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Navigation

• Change Log
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) Versions
  • Version Numbering
  • Release Notifications
  • Release Classifications – LTSR, CR
  • LTSR Programs
  • LTSR Licensing requirement
  • LTSR vs CR
    • Release Frequency
    • CR cons
    • LTSR cons
    • Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) Supported versions
    • Workspace app (and Receiver) Supported versions
  • Component Version Dependencies
• 7.x Upgrade Overview
  • 7.x Components
  • Component Upgrade Process
  • Upgrade Guidelines
• Upgrade Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 7
  • Citrix Licensing Server
  • Delivery Controllers
  • App Layering (Unidesk)
  • Workspace Environment Management (WEM)
  • Session Recording
  • Citrix Provisioning
  • Virtual Delivery Agents (VDA)
  • StoreFront
  • Workspace app for HTML5
  • Director
  • Citrix Group Policy Management Plug-in
  • Profile Management Group Policy Templates
  • Workspace app (or Receiver) Group Policy Templates
  • Workspace app (or Receiver)
  • Skype for Business HDX Real Time Optimization Pack
  • AppDNA
  • SCOM Management Packs
  • Federated Authentication Service (FAS)
  • Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP)
  • Citrix ADC (aka NetScaler) Firmware
• Migrate From XenApp 6.5 to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 7
  • 6.5 to 7.x Considerations
    • CR or LTSR?
    • Citrix Virtual Apps (CVA) licensing
    • VDA/Worker Operating System Version
    • New functionality in 7.x not available in 6.5
    • 6.5 to 7.x Changes
    • XenApp 6.5 functionality missing from Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 7
  • Migrate from Web Interface to StoreFront first
    • StoreFront vs Web Interface
    • Citrix Gateway vs Secure Gateway
    • Build StoreFront and Citrix Gateway
    • Migrate from Web Interface to StoreFront
  • 6.5 to 7.x Migration Plan
    • New 7.x Infrastructure
    • New 7.x VDAs
    • Publish Icons, Pilot, Rollout, and Operations

Change Log

• 2021 Dec 8 – updated article for Workspace app 2112 (Current Release)
• 2021 Nov 3 – updated article for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 1912 LTSR CU4
• 2021 Sep 29 – updated article for Workspace app 2109 (Current Release)
• 2021 Sep 27 – updated article for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 2109
• 2021 Aug 12 – updated entire article for XenApp/XenDesktop 7.15.8000
• 2021 Aug 11 – updated article for Workspace app 1912 LTSR Cumulative Update 5 (19.12.5000)
• 2021 June 17 – updated article for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 2106
• 2021 May 14 – updated article for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 1912 LTSR CU3
• 2021 May 10 – updated article for Workspace app 2105 (Current Release)
• 2021 May 10 – updated article for Workspace app 1912 LTSR Cumulative Update 4 (19.12.4000)
• 2021 Mar 23 – updated article for Workspace app 2103.1 (Current Release)
• 2021 Mar 19 – updated article for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 2103
• 2021 Mar 16 – updated article for Workspace app 2103 (Current Release)
• 2021 Feb 10 – updated entire article for XenApp/XenDesktop 7.15.7000
• 2021 Feb 1 – updated article for Workspace app 2102 (Current Release)
• 2021 Jan 20 – updated article for Workspace app 1912 LTSR Cumulative Update 3 (19.12.3000)
• 2020 Dec 20 – updated article for Workspace app 2012.1 (Current Release)
• 2020 Dec 15 – updated article for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 2012
• 2020 Dec 8 – updated article for Workspace app 2012 (Current Release)
• 2020 Nov 20 – updated article for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 1912 LTSR CU2
• 2020 Nov 2 – updated article for Workspace app 2010 (Current Release)
• 2020 Oct 15 – updated article for Workspace app 1912 LTSR Cumulative Update 2 (19.12.2000)
• 2020 Oct 2 – updated article for Workspace app 2009.6 (Current Release)
• 2020 Sep 24 – updated article for Workspace app 2009.5 (Current Release)
• 2020 Sep 15 – updated article for Workspace app 2009 (Current Release)
• 2020 Sep 8 – updated article for Workspace app 1912 LTSR Cumulative Update 1 Hotfix 1 (19.12.1001)
• 2020 Aug 26 – updated article for Workspace app 2008 (Current Release)
• 2020 July 15 – updated article for Workspace app 1912 LTSR Cumulative Update 1 (19.12.1000)
• 2020 July 1 – updated entire article for XenApp/XenDesktop 7.15.6000

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) Versions

Version Numbering

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) is the new name for XenApp and XenDesktop.

The most recent version of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 7 is 2109. The version number is based on YYMM (Year Month) format.

XenApp and XenDesktop 7.x versions range from 7.0 through 7.18. 7.18 is the last version of XenApp and XenDesktop. Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 2109, 1912, and 1808 are newer than XenApp and XenDesktop 7.18.

Release Notifications

Follow my Twitter or EUC Weekly Digests for new release notifications.

Sometimes release notifications are posted to Citrix Blogs, but this is not comprehensive.

Watch Citrix Discussions and Citrix Support Knowledgebase to learn about known issues that are fixed in a later release.

Release Classifications – LTSR, CR

Image from Citrix Blog Post What's New in XenApp, XenDesktop and XenServer November 2017.

There are three classifications for on-premises releases:

• LTSR (Long Term Service Release) – these releases get 5 years of mainstream support from the release date, plus up to 5 more years of paid extended support
• CR (Current Release) – 6 months support from the release date. Updated quarterly.
• LTSR Compatible Components – non-LTSR components running in a LTSR implementation. This classification provides exceptions to the requirement that all components must be LTSR versions.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) is a bundle of components. Long Term Support requires the components to be specific versions. Any deviation from the required versions results in loss of Long Term Support, and instead is classified and supported as a Current Release. Use Citrix LTSR Assistant tool to confirm LTSR compliance.

LTSR Programs

There are three different LTSR programs:

• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) LTSR – includes Delivery Controllers, VDAs, StoreFront, Citrix Provisioning, Session Recording, and Profile Management.
  • More info at FAQ: Virtual Apps and Desktops and Citrix Hypervisor Long Term Service Release (LTSR)
  • There is no LTSR version of Citrix Workspace Environment Management (WEM) so you should always deploy the latest version of WEM.
• Citrix Hypervisor LTSR
  • More info at FAQ: Virtual Apps and Desktops and Citrix Hypervisor Long Term Service Release (LTSR)
• Workspace app / Receiver LTSR
  • More info at Lifecycle Milestones for Citrix Workspace app & Citrix Receiver.

LTSR Licensing requirement

LTSR requires you to be on Customer Success Services Select, formerly known as Software Maintenance.

LTSR vs CR

Support Duration

LTSR is supported for 5 years from the LTSR release date, plus 5 more years of optional, paid extended support.

• LTSR Cumulative Updates (similar to service packs) are released periodically. Cumulative Updates for LTSR are installed exactly like upgrading to a newer Current Release, except you don't get any new features.
  • Cumulative Updates are released only for LTSR versions. To patch a Current Release, upgrade to the newest Current Release.
• Be prepared to install these LTSR Cumulative Updates every 6 months. Workspace app LTSR (or Receiver LTSR) too.

Current Releases are end-of-maintenance after 6 months, and end-of-life after 18 months.

• Be prepared to upgrade to a newer Current Release every 6 months. Workspace app too.

See Lifecycle Milestones for Citrix Virtual Apps & Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops for an explanation of support durations for each release classification.

In either case, you are expected to perform some sort of upgrade or update approximately twice per year.

Release Frequency

New LTSR versions are released every 18-24 months.

There are three LTSR releases: LTSR 1912, LTSR 7.15, and LTSR 7.6.300.

• Cumulative Update 4 is the latest updated build of LTSR 1912.
• 7.15.8000 (Cumulative Update 8) is the latest updated version of LTSR 7.15.
• This article will refer to LTSR 7.6.300 as LTSR 7.6.
  • 7.6.300 has more features than the base 7.6.0.
  • If you are on 7.6.0, then you are not on LTSR.
  • 7.6.9000 is the latest Cumulative Update version of LTSR 7.6.300.

Cumulative Updates (CU) for LTSR are released every few months. Don't forget to install these patches. I've seen CUs fix LTSR issues.

• Cumulative Updates do not include new features.
• Citrix has released four Cumulative Updates for LTSR 1912, bumping up the version to 1912.4000.
• Citrix has released eight Cumulative Updates for LTSR 7.15, bumping up the version to 7.15.8000.
• Citrix has released nine Cumulative Updates for LTSR 7.6, bumping up the version to 7.6.9000.
• Citrix will continue to release Cumulative Updates for all currently supported LTSR versions.

You can upgrade directly to the latest Cumulative Update. It is not necessary to upgrade to the base version before upgrading to the latest Cumulative Update.

New Current Release versions are released every quarter. Sometimes longer for Workspace app.

Some Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) components are released on a separate schedule from the main LTSR or Current Release releases:

• App Layering
• Workspace Environment Management

Citrix Provisioning version numbers don't line up with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) LTSR Cumulative Update version numbers:

• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 1912 LTSR CU4 comes with Provisioning Services 1912 CU4
• XenApp/XenDesktop 7.15.8000 (LTSR 7.15 CU8) comes with Provisioning Services 7.15.39
• XenApp/XenDesktop 7.6.9000 (LTSR 7.6 CU8) comes with Provisioning Services 7.6.9

Current Release cons

New Current Releases add new features, and new bugs. For example:

• The initial release of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) Current Release 1906 had some upgrade issues and disconnect issues which required it to be pulled and re-released.
• The initial release of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) Current Release 1808 had some upgrade issues which required it to be pulled and re-released.
• The initial release of XA/XD Current Release 7.14 had some issues which required it to be pulled and re-released.
• Current Release 7.13 had issues (e.g. VDA registration error message), that weren't fixed until 7.14.
• Receiver 4.10 has some issues with drop-down boxes that requires a newer version of Receiver or Workspace app to fix.

No hotfixes will be released for Current Releases. To get hotfixes, upgrade to the newest Current Release.

LTSR cons

Features not in LTSR – Some features are not included in the LTSR program. In other words, these features don't get 5 years of support, and might not even be included in the LTSR installer.

• Personal vDisk and AppDisks – Note: these are replaced by User Personalization Layers.
• Framehawk

Features in Current Release but not LTSR:

• Upcoming CVAD Current Release Version 2112 will have new features that are not in 1912 LTSR. Will you upgrade to CVAD 2112, which puts you on the Current Release upgrade train? Or will you wait until the next LTSR, probably released sometime in 2022?
  • Another option is to remain on 1912 LTSR (with latest cumulative update) until you see a Current Release with new features that are desirable enough to upgrade to. You can then upgrade directly from 1912 LTSR to the latest Current Release (e.g. 2109). There's no need to upgrade to intermediary versions.

