Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2411

December 9, 2024

Contributed by:

C C

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.

For installation and upgrade instructions:

If you are building a new site, follow the sequence in Install and configure.
If you are upgrading a site, see Upgrade a deployment.

Important notes on Early Access Release (EAR)

Review and use the EAR only if you agree to the EULA.

Do not deploy EAR in the production environment.

You can upgrade the build from EAR to Release to Manufacturing (RTM) or to Release to Web (RTW) using the meta installer or minimal installers.

To provide feedback on the product for EAR release, open a bug ticket at https://tracker.citrix.com/login.jsp using your company email credentials.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2411

License Activation Service

The License Activation Service (LAS) is a new cloud-based licensing solution that provides an alternative to the traditional Citrix legacy licensing. You only need to upgrade your license server and register with Citrix Cloud. Once the compatible products are pointed to the license server, they can be activated automatically. For more information, see License Activation Service.

HDX Connectivity

HDX Direct - Internal

HDX Direct for internal users is generally available. It allows internal client devices to establish a secure direct connection with the session host if direct communication is possible. For more information, see HDX Direct.

Graphics

Interactivity optimizations

Add default optimizations that prioritize interactivity over bandwidth in certain use cases. This ensures faster responsiveness in real-time scenarios, providing a smoother user experience. There’s no configuration needed as it’s enabled by default.

Maximum video buffer size setting

For VDA version 2311 and later, the Maximum Video Buffer Size setting now supports any value in kilobytes. If not set or set to 0, the default is no maximum. In VDA 2308 and earlier, the range remains 128 to 4,194,303 KB with a default of 65,536 KB.Citrix recommends leaving the default for VDA 2311 and later, as HDX dynamically allocates the necessary memory based on session needs, supporting higher resolutions and multiple monitors. For more information, see Display memory limit.

This setting allows you to configure optimized application and desktop sharing for Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, and other video conferencing platforms using the Citrix VCSDK. It supports App and Desktop Sharing on Windows, Mac, Linux, and VDA environments. By default, both sharing options are enabled and can be customized. This setting is specific to UC applications and overrides the VDA UseWsProvider registry key when configured. For more information, see Optimized Content Sharing for Teams and other platforms.

Enhanced startup application support for seamless sessions

In Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 2212 and later, Seamless applications now process Windows startup applications like desktop sessions. The Shell Launcher (ShellAppRuntime.exe) launches programs from the user’s Run key, such as OneDrive and Microsoft Teams, alongside Seamless apps, improving session management and startup consistency. For more information, see Seamless and startup applications.

Multimedia

Updated HDX optimized webcam display names for improved UI clarity

HDX optimized webcams have been updated with a shorter prefix in their display name from “Citrix HDX Webcam - [webcam name]” to “HDX - [webcam name]” to prevent name truncation in UI dropdowns. USB redirected webcams will keep their current naming convention i.e. excludes the prefix in their display name and simply “[webcam name]”. This update aims to standardize webcam names and reduce truncation across VDA platforms.

Virtual channel plugin manager

The Virtual channel plugin manager can detect when the end-user on the VDA launches a third-party application for e.g., New Microsoft Teams, check if its respective VDI plug-in is already installed on the endpoint, and prompt the user to install the plugin if it is not. The prompt would download and automatically install the plugin with the end-user’s permission.

Supported applications: New Microsoft Teams

For more information, see Virtual channel plugin manager.

Devices

Scanning on non-windows client platforms – SANE Redirection

You can now scan documents from TWAIN applications on ChromeOS endpoints. Scanning requests are redirected to the local scanner, and files are transferred to the VDA once the scan is complete, offering seamless integration for ChromeOS users. For more information, see Scanning on non-windows client platforms - SANE Redirection

Web Studio

Backup and restore using Web Studio

You can now use the Backup and Restore node available in Web Studio. This feature enables you to create on-demand and scheduled backups and restore deleted applications, policies, and more. For more information, see Backup and Restore using Web Studio.

Azure SQL support

You can now host Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops databases on Azure SQL Managed Instance. To support this capacity, we’ve updated the following UIs:

Citrix Site Manager wizard: Enables you to create databases on Azure SQL Managed Instance.
Settings page in Web Studio: Enables you to change the locations of databases hosted on Azure SQL. For more information, see Set up databases and Change database locations.

We’ve introduced a feature that allows you to configure the domain name that auto-populates the Domain field on the Studio login page. This enhancement streamlines the login process and reduces input errors. For more information, see Set the default domain name.

