HDX 3D for Professional Graphics Version 1.1 Administrator s Guide www.citrix.com
Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEW... 4 Introduction to HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1...4 Architecture...4 Licensing...7 CHAPTER 2 REQUIREMENTS... 8 Host Workstation...8 Hardware...8 Software...8 User Device...9 Hardware...9 Software...9 CHAPTER 3 INSTALLATION... 10 Environment...10 Prerequisites...10 Host Workstation...10 Prerequisites...10 Installation...11 Adding HDX 3D Pro Graphics Servers to the XenDesktop DDC...11 Client...12 Prerequisites...12 Installation...12 CHAPTER 4 SEAMLESS APPLICATION DELIVERY... 14 Publishing application shortcut on VDA...14 Publishing the Seamless application in DDC...15 Launching the Seamless Application...15 2
Use Image ConfigTool along with Seamless Applications...16 Configuration in DDC for Seamless applications with the Configuration tool...17 Possible Error Messages with Seamless Applications...19 CHAPTER 5 USER EXPERIENCE... 20 Connecting...20 Using the Quality Control Tool and User Interface...20 Changing Client Resolution Settings...22 Administration Control Tool...24 CHAPTER 6 LOGGING... 26 Basic Logging...26 Advanced Logging...26 CHAPTER 7 TROUBLESHOOTING... 27 Known Issues and Limitations...27 Support...30 3
Chapter 1 Overview Introduction to HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 XenDesktop HDX 3D for Professional Graphics is a feature of XenDesktop Enterprise and Platinum editions for delivering high-end applications, including OpenGL and DirectX based applications, that demand the power of a graphics processing unit (GPU) for hardware acceleration. This Citrix solution for desktop remoting and desktop based application remoting (Seamless Application Delivery) is the only viable solution on the market today for delivering 3D professional graphics over WAN bandwidths as low as 2 Mbps (with some customers reporting acceptable results even at 1.5 Mbps) and up to 200 ms roundtrip latency (with some users reporting acceptable results even at 300 ms RTL). On the LAN, too, HDX 3D Pro Graphics excels, consuming on average one-tenth the bandwidth of competing solutions (even those employing a proprietary hardware chip for compression) while delivering a high definition user experience, making it a valuable enabler for desktop replacement. While HDX 3D Pro Graphics is primarily aimed at high-end 3D professional graphics such as CAD/CAM, GIS, Digital Content creation, and Medical imaging, it works very well for nongraphics applications as well. It provides a customer-premises-based alternative to Citrix s popular GoToMyPC solution for users who require access to their Windows 7 office PC from a remote location. It can also be used to deliver computationally-intensive applications that leverage CUDA for parallel computing. In industries such as Manufacturing, Engineering, Graphics Design, Architecture and Animation, design teams are often geographically dispersed but still require the ability to collaborate and work from the same source files. And these teams work with highly-valued intellectual property where security is paramount. Desktop virtualization provides significant business benefits to these organizations among them making secure, global collaboration possible. With HDX 3D Pro Graphics, enterprise users are ensured the best experience over any network. Design teams can collaborate in real time and keep IP safely housed in the datacenter. Architecture HDX 3D Pro Graphics is a feature of XenDesktop Enterprise and Platinum editions. The HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 software is an add-on to XenDesktop 4. It is added to a Desktop Delivery Group within an existing Desktop Delivery Controller. Client devices connect to the XenDesktop environment in the usual way. Pro Graphics uses different image compression technologies for desktop/application delivery than standard XenDesktop. For the best possible compression (required for access over 2 Mbps connections), HDX 3D Pro Graphics features a GPU-based codec that leverages the graphics 4