XenApp 6.5 features added to Current Release but not LTSR – For migrations from 6.5, you definitely want LTSR 1912 or LTSR 7.15 instead of LTSR 7.6. Much prior XenApp 6.5 functionality was added to Current Releases released after LTSR 7.6 – e.g. zones/local host cache, app limits, multiple license types, tags, idle time in Director, TLS 1.2, etc. These features are not in LTSR 7.6.

Don't mix Current Release and LTSR components – As soon as you upgrade one LTSR component to Current Release, upgrade all other LTSR components to Current Release, and keep them updated with new Current Releases every 6 months.

• When the next LTSR is released, you can stop upgrading (except for Cumulative Updates).
• Or, deploy Current Release in a separate environment.
• Use Citrix LTSR Assistant tool to confirm LTSR compliance.
• Some app vendors require you to remain on LTSR.

LTSR "compatible" components require frequent upgrades – Some components, like App Layering, are LTSR "compatible", meaning there's no LTSR version, but it's OK to use them in an LTSR environment. Since they're Current Release and not LTSR, you're expected to update the Current Release components to the latest release every 6 months.

• There's no LTSR version of Citrix Licensing. Instead, always upgrade Citrix Licensing to the latest Current Release version.
• There's no LTSR version of App Layering. Instead, always upgrade App Layering to the latest Current Release version.

Windows 11 is supported in CVAD 2109 and newer. Windows 11 is not supported in CVAD 1912 LTSR.

Windows 10 and LTSR 7.6: LTSR 7.6 VDA is not supported on Windows 10. Here are some options:

• Upgrade the entire deployment from LTSR 7.6 to LTSR 1912 CU4 or LTSR 7.15 CU8, which fully support Windows 10.
• For Windows 10 support on LTSR 7.6, on the Windows 10 machine, install the the newest LTSR 1912 VDA or LTSR 7.15 VDA. VDA versions 1912 LTSR and 7.15.8000 (LTSR 7.15 CU8) fully support Windows 10, including version 20H2. See CTX224843 Windows 10 Compatibility with Citrix Virtual Desktops (XenDesktop).
  • For all other VDA machines running other OS versions, install LTSR VDA 7.6.9000.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 support: 7.16 VDA and newer, including 1912 LTSR VDA, are not supported on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2. For these operating system versions, install 7.15 LTSR VDA. The 7.15 LTSR VDA can register with newer Delivery Controllers. However, the 7.15 LTSR VDAs cannot take advantage of the newer features in the newer releases.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) Supported versions

The most recent release of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) is version 2109.

There are three LTSR versions of XenApp and XenDesktop: LTSR 1912, LTSR 7.15, and LTSR 7.6.

• Cumulative Update 4 has been released for LTSR 1912, resulting in version number 1912.4000.
• Cumulative Update 8 has been released for LTSR 7.15, resulting in version number 7.15.8000.
• Several XA/XD LTSR 7.6 Cumulative Updates have been released, resulting in version number 7.6.9000.

You can directly install the latest Cumulative Update of any LTSR version. It is not necessary to install the base version of the LTSR version before you upgrade to the latest Cumulative Update.

Examples of non-supported versions:

• XenDesktop 7.6.0 is not LTSR, and is more than 18 months since release date, so it's not supported. LTSR didn't start until 7.6.300.
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 1909 is not LTSR, and is more than six months past release date, so Citrix will not provide any code fixes. Once 18 months have elapsed, Citrix will not support it at all.

Workspace app (and Receiver) Supported versions

Starting in August 2018, Current Releases of Receiver have been renamed to Workspace app. Also, versioning has changed from 4.x to a YYMM format.

The most recent release of Workspace app is version Workspace app 2112, which is a Current Release.

The LTSR version of Workspace app is version 1912 Cumulative Update 5 (aka 19.12.5000).

• Browser Content Redirection does not work in LTSR Workspace app because Embedded browser is removed due to infrequent updates of LTSR versus frequent updates of the embedded browser.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) Component Version Dependencies

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) is a collection of installable components:

• Citrix Licensing Server
• Delivery Controller
• Citrix Studio
• Virtual Delivery Agent
  • AppDisks / Personal vDisk
• Director
• StoreFront
• Federated Authentication Service
• App Layering
• Citrix Provisioning
• Citrix Group Policy Management Plug-in
• Profile Management
• Workspace Environment Management
• Session Recording
• AppDNA
• Citrix SCOM Packs
• Receiver or Workspace app for Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, and Android
• Receiver or Workspace app for HTML5
• Skype for Business HDX RealTime Optimization Pack
• Citrix ADC (aka NetScaler) Load Balancing
• Citrix Gateway

Component behaviors:

• Each component can be installed separately.
• Some components can be combined onto the same machine.
• Some components are completely standalone with no dependency on other components.
• Some components communicate with other components, and thus are dependent on those other components.

The fewest components that make up a Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) site/farm are License Server + Delivery Controller + Studio + VDA + SQL Databases.

• A farm/site is a collection of Delivery Controllers that share the same SQL databases.
• The official term is Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) Site. However, since the word "site" has multiple meanings, this article instead refers to a Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) Site as a Farm, which is the same terminology used in XenApp 6.5 and older.

Some of the components can be used with multiple sites/farms.

• Citrix Licensing Server can be used by multiple sites/farms.
• StoreFront can pull icons from multiple sites/farms, including XenApp 6.5. This enables multi-farm capabilities for the following components that are dependent on StoreFront:
  • Federated Authentication Service can be used by multiple StoreFront servers.
  • Receiver / Workspace app for Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, and Android can connect to multiple StoreFront stores, which can be on different StoreFront servers.
  • Each StoreFront server has its own Receiver or Workspace app for HTML5
  • Citrix Gateway connects to one StoreFront server
• Citrix Studio can connect to multiple sites/farms.
• Virtual Delivery Agent can register with only one site/farm at a time, but the farm registration can be easily changed by modifying the ListOfDDCs registry key.
• Director can display monitoring data from multiple sites/farms.
• App Layering has no relationship to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) sites/farms, and thus can be used with any number of them.
• Citrix Provisioning has no relationship to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) sites/farms, and thus can be used with any number of them.
• Citrix Group Policy Management Plug-in can be used to create Citrix Policies that can apply to multiple sites/farms.
• Profile Management has no relationship to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) sites/farms, and thus can be used with any number of them. The profiles are usually tied to a VDA operating system version.
• Workspace Environment Management has no relationship to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) sites/farms, and thus can be used with any number of them.
• Session Recording has no relationship to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) sites/farms, and thus can be used with any number of them.
• AppDNA has no relationship to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) sites/farms, and thus can be used with any number of them.
• For Citrix SCOM Packs, the agents can be deployed to Delivery Controllers in multiple sites/farms.
• Skype for Business HDX RealTime Optimization Pack has no relationship to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) sites/farms, and thus can be used with any number of them. This component only cares about the RealTime Connector that is installed on the VDA.

The Citrix components that don't have any relationship to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) sites/farms can be used with XenApp 6.5 too.

Some components communicate with other components, and thus are dependent on the versions of those other components.

• Citrix Licensing Server should always be the newest version. Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) Components will verify the Licensing Server version.
• StoreFront can usually work with any Delivery Controller version, including XenApp 6.5.
• Citrix Studio should be the same version as the Delivery Controllers it is managing.
• Virtual Delivery Agents can be any version, including older or newer than the Delivery Controllers.
• Director uses the Citrix Monitoring Service that is installed on the Delivery Controllers.
  • New Director features don't work unless Delivery Controllers, and sometimes VDAs are upgraded. See Director Feature compatibility matrix for details.
• Workspace Environment Management (WEM) – newer WEM can configure newer Profile Management features. Otherwise, WEM is independent from Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD).
• Citrix SCOM Packs should be the same version or newer than the Components that they are monitoring. Check each SCOM Pack release notes for supported component versions.
• Workspace app – Many newer Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) features require a specific version of Workspace app.
  • If you are deploying Current Releases, then deploy the newest Current Release Workspace app.
  • If you are deploying LTSR, then deploy the latest LTSR Workspace app or LTSR Receiver.
    • If you need Browser Content Redirection, then deploy the latest Current Release Workspace app since LTSR Workspace app does not support Browser Content Redirection.
• Citrix Gateway – Some Newer Citrix features require newer Citrix ADC firmware. For example:
  • EDT (Enlightened Data Transport) / Adaptive Transport
  • Gateway Configuration export/import with StoreFront
• Citrix ADC builds have bug fixes that affect the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) experience.

7.x Upgrade Overview

7.x Components

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 7 is composed of multiple Components, each of which is upgraded separately.

• Citrix Licensing Server
• Delivery Controllers
• App Layering (Unidesk)
• Workspace Environment Management (WEM)
• Session Recording
• Citrix Provisioning
• Virtual Delivery Agents (VDA)
• StoreFront
• Workspace app for HTML5 (formerly known as Receiver for HTML5)
• Director
• Citrix Group Policy Management Plug-in
• Citrix Profile Management Group Policy Templates
• Workspace app (or Receiver) Group Policy Templates
• Workspace app (or Receiver)
• Skype for Business HDX Real Time Optimization Pack
• AppDNA
• SCOM Management Packs
• Federated Authentication Service (FAS)
• Citrix ADC (aka NetScaler) Firmware

Newer versions of Citrix components enable Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) automatically. If you wish to disable CEIP, see https://www.carlstalhood.com/delivery-controller-cr-and-licensing/#ceip.

Component Upgrade Process

In-place upgrades – 7.x components can be upgraded in-place. No need to rebuild like you did in XenApp 6.5 and older.

• For LTSR releases, you can upgrade directly to the latest Cumulative Update. It is not necessary to install the base LTSR version first.
• For Current Releases, you can upgrade directly to the latest Current Release.

Here's the general, in-place upgrade process for each component. Detailed instructions for each component are detailed later.

1. In-place upgrade one (or half) of the component's servers.
2. Upgrade the component's database. Requires temporary sysadmin permission on SQL Server. Not all components have databases.
3. In-place upgrade the remaining component's servers.
4. In-place upgrade the agents.
   1. Rebuilding of master images might be preferred, assuming you have time to automate it.

Mix and match VDA/Controller versions – You can upgrade VDAs without upgrading Delivery Controllers. Or vice versa.