Image management is now Generally Available

Image management functionality is now generally available for Azure and VMware virtualization environments. Also, the Images node now allows you to share image versions across hosting units within the same hosting connection in Azure and VMware virtualization environments. This implementation ensures consistency and uniformity of images across different host units, enhancing deployment flexibility and operational efficiency. You can also use PowerShell commands to achieve this goal. For more information, see Image Management.

Support for provisioning non-domain-joined VDAs on Web Studio

With this feature, MCS supports provisioning of non-domain-joined VMs with customer managed Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops deployment. For information, see Identity pool of non-domain-joined machine identity.

Option to update Write-back cache setting post creation for Machine Creation Services (MCS) catalogs in the Google Cloud Platform

You now have the option to update the memory and disk cache size of the Write-back cache, when Machine Creation Services (MCS) Storage Optimization (MCSIO) is enabled, after the catalog is created for MCS catalogs in the Google Cloud Platform. For more information, see Create a machine catalog using Web Studio.

Enroll machines of hybrid AAD joined type into Microsoft Intune for co-management

During machine catalog creation, you can now enroll machines of the Hybrid AAD joined type into Microsoft Intune (with Configuration Manager) for co-management. This feature applies to single and multi-session, persistent and non-persistent VMs and on all hypervisors and cloud services, ensuring uniform device management across your infrastructure. This feature is applicable only to VDA version 2407 and later. For more information, see Hybrid Azure AD joined catalogs enrolled in Microsoft Intune and Create Hybrid Azure AD joined catalogs enrolled in Microsoft Intune.

Multiple NICs support for Azure VMs

With Web Studio, you can now create Azure VMs with multiple NICs. A VM’s maximum NIC count is determined by the machine size setting while its actual NIC count allowed is defined by the machine profile setting. For more information, see Create machine catalogs.

Azure catalogs support for inheriting DES settings from master images

Previously, Web Studio set the Azure catalogs’ default DES settings only based on machine profiles. With this enhancement, if no machine profile is selected or if the profile specifies a Platform Managed Key (PMK), Web Studio now sets an Azure catalog’s default DES settings directly based on the master image. For more information, see Create a machine catalog using an Azure Resource Manager image in Web Studio.

Support for delivering packaged applications in FlexApp format

With Web Studio, you can now upload FlexApp packaged applications to Citrix Cloud and deliver them to your users. For more information, see App packages.

Enhanced application publishing with file type association

We’ve added an option, File Type Association, for publishing applications in Web Studio. This feature enables you to specify and manage file extensions for applications when publishing them:

When you add local app access applications, this option appears in the left pane.
When you add an application for delivery or application groups, this option is accessible through the Properties menu of the application.

Support for choosing a power management connection for a Remote PC Access catalog

Previously, you could use Studio to create a Wake on LAN host connection to your resource location (selecting Remote PC Wake on LAN as the connection type). However, PowerShell was your only choice to associate that connection with a Remote PC Access catalog. You can now use Studio to achieve that. For more information, see Configure Wake on LAN using Studio.

Support for showing the status of the provisioning process

In Web Studio, when creating a machine catalog, you can now view the status of the catalog’s provisioning process. You can see which step the provisioning process is currently in and how many steps are yet to complete.

Delivery group details view enhanced with policy information

We’ve enhanced the Details view for Delivery Groups by adding a dedicated tab that shows policies assigned to the selected group. This improvement simplifies policy management, configuration, and troubleshooting for delivery groups by providing quick access to relevant policy information.

Policies UI improved for better user experience

We’ve enhanced the UI design for the Policies node to improve its overall usability and functionality. Detailed improvements include:

Full screen for creation and editing UIs. Full-screen mode is now used for an improved and more efficient creation and editing experience on the Policies node.
Simplified setting filtering. A dropdown list for supported VDA versions is now available under the Current settings only filter, allowing you to filter settings based on VDA versions.
Enhanced setting categorization. When you select multiple settings, the number of settings chosen now appears next to the relevant categories and sub-categories in the left pane. This improvement helps you quickly identify the category and sub-categories to which each selected setting belongs, streamlining your policy management.

Improved Policies UI

Simplified printer configuration experience

We’ve enhanced Studio to make printer configuration easier. In addition to entering a printer‘s UNC path, you can now browse for printers across your network or on specified printer servers. This enhancement provides a more intuitive and reliable way to configure printers. Additionally, a new option now lets you use credentials other than your username and password when browsing for printers on printer servers. For more information, see Default printer, Printer assignment, and Session printers.

