Citrix released a new version of their popular Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2009.

The Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2009 release features many new enhacments from support of vSphere 7.0, SCVMM 2019, FIDO support, to security and also support for iOS 14 and BigSur.

Included with this Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2009, Citrix has made enhancements for user experience and new product release of following products:

• Citrix Licensing 11.16.6
• Citrix Federated Authentication Service 2009
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop Service
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop Standard for Azure
• Citrix Cloud Health Check
• Director 2009
• Virtual Delivery Agents 2009 for ServerOS and ClientOS
• Virtual Delivery Agent 2009 for Linux
• Provisioning 2009
• Profile Management 2009
• Workspace Environment Management 2009
• Session Recording 2009
• Workspace App 2009 for Windows
• Workspace App 2009 for Windows (Store)
• Workspace App 2009 for Linux
• Workspace App 2009 for Chrome
• Workspace App 2009 for Android
• Workspace App 2009 for MacOS
• Workspace App 2009 for HTML5
• Workspace App 2009 for ChromeOS

Here is a more detailed overview of what´s new in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2009.

Install and upgrade: Removal of VM optimizer from VDA installers

As of this release, the VDA installers no longer include TargetOSOptimizer.exe. The Features page in the VDA installers’ graphical interface no longer contains the Optimize performance option. In the VDA installers’ CLI, the /optimize option is no longer valid.

In place of the removed item, use Citrix Optimizer. Citrix Optimizer is a standalone tool (not part of the VDA installation). For details, see CTX224676.

Upgrade: New page in graphical interface

When using the full product installer’s graphical interface to upgrade Delivery Controllers, a new page lists the features, platforms, and components that are no longer supported. You can then stop the upgrade to remove unsupported items, if needed, and then restart the upgrade.

Upgrade: Removing unsupported items

As of version 2003, the following technologies and host types are not supported in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 Current Release deployments:

• Personal vDisks (PvD) for storing data next to users’ VMs. The user personalization layer feature now handles user persistence.
• AppDisks for managing applications used in delivery groups.
• Host types for connections: Azure Classic, Azure Resource Manager (ARM), Amazon Web Services (AWS), CloudPlatform (the original Citrix product).
  • For information about alternative ways you can continue using ARM and AWS, see CTX270373.
  • For host types supported in this release, see System requirements.

As of version 2006, if your current deployment uses PvDs or AppDisks, or has connections to unsupported host types, you can upgrade your deployment to version 2006 (or later supported versions) only after removing items that use those technologies.

For VDAs, the installation or earlier upgrades might have included PvD and AppDisks components, even if you never used it. You can upgrade VDAs to version 2006 (or later supported versions), only after removing that software. When using the graphical interface, that removal can be done automatically. Or, you can include options when using the CLI.

For details, see Remove PvD, AppDisks, and unsupported hosts.

Support for VMware vSphere 7.0

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2009 adds support for VMware vSphere 7.0. This support includes ESXi 7.0 and VMware vCenter Server 7.0.

Support for Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2019

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2009 release includes support for Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2019.

Manage searches during VDA registration

By default, if the Broker Agent cannot locate a specified Controller during its initial search, it initiates an extensive fallback top-down query. You can now use a registry setting to control whether the Broker Agent uses that fallback query. For details, see Controller search during VDA registration.

Virtual Delivery Agents (VDAs) 2009

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2009, Version 2009 of the Windows single-session OS and multi-session OS VDAs includes the following enhancements. These items are in addition to the VDA installation and upgrade items listed earlier in this article.

Limit clipboard transfer size

In Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2009, you can specify the maximum amount of clipboard data a user can transfer to and from a virtual session using a single cut-and-paste operation. For more information, see the Limit clipboard client to session transfer size and Limit clipboard session to client transfer size settings in Client clipboard redirection.

Smart card reader insertion count

Smart card remoting now lets you track the number of times a smart card has been inserted or removed from a reader. For more information, see Track smart card reader insertion count.

VDA-based Wake on LAN

This release of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2009 adds support for a new Wake on LAN hosting connection for VDAs. For more information, see Remote PC Access.

Connection timeout

The user now receives an alert message two minutes before the virtual session automatically times out. To enable or update the timer that specifies the maximum duration of an uninterrupted connection, see Session connection timer.

App-V Single Admin HTTP(S) streaming

This version of the VDA includes changes that allow ctxAppVLauncher.exe to publish and launch packages that are streamed from an IIS server over HTTP or HTTPS, as well as from a UNC share. This enhancement supports the publishing of App-V package via HTTP streaming in the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service in Citrix Cloud. The ability to import HTTP streamed packages to the AppLibrary and publish them with Citrix Studio is not available for on-premises sites.

User personalization layer

This version of User personalization layer feature supports custom repository path names. When specifying an explicit repository path, you can include machine environment variables, along with %USERNAME% and %USERDOMAIN% variables.

Active Directory authentication

A new registry entry has been added to avoid unwanted enabling of NTLM authentication in VDAs, which is less secure than Kerberos. For more information, see Deploy in a multiple Active Directory forest environment.

Local authorization and virtual authentication using FIDO2

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2009 adds Support for FIDO2 enables users to take advantage of the local endpoint FIDO2 components in a virtual machine. Users can now authenticate in their virtual session using FIDO2 security keys or integrated biometrics on devices that have TPM 2.0 and Windows Hello. For more information, see FIDO2: WebAuthn & CTAP.

Keyboard enhancements for Dutch and Italian languages

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2009 release addresses keyboard issues for Dutch and Italian languages that are present in non-Windows client sessions. The improvements focus on the overall robustness of keyboard interactions in virtual sessions running through Citrix Workspace app. The enhanced Windows VDA keyboard now supports most combinations for Dutch and Italian input and provides a better user experience for customers in different locales.

Citrix Studio

Security key to authenticate StoreFront and Citrix Gateway

NOTE:

You must use this feature in combination with StoreFront 1912 LTSR CU2 or later. StoreFront 1912 LTSR CU2 has not yet been released.

Starting with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 2009 release, you can use a security key to allow only approved StoreFront and Citrix Gateway machines to communicate with the Delivery Controller. After you enable this feature, any requests that do not contain the key are blocked. Use this feature to add an extra layer of security to protect against attacks originating from the internal network. For more information, see Manage security keys.

Citrix Licensing 11.16.6

Citrix Licensing 11.16.6 contains new features and fixed and known issues.