• Newer VDA features sometimes require Citrix Policy to enable or configure. The newest Citrix Policy settings are included in Delivery Controller / Citrix Studio upgrades. Or, if you haven't upgraded your Delivery Controllers yet, you can simply upgrade the Citrix Group Policy Management component.

VDA Operating System version Upgrade – Considerations when upgrading the VDA operating system version:

• Operating System Version – VDA 7.16 and newer no longer support Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, or Windows 8/8.1. If you need these older operating system versions, then install VDA 7.15 instead. VDA 7.15 can register with 1912 Delivery Controllers.
  • Windows 11 – VDA 1912 LTSR does not support Windows 11 but CVAD 2109 and newer do support Windows 11
• App compatibility – Verify app compatibility with the new OS version. For compatibility with a Server OS version, check compatibility with the equivalent Desktop OS version.
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 = 64-bit Windows 8.1
  • Windows Server 2016 = 64-bit Windows 10 1607
  • Windows Server 2019 = 64-bit Windows 10 1809
  • Windows Server 2022 = 64-bit Windows 10 21H2
• Start Menu in published desktop – If you publish desktops, is the Windows 2012 R2 Start Menu acceptable to the users? Windows 2012 R2 Start Menu is the same as Windows 8.1 Start Menu.
  • Windows Server 2016 Start Menu is the same as Windows 10 1607 Start Menu.
  • Windows Server 2019 Start Menu is the same as Windows 10 1809 Start Menu.
  • Windows Server 2022 Start Menu is the same as Windows 10 21H2 Start Menu.
• GPO settings– Newer OSs have newer Microsoft GPO settings.
  • Copy the newer Microsoft ADMX templates to PolicyDefinitions (Sysvol or C:\Windows)
  • Configure the newer GPO settings.
• Profile version – Newer OS means newer profile version. Older profile versions do not work on newer operating system versions. For example, you can't use Windows 7 profiles on Windows 10. This means that an OS upgrade results in new profiles for every user.
  • Write a script to copy profile settings from the old profiles to the new profiles.
• Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Licensing – if you are building RDSH (Server OS) VDAs, then every user that connects must have an RDS License for the RDSH operating system version. If RDSH is Windows 2016, then every user needs a Windows 2016 RDS License. Windows 2008 R2 RDS Licenses won't work.
  • RDS Licensing Server – RDS Licensing Server is a built-in Windows Server Role. It must be installed on servers with the same or newer operating system version than the RDSH VDAs.
• Windows 10 Branches – Windows 10 Semi-Annual ChannelTargeted (aka Current Branch) is only partially supported. Semi-Annual ChannelBroad (aka Current Branch for Business), and LTSB are fully supported. See CTX224843.
• Upgrade Windows 10 Version – In-place upgrade of Windows 10 versions is not recommended. For example, upgrading from Windows 10 1511 to Windows 10 1607 broke several features. Rebuild is cleaner.
  • App Layering – However, due to dependencies between App Layers and OS Layer, you might have to in-place upgrade your OS Layer.
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD)Component Agents – ensure the Citrix component agents (WEM Agent, Profile Management, Session Recording Agent, App Layering Tools, etc.) are supported on the new OS version.

Considerations for upgrading the operating system version on component servers:

• Do not in-place upgrade the operating system version. Instead, build new VMs, and join them to the existing infrastructure.
• New OS version requires newer component versions. The required component version might be newer than what you're currently running.
• When adding a server to the existing component farm/site, the new server must be running the same component version as the existing servers. That means you might have to in-place upgrade your existing component servers before you can add new component servers running a newer operating system version.
• For example:
  • Existing Delivery Controllers are version 7.9 on Windows 2012 R2.
  • You desire to migrate to new Windows 2016 Delivery Controllers.
  • Only Delivery Controller 7.11 and newer can be installed on Windows 2016. But you can't add Delivery Controller 7.11 to a Delivery Controller 7.9 farm/site.
  • Upgrade the existing Delivery Controllers to 7.11 or newer first.
  • Then you can add the new Windows 2016 Delivery Controllers VMs to the existing farm/site.

Here are general instructions to upgrade component server OS version. Detailed instructions for each component are detailed later.

1. In-place upgrade the existing component servers to a version that supports the new OS. Check the System Requirements documentation for each component to verify OS version compatibility.
2. Build new machine(s) with desired OS version.
3. On the new machines, install the same component version as the existing component servers.
   • The new machines must be the same component version as the existing machines. You can't add machines with newer component versions.
4. Add the new component servers to the existing farm/site/server group.
5. Migrate load balancer, VDAs, Targets, etc.from old to new. See below for detailed instructions for each component.
6. Decommission old servers.

Upgrade Guidelines

Test farms – Test Citrix infrastructure upgrades in separate test environments (separate test farms):

• Due to forwards and backwards compatibility, VDA upgrades can usually be tested in production.
• Everything else requires global server-side upgrades first, so you can't test them in production.
• Upgrade procedures for High Availability components (e.g. multiple Delivery Controllers) are different than upgrade procedures for singe, standalone components. The Test environment should look like production, which means HA too.
• The separate Test environments should include multi-datacenter capabilities (StoreFront icon aggregation, GSLB, etc.) so those multi-datacenter features can be tested.

Known upgrade issues – Read Citrix Discussions, or ask your Citrix Support TRM, for known upgrade issues. Don't upgrade production immediately after a new version is released.

• Read the release notes, especially the known issues.

Smart Check the environment before upgrading. It's free. Access it at https://smart.cloud.com.

Backup/snapshot – Backup databases, snapshot machines, etc. before starting the in-place upgrade.

• Have a rollback plan, including the databases.

Citrix Licensing Server – Always upgrade the Citrix Licensing Server before upgrading anything else.

• Check Subscription Advantage (SA) date on the installed licenses. Some components require SA expiration date to be later than the component's release date.

In-place upgrade preparation:

1. Make sure other admins are logged off before starting the upgrades.
2. Close all consoles and PowerShell.
3. Snapshot the machines.

Upgrade Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 7.x

All 7.x components can be upgraded in-place.

• Current Release upgrades are cumulative. You can skip intermediary versions.
• LTSR Cumulative Updates are also cumulative, hence the name.
• LTSR Cumulative Updates are performed using the same process as Current Release upgrades. The only difference is that you don't get new features with LTSR updates.

Some components (Delivery Controllers, Citrix Provisioning, Session Recording, WEM, etc.) require the person doing the upgrade to have temporary sysadmin permissions on the SQL server so the database can be upgraded.

Upgrade order – For the most part, upgrade order doesn't matter. That's because there are few dependencies between each component, as detailed earlier.

• Before upgrading anything else, upgrade the Citrix Licensing Server.
  • Install updated license files with non-expired Subscription Advantage dates.
• VDAs and Delivery Controllers can be different versions.
  • VDAs can be upgraded before Controllers, or vice/versa.
• If Zones, upgrade all Delivery Controllers in all zones at the same time.
• For Director, upgrading Director won't do you much good if the Controllers aren't upgraded, since Director uses the Monitoring service that's installed on the Controllers.
  • Director 7.16 and newer will warn you if your Delivery Controllers are not the same version as Director.
• For Citrix Provisioning, the Citrix Provisioning servers must be upgraded before you upgrade the Target Device Software.
• For Session Recording, the Session Recording server(s) must be upgraded before you upgrade the Session Recording agent.
• For WEM, the WEM server(s) must be upgraded before you upgrade the WEM agent.

If you upgrade to a version that has CEIP functionality, decide if you want to disable CEIP, or leave it enabled.

After upgrading, configure new functionality.

Additional general upgrade guidance can be found at Upgrade a deployment at Citrix Docs.

Citrix Licensing Server

It's a simple in-place upgrade.

• After upgrading, download the latest license files from http://mycitrix.com, and install the license files on the license server. Make sure the Subscription Advantage date hasn't expired.

To upgrade the Licensing Server Operating System version:

1. Build a new VM with desired OS version.
2. Install the latest Current Release License Server.
3. At http://mycitrix.com, reallocate licenses to the new case-sensitive hostname, and install the license file on the new Licensing Server.
4. For 7.x sites/farms, in Citrix Studio, go to Configuration > Licensing, and change the License Server to the new Licensing Server.
5. For XenApp 6.5, in AppCenter > Policies, or a GPO with Citrix Policies, find the Citrix Policy that defines the Licensing Server name, and change it.
   1. Or, run the XenApp Server Role Manager on each server and change Licensing configuration.

Delivery Controllers

Both of the following types of upgrades/updates use the same upgrade process:

• Install latest LTSR Cumulative Update
• Upgrade to latest Current Release

To in-place upgrade Delivery Controllers:

1. If High Availability is configured correctly, then Delivery Controllers can be upgraded during the day.
2. Upgrade the Citrix Licensing Server if you haven't already. Install current licenses if you haven't already.
3. Ask a DBA for temporary sysadmin permission to the SQL server.
4. Prepare: run Smart Check, logoff other admins, close consoles.
5. In-place upgrade one (or half) of the Delivery Controllers. Upgrade to one of the following:
   1. Delivery Controller 2109
   2. Delivery Controller LTSR 1912 CU4
   3. Delivery Controller LTSR 7.15.8000 Cumulative Update 8
6. Launch Studio. Upgrade the database when prompted.
7. In-place upgrade the remaining Delivery Controllers.
8. Run Smart Check again.
9. Temporary sysadmin permissions can now be removed.
10. For Citrix Studio that's installed on administrator machines other than Delivery Controllers, in-place upgrade Studio by running AutoSelect.exe from the Current Release or LTSR XenApp/XenDesktop ISO.

To upgrade the operating system version of the Delivery Controllers:

1. In-place upgrade the existing Delivery Controllers to a version that supports the new operating system version.
   1. For Windows Server 2016, upgrade Delivery Controller to version 7.15 or newer.
   2. For Windows Server 2019, upgrade Delivery Controller to version 1912 or newer
      • CVAD 1912 does not support Windows 2008 R2 Controllers so you might have to upgrade to Windows Server 2016 first.
   3. For Windows Server 2022, upgrade Delivery Controller to version 2109 or newer.
      • CVAD 1912 does not support Windows Server 2022.
2. Build one or more new virtual machines with the new operating system version.
3. Install Delivery Controller software with the same version as the other Delivery Controllers.
4. Run Citrix Studio and join the new machines to the existing farm/site.
5. Push SCOM Agent with XAXD Agent to the new Delivery Controllers.
6. Reconfigure VDAs to point to the new Delivery Controllers. Edit the ListOfDDCs registry key.
7. Reconfigure Director server > IIS Admin > Default Web Site > Director > Application Settings >Service.AutoDiscoveryAddresses to point to the new Delivery Controllers.
8. Reconfigure StoreFront console > MyStore > Manage Delivery Controllers to point to the new Delivery Controllers.
9. Secure Ticket Authorities:
   1. Add the new Delivery Controllers to firewall rules between Citrix ADC SNIP and STAs.
   2. In Citrix Gateway > Edit Virtual Server > scroll down to the Published Applications section > click the line to edit the Secure Ticket Authorities. Add the new Delivery Controllers as Secure Ticket Authorities. Don't remove the old ones yet.
   3. In StoreFront Console, go to Manage Citrix Gateways > edit each Gateway > on the Secure Ticket Authority page, add the new Delivery Controllers as Secure Ticket Authorities, and remove the old ones.
   4. In Citrix Gateway > Edit Virtual Server > scroll down to the Published Applications section > click the line to edit the Secure Ticket Authorities. Remove the older Controllers as Secure Ticket Authorities.
10. In Citrix Studio, at Configuration > Controllers,remove the old Delivery Controllers.
    1. Note: if this doesn't work, then you might have to manually evict the old Delivery Controllers from the SQL database.
11. Decommission the old Delivery Controllers.

