Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops

Install using the command line

March 15, 2023

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Important:

If you’re upgrading, and your current version uses or has the Personal vDisk or AppDisks software installed, see Removing PvD, AppDisks, and unsupported hosts.

Citrix collects basic licensing data as necessary for its legitimate interests, including licensing compliance. For more information, see Citrix Licensing Data.

Introduction

This article applies to installing components on machines with Windows operating systems. For information about VDAs for Linux operating systems, see Linux Virtual Delivery Agents.

This article describes how to issue product installation commands. Before beginning any installation, review Prepare to install. That article includes descriptions of the available installers.

To see command execution progress and return values, you must be the original administrator or use Run as administrator. For more information, see the Microsoft command documentation.

As a complement to using the installation commands directly, sample scripts are provided on the product ISO that install, upgrade, or remove VDAs on machines in Active Directory. For details, see Install VDAs using scripts.

If you attempt to install or upgrade on a Windows OS version that is not supported for this Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops version, a message guides you to information about your options. See Earlier operating systems.

For information about how Citrix reports the result of component installations, see Citrix installation return codes.

Use the full-product installer

To access the full product installer’s command-line interface:

Download the product package from Citrix. Citrix account credentials are required to access the download site.
Unzip the file. Optionally, burn a DVD of the ISO file.
Log on to the server where you are installing the components, using a local administrator account.
Insert the DVD in the drive or mount the ISO file.
From the \x64\XenDesktop Setup directory on the media, run the appropriate command.

To install core components: Run XenDesktopServerSetup.exe, with the options listed in Command-line options for installing core components.

To install a VDA: Run XenDesktopVDASetup.exe with the options listed in Command-line options for installing a VDA.

To install StoreFront: Run CitrixStoreFront-x64.exe in the x64 > StoreFront folder on the installation media.

To install the Universal Print Server: Follow the guidance in Command-line options for installing a Universal Print Server.

To install the Federated Authentication Service: Citrix recommends using the graphical interface.

To install Session Recording: Follow the guidance in Session Recording.

To install Workspace Environment Management: Follow the guidance in Workspace Environment Management.

Command-line options for installing core components

The following parameter options are valid when installing core components with the XenDesktopServerSetup.exe command. For more detail about options, see Install core components.

/ceipoptin ceipoptin [,ceipoptin] …

Enables collection of Call Home data and Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) data. Valid values are:
- DIAGNOSTIC: Choose this value to enable Citrix Licensing to collect Call Home data.
- ANONYMOUS: Choose this value to enable Citrix Licensing to collect unidentified CEIP data (which does not identify users).
- NONE: Choose this value to disable Citrix Licensing collection of CEIP data.
For more information about Call Home data collection, see Citrix Licensing Call Home.

For more details about CEIP data collection, see Citrix Licensing Customer Experience Improvement Program.

For more details about CEIP data, see Citrix Licensing CEIP data elements.

For more details about License Server licensing data, see Citrix Licensing Data.
/components component [,component] …

Comma-separated list of components to install or remove. Valid values are:
- CONTROLLER: Controller
- DESKTOPSTUDIO: Studio
- DESKTOPDIRECTOR: Director
- LICENSESERVER: Citrix License Server
If this option is omitted, all components are installed (or removed, if the /remove option is also specified).

(In releases before 2003, valid values included STOREFRONT. For version 2003 and later, use the dedicated StoreFront installation command mentioned in Use the full-product installer).
/configure_firewall

Opens all ports in the Windows firewall used by the components being installed, if the Windows Firewall Service is running, even if the firewall is not enabled. If you are using a third-party firewall or no firewall, you must manually open the ports.
/disableexperiencemetrics

Prevents automatic upload of analytics collected during installation, upgrade, or removal to Citrix.
/exclude “feature”[,”feature”]

Prevents installation of one or more comma-separated features, services, or technologies, each enclosed in straight quotation marks. Valid values are:
- "Local Host Cache Storage (LocalDB)": Prevents installation of the database used for Local Host Cache. This option has no effect on whether SQL Server Express is installed for use as the site database.
/help or /h

