Diagnose Session Performance issues

The Session Performance tab of the User Details Page has enhanced troubleshooting workflows to help identify issues within HDX user sessions. The Session Topology and Performance Metrics panels help correlate the component view and multiple performance metrics of a session in a single view and reduces the mean time for resolution of session experience issues.

Session Performance view

End-to-end Network Hop view

End-to-end network hop view is the next step towards enhancing troubleshooting workflows. The User Details > Session Performance > Session Topology section provides a visual representation of the end-to-end network hop view for connected HDX sessions.

Session Topology for a connected session shows the components involved in the session path with their metadata, the link between the components, and the applications published on the VDA. In addition, the following session performance metrics for are displayed for the session:

  • ICA Latency - Latency is basically the network latency. This parameter indicates if the network is sluggish.
  • ICA RTT - ICARTT is the time interval between a user’s action and the graphical response displayed on their screen. This measurement includes ICA Latency, Endpoint Delay, and Host Delay.

You can use this view to understand the components through which the session data flows and identify the specific hop that might be bringing in performance issues.

The performance metrics on the Session Topology view are available only for HDX session in the connected state.

Session Topology

Session Topology provides a visual representation of the in-session path for connected HDX sessions.

Session Topology for a connected session shows the components involved in the session path with their metadata, the link between the components, and the applications published on the VDA. In addition, the following session performance metrics for are displayed for the session:

  • ICA Latency - Latency is basically the network latency. This parameter indicates if the network is sluggish.
  • ICA RTT - ICARTT is the time interval between a user’s action and the graphical response displayed on their screen. This measurement includes ICA Latency, Endpoint Delay, and Host Delay.

You can use this view to understand the components through which the session data flows and identify the specific hop that might be bringing in performance issues.

The performance metrics on the Session Topology view are available only for HDX session in the connected state.

Session Topology scenarios

Depending on the deployment scenario of the site, the components involved in a session are all or any of the following:

  • Citrix Workspace app on Endpoint
  • Gateway service/ on-premises Gateway
  • Cloud Connector – Gateway is connected to DaaS via a Cloud Connector in the case of hybrid connections.
  • VDAs

Accordingly, the possible network topologies are as follows:

  • Citrix Workspace app on the endpoint connects via Citrix Workspace and Gateway Service to an on-premises VDA. No Cloud Connector is used to connect to VDA.

Session Topology view

  • Citrix Workspace app on the endpoint connects via Citrix Workspace and Gateway Service to an on-premises VDA via Cloud Connector.

Session Topology view

  • Citrix Workspace app on the endpoint connects via StoreFront and on-premises Gateway to on-premises VDA.

Session Topology view

  • Citrix Workspace app on the endpoint connects via StoreFront to on-premises VDA.

Session Topology view

Performance Metrics

The Performance Metrics panel offers the ability to correlate real-time metrics in identifying issues within user sessions. Trends for the session metrics help indicate how these metrics have performed over time. The charts are refreshed automatically every 60 seconds. When you click the Session Performance tab, along with the real-time data, you can view the last 15 minutes data without waiting for the page load time. The plots helps to correlate multiple component performance metrics in a single view.

Session Performance metrics

Note:

  • The graph is available only when the following conditions are met:
    • Session is of type HDX.
    • EUEM service is running.
  • With the trailing 15 minutes metrics support, the graph is plotted for the duration for which the session is connected and disconnected. The disconnected session’s metric is displayed with the value zero.

Apart from ICARTT and ICA Latency, the following metrics are available for real-time and last 15 minutes metrics:

  • Frames Per Second - Frames Per Second is an important metric that indicates the session responsiveness. Output Bandwidth Available - Output Bandwidth Available is a measure of the total bandwidth available to transmit data from the VDA to the endpoint.
  • Output Bandwidth Consumed - Output Bandwidth Consumed indicates the actual amount of data transmitted from the VDA to the endpoint to display sessions to users.

Analyzing Output Bandwidth Available and the Output Bandwidth Consumed helps check if sufficient bandwidth is available to serve sessions and to detect if a session is affected by insufficient bandwidth.

Troubleshoot when ICA RTT or Session Logon Duration data fails to populate

Previously, when EUEM service or Profile Management service failed to run, the reason for failure in getting the data related to ICA RTT or Session Logon Duration wasn’t displayed. With this new feature, you can get the reason for failure and the corresponding solution for that failure. The Learn more links provides the ICA RTT and Session Logon Duration errors, reason for failure, and the solution as mentioned in the following table:

Error type Error Error message Solution
ICA RTT error


ICA RTT value is not displayed.


Citrix End User Experience Monitoring is not running.


1. Open the Services console. To open this console, click Start and then type Services.
2. Make sure that the Citrix End User Experience Monitoring Service is running.
3. Reopen the desktop session and try. The ICA RTT value must be displayed.
4. If the issue persists, contact the Citrix administrator.
ICA RTT error



ICA RTT value is not displayed.



Citrix End User Experience Monitoring is not installed.



1. Re-install the VDA.
2. Open the Services console. To open this console, click Start and then type Services
3. Make sure that the Citrix End User Experience Monitoring Service is running.
4. Reopen the desktop session and try. The ICA RTT value must be displayed now.
5. If the issue persists, contact the Citrix administrator.
ICA RTT error




ICA RTT value is not displayed.




Error fetching data.




1. Open the Services console. To open this console, click Start and then type Services.
2. Ensure that the Windows Management Instrumentation Service is running.
3. Also, ensure that the WfShell.exe/PicaShell.exe process is running under Activity Manager > Process tab. If it is not running, reopen the desktop session.
4. If the preceding steps are not working, run the following command to ensure that the Citrix_Euem_RoundTrip instance is present: Get-CimInstance -Namespace 'ROOT\Citrix\Euem' -Query "select * from Citrix_Euem_RoundTrip"
5. If the Citrix_Euem_RoundTrip instance is present, reopen the desktop session.
6. If the issue persists, contact the Citrix administrator.
Session Logon Duration error


The graph is not loaded.


Citrix Profile Management is not running


1. Open the Services console. To open this console, click Start and then type Services.
2. Ensure that the Citrix Profile Management Service is running.
3. Reopen the desktop session and try. The graph must be displayed.
4. If the issue persists, contact the Citrix administrator.
Session Logon Duration error



The graph is not loaded.



Citrix Profile Management is not installed.



1. Install the Citrix Profile Management Service.
2. Open the Services console. To open this console, click Start and then type Services.
3. Ensure that the Citrix Profile Management Service is running.
4. Reopen the desktop session and try. The graph must be displayed.
5. If the issue persists, contact the Citrix administrator.
Session Logon Duration error


The graph is not loaded.


Error fetching data.


1. Open the Services console. To open this console, click Start and then type Services.
2. Ensure that the Windows Management Instrumentation Service is running.
3. If the preceding service is already running, run the following command to ensure that the LogonTimings instance is present: Get-CimInstance -Namespace 'ROOT\Citrix\Profile\Metrics' -Query "select * from LogonTimings"
4. If the issue persists, contact the Citrix administrator.
Diagnose Session Performance issues