Citrix Cloud Connector requirements

The Citrix Cloud Connector is a component with a collection of Windows services installed on Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, or Windows Server 2022.

System requirements

The machines hosting the Cloud Connector must meet the following requirements. Citrix strongly recommends installing at least two Cloud Connectors in each resource location to ensure high availability.

See also our best practice recommendations for Cloud Connector machine configuration for Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service): Scale and size considerations for Cloud Connectors.

Operating systems

The following operating systems are supported:

• Windows Server 2022
• Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server 2016

The Cloud Connector is not supported for use with Windows Server Core.

.NET requirements

Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later is required.

Server requirements

• Use dedicated machines for hosting the Cloud Connector. Do not install any other components on these machines.
• The machines are not configured as Active Directory domain controllers. Installing the Cloud Connector on a domain controller is not supported.
• Server clock is set to the correct UTC time.

Windows Update guidance

Citrix strongly recommends enabling Windows Update on all machines hosting the Citrix Cloud Connector. The Citrix Cloud Connector performs regular checks for pending reboots, which can be triggered by various factors, including Windows Updates, every five minutes. Any detected reboot is promptly executed, irrespective of the preferred day schedule set on the Resource location. This proactive approach ensures that the Citrix Cloud Connector isn’t left in a pending update state for an extended period, thereby maintaining system stability.

The Citrix Cloud platform manages restarts to maintain availability, permitting only one Citrix Cloud Connector to restart at a time. When setting up Windows Update, ensure that Windows is set to automatically download and install updates during non-business hours. However, the automatic restarts are not allowed for at least four hours to allow the Citrix Cloud Connector ample time to manage the restart process. Additionally, you can establish a fallback restart mechanism using Group Policy or a system management tool for situations where a machine must be restarted following an update. For more information, see Manage device restarts after updates.

Note:

• If the customer does not intend their Citrix Cloud Connector to reboot during business hours, we suggest that the customer schedule Windows Updates accordingly outside of business hours.
• Each Citrix Cloud Connector requires approximately 10 minutes to reboot, and this includes the time needed to synchronize with the Citrix Cloud Platform to ensure that only one Citrix Cloud Connector reboots at any given point of time. Hence, the recommended minimum delay of four hours for automatic restarts, as mentioned earlier, can be adjusted accordingly to a lesser or greater duration depending on the number of Citrix Cloud Connectors in the tenant.

Certificate validation requirements

Cloud Connector binaries and endpoints that the Cloud Connector contacts are protected by X.509 certificates issued by widely respected enterprise certificate authorities (CAs). Certificate verification in Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) includes the Certificate Revocation List (CRL).

When a client receives a certificate, the client checks whether it trusts the CA that issued the certificate. Also, checks whether the certificate is on a CRL. If the certificate is on a CRL, the certificate is revoked and can’t be trusted, even though it appears valid.

The CRL servers use HTTP on port 80 instead of HTTPS on port 443. Cloud Connector components, themselves, do not communicate over external port 80. The need for external port 80 is a byproduct of the certificate verification process that the operating system performs.

The X.509 certificates are verified during the Cloud Connector installation. So, all Cloud Connector machines must be configured to trust these certificates. Ensure that the Cloud Connector software can be installed successfully.

Citrix Cloud endpoints are protected by certificates issued by DigiCert or by one of the Root Certificate Authorities which is used by Azure. For more information on the Root CAs used by Azure, see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/tls-certificate-changes.

To validate the certificates, each Cloud Connector machine must meet the following requirements:

• HTTP port 80 is open to the following addresses. This port is used during Cloud Connector installation and during the periodic CRL checks. For more information about how to test for CRL and OCSP connectivity, see https://www.digicert.com/kb/util/utility-test-ocsp-and-crl-access-from-a-server.htm on the DigiCert website.
  • http://cacerts.digicert.com/
  • http://dl.cacerts.digicert.com/
  • http://crl3.digicert.com
  • http://crl4.digicert.com
  • http://ocsp.digicert.com
  • http://www.d-trust.net
  • http://root-c3-ca2-2009.ocsp.d-trust.net
  • http://crl.microsoft.com
  • http://oneocsp.microsoft.com
  • http://ocsp.msocsp.com
• Communication with the following addresses is enabled:
  • https://*.digicert.com
• The following root certificates are installed:
  • https://cacerts.digicert.com/DigiCertAssuredIDRootCA.crt
  • https://cacerts.digicert.com/DigiCertGlobalRootG2.crt
  • https://cacerts.digicert.com/DigiCertGlobalRootCA.crt
  • https://cacerts.digicert.com/DigiCertTrustedRootG4.crt
  • https://cacerts.digicert.com/BaltimoreCyberTrustRoot.crt
  • https://www.d-trust.net/cgi-bin/D-TRUST_Root_Class_3_CA_2_2009.crt
  • https://www.microsoft.com/pkiops/certs/Microsoft%20RSA%20Root%20Certificate%20Authority%202017.crt
  • https://www.microsoft.com/pkiops/certs/Microsoft%20EV%20ECC%20Root%20Certificate%20Authority%202017.crt
  • https://www.microsoft.com/pkiops/certs/Microsoft%20ECC%20Root%20Certificate%20Authority%202017.crt
• The following intermediate certificates are installed:
  • https://cacerts.digicert.com/DigiCertTrustedG4CodeSigningRSA4096SHA3842021CA1.crt
  • https://cacerts.digicert.com/DigiCertSHA2AssuredIDCodeSigningCA.crt