Displays command help.
/ignore_hw_check_failure

Allows the Delivery Controller installation or upgrade to continue, even if the hardware checks fail (for example, due to insufficient RAM). For more information, see Hardware check.
/ignore_site_test_failure

Valid only during Controller upgrade. Usually, any site test failures are ignored and the upgrade proceeds. If omitted (or set to false), any site test failure causes the installer to fail, without performing the upgrade. Default = false

During an upgrade, this option is ignored if an unsupported SQL Server version is detected. For details, see SQL Server version check.
/installdir directory

Existing empty directory where components will be installed. Default = c:\Program Files\Citrix.
/logpath path

Log file location. The specified folder must exist. The installer does not create it. Default = TEMP%\Citrix\XenDesktop Installer
/no_remote_assistance

Valid only when installing Director. Disables the user shadowing feature that uses Windows Remote Assistance.
/noreboot

Prevents a restart after installation. (For most core components, a restart is not enabled by default.)
/noresume

By default, when a machine restart is needed during an installation, the installer resumes automatically after the restart completes. To override the default, specify /noresume. This can be helpful if you must remount the media or want to capture information during an automated installation.
/nosql

Prevents installation of Microsoft SQL Server Express on the server where you are installing the Controller. If this option is omitted, SQL Server Express is installed for use as the site database.

This option has no effect on the installation of SQL Server Express LocalDB used for Local Host Cache.
/quiet or /passive

No user interface appears during the installation. The only evidence of the installation process is in Windows Task Manager. If this option is omitted, the graphical interface launches.
/remove

Removes the core components specified with the /components option.
/removeall

Removes all installed core components.
/sendexperiencemetrics

Automatically sends analytics collected during the installation, upgrade, or removal to Citrix. If this option is omitted (or /disableexperiencemetrics is specified), the analytics are collected locally, but not sent automatically.
/tempdir directory

Directory that holds temporary files during installation. Default = c:\Windows\Temp.
/xenapp

Installs Citrix Virtual Apps. If this option is omitted, Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops is installed.

Examples of installing core components

The following command installs a Delivery Controller, Studio, Citrix Licensing, and SQL Server Express on a server. Firewall ports required for component communications are opened automatically.

\x64\XenDesktop Setup\XenDesktopServerSetup.exe /components controller,desktopstudio,licenseserver /configure_firewall

The following command installs a Citrix Virtual Apps Controller, Studio, and SQL Server Express on the server. Firewall ports required for component communication are opened automatically.

\x64\XenDesktop Setup\\XenDesktopServerSetup.exe /xenapp /components controller,desktopstudio /configure_firewall

Use a standalone VDA installer

Citrix account credentials are required to access the download site. You must either have elevated administrative privileges before starting the installation, or use Run as administrator.

Download the appropriate package from Citrix:
- Multi-session OS Virtual Delivery Agent: VDAServerSetup_xxxx.exe
- Single-session OS Virtual Delivery Agent: VDAWorkstationSetup_xxxx.exe
- Single-session OS Core Services Virtual Delivery Agent: VDAWorkstationCoreSetup_xxxx.exe
Either extract the files from the package to an existing directory first and then run the installation command, or simply run the package.

To extract the files before installing them, use /extract with the absolute path, for example C:\YourExtractFolder\VDAWorkstationCoreSetup.exe /extract %temp%\CitrixVDAInstallMedia. The directory must exist. Otherwise, the extract fails. Then in a separate command, run the appropriate command, using the valid options listed in this article.
- For VDAServerSetup_XXXX.exe, run <extract folder>\Extract\Image-Full\x64\XenDesktop Setup\XenDesktopVDASetup.exe
- For VDAWorkstationCoreSetup_XXXX.exe, run <extract folder>\Extract\Image-Full\x64\XenDesktop Setup\XenDesktopRemotePCSetup.exe
- For VDAWorkstationSetup_XXXX.exe, run <extract folder>\Extract\Image-Full\x64\XenDesktop Setup\XenDesktopVDASetup.exe
To run the downloaded package, run its name: VDAServerSetup.exe, VDAWorkstationSetup.exe, or VDAWorkstationCoreSetup.exe. Use the valid options listed in this article.

