Management Consoles
- Windows Console (XenCenter)
- Linux Console: Standard VNC server, connects on port 5900
- Web Self Service Console: Web based VM management (XS 5.6 or later)

Role-Based Access
- Pool Administrator
- Local Super User (LSU) / root
- Pool Operator
- Virtual Machine Power Administrator
- Virtual Machine Administrator
- Virtual Machine Operator
- Read-only

Updating XenServer
- Install updates
- Rolling Pool Upgrade
- Command Line: download update file (.xsupdate), shutdown, suspend or XenMotion all VMs on the host
Upload update file: xe -s <server> -u <username> -pw <password> patch-upload file-name=<filename>
Note: XenServer assigns UUID to the uploaded file
Update host: xe patch-apply host-uuid=<UUID of the host> uuid=<UUID of the file>
Update pool: xe patch-pool-apply uuid=<UUID of the file>

XenServer 6 Administrator's Guide - http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX130420

Virtual Hardware - up to:
- 1 CD/DVD ROM
- 128GB RAM
- 7 vNICs
- 6 vDisks
- 16 x Windows vCPUs / 32 Linux vCPUs

Supported Operating Systems - http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/products/subfeature.asp?contentID=1681139

XenServer Tools (just like VMware tools, requires .NET framework 4)
- Restart / Suspend VM
- XenMotion
- Checkpoint and rollback
- Paravirtualized network and storage drivers (Windows VMs)
- Guest agent for XenServer VMs
- Hot add / remove vCPUs (Windows requires reboot)

Assigning Resources to VMs - GPU Pass Through - http://hcl.xensource.com/GPUPass-throughDeviceList.aspx
- only supported with XenDesktop
- Requires Intel VT-d
- once enabled, normal VNC console won't work, ensure RDP is enabled

Dynamic Memory Control (DMC) - 2 modes - Target & Dynamic Range
DMC Optimization - Dynamic Memory Range - Minimum & Maximum Memory

Export VM
- Export to OVF / OVA - Open Format - Compatible with VMware & Hyper-V
- XVA - XenServer Virtual Appliance

Virtual Machine Templates - convert to template is one-way process in XenServer
- Basic - skeleton, no OS, just HW config, used in conjuction with vendor installation media
- Full - full OS copy, recommended settings, new packages can be added using apt-get after installing OS
- Custom Templates - created from any VM, can be duplicated, basic changes allowed

XenConvert - P2V, V2V, upcoming (V2C cloud)
- convert physical & virtual server or desktop, can be used to create a Provisioning Services vDisk
- XVA format - v1 (multiple files, ova.xml defines properties), v2 single file archive
Download: http://www.citrix.com/downloads/provisioning-services/xenconvert.html