HDX 3D for Professional

Graphics
Version 1.1

Administrator’s Guide

www.citrix.com

 
  

Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 – OVERVIEW............................................................................................. 4
Introduction to HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 ..............................................................................................4

Architecture.....................................................................................................................................................4

Licensing..........................................................................................................................................................7
CHAPTER 2 – REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................... 8
Host Workstation...........................................................................................................................................8

Hardware .....................................................................................................................................................8

Software .......................................................................................................................................................8

User Device.....................................................................................................................................................9

Hardware .....................................................................................................................................................9

Software .......................................................................................................................................................9
CHAPTER 3 – INSTALLATION.................................................................................... 10
Environment.................................................................................................................................................10

Prerequisites ..............................................................................................................................................10

Host Workstation.........................................................................................................................................10

Prerequisites ..............................................................................................................................................10

Installation .................................................................................................................................................11

Adding HDX 3D Pro Graphics Servers to the XenDesktop DDC.................................................11

Client..............................................................................................................................................................12

Prerequisites ..............................................................................................................................................12

Installation .................................................................................................................................................12
CHAPTER 4 – SEAMLESS APPLICATION DELIVERY .............................................. 14
Publishing application shortcut on VDA .................................................................................................14

Publishing the Seamless application in DDC ..........................................................................................15

Launching the Seamless Application.........................................................................................................15

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Use Image ConfigTool along with Seamless Applications ....................................................................16

Configuration in DDC for Seamless applications with the Configuration tool .................................17

Possible Error Messages with Seamless Applications ............................................................................19

CHAPTER 5 – USER EXPERIENCE ............................................................................ 20
Connecting ....................................................................................................................................................20

Using the Quality Control Tool and User Interface ...............................................................................20

Changing Client Resolution Settings .........................................................................................................22

Administration Control Tool .....................................................................................................................24

CHAPTER 6 – LOGGING ............................................................................................. 26
Basic Logging................................................................................................................................................26

Advanced Logging .......................................................................................................................................26

CHAPTER 7 – TROUBLESHOOTING.......................................................................... 27
Known Issues and Limitations...................................................................................................................27

Support ..........................................................................................................................................................30

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Chapter 1 – Overview
Introduction to HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1
XenDesktop HDX 3D for Professional Graphics is a feature of XenDesktop Enterprise and
Platinum editions for delivering high-end applications, including OpenGL and DirectX based
applications, that demand the power of a graphics processing unit (GPU) for hardware acceleration.
This Citrix solution for desktop remoting and desktop based application remoting (Seamless
Application Delivery) is the only viable solution on the market today for delivering 3D professional
graphics over WAN bandwidths as low as 2 Mbps (with some customers reporting acceptable
results even at 1.5 Mbps) and up to 200 ms roundtrip latency (with some users reporting acceptable
results even at 300 ms RTL). On the LAN, too, HDX 3D Pro Graphics excels, consuming on
average one-tenth the bandwidth of competing solutions (even those employing a proprietary
hardware chip for compression) while delivering a high definition user experience, making it a
valuable enabler for desktop replacement.

While HDX 3D Pro Graphics is primarily aimed at high-end 3D professional graphics such as
CAD/CAM, GIS, Digital Content creation, and Medical imaging, it works very well for non-
graphics applications as well. It provides a customer-premises-based alternative to Citrix’s popular
GoToMyPC solution for users who require access to their Windows 7 office PC from a remote
location. It can also be used to deliver computationally-intensive applications that leverage CUDA
for parallel computing.

In industries such as Manufacturing, Engineering, Graphics Design, Architecture and Animation,

design teams are often geographically dispersed but still require the ability to collaborate and work
from the same source files. And these teams work with highly-valued intellectual property where
security is paramount. Desktop virtualization provides significant business benefits to these
organizations – among them making secure, global collaboration possible. With HDX 3D Pro
Graphics, enterprise users are ensured the best experience over any network. Design teams can
collaborate in real time and keep IP safely housed in the datacenter.

Architecture
HDX 3D Pro Graphics is a feature of XenDesktop Enterprise and Platinum editions. The HDX 3D
Pro Graphics 1.1 software is an add-on to XenDesktop 4. It is added to a Desktop Delivery Group
within an existing Desktop Delivery Controller. Client devices connect to the XenDesktop
environment in the usual way.

Pro Graphics uses different image compression technologies for desktop/application delivery than
standard XenDesktop. For the best possible compression (required for access over 2 Mbps
connections), HDX 3D Pro Graphics features a GPU-based codec that leverages the graphics

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processor on the host workstation for computational purposes. The user device does not require a
graphics card. HDX 3D Pro Graphics also supports CPU-based compression, suitable when
network bandwidth is approximately 3 Mbps or more. This allows a less expensive GPU to be used
because it is used just for graphics rendering, not for compression. For medical imaging, CPU-
based compression includes an option for pixel-perfect lossless compression (requires approximately
10 Mbps of network bandwidth).

