eG Monitoring
 

Measures reported by CtxXcXDUserExpTest

The Citrix Excalibur environment is a shared environment in which multiple users may connect to a Citrix XenDesktop Site and access a wide variety of applications. When server resources are shared, excessive resource utilization by a single user could impact the performance for other users. Therefore, continuous monitoring of the activities of each and every user on the server is critical. Towards this end, the CtxXcXDUserExpTest test assesses the traffic between the user terminal and the server, and also monitors the resources taken up by a user's session on the server. The results of this test can be used in troubleshooting and proactive monitoring. For example, when a user reports a performance problem, an administrator can quickly check the bandwidth usage of the user's session, the CPU/memory/disk usage of this user's session as well as the resource usage of other user sessions. The administrator also has access to details on what processes/applications the user is accessing and their individual resource usage. This information can be used to spot any offending processes/ applications.

The measures made by this test are as follows:

Measurement Description Measurement Unit Interpretation
Cpu_util The CPU utilization for a session is the percentage of time that all of the threads/processes of a user session used the processor to execute instructions. If a user is connected via multiple sessions, the value reported is the sum of all cpu utilizations across all the sessions. Percent This value indicates the percentage of Cpu resources that are used by a specific user. Excessive CPU usage by a user can impact performance for other users. Check the detailed diagnosis to view the offending processes/applications.
Handles Indicates the total number of handles being currently held by all processes of a user. Number A consistent increase in the handle count over a period of time is indicative of malfunctioning of programs. Compare this value across users to see which user is using a lot of handles. Check detailed diagnosis for further information.
Input_audio_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used while transmitting sound/audio to this user. Kbps Comparing these values across users will reveal which user is sending/receiving bandwidth-intensive sound/audio files over the ICA channel.

To minimize bandwidth consumption, you may want to consider disabling client audio mapping.
Output_audio_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used while receiving sound/audio from this user. Kbps
Input_bandwidth Indicates the average bandwidth used for client to server communications for all the sessions of a user. KB/Sec  
Output_bandwidth Indicates the average bandwidth used for server to client communications for all the sessions of a user. Kbps  
Input_com_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used when sending data to this user's COM port. Kbps Comparing these values across users will reveal which user's COM port is sending/receiving bandwidth-intensive data over the ICA channel.

These measures will be reported only if the COLLECT EXTENDED METRICS flag is set to ‘Yes’.
Output_com_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used when receiving data from this user's COM port. Kbps
Input_compression Indicates the average compression ratio for client to server traffic for all the sessions of a user. Number  
Output_compression Indicates the average compression ratio for server to client traffic for all the sessions of a user. Number  
Input_drive_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used when this user performs file operations on the mapped drive on the virtual desktop. Kbps Comparing the values of these measures across users will reveal which user is performing bandwidth-intensive file operations over the ICA channel.

If bandwidth consumption is too high, you may want to consider disabling client drive mapping on the client device. Client drive mapping allows users logged on to a virtual desktop from a client device to access their local drives transparently from the ICA session. Alternatively, you can conserve bandwidth by even refraining from accessing large files with client drive mapping over the ICA connection.

These measures will be reported only if the COLLECT EXTENDED METRICS flag is set to ‘Yes’.
Output_drive_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used when the virtual desktop performs file operations on the client's drive. Kbps
Input_hdx_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used from this user to virtual desktop for flash data traffic. Kbps Comparing the values of these measures across users will reveal which user has been transmitting/receiving bandwidth-intensive flash data.
Output_hdx_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used from the virtual desktop to this user for flash data traffic. Kbps
Input_usb_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used from this user to virtual desktop by Program Neighborhood to obtain application set details. Kbps Comparing the values of these measures across users will reveal which user has been transmitting/receiving bandwidth-intensive PN traffic.

These measures will be reported only if the COLLECT EXTENDED METRICS flag is set to ‘Yes’.
Output_usb_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth, used from the virtual desktop to this user by Program Neighborhood to obtain application set details. Kbps
IO_reads Indicates the rate of I/O reads done by all processes being run by a user. KBps These metrics measure the collective I/O activity (which includes file, network and device I/O's) generated by all the processes being executed by a user. When viewed along with the system I/O metrics reported by the DiskActivityTest, these measures help you determine the network I/O. Comparison across users helps identify the user who is running the most I/O-intensive processes. Check the detailed diagnosis for the offending processes/applications.
IO_writes Indicates the rate of I/O writes done by all processes being run by a user. Kbps
Latency_avg Indicates the average client latency for a user. The value reported is the average of the latencies for all the current sessions of a user. Secs These measures will be reported only if the COLLECT EXTENDED METRICS flag is set to ‘Yes’.
Latency_devn The latency deviation represents the difference between the minimum and maximum measured latency values for a session. The value reported is the average of the latency deviations for all the current sessions of a user. Secs Ideally, the deviation in latencies over a session should be minimum so as to provide a consistent experience for the user.

