eG Monitoring
 

Measures reported by CtxALPformLayerTest

A Platform Layer is a special virtual disk layer that contains configuration settings, tools, and other software necessary to run a published image on a particular platform. For example, a platform layer for XenServer would include the XenTools software. Two platform layer types can be created:

Publishing Platform Layer: This type of Platform Layer is used to include the software required by a target provisioning system, broker, and hypervisor. For example, a publishing Platform Layer to support Provisioning Services on vSphere for Citrix Virtual Apps have the Citrix VDA, and PVS Device Drivers installed. If vSphere is not the same hypervisor where packaging is performed, then this layer also has VMware Tools installed.

Packaging Platform Layer: Packaging Platform Layers are used if a packaging layer is required to support packaging machines.

Typically, App, OS, and User Layers contain OS-specific information, so it is very easy to use the concept of a Platform Layer to move other layers between different hypervisors. Platform Layers enable administrators to update applications and operating systems at one time, and distribute them to multiple sites. The Platform layer has highest priority in Citrix App Layering and plays vital role in running published images on a specific platform. If the Platform layer is not deployed on time, the published images will not run on the platform without the configuration files and tools provided by the Platform Layer. This will adversely delay application delivery, seriously reduce user productivity and degrade user experience. To avoid such unpleasant events, administrators should check the status of the Platform Layer continuously. This check can be easily done using the Platform Layers - AL test.

This test continuously monitor the Platform Layers created using the to the target Citrix App Layering Manager and for each Platform Layer, reports whether the Platform Layer is available for attaching to the published image. This way, administrators can instantly identify the Platform Layer that is not ready to be attached to the published image and sort-out the issues before end-users notice. In addition, this test reports the number of images to which each Platform Layer is attached and the number of collections and desktops that are currently using each Platform Layer. Using this test, administrators can figure out the Platform Layer that is widely accessed by the users.

Outputs of the test: One set of results for each Platform Layer created by the target Citrix Platform Layering Manager

Descriptor: Platform Layer

The measures made by this test are as follows:

Measurement Description Measurement Unit Interpretation
Status Indicates the current status of this Platform Layer.  

The values that this measure reports and their corresponding numeric values are listed in the table below:

Measure value Numeric Value
Deployable 10
Editing 30
Others 40

Note:

By default, this measure reports the Measure Values discussed in the table above. However, the graph of this measure is indicated using the numeric equivalents only.

The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the name and current status of the Platform Layer, name of the OS layer to which the Platform Layer is attached, name of the template that is being used by each Platform Layer, environment at which a particular Platform Layer is created, maximum layer size and time stamp at which each Platform Layer is created and last modified.

Total_layersize Indicates the total size set for this Platform Layer. GB

 
Maximum_layersize Indicates the Max Layer size set for this Platform Layer. GB

 
Collections_used Indicates the number of collections that are currently using this Platform Layer. Number

Compare the values of these measures across Platform Layers to identify the Platform Layer that is frequently used by images, collections and desktops.
Desktops_used Indicates the number of desktops that are currently using this Platform Layer. Number

Compare the values of these measures across Platform Layers to identify the Platform Layer that is frequently used by images, collections and desktops.
Images_used Indicates the number of images that are currently using this Platform Layer. Number

Compare the values of these measures across Platform Layers to identify the Platform Layer that is frequently used by images, collections and desktops.