Export function extended to all management nodes

You can now export records from the main view of any management node in Web Studio to a CSV file. Note the following:

The Export icon is disabled while data is loading, except for the Search and Applications nodes.
For nodes with the Columns to Display function, exported data includes only selected columns.

Enhanced default view settings for machine catalogs, delivery groups, and applications

We’ve introduced new default view options for Machine Catalogs, Delivery Groups, and Applications, offering greater flexibility and customization:

Default view selection. Previously, those nodes defaulted to a folder view, which was suitable for organizations using folder-based management structures. With the introduction of a Folder icon on the action bar, you can now switch between folder view and list view as your preferred default view.
Improved folder view. The View all toggle now retains your last selection when you sign back in. If previously turned off, it will remain off, with the root folder selected and the first-level sub-folders expanded.

Data caching for the Details tab on Web Studio nodes

We’ve introduced data caching for the Details tab on all management nodes in Web Studio. This enhancement significantly reduces the data load time for the Details tabs, improving the overall user experience.

Support for adding notes for maintenance mode

You can now add notes when placing a machine, delivery group, or connection into maintenance mode. Those notes are visible in the Maintenance reason field of the Details pane, helping you and other administrators understand the reason for maintenance.

Citrix Studio

Deprecation of MMC-based Studio

Starting with 2411, MMC-based Studio is deprecated and will be removed in future releases. This means no new features will be added, and future updates will focus only on stability and security. We recommend transitioning to Web Studio, which offers the same features as MMC-based Studio, along with a modern interface and enhanced capabilities.

Citrix Director

Least used and unused published apps report

The Applications page now offers detailed usage information for published apps accessed through the Citrix Workspace app, empowering administrators to optimize app management and resource allocation.

This feature helps in understanding the application usage patterns within the organization and enables customers to make data-driven decisions to help make their Citrix deployments more efficient.

Note:

This feature is available only for the platinum-licensed sites.

The enhanced Applications page includes a usage section that shows the following:

Total published apps: Identifies the total number of published apps.
Least used apps: Helps to make informed decisions about retaining or removing rarely used apps, optimizing resource allocation, and license management. This section lists the following:
- Distinct users in the last 30 days
- Total launches
- Peak concurrent instances
- Trend chart: View a graph showing distinct users over time.
Not used apps: Helps to identify unused apps to free up memory, configuration resources, and potentially save on licensing costs. This section lists the name of the apps, the corresponding delivery group, and the state of the app.

You can also use the Export option to export the data in the Least used and Not used sections.

Note:

Currently, only published apps (desktop apps in Citrix Workspace app) are included in this enhancement.

Enhanced application page

For more information, see the Least used and unused published apps report documentation.

Independent release of Director for LTSR deployments

The independent release of Director for LTSR deployments now provides an option to access the latest Director features for enhanced troubleshooting and monitoring in Citrix environments to compatible LTSR environments. This feature allows customers to use the latest Director version on your 2402 LTSR deployments. Also, provides access to features released after the LTSR announcement without impacting the application delivery infrastructure.

The standalone installer includes the latest .msi for Monitor service, Director service, and the Monitor Snap-in. Using these new .msi files, you can upgrade your 2402 LTSR CU1 with current release features.

For information on the Director features that are part of current releases after the 2402 LTSR release, see the following:

To learn more about specific features on Director with the minimum version of VDA, see Director Version Matrix.

Key considerations

Targeted upgrades: Access the latest features on LTSR deployments by upgrading only the Director component.
LTSR support: The newly upgraded Director component is not covered by LTSR support, but the rest of your LTSR infrastructure maintains its existing support.
Rollback option: You have the flexibility to roll back to the previous Director version if needed.

For more information, see Independent release of Director for LTSR deployments.

Enhancement to advanced alert policies

Alerts related to Infrastructure monitoring, which were previously known as Infrastructure policies, are now part of Advanced Alert Policies.

You can select the dependent services based on the selected data source. You can create alerts for Cloud Connectors too.

Note:

The existing Infrastructure policies created for Provisioning Service and StoreFront are migrated to the Advanced alert policies section.

For more information, see Advanced alert policies.