If any certificate is missing, the Cloud Connector installer downloads it from http://cacerts.digicert.com.

For complete instructions for downloading and installing the certificates, see CTX223828.

Active Directory requirements

• Joined to an Active Directory domain that contains the resources and users that you use to create offerings for your users. For multi-domain environments, see Deployment scenarios for Cloud Connectors in Active Directory in this article.
• Each Active Directory forest that you plan to use with Citrix Cloud Government must be reachable by two Cloud Connectors always.
• The Cloud Connector must be able to reach the parent (root) domain controllers and the child domain controllers in the Active Directory infrastructure. In order, to complete the Active Directory workflows in which the Cloud Connector is installed. For more information, refer to the following Microsoft support articles:
  • How to configure domains and trusts
  • Systems services ports

Network requirements

• Connected to a network that can contact the resources you use in your resource location. For more information, see Cloud Connector Proxy and Firewall Configuration.
• Connected to the Internet. For more information, see Internet Connectivity Requirements.

Supported Active Directory functional levels

The Citrix Cloud Connector supports the following forest and domain functional levels in Active Directory.

Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) support

The Cloud Connector currently supports the FIPS-validated cryptographic algorithms that are used on FIPS-enabled machines. Only the latest version of the Cloud Connector software available in Citrix Cloud Government includes this support. If you have existing Cloud Connector machines in your environment (installed before November 2018) and you want to enable FIPS mode on these machines, perform the following:

1. Uninstall the Cloud Connector software on each machine in your resource location.
2. Enable FIPS mode on each machine.
3. Install the latest version of the Cloud Connector on each FIPS-enabled machine.

Important:

• Do not attempt to upgrade existing Cloud Connector installations to the latest version. Always uninstall the old Cloud Connector first and then install the newer one.
• Do not enable FIPS mode on a machine hosting an older Cloud Connector version. Cloud Connectors older than Version 5.102 do not support FIPS mode. Enabling FIPS mode on a machine with an older Cloud Connector installed prevents Citrix Cloud Government from performing regular maintenance updates for the Cloud Connector.

For instructions to download the latest version of the Cloud Connector, see Task 3: Install Cloud Connectors.

Deployment scenarios for Cloud Connectors in Active Directory

If you have a single domain in a single forest, installing Cloud Connectors in that domain is all you need to establish a resource location. However, if you have multiple domains in your environment, you need to consider where to install the Cloud Connectors. For users to access the resources you make available through Citrix Cloud Government.

Note:

The resource locations mentioned form a blueprint that needs to be repeated in other physical locations that depend on where your resources are hosted.

Single domain in a single forest with a single set of Cloud Connectors

In this scenario, a single domain contains all the resource and user objects (forest1.local). One set of Cloud Connectors is deployed within a single resource location and joined to the forest1.local domain.

• Trust relationship: None - single domain
• Domains listed in Identity and Access Management: forest1.local
• User logons to Citrix Workspace: Supported for all users
• User logons to an on-premises StoreFront: Supported for all users

Parent and child domains in a single forest with a single set of Cloud Connectors

In this scenario, a parent domain (forest1.local) and its child domain (user.forest1.local) reside within a single forest. The parent domain acts as the resource domain and the child domain is the user domain. One set of Cloud Connectors is deployed within a single resource location and joined to the forest1.local domain.

• Trust relationship: Parent/child domain trust
• Domains listed in Identity and Access Management: forest1.local, user.forest1.local
• User logons to Citrix Workspace: Supported for all users
• User logons to an on-premises StoreFront: Supported for all users

Note:

You might need to restart the Cloud Connectors to ensure Citrix Cloud Government registers the child domain.