To support high-end 3D graphics based applications, HDX 3D Pro Graphics leverages hardware
acceleration provided by a GPU on the host workstation. Because multi-user hypervisors do not
provide GPU access at this time, HDX 3D Pro Graphics works with physical machines only. This
includes physical desktop machines as well as blade and rack workstations. HDX 3D Pro Graphics
is envisioned to work with “virtual machines” in the future when the anticipated “GPU
virtualization” technology is introduced, where each virtual machine (VM) can get hardware
acceleration through a virtual GPU.

Typical HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 setup:

CASE 1: The HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 host has an NVIDIA CUDA enabled GPU with at least
96 CUDA cores and the NVIDIA CUDA 2.1 (or higher) display drivers installed. In this
architecture, the HDX 3D Pro Graphics GPU codec can be leveraged to deliver optimum
performance over low-bandwidth WAN connections, while also supporting users on the LAN. It is
also possible to use CPU-based compression with this configuration, such as when connecting from
a client that does not have the decoder for the GPU codec, or when pixel-perfect lossless
compression is required (typically for medical imaging).

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CASE 2: The HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 host has a non-NVIDIA GPU (such as AMD/ATI) or an
NVIDIA GPU with less than 96 CUDA cores. In this architecture, only the CPU codec can be
leveraged, so at least 3 Mbps of network bandwidth is recommended.

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Licensing
No additional license files or keys are required for HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1; however, as a
XenDesktop environment is required, you must have a Citrix License Server deployed with active
XenDesktop licenses (Enterprise or Platinum edition). See your End User Licensing Agreement
(EULA) for additional licensing information.

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Chapter 2 – Requirements
Host Workstation
Hardware

As noted above, the host workstation must be a physical machine as HDX 3D Pro Graphics
makes use of hardware acceleration provided by the underlying GPU. The host workstation
may be a tower or desktop workstation, or a blade/rack workstation. It is strongly
recommended that the host workstation and GPU are endorsed by the application vendor.

HDX 3D Pro Graphics does not require one specific manufacturer’s equipment. Citrix has
tested the Pro Graphics 1.1 release on hardware from HP, Dell and IBM. Although blade
and rack workstations are envisioned as the ideal platforms for this generation of the HDX
3D Pro Graphics technology, regular freestanding PCs and workstations also are suitable.
Citrix recommends at least 4 GB of RAM and a quad core CPU.

A CUDA enabled NVIDIA graphics card with at least 96 cores is required for leveraging the
benefits of the GPU codec. Cards that meet this specification include the NVIDIA Quadro
FX 4600, 5600, 3800, 4800, 3700, and 5800. For a detailed list of CUDA-enabled cards, see
the following Web pages:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/cuda_gpus.html

http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_11761.html#mobile

For servers that do not have a CUDA-enabled GPU (or a CUDA-enabled GPU with less
than 96 CUDA cores), CPU-based compression is used.

Software

The host/server workstation must run either of Windows XP SP2/SP3 32-bit Professional,
Windows XP 64-bit Professional, Windows 7 32-bit, or Windows 7 64-bit.

To use GPU-based compression, the system must have the appropriate CUDA-enabled
NVIDIA drivers installed. See the following NVIDIA website to obtain the display driver
with CUDA 2.1, CUDA 2.2 or CUDA 2.3 capability:

http://www.nvidia.in/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-in

The graphics driver that you download from this Web site should have the latest CUDA
capabilities required for GPU-based data compression.

For older drivers having CUDA 2.1/2.2 support, look for the Archived drivers.

For all other graphics products (GPUs) the normal display drivers should be used.

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User Device
Hardware

Recommended requirements:
Configuration: Core Duo 2 GHz CPU or higher dual core CPU, 2 GB RAM
Monitor Resolution: WAN: 800x600 to 1280X1024
LAN: 800x600 to 1920x1200
GPU: No GPU required

Minimum Requirements:
Configuration: Pentium 4, 3.0 GHz CPU or equivalently fast single core CPU, 1 GB
RAM
Monitor Resolution: 800x600
GPU: No GPU required

Note: When connecting from a multi-monitor system, only one monitor is used by HDX
3D Pro Graphics.

The clock speed (GHz) of the processor is more important than the number of CPU cores.
Software

To decode GPU-based compression, the special HDX 3D Pro Graphics client must be
installed. The version 11.1.9 HDX 3D Pro Graphics client is supported on Windows 32-bit
and 64-bit (Windows XP, Windows 7; Windows Vista is supported only on a “best efforts”
basis because of limited enterprise market demand). The 11.1.9 client can decode CPU based
compression, too.

