Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2209

About the release

This Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops release includes new versions of the Windows Virtual Delivery Agents (VDAs) and new versions of several core components. You can:

• Install or upgrade a site: Use the ISO for this release to install or upgrade core components and VDAs. Installing or upgrading to the latest version allows you to use the latest features.

• Install or upgrade VDAs in an existing site: If you already have a deployment, and aren’t ready to upgrade your core components, you can still use several of the latest HDX features by installing (or upgrading to) a new VDA. Upgrading only the VDAs can be helpful when you want to test enhancements in a non-production environment.

  After upgrading your VDAs to this version (from version 7.9 or later), you do not need to update the machine catalog’s functional level. The 7.9 (or later) value remains the default functional level, and is valid for this release. For more information, see VDA versions and functional levels
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For installation and upgrade instructions:

• If you are building a new site, follow the sequence in Install and configure
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• If you are upgrading a site, see Upgrade a deployment
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Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2209

Install and upgrade: Workspace Environment Management agent

The Workspace Environment Management agent is no longer included as an additional component in the VDA installation. To install it, use the full-product installer on the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops product ISO. For more information, see Install core components
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Note:

The Workspace Environment Management Agent installer is not localized. It is available only in English.

Virtual Delivery Agents (VDAs) 2209

Support for configuring UPS timeouts

Starting with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2209, it is possible to configure the socket timeouts that the VDA uses when communicating with a Universal Print Server. The default timeouts have been reduced to allow the Citrix Print Manager Service to quickly detect an offline Universal Print Server. The following three policy settings have been added:

• Universal Print Server web service (HTTP/SOAP) connect timeout: Specifies the number of seconds that the Universal Print Client must wait until a Universal Print Server web service connect() operation times out.
• Universal Print Server web service (HTTP/SOAP) receive timeout: Specifies the number of seconds that the Universal Print Client must wait until a Universal Print Server web service recv() operation times out.
• Universal Print Server web service (HTTP/SOAP) send timeout: Specifies the number of seconds that the Universal Print Client must wait until a Universal Print Server web service send() operation times out.

The preceding new policy settings allow you to customize the connect, receive, and send TCP socket operations timeouts.

10-Bit High Dynamic Range (HDR)

With 10-bit High Dynamic Range (HDR) virtual desktop sessions, you can use enhanced encoding and decoding capabilities to render high quality images and videos with an extended range of colors, and greater contrast and brightness. Also, you can customize the white luminance level, Extended Display Identification Data (EDID), and visual quality to improve the user experience. For more information, see 10-Bit High Dynamic Range
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Enhancement to Build to lossless setting

This enhancement improves build to lossless functionality. Performance is increased to match full-screen video codec modes. Also, build to lossless now builds outward from the area of mouse activity.

Citrix Studio

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops REST APIs (preview)

This release provides you with a set of REST APIs. You can use them to automate the management of resources within your Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops deployment. For more information, see SDKs and APIs
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Machine Creation Services (MCS)

Support for RestrictedKrbHost SPN registration

All Citrix MCS created computer accounts are now registered with RestrictedKrbHost Service Principal Names (SPN). This avoids the requirement to run the setspn command to register the SPN for the computer accounts after MCS creates them.

Support for identifying Citrix Hypervisor resources created by MCS

You can now identify Citrix Hypervisor resources created by MCS using tags. For more information on the tags that MCS adds to the resources, see Identify resources created by MCS
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Support for identifying Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager resources created by MCS

You can now identify Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) resources created by MCS using tags. For more information on the tags that MCS adds to the resources, see Identify resources created by MCS
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Support for identifying VMware resources created by MCS

You can now identify VMware resources created by MCS using tags. For more information on the tags that MCS adds to the resources, see Identify resources created by MCS
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Ability to change the network setting for an existing provisioning scheme

You can now change the network setting for an existing provisioning scheme so that the new VMs are created on the new subnetwork. Use the parameter NetworkMapping in the Set-ProvScheme command to change the network setting. Only the newly provisioned VMs from the scheme will have the new subnetwork settings. You must also make sure that the subnetworks are under the same hosting unit. For more information, see Change the network setting for an existing provisioning scheme
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Ability to reset the OS disk of a persistent VM in an MCS created machine catalog

In VMware virtualization environments, you can now use the PowerShell command Reset-ProvVMDisk to reset the OS disk of a persistent VM in an MCS created machine catalog. The feature automates the process of resetting the OS disk. For example, it helps in resetting the VM to its initial status of a persistent development desktop catalog created using MCS. For more information on using the PowerShell command to reset the OS disk, see Reset OS disk
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Support for direct upload or download from EBS on Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS now provides API to allow direct creation of EBS volume with desired content. You can now use the API to eliminate volume worker requirement for catalog creation and VM addition. For information on AWS permissions required for this functionality, see AWS cloud environments
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Machine catalogs with Trusted launch

In Azure environments, you can create machine catalogs enabled with Trusted launch, and use SupportsTrustedLaunch property of VM inventory to determine the VM sizes that support Trusted launch.

Trusted launch is a seamless way to improve the security of generation 2 VMs. Trusted launch protects against advanced and persistent attack techniques. For more information, see Machine catalogs with Trusted launch
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Support for machine profile in GCP

When you create a catalog to provision machines using Machine Creation Services (MCS) in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) environments, you can now use a machine profile to capture the hardware properties from a virtual machine and apply them to the newly provisioned VMs in the catalog. When MachineProfile parameter is not used, the hardware properties are captured from the master image VM or snapshot.

Machine profiles work with both Linux and Windows operating systems.

For information on how to create a machine catalog with a machine profile, see Create a machine catalog using a machine profile
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Support for updating MCS provisioned machines in GCP environments

In GCP environments, Set-ProvScheme changes the template (provisioning scheme) and does not affect existing machines. Using the PowerShell command Request-ProvVMUpdate, you can now apply the current provisioning scheme to an existing machine (or set of machines). Currently, in GCP, the property update supported by this feature is machine profile. For more information, see Update provisioned machines using PowerShell
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Support for machine catalog creation using an image from a different subscription in the same Azure tenant

Previously, in Azure environments, you could only select an image within your subscription to create a machine catalog. With this feature, you can now select an image in Azure Compute Gallery (formerly Shared Imaged Gallery) that belongs to a different shared subscription to create and update MCS catalogs.

For more information on creating a catalog, see Create a machine catalog using an Azure Resource Manager image
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For information on sharing image with another service principal in the same tenant, see Image sharing with another service principal in the same tenant
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For information on PowerShell commands to select an image from a different subscription, see Using PowerShell to select an image from a different subscription
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For more information on Azure Compute Gallery, see Azure Shared Image Gallery
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Microsoft Teams Optimization

Microsoft Teams optimization policy notification

The following error message appears, prompting the user to restart Microsoft Teams when launched in the wrong optimization mode:

• Microsoft Teams failed to load with the right Citrix policy. Please restart Microsoft Teams

This occurs when the Delivery Controller Teams optimization policy reaches the VDA after Microsoft Teams has started.