App Layering

To in-place upgrade Citrix App Layering:

• In-place upgrade the ELM appliance.
  • From 4.2 and newer, newer versions should be downloaded automatically. Just click the link to start the upgrade.
  • From 4.1 and older, download the upgrade package and upload it to the ELM.
• Upgrade the App Layering Citrix Provisioning Agent by uninstalling the Citrix Provisioning Agent and re-installing it.
• Create a new OS Layer version and install the latest OS Machine Tools.
• When the images are published, the drivers will be updated automatically by the ELM.

Workspace Environment Management (WEM)

There is no LTSR version of Citrix Workspace Environment Management (WEM) so you should always deploy the latest version of WEM.

To in-place upgrade Citrix Workspace Environment Management (WEM):

1. In-place upgrade theCitrix Licensing Server if you haven't already.
   1. Ensure the installed licenses have a non-expired Subscription Advantage date.
2. Ask a DBA for temporary sysadmin permission to the SQL server.
3. In-place upgrade the first WEM Server. Consider removing it from load balancing before performing the upgrade.
4. Use the Database Maintenance tool to upgrade the WEM database.
5. Run the WEM Broker Configuration Tool on the upgraded Broker to point to the upgraded database.
6. In-place upgrade the remaining WEM Servers. Consider removing them from load balancing before performing the upgrade.
7. Temporary sysadmin permissions can now be removed.
8. In-place upgrade the WEM Console on all non-server machines where it is installed.
9. In-place upgrade the WEM Agents.
10. If you are upgrading from WEM 4.2 and older, in the WEM Console, add the WEM Agents (computer accounts) to Configuration Sets instead of the old WEM Sites.

To upgrade the operating system version of the Workspace Environment Management servers, it's easier if you have a custom DNS name, or load balanced DNS name for WEM, instead of using a server name :

1. In-place upgrade the existing WEM servers to a version that supports the OS you intend for the new WEM servers.
2. Build new WEM servers with the same version as the existing WEM servers.
3. Configure the new WEM servers to point to the same database as the old WEM servers.
4. Cutover options:
   1. If you have a load balanced DNS name for WEM, reconfigure the load balancer to point to the new WEM servers.
   2. If you have a custom DNS name for WEM, change it to resolve to the new WEM server's IP address.
   3. If you were previously using the actual server name, then you can either change the WEM Agent group policy to point to the new WEM server name, or delete the old WEM server and rename the new WEM server, or delete the old WEM server and reconfigure the old DNS name as a custom DNS name for the new WEM server.
5. Decommission the old WEM servers.

Session Recording

To in-place upgrade Session Recording:

1. In-place upgrade theCitrix Licensing Server if you haven't already.
   • Ensure the installed licenses have a non-expired Subscription Advantage date.
2. Ask a DBA for temporary sysadmin permission to the SQL server.
3. In-place upgrade the first Session Recording server to one of the following.
   1. Session Recording 7.14 and newer are on the main Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) ISO.
   2. Only Session Recording 7.16 and newer fully support load balancing. Consider removing the Session Recording server from load balancing before performing the upgrade.
   3. Session Recording 2109
   4. Session Recording LTSR 1912 CU4
   5. Session Recording LTSR 7.15 Cumulative Update 7
   6. There is an LTSR 7.6 version of Session Recording. The install/upgrade process for LTSR 7.6 is quite different than 7.14 and newer. The 7.6 version supports XenApp (RDSH), but not virtual desktops.
4. The upgrade of the first Session Recording server should automatically upgrade the database.
5. In-place upgrade the remaining Session Recording Servers. Consider removing them from load balancing before performing the upgrade.
6. Temporary sysadmin permissions can now be removed.
7. In-place upgrade the Session Recording Agents.
8. In-place upgrade the Session Recording Player on all machines where it is installed.

To upgrade the operating system version of the Session Recording servers, it's easier if you have a custom DNS name or load balanced DNS name for Session Recording, instead of using a server name:

1. In-place upgrade the existing Session Recording servers to a version that supports the OS you intend for the new Session Recording servers. Windows 2016 support was added to Session Recording 7.11 and newer.
2. Build new Session Recording servers with the same version as the existing Session Recording servers.
3. Configure the new Session Recording servers to point to the same database as the old Session Recording servers.
4. Configure the new Session Recording servers to store recordings on the same UNC path as the old Session Recording servers.
5. The certificate on the Session Recording servers or load balancer must match the DNS name used by the Session Recording Agents and Player.
6. Cutover:
   1. If you have a load balanced DNS name for Session Recording, reconfigure the load balancer to point to the new Session Recording servers.
   2. If you have a custom DNS name for Session Recording, change it to resolve to the new Session Recording server's IP address.
   3. If you were previously using the actual server name, then you can either: change the Session Recording Agents and Players to point to the new Session Recording server name, or delete the old Session Recording server and rename the new Session Recording server, or delete the old Session Recording server and reconfigure the old DNS name as a custom DNS name for the new Session Recording server.
   4. If the Session Recording DNS name changed, reconfigure Director to point to the new Session Recording DNS name.
7. Decommission the old Session Recording servers.

Citrix Provisioning

Citrix Provisioningservers must be upgraded before you can upgrade Target Devices.

To in-place upgrade Citrix Provisioning servers:

1. Make sure Citrix ProvisioningHigh Availability (HA) is working for target devices. If HA is functional, in-place upgrade can be done during the day.
   • In the Citrix Provisioning console, you should see an even distribution of Target Devices across all Citrix Provisioning servers.
   • Check the WriteCache folders on Citrix Provisioning servers to make sure they're empty. If any Target Device is caching on Server, then those Target Devices will not failover to another Citrix Provisioning server.
2. Get temporary sysadmin permissions to the SQL Server that hosts the Citrix Provisioning database.
3. Get the one of the following installation media:
   1. Citrix Provisioning 2109
   2. Citrix Provisioning LTSR 1912 CU4
   3. Citrix Provisioning LTSR 7.15.39 from LTSR 7.15 Cumulative Update 8
4. On the first Citrix Provisioning Server:
   1. In-place upgrade Citrix Provisioning Console by running the LTSR 1912 CU4, LTSR 7.15.39, or LTSR 7.6.9 Citrix Provisioning Console installer.
   2. Re-register the Citrix.PVS.snapin.dll snap-in:

      "C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\InstallUtil.exe" "c:\program files\citrix\provisioning services console\Citrix.PVS.snapin.dll"

   3. In-place upgrade Citrix Provisioning Server by running the LTSR 1912 CU4, LTSR 7.15.39, or LTSR 7.6.9 Citrix Provisioning Server installer
   4. Run the Citrix Provisioning Configuration Wizard. The farm should already be configured, so just click Next a few times and let it upgrade the database and restart the services.
5. In-place upgrade the Console and Server software on the remaining Citrix Provisioning Servers. After installation, run the Citrix Provisioning Configuration Wizard, and click Next until the end.
6. Temporary sysadmin permissions can now be removed.
7. Target Device Software can now be upgraded.

There are several methods of upgrading the Citrix Provisioning Target Device Software that's inside a vDisk:

• If Target Device Software is version 7.6.1 or newer, in-place upgrade the Target Device Software while doing your normal vDisk update process.
• Completely rebuild the vDisk. An automated build process like MDT is recommended.
• If Target Device Software is 7.6.0 or older, then you must reverse image.
  • To upgrade VMware Tools (or any software that modifies the NIC), you must reverse image.

To in-place upgrade Target Device software 7.6.1 and newer:

1. Create a new vDisk Maintenance version, or put the vDisk in Private Image mode. Then boot an Updater Target Device. This is the normal process for updating a vDisk.
2. Run the LTSR 1912 CU4, LTSR 7.15.21 or LTSR 7.6.9 Target Device software installer to upgrade the software. The Target Device software must be the same version or older than the Citrix Provisioning Servers.
3. Shut down the Updater. Promote the Maintenance version to Production, or change the vDisk to Standard Image mode. This is the normal process for updating a vDisk.

Reverse image methods:

• Boot from VHD – Build a VM. Copy Citrix Provisioning vDisk VHD/VHDX to VM. Boot from VHD/VHDX.
• Hyper-V can boot from a VHD directly. Copy Citrix Provisioning vDisk VHD/VHDX to Hyper-V host. Create a VM that boots from VHD/VHDX.
• Once VHD/VHDX is updated, copy the VHD/VHDX back to Citrix Provisioning, import to a Citrix Provisioning Store, which creates a new vDisk, and assign the new vDisk to target devices. Takes effect at next Target Device reboot.

If using Citrix Provisioning Accelerator, keep XenServer patched.

To upgrade the operating system version of the Citrix Provisioning Servers:

1. In-place upgrade the existing Citrix Provisioning Servers to a version that supports the new operating system version. For Windows 2016, upgrade to version 7.11 or newer.
2. Build one or more new virtual machines with the new operating system version.
3. Install Citrix Provisioning Server software with the same version as the other Citrix Provisioning Servers.
4. Run Citrix Provisioning Configuration Wizard and join the new machines to the existing Citrix Provisioning farm and Citrix Provisioning database.
5. Copy the vDisk files from an existing Citrix Provisioning Server to the new Citrix Provisioning Servers. Check Replication Status of each vDisk.
6. Install the App Layering Citrix Provisioning Agent.
7. Push SCOM Agent with Citrix SCOM Provisioning Agent to the new Citrix Provisioning Servers.
8. In Citrix Provisioning Console, reconfigure Bootstrap to point to the new Citrix Provisioning Servers. Go to Sites > MySite > Servers > right-click each server, and clickConfigure Bootstrap.
9. Reconfigure DHCP Options or BDM to point to the new Citrix Provisioning Servers. Do one or more of the following:
   • Reconfigure TFTP load balancing to point to the new Citrix Provisioning Servers.
   • Change DHCP Scope Options 66/67 to the new Citrix Provisioning Servers.
   • Create a new Boot ISO with the new Citrix Provisioning Servers.
   • Use the Citrix Provisioning Console to update the BDM Partition on each Target Device.
   • Start the PXE Service on the new Citrix Provisioning Servers and stop the PXE Service on the old Citrix Provisioning Servers.
   • Reboot some Target Devices to make sure they work.
10. In Citrix Provisioning Console, delete the old Citrix Provisioning Servers.
11. Decommission the old Citrix Provisioning Servers.

