This article explains how to configure Citrix XenDesktop to function properly without an Organizational Unit (OU) in Active Directory (AD).

Active Directory is still required for the desktop delivery system in XenDesktop, but AD can be used without the creation of the server farm OU.

Instructions

Caution! Refer to the Disclaimer at the end of this article before using Registry Editor.

On the Desktop Delivery Controller (Controller)

Use the following registry value on the Controller to prevent the Controller from requiring a farm OU:

32-bit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Citrix\DesktopServer\SupportFarmWithoutOU (REG_DWORD)

If this value is set to 0 (or, if you delete the value) the Controller exhibits default behavior. That is, it requires a farm OU.

If this value is set to 1, the Controller does not require a farm OU.

After changing the SupportFarmWithoutOU value, you must restart the Citrix Controller Service for the change to take effect.

64-bit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432\Citrix\DesktopServer\SupportFarmWithoutOU (REG_DWORD)

If this value is set to 0 (or, if you delete the value) the Controller exhibits default behavior. That is, it requires a farm OU.

If this value is set to 1, the Controller does not require a farm OU.

After changing the SupportFarmWithoutOU value, you must restart the Citrix Controller Service for the change to take effect.

On the Virtual Desktop Agent

The following registry values on the Virtual Desktop Agent can be used to prevent it requiring a farm OU:

32-bit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Citrix\VirtualDesktopAgent\ListOfDDCs (REG_SZ)

This string value takes a space-delimited list of Controllers, which Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) (for example, myddc.mydomain.com) specified.

If the ListOfDDCs value is set, the Virtual Desktop Agent uses this list instead of the farm OU as long as the FarmGUID value (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Citrix\VirtualDesktopAgent\FarmGUID) is not present in the registry.

The FarmGUID value is set if a farm OU is specified when the Virtual Desktop Agent is installed.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Citrix\VirtualDesktopAgent\ListOfSIDs (REG_SZ) (optional)

This string value takes a space-delimited list of Security Identifier (SID) strings, one for each Controller specified in the ListOfDDCs value.

If this value is not present, the SIDs are obtained automatically. After changing either of the ListOfDDCs / ListOfSIDs values, you must restart the Citrix Desktop Service for the change to take effect.

64-bit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ Wow6432\Citrix\VirtualDesktopAgent\ListOfDDCs (REG_SZ)

This string value takes a space-delimited list of Controllers, which Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) (for example, myddc.mydomain.com) is specified.

If the ListOfDDCs value is set, the Virtual Desktop Agent uses this list instead of the farm OU as long as the FarmGUID value (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Citrix\VirtualDesktopAgent\FarmGUID) is not present in the registry.

The FarmGUID value is set if a farm OU is specified when the Virtual Desktop Agent is installed.

Group Policy

The registry changes to the Controller and Virtual Desktop Agent can be governed usding Microsoft Group Policy. In each case, use HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Policies\Citrix\... instead of just HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Citrix\. The Policies key always takes priority over the standard Citrix key when values are read from the registry.

XenDesktop Setup Wizard

To use the XenDesktop Setup wizard in a registry based installation where no Farm OU is configured in AD, complete the following steps:

1. Install the XenDesktop Setup Wizard.

2. Create a file, with a comma separated, or new line separated, list of Controller names that belong to the same Farm.

3. Uncomment the following setting in the SetupWizard.exe.config file in the appSettings section:

   <!-- <add key="DDCNamesPath" value="c:\ControllerNames.csv"/> -->

4. Ensure that the value attribute (c:\ControllerNames.csv) is set to the correct name and path of the file that contains the Controller names.

5. Run the Setup Wizard; the only changes seen are those on the Desktops Farm page, all controls are disabled, and a message appears informing the user of how many controller names were retrieved and whether validation of these names was successful.