processor on the host workstation for computational purposes. The user device does not require a graphics card. HDX 3D Pro Graphics also supports CPU-based compression, suitable when network bandwidth is approximately 3 Mbps or more. This allows a less expensive GPU to be used because it is used just for graphics rendering, not for compression. For medical imaging, CPUbased compression includes an option for pixel-perfect lossless compression (requires approximately 10 Mbps of network bandwidth). To support high-end 3D graphics based applications, HDX 3D Pro Graphics leverages hardware acceleration provided by a GPU on the host workstation. Because multi-user hypervisors do not provide GPU access at this time, HDX 3D Pro Graphics works with physical machines only. This includes physical desktop machines as well as blade and rack workstations. HDX 3D Pro Graphics is envisioned to work with virtual machines in the future when the anticipated GPU virtualization technology is introduced, where each virtual machine (VM) can get hardware acceleration through a virtual GPU. Typical HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 setup: CASE 1: The HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 host has an NVIDIA CUDA enabled GPU with at least 96 CUDA cores and the NVIDIA CUDA 2.1 (or higher) display drivers installed. In this architecture, the HDX 3D Pro Graphics GPU codec can be leveraged to deliver optimum performance over low-bandwidth WAN connections, while also supporting users on the LAN. It is also possible to use CPU-based compression with this configuration, such as when connecting from a client that does not have the decoder for the GPU codec, or when pixel-perfect lossless compression is required (typically for medical imaging). 5
CASE 2: The HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 host has a non-nvidia GPU (such as AMD/ATI) or an NVIDIA GPU with less than 96 CUDA cores. In this architecture, only the CPU codec can be leveraged, so at least 3 Mbps of network bandwidth is recommended. 6
Licensing No additional license files or keys are required for HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1; however, as a XenDesktop environment is required, you must have a Citrix License Server deployed with active XenDesktop licenses (Enterprise or Platinum edition). See your End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) for additional licensing information. 7
Chapter 2 Requirements Host Workstation Hardware Software As noted above, the host workstation must be a physical machine as HDX 3D Pro Graphics makes use of hardware acceleration provided by the underlying GPU. The host workstation may be a tower or desktop workstation, or a blade/rack workstation. It is strongly recommended that the host workstation and GPU are endorsed by the application vendor. HDX 3D Pro Graphics does not require one specific manufacturer s equipment. Citrix has tested the Pro Graphics 1.1 release on hardware from HP, Dell and IBM. Although blade and rack workstations are envisioned as the ideal platforms for this generation of the HDX 3D Pro Graphics technology, regular freestanding PCs and workstations also are suitable. Citrix recommends at least 4 GB of RAM and a quad core CPU. A CUDA enabled NVIDIA graphics card with at least 96 cores is required for leveraging the benefits of the GPU codec. Cards that meet this specification include the NVIDIA Quadro FX 4600, 5600, 3800, 4800, 3700, and 5800. For a detailed list of CUDA-enabled cards, see the following Web pages: http://www.nvidia.com/object/cuda_gpus.html http://www.nvidia.com/object/io_11761.html#mobile For servers that do not have a CUDA-enabled GPU (or a CUDA-enabled GPU with less than 96 CUDA cores), CPU-based compression is used. The host/server workstation must run either of Windows XP SP2/SP3 32-bit Professional, Windows XP 64-bit Professional, Windows 7 32-bit, or Windows 7 64-bit. To use GPU-based compression, the system must have the appropriate CUDA-enabled NVIDIA drivers installed. See the following NVIDIA website to obtain the display driver with CUDA 2.1, CUDA 2.2 or CUDA 2.3 capability: http://www.nvidia.in/download/index.aspx?lang=en-in The graphics driver that you download from this Web site should have the latest CUDA capabilities required for GPU-based data compression. For older drivers having CUDA 2.1/2.2 support, look for the Archived drivers. For all other graphics products (GPUs) the normal display drivers should be used. 8
User Device Hardware Recommended requirements: Configuration: Core Duo 2 GHz CPU or higher dual core CPU, 2 GB RAM Monitor Resolution: WAN: 800x600 to 1280X1024 LAN: 800x600 to 1920x1200 GPU: No GPU required Minimum Requirements: Configuration: Pentium 4, 3.0 GHz CPU or equivalently fast single core CPU, 1 GB RAM Monitor Resolution: 800x600 GPU: No GPU required Note: When connecting from a multi-monitor system, only one monitor is used by HDX 3D Pro Graphics. Software The clock speed (GHz) of the processor is more important than the number of CPU cores. To decode GPU-based compression, the special HDX 3D Pro Graphics client must be installed. The version 11.1.9 HDX 3D Pro Graphics client is supported on Windows 32-bit and 64-bit (Windows XP, Windows 7; Windows Vista is supported only on a best efforts basis because of limited enterprise market demand). The 11.1.9 client can decode CPU based compression, too. To decode only CPU-based compression, Citrix s standard 11.2 or 12.0 online plug-in for Windows can be used, or the 11.100 Citrix Receiver for Linux. 9