Virtual Delivery Agents (VDA)

To in-place upgrade the Virtual Delivery Agent software:

• In-place upgrade the VDA software to one of the following versions:
  • VDA 2109
  • VDA LTSR 1912 CU34
  • LTSR 7.15.8000 Cumulative Update 8
• Upgrade the Workspace Environment Management Agent that's installed on the VDA machines.
• Upgrade the Session Recording Agent that's installed on the VDA machines.
• Upgrade the Citrix Files software that's installed on the VDA machines.
  • Citrix Files is the new name for ShareFile Drive Mapper. Citrix Files is built into VDA 1903 and newer.
• Upgrade the Connection Quality Indicator software that's installed on the VDA machines.
• Upgrade the HTML5 Receiver Citrix PDF Printer software that's installed on the VDA machines.
  • VDA 7.16 and newer automatically installs the PDF Printer.
• Upgrade the Chrome Receiver File Access software that's installed on the VDA machines.
• Upgrade the Citrix Provisioning Target Device software that's installed on the VDA machines.
• Upgrade the HDX RealTime Connector that's installed on the VDA machines.

Instead of in-place upgrading the VDAs, you can also rebuild them with the new software versions. If rebuilding, use an automated method, like MDT.

To upgrade the operating system version of the Virtual Delivery Agents, it's recommended to rebuild the VDA. But keep in mind the following:

• Windows 11 is not supported by VDA 1912 LTSR but Windows 11 is supported with VDA 2109 and newer.
• Windows 10 version upgrades should be a rebuild, not an in-place upgrade.
  • If you in-place upgrade, uninstall VDA software, upgrade Windows, then reinstall VDA software.
  • Citrix App Layering might require in-place upgrade of Windows 10 due to other layers being linked to the OS Layer.
• Newer VDA operating system versions use newer profile versions, which means older profiles will not work.
• Newer RDSH operating system versions require newer RDS Licensing Servers and newer RDS Licenses.
• GPO settings– Newer OSs have newer Microsoft GPO settings.
  • Copy the newer Microsoft ADMX templates to PolicyDefinitions (Sysvol or C:\Windows)
  • Configure the newer GPO settings.

StoreFront

StoreFront is the most problematic component to upgrade so be prepared to roll back.

• Newer versions of StoreFront installer are adding pre-upgrade checks to prevent known upgrade issues – e.g. stop SCOM Service

Citrix does not support mixing StoreFront versions within a single Server Group and they instead prefer that you do this: (source = Upgrade StoreFront at Citrix Docs)

1. It's critical that you snapshot the StoreFront machines before beginning the upgrade.
2. Remove a StoreFront sever from the Server Group and load balancing.
3. Prep: close consoles, close PowerShell, logoff other admins, stop SCOM Agent.
4. Upgrade the removed server by installing one of the following:
   1. CVAD 2109 comes with StoreFront 1912 Cumulative Update 3. There is no StoreFront version newer than 1912. Cumulative Update 4 is newer than the StoreFront version included with CVAD 2109.
   2. StoreFront LTSR 1912 CU4
   3. StoreFront LTSR 3.12.8000 from 7.15.8000 Cumulative Update 8
   4. StoreFront LTSR 3.0.9000.
   5. If upgrade fails, review the install logs to determine the cause. Once the cause is determined, revert the VM to prior snapshot, and try the upgrade again.
   6. Upgrade the HTML5 Workspace app (formerly known as Receiver for HTML5) installed on StoreFront. The instructions for StoreFront LTSR 1912 CU4, StoreFront LTSR 7.15.8000 (3.12.8000) and StoreFront LTSR 7.6.9000 (3.0.9000) are the same.
5. Swap out the upgraded server on the load balancer so all traffic goes to the new server.
6. Uninstall/reinstall StoreFront on the remaining StoreFront servers and join the first server that was already upgraded.

To upgrade the operating system version of the StoreFront Servers:

1. Build one or more new virtual machines with the new operating system version.
2. Install StoreFront software.
3. Do one of the following: (Note: Citrix does not support mixing operating system versions in the same StoreFront server group)
   • Export the StoreFront configuration from the old servers and import to the new servers. This only works if the older servers are StoreFront 3.5 and newer.
   • Manually configure the new StoreFront Server Group to match the old StoreFront Server Group. This configuration includes: Base URL, entries under Manage Delivery Controllers (case sensitive), SRID (c:\inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\Roaming\web.config), export/import subscriptions, Beacons, Gateways, Icon Aggregation, etc.
   • This option is probably unsupported: In-place upgrade the existing StoreFront Servers to the same version as the new servers. Run StoreFront Console on the new servers, and join the new machines to the existing Server Group. This causes configuration and subscriptions to replicate to the new server.
4. Push SCOM Agent with StoreFront Agent to the new StoreFront servers.
5. Upgrade the HTML5 Workspace app (formerly known as Receiver for HTML5) installed on StoreFront. The instructions for StoreFront LTSR 1912 CU3, StoreFront LTSR 7.15.8000 (3.12.8000), and StoreFront LTSR 7.6 (3.0.9000) are the same.
6. Reconfigure the load balancer to point to the new StoreFront servers instead of the old StoreFront servers.
7. In StoreFront console, remove the old StoreFront servers.
8. Decommission the old StoreFront servers.

Workspace app for HTML5

Workspace app for HTML5 is usually released on a different schedule than StoreFront and is upgraded out-of-band.

• Workspace app for HTML5 is formerly known as Receiver for HTML5. There is no LTSR version of Receiver for HTML5 so you should upgrade to the latest Workspace app for HTML5, especially for the newer features (e.g. multi-monitor, USB redirection).

To in-place upgrade Workspace app for HTML5 or Receiver for HTML5:

1. Upgrade the HTML5 Workspace app installed on StoreFront. The instructions for StoreFront LTSR 1912 CU4, LTSR 7.15.8000 (3.12.8000) and LTSR 7.6.9000 (3.0.9000) are the same.
2. For VDA machines that are version 7.15 or older, upgrade the HTML5 Citrix PDF Printer software that's installed on the .
   1. VDA 7.16 and newer install the PDF Printer automatically so you don't have to install the Citrix PDF printer yourself.
3. Upgrade the Chrome Receiver File Access software that's installed on the VDA machines.

Director

To in-place upgrade the Director servers:

1. Ensure the Delivery Controllers are already upgraded. There's no point in upgrading Director if Delivery Controllers aren't upgraded.
2. In-place upgrade to one of the following versions:
   1. Director 2109
   2. Director LTSR 1912 CU4
   3. LTSR 7.15.8000 Cumulative Update 8
3. Upgrading Director overrides modifications to LogOn.aspx (e.g. default domain name), so you'll have to reapply them.
4. Repeat for the remaining Director servers.
5. Upgrade the StoreFront Probes.

To upgrade the operating system version of the Director servers, it's easier if you have a custom DNS name or load balanced DNS name for Director instead of using a server name :

1. Make sure Delivery Controllers are running a version that supports the OS you intend for Director. For Windows 2016, Delivery Controllers must be version 7.11 or newer.
2. Build new Director servers with the same version or newer than the Delivery Controllers.
3. Configure the new Director servers to point to the same Delivery Controllers as the old Director servers.
4. Copy the Director data files from the old Director servers to the new Director servers. Or point the new Director servers to the existing UNC path.
5. Cutover:
   1. If you have a load balanced DNS name for Director, reconfigure the load balancer to point to the new Director servers.
   2. If you have a custom DNS name for Director, change it to resolve to the new Director server's IP address.
   3. If you were previously using the actual server name, then you can either inform users of the new Director server name, or delete the old Director server and rename the new Director server, or delete the old Director server and reconfigure the old DNS name as a custom DNS name for the new Director server.
      1. Also reconfigure the StoreFront probes to point to the new Director name.
6. Decommission the old Director servers.

Citrix Group Policy Management Plug-in

On any machine that has Group Policy Management installed, in-place upgrade the Citrix Group Policy Management Plug-in by running the installer from the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 2109, CVAD LTSR 1912 CU4, or XenApp/XenDesktop LTSR 7.15.8000.

Profile Management Group Policy Templates

Profile Management service is included with Virtual Delivery Agent. Upgrading the VDA also upgrades Profile Management.

New templates don't break existing functionality – Upgrading the Profile Management group policy templates (.admx files) will not affect existing functionality. The templates do nothing more than expose new settings that can be configured.

To in-place upgrade the Profile Management Group Policy Templates:

1. Copy the newer Profile Management Group Policy Templates to the PolicyDefinitions folder: either Sysvol, or C:\Windows on every group policy editing machine.
2. Look for older versions of the templates and delete them. The template files have the version number in their name (e.g. ctxprofile7.19.0.admx). Older Profile Management versions will have different template files with different names (e.g. ctxprofile5.8.0.admx).
3. Edit the VDA GPOs that have Profile Management settings configured. Review the new settings, and configure them, if desired. Review the Profile Management release notes for the list of new features.

Workspace app (or Receiver) Group Policy Templates

New templates don't break existing functionality – Upgrading the Workspace app (or Receiver) group policy templates (.admx files) will not affect existing functionality. The newer templates do nothing more than expose new settings that can be configured.

To in-place upgrade the Workspace app (or Receiver) Group Policy Templates:

1. Copy the newer Workspace app Group Policy Templates to the PolicyDefinitions folder: either Sysvol, or C:\Windows on every group policy editing machine. Overwrite existing template files.
   1. LTSR Receiver and Current Release Workspace app have different versions of the group policy template files.
   2. Current Release Workspace app template files include all of the LTSR Receiver settings, plus new settings that don't apply to LTSR Receiver.
2. If you are deploying a newer Current Release Workspace app version, edit the GPOs that have Receiver settings configured, review the new settings, and configure them, if desired. Review the Workspace app release notes for the list of new features.