If you are familiar with the full product installer:

Run the standalone VDAServerSetup.exe or VDAWorkstationSetup.exe installer as if it was the XenDesktopVdaSetup.exe command in everything except its name.
The VDAWorkstationCoreSetup.exe installer is different, because it supports a subset of the options available to the other installers.

Command-line options for installing a VDA

The following options are valid with one or more of the following commands (installers): VDAServerSetup_xxxx.exe, VDAWorkstationSetup_xxxx.exe, and VDAWorkstationCoreSetup_xxxx.exe.

For more detail about options, see Install VDAs.

/components component[,component]

Comma-separated list of components to install or remove. Valid values are:
- VDA: Virtual Delivery Agent
- PLUGINS: Citrix Workspace app for Windows
To install the VDA and Citrix Workspace app for Windows, specify /components vda,plugins.

If this option is omitted, only the VDA is installed (not the Citrix Workspace app).

This option is not valid when using the VDAWorkstationCoreSetup_xxxx.exe installer. That installer cannot install the Citrix Workspace app.
/controllers “controller [controller]”

Space-separated FQDNs of Controllers with which the VDA can communicate, enclosed in straight quotation marks. Do not specify both the /site_guid and /controllers options.
/disableexperiencemetrics

Prevents the automatic upload of analytics collected during installation, upgrade, or removal to Citrix.
/enable_hdx_ports

Opens ports in the Windows firewall required by the VDA and enabled features (except Windows Remote Assistance), if the Windows Firewall Service is detected, even if the firewall is not enabled. If you are using a different firewall or no firewall, you must configure the firewall manually. For port information, see Network ports.

To open the UDP ports that HDX adaptive transport uses, specify the /enable_hdx_udp_ports option, in addition to this /enable_hdx_ports option.
/enable_hdx_udp_ports

Opens UDP ports in the Windows firewall that HDX adaptive transport uses, if the Windows Firewall Service is detected, even if the firewall is not enabled. If you are using a different firewall or no firewall, you must configure the firewall manually. For port information, see Network ports.

To open extra ports that the VDA uses, specify the /enable_hdx_ports option, in addition to this /enable_hdx_udp_ports option.
/enable_real_time_transport

Enables or disables use of UDP for audio packets (RealTime Audio Transport for audio). Enabling this feature can improve audio performance. Include the /enable_hdx_ports option if you want the UDP ports opened automatically when the Windows Firewall Service is detected.
/enable_remote_assistance

Enables the shadowing feature in Windows Remote Assistance for use with Director. If you specify this option, Windows Remote Assistance opens the dynamic ports in the firewall.
/enablerestore or /enablerestorecleanup

(Valid only for single-session VDAs) Enables automatic return to the restore point, if the VDA install or upgrade fails.

If the install/upgrade completes successfully:
- /enablerestorecleanup instructs the installer to remove the restore point.
- /enablerestore instructs the installer to retain the restore point, even though it was not used.
For details, see Restore on install or upgrade failure.
/enable_ss_ports

Opens ports in the Windows Firewall that are required for screen sharing, if the Windows Firewall Service is detected, even if the firewall is not enabled. If you are using a different firewall or no firewall, you must configure the firewall manually.

/exclude “component”[,”component”]

Prevents installation of one or more comma-separated optional components, each enclosed in straight quotation marks. For example, installing or upgrading a VDA on an image that is not managed by MCS does not require the Machine Identity Service component. Valid values are as follows:

