Pano Controller communicates with XenDesktop via the XML Service that is part of the XenDesktop Controller. In order to provide the redundancy and scale you require, large Pano deployments on XenDesktop need to use multiple instances of the XenDesktop Controller. The XenDesktop Controller connection broker is connected to Pano Controller via a single API and must be capable of servicing the required number of broker requests during user logins. If you have a very large and active deployment, the number of connection broker requests might overload a single XenDesktop Controller instance, thereby resulting in unacceptable response times and a degraded user experience.
The exact number of users that can be supported by each XenDesktop Controller instance will be dependent on the server hardware used to host the Controllers and the acceptable delays during the login and connection brokering process. These delays only apply up to the point where the user is directly connected to a Pano DVM. Once the user session reaches that point (documented in Connect Pano Controller to XenDesktop Controller), the XenDesktop Controller is no longer involved. The diagram below illustrates load balancing on XenDesktop using Citrix NetScaler.
XenServer/ESX Desktop Servers
Windows Pano Direct Service
XenServer/ESX
Infrastructure Server
Pano Controller Group
X enDesktop Controller NetScaler VPX Infrastructure Servers Pano Controller XenServer/ESX X enDesktop Controller X enDesktop Controller XenServer/ESX Infrastructure Server Pano Controller Pano Session Connection Brokering to other Pano DVMs Login UI / Login Credentials
Running the XenDesktop Controllers as virtual machines on a shared server that is also supporting other infrastructure components – such as Pano Controller or a provisioning tool – will also lower the number of concurrent client logins it can support. To optimize scalability, you can dedicate a physical server to run just one or two XenDesktop Controller instances. The use of multiple XenDesktop Controller instances is supported with Pano, but some form of load balancer is needed to provide a single interface to which Pano Controller can connect. Citrix NetScaler is recommended as a load balancer to connect a single Pano Controller instance (or group) to multiple Controller instances. Citrix NetScaler can load balance requests to multiple XenDesktop Controller instances installed on the same physical server. But to improve availability in the event of a server failure, as well as to minimize the number of required Citrix NetScaler instances, it is also possible to locate them on physically separate servers.
Citrix NetScaler is available as either a VPX virtual appliance or as an MPX hardware appliance with preinstalled software. Licensing costs are based on the number of Citrix NetScaler servers and bandwidth tiers. The amount of traffic in the form of XML API calls that passes from Pano Controller to the XenDesktop Controller instances is fairly small, making it practical to license Citrix NetScaler in its lowest bandwidth tier to reduce costs. See Connect Pano Controller to XenDesktop Controller for information on connecting Pano Controller to multiple XenDesktop Controllers behind a network load balancer, such as Citrix NetScaler.
Related Topics
Can I use a non-Citrix load balancer?
Can I have multiple instances of Citrix NetScaler? Connect Pano Controller to XenDesktop Controller
Installing the Pano Maestro Virtual Machine 187
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Pano System for VDI Administrator’s GuideDeploy Pano Maestro
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Installing the Pano MaestroVirtual Machine•
Adding a Pano Controller Group•
Editing a Pano Controller Group•
Removing a Pano Controller Group•
Configuring Directory Services•
Managing Pano Maestro Administrators•
Selecting Pano Maestro Administrators•
Using the Directory Browser•
Backup and Restore Pano Maestro Configurations•
Manage Pano Maestro System Licenses and Usage•
Upgrade Pano Maestro•
Set Up HTTPS Connection for Pano Maestro Web AccessAfter you set up and configure Pano Controller, you can use Pano Maestro for centralized Pano Controller group management.
Pano Maestro is web-based central management console that serves as a centralized access point to manage multiple groups of Pano Controllers. Pano Controller groups are used to scale the management of Pano System Endpoints.
Installing the Pano MaestroVirtual Machine
Pano Maestro is delivered in the same virtual appliance packaging that is used for Pano Controller. After downloading the PanoAppliance.zip file from the Pano Logic download site, expand the zip file and import the appliance into the virtualization stack.
Note: Pano Maestro supports the same virtualization platforms as Pano Controller. As Pano Maestro is packaged in the same appliance as Pano Controller, the same versions and rules apply.
To set up Pano Maestro:
1.
Create and prepare the virtual machine. The minimum requirements are 1 vCPU and 1 GB of RAM. After importing and powering on the VM, Pano Maestro can be configured by selecting option 2 (Pano Maestro) from the console window of the VM.2.
Configure Pano Maestro using the web management UI. Log into Pano Maestro using a web browser pointing to:http://<IP Address> or <Pano Maestro virtual machine hostname>/
Pano Maestro Summary displays the configured Pano Controller groups and their status. You can now add, edit and remove Pano Controller groups.
To sort groups, click the Group Name heading and select the sort order from the drop- down list.
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Set up system administration access•
Configure directory services•
Back up and restore Pano Maestro configurations•
Manage licenses and usage•
Upgrade Pano VM appliance•
Set up Secure HTTPS Connection for Pano Maestro Web AccessRelated Topics