WEM server.
On the Database Maintenance tab, consider checking Enable Scheduled Database Maintenance.
On the Licensing tab, you can enter a Citrix License Server that has valid licenses. Or you can enter the license server later in the admin console.
Click Save Configuration in the ribbon.
Click Yes when asked to restart the Broker Service.
If you are load balancing WEM servers, then you must also create a Kerberos SPN, where [accountname] is your service account.
setspn -U -S Norskale/BrokerService [accountname]
Install WEM Console
Run Citrix Workspace Environment Management Console v4.00.00.00 Setup.exe.
In the Welcome to the InstallShield Wizard for Citrix Workspace Environment Management Console page, click Next.
In the License Agreement page, select I accept the terms, and click Next.
In the Customer Information page, click Next.
In the Setup Type page, click Next.
In the Ready to Install the Program page, click Install.
In the InstallShield Wizard Completed page, click Finish.
Import Recommended Settings
From the Start Menu, run Administration Console.
In the ribbon, click Connect.
In the Database Broker Informations window, enter the WEM Server name, and click Connect.
On the right side of the ribbon, click Import Settings.
In the Settings Import Wizard page, click Next.
In the Export File Load section, click Browse, and browse to the \Workspace-Environment-Management-v-4-00-00\Configuration Templates\Default Recommended Settings folder that was included in the WEM download.
In the Settings Type Selection section, check all available boxes, and click Next.
In the Settings Import Processing window, click Import Settings.
Click Yes when prompted to replace.
Click Finish.
WEM Agent Configuration
In the WEM Administration Console, in the Advanced Settings workspace, there are several tabs for configuring the agent.
One you might want to enable is Launch Agent for admins.
Also consider enabling Launch Agent at Reconnect.
On the right, on the Reconnection Actions tab, you select which modules should be refreshed on reconnect.
On the right, the Agent Options tab defaults to processing printers and drives asynchronously.
Setting on these tabs are mostly self-explanatory. Feel free to change any as desired.
On the left, in the Advanced Settings workspace, there’s a UI Agent Personalization node.
On the right, in the UI Agent Options tab, you can change the Agent skin, and Preview it.
After Agents are installed, the Administration workspace, Agents node, shows the list of Agents, allowing you to perform actions against an Agent.
The System Optimization workspace lets you configure the various optimizations.
Fast Logoff disconnects a session and lets logoff processes run in the background.
CPU Spikes Protection gives processes equal access to the CPU.
Other tabs on the right let you manually specify CPU priority and/or clamping.
Memory Management periodically reclaims memory from running processes.
IO Management can prioritize process IO.
Process Management lets you Blacklist processes. There’s also a WhiteList, but once something is added to the WhiteList, then all other processes are blocked.
In the Policies and Profiles workspace, you can enable Environmental Settings, and configure restrictions that are usually configured in group policy. Peruse the various tabs on the right. Administrators can be excluded from these restrictions.
If you switch to the Citrix UPM Settings node, you can use WEM to configure Citrix Profile Management. Note: the NTUSER.DAT backup feature in UPM 5.5 seems to be missing.
The File System tab has a useful Profile Cleansing button to remove excluded folders from an existing UPM profile share.
The Monitoring workspace lets you see Logon Time and Boot Time reports. Double-click a category to see more info.
Configuration node lets you configure Work Day Filtering for Login/Boot Time Reports.
WEM Agent Group Policy
In the WEM Download, go to the \Workspace-Environment-Management-v-4-00-00\Configuration ADM – ADMX folder, and copy the .admx file, and the en-US folder to the clipboard.
Go \\MyADDomain.com\sysvol\MyADDomain.com\Policies. If you have a PolicyDefinitions folder here, paste the file and folder.
If you don’t have PolicyDefinitions in Sysvol, then instead go to C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions, and paste the file and folder there.
Edit a GPO that applies to the VDAs that will run the WEM Agent.
Go to Computer Configuration | Policies | Administrative Templates | Citrix | Workspace Environment Manager | Agent Host Configuration.
On the right, double-click Connection Broker Name.
Enable the setting, enter the WEM server name (or load balanced name), and click OK.
Install WEM Agent
On a VDA Master, run the downloaded Citrix Workspace Environment Management Agent v4.00.00.00 Setup.exe.
Click Install to install the prerequisites.
In the Welcome to the InstallShield Wizard for Citrix Workspace Environment Manager Agent Host page, click Next.
In the License Agreement page, select I accept the terms, and click Next.
In the Customer Information page, click Next.
In the Setup Type page, click Next.
In the Ready to Install the Program page, click Install.
In the InstallShield Wizard Completed page, click Finish.
FYI, the Agent creates a local user named vuemLocalUser. It’s not added to any groups or User Rights.
Optionally, you can pre-build the Agent Cache by running AgentCacheUtility.exe, which is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Norskale\Norskale Agent Host.
It needs the following switches:
-refreshcache -brokername:MyWEMServer
WEM Actions Configuration
In the WEM Console, use the Actions workspace to map drives, map printers, create shortcuts (Applications), set registry keys, etc. Click the Add button on the bottom of each node. These Actions are self explanatory.
Note: Network Drives have no field for selecting a drive letter. Instead, you configure the drive letter later when performing the assignment as detailed below.
Note: Applications have no option for placing a shortcut on the Desktop. Instead, you configure shortcut placement later when performing the assignment as detailed below.
After you create Applications (Shortcuts) and assign them, on the agent, there’s a Manage Applications tool that lets users control where shortcuts are created, including pinning to Taskbar and Start Menu.
For the Printers Action, in the ribbon, there’s a Import Network Print Server button.
For the Registry Entries Action, in the ribbon, there’s an Import Registry File button.
For Folders and Files, each Action has an Options tab that lets you set the Type of Action.
Once the Actions are created, you then need to decide under what conditions the Actions are performed. Go to the Filters workspace, and on the Conditions node, create Conditions.
Then switch to the Rules node and create Rules. If you add multiple Conditions to a Rule, all Conditions must match.
Go to the Configured Users workspace, and add groups and/or users that will receive the Action assignments.
Go to the Assignments workspace. Initially the bottom half is empty. Double-click a group to show the Actions that are available for assignment.
Move an available Action from the left to the right.
You will be prompted to select a Filter, which contains one or more Conditions.
On the right, some Actions have additional options that you can right-click. For example, you can create shortcuts on the desktop. Or assign a drive letter to a drive mapping.