Multi-session OS	Single-session OS	Single-session OS Core Services
`Citrix Authentication Identity Assertion VDA Plug-in`	`Citrix Authentication Identity Assertion VDA Plug-in`	`Citrix Authentication Identity Assertion VDA Plug-in`
`Citrix Backup and Restore`	`Citrix Backup and Restore`	`Citrix Browser Content Redirection`
`Citrix Browser Content Redirection`	`Citrix Browser Content Redirection`	`Citrix Personalization for App-V - VDA`
`Citrix MCS IODriver`	`Citrix MCS IODriver`	`Citrix Telemetry Service`
`Citrix Personalization for App-V - VDA`	`Citrix Personalization for App-V - VDA`	`Citrix Universal Print Client`
`Citrix Profile Management`	`Citrix Profile Management`	`Citrix Vda Log Capture Service`
`Citrix Profile Management WMI Plug-in`	`Citrix Profile Management WMI Plug-in`	`CSE Component`
`Citrix Rendezvous V2`	`Citrix Rendezvous V2`	`Director VDA Plug-in`
`Citrix Telemetry Service`	`Citrix Telemetry Service`	`Machine Management Provider`
`Citrix Universal Print Client`	`Citrix Universal Print Client`	`VDA Monitor Plug-in`
`Citrix Vda Log Capture Service`	`Citrix Vda Log Capture Service`	`VDA WMI Proxy Plug-in`
`Citrix VDA Upgrade Agent`	`Citrix VDA Upgrade Agent`
`CSE Component`	`CSE Component`
`Director VDA Plug-in`	`Director VDA Plug-in`
`Machine Identity Service`	`Machine Identity Service`
`Machine Management Provider`	`Machine Management Provider`
`VDA Monitor Plug-in`	`User Personalization Layer`
`VDA WMI Proxy Plug-in`	`VDA Monitor Plug-in`
	`VDA WMI Proxy Plug-in`

Excluding Citrix Profile Management from the installation (/exclude "Citrix Profile Management") affects monitoring and troubleshooting of VDAs with Citrix Director. On the User details and EndPoint pages, the Personalization panel and the Logon Duration panel fail. On the Dashboard and Trends pages, the Average Logon Duration panel displays data only for machines that have Profile Management installed.

Even if you are using a third-party user profile management solution, Citrix recommends that you install and run the Citrix Profile Management Service. Enabling the Citrix Profile Management Service is not required.

If you specify both /exclude and /includeadditional with the same component name, that component is not installed.

This option is not valid when using the VDAWorkstationCoreSetup.exe installer. That installer automatically excludes many of these items.

/h or /help

Displays command help.

/includeadditional “component”[,”component”]

Includes installation of one or more comma-separated optional components, each enclosed in straight quotation marks. This option can be helpful when you are creating a Remote PC Access deployment, and want to install other components that are not included by default. Valid values are as follows:

Multi-session OS	Single-session OS
`Citrix Backup and Restore`	`Citrix Backup and Restore`
`Citrix MCS IODriver`	`Citrix MCS IODriver`
`Citrix Personalization for App-V - VDA`	`Citrix Personalization for App-V - VDA`
`Citrix Profile Management`	`Citrix Profile Management`
`Citrix Profile Management WMI Plug-in`	`Citrix Profile Management WMI Plug-in`
`Citrix Rendezvous V2`	`Citrix Rendezvous V2`
`Citrix VDA Upgrade Agent`	`Citrix VDA Upgrade Agent`
`Citrix Web Socket Vda Registration Tool`	`Citrix Web Socket Vda Registration Tool`
`Machine Identity Service`	`Machine Identity Service`
	`User Personalization Layer`

If you specify both /exclude and /includeadditional with the same component name, that component is not installed.

/installdir directory

Existing empty directory where components will be installed. Default = c:\Program Files\Citrix.
/install_mcsio_driver

Do not use. Instead, use /includeadditional "Citrix MCS IODriver" or /exclude "Citrix MCS IODriver"
/logpath path

Log file location. The specified folder must exist. The installer does not create it. Default = “%TEMP%\Citrix\XenDesktop Installer”

This option is not available in the graphical interface.
/masterimage

Valid only when installing a VDA on a VM. Sets up the VDA as an image to be used to create other machines. This option is equivalent to /mastermcsimage.