Chapter 3 Installation Environment Prerequisites There are a number of components that must be in place before installing HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1. They are as follows: Host Workstation Prerequisites 1. A XenDesktop 4 environment must be deployed and operational. 2. On Windows 7, the XenDesktop must be installed through the command line (not by double-clicking on the MSI icon) as it requires the VDA to be installed with a WDDM driver. The command is as follows <Location of VDA installer>msiexec /I XdsAgent.msi INSTALLONWDDM=1 3. Your HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 servers must be in the same domain as your XenDesktop 4 environment. HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 installation on the server requires the following software, and this software should be installed before proceeding with the HDX 3D Pro Graphics installation: 1. The appropriate NVIDIA CUDA-enabled drivers must be installed when using a NVIDIA GPU with at least 96 cores. See the following link to download the latest drivers with CUDA capability: http://www.nvidia.in/download/index.aspx?lang=en-in The graphics driver that you download from this Web site should have the latest CUDA capabilities For older drivers having CUDA 2.1/2.2 support, look for Archived drivers. 2. Microsoft.NET 3.5 must be installed. This is installed automatically for you in step 3 (below). See the following link to download the.net 3.5 installer package: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=333325fd-ae52-4e35-b531-508d977d32a6&displaylang=en 10
Installation 3. The XenDesktop 4 Agent (VDA) must be installed and during installation the appropriate XenDesktop 4 farm must be selected. This is the farm that this host is added to. HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 works only with XenDesktop 4.0 VDA. 1. Log on to MyCitrix.com with your credentials. 2. Navigate to link below to access the HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 software package and download: https://www.citrix.com/english/ss/downloads/details.asp?downloadid=1861141 Click on the Download link in the HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 section for the HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 package (which includes installer and the 11.1.9 Client installer) and the Administrator s Guide. 3. Copy HDX3D_PROGFX_x64SERVERMSI.msi (on 64-bit Windows host platform) or HDX3D_PROGFX_x86SERVERMSI.msi (on 32-bit Windows host platform) to the HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 host and run it. 4. Follow the on-screen prompts and reboot your server when prompted. Note: This release of HDX 3D for Pro Graphics is not localized into languages other than English. However, the English language version is supported on non-english versions of the supported operating systems. Adding HDX 3D Pro Graphics Servers to the XenDesktop DDC Note: The DDC and the HDX 3D Pro Graphics servers must be on the same network domain. 1. Log on to the XenDesktop 4 environment s DDC. 2. Start the Access Management Console and run discovery (if necessary). 3. In the tree view, expand Citrix resources > Desktop Delivery Controller > the farm name > Desktop Groups node. 4. Right Click on Desktop Groups node and select Create Desktop Group. 11
5. In the wizard select Pooled or Assigned and then select either Assigned on first use or Pre-Assigned in the assignment type. This is based on the desired deployment. Consult the XenDesktop Desktop Delivery Controller documentation for more information on these options. 6. In the hosting infrastructure select None. 7. On the virtual desktop and user s page click Add and give the hostname of the workstation of the Windows machine where the XenDesktop 4 VDA and HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 are installed. 8. Once added to the list of Active Directory (AD) computer accounts, select the workstation (so its highlighted in blue) and click ASSIGN. 9. Provide the Username for the AD user account using this workstation. 10. Accept the defaults for the remaining prompts until configuration is finished. Client Prerequisites Installation 1. Any existing XenDesktop Receiver/client must be uninstalled from the client machine. Note: The client software capable of decoding GPU- compressed graphics is contained within the HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 Software Package. See the Installation-Server section in Chapter 3 of this Administrator s Guide for details on how to download this software. 1. Copy DesktopReceiverFull.msi (11.1.9) to the user device. Run the MSI file with Administrator privileges. This client is built on top of Desktop Receiver Full client version 11.1 and it can be used with the standard XenDesktop VDA as well as the HDX 3D Pro Graphics VDA. 2. Follow the on-screen prompts until installation is completed. Click Yes to the USB support prompt if USB devices are going to be used (like the 3D Space Mouse). Note 12
