Tech Paper: Citrix DaaS Test Plan

Overview

Citrix Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is a cloud-based virtual desktop solution that allows organizations to provide remote access to their applications and desktops. Testing is essential for deploying Citrix DaaS for several reasons:

Ensuring compatibility: Testing verifies that the Citrix DaaS solution is compatible with the existing IT infrastructure and applications in the organization. It helps identify any compatibility issues and provides an opportunity to resolve them before deployment.
Performance and scalability: Testing helps evaluate the performance and scalability of the Citrix DaaS solution. It helps determine whether the solution can handle the expected workload and user traffic without any performance degradation.
Security: Citrix DaaS involves the deployment of virtual desktops and applications over the internet, making it crucial to verify the security of data and applications. Testing helps identify any security vulnerabilities and provides an opportunity to address them before deployment.
User experience: Citrix DaaS is intended to provide a consistent and reliable user experience across different devices and locations. Testing helps evaluate the user experience, ensuring that it meets the expected standards.
Compliance: Depending on the industry and regulatory requirements, organizations may need to follow various standards and regulations. Testing helps identify any compliance issues and provides an opportunity to address them before deployment.

In summary, testing is crucial for ensuring a successful deployment of Citrix DaaS. It helps identify and resolve any issues before deployment, ensuring that the solution meets the organization's requirements and provides a seamless user experience.

Test Objectives

A Citrix DaaS test plan aims to accomplish several goals, including:

Verify the functionality of the Citrix DaaS environment: Verify that the Citrix DaaS environment is functioning as expected. This includes verifying that virtual desktops can be created and managed, that users can connect to their desktops, and that applications can be accessed and used.
Test the performance of the Citrix DaaS environment: Include performance testing to verify that the Citrix DaaS environment can handle the expected workload. This includes testing the responsiveness of virtual desktops and applications, in addition to testing the network bandwidth and latency.
Verify the security of the Citrix DaaS environment: Include security testing to verify that the Citrix DaaS environment is secure. This includes testing for vulnerabilities and ensuring that access controls are working as expected.
Test the usability of the Citrix DaaS environment: Include usability testing to verify that the Citrix DaaS environment is easy to use and navigate. This includes testing the user interface, in addition to testing the documentation and support materials.
Validate the compatibility of the Citrix DaaS environment: Include compatibility testing to verify that the Citrix DaaS environment is compatible with the hardware and software that will be used by end-users. This includes testing for compatibility with different browsers, operating systems, and devices.

By accomplishing these goals, the Citrix DaaS test plan can verify that the environment is stable, secure, and can meet the needs of end-users.

Test Environment

Having a separate test environment that mimics production is important for several reasons:

Testing under realistic conditions: A test environment that mimics production allows for testing under realistic conditions that are similar to the production environment. This provides a more accurate assessment of how the software or application will do in the real world.
Identifying issues before deployment: A test environment provides an opportunity to identify any issues or bugs before deployment to the production environment. This reduces the risk of downtime or other issues that might impact users.
Reducing impact on users: Testing in a separate environment reduces the impact on users in the production environment. This is because any issues that arise during testing can be addressed and resolved in the test environment, rather than impacting users in the production environment.
Improving reliability and stability: Testing in a separate environment allows for testing of the entire system, including the interactions between different components. This helps improve the reliability and stability of the system.
Compliance and security: Testing in a separate environment helps verify compliance with regulatory requirements and helps identify any security vulnerabilities before deployment to the production environment.

In summary, having a separate test environment that mimics production is important because it allows for testing under realistic conditions, identifying issues before deployment, reducing the impact on users, improving reliability and stability, and ensuring compliance and security.