This option is not valid when using the VDAWorkstationCoreSetup_xxxx.exe installer.
/mastermcsimage

Specifies that this machine will be used as an image with Machine Creation Services. This option is equivalent to /masterimage.
/masterpvsimage

Specifies that this machine will be used as an image with either Citrix Provisioning or a third-party provisioning tool (such as Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager) to provision VMs.
/no_mediafoundation_ack

Acknowledges that Microsoft Media Foundation is not installed, and several HDX multimedia features will not be installed and will not work. If this option is omitted and Media Foundation is not installed, the VDA installation fails. Most supported Windows editions come with Media Foundation already installed, except N editions.
/nodesktopexperience

The Enhanced Desktop Experience feature is no longer available. This option (and policy setting) is ignored, if specified.

Valid only when installing a VDA for multi-session OS. Prevents enabling of the Enhanced Desktop Experience feature. This feature is also controlled with the Enhanced Desktop Experience Citrix policy setting.
/noreboot

Prevents a restart after installation. The VDA cannot be used until after a restart.
/noresume

By default, when a machine restart is needed during an installation, the installer resumes automatically after the restart completes. To override the default, specify /noresume. This can be helpful if you must remount the media or want to capture information during an automated installation.
/physicalmachine

Use this argument along with /remotepc for RemotePC installation. Otherwise the VDA might not behave as expected in certain user scenarios.
/portnumber port

Valid only when the /reconfig option is specified. Port number to enable for communications between the VDA and the Controller. The previously configured port is disabled, unless it is port 80.
/proxyconfig “address or PAC file path”

Valid only if command contains /includeadditional “Citrix Rendezvous V2”. The address or PAC file path of the proxy for use with the Rendezvous protocol. For feature details, see Rendezvous protocol.
- Proxy address format: http://<url-or-ip>:<port>
- PAC file format: http://<url-or-ip>:<port>/<path>/<filename>.pac
/quiet or /passive

No user interface appears during the installation. The only evidence of the installation and configuration process is in Windows Task Manager. If this option is omitted, the graphical interface launches.
/reconfigure

Customizes previously configured VDA settings when used with the /portnumber, /controllers, or /enable_hdx_ports options. If you specify this option without also specifying the /quiet option, the graphical interface for customizing the VDA launches.
/remotepc

Valid only for Remote PC Access deployments (single-session OS) or brokered connections (multi-session OS). Excludes installation of any additional components (see component lists with /exclude and /includeadditional options).

This option is not valid when using the VDAWorkstationCoreSetup.exe installer. That installer automatically excludes installation of these components.

/remotepc is not compatible with the /servervdi option.
/remove

Removes the components specified with the /components option.
/remove_appdisk_ack

Authorizes the VDA installer to uninstall the AppDisks VDA plug-in if it’s installed.
/remove_pvd_ack

Authorizes the VDA installer to uninstall Personal vDisk if it’s installed.
/removeall

Removes the VDA. It does not remove the Citrix Workspace app (if installed).
/sendexperiencemetrics

Automatically sends analytics collected during the installation, upgrade, or removal to Citrix. If this option is omitted (or the /disableexperiencemetrics option is specified), analytics are collected locally, but not sent automatically.
/servervdi

Installs a VDA for single-session OS on a supported Windows multi-session machine. Omit this option when installing a VDA for multi-session OS on a Windows multi-session machine.

Before using this option, see Server VDI.

Use this option only with the full-product VDA installer.
/site_guid guid

Globally Unique Identifier of the site Active Directory Organizational Unit (OU). This associates a virtual desktop with a site when you are using Active Directory for discovery (auto-update is the recommended and default discovery method). The site GUID is a site property displayed in Studio. Do not specify both the /site_guid and /controllers options.
/tempdir directory

Directory to hold temporary files during installation. Default = c:\Windows\Temp.

This option is not available in the graphical interface.
/virtualmachine

Valid only when installing a VDA on a VM. Overrides detection by the installer of a physical machine, where BIOS information passed to VMs makes them appear as physical machines.

This option is not available in the graphical interface.
/xendesktopcloud

Indicates that the VDA is installed in a Citrix DaaS (Citrix Cloud) deployment.

