Quick Deploy

Introduction

In Citrix DaaS, the Manage > Quick Deploy interface offers fast deployment of apps and desktops when you’re using Microsoft Azure to host your desktops and apps. This interface offers basic configuration, without advanced features.

Use Quick Deploy to:

• Provision virtual machines and catalogs that deliver desktops and apps hosted in Microsoft Azure.
• Create Remote PC Access catalogs for existing machines.

With Quick Deploy, you can use a Citrix Managed Azure subscription, or your own Azure subscription.

(Although the names are similar, Quick Deploy is not the same as the Quick Create method of creating catalogs in the Quick Deploy interface.)

As an alternative to Quick Deploy, the Full Configuration interface offers advanced configuration features. For information about Manage tab options, see Management interfaces.

Differences between management interfaces

The following table compares the Full Configuration and Quick Deploy interfaces.

* When using a Citrix Managed Azure subscription, you must use Quick Deploy when creating an image or catalog.

If you are familiar with using Full Configuration to create and manage catalogs, Quick Deploy has the following differences.

• Different terminology.
  • In Quick Deploy, you create a catalog.
  • In Full Configuration, you create a machine catalog. In practice, it is often referred to as simply catalog.
• Resource location and Cloud Connectors.
  • Quick Deploy automatically creates a resource location containing two Cloud Connectors when you create your first catalog.
  • In Full Configuration, creating a resource location and adding Cloud Connectors are separate steps that you must complete in Citrix Cloud before creating a catalog.
• Images used to create catalogs.

  • Quick Deploy offers several Citrix prepared images of Windows and Linux machines. You can use these images to create catalogs.

    You can also use these images to create images and then customize the new images to suit your unique deployment needs. This feature is known as the image builder. You can also import images from your own Azure subscription.

  • In Full Configuration, you customize images from the supported host you’re using. Citrix prepared images are not available.

• Catalog displays:
  • Catalogs created in Quick Deploy are visible in the Quick Deploy and Full Configuration displays.
  • Catalogs created in Full Configuration are not visible in the Quick Deploy display.
• Delivery groups:

  • You do not create delivery groups in Quick Deploy. In Quick Deploy, you specify the machines, applications, desktops, and users (subscribers) in the catalog.

    Citrix automatically creates a delivery group for each Quick Deploy catalog, using the same name as the catalog. That action occurs behind the scenes. You don’t need to do anything to create the delivery group. The delivery group appears only in the Full Configuration interface, not in Quick Deploy.

  • In Full Configuration, you create a delivery group and indicate which machines it contains. Optionally, you also specify applications, desktops, and users. (Or, you can specify users and applications in the Citrix Cloud library.) You can also create application groups.

• Layout and user interface.
  • The Quick Deploy interface has a different layout and style from Full Configuration. Quick Deploy contains more on-screen guidance.

The interfaces are not mutually exclusive. You can use Quick Deploy to create some catalogs, and then use Full Configuration to create other catalogs.

Manage catalogs created in the Quick Deploy interface

After you create a catalog in the Quick Deploy interface, you can continue to manage that catalog in that interface. For details, see Manage catalogs in Quick Deploy. You can also use the Full Configuration interface.

When you create a catalog in Quick Deploy, that catalog (plus the delivery group and hosting connection that are created automatically behind the scenes) are assigned a scope of Citrix managed object. Scopes are used in delegated administration to group objects.

Catalogs, delivery groups, and connections with the Citrix managed object scope are prohibited from certain actions in the Full Configuration interface. (Allowing those actions in Full Configuration might adversely affect the system’s ability to support both Quick Deploy and Full Configuration, so those actions are disabled.) In the Full Configuration interface:

• Catalog: Most of the catalog management actions are not available. You cannot delete a catalog.
• Delivery group: Most of the delivery group management actions are available. You cannot delete the delivery group.
• Connection: Most of the connection management actions are not available. You cannot delete a connection. You cannot create a connection that is based on a connection that has the Citrix managed object scope.

If you create a catalog in Quick Deploy using your own Azure subscription (that you added to Quick Deploy), and you want to manage the catalog (and its delivery group and connection) entirely in Full Configuration, you can convert the catalog.

• Converting a catalog restricts its management to only the Full Configuration interface. After a catalog is converted, you can no longer use the Quick Deploy interface to manage that catalog.
• After a catalog is converted, the actions that were previously unavailable in Full Configuration can be selected. (The Citrix managed object scope is removed from the converted catalog, delivery group, and hosting connection.)

• To convert a catalog:

  From the Manage > Quick Deploy dashboard, click anywhere in the catalog’s entry. On the Details tab, under Advanced settings, select Convert Catalog. When prompted, confirm the conversion.

• You cannot convert a catalog that was created in Quick Deploy using a Citrix Managed Azure subscription.

Replacement of earlier Azure Quick Deploy interface

Quick Deploy replaces an earlier interface named Azure Quick Deploy. The Quick Deploy display includes all the catalogs you created using Azure Quick Deploy.

If you started creating a catalog in Azure Quick Deploy, but did not finish it, that catalog appears in the Quick Deploy catalog list. However, the only available action in Quick Deploy is to delete it.

Requirements

• Quick Deploy supports only Azure workloads. It is not available with any other cloud host types, services, or hypervisors.
• Quick Deploy is available only in Citrix DaaS for Azure, Premium, and Advanced editions, and Workspace Premium Plus.
• You must have a Citrix Cloud account and a subscription to Citrix DaaS.

• If you ordered the Citrix Managed Azure Consumption Fund, you can use a Citrix Managed Azure subscription when you create catalogs and images.

  If you did not order the Consumption Fund (or prefer to use your own Azure subscription), you must have an Azure subscription.

• You must have appropriate permission in Citrix DaaS to see the Manage tab. For details, see Delegated administration.

Important:

To ensure that you get important information about Citrix Cloud and the Citrix services you subscribe to, make sure you can receive all email notifications. For example, Citrix sends monthly informational notification emails detailing your Azure consumption (usage).

In the upper right corner of the Citrix Cloud console, expand the menu to the right of the customer name and OrgID fields. Select Account Settings. On the My Profile tab, select all entries in the Email Notifications section.

Citrix Gateway consideration

If you use your own Citrix Gateway, it must have access to the VNet specified in the catalog creation wizard. A VPN can provide that access.

The Citrix Gateway Service works automatically with Quick Deploy catalogs.

What’s next

Follow the Quick Deploy setup guidance in Get started.

After setting up your deployment using Quick Deploy, you can continue using that interface for the following management tasks.

• Manage the catalog. Catalog management includes adding or deleting machines, managing apps, and managing power management schedules.
• Manage images. Image management includes preparing or importing images, updating catalogs with a new image, renaming or deleting images, and installing or upgrading VDAs on an image.
• Add or remove users in a catalog.
• Manage resource locations.