Citrix HDX Optimization imporves Microsoft Teams performance. It extends the value and enhanced performance of Microsoft Teams.
In this step-by-step guide I will describe how-to disable GPU Hardware Acceleration for Teams in Citrix for all users. If the Virtual Desktop does not have a GPU/vGPU, Citrix recommends to disable GPU hardware acceleration in Teams. This cannot be done by policy or registry but by editing a json-file in the AppData directory. Microsoft Teams in a virtualized environment supports chat and collaboration. And with the Windows Virtual Desktop, Citrix, and VMware platforms, calling and meeting functionality is also supported. Teams in a virtualized environment supports multiple configurations. These include VDI, dedicated, shared, persistent, and non-persistent modes. Make Teams work for you. Add your favorite Microsoft and third-party services or build custom apps for your unique business needs. Firstline Workers Maximize the impact of your Firstline Workforce. Empower all workers with new scheduling and shift management features. Healthcare Provide the best care possible with help from Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams optimization will not work where VDA is installed with Single-session OS Core installation. Problem Cause MS Teams optimization will not work in this case because the two services on which MS Teams optimization depends - Citrix HDX HTML5 Video Redirection and Citrix HDX Teams Redirection are not part of VDA Single-session OS. Citrix HDX Optimization Installing Microsoft Teams Per-User: Today there are 2 different ways of installing Microsoft Teams. You can install it either as a per-user install or a per-machine (machine-wide) install.
The HDX Optimization for Teams is bundled as part of VDA in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops. It is installed on the hosts or base image of the catalog and Citrix Virtual Apps servers, which may be used to deliver Teams.
Citrix delivers optimization for desktop-based Microsoft Teams using Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops and Citrix Workspace app. By default, Citrix bundle all the necessary components into Citrix Workspace app and the Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA). When using Microsoft Teams performance is key to achieve a good user experience.
The optimization for Microsoft Teams performance contains VDA-side HDX services and API to interface with the Microsoft Teams hosted app to receive commands. These components open a control virtual channel (CTXMTOP) to the Citrix Workspace app-side media engine. The endpoint decodes and renders the multimedia locally. Reverse seamless snaps-in the local Citrix Workspace app window back into the hosted Microsoft Teams app.
Authentication and signaling occurs natively on the Microsoft Teams-hosted app, just like the other Microsoft Teams services (for example chat or collaboration). Audio/video redirection doesn’t affect them.
To get the best user experience for your end users, Microsoft Teams performance is key and needs the following
System requirements:
Minimum version – Delivery Controller (DDCs) 1906.2:
Supported operating systems:
- Windows Server 2019, 2016, 2012R2 Standard and Datacenter Editions, and with the Server Core option
Minimum version – Virtual Delivery Agents (VDAs) 1906.2:
Supported operating systems:
Teams Optimization Citrix
- Windows 10 64-bit, minimum versions 1607 up to 1909.
- Windows Server 2019, 2016, and 2012 R2 (Standard and Datacenter Editions).
Requirements:
- BCR_x64.msi – the MSI that contains the Microsoft Teams optimization code and starts automatically from the GUI. If you’re using the command line interface for the VDA installation, don’t exclude it.
Recommended version – Citrix Workspace app 2002 for Windows and Minimum version – Citrix Workspace app 1907 for Windows:
- Windows 7, 8, and 10 (32-bit and 64-bit editions, including Embedded editions)
- Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2016 LTSB (v1607) and 2019 LTSC (v1809)
- Endpoint requirement: Approximately 2.2–2.4 GHz dual core CPU that can support 720p HD resolution during a peer-to-peer video conference call.
- Dual or quad-core CPUs with lower base speeds (~1.5 GHz) equipped with Intel Turbo Boost or AMD Turbo Core that can boost up to at least 2.4 GHz.
- HP Thin Clients verified: t630/t640, t730/t740, mt44/mt45.
- Dell Thin Clients verified: 5070, 5470 Mobile TC.
- 10ZiG Thin Clients verified: 4510 and 5810q.
- For a complete list of verified endpoints, see Thin Clients.
- Citrix Workspace app requires a minimum of 600 MB free disk space and 1 GB RAM.
- Microsoft .NET Framework minimum requirement is version 4.6.2. Citrix Workspace app automatically downloads and installs .NET Framework if it is not present in the system.
Minimum version – Citrix Workspace app 2004 for Linux:
For more information, see Audio optimization for Microsoft Teams -experimental in What’s new in 2004.
Further more please keep these following quick tips in mind to achieve Microsoft Teams performance in Citrix.
To enable optimization for Microsoft Teams, use the Studio policy described in Microsoft Teams redirection policy (it is ON by default). In addition to this policy being enabled, HDX checks to verify that the version of Citrix Workspace app is equal to or greater than the minimum required version. If you enabled the policy and the Citrix Workspace app version is supported, the HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareCitrixHDXMediaStreamMSTeamsRedirSupport registry key is set to 1 automatically on the VDA. The Microsoft Teams application reads the key to load in VDI mode.
HdxTeams.exe contacts the closest Microsoft Teams Transport Relay in the Office 365 cloud. HdxTeams.exe uses anycast IP and port 3478–3481 UDP (different UDP ports per workload, though multiplexing can happen) or 443 TCP TLSv1.2 for fallbacks. Call quality depends on the underlying network protocol. Because UDP is always recommended over TCP, Citrix advise you to design your networks to accommodate UDP traffic in the branch office.
You can deploy Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business side by side, as two separate solutions with overlapping capabilities. For more information, see Understand Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business coexistence and interoperability.
In this step-by-step guide I will describe how-to disable GPU Hardware Acceleration for Teams in Citrix for all users. If the Virtual Desktop does not have a GPU/vGPU, Citrix recommends to disable GPU hardware acceleration in Teams (link). This cannot be done by policy or registry but by editing a json-file in the AppData directory.
Ms Teams On Citrix
I will describe in this article how I managed this with a simple Powershell script which you can run at logon.
Microsoft Teams Vdi Citrix
Preparations
- Administrator privileges are required
- User policy needed for placing the startup script
Create or use a user-based policy where you want to use the Powershell script and use the contents of the script below. This script will first check if the json-file is present. If not, the user have never started Teams and the json-file is not present and will therefor not be edited.