Workspace app (formerly known as Receiver)

To in-place upgrade Workspace app (or Receiver):

1. SCCM – Use SCCM or similar to push one of the following versions:
   • Workspace app 2112 (Current Release)
   • Workspace app 1912 LTSR Cumulative Update 5 (aka 19.12.5000)
2. StoreFront delivery of Workspace app (or Receiver) – If Workspace app (or Receiver) is offered directly from StoreFront servers, copy the newer Current Release Workspace app to StoreFront 3.12+ (XenApp/XenDesktop LTSR 7.15.8000, Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops [CVAD] LTSR 1912 CU4, and CVAD 2109), or to StoreFront 3.0.9000 (XenApp/XenDesktop LTSR 7.6).
   • If StoreFront is configured to tell users to download Receiver from citrix.com, then note that it defaults to downloading Receiver 4.12 instead of Workspace app. You can configure StoreFront to download Workspace app instead of Receiver. Note: Receiver 4.12 is not LTSR and is no longer supported by Citrix.
   • StoreFront, by default, does not offer Workspace app (or Receiver) upgrades to users but it can be enabled. If Workspace app (or Receiver) upgrades are not offered, then Workspace app is only provided by StoreFront if there's no Workspace app (or Receiver) installed on the client device.
     • In StoreFront 3.5 and newer, enable Upgrade plug-in at logon at the same place you upload the Workspace app files.
     • For StoreFront 3.0 and older, edit C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\StoreWeb\web.config and setupgradeAtLogin  to true.
3. Auto-update – In Workspace app, or in Receiver 4.8 and newer, if Auto-Update is enabled, then users with permissions will receive an update notification. Users can then manually initiate the Workspace app upgrade.
   • You can configure group policy or an install switch to only update to LTSR versions of Workspace app (or Receiver).
4. Manual update – Inform remote users to upgrade their Workspace app by downloading the Current Release version from http://workspace.app.
   • If Workspace app (or Receiver) was initially installed as an administrator, then only an administrator can upgrade it.
   • If Workspace app (or Receiver) was initially installed without administrator permissions, then each non-admin user on the same machine has a different Workspace app installation, and each user has to upgrade it separately.

Skype for Business HDX RealTime Optimization Pack

The Skype for Business HDX RealTime Optimization Pack is usually released separately from the main Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) releases.

To in-place upgrade HDX RealTime Optimization Pack:

1. On the VDAs, install the HDX RealTime Connector.
   • 2.9 is the last version of Skype for Business HDX RealTime Optimization Pack.
2. On each Workspace app (or Receiver) machine, install the HDX RealTime Media Engine normally.

AppDNA

AppDNA has been deprecated and is no longer updated by Citrix.

To in-place upgrade AppDNA:

1. Run the AppDNA installer normally.
2. Run the AppDNA Configuration Wizard and upgrade the database.
3. Run the Modules Wizard to enable new modules.
4. Upgrade the AppDNA Clients (management console) that might be installed on machines other than the AppDNA Server.
5. Upgrade the AppDNA VM Configuration software on the Install Capture Machines.
6. Upgrade the VM Configuration and Self Provisioning software on the Self Provisioning Machines.

To upgrade the AppDNA Server operating system version:

1. Build a new AppDNA server, and point it to the same database used for the first server.
2. Reconfigure AppDNA Clients (management console) to point to the new AppDNA server.
3. Decommission the old AppDNA server.

SCOM Management Packs

Each SCOM Management Pack can be in-place upgraded:

1. From the latest SCOM Pack Bundle, run each management pack installer. At the end of the install wizard, select the option to automatically import the updated management pack.
2. Push the updated SCOM Pack Agent to the following:
   • Delivery Controllers
   • StoreFront
   • Provisioning Services

Federated Authentication Service (FAS)

To in-place upgrade the Federated Authentication Service (FAS) servers:

1. On the existing FAS servers, run AutoSelect.exe from the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 2196 ISO, the 1912 LTSR CU4 ISO, or the XenApp/XenDesktop 7.15.8000 LTSR ISO, and click the button to install Federated Authentication Service. It's a simple Next, Next, Next process.
2. Newer versions of FAS might have newer group policy templates. If so, copy them to Sysvol, or C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions on all group policy editing machines.

To upgrade the operating system version of the FAS servers:

1. Build one or more new FAS servers.
2. Request a Registration Authority certificate for each of the FAS servers.
3. Change the group policy object for FAS to point to the new FAS servers. Run gpupdate on StoreFront and VDAs.
4. Decommission the old FAS servers.

Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP)

Newer versions of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) components automatically enable Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP). To disable, see the following:

• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) CEIP
• Citrix License Server CEIP
• Virtual Delivery Agent CEIP
• Profile Management CEIP
• StoreFront CEIP
• Citrix Provisioning CEIP
• Workspace app (or Receiver) CEIP
• Workspace app for HTML5 CEIP
• Session Recording CEIP
• AppDNA CEIP
• Citrix ADC / NetScaler CEIP

Citrix ADC Firmware

Test appliances – Ideally, Citrix ADC firmware upgrades should be tested on separate test appliances. VIPs on the test appliances should then be tested.

Downtime if no High Availability – If you only have a single Citrix ADC appliance, then upgrading the firmware will cause downtime while the appliance is rebooting.

GSLB and mixed versions – If GSLB Metric Exchange Protocol (MEP) is enabled, then the Citrix ADC appliances on both sides of the MEP connection can run different versions of firmware.

To in-place upgrade Citrix ADC Firmware:

1. Save the config. Then download a copy of the ns.conf file, or perform a backup of the appliance and download the backup file.
2. On the secondary appliance, install the newer firmware.
3. To test the new firmware, perform an HA failover.
   1. Configuration changes made on the primary appliance will not be synchronized to the secondary appliance until the firmware on the secondary appliance is upgraded.
   2. You can failover HA again to revert to the older firmware.
   3. To downgrade, on the appliance you've already upgraded, you can perform the firmware upgrade process again, but this time upload the older firmware.
4. On the primary appliance, install the newer firmware. A HA failover occurs automatically.

Migrate From XenApp 6.5 to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 7

XenApp 6.5 is End-of-life in June 30, 2018. End-of-maintenance (no new patches) afterDecember 31, 2017. See the Lifecycle Announcement.

Citrix has a website devoted to 6.5 to 7.x migrations.

6.5 to 7.x Migration Considerations

Current Release or LTSR?

Will you deploy Current Release 7.x? Or LTSR 7.x? See above for a comparison between Current Release and LTSR.

Some vendors (e.g. Epic) strongly recommend LTSR. Today, there are three LTSR options: LTSR 1912 CU4, LTSR 7.15.8000, and LTSR 7.6.9000.

• Much XenApp 6.5 functionality is missing from LTSR 7.6.
• LTSR 1912 and LTSR 7.15 have almost feature parity with XenApp 6.5.

Citrix XenApp licensing

Subscription Advantage Expiration date needs to be the same or newer than the 7.x release date.

Software Maintenance or Customer Success Services – Select is required for LTSR.

XenApp licenses can be traded up to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) licenses.

• XenApp Enterprise doesn't have Citrix Provisioning, but XenDesktop Enterprise does get Citrix Provisioning.
• XenDesktop licenses add virtual desktops capability.

Mixed license types – In 7.13 and newer, you can mix license types, but not editions, in the same 7.x farm/site.

• LTSR 7.6 only supports one license type for the entire farm/site.

Director licensing – Some Director functionality requires Premium Edition – e.g. alerting, custom reports, and StoreFront Probes.

VDA/Worker Operating System Version

Stay with Windows 2008 R2? – Are you staying with Windows 2008 R2 on the 7.x VDAs? If so, you can uninstall 6.5 from the XenApp worker, and install VDA 7.x instead. No need to rebuild.

• Staying with Windows 2008 R2 allows you to reuse your existing profiles instead of requiring new profiles.
• 7.15 LTSR is the last version to support Windows 2008 R2. See the list of Deprecated Features.
  • VDA 7.15 can register with 2109 Delivery Controllers or 1912 LTSR CU4 Delivery Controllers.

Upgrade operating system version – If you are upgrading the workers to a newer operating system version:

• Every user will get new profiles.
• Applications must be compatible with the new operating system version.
• If you are publishing a desktop, then Windows 2012 R2 Start Menu is quite different than other operating system versions.
  • Windows Server 2016 has the same Start Menu as Windows 10 1607.
  • Windows Server 2019 is the same as Windows 10 1809.
  • Windows Server 2022 is the same as Windows 10 21H2.
  • LTSR 7.6 does not support Windows 2016. But CVAD 2109, LTSR 1912 and LTSR 7.15 do support Windows Server 2016.
  • LTSR 1912 and CVAD 2106 and newer support Windows Server 2019.
  • CVAD 2109 and newer support support Windows Server 2022.
  • Windows 11 is supported in CVAD 2109 and newer. Windows 11 is not supported in CVAD 1912.
• The VDAs with newer operating system must be rebuilt from scratch.
• Make sure you own Remote Desktop Services CALs that match the newer operating system. Windows 2008 R2 RDS CALs cannot be used with Windows 2012 R2 or newer VDAs.
  • RDS Licensing Server must be the same OS version or newer than the VDAs.

You can mix and match operating system versions in the same 7.x farm/site. Primarily VDAs. But also infrastructure servers.

• One option is upgrade most of your VDAs to a newer OS version, but leave some at 2008 R2 so they can run apps that are not supported in the newer OS versions.
• For 16-bit apps, you can publish them from VDAs running 32-bit Windows 7.

New functionality in 7.x not available in 6.5

The following a selected list of new features in 7.x that wasn't available in 6.5. Which of these would you like to enable after the upgrade?

• Hypervisor connection (e.g. vCenter) – for virtual machine power management
• Machine Creation Services (MCS):
  • Requires knowledge of hypervisor storage, clusters, etc. And Capacity Planning. Need to work with your hypervisor team.
• VDAs hosted in IaaS Clouds like Azure or AWS
  • CVAD 2003 and newer no longer support VDAs in Azure or AWS. To broker sessions to VDAs in Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud, Citrix now requires customers to instead subscribe to Citrix Cloud CVAD Service .
• Virtual Desktops
• App-V integration with Citrix Studio
• EDT protocol (UDP-based ICA)
• GPUs
• Generic USB Redirection in RDSH
• SAML authentication
• Client IP/Client Name access restrictions
• AppFlow
• Remote PC
• Browser Content Redirection

6.5 to 7.x Changes

Link:

• Citrix Blog Post From IMA to FMA: Where to Find XenApp 6.5 Features in XenApp & XenDesktop 7

Single product – In 7.x, XenApp and XenDesktop were merged into a single product. It's the same installer for both. The only difference is the licenses. You can use the terms XenApp and XenDesktop interchangeably.