These measures will be reported only if the COLLECT EXTENDED METRICS flag is set to ‘Yes’.
Latency_last Represents the average client latency for the last request from a user. The latency is measured by the Citrix XenDesktop Apps server based on packets sent to and from each client during a session - this includes network delay plus server side processingdelays. The value reported is the average of the last latencies for all the current sessions of a user. Secs A consistently high latency may be indicative of performance degradations with the Citrix XenDesktop Apps servers. Possible reasons for an increase in latency could be increased network delays, network congestion, server slow-down, too many simultaneous users on the server etc. Typically latencies on a erver will be below 5 secs.

These measures will be reported only if the COLLECT EXTENDED METRICS flag is set to ‘Yes’.
Mem_util This value represents the ratio of the resident set size of the memory utilized by the user to the physical memory of the host system, expressed as a percentage. If a user is connected via multiple sessions, the value reported is the sum of all memory utilizations across all the sessions. Percent This value indicates the percentage of memory resources that are used up by a specific user. By comparing this value across users, an administrator can identify the most heavy users of the Citrix XenDesktop Apps server. Check the detailed diagnosis to view the offending processes/applications.
No_of_sessions Indicates the current number of sessions for a particular user. Number A value of 0 indicates that the user is not currently connected to the Citrix XenDesktop Apps server.

Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to know the details of the sessions.

Input_line_speed Indicates the average line speed from the client to the server for all the sessions of a user. Kbps  
Output_line_speed Indicates the average line speed from the server to the client for all the sessions of a user. Kbps  
Input_printer_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used when this user prints to a desktop printer over the ICA channel. Kbps Comparing the values of these measures across users will reveal which user is issuing bandwidth-intensive print commands over the ICA channel.

If bandwidth consumption is too high, you may want to consider disabling printing. Alternatively, you can avoid printing large documents over the ICA connection.
Output_printer_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used when the desktop responds to print jobs issued by this user. Kbps
Input_speedscreen_data_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used from this user to the virtual desktop for data channel traffic. Kbps Comparing the values of these measures across users will reveal which user has been transmitting/receiving bandwidth-intensive data channel traffic.

These measures will be reported only if the COLLECT EXTENDED METRICS flag is set to ‘Yes’.
Output_speedscreen_data_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used from virtual desktop to this user for data channel traffic. Kbps
Input_speedscreen_multi_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used from this user to virtual desktop for flash v2 data traffic. Kbps Comparing the values of these measures across users will reveal which user has been transmitting/receiving bandwidth-intensive flash v2 data.