that version 11.1.9 of the HDX 3D Pro Graphics client does not support USB when running on a 64-bit client since that capability was introduced with 11.2. If the server machine has a non-nvidia GPU or low-end, non-cuda-compliant NVIDIA GPU, the standard Citrix 11.2 or 12.0 online plug-in for Windows can be used, because it supports decoding of CPU-compressed graphics. The 11.100 Citrix Receiver for Linux is also supported when using CPU-based compression. To obtain the benefits of the GPU codec you must use the special HDX 3D Pro Graphics client (current version is designated 11.1.9). 13
Chapter 4 Seamless Application Delivery In some cases, rather than delivering a full desktop to users, it might be preferable to deliver just the GPU-accelerated application. Seamless Application Delivery allows you to deliver an application from the HDX 3D Pro Graphics platform into the user s local desktop and have it appear just like a local application. Publishing application shortcut on VDA 1. Install XenDesktop 4 VDA on the server (host). 2. Install HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 after installing the XenDesktop 4 Virtual Desktop Agent. 3. Log on to the VDA console and Navigate to %systemdrive%\program Files (x86)\citrix\icaservice\seamlessinitialprogram in case of 64-bit VDA and publish the short cut of the application to be remoted (This path changes to %systemdrive%\program Files\Citrix\ICAService\SeamlessInitialProgram in case of 32-bit Virtual Desktop Agent.) Only one shortcut is allowed in the folder above. If no shortcut is found, or more than one shortcut are detected, an error message appears to the end user when connecting to this VDA. The administrator can configure the command line and working directory in the created shortcut. Up to this point in the configuration process, it is the default way of configuring VMHApps in XenDesktop 4.x. Refer to your XenDesktop 4.x Administrator s Guide if you have any trouble in getting to this stage. 14
Publishing the Seamless application in DDC 1. Log on to XenDesktop DDC (Desktop Delivery Controller). 2. Start Citrix Delivery Service Console. 3. Right click on Desktop Group and select Create Desktop Group. 4. Select Assigned or pooled as your Assignment Type and Select Use Desktop Group for VM Hosted Apps as mentioned in the below screen shot. 5. Fill in the remaining infrastructure details and click Finish. Launching the Seamless Application 1. Log on to Client machine. 2. Log on to the XenApp plug-in. 15
3. Right click on XenApp plug-in and find Desktops and Applications listed on the top. 4. Click on Applications and it lists all the Seamless Applications published for that user. 5. Using the Web plug-in, the user can select the application under the Applications tab. 6. This should launch the Seamless application for you. Use Image ConfigTool along with Seamless Applications Log on at the HDX 3D Pro Graphics VDA console and perform following steps: 1. Remove existing hosted application shortcut (if any) from: %install%/citrix/icaservice/seamlessinitialprogram/ 2. Create a Batch file with any valid name (for ex HDX3D_VMHApps.bat). 3. Add all the applications that need to be launched on the workstation seamlessly in the following way using START command: start /d <my App1 installed location> myapp1name.exe start /d <my App2 installed location> myapp2name.exe : : start /d %systemdrive%/program Files/Citrix/ICAService/ PicaImpersonationClient.exe Note: Always add PicaImpersonationClient.exe as the last application that needs to be launched on the workstation seamlessly. It s mandatory to have this in the batch file to be able to use the ConfigTool 16
