Native support for Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 Series)

Native support for Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 Series) - Universal architecture

Citrix Workspace app for macOS now natively supports Macs with Apple silicon (M1 Series). By default, the technical preview build runs natively on Macs with Apple silicon (M1 Series) and it must be installed and tested on Macs using M1 Series. You can download either the Universal Architecture build or Intel build from the Citrix Workspace App for macOS (Apple silicon) section at Downloads
.

Note:

Citrix continues to support Intel-based Macs that use the Rosetta 2 dynamic binary translator. However, Citrix will soon deprecate the Citrix Workspace app for Mac that uses Rosetta emulation. Keep a look out for an announcement in the Deprecation
section.

If you are using Citrix Workspace app on a Mac running Apple silicon (M1 Series), you must upgrade the HDX RealTime Optimization Pack (RTOP) by installing the HDX RealTime Media Engine 2.9.500 for Mac from the Citrix website at Downloads
.

To determine if the Citrix Workspace app is running natively on Apple silicon, open Activity monitor on your Mac. The column titled Kind in the CPU tab indicates whether the Workspace app is running on Apple Silicon or Intel processor.

Uninstall the universal architecture build and install the Citrix Workspace app for an Intel-based Mac

You can switch to the Citrix Workspace app for an Intel-based Mac by uninstalling the universal architecture build. To uninstall the Citrix Workspace app, see the Uninstall
section.

Once you’ve uninstalled the app, download the latest version of the Citrix Workspace app for an Intel-based Mac from Citrix Downloads and follow the steps listed in the section Manual install
.

Citrix Virtual Channel SDK

The Citrix Virtual Channel software development kit (VCSDK) supports writing server-side applications and client-side drivers for more virtual channels using the ICA protocol. The server-side virtual channel applications are on Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops servers. If you want to write virtual drivers for other client platforms, contact Citrix Technical support.

The Virtual Channel SDK provides:

• The Citrix Virtual Driver Application Programming Interface (VDAPI) is used with the virtual channel functions in the Citrix Server API SDK (WFAPI SDK) to create new virtual channels. The virtual channel support provided by VDAPI makes it easy to write your own virtual channels.
• The Windows Monitoring API, which enhances the visual experience and support for third-party applications integrated with ICA.
• Working source code for virtual channel sample programs to demonstrate programming techniques.

The Virtual Channel SDK requires the WFAPI SDK to write the server side of the virtual channel.

Load Custom Virtual Channels on Macs with Apple Silicon (M1 Series)

As an end-user, you can load the Custom Virtual Channel SDK (VCSDK) successfully on a Mac with the M1 chipset. With universal architecture, you must load the VCSDK on Macs with Apple silicon by recompiling your Custom Virtual Channels using the latest VCSDK on M1 chipset device. You can download the universal architecture build from the Virtual Channel SDK 2204 for macOS (Apple silicon) - Universal Architecture section at Downloads
.

To load the VCSDK, do the following:

1. Download Virtual Channel SDK 2204 for macOS from Downloads
   .
2. Open your Custom Virtual Channel project in Xcode.
3. Change your code.
4. Compile your Custom Virtual Channel to generate the virtual channel bundle.

Test your Virtual Channel Software Development Kit (VCSDK)

If you’re using the Citrix Virtual Channel Software Development Kit (VCSDK), you must make some changes so your customized virtual channels run correctly. To test your VCSDKs, do the following:

1. Ensure that all the linked libraries of your customized virtual channels are compiled for Universal Binary.
2. Change the Project file to support Universal Binary:
   • Open Project > Build Settings.
   • Set Architectures to Standard Architectures.

   

Examples for the VCSDK can be found inside VCSDK.dmg. These examples support Apple’s Universal macOS Binary that runs natively on both Apple silicon and Intel-based Mac computers, because it contains executable code for both architectures. You can use these examples as a reference.