Automating Citrix Server Reboots
Production-ready PowerShell script that automates Citrix server reboots with user notifications, maintenance mode, and CSV-driven config.
A customer needed Citrix servers rebooted on a specific schedule, with advance notifications going out at meaningful intervals - not the blunt built-in reboot schedule in Delivery Groups, which gives you no control over when and how users are warned. The requirement was clear: automated, predictable, zero manual intervention, with proper user communication. So I built it.
This post walks through the production-ready PowerShell script that came out of that - from enabling maintenance mode to notifying users, forcing logoff, and rebooting, all driven by a simple CSV configuration file.
The Solution: Config-Driven Reboot Automation
The script uses a CSV file to define which servers reboot on which day and at what time. One scheduled task runs daily - the script reads the CSV, checks if today matches any entries, and if so starts the reboot workflow.
CSV Configuration
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ServerName,DeliveryGroup,RebootDay,StartHour
CTX-WORKER-01,Production VDA,Friday,23
CTX-WORKER-02,Production VDA,Friday,23
CTX-WORKER-03,Production VDA,Saturday,23
Adding a new server to the reboot schedule is a one-line CSV edit. No script changes, no new scheduled tasks.
Scheduled Task Setup
Schedule one task to run daily at 23:00:
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Run as: Citrix Scripting Service Account
Trigger: Daily at 23:00
Action: PowerShell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "path\Citrix-Reboot-v2.ps1"
The script exits immediately if no servers are scheduled for that day and hour - so there’s no overhead on non-reboot days.
The Reboot Workflow
Once the script identifies servers scheduled for today, the workflow is:
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T-4h → Enable maintenance mode + first user notification
T-3h → Notification
T-2h → Notification
T-1h → Notification
T-30m → Notification
T-15m → Final warning ("You will be logged off in 15min")
T-0 → Force logoff remaining sessions → Reboot → Disable maintenance mode
The notification schedule automatically adjusts based on the RebootDelayMinutes parameter. For testing, pass -RebootDelayMinutes 5 to run through the entire cycle in 5 minutes.
Key Design Decisions
Maintenance Mode First
The script enables maintenance mode as the very first action - before any notifications go out. This ensures no new sessions land on the server during the entire reboot window. This is often missed in manual processes where someone forgets to enable maintenance mode before starting notifications.
Notifications via Citrix Broker
User notifications use Send-BrokerSessionMessage - they appear as a pop-up inside the user’s Citrix session, not as a Windows toast notification. This works regardless of whether the user is on a thin client, locked-down endpoint, or mobile device.
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Send-BrokerSessionMessage -InputObject $sessions `
-MessageStyle Exclamation `
-Title "Scheduled Maintenance" `
-Text $message
Force Logoff at T-0
Any sessions still active at reboot time are force-logged off with a 30-second grace period before the reboot command is issued:
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$sessions | Stop-BrokerSession -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Start-Sleep -Seconds 30
New-BrokerHostingPowerAction -MachineName $Machine.MachineName -Action Restart
Maintenance Mode Disabled After Reboot
After issuing the reboot command, the script immediately disables maintenance mode. This allows the server to start accepting new sessions as soon as it comes back online - no manual step required.
Comprehensive Logging
Every action is logged to both a timestamped transcript file and the Windows Event Log:
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[2026-03-15 22:00:01 (UTC)] [Information] Enabling maintenance mode on: CTX-WORKER-01
[2026-03-15 22:00:02 (UTC)] [Information] [CTX-WORKER-01] Sent notification to 12 session(s)
[2026-03-15 02:00:05 (UTC)] [Information] [CTX-WORKER-01] Forcing logoff of 2 remaining session(s)
[2026-03-15 02:00:37 (UTC)] [Information] [CTX-WORKER-01] Initiated reboot
Testing
The -RebootDelayMinutes parameter makes testing straightforward:
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# Test with 5 minute cycle
.\Citrix-Reboot-v2.ps1 -RebootDelayMinutes 5
This runs through the full notification and reboot cycle in 5 minutes, letting you verify the script works correctly before deploying to production.
Requirements
- PowerShell 5.1+
- Run as Administrator
- Citrix PowerShell SDK (modules or snap-ins - the script handles both)
- Service account with Citrix delegated admin rights (Machine Administrator or higher)
Summary
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Configuration | CSV file - no script changes needed |
| Scheduled Task | One daily task handles all servers |
| Notification | Up to 6 advance warnings via Citrix session pop-up |
| Maintenance Mode | Enabled at start, disabled after reboot automatically |
| Logging | Timestamped transcript + Windows Event Log |
| Testing | -RebootDelayMinutes parameter for quick test cycles |
Download the Script
The full script is available to download directly:
⬇ Download Citrix-Reboot-v2.ps1
Questions about the script or want to share how you’ve adapted it? Reach out on LinkedIn.
This post was written with assistance from Claude (Anthropic) as a drafting and editing tool. All technical content, solutions, and recommendations reflect my own hands-on experience and professional judgment.