Bulk alert dismissal

This feature aims to optimize the alert management process for administrators by providing more flexibility and reducing alert fatigue. It allows administrators to bulk dismiss alerts by time, type or category, making it easier to manage alerts, especially during maintenance modes or when dealing with alerts from hypervisors and other environments.

By allowing bulk dismissal of alerts, administrators can manage their workload more efficiently and avoid being overwhelmed by a high volume of alerts.

For more information, see Bulk alert dismissal.

Webhook configuration using PowerShell SDK

The Webhook Configuration feature using the PowerShell SDK allows administrators to create, modify, delete, and list webhook profiles. This feature provides flexibility in configuring webhooks by allowing the specification of headers, authentication types, content types, payloads, and webhook URLs.

Note:

The supported payload format is text and the end user must enable text in their webhook.

For more information, see Webhook configuration using PowerShell SDK.

Improvement to Workload rightsizing

The Workload rightsizing (formerly Infrastructure Rightsizing) tab now includes an option to identify power users. This feature allows you to export the details of power users.

Note:

This feature is available only for single-session OS delivery groups.

The Export data includes User Name, Total Session Count, Average Session Duration (Mins), Peak CPU Usage (%), and Peak Memory Usage (%).

This enhancement provides valuable insights into resource utilization and helps in optimizing infrastructure costs by ensuring efficient resource allocation based on user behavior.

For more information, see the Workload rightsizing page.

Machine net active usage

The Workload rightsizing page now includes detailed insights into machine net active usage, providing the following details:

Percentage of net active usage
Average machine uptime
No session time
Idle time
Disconnected time

This feature allows you to see detailed machine usage information, enabling you to optimize costs accordingly.

For more information, see Workload rightsizing.

Cost savings by optimizing storage usage [Preview]

The Cost savings page now provides visibility into the amount of savings achieved through storage optimization when machines are powered off. Previously, only compute-related cost savings were displayed. This enhancement includes the following two types of storage savings:

Write-back Disk: Savings from deleting the write-back disk when a non-persistent machine is powered off.
OS Disk: Savings from downgrading the OS disk from Premium to Standard HDD when any machine is shut down.

Prerequisite:

Autoscale must be enabled to optimize compute costs. For more information, see Get started with Autoscale.
Change the storage type to a lower tier when a VM is shut down to optimize storage costs. For more information, see Change the storage type to a lower tier when a VM is shut down documentation.
This feature is applicable only to Azure machines.

This enhancement includes the following:

A report detailing storage savings from machine power-off (Autoscale or user-initiated) is now available in the Estimated infrastructure savings section.
Total savings calculations now incorporate both compute and storage savings, broken down by source (Autoscale or user action). The historical trend graph now visually distinguishes between compute and storage savings, and a tooltip provides further details on hover.
The Catalog details section now includes Compute Cost Per Hour and Storage Cost Per Hour.

For more information, see Cost savings [Preview].

Cost summary [Preview]

The Cost summary page provides a comprehensive summary of the expenses associated with running the Citrix environment. With this enhancement, you gain visibility into the following:

The overall cost per user
Cost of delivering virtualization by the chosen Workload providers, desktop types, and VM series sets

This page offers:

Insight into the cost of delivering a virtualized app or desktop to a user The amount saved
Information on costs and savings categorized by
- Platform provider
- OS type
- Desktop type
- VM series

Note:

The Cost summary page is available only if the site has been running for at least 15 days in a month.

For more information, see the Cost summary page.

Export data from the Cost optimization page

You can export the data on the Cost optimization page using the data integration and ODATA queries. To export data, you can use one of the following options:

Setup data integration - You can integrate Cost optimization data with the Monitor Service API using which you can collect the data for troubleshooting and triaging the issues. For more information, see the Integrations and data exports page.
ODATA queries for cost optimization - You can use the available sample ODATA queries on the Cost optimization page to export data.

For more information, see Export data.

Delivery Controller monitoring [Preview]

The Delivery Controller component is now added to the Infrastructure Monitoring dashboard, and the delivery controllers are automatically onboarded when connected to the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops site for on-premises deployment.

This feature enables administrators to monitor the health of Delivery Controllers using a single dashboard view and proactively configure alerts.

Note:

The CitrixInfraMonitor.msi is not required to be installed for monitoring Delivery Controllers.

Benefits:

Comprehensive monitoring: Visibility into critical health indicators for the Delivery Controller such as License Server and certificate validity.
Configurable alerts: You can configure alerts on health metrics of interest, define severity, and scopes for admins to receive detailed alerts according to the alert configuration.

