Session experience

Session reliability and auto client reconnect

Session reliability keeps sessions active and on the user’s screen when network connectivity is interrupted. Users continue to see the application that they’re using until network connectivity resumes.

With session reliability, the session remains active on the server. To indicate that connectivity is lost, the user’s display freezes until connectivity resumes on the other side of the tunnel. Session reliability reconnects users without reauthentication prompts.

Important

• Citrix Workspace app for Mac users can’t override the server setting.
• With Session reliability enabled, the default port used for session communication switches from 1494 to 2598.

You can use session reliability with Transport Layer Security (TLS).

Note:

TLS encrypts only the data sent between the user device and Citrix Gateway.

Using session reliability policies

The session reliability connections policy setting allows or prevents session reliability.

The session reliability timeout policy setting has a default of 180 seconds, or three minutes. Though you can extend the time the session reliability keeps a session open, this feature is convenient to the user. Therefore, it does not prompt the user for reauthentication.

Tip

Extending session reliability timeouts might cause a user to get distracted and walk away from the device, leaving the session accessible to unauthorized users.

By default, incoming session reliability connections use port 2598, unless you change the port number in the session reliability port number policy setting.

You can configure the Auto client reconnect authentication policy setting to prompt users to reauthenticate when reconnecting to interrupted sessions.

If you use both session reliability and auto client reconnect, the two features work in sequence. Session reliability closes, or disconnects, the user session after the amount of time you specify in the Session reliability timeout policy setting. After that, the auto client reconnect policy settings take effect, attempting to reconnect the user to the disconnected session.

Note:

Session reliability is enabled by default at the server. To disable this feature, configure the policy managed by the server.

Configuring session reliability from Citrix Studio

By default, session reliability is enabled.

To disable session reliability:

1. Launch Citrix Studio.
2. Open the Session Reliability connections policy.
3. Set the policy to Prohibited.

Configuring session reliability timeout

By default, the session reliability timeout is set to 180 seconds.

Note:

Session reliability timeout policy can be configured only with XenApp and XenDesktop 7.11 and later.

To modify session reliability timeout:

1. Launch Citrix Studio.
2. Open the Session reliability timeout policy.
3. Edit the timeout value.
4. Click OK.

Configuring auto client reconnection using Citrix Studio

By default, auto client reconnection is enabled.

To disable auto client reconnection:

1. Launch Citrix Studio.
2. Open the Auto client reconnect policy.
3. Set the policy to Prohibited.

Configuring Auto client reconnection timeout

By default, the Auto client reconnection timeout is set to 120 seconds.

Note:

Auto client reconnect timeout policy can be configured only with XenApp and XenDesktop 7.11 and later.

To modify auto client, reconnect timeout:

1. Launch Citrix Studio.
2. Open the Auto client reconnect policy.
3. Edit the timeout value.
4. Click OK.

Limitations:

On a Terminal Server VDA, Citrix Workspace app for Mac uses 120 seconds as the timeout value irrespective of the user settings.

Configuring the Reconnect user interface Transparency

The Session User Interface is displayed during a session reliability and auto client reconnect attempts. The Transparency level of the user interface can be modified using Studio policy.

By default, Reconnect UI Transparency is set to 80%.

To modify Reconnect user interface Transparency level:

1. Launch Citrix Studio.
2. Open the Reconnect UI Transparency level policy.
3. Edit the value.
4. Click OK.

Auto client reconnect and session reliability interaction

There are mobility challenges associated with switching between various access points, network disruptions, and display timeouts related to latency. These create challenging environments when trying to maintain link integrity for active Citrix Workspace app for Mac sessions. Citrix enhanced session reliability and auto reconnection technologies resolve this issue.

This feature allows users to reconnect to sessions automatically after recovery from network disruptions. These features, enabled by policies in Citrix Studio, can be used to improve the user experience.

Note:

Auto client reconnection and session reliability timeout values can be modified using the default.ica file in StoreFront.

Auto client reconnection

Auto client reconnection can be enabled or disabled using Citrix Studio policies. By default, this feature is enabled. For information about modifying this policy, see the auto client reconnection section earlier in this article.

Use the default.ica file in StoreFront to modify the connection timeout for AutoClienreconnect. By default, this timeout is set to 120 seconds (or two minutes).

Session reliability

Session reliability can be enabled or disabled using Citrix Studio policies. By default this feature is enabled.

Use the default.ica file in StoreFront to modify the connection timeout for session reliability. By default this timeout is set to 180 seconds (or three minutes).

How auto client reconnection and session reliability work

When auto client reconnection and session reliability are enabled for a Citrix Workspace app for Mac, consider the following:

• A session window is grayed out when a reconnection is in progress. A countdown timer displays the amount of time remaining before the session is reconnected. Once a session is timed out, it’s disconnected.

By default, the reconnect countdown notification starts at 5 minutes. This timer value represents the combined default values for each of the timers (auto client reconnection and session reliability), 2 and 3 minutes respectively. The following image illustrates the countdown notification which appears in the upper right portion of the session interface:

Tip

You can alter the grayscale brightness used for an inactive session using a command prompt. For example, defaults write com.citrix.receiver.nomas NetDisruptBrightness 80. By default, this value is set to 80. The maximum value can’t exceed 100 (indicates a transparent window) and the minimum value can be set to 0 (a fully blacked out screen).

• Users are notified when a session successfully reconnects (or when a session is disconnected). This notification appears in the upper right portion of the session interface:

• A session window which is under auto client reconnect and session reliability control provides an informational message indicating the state of the session connection. Click Cancel Reconnection to move back to an active session.

Service continuity

Service continuity removes or minimizes the dependency on the availability of components that are involved in the connection process. Users can launch their virtual apps and desktops regardless of the health status of the cloud services.

For more information, see the Service continuity section in the Citrix Workspace documentation.

Support for service continuity in the Safari browser

Starting with the 2206.1 version, the Citrix Workspace service continuity feature is supported for the Safari browser. Users must install Citrix Workspace app for Mac and the Citrix Workspace web extension. Service continuity removes (or minimizes) the dependency on the availability of the components involved in the connection process. It allows you to connect to your virtual apps and desktops regardless of the cloud services’ health status. For more information about the service continuity feature, see section Service continuity.

Enhancement to Permanent Client Access License (CAL) for Remote Desktop Sessions

Starting with the 2204 version, if you’re running CAL in your environment to access remote desktops, when the client ID is greater than 15 characters, you can launch the remote desktop session with a permanent license.

To enable this feature, admins must configure the default.ica file by doing the following:

1. In the StoreFront server, navigate to C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix<StoreName>\App_Data and open the default.ica file with any editor.
2. Add the following lines in the [WFClient] section:

isRDSLicensingEnabled=On