Citrix DaaS Test Environment Components

A Citrix DaaS test environment compromises of the following components:

Component Name	Description
Citrix Cloud Tenant	Citrix Cloud, much like Azure, supports multiple tenants and provides one or more Citrix Cloud services for use by the tenant. Each tenant is identified by one or more organizational identifiers (OrgIDs). Citrix recommends using isolated OrgIDs for development and testing to keep them separated from production environments.
Citrix Cloud Studio	Management console that is used to configure your Citrix DaaS environment.
Cloud Connectors	Responsible for VDA registration and proxying connectivity to Citrix Cloud.
Citrix Cloud Monitor	Web-based management console for common tasks, historical reports, shadowing and other monitoring capabilities.
Workspace Environment Management Service	Provides resource and user experience management for Citrix DaaS deployments.
Workspace Service	Provides user authentication and connectivity to the Citrix DaaS environment.
Identity Provider (IdP)	The IdP is the final authority for the user’s identity. Supported IdPs include on-premises Active Directory, Active Directory plus token, Azure Active Directory, Citrix Gateway, and Okta.
App and Desktop Workloads	The app and desktop instances published by Citrix customers can be on-premises, hosted in public clouds, or a hybrid of both.

Optional Components

Component Name	Description
Citrix Provisioning	Provides the vDisk images used to create virtual desktops and servers hosting published applications.
Federated Authentication Service	Used to integrate with Active Directory Certificate Services dynamically issuing certificates for a user's session to authorize access.
App Layering ELM	Citrix App Layering is an application layering technology that captures applications into virtual disks, which are then presented to the operating system (OS) as if the application were installed locally.
Citrix Gateway	When users connect from outside the corporate firewall, Citrix DaaS can use Citrix Gateway technology to secure these connections with TLS. The Citrix Gateway or VPX virtual appliance is an SSL VPN appliance deployed in the DMZ. It provides a single secure point of access through the corporate firewall. Citrix installs and manages the Citrix Gateway service in Citrix Cloud. You can also optionally install Citrix Gateway in resource locations.
Citrix StoreFront	Citrix StoreFront is the predecessor to the cloud-hosted Citrix Workspace. It is used as the web interface for access to applications and desktops. You can optionally install StoreFront servers in resource locations.

Testing Definitions

Functional Testing. Implicit functional testing of the Citrix components and associated integration with dependent components. This determines whether users can successfully launch client applications and desktops and have the appropriate policies applied. Administrative functionality of the environment is included within this testing to validate the maintainability of the Citrix components.
Non-Functional Testing. Various tests are defined below to test the properties of the environment beyond its functionality.
- Performance Testing. To confirm the environment does as required, tests are defined to measure the logon times in addition to the responsiveness of the environment during typical user tasks.
- Availability Testing. A series of tests will be defined to prove the availability of the environment. A basic functional test is carried out during each component outage to confirm that the Citrix service remains available. Testing of the recovery times for a Resource Layer host failure is included in this testing.
- Security Testing. Testing confirms that security policies are correctly enforced when accessing the Citrix environment and that all relevant Citrix components have been secured.
- Load Testing. Testing the environment under load is done to determine the scalability of the environment. The results of this testing are ultimately used for capacity planning.
- Reliability Testing. A load test as defined above will be performed as the environment is left running over an extended period to demonstrate there is no degradation of performance.

Test Report

A Citrix DaaS test plan report includes the following sections to summarize the results.

Overview: This section provides a brief overview of the Citrix DaaS solution and the purpose of the testing plan.
Scope: This section defines the scope of the testing plan, including the goals of the testing, the features and functionalities to be tested, and any limitations or constraints that may impact the testing.
Test Approach: This section describes the overall approach to testing, including the testing methodologies, tools, and techniques to be used.
Test Deliverables: This section outlines the expected deliverables of the testing process, including test plans, test cases, test scripts, test data, and test reports.
Test Schedule: This section provides a timeline for the testing process, including key milestones, testing phases, and deadlines.
Risks and Issues: This section identifies potential risks and issues that may impact the testing process and describe how these risks will be managed.
Test Environment: This section describes the test environment, including the hardware and software configurations, network topology, and any other relevant details.
Test Team: This section introduces the members of the testing team, including their roles and responsibilities.
Conclusion: This section summarizes the key points of the testing plan and emphasize the importance of thorough testing to verify a successful implementation of the Citrix DaaS solution.

Functional Testing

This represents a comprehensive series of tests that will be conducted to validate the functionality and high availability of the Citrix DaaS environment.

Citrix Cloud Console

Cloud Connectors

Workspace Experience

Workspace Environment Manager Service

Citrix Cloud Studio

Citrix Cloud Monitor (Director)

Functional Testing Template

We would like to provide you with a Microsoft Word file of the Functional Testing Template that you can use for your own needs.

