Automating Citrix PVS Image Creation with MDT Part II

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I just stumpled upon the post Sealing Steps After Updating a vDisk by Citrix Consulting Services. The post includes the step-by-step process with 22 manual steps that NEEDS to be performed every time the MCS or PVS image is updated.

While I don’t believe in manual work and the fact that the vDisk should be rebuilt instead of updated, the content of this post will help you anyway.

Now, why do something manually when there exist a Framework called Base Image Script Framework (BISF)? Not only does it also support XenApp 6.5, it also have 44 automated steps with a fantastic logging feature.

Are you using FSLogix? Well then the script will automatically delete and copy your ruleset from a network share. That’s just one of the many fantastic features. Let’s get started!

In Automating Citrix PVS Image Creation with MDT Part I I showed you how to use BISF with MDT and XenConvert. Now after lots of testing P2PVS is a faster and more reliable approach.

Citrix Provisioning Services 7.7 with a VHDX vDisk is super fast, see the demo video at the end of this post.

Thanks a million to former CTP Jeremy Saunders for sharing his experience and scripts.

Download and extract BIFS and create a Install.cmd in the root folder. The reason is that BIFS will break the MDT logics.

BISF-01

Then copy and replace the following into PrepareBaseImage.cmd.

Now, because we want to use D:\ at the PVSWriteCacheDisk it’s highly recommened to change the drive letter for your CD-Rom. The following script can be use to fix that. I’m changing mine to B: as you can see in the end of the command.

Finally add the magic to MDT.

BISF-02

BISF-03

BISF-04

BIFS 5.0.2

Now whenever you update your PVS vDisk or MCS image simply run the script as part of your sealing process.

PVS with WriteCacheDisk

MCS without WriteCacheDisk

BISF-06

Building Citrix PVS 7.7 Master Image in Less than 33 minutes

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4 thoughts on “Automating Citrix PVS Image Creation with MDT Part II”

  1. Hi Erik,

    thank you for the two parts of you experience to create a PVS vDisk with BIS-F and MDT.

    I did the same with SCCM OSD Task Sequence, but I noticed that either the Operating System nor MS Office is correctly rearmed. I’ve added the rearming commands as a step before the BIS-F runs. Did you noticed the same?

    Regards

    Ben

    Reply

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