To monitor the Delivery Controller, click the Infrastructure tab on Director. The Infrastructure Monitoring page opens:

Delivery controller dashboard

For more information, see Delivery Controller health metrics.

Connecting Citrix components from the UI [Preview]

Admins can use the Monitor UI to register their Citrix components for Infrastructure Monitoring. After installing Citrixinframonitor.msi, you can use the UI-based workflow to complete the registration process without needing to use PowerShell commands. This enhancement simplifies the process of registering, deregistering, and updating Citrix components

The new Connect Citrix Components page allows you to manage connections between Citrix components and the Citrix DaaS site. You can also view the available connections from Provisioning Service, StoreFront, and Cloud Connector on this page.

Note:

Delivery controllers are automatically onboarded for monitoring.

These updates streamline the management and integration of Citrix components, making it easier to maintain and upgrade your infrastructure.

For more information, see Manage connections.

Enhancement to Trends page

The Trends page now features two new banners linking to the Cost optimization page, providing quicker access to cost-saving information and reports. The Machine Usage tab now includes links to Estimated Savings and Savings report, while the Resource Utilization tab offers a link to Workload rightsizing. These enhancements streamline navigation and improve visibility, enabling users to make data-driven decisions for cost optimization.

For more information, see the Available trends page.

Improved Performance Metrics panel

The Performance Metrics panel has an enhanced visualization of the historical data metrics. When you click the Session Performance tab, along with the last 15-minutes data, you can view the last 48 hours data for ICARTT and ICA Latency. This enhancement helps to reduce mean time for resolution by enabling admins to triage issues even though the session was terminated in the last 48 hours. For more information, see the Performance Metrics section.

Update to Session Performance tab

The Session Topology section of the Session Performance tab is enhanced to include the following:

Protocol - Displays the MTU value for the EDT protocol. For example: Single-stream: EDT (MTU = 1500) Multi-stream: EDT (MTU stream IDs 0=1500, 1=1500)
Microsoft Teams - Displays whether HDX optimized or not HDX optimized
HDX Connection Type - Displays the HDX connection type. For example: HDX, HDX Direct, and Rendezvous
Frames Per Second provide information on:
- Input Frames Per Second
- Output Frames Per Second
Endpoint metrics which exist in the Citrix Workspace app for Windows:
- Public IP address
- Internet Service Provider
- Location such as country or city
- Whether the Citrix Workspace app session is opened in native app or browser (HTML5)
- Accessed using Workspace or StoreFront
- Resource utilization such as CPU %, Memory %, and GPU (Overall %)
- Network latency

This enhancement helps to troubleshoot session issues quickly.

For more information, see Session Performance metrics.

Enhancement to Filters tab

With this release, the following extra filters are added to the Sessions tab.

All - Displays all sessions
Active, Connected, and Disconnected - Displays only the active, connected, and disconnected sessions.
Ended - Displays only the sessions that have ended within the last 48 hours. The default filter is Active, Connected, and Disconnected.

User experience improvement for alerts and usability

In response to customer enhancement requests, the user experience has been improved by avoiding the display of machines at maximum load as an error. This change is beneficial for customers using Vertical Load Balancing, where maximum load is expected.

This improvement removes the maximum load data from the dashboard, filter, and trends pages. To view machines that reach maximum load, you can use the Monitor OData API to get all machines’ status. You can also use the Director UI to view the machines at maximum load.

To view machines at maximum load from Director UI:

Navigate to the Filters tab.
Select the default filter - All Machines.
Ensure that no other filters are applied.
Sort by Failure Type.

Filter machines

This feature allows viewing machines at maximum load without them being alerted as errors.

Enhancement to ended session [Preview]

In the ended session (formerly historical session), the Session Performance tab shows data for the last 48 hours. Also, you can view the Session Logon tab for the ended session.

For more information, see Diagnose ended user sessions [Preview].

Additional details on the Session Topology view for Secure Private Access apps (Preview)

You can now view the following extra details in the Session Topology view for Secure Private Access apps. This change applies to both Web and SaaS apps, as well as TCP/UDP apps.

Endpoint:

Endpoint type: This can be either the Secure Access Agent or Citrix Workspace app.
Access details: View how the endpoint is accessed, whether through StoreFront or Citrix Workspace app.
Endpoint OS: For example, Windows.
Location type: Indicates whether the location is internal or external.

