The latest version of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) has been release, version 2109. This latest version in the Current Release path contains several improvements, bug fixes, and added support.
The biggest announcement is that CVAD 2109 will have Day 1 support for Microsoft Windows Server 2022. This will allow customers to immediately gain the benefits and improvements of Server 2022 for their CVAD infrastructure and VDAs.
In addition to the Day 1 support for Windows Server 2022 there were many other improvements and features added to 2109.
HDX Improvements
Audio redirection and playback gets an improvement with HDX Adaptive Audio. HDX Adaptive Audio consists of new audio codec and an automatic configuration logic to help adjust the quality sampling as network conditions change within a session. This adaptive audio will help ensure that audio quality within the sessions remains at its best despite ever changing conditions.
Previously users were unable to drag and drop files directly into Outlook which was running in a Citrix session. This drag and drop functionality is supported in native Outlook installations but was not previously possible for Outlook running within a Citrix session. With 2109 the drag and drop functionality has been implemented thereby improving user experience and consistency between different environments which Outlook is used.
Security has been improved by not allowing any third-party or custom virtual channels to be loaded into a session by default. Previously the default behavior was to have this functionality enabled. Starting with 2109the custom and third-party channels will be disabled by default in an effort to improve security within the session
The last feature listed for HDX improvements in that Enlightened Data Transport (EDT) Maximum Transport Unit (MTU) discovery is now supported on Mac and Android. EDT is utilized to improve user experience over long-haul connections. The ability for EDT to automatically detect the appropriate MTU size when a session is established prevents failed sessions from incorrect MTU size as well as fragmented packets.
Linux Improvements
For uses that utilize Linux VDAs there have been some improvements as well with added functionality included in the Linux VDA.
First off on the list is support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) version 8.4 and CentOS 8 (2015). In addition to the new versions, Debian VDAs gained support for Smart Cards for authentication and enhanced security. Virtual Display Layout, Connection Quality Indicator queries and HDX Session Screen sharing were also added to the Linux VDA in version 2109.
Session Recording
Session Recording continues to get updates to both the Admin experience and enhanced playback capabilities. The new Event Triggered Dynamic Recording allows session recording to start when a specific event is detected. The event triggered recording allows for recording size to be decreased by not having to record an entire session and allow for recordings to be easily navigated and located for playback.
New graphical representations of screen time, file activity, commands and events within sessions will improve how administrators interact with session recordings. These graphical improvements will allow administrators to better understand user activity and troubleshoot issues.
Cloud
According to the DaaS Pulse Survey cited by Citrix, 99 percent of IT executives are planning to move some or all of their virtual environments to the cloud. The majority of those planning moves were focusing on hybrid environments were part of their infrastructure lives in the cloud and part on-premise. The focus on moving to the cloud also means that Citrix is focused on improving and adding features to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service.
Service Continuity was introduced by Citrix previously to ensure that users are able to connect to virtual apps and desktops during a Citrix Workspace and/or cloud outage that would prevent the users from accessing cloud based delivery controllers. Previously Service Continuity was only available for Windows and Mac endpoints. However, with the release of 2109the Service Continuity functionality has been released for Linux endpoints and Chrome and Edge browsers running on Windows. For Service Continuity to work with the Chrome and Edge browsers users must be running Citrix Workspace 2109or later and a browser extension.
Environment monitoring got an update in CVAD service as well. Previously in Director Premium edition administrators could only see data retention for the previous 90 days. Starting with version 2109, Director Premium users will be able to see historical data for 365 days previous.
Additional Features
In addition to the updates and features listed above there were also changes to the Automated Configuration Tool, Restart Scheduling in Studio, Azure AD Admin Group Support (tech preview), new capabilities in Azure and Google Cloud. You can find the link to the original Citrix Blog article here to read more about all of these features and updates of 2109 and many more that we didn’t cover here.