How do you deploy XenApp 5.0 on hundreds of Windows Server 2008 x64 silently? The strategy here is to deploy XenApp 5 on all the servers first, with its local farm (temporary). After that, an administrator can join the server to a farm by using the 'chfarm.exe' command.
From XenApp source downloaded from Citrix, copy the DVD image to a share network location. And install XenAp 5 with the following command. I put this into a CMD file so it is easier to modify as necessary. This CMD file is kept in the root directory of the source files:
msiexec /i "%~dp0XenApp Server\w2k8x64\mps.msi" REBOOT="ReallySuppress" CTX_MF_REBOOT="No" /qb /l*v "c:\temp\xenapp.log" AcceptLicense="Yes" CTX_FARM_SELECTION="Create" CTX_NEW_FARM_NAME="NewFarm" CTX_USER_NAME="administrator" CTX_DOMAIN_NAME="" CTX_MF_LIC_CHOICE_FOR_CREATE="DontKnow" CTX_IMA_PROTECTION_ENABLE="0" CTX_CREATE_FARM_DB_CHOICE="Local" CTX_MF_LICENSE_SERVER_PORT_DEFAULT="1" CTX_LOCAL_DATABASE="Access" CTX_MF_SHADOWING_CHOICE="Yes" CTX_MF_SHADOW_PROHIBIT_REMOTE_ICA="No" CTX_MF_SHADOW_PROHIBIT_NO_NOTIFICATION="Yes" CTX_MF_SHADOW_PROHIBIT_NO_LOGGING="Yes" CTX_XML_CHOICE="separate" CTX_XML_PORT_NUMBER="80" CTX_MF_SERVER_TYPE="E" CTX_RDP_DISABLE_PROMPT_FOR_PASSWORD="Yes" TRANSFORMS="%~dp0CTXUpdate.mst"
You will note that at the TRANSFORMS parameter, it's specifying a file called "CTXUpdate.mst". This is to resolve issue that some installation could take up to 45 mins in an environment with multiple domains and multiple domain trusts. The article in Citrix describes this issue. I would advise that you obtain this MST from Citrix.
Installation of Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 Hotfixes May Appear to Hang - http://support.citrix.com/article/ctx115754
Note that this only install XenApp server. This does not install Citrix Management Console which you will need to configure the farm.
What this command does are:
1. Installs XenApp 5 with a local datastore using Access
2. Does not specify a license server
3. Adds the default local 'administrator' as the farm administrator
4. Enables shadowing feature with notification
5. Creates a local Citrix farm named 'NewFarm'
6. Records the installation in a log file in C:\TEMP\XenApp.log
7. Supresses post-installation restart
You would probably need to add more pre-install and post-install commands to this CMD. For example, you may want to create C:\TEMP first. Or make sure that the registry key "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\ica-tcp" does not exist. If this key exists, your installation will fail.
What about Windows Server 2008 x86? Its MPS.MSI is also in the Citrix DVD image under the folder 'XenApp Server\w2k8'.