These measures will be reported only if the COLLECT EXTENDED METRICS flag is set to ‘Yes’.
Output_speedscreen_multi_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used from the virtual desktop to this user for flash v2 data traffic. Kbps
Page_faults Indicates the rate of page faults seen by all processes being run by a user. Faults/Sec Page Faults occur in the threads executing in a process. A page fault occurs when a thread refers to a virtual memory page that is not in its working set in main memory. If the page is on the standby list and hence already in main memory, or if the page is in use by another process with whom the page is shared, then the page fault will not cause the page to be fetched from disk. Excessive page faults could result in decreased performance. Compare values across users to figure out which user is causing most page faults.
Virtual_memory Indicates the total virtual memory being used by all processes being run by a user. MB Comparison across users reveals the user who is being a drain on the virtual memory space.
Cpu_util_time Indicates the percentage of time, across all processors, this user hogged the CPU. Percent The Cpu_util measure averages out the total CPU usage of a user on the basis of the number of processors. For instance, if your Citrix XenDesktop Apps server is using an 8-core processor and the total CPU usage of a user across all his/her sessions amounts to 80%, then the value of the Cpu_util measure for that user will be 10 % (80/8 processors = 10). This accurately denotes the extent of CPU usage in an environment where load is uniformly balanced across multiple processors. However, in environments where load is not well-balanced, the Cpu_util measure may not be an accurate indicator of CPU usage per user. For instance, if a single processor is used nearly 80% of the time by a user, and other 7 processors in the 8-core processor environment are idle, the Cpu_util measure will still report CPU usage as 10%. This may cause administrators to miss out on the fact that the user is actually hogging a particular processor! In such environments therefore, its best to use the Cpu_util_time measure! By reporting the total CPU usage of a user across all his/her sessions and across all the processors the target Citrix XenDesktop Apps server supports, this measure serves as the true indicator of the level of CPU usage by a user in dynamic environments. For instance, in the example above, the Cpu_util_time of the user will be 80% (and not 10%, as in the case of the CPU usage for user's processes measure). A high value or a consistent increase in the value of this measure is hence serious and demands immediate attention. In such situations, use the detailed diagnosis of the Cpu_util measure to know what CPU-intensive activities are being performed by the user.
Bandwidth_usage Indicates the percentage HDX bandwidth consumption of this user. Percent Compare the value of this measure across users to know which user is consuming the maximum HDX bandwidth.
Input_bandwidth_usage Indicates the percentage HDX bandwidth consumed by client to server traffic of this user. Percent
Input_thinwire_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used from client to server for ThinWire traffic. Kbps Typically, ICA traffic is comprised of many small packets, as well as a some large packets. Large packets are commonly generated for initial session screen paints and printing jobs, whereas the ongoing user session is principally comprised of many small packets. For the most part, these small packets are the highest priority ICA data called Thinwire. Thinwire incorporates mouse movements and keystrokes.

Compare the value of these measures across users to know which user's keystrokes and mouse movements are generating bandwidth-intensive traffic.

These measures will be reported only if the COLLECT EXTENDED METRICS flag is set to ‘Yes’.
Output_thinwire_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used from server to client for ThinWire traffic. Kbps
Input_seamless_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used from client to server for published applications that are not embedded in a session window. Kbps Compare the value of these measures across users to know which user is accessing bandwidth-intensive applications that are not in a session window.

These measures will be reported only if the COLLECT EXTENDED METRICS flag is set to ‘Yes’.
Output_seamless_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used from server to client for published applications that are not embedded in a session window. Kbps
Input_ss_mm_a_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used from this user to virtual desktop for multimedia traffic. Kbps Comparing the values of these measures across users will reveal which user has been transmitting/receiving bandwidth-intensive multimedia traffic.
Output_ss_mm_a_bandwidth Indicates the bandwidth used from the virtual desktop to this user for multimedia traffic. Kbps
Frame_rate Indicates the rate at which the frames are transmitted from the server to the client. Frames/sec This measure should be maintanined in a permissible range. A sudden rise or fall of this measure could be a cause of concern.
Resource_shares Indicates the total number of resource shares used by this user. Number By comparing the value of this measure across users, you can identify the user who is hogging the resources.

This measure will be reported only if the COLLECT EXTENDED METRICS flag is set to ‘Yes’.
Framehawk Indicates the rate at which frames are processed by the Framehawk virtual channel, if it is enabled for this user session. Frames/sec The Framehawk virtual channel optimizes the delivery of virtual desktops and applications to users on broadband wireless connections, when high packet loss or congestion occurs.

Note:

This measure will report the value 0 if Framehawk is not enabled for a user or if the device from which the user is accessing the application does not support Framehawk.
Framehawk_nwbandwidth Indicates the bandwidth consumption of this user session when the Framehawk virtual delivery channel is used. Kbps This is a good measure of the effectiveness of Framehawk in optimizing the bandwidth usage over the virtual delivery channel. A low value is desired for this measure.

Note:

This measure will report the value 0 if Framehawk is not enabled for a user or if the device from which the user is accessing the application does not support Framehawk.
Framehawk_latency Indicates the latency experienced by this user session when the Framehawk virtual delivery channel is used. Secs This measure will report the value 0 if Framehawk is not enabled for a user or if the device from which the user is accessing the application does not support Framehawk.
Framehawk_nwloss Indicates the percentage of packet loss experienced by this user session when the Framehawk virtual delivery channel is used. Percent This measure will report the value 0 if Framehawk is not enabled for a user or if the device from which the user is accessing the application does not support Framehawk.
ICA_nwlatency Indicates the latency experienced by this user when transmitting/receiving data over the ICA channel. Secs A low value is a sign of the good health of the ICA channel.