If you are still running XenApp and XenDesktop 7.15 LTSR in your deployments, you’ve been missing out on some great features and functionality we’ve introduced over the last two years. I’d encourage you to look at the CR track to see all the benefits.
But if you need to stay on the LTSR for compliance or certification reasons, the new Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 1912 LTSR is a great way to get caught up with these features and functionality.
I wanted to highlight a few key HDX features here and some things you should keep in mind as you plan your upgrades/migrations from XAXD 7.15 to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 1912 LTSR. I’d also encourage you to check out Nick Rintalan’s LTSR blog — The top 10 reasons to upgrade to LTSR today! — for more tips
New Supported VDA Operating Systems
We’ve made changes to operating system support in VDA 1912, including:
- For the multisession (server) VDA, we’ve added Windows Server 2019 support alongside Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2012 R2.
- On the single session (workstation) VDA side, the VDA supports Windows 10 natively, except for Windows 10 1511 and older, as well as other versions that have already reached end of service.
- Neither Windows 7 nor Windows Server 2008 R2 are supported natively with VDA 1912. If you need to continue to use these operating systems, it isn’t a problem. They can be integrated into your CVAD 1912 LTSR site as compatible components using VDA 7.15 LTSR (latest CU).
Check our support article CTX224843 for more information on Windows 10 support, Microsoft’s Windows lifecycle fact sheet for Windows 10 lifecycle information, and CTX205549 for the full details on LTSR supportability and compatibility.
VDA Installation
We’ve improved VDA installer to streamline the installation process and to also improve the reliability of in-place upgrades, so make sure you read the install screens carefully.
The key changes to look for are:
- Professional graphics support is simplified. HDX 3D Pro mode is now automatically enabled if a GPU is detected, so there’s no need to manually select whether to enable it during the installation.
- We’ve separated the options to create master images for PVS and MCS, so make sure you select the correct one for your environment.
- Most importantly, the in-place upgrade process has changed. When performing an in-place upgrade, you must reboot the machine. After the reboot, a user with administrator privileges must log in to complete the upgrade procedure. Make sure you update your deployment scripts accordingly.
Adaptive Transport: Enabled by Default
Adaptive Transport being enabled by default means that Enlightened Data Transport (EDT), our UDP-based transport protocol, is also enabled by default. Changes to the Adaptive Transport setting in Citrix Policy are processed upon policy refresh on the VDA and take effect immediately. Please note, if the policy is changed from “Preferred”/“Diagnostic mode” to “Off,” this will immediately (upon policy refresh) disable EDT and cause all sessions using EDT to disconnect.
If you plan to connect any users through networks with non-standard Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) or Maximum Segment Size (MSS) requirements, you must adjust EDT’s MTU as described in CTX231821. We are working on enhancements in this area, as well, to improve the experience further.
To be able to use EDT, you must allow traffic on UDP 2598 between VDAs and clients (or UDP 1494 if Session Reliability is disabled). If you are using Citrix Gateway, you must allow traffic on UDP 443 between clients and Gateway; DTLS must be enabled in the Gateway vserver (see the documentation); and Session Reliability must be enabled. If UDP traffic is not allowed, sessions will be established with TCP.
Microsoft Teams Optimization Included!
Optimization for Microsoft Teams offloads A/V processing from the server to the client, improving interactivity, session responsiveness, and reducing data center compute requirements. Teams optimization is now bundled with the VDA and Workspace app and is enabled by default. Check out the documentation and our Teams release blog for more details.
Additional User Experience Enhancements
We’ve made dozens of feature additions and improvements over the last two years for an even better end-user experience, as well as to keep our solution aligned with updated standards. Here are some notable ones to keep in mind as you test and deploy 1912:
- Browser Content Redirection (BCR) gives administrators the ability to force specific web sites to render on the client for improved user experience. BCR is now an integrated component of the VDA. It no longer requires a standalone installer as with XAXD 7.15.
- Many improvements were made for Webcam redirection. Check out CTX132764 for details.
- AppFlow virtual channel is available. This provides significant Citrix ADC scalability improvements when using HDX Insight. Take a look at HDX Insight 2.0 for more information.
- Adaptive Throughput enhances user experience by increasing HDX’s maximum throughput (not to be confused with steady state bandwidth consumption) when needed and available. Check out Turbo Charging ICA – Part 2 for details.
- Fast smart card is available for increased smart card performance over the WAN. Take a look at our fast smart card blog post for more details.
- Supported cipher suites have changed. Check out Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 1909 cipher suite support update for details.
- Flash Redirection is no longer available.
I hope you enjoy all the new bells and whistles! And keep in mind that we’ll continue to make enhancements and new features available in upcoming CR releases, so make sure to look at those, as well.
Until next time,
Migs
Senior Product Manager – HDX