Performance Testing

Performance testing of the Citrix DaaS solution involves identifying workload characteristics, creating a test environment, using performance testing tools to simulate user activity, monitoring system resources and network performance, and analyzing the test results to identify any performance issues or potential areas for improvement.

Identify workload characteristics: Identify the characteristics of the Citrix DaaS workloads, such as the number of users, the type of applications being used, and the expected workload patterns. This information helps to determine what performance tests are necessary.
Create a test environment: Create a test environment that is similar to the production environment for hardware, software, and network configuration. This helps to verify that the performance tests are as accurate as possible.
Use performance testing tools: Use performance testing tools, such as load testing or stress testing tools, to simulate user activity and measure the performance of the Citrix DaaS workloads. These tools can generate many simulated users to test the performance of the Citrix DaaS solution under different workload scenarios.
Monitor system resources: Monitor system resources, such as CPU, memory, and disk usage, to verify that the Citrix DaaS solution is not experiencing any performance issues or bottlenecks.
Monitor network performance: Monitor network performance to verify that network connectivity between the client devices and the Citrix DaaS solution is not experiencing any latency or packet loss.
Analyze test results: Analyze the results of the performance testing and identify any performance issues or potential areas for improvement. Develop a plan to address these issues and implement any necessary changes or updates to the Citrix DaaS solution.

The Citrix DaaS platform itself provides built-in performance monitoring and reporting capabilities. It offers various performance counters and monitoring features that allow you to analyze the performance of your DaaS environment. There are several third-party tools available that can help you measure and evaluate the system's performance. Here are a few commonly used tools:

Login VSI: Login VSI’s Login Enterprise Platform helps IT teams proactively manage the performance, cost, and capacity of their virtual desktops and applications wherever they reside - traditional, hybrid, or cloud.
Automai Loader: Automai Loader, formerly AppLoader, quickly and accurately Load Tests your Citrix applications from the front-end.
LoadGen: Denamik LoadGen provides a Load Scenario that helps to build a fully comprehensive load test scenario. In addition, post events can be linked to load test phases as well as to individual users.

These are just a few examples of performance testing and monitoring tools available for Citrix DaaS from the [Citrix Ready Marketplace. The choice of tool depends on your specific requirements, budget, and the level of granularity you need for performance analysis. It is recommended to evaluate multiple tools and choose the one that best fits your needs.

Availability Testing

Availability testing of a Citrix DaaS solution involves monitoring the infrastructure and network performance, using synthetic transactions to simulate user activity, testing failover and disaster recovery mechanisms, monitoring System Logs, and analyzing the test results to identify any issues or potential areas for improvement.

Monitor the infrastructure: Monitor the underlying infrastructure, such as servers, storage, and networking, to verify that they are functioning correctly and are not experiencing any performance issues or downtime.
Use synthetic transactions: Use synthetic transactions to simulate user activity and verify that the Citrix DaaS solution is available and responsive. Synthetic transactions can include launching virtual desktops, launching applications, and doing specific tasks within the applications.
Monitor network performance: Monitor network performance to verify that network connectivity between the client devices and the Citrix DaaS solution is reliable and not experiencing any latency or packet loss.
Test failover and disaster recovery mechanisms: Test the failover and disaster recovery mechanisms of the Citrix DaaS solution to verify that they are configured correctly and can adequately respond to any outage or disruption in the environment.
Monitor System Logs: Monitor System Logs to identify any errors or warnings that may indicate a potential issue with the Citrix DaaS solution. Analyze test results: Analyze the results of the availability testing and identify any issues or potential areas for improvement. Develop a plan to address these issues and implement any necessary changes or updates to the Citrix DaaS solution.