seamlessly. Note that users won t be able to use the Configuration Tool along with hosted applications if PicaImpersonationClient.exe is not added to the batch file. Sample batch file creation: start /d C:\WINDOWS\system32\ notepad.exe start /d C:\WINDOWS\system32\ mspaint.exe : : start /d %systemdrive%/program Files/Citrix/ICAService/ PicaImpersonationClient.exe 4. Save the Batch file on your VDA desktop or at any other location on the system drive like C:\ 5. Create a shortcut to this Batch file and place the shortcut in the following directory: %install%/citrix/icaservice/seamlessinitialprogram/ See below snapshot for sample shortcut: Configuration in DDC for Seamless applications with the Configuration tool 1. Run the following command from a command prompt: C:\Program Files\Citrix\Desktop Delivery Controller\PortICASetDefaults.exe" /o c:/xml-original.xml 2. Browse to c:/xml-original.xml, Open the file and find the following XML Tag: <LogoffCheckSysModules></LogoffCheckSysModules> Generally located under: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <Config xmlns="portica.xsd"> <System> 17
: : <Seamless> <LogoffCheckSysModules></LogoffCheckSysModules> <SeamlessFlags>0</SeamlessFlags> <WorkerFullCheckInterval>500</WorkerFullCheckInterval> <WorkerWaitInterval>50</WorkerWaitInterval> </Seamless> : : </System> : : </Config> 3. Modify the tag as shown below. <LogoffCheckSysModules><value>PicaImpersonationClient.exe, ConfigTool.exe</value></LogoffCheckSysModules> 4. Save the XML file with changes. 5. Write the changes made to the xml file back to the DDC by running following command: "C:\Program Files\Citrix\Desktop Delivery Controller\PortICASetDefaults.exe"/i c:/xml-original.xml 6. Run following command to create new.xml file just to verify previously committed changes: "C:\Program Files\Citrix\Desktop Delivery Controller\PortICASetDefaults.exe" /o c:/xml-originalv2.xml 7. Open the file and confirm that the changes were made: <LogoffCheckSysModules><value>PicaImpersonationClient.exe, ConfigTool.exe</value></LogoffCheckSysModules> 8. Start a new session from your end device using Desktop Receiver. 18
Possible Error Messages with Seamless Applications Short cut for the intended application is missing from seamless folder: Unable to launch application. Contact your help desk with the following information: The remote Application launch shortcut is not configured correctly on the machine <Machine Name> message is displayed User is still logged on to the VDA: You have started Windows Explorer Desktop in your remote session. This obscures your local Explorer Desktop. 19
Chapter 5 User Experience Connecting There are two methods for connecting to an HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 host from a client machine. You can either connect through a Web broker or using the Citrix on-line plug-in. 1. Connecting from the web: a. Navigate to http://ip_of_ddc_machine b. Log on using the credentials specified to add the HDX 3D Pro Graphics host to the DDC. Select the assigned desktop and click on it. This launches the desktop. c. To adjust image quality, left-click the icon in the system tray. d. Use the slider bar to adjust image quality. 2. Connecting from XenApp plug-in. a. Launch Citrix XenApp from the start menu. b. Fill in the username, password, and domain. c. Connect. Using the Quality Control Tool and User Interface HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 provides users with an easy way to find the optimal balance between a sharper image and smoother motion (depending on a user s available connection). How to use the slider bar Sliding the bar to the right increases the sharpness of the image you see on your desktop. This might degrade the responsiveness if insufficient bandwidth is available. Sliding the bar to the left decreases the quality of the image seen on the desktop but results in smoother motion when moving objects on the screen. 20
Example - Graphic intensive program on LAN In this case, slide the bar all the way to the right. The high-speed connection allows for a high frame rate (FPS) even at the best image quality. If the FPS is low and the motion is not smooth, slide the bar to the left until it becomes smooth enough. Example- Graphic intensive program on WAN Slide the bar to the middle of the bar and adjust it until motion is smooth. To see finer details (better image quality), slide the bar to the right until the image is sharp enough. Slide back to the left when done. Setting up keyboard shortcuts Keyboard shortcuts allow the user to change the position of the slider bar using the keyboard. You can change the shortcut for moving the slider to the right, and to the left. The user can also define the step size by which image quality is modified. Default Keyboard Shortcuts are: Sharper Image: Ctrl + Shift + O Smoother Motion: Ctrl + Shift + L To change these shortcuts, expand the widget to show the keyboard shortcut controls. To set or change a shortcut, simply double click on the text to the right of the label and hold down the new keys you want. The key should contain first two modifiers (Ctrl/Alt/Shift) and then an alphanumeric character. Press Enter to set the hotkey. To change the increment, just double click it and enter the new numerical value. Now these keyboard shortcuts can be used to increase or decrease the image quality without opening the Image Configuration widget. Where did my slider bar go? Pressing Minimize/Close button minimizes the HDX 3D Pro Graphics Image Configuration Tool to an icon in the System Tray. Left click the icon to bring it in front. Hovering the mouse over the Image Configuration Tool icon gives the current quality setting. 