This article provides an understanding of the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) for Citrix Hypervisor and XenServer. This article also contains information about how products get qualified for inclusion in the HCL and what listing in the HCL represents from a support perspective. 

Background

The Hardware Compatibility List for Citrix Hypervisor and XenServer contains information about which hardware and software components are currently certified and supported for use with Citrix Hypervisor and XenServer.

Because of the use of industry-standard open source device drivers in Citrix Hypervisor and XenServer, the actual hardware compatibility for the product is broader than what is listed on the HCL.

For servers and storage not specifically listed on the HCL, we provide a self-certification test kit and program for vendors to use to certify their hardware. The self-certification test kit includes tools and processes to follow for certifying specific servers and storage.

Vendors can submit completed self-certification test results by signing up at the XenServer Tracker website and creating an issue in the project "XenServer Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)" with issue type set to "HCL Submission". If you don't have access to the Tracker website, get in touch with the XenServer Partner Team at hcltriage@citrix.com.  Once the submission has been reviewed and accepted by the HCL team, the hardware is added to the HCL and is eligible for full support.

We expect only vendors to submit certifications. It might also be possible to submit hardware certifications on behalf of a vendor. However, agreement from the vendor must be acquired before embarking on the certification process.

How does hardware qualify for inclusion in the HCL

Vendors are encouraged to submit the configurations of systems on which they have successfully installed Citrix Hypervisor or XenServer solutions. If you are not a vendor, you must have the hardware vendor's permission before submitting a certification for their hardware.

Verification test kits and certification forms can be downloaded from https://hcl.xenserver.com/certkits/.

The following test kits are available to allow vendors to demonstrate the compatibility of their computer systems with Citrix Hypervisor and XenServer:

• GPU Certification Kit -  This is a test kit for certifying GPU hardware in both GPU passthrough and Virtual GPU configurations.
• Server Certification Kit - This is an automated test kit for certifying servers, network adapters and local storage controllers. (Also referred to as the Automated Certification Kit.)
• Shared Storage Certification Kit - This is an automated test kit for certifying Storage Arrays and HBAs/CNAs that support fabric protocols (such as iSCSI/FCoE/NFS). (Also referred to as the XenCert Kit)

When the HCL team has reviewed the submissions, they consider including the tested hardware on the HCL. For some hardware and software components, the HCL team will undertake to qualify the component for inclusion on the HCL. 

Getting help with certification

if you have questions or require assistance while working with the certification kits, you can reach out to the HCL team through the XenServer Tracker website.

Hardware Support Policy

• Hardware and software that is included on the HCL and is supported by the hardware vendor is fully supported by Citrix Hypervisor/XenServer. 
• Hardware and software that is included on the HCL, but is no longer supported by the hardware vendor is not entitled to support from Citrix Hypervisor/XenServer.
• Hardware and software not included on the HCL is not entitled to support from Citrix Hypervisor/XenServer.

If your environment includes hardware that is not entitled to support, We might ask you to attempt to reproduce an issue using supported hardware and software. If the issue is found to be related to the unsupported components and that a resolution would require an enhancement to Citrix Hypervisor/XenServer that is beyond the scope of a support engagement, We reserve the right to close the support case without providing a resolution. 

If during the analysis and troubleshooting of the reported issue, we determine that the issue is related to an issue with a component provided by a third party vendor, we attempt to find a workaround for the issue. If a workaround is not possible, we might ask the customer to open a support incident with the third-party vendor to allow parallel troubleshooting to take place. If in the end, the issue is determined to be only addressable by the third party vendor, and in addition, that vendor refuses to provide any workaround because they do not support interoperability with our technology or because they no longer support the component, then we reserve the right to close the case without providing a resolution.