Users and resources in separate forests (with trust) with a single set of Cloud Connectors

In this scenario, one forest (forest1.local) contains your resource domain and one forest (forest2.local) contains your user domain. A trust exists between these forests that allows users to log on to resources. One set of Cloud Connectors is deployed in a single resource location and joined to the forest1.local domain.

• Trust relationship: Forest trust
• Domains listed in Identity and Access Management: forest1.local
• User logons to Citrix Workspace: Supported for forest1.local users only
• User logons to an on-premises StoreFront: Supported for all users

Note:

The trust relationship between the two forests needs to permit the user in the user forest to be able to log on to machines in the resource forest.

Because Cloud Connectors can’t traverse forest-level trusts, the forest2.local domain is not displayed on the Identity and Access Management page in the Citrix Cloud Government console. The console carries the following limitations:

• Resources are published only to users and groups available in forest1.local in Citrix Cloud Government. However, forest2.local users are nested into forest1.local security groups to mitigate this issue.
• Citrix Workspace cannot authenticate users from the forest2.local domain.

To work around these limitations, deploy the Cloud Connectors as described in Users and resources in separate forests (with trust) with a set of Cloud Connectors in each forest.

Users and resources in separate forests (with trust) with a set of Cloud Connectors in each forest

In this scenario, one forest (forest1.local) contains your resource domain and one forest (forest2.local) contains your user domain. A trust exists between these forests that allows users to log on to resources. One set of Cloud Connectors is deployed within the forest1.local domain and a second set is deployed within the forest2.local domain.

• Trust relationship: Forest trust
• Domains listed in Identity and Access Management: forest1.local, forest2.local
• User logons to Citrix Workspace: Supported for all users
• User logons to an on-premises StoreFront: Supported for all users

Installation requirements

• Download the Cloud Connector software only from Citrix Cloud Government and install it on prepared machines. By default the Cloud Connector installer attempts to connect with the control plane from which it is downloaded. So, if you attempt to install the software downloaded from a commercial Citrix Cloud account, the installer doesn’t connect with Citrix Cloud Government.
• Because the Cloud Connector software is downloaded, your browser must allow downloading executable files.

Important usage considerations

• Keep all Cloud Connectors powered on always to ensure an always-on connection to Citrix Cloud Government.
• Do not upgrade a previously installed Cloud Connector with a newer version. Instead, uninstall the old Cloud Connector and then install the new one.
• Citrix strongly recommends enabling Windows Update on all machines hosting the Cloud Connector.
• Citrix strongly recommends installing at least two (2) Cloud Connectors in each resource location. In general, the number of Cloud Connectors you should install is N+1, where N is the capacity needed to support the infrastructure within your resource location. The two connectors installed ensure the connection between Citrix Cloud Government and your resource location remains intact in the event any single Cloud Connector becomes unavailable.
• Each Active Directory forest that you plan to use with Citrix Cloud Government is reachable by two Cloud Connectors always.
• After installation, do not move the machine hosting the Cloud Connector into a different domain. If the machine must be joined to be a different domain, uninstall the Cloud Connector. Reinstall it after the machine is joined to the different domain.

View the health of the Cloud Connector

The Resource Locations page in Citrix Cloud Government displays the health status of all the Cloud Connectors in your resource locations.

Troubleshoot the Cloud Connector

The first step in diagnosing any issues with the Cloud Connector is to check the event messages and event logs. If you don’t see the Cloud Connector listed in your resource location or are “not in contact,” the event logs provide some initial information.

There seems to be a connectivity issue between Citrix Government and the Cloud Connector, as the status is “disconnected”. Although the event logs don’t indicate any connectivity issues between the Cloud Connector and Citrix Government, contact support for assistance Contact Citrix Support.

If the Cloud Connector is in an “error” state, there might be a problem hosting the Cloud Connector. Install the Cloud Connector on a new machine. The issue persists, contact Citrix Support.

To troubleshoot common issues with installing or using the Cloud Connector, refer to CTX221535.

Event messages

The Cloud Connector generates certain event messages that you can view in the Windows Event Viewer. If you want to enable your preferred monitoring software to look for these messages, you can download them as a ZIP archive. The ZIP archive includes these messages in the following XML files:

• Citrix.CloudServices.Agent.Core.dll.xml (Connector Agent Provider)
• Citrix.CloudServices.AgentWatchDog.Core.dll.xml (Connector AgentWatchDog Provider)

Download Cloud Connector event messages. (ZIP file)

Event logs

By default, event logs are available in the C:\ProgramData\Citrix\WorkspaceCloud\Logs directory of the machine hosting the Cloud Connector.