2D Drawings: User should check the 2D Drawing checkbox in low bandwidth scenarios when 2D or wireframe drawings are complex and a drag is experienced while moving the drawings. For all other cases the 2D Drawing checkbox should be unchecked. 21
Fixed Quality: This option should be used whenever the user wants to stick to the quality set. This allows user to work with the desired quality at all times. However in low bandwidth if the fixed quality set is too high then the interactivity might be low. Lossless: Lossless option should be used only for medical applications where pixel perfect images are required. In case of low bandwidth if fixed quality is unchecked, intermediate lossy frames are sent to give better user experience. As soon as the user stops interactivity, the final frame is Lossless. In other words, the image is lossy while in motion to ensure responsiveness, but pixel perfect when it becomes stationary. Systray icon for Lossless codec: This icon is seen only when both Lossless and Fixed Quality are checked in Image Configuration tool. Hovering the mouse on this icon displays following message: Systray icon for Lossy codec: Hovering the mouse on this icon displays following message: Changing Client Resolution Settings This can be done effectively by disabling the Desktop Viewer toolbar (connection bar). By doing this you consistently get the window size you specify. Refer to the HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 Troubleshooting Guide for more details: http://support.citrix.com/article/ctx123413 22
To disable the Desktop Toolbar (Farm-Wide): 1. Log on to the machine hosting your XenDesktop DDC as an administrative user. 2. Navigate to C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\DesktopWeb\conf for WI client and C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\PNAgent\conf for PNA client 3. Edit the default.ica file in both locations. 4. In the section {WFCLIENT] and in the section [APPLICATION] add the following line: ConnectionBar=OFF This allows you to request windowed sessions, and prevents the cached connection bar (Desktop toolbar) session resolution and color depth information being used in session negotiation. Note that USB remoting and client-side scaling are both Desktop Viewer (connect bar) features, so they are unavailable if the connection bar is disabled in this way. To enable back the connection bar, remove the ConnectionBar=OFF line Alternate Procedure to change client resolution settings: If you want to keep the Desktop Viewer toolbar ON then to change client resolution settings you must be using Connection Method 2 (using the XenApp plug-in) as defined in the previous section Connecting : 1. Right click the XenApp systray icon on the client and select Options. a. Select the Session options tab. b. Change the Window Size to the resolution you are looking for. i. For example, if your native client resolution is 1600x1200 you can set the window size to 1280x1024 to keep HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 in a windowed mode. c. Click OK. d. The same thing can be done using the XenApp Web plug-in if more than one desktop is assigned to the user. 2. Connect to the HDX 3D Pro Graphics server through the XenApp plug-in. 3. HDX 3D Pro Graphics window might initially start in full screen mode, if so, click the Maximize/Restore button in the top right to bring it into Windowed mode. 4. Make sure that the HDX 3D Pro Graphics window is roughly the size that you want to be in the future (based on the resolution setting you have just selected). 5. Click the Citrix icon in the connection bar and click Change Resolution. Click Yes. 6. Disconnect your session and reconnect through the XenApp plug-in. 23
