Hello again, hello… I almost lapsed into one of my favorite Neil Diamond numbers 😉 If you’ve been on the planet as long as I have, you’ve probably heard this song.
My last post on Smart Check was pretty well-received. Thanks for reading it and sending me your comments and questions. As promised, here’s the next installment of my multi-part post. This time, I am going to tackle a question that customers ask me all the time: What data does Smart Check collect?

Generation and Storage of Smart Check Data

Smart Check uses collectors to collect diagnostic data. All the collectors generate JSON files that are uploaded to the Analyzer (CIS in this case) for analysis. No surprises there; I explained all this in my previous post. In this post, I’m going to use screenshots to give you a sneak peek into the contents of these JSON files.

Contents of the Smart Check Payloads

The Smart Check payloads have been designed to address two key considerations: security and performance. The JSON files do not identify the organization, administrators, or end users in any way. They are also extremely light which makes them quick to upload and process. The average payload for a site with 10K VDAs shouldn’t exceed a few megabytes. I’ve added screenshots of each payload type. Notice that none of them have any customer identifiable information.

Broadly speaking, all the payloads contain:

  • Site identifiers so the Smart Tools backend can associate them with the right site.
  • Hostnames of servers/VDAs that might have issues and data corresponding to them

The following screenshots should give you a good idea of what’s in these payloads.

site-health1

Fig 1: Site Health Check payload
appsanddesktop
Fig 2: App and Desktop Check payload
site-health
Fig 3: Update check payload
ltsrFig 4: LTSR check payload

Logs and Collector Output

When the collector runs on the delivery controller (DDC), it generates log files. These files are retained for 5 days and then deleted. You can review the contents of these files on your delivery controller. These files are located at:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\LifecycleManagement\proc\<toolName-epoch time>
The check-specific folders are as follows.

Site Health Check
C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\LifecycleManagement\proc\xdsitescout-<timestamp>

For example: C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\LifecycleManagement\proc\xdsitescout-1493633361049

Apps and Desktops Check
C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\LifecycleManagement\proc\xaxdscout-1493633283728

For example: C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\LifecycleManagement\proc\xaxdscout-<timestamp>

Update Check
C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\LifecycleManagement\proc\xdscout-<timestamp>
For example: C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\LifecycleManagement\proc\xdscout-1493633361885

Smart Check vs. CIS/CEIP/Call Home

So while we are at it, let me also tackle another question that I get asked very often – What is the difference between Smart Check and CIS. I’ve compiled a nifty little table. Hope it helps.

Feature CIS Smart Check
Pricing Free for all customers. Currently free for all customers. Will be a CSS Select entitlement soon.
Availability Independent website.

https://cis.citrix.com

Citrix Cloud service

https://smart.cloud.com/#smartCheck

Products Supported All major product versions except Sharefile.

Most supportability tools

XA/XD 7.x
Launched 2012 2017
Diagnostics reports Yes, PDF Coming Soon
Call Home Support
  • Can analyze Call Home files
  • Cannot trigger Call Home
  • Cannot configure Call Home
Coming Soon
Email notification Yes Yes
Upload service for diagnostic files Yes Yes
Log/trace analysis Yes Coming Soon

Note: All customer-facing features in CIS will be gradually moved to Smart Check.

When it comes to privacy and data security, transparency is key. At Citrix, we believe that customer trust and safety is paramount. Smart Check has been designed keeping your security needs in mind. If you have any followup questions, please comment on this post, write to me at mathew.varghese@citrix.com, or quote/message me on Twitter at @thirsty_crow.

synergy banner april '17