Resource Location:

Note:

Resource location is applicable only for Web and SaaS apps.

Number of enumerated applications: Displays the number of enumerated applications and the store URL.
Access method: Indicates whether the endpoint is accessed through StoreFront or Citrix Workspace app.

Secure Private Access:

Configured policies: Displays the number of configured policies.
FQDN plug-in: Shows the FQDN of the agent that served the request.

Web and SaaS App / Client-Server App (TCP/UDP):

App name: The name of the app.
Top level URL: For Web or SaaS apps, the URL of the published app is displayed. For TCP/UDP apps, the protocol IP address of the app is displayed.
App type: Indicates whether the app is a Web or SaaS app, or a TCP/UDP app.
App publishing type: Indicates whether the app is published externally or internally.

For more information, see the Session Topology view for Secure Private Access apps section.

Enhanced Activity Manager for TCP or UDP apps (Preview)

You can now view enumerated application details for TCP or UDP apps on the Activity Manager under Available Apps. Also, you can view the resource URL and the type of accessed resource (TCP or UDP). This enhancement aids in troubleshooting Secure Private Access issues.

For more information, see the Session Topology view for Secure Private Access apps section.

Scout

Scout supports TraceLogging provider

Previously, Scout supported only the Windows performance provider, which required extra decoding files and traced only sessions and events from a single session for the same provider.

With this release, Scout now supports the TraceLogging provider. This provider does not require extra decoding files and can enable and receive events from up to eight trace sessions for the same provider. This feature is enabled by default.

Command-line interfaces for Scout functionalities

You can now use command-line interfaces for Scout functionalities, enabling you to collect needed logs and data without opening the Scout UI. This feature provides convenience for advanced users to automate the log or trace process locally or remotely for target machines or sites. This feature is enabled by default.

Commands are added for the following functionalities:

Help
Collect diagnostics
Start and stop trace
List session
Start and stop CDC

Note:

When running the remote trace session, the new telemetry version must be installed on both VDA and DDC. This installation is required because the Scout command line is supported starting from Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops version 2411, and older versions of TelemetryService do not support this feature.

For more information, see Command-line interfaces for Scout functionalities.

Machine Creation Services (MCS)

Support for creating preformatted WBC disk catalogs in Azure

With this feature, in Azure virtualization environments, you are able to utilize a preformatted WBC disk for newly created catalogs. This action significantly reduces the time required to start each VM of an MCS or MCS provisioned Citrix Provisioning machine catalog. To implement this functionality, create an Azure catalog with WBC enabled and include an additional custom property PreformatWriteBackCache as True.

You can update an existing catalog using the Set-ProvScheme command to update the WBC disk size.

This feature is compatible with the Image management workflow where MCS separates the mastering phase from the overall provisioning workflow. For more information, see Create a preformatted WBC disk catalog.

Delete WBC disk at shut down for MCS provisioned Citrix Provisioning catalogs

With this feature, you have the option to delete the write-back cache (WBC) disk at shutdown for MCS provisioned Citrix Provisioning catalogs in Azure. This implementation helps to save cost when you do not need a persistent WBC disk. This feature is also applicable to an existing catalog. For more information, see Delete WBC disk at shutdown for MCS provisioned Citrix Provisioning catalogs.

Support for multi-region snapshot of the disk or an image of the disk as master image in GCP

A snapshot or an image of a disk in GCP can be regional or multi-regional. Regional snapshots and disk images are tied to a particular region, example, us-central1, whereas multi-regional snapshots and disk images are tied to a geo-location, example, US. With this feature, you can use a multi-region snapshot of the OS disk or an image of the disk as master image input when creating MCS machine catalogs in GCP. You can see the list of all snapshots (both regional and multi-regional) under snapshots.folder location and disk images (both regional and multi-regional) under images.folder under hosting unit inventory path.

Support for NitroTPM and UEFI secure boot capability for MCS created AWS VM instances

With this feature, when creating a catalog in AWS environments, you can now select a master image (AMI) with NitroTPM and/or UEFI secure boot enabled. Accordingly, the provisioned VMs in the catalog are also enabled with NitroTPM and/or UEFI secure boot. This implementation ensures that the VMs are secured and trusted. For more information on NitroTPM and UEFI Secure Boot, see the AWS documentation. For creating a catalog enabled with NitroTPM and UEFI secure boot, see Enable NitroTPM and UEFI secure boot for VM instances.