7. Rely on the first method to work in windowed mode by disabling the connection bar if you face any performance issue by this method. This should result in your HDX 3D Pro Graphics window opening in a windowed mode at the resolution you configured. Administration Control Tool An administration control tool (HDX3DCmdLineToolX86.exe/HDX3DCmdLineToolX64.exe) is also is installed along with the installer at %systemdrive%\program Files\Citrix\ICA Service depending on the server OS. From there, while connecting through a client to an HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 session, you might use the tool by running it from the command line. Running the tool without any parameters gives you the parameter options. Using the appropriate commands you can query or change information about the user setting. You must always preface usage of this tool with HDX3DConfigCmdLineX86.exe/ HDX3DConfigCmdLineX64.exe Available commands are as follows: To display all the currently configured options: DISPLAY CURRENT_OPTIONS To disable and enable advanced logging, respectively: DEBUG_LOGGING 0 DEBUG_LOGGING 1 To change codecs between CPU-based and GPU-based, respectively: SWITCH_CODEC CPU SWITCH_CODEC GPU To enable and disable HDX 3D Pro Graphics from using image quality intelligence, respectively: ENABLE_FIXEDQUALITY 0 ENABLE_FIXEDQUALITY 1 To set a recommended frame rate for the HDX 3D Pro Graphics calculations: SET_FRAMECAPTURERATE X [Where x is a value between 10 and 50] To enable and disable HDX 3D Pro Graphics from using image quality intelligence, respectively: GPUCODEC_MINCUDACORES XX [where XX can be 32 and 64 by default it is 96] 24
Warning: 32 or 64 core GPUs are not recommended for using the GPU codec and 3D CAD applications. Consult your application vendor(s) for GPUs supported by your CAD application(s). Also, the user should run this command on native and log off before connection; the user is not supposed to run this command within the session. 25
Chapter 6 Logging Basic Logging Normal error messages and status messages are written into the Event Viewer by default. When you experience a crash or error it is best to consult these logs in the Event Viewer and contact Citrix Technical Support. Advanced Logging HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 comes with a logging system that is turned OFF by default. This is to ensure maximum performance during user sessions and logging is only meant to be used during situations that require detailed troubleshooting. You should contact Citrix Technical Support before enabling advanced logging functionality. 1. Log on to the HDX 3D Pro Graphics server and run the Admin Control Command line tool HDX3DCmdLineToolX86.exe/HDX3DCmdLineToolX64.exe from command prompt. You can find this tool installed in %systemdrive%\program Files\Citrix\ICA Service. 2. Start the command prompt and run this tool from the location: %systemdrive%\program Files\Citrix\ICA Service. 3. Run Dbgview.exe. 4. This now displays a multitude of log messages for debugging. Contact Citrix Technical Support for more assistance. 26
Chapter 7 Troubleshooting For troubleshooting needs, contact Citrix Technical Support and open up a support case. Additionally, however, you can find solutions to some common problems below. Known Issues and Limitations The following known issues and limitations (with workarounds where applicable) exist in the 1.1 release: This release of HDX 3D for Professional Graphics is not localized into languages other than English. However, the English language version is supported on non-english versions of the supported operating systems. Monitor Blanking (overlay) on Win 7 Monitor blanking in Windows 7 works only in Basic/Classic mode (both 32 bit and 64 bit). The overlay screen should appear when logging on to the server through HDX 3D Pro Graphics and it should go away on disconnect/logoff. There could be situations where monitor blanking does not get enabled (such as Aero mode). The system informs user that monitor blanking is disabled through a message box. Meanwhile the picaoverlay.exe process tries to create an overlay screen. Once it is successful in creating an overlay screen the user is informed (again through a message box) that the monitor has been blanked. Logon Screen is displayed off set if session size is different than the console resolution. Workaround: Keep the same resolution on the console as on the user device. Overlay buffer support (used by some media players, such as the VLC Media Player) is not available on Windows XP HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 hosts. On Windows 7 hosts, this issue is not seen. Workaround: In the Settings of the VLC media player (Tools Preferences Video), the use of overlay buffer should be toggled off. Similar settings can be used for other media players if this issue is seen. True Full Screen support for OpenGL applications is not available in this release. Apart from this, all other office applications and DirectX applications in full screen mode are supported. Full Screen mode in Google Earth, CATIA, and YouTube videos where some part of the GDI desktop is seen are supported with this release. 27