Security Testing

Security testing of a Citrix DaaS solution involves identifying security requirements, reviewing access control and authentication mechanisms, testing data protection mechanisms, evaluating disaster recovery and business continuity plans, and analyzing the test results to address any issues. By doing comprehensive security testing, you can verify that the Citrix DaaS solution is secure and meets the necessary security requirements. The following steps may be performed:

Identify security requirements: Identify the security requirements for the Citrix DaaS solution based on industry standards and regulatory compliance. This helps to determine what security tests are necessary.
Review access control and authentication mechanisms: Review access control and authentication mechanisms to verify that they are configured correctly and meet the security requirements. This includes reviewing password policies, user roles and permissions, and multifactor authentication settings.
Test data protection mechanisms: Test the data protection mechanisms of the Citrix DaaS solution, such as redirection policies and access control, to verify that they are implemented correctly and provide adequate protection for sensitive data.
Evaluate disaster recovery and business continuity plans: Evaluate the disaster recovery and business continuity plans for the Citrix DaaS solution to verify that they meet the security requirements and can adequately respond to security incidents or data breaches.
Analyze test results and address issues: Analyze the results of the security testing and identify any security issues that were identified. Develop a plan to address these issues and implement any necessary changes or updates to the Citrix DaaS solution.

Load Testing

Load testing a Citrix DaaS solution involves simulating realistic user scenarios to evaluate how the solution does under heavy user traffic. It is an important step in ensuring that the Citrix DaaS solution can meet the performance demands of its end users. The results of this testing are ultimately used for capacity planning and defining monitoring metrics. The following steps may be performed:

Define test objectives: Identify the goals of the load testing and what performance metrics must be measured, such as the number of concurrent users, response time, and throughput.
Identify user scenarios: Define the types of users, workloads, and applications that are simulated during the load testing. For example, a user scenario might include logging in to the virtual desktop, launching an application, and doing specific tasks within the application.
Create test scripts: Develop test scripts that simulate the user scenarios identified in Step 2. The test scripts must include realistic user behavior, such as pauses between actions and random input.
Configure the test environment: Set up the test environment with the necessary infrastructure, such as servers, storage, and networking, and configure the Citrix DaaS solution to support the load testing.
Run a load test: Run the load test using the test scripts created in Step 3. Monitor the performance of the Citrix DaaS solution during the test and collect performance metrics such as response time and throughput.
Analyze test results: Analyze the test results to identify any performance issues or bottlenecks. Compare the performance metrics collected during the load testing to the goals defined in Step 1 to determine if the DaaS solution is meeting the required performance standards.
Iterate and retest: If performance issues are identified, make necessary changes to the test environment or Citrix DaaS solution configuration, and retest until the performance meets the required standards.

Reliability Testing

Reliability testing is an important part of the testing process to verify that the Citrix DaaS solution is dependable and can operate without failure for an extended period. Here are some examples of reliability testing that might be performed on the Citrix DaaS solution:

Load testing: This involves testing the DaaS solution under various load conditions to determine its capacity and performance under heavy user traffic. Load testing helps to identify any performance issues or bottlenecks that might affect the reliability of the solution.
Stress testing: This involves testing the DaaS solution under extreme conditions to determine how it handles unexpected or abnormal situations. Stress testing helps to identify any failure points and verifies that the solution can recover from unexpected errors.
Failover testing: This involves testing the DaaS solution's ability to fail over to a backup system or data center in the event of a hardware or software failure. Failover testing helps to verify that the DaaS solution can remain operational even in the event of a failure.
Recovery testing: This involves testing the DaaS solution's ability to recover from a disaster, such as a natural disaster or cyberattack. Recovery testing helps to verify that the DaaS solution can restore data and services quickly and reliably.
Maintenance testing: This involves testing the DaaS solution during scheduled maintenance periods to verify that it can continue to operate without interruption. Maintenance testing helps to verify that the DaaS solution can remain operational during routine maintenance tasks.

Summary

A test plan is needed to verify that the Citrix DaaS solution is reliable, secure, and provides a satisfactory user experience for end-users. Testing is a critical part of the software development life cycle, and it helps to identify any defects or issues that might impact the quality or performance of the Citrix DaaS solution. Without a comprehensive test plan, there is a risk that the Citrix DaaS solution might fail to meet the needs of end-users or might be vulnerable to security threats. Testing helps to identify any issues before the DaaS solution is deployed to production, which can save time and money in the end by reducing the likelihood of downtime or the need for costly fixes. In addition to ensuring the quality and security of the Citrix DaaS solution, a test plan can also help to optimize performance and identify areas for improvement. This can lead to a better user experience and increased user satisfaction.