Support for creating a network security group

With this feature, you can now create a Deny-All network security group for image preparation instead of requesting Citrix to create and modify a network security group automatically. Edit the custom properties of the hosting unit using a PowerShell command Set-Item to include the parameter NsgForPreparation to provide the Deny-All network security group. For more information on using the PowerShell command, see Use a pre-created network security group.

Support for using Azure temporary disk as a WBC disk for existing MCS machine catalogs

With this feature, you can now use Azure Temporary disk as a write-back cache (WBC) disk for existing MCS machine catalogs and existing VMs. Use the Set-ProvSchem PowerShell command to update existing catalogs. This implementation saves storage cost because Azure temporary disk is free of charge. For information on the steps, see Use temporary disk as WBC disk for existing catalogs and VMs.

Filter empty resource groups

With this feature, you can filter out empty resource groups while selecting a master image, machine profile, or prepared image during the machine catalog creation. You can do this using a PowerShell command Get-HypInventoryItem. For more information, see Filter empty resource groups.

Migration of persistent and non-persistent VMs in XenServer

With this feature, in the XenServer environment, you can migrate the following VM disks from one storage to another storage using the Move-ProvVMDisk PowerShell command.

For persistent Full Clone VMs: OS Disk, Identity Disk, and non-MCS provisioned disks.
For non-persistent VMs: OS Disk, Identity Disk, and Write-back Cache (WBC) disk.

For more information, see Storage migration of persistent and non-persistent VMs.

Validate configuration before creating an MCS machine catalog in AWS environment

With this feature, you can now validate configuration settings before creating an MCS machine catalog using the parameter -validate in New-ProvScheme command. After you run this PowerShell command with the parameter, you get an appropriate error message if there’s an incorrect parameter used or a parameter has conflict with another parameter. You can then use the error message to resolve the issue and successfully create an MCS machine catalog using PowerShell.

Currently, this feature is applicable to AWS, Azure, GCP, and VMware virtualization environments. For more information, see Validate configuration before creating an MCS machine catalog.

Repair the identity information of active computer accounts in SCVMM

In SCVMM environments, you can now reset the identity information of active computer accounts that have identity-related problems. You can choose to reset only the machine password and trust keys, or reset all configuration of the identity disk. This implementation is applicable to both persistent and non-persistent MCS machine catalogs. Currently, the feature is supported only for AWS, Azure, SCVMM, and VMware virtualization environments. For more information, see Repair the identity information of active computer accounts.

Support for on-demand capacity reservation in Azure

With this feature, you can create an MCS machine catalog of Azure VMs with on-demand capacity reservation using a machine profile (VM or template spec). This feature is applicable to persistent and non-persistent machine catalogs. You can update an existing machine catalog and existing VMs to have or remove on-demand capacity reservation.

For more information on Azure on-demand capacity reservation, see the Microsoft documentation On-demand Capacity Reservation. For information on creating and updating an MCS machine catalog with on-demand capacity reservation, see Create a catalog of on-demand capacity reservation VMs.

Support for placing WBC disk on the same storage location as OS disk

In XenServer, VMware, and SCVMM virtualization environments, MCS now places Write-back cache (WBC) disk on the same storage location as OS disk if you configure the available OS storage list the same as the available temporary storage list while creating a host connection.

This implementation helps to reduce the complexity in managing the OS and WBC disks.

For creating a host connection, see Create a connection and resources.

Support for multiple NICs per VM on Azure

Previously, in Azure environments, MCS supported only one Network Interface Card (NIC) per VM. With this feature, MCS now supports multiple NICs per VM. You can associate multiple NICs on a VM to multiple subnets, however, those subnets must be in the same virtual network (vNet). For more information, see Create or update a catalog with multiple NICs per VM.

Connect to Azure Sovereign Airgap cloud environment

With this feature, you can connect to Azure Sovereign Airgap cloud environments using a custom property DisableInstanceDiscovery while creating a host connection. The Azure Sovereign Airgap cloud environment is suitable for top-secret workloads that must be on segregated network domains. For more information on creating a host connection to the environment, see Connect to Azure Government Secret.

Reboot schedules for hibernated VMs

With this feature, you can configure reboot schedules for hibernated VMs if the Delivery Group is hibernation enabled. In the reboot cycle, the VMs are resumed and, then shut down. The reboot schedule can be set as weekly, daily, monthly, and once. You can configure multiple schedules. Note that VMs resuming from hibernation can take few mins.