Delivery Controllers – XenApp 6.5 Controllers are now called Delivery Controllers in 7.x.

Virtual Delivery Agents – XenApp 6.5 Workers are now called Virtual Delivery Agents (VDAs) in 7.x. These are the machines that apps are installed on and users actually connect to. They're called VDAs because you install Virtual Delivery Agent software on those machines.

Controller and VDAs are separate software – In XenApp 6.5, you install the same software on both Workers and Controllers. In 7.x, Delivery Controller software and VDA software are completely different.

VDA types – 7.x supports three types of VDAs: Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH aka Server OS), virtual desktops (Desktop OS), and Remote PC (physical PCs). XenApp 6.5 primarily only supported one type of worker: RDSH.

• RDSH is the new name for Terminal Services.
• XenApp 6.5 administrators tend to think of the XenApp workers as "XenApp Servers". Actually, it's more accurate to call them Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop Session Hosts. Apps run on top of Windows (RDSH), not Citrix. XenApp is installed on top of RDSH. XenApp merely provides ICA connectivity to RDSH, instead of RDP.
• In 7.x workers, Virtual Delivery Agent replaces XenApp.

SQL/Licensing communication – In XenApp 6.5, every XenApp machine, including Workers, connects to database and licensing. VDAs in 7.x no longer talk to database or licensing. VDAs rely on Delivery Controllers to do that. This makes 7.x sites/farms much more scalable than 6.5.

Farm vs site – In XenApp 6.5, all Controllers/Workers that share a database belong to a single Farm. In 7.x, all Delivery Controllers that share a database belong to a single XenApp/XenDesktop site. The terms site and farm can be used interchangeably. However, the term "site" might not clearly indicate that it's the same as a "farm".

• VDAs belong to Delivery Controllers in a single site/farm. You use registry values (ListOfDDCs) to control which Delivery Controllers (and site/farm) a VDA registers with.

SQL availability is more important in 7.x. If SQL is down, then the 7.x farm is down. XenApp 6.5 did not have the same level of dependency on SQL.

• Local Host Cache in CVAD 2109, LTSR 1912 or LTSR 7.15 can maintain most functionality after a database outage. However, LHC is not available in LTSR 7.6.300.
• AlwaysOn Availability Groups (or Basic Availability Groups or Mirroring) is the preferred SQL HA method.

Zones vs Multiple sites/farms:

• In XenApp 6.5, it was very easy to stretch a farm to multiple datacenters by putting different XenApp 6.5 machines in different zones. That's because access to SQL database was not particularly important.
• In 7.x, SQL database access is critical, making it difficult to stretch a site/farm across datacenters. Current Release 7.7 and newer added zones, which were greatly enhanced in Current Release 7.12 with the addition of Local Host Cache and Zone Preference. Current Release 7.14 enhanced Local Host Cache even more. There are still some scalability limitations, and missing virtual desktop functionality. And it adds complexity with no savings in the number of machines other than SQL.
• Zones and Local Host Cache are not available in LTSR 7.6.300, but are available in 2109, LTSR 1912 and LTSR 7.15.
• The alternative for 7.x is to build a separate XenApp/XenDesktop site/farm in each datacenter, and use StoreFront to aggregate the icons.

Citrix Studio – In XenApp 6.5, you manage the farm using AppCenter. In XenApp/XenDesktop 7.x, you manage the site/farm using Citrix Studio. Both are MMC based consoles.

Director – In XenApp 6.5, help desk uses AppCenter to manage user sessions. In XenApp/XenDesktop 7.x, help desk uses a web-based tool called Director.

• Shadowing from Director uses Microsoft Remote Assistance.
• Director is also used by administrators to view historical performance and usage data.
• Director is similar to EdgeSight, but the monitoring service is built into Delivery Controller, and the monitoring agent is built into the VDA software.

Catalogs / Delivery Groups / App Groups can be confusing concepts.

• You first add VDA machines to a Catalog. You either add existing VDA machines to a Catalog, or MCS/PSS creates VDA machines and puts them in a Catalog.
• You add VDA machines from one or more Catalogs to a Delivery Group.
• You publish apps and desktops from one or more Delivery Groups.
• You aggregate multiple applications into an App Group. App Groups lets you configure identical settings across multiple published app icons. It also controls Session Sharing.
  • App Groups are in LTSR 7.15 and LTSR 1912, but not available in LTSR 7.6.

Tags in 7.x simulate Worker Groups in 6.5. You assign a single tag to multiple VDAs. Then you publish an app to a tag, or publish an app to an App Group that has the tag selected. The published app launches on only the VDAs that have the tag. This lets you publish apps on a subset of machines in a Delivery Group, instead of load balancing across every VDA machine in the Delivery Group.

PowerShell commands in 7.x are different than 6.5. All 7.x configuration is performed using PowerShell. Changes made in Studio are actually performed using PowerShell. This focus on PowerShell makes it easy to automate XenApp/XenDesktop tasks (e.g. add a new VDA machine to Catalog and Delivery Group).

XenApp Streamed Applications was removed from 7.x.

• If you want to keep the Application Streaming functionality, then you'll to need to repackage the streaming applications using Microsoft App-V or similar.
• If you don't need app isolation, then App Layering Elastic Layers are another option since they are essentially streamed.

Session Recording – XenApp 6.5 Platinum Edition had SmartAuditor. Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 7.x Premium Edition has Session Recording. The latest Current Release version of Session Recording can do the following, which weren't available in SmartAuditor:

• Record both RDSH and Desktop VDAs.
• Integrate with Director – can enable or disable recording from Director.
• More policy options for starting recording.
• Load balance multiple Session Recording servers.
• Tag recordings when USB devices are inserted.
• Web-based Session Recording Player.
• These newer Session Recording features are not available in LTSR 7.6.300, but instead require LTSR 7.15 or LTSR 1912.

XenApp 6.5 functionality missing from XenApp/XenDesktop 7.x

Much prior 6.5 functionality was added to Current Releases released after LTSR 7.6. For example:

• Zones
• Local Host Cache
• App limits
• Multiple license types
• Publish apps on subset of machines in a Delivery Group
• Multiple reboot schedules for a single Delivery Group
• Idle time in Director
• Published Content
• TLS 1.2 in StoreFront

To get these features, install 1912 LTSR or 7.15 LTSR instead.

The following 6.5 functionality is still not available in 7.x:

• Custom ICA files:
  • The alternative is to script Receiver Self-Service. This assumes that Workspace app (or Receiver) is configured to connect to a StoreFront Store.
• SmartAccess per published application:
  • In 7.x, you enable Access Control filters at the Delivery Group level. It's not possible to configure Access Control at the individual published application.
• Director is quite different from EdgeSight, but every Current Release adds more Director functionality.
  • To get full Director functionality,  you need Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) Premium Edition, and the latest Current Release.
  • Many useful Director features are not available in LTSR 7.6.300.
• Single Sign-on (aka Password Manager)
  • Self Service Password Reset was added to 7.15 LTSR (or 1912 LTSR), but not LTSR 7.6.300.
  • The rest of the Single Sign-on functionality is missing from 7.x.

Migrate from Web Interface to StoreFront first

A challenging aspect of migration from 6.5 to 7.x is the StoreFront/Citrix Gateway migration. But once on StoreFront, there should be no more need for major migrations on the client side.

Since StoreFront can connect to both 6.5 farms and new 7.x farms, you should migrate to StoreFront before you migrate the Workers and Controllers to 7.x. StoreFront has features that can help with farm migration:

• StoreFront can aggregate identical icons from multiple farms/sites.
• StoreFront can use AD Group Membership to control access to a farm/site.
• StoreFront can control access and routing to farm/sites and 7.x zones across multiple datacenters.

StoreFront vs Web Interface

StoreFront, Receiver Self-Service, and Citrix Gateway are a major architectural change from Web Interface/Secure Gateway.

Receiver Self-Service vs PNAgent – If you are currently running PNAgent clients (aka Receiver Enterprise, aka pnagent.exe), then you will have to deploy a newer Workspace app (or Receiver) that has Self-Service capability. Self-Service is the client side of StoreFront.

• If you install Workspace app (or Receiver) on a machine that has PNAgent installed, then newer versions of Workspace app should be able to remove PNAgent and install Self-Service instead. But this isn't always successful, and you might have to manually remove PNAgent before Self-Service installs correctly.

Favorites – In StoreFront, users can mark icons as Favorites. The selected Favorites are stored on a database that is replicated to each StoreFront server. Web Interface never had this capability. Do you want to leave Favorites enabled? Or disable it so it's not too much of a change for migrated users?

HTTPS – Receiver Self-Service and StoreFront require HTTPS.

Discovery – Receiver Self-Service downloads a XML-based discovery document from StoreFront, and uses the XML document to configure itself.

Beacons – Receiver Self-Service uses Beacons to determine if the client machine is internal or external. If external, Receiver Self-Service uses Citrix Gateway to connect.

• Single FQDN – If you use the same DNS name for both internal and external, then DNS caching might affect machines that roam from internal to external and back again. Another option is to use different DNS names for internal StoreFront and external Citrix Gateway.

StoreFront Server Group – Multiple StoreFront servers can be combined into a Server Group, which automatically replicates Favorites between each other.

• Configurations can be manually replicated from the StoreFront Console.
• Citrix does not support stretching a single StoreFront Server Group across datacenters. Each datacenter should be a separate Server Group.

Multiple Stores – StoreFront can host multiple Stores, which are somewhat like Web Interface sites.

• Some StoreFront components, like the Base URL, are shared across multiple Stores.
• When Receiver Self-Service performs Discovery, if the StoreFront server has multiple stores, then the user is prompted to select a store. Stores can be hidden (not advertised).

Citrix Gateway required – For external access,Receiver Self-Service and StoreFront require Citrix Gateway ICA Proxy instead of Secure Gateway.

Workspace app (or Receiver) configuration methods – There are multiple methods of configuring Receiver Self-Service: registry, group policy, StoreFront Account Services, and installer command line arguments.

Challenges of cutover – Because Receiver Self-Service is so different from PNAgent, cutovers are difficult. Workspace app (or Receiver) behaves differently when connected to StoreFront Stores vs PNAgent URLs.

HDX Optimal Routing – StoreFront supports sending ICA traffic for each site/farm to a non-default Citrix Gateway URL. If a user launches an icon from Datacenter A, then you probably want ICA traffic to go through the Citrix Gateway that is in Datacenter A. This is called HDX Optimal Routing and was never available in Web Interface. This feature requires datacenter-specific DNS names.