To decode only CPU-based compression, Citrix’s standard 11.2 or 12.0 online plug-in for
Windows can be used, or the 11.100 Citrix Receiver for Linux.  

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Chapter 3 – Installation
Environment
Prerequisites

There are a number of components that must be in place before installing HDX 3D Pro
Graphics 1.1. They are as follows:

1. A XenDesktop 4 environment must be deployed and operational.

2. On Windows 7, the XenDesktop must be installed through the command line (not
by double-clicking on the MSI icon) as it requires the VDA to be installed with a
WDDM driver. The command is as follows
<Location of VDA installer>msiexec /I XdsAgent.msi INSTALLONWDDM=1

3. Your HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 servers must be in the same domain as your
XenDesktop 4 environment.

Host Workstation
Prerequisites

HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 installation on the server requires the following software, and
this software should be installed before proceeding with the HDX 3D Pro Graphics
installation:

1. The appropriate NVIDIA CUDA-enabled drivers must be installed when using a

NVIDIA GPU with at least 96 cores. See the following link to download the latest
drivers with CUDA capability:

http://www.nvidia.in/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-in

The graphics driver that you download from this Web site should have the latest
CUDA capabilities

For older drivers having CUDA 2.1/2.2 support, look for Archived drivers.

2. Microsoft .NET 3.5 must be installed. This is installed automatically for you in step 3
(below). See the following link to download the .NET 3.5 installer package:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=333325FD-AE52-
4E35-B531-508D977D32A6&displaylang=en

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3. The XenDesktop 4 Agent (VDA) must be installed and during installation the
appropriate XenDesktop 4 farm must be selected. This is the farm that this host is
added to. HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 works only with XenDesktop 4.0 VDA.

Installation

1. Log on to MyCitrix.com with your credentials.

2. Navigate to link below to access the HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 software package and
download:

https://www.citrix.com/English/ss/downloads/details.asp?downloadId=1861141

Click on the Download link in the HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 section for the HDX
3D Pro Graphics 1.1 package (which includes installer and the 11.1.9 Client installer)
and the Administrator’s Guide.

3. Copy HDX3D_PROGFX_x64SERVERMSI.msi (on 64-bit Windows host platform) or

HDX3D_PROGFX_x86SERVERMSI.msi (on 32-bit Windows host platform) to the
HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 host and run it.

4. Follow the on-screen prompts and reboot your server when prompted.

Note: This release of HDX 3D for Pro Graphics is not localized into languages other than English.
However, the English language version is supported on non-English versions of the supported operating
systems.

Adding HDX 3D Pro Graphics Servers to the XenDesktop DDC

Note: The DDC and the HDX 3D Pro Graphics servers must be on the same network
domain.

1. Log on to the XenDesktop 4 environment’s DDC.

2. Start the Access Management Console and run discovery (if necessary).

3. In the tree view, expand Citrix resources > Desktop Delivery Controller > the farm

name > Desktop Groups node.

4. Right Click on Desktop Groups node and select Create Desktop Group.

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5. In the wizard select Pooled or Assigned and then select either Assigned on first use

or Pre-Assigned in the assignment type. This is based on the desired deployment.

Consult the XenDesktop Desktop Delivery Controller documentation for more

information on these options.

6. In the hosting infrastructure select None.

7. On the virtual desktop and user’s page click Add and give the hostname of the

workstation of the Windows machine where the XenDesktop 4 VDA and HDX 3D Pro

Graphics 1.1 are installed.

8. Once added to the list of Active Directory (AD) computer accounts, select the

workstation (so its highlighted in blue) and click ASSIGN.

9. Provide the Username for the AD user account using this workstation.

10. Accept the defaults for the remaining prompts until configuration is finished.

Client
Prerequisites

1. Any existing XenDesktop Receiver/client must be uninstalled from the client machine.

Installation

Note: The client software capable of decoding GPU- compressed graphics is contained
within the HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 Software Package. See the Installation-Server section
in Chapter 3 of this Administrator’s Guide for details on how to download this software.

1. Copy DesktopReceiverFull.msi (11.1.9) to the user device. Run the MSI file with
Administrator privileges. This client is built on top of Desktop Receiver Full client
version 11.1 and it can be used with the standard XenDesktop VDA as well as the HDX
3D Pro Graphics VDA.

2. Follow the on-screen prompts until installation is completed. Click Yes to the USB
support prompt if USB devices are going to be used (like the 3D Space Mouse). Note

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that version 11.1.9 of the HDX 3D Pro Graphics client does not support USