Design considerations: How to present both a Windows 2012R2 CVAD 1912 LTSR VDA master image with a Windows 2019 CVAD 2112 CR VDA master image into 1 Storefront environment ?

[Andy Vanderbeken]

dear fellow Citrix admins,

 

I have 2 existing published desktop applications provisioned by PVS:

 

1. a Windows 2012R2 CVAD 1912 LTSR VDA "legacy" master image with legacy apps that I can't get rid off. So even though the OS is already EOL I cannot decommission it for unforeseeable time to come.

2. a Windows 2019 CVAD 2112 CR VDA "progressive" master image with the latest applications which is the way forward with support for current and future applications.

 

I basically would like to replace my existing combined Storefront+DDC Windows 2012R2 CVAD 1912 LTSR server with a Windows 2022 CVAD 2112 CR server but during my pre-checks I notice that the Master image 1 mentioned above cannot register with a higher DDC server than its own version 1912 LTSR and that version cannot be upgraded because of the underlying OS 2012R2. 

 

So the only solution I can see is to reinstall and reconfigure the existing server as a combined server but with Windows 2019 as OS and the same CVAD 1912 LTSR Storefront version on top of it. That solution would keep me going until Windows 2019 server becomes EOL at least.

 

My question is: Is there another solution in which I no longer combine Storefont+DDC on the same server but use 1 Storefront server to agregrate 2 different DDC's that each type of VDA master images register with during boot up or is there no way to do this ?

[Ryan Barrick1709163235]

The documentation on Carl's site state - Windows Server 2012 R2 is no longer supported. For Windows Server 2012 R2, install VDA 1912 with the latest Cumulative Update. VDA 1912 will work with newer Delivery Controllers (e.g. Delivery Controller 2112).

 

https://www.carlstalhood.com/virtual-delivery-agent-vda-cr/

 

Your 2012 r2 VDA should still be able to register with your 2112 Delivery Controller.

[Andy Vanderbeken]

16 hours ago, Ryan Barrick1709163235 said:

The documentation on Carl's site state - Windows Server 2012 R2 is no longer supported. For Windows Server 2012 R2, install VDA 1912 with the latest Cumulative Update. VDA 1912 will work with newer Delivery Controllers (e.g. Delivery Controller 2112).

 

https://www.carlstalhood.com/virtual-delivery-agent-vda-cr/

 

Your 2012 r2 VDA should still be able to register with your 2112 Delivery Controller.

 

Thanks Ryan, you're spot on. I remember I had tried it before and found it not working but after your comment here I tried it again and now realize that the reason why my legacy 1912 LTSR VDA servers were not registering was indeed not due to the software version being too high but rather the machine catalog functional level being too high. I split out the legacy machines names in a new separate machine catalog with a lower machine catalog functional level and now they register fine. 

 

This is awesome news because it means I can go ahead with replacing our existing combined Storefront+DDC server worry-free with a new one on the newest OS & CVAD version and still present both the legacy VDA's as well as the progressive ones. Thanks !