XenApp and XenDesktop 7.15 Long Term Service Release (LTSR) is the second XenApp and XenDesktop LTSR and the first LTSR that is bundled with SCOM Management Packs.
SCOM Management Packs have been a part of the Citrix product family since the acquisition of Comtrade Management Packs back in January 2016. Since then, SCOM Management Packs have been released along with the Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop Current Releases (CR) each quarter.
What does it mean for Citrix SCOM Management Packs to be released with XenApp and XenDesktop LTSR? Primarily, it means that, as other Citrix products like License Server or Receiver, the SCOM Management Packs are compatible with the XenApp and XenDesktop 7.15 LTSR components they monitor.
You can update the baseline LTSR components, like StoreFront or Provisioning Services, only with LTSR Cumulative Updates (CU). On the other hand, each compatible component has a minimum version defined for use within the LTSR component, which you can later update to the latest CR. As the SCOM Management Packs are compatible components, they are not eligible for LTSR benefits such as extended lifecycle or fix-only CUs.
For an overview of LTSR, CR and compatible components see XenApp, XenDesktop, and XenServer Servicing Options (LTSR) FAQ.
The following SCOM Management Packs and versions are compatible with XenApp and XenDesktop 7.15 LTSR:
You can use any version of the other SCOM Management Packs (XenServer, ShareFile, NetScaler, CloudBridge, XenApp 6.x, Web Interface, XenMobile 9) that supports your monitored Citrix products. Citrix does, however, encourage you to use the latest available versions.
Also, in the LTSR environments, it is a good idea to upgrade the SCOM Management Packs to the latest CRs to avail the latest bug fixes and features.
What’s new in Q3 2017
The following SCOM Management Packs are released in Q3 2017:
- Citrix SCOM Management Pack 3.13 for XenApp and XenDesktop supporting XenApp and XenDesktop 7.15(LTSR V2) and 7.6.4000 (LTSR V1 CU4),
- Citrix SCOM Management Pack 1.12 for StoreFront supporting StoreFront 3.12(LTSR V2) and 3.0.4000 (LTSR V1 CU4),
- Citrix SCOM Management Pack 1.19 for Provisioning Services supporting Provisioning Services 7.15(LTSR V2) and 7.6.4000 (LTSR V1 CU4)
- Citrix SCOM Management Pack 1.2 for License Server
- Citrix SCOM Management Pack 1.45 for XenApp 6.x
- Citrix SCOM Management Pack 1.25 for XenServer supporting XenServer 7.1 CU.
The above SCOM Management Packs also contain fixes for increased product quality.
Also in Q3, performance overview documentation for Citrix SCOM Management Pack for Provisioning Services and License Server is available for the first time. This documentation provides information regarding the supported scale and the monitoring footprint of the SCOM Management Packs on the monitored systems.
Ready, Steady, Go
Let’s quickly recap where we were, where we are and where we are heading.
Ready (Performance/Scalability)
In the previous two releases (Q1 and Q2 2017), we achieved a much larger scale of support for Enterprise customers. See the scale supported by Citrix SCOM Management Pack for XenApp and XenDesktop here.
Steady (Quality)
To achieve the best possible quality in the LTSR release, no new features are being introduced in the LTSR base components. Similarly, all the SCOM Management Packs that are released in Q3 2017 also contain fixes and no new features. This way we ensure support of the LTSR release with increased product quality. More than 40 issues were fixed in the five SCOM Management Packs, with most of them in Citrix SCOM Management Pack for XenApp and XenDesktop.
Go (Features)
With a solid foundation of scalability and a release focused only on quality improvements, we now go forward with concentrated focus on adding more features to the SCOM Management Packs to support new business scenarios.