SAML Authentication – StoreFront and Citrix Gateway support SAML authentication. Deploy Federated Authentication Services to support SAML.

LTSR or Current Release – If you intend to build LTSR XenApp/XenDesktop, then StoreFront should be the LTSR version, and Workspace app (or Receiver) should be the LTSR version.

• LTSR Workspace app does not support Browser Content Redirection (BCR). Current Release versions of Workspace app do support Browser Content Redirection.

Citrix Gateway vs Secure Gateway

Not free – Citrix Gateway is not free.

Networking skills – Citrix is a networking device, which requires different skills than the server-based Secure Gateway.

PNAgent vs Self-Service through Citrix Gateway – Receiver / Workspace app can't connect to PNAgent stores through Citrix Gateway. StoreFront stores (Receiver Self-Service) do work through Citrix Gateway.

AppFlow – If ICA traffic is going through Citrix Gateway, you can enable AppFlow, and send it to Citrix Application Delivery Management (ADM) and Director for monitoring and reporting.

• You can deploy Citrix Gateway internally to get internal ICA traffic through Citrix ADC for AppFlow reporting.
• Only newer versions of Citrix Workspace app support Single Sign-on through Citrix Gateway by enabling a group policy setting.

Build StoreFront and Citrix Gateway

Follow the guides on this site to build StoreFront, and configure Citrix Gateway:

1. Build two or more LTSR 1912 CU4, or LTSR 7.15.8000 (3.12.8000), or LTSR 7.6.300 (3.0.9000) StoreFront servers in each datacenter.
2. Configure StoreFront (Manage Delivery Controllers) to connect to existing XenApp 6.5 farm(s).
   1. Configure icon aggregation from multiple farms. The instructions for StoreFront 3.12+ are different than StoreFront 3.0.6000.
3. Configure a load balancer to load balance Storefront in each datacenter.
4. Configure Citrix ADC GSLB to load balance a single DNS name to StoreFront Load Balancing VIPs in both datacenters.
5. Configure Citrix Gateway in both datacenters.
   1. Create an internal Citrix Gateway vServer for AppFlow reporting?
   2. Configure StoreFront Console > Manage Citrix Gateways, and enable Remote Access on the Store. The instructions for StoreFront 3.12+ are different than StoreFront 3.0.6000.
6. Configure HDX Optimal Routing. The instructions for StoreFront 3.12+ are different than StoreFront 3.0.6000.
7. Configure Citrix ADC GSLB to load balance a single DNS name to Citrix Gateway VIPs in both datacenters.
   1. Configure Citrix ADC GSLB active/passive for the HDX Optimal Routing DNS names.
8. Import a Citrix Application Delivery Management (ADM) virtual appliance.
   1. Use Citrix ADM to enable AppFlow on the Citrix ADC appliances.

Migrate from Web Interface to StoreFront

Cutover DNS? – If you cutover an existing DNS name from Web Interface to StoreFront:

• StoreFront user interface and Citrix Gateway user interface are different than the Web Interface user interface. A cutover might result in help desk calls from users that are not accustomed to the new user interface.
• If you cutover an existing DNS name, how do you reconfigure Receivers to use Receiver Self-Service Stores instead of PNAgent URLs? You'd have to ask every user to remove existing Receiver accounts and re-add them.
• Are you migrating from HTTP to HTTPS? It's difficult to reconfigure Receivers and Browser Favorites to point to HTTPS instead of HTTP.
• Cutover night would have many changes. Be prepared for many support issues the next day.

New DNS names – A preferred alternative is to use a new DNS name(s) for StoreFront and Citrix Gateway.  This lets you run Web Interface and StoreFront in parallel, and you can migrate users (and Receiver) at your leisure.

• Use group policy to point Receiver Self-Service to the StoreFront DNS name. This group policy setting does not apply to PNAgent (pnagent.exe).
• Deploy one of the following Workspace App or Receiver versions to company-managed machines.
  • Current Release – Workspace app 2112
  • LTSR Workspace app 1912 Cumulative Update 5 (aka 19.12.5000)
• Inform users of new external DNS name. StoreFront can be configured to offer Receiver upgrades.
• Inform users to remove existing accounts from mobile Receiver (iOS, Android), and re-add using the new DNS name. This changes the mobile Receiver to use StoreFront Store instead of PNAgent (Legacy).

6.5 to 7.x Migration Plan

This section assumes users have already been migrated to StoreFront/Receiver.

New 7.x Infrastructure

1. Upgrade Citrix License Server, and upgrade license files with Subscription Advantage date that has not expired.
   1. Alternatively, you can build a new license server and reallocate the licenses to the new license server. Point the 7.x farm/site to the new license server.
   2. You can either leave the 6.5 farm on the old license server, or reconfigure the 6.5 farm to use the new license server. If you use both old and new license servers, then the assumption is that you will migrate all users to the new 7.x farm/site in a timely manner so you don't exceed your license count.
2. Build highly available SQL Servers. Typically AlwaysOn Availability Groups (or Basic Availability Groups in SQL 2016 Standard Edition).
   1. Separate SQL in each datacenter?
3. Build Delivery Controllers – at least two per datacenter. Connect them to the Highly Available SQL Servers.
   1. LTSR 1912 CU4? LTSR 7.15.8000? Or LTSR 7.6.9000?
   2. Separate sites/farms in each datacenter?
   3. Or are you stretching and configuring zones instead? Zones are available in LTSR 1912 and LTSR 7.15, but not LTSR 7.6.300.
   4. Mixed license types are available in 1912 LTSR and 7.15 LTSR, but not LTSR 7.6.300.
4. Connect Citrix Studio to your hypervisor (e.g. vCenter). Import the vCenter certificate first.
   1. If using MCS, create Hosting Resources in Studio. These are a combination of hypervisor cluster, hypervisor storage, and hypervisor network.
5. Install Citrix Director, and configure them to point to the Delivery Controllers.
   1. LTSR 1912 CU4? LTSR 7.15.8000? Or LTSR 7.6.9000?
6. If Citrix Provisioning, and if using the Citrix Provisioning Citrix Virtual Desktops Setup Wizard, then either in-place upgrade Citrix Provisioning servers to the same version as Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 7, or build new Citrix Provisioning servers with the same version as Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 7.
   1. If new Citrix Provisioning servers, then they can be in a new Citrix Provisioning farm with a new database.
7. If you are upgrading the VDA OS version, then you might have to upgrade theApp-V infrastructure.
8. If you intend to use Citrix App Layering, import and configure the ELM appliance.
9. Build Citrix Workspace Environment Management servers.
10. Build Citrix Session Recording servers. The instructions for LTSR 1912 Session Recording and LTSR 7.15.8000 Session Recording are quite different than LTSR 7.6.9000 Session Recording.
11. Configure group policies and profiles for newer OS version.
    1. Move Citrix Policy settings from AppCenter to a group policy object (GPO) instead of Citrix Studio.
    2. If new profiles, create scripts to copy settings from old profiles to new profiles.
12. Implement Citrix and hypervisor monitoring tool(s)

New 7.x VDAs

1. Use AppDNA to analyze applications for compatibility with newer operating systems.
2. Create a master VDA – either LTSR 1912 CU4, LTSR 7.15.8000 or LTSR 7.6.9000.
   1. If remaining on Windows 2008 R2, you can uninstall XenApp 6.5 (and all related components), and then install Virtual Delivery Agent LTSR 7.15.8000 or LTSR 7.6.9000. LTSR VDA 1912 will not install on Windows 2008 R2.
   2. If upgrading OS version, then you must build from scratch with Windows.
   3. If App Layering, import the OS Layer to ELM with only Windows installed.
   4. If not App Layering, then install Applications, VDA, and Security software (e.g. antivirus) on the Master VDA.
3. If App-V, upgrade App-V packages, or create new App-V packages.
   1. 1912 LTSR and 7.15.8000 LTSR can integrate App-V into Citrix Studio.
4. If Layering, use ELM to create Platform Layer and App Layers. Then push an image to Citrix Provisioning, or your hypervisor.
5. Use Citrix Provisioning or MCS to create Catalogs. Both options create new VDA machines, and put them in a Machine Catalog. If Citrix Provisioning,
   1. Convert the master VDA to a new vDisk.
   2. Use the Citrix Provisioning Virtual Desktops Setup Wizard to create multiple Target Devices that boot from the vDisk.
6. Configure scheduled reboots of RDSH VDAs. Citrix Studio has some reboot options. Or write a script.

Publish Icons, Pilot, Rollout, and Operations

1. Create Delivery Groups and Publish Applications/Desktops from the Delivery Groups. LTSR 1912 and LTSR 7.15 have more capabilities than LTSR 7.6.300.
   1. You can use Citrix Smart Migrate to copy applications and/or policies from 6.5 to 7.x. Also see the XenApp 6 migration tool.
   2. If LTSR 1912 or LTSR 7.15, App/Desktop publishing is different than LTSR 7.6.300.
   3. If LTSR 1912 or LTSR 7.15, limit application usage.
   4. If LTSR 1912 or LTSR 7.15, create App Groups.
   5. Publish apps to anonymous users?
   6. If LTSR 1912 or LTSR 7.15, create Published Content.
   7. If LTSR 1912 or LTSR 7.15, use Tags to publish apps on a subset of machines in a Delivery Group.
   8. Enable multiple sessions from one user?
   9. Use Keywords to control icons in Receiver. You can even use Keywords to hide applications from StoreFront.
2. Add the 7.x farm/site to StoreFront > Manage Delivery Controllers
   1. Configure StoreFront user farm mapping (Map users to Controllers) so only members of an AD Group can see icons from the 7.x farm/site? The instructions for 1912 and LTSR 7.15.8000 (3.12+) StoreFront are different than LTSR 7.6.300 (3.0.9000) StoreFront.
3. Help Desk:
   1. Add Help Desk users to Citrix Studio > Configuration > Administrators so they can use Director.
   2. Teach Help Desk how to use Director. LTSR 1912 Director, LTSR 7.15 Director and LTSR 7.6.9000 Director have different capabilities.
4. Conduct pilot:
   1. Assign users to the apps and desktops published from 7.x. Since users are already using StoreFront, the new icons should show up in Receiver automatically.
   2. Solicit feedback and fix issues.
5. Rollout:
   1. Assign users to 7.x published apps/desktops, and unassign the users from the 6.5 published apps/desktops
6. Decommission the 6.5 farm.
7. Backup 7.x SQL databases, vDisks, master images, and Citrix ADC configurations.
8. Build test 7.x farm(s) so you can test Citrix infrastructure upgrades.

Roll Back to Older Version of Xenapp Controller

Source: https://www.carlstalhood.com/cvad-upgrades/

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