Examples of installing a VDA

Install a VDA with the full-product installer:

The following command installs a VDA for single-session OS and Citrix Workspace app to the default location on a VM. This VDA will be used as an image and use MCS to provision VMs. The VDA will register initially with the Controller on the server named Contr-Main in the domain mydomain. The VDA will use user personalization layer and Windows Remote Assistance.

\x64\XenDesktop Setup\XenDesktopVdaSetup.exe /quiet /components vda,plugins /controllers "Contr-Main.mydomain.local" /enable_hdx_ports /includeadditional "user personalization layer" /mastermcsimage /enable_remote_assistance

Install a single-session OS VDA with the VDAWorkstationCoreSetup standalone installer:

The following command installs a Core Services VDA on a single-session OS for use in a Remote PC Access or VDI deployment. Citrix Workspace app and other non-core services are not installed. The address of a Controller is specified, and ports in the Windows Firewall Service will be opened automatically. The administrator will handle restarts.

VDAWorkstationCoreSetup .exe /quiet /controllers "Contr-East.domain.com" /enable_hdx_ports /noreboot

Customize a VDA

After you install a VDA, you can customize several settings. From the \x64\XenDesktop Setup directory on the product media, run XenDesktopVdaSetup.exe, using one or more of the following options, which are described in Command-line options for installing a VDA.

/reconfigure (required when customizing a VDA)
/h or /help
/quiet
/noreboot
/controllers
/portnumber port
/enable_hdx_ports

Troubleshoot VDAs

In the Studio display for a delivery group, the Installed VDA version entry in the Details pane might not be the version installed on the machines. The machine’s Windows Programs and Features display shows the actual VDA version.
After a VDA is installed, it cannot deliver apps or a desktop to users until it registers with a Delivery Controller.

To learn about VDA registration methods and how to troubleshoot registration issues, see VDA registration.

Command-line options for installing a Universal Print Server

The following option is valid with the XenDesktopPrintServerSetup.exe command.

/enable_upsserver_port

Software	Folder	File name
Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 Runtime, 32-bit and 64-bit	Support > VcRedist_2017	`vcredist_x64.exe` and `vcredist_x86.exe`
Citrix Diagnostic Facility	x64 > Virtual Desktop Components	`cdf_x64.msi`
Universal Print Server server component	x64 > Universal Print Server	`UpsServer_x64.msi`

When this option is not specified, the installer displays the Firewall page from the graphical interface. Select Automatically to have the installer automatically add the Windows firewall rules, or Manually to let the administrator manually configure the firewall.

After installing the software on your print servers, configure the Universal Print Server using the guidance in Provision printers.

More information

For information about how Citrix reports the result of component installations, see Citrix installation return codes.

The official version of this content is in English. Some of the Cloud Software Group documentation content is machine translated for your convenience only. Cloud Software Group has no control over machine-translated content, which may contain errors, inaccuracies or unsuitable language. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, suitability, or correctness of any translations made from the English original into any other language, or that your Cloud Software Group product or service conforms to any machine translated content, and any warranty provided under the applicable end user license agreement or terms of service, or any other agreement with Cloud Software Group, that the product or service conforms with any documentation shall not apply to the extent that such documentation has been machine translated. Cloud Software Group will not be held responsible for any damage or issues that may arise from using machine-translated content.

Was this helpful

Install using the command line

March 15, 2023

Contributed by:

March 15, 2023

Contributed by:

Introduction
Use the full-product installer
Command-line options for installing core components
Examples of installing core components
Use a standalone VDA installer
Command-line options for installing a VDA
Examples of installing a VDA
Customize a VDA
Troubleshoot VDAs
Command-line options for installing a Universal Print Server
More information

Was this helpful

Install using the command line

Introduction

Use the full-product installer

Command-line options for installing core components

Examples of installing core components

Use a standalone VDA installer

Command-line options for installing a VDA

Examples of installing a VDA

Customize a VDA

Troubleshoot VDAs

Command-line options for installing a Universal Print Server

More information

In this article