Animated cursors are not supported in this release. Original resolution of HDX 3D Pro Graphics server does not appear when it is restarted from client. Workaround: This does not impact the resolution you get on the remote desktop. In full screen desktop mode whatever is the client resolution that is given to the remote desktop during a session. Uninstalling the VDA before HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 can cause system instability. Workaround: Make sure you follow the sequence below. Installation: 1. Install VDA (xdsagent.msi) 2. Install HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 (HDX3D_PROFX_SERVERMSIX86.msi/ HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX64.msi) Un-installation: 1. Uninstall HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 (HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX86.msi/ HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX64.msi) 2. Uninstall VDA (xdsagent.msi) Installing the XD hot fix on XD VDA: 1. Uninstall HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 (HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX86.msi/ HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX64.msi) 2. Install the XenDesktop hot fix on top of the VDA (xdsagent.msi) then again install HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 (HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX86.msi/ HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX64.msi) Slider bar of the image configuration tool does not move to the exact location where user clicks. Workaround: Move the slider rather than positioning it with a click in the slider space. Keyboard shortcuts are also available to move the slider position. For best performance use CUDA 2.1 or CUDA 2.2 display drivers on the host. When multiple users are sharing a WAN connection, such as from a branch office, the network administrator should preferably limit the bandwidth per user. For example, if 20 28
concurrent users are sharing a 45 or 60 Mbps network bandwidth line at the same time and each user needs a maximum of 3 Mbps (peak) then the network administrator should restrict each user to 3 Mbps. If there is too bandwidth fluctuation for a user at runtime (for example: from 2 Mbps to 8 Mbps) it can have a negative performance impact, because Pro Graphics tends to make full use of available bandwidth. True multi monitor support is not available in the 1.1 release. However, if you have multiple monitors on the client side, this should not block you from using HDX 3D Pro Graphics; only one screen is used to deliver the virtual desktop. The HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 image configuration tool (UI), Start Menu, DU Meter, Tool tips etc., when overlapping with an OpenGL window, might cause reduced visual quality in you Pro Graphics session when you have not selected the fixed quality option in the HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 image configuration tool. When you move these applications away from the OpenGL window (Graphics part) then the quality comes up to the quality level set by the user. Local monitor blanking gets enabled with remote HDX connection. This is achieved by keeping the default Windows timeout at Never. Any changes made to this setting can cause the local monitor to become active or visible. Users are recommended to avoid changing the setting for security reasons. If the host workstation doesn t have a monitor then attaching a monitor to the host workstation within a session can cause instability for that session. Workaround: Disconnecting and reconnecting solves this problem. HDX 3D Pro Graphics Image Configuration tool might go in hidden icons under systray. Workaround: Click on Customize under sys tray and set Show Icon and Notifications for Configuration tool To verify the correct installer for HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1, navigate to Add/Remove Programs and check the version of Citrix HDX 3D Pro Graphics (retail). It should show 1.1.xxx. HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 is available for download at: www.citrix.com/xendesktop/hdx3dprographics1.1 29
The previous release, HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.0, is available at the URL below and it works only with XenDesktop versions 3.x: www.citrix.com/site/ss/downloads/details.asp?downloadid=1860541&productid=163057 (Do not use this because it works with XenDesktop 3.x only) Support For Technical support, contact Citrix and open a support case. For basic troubleshooting, refer: http://support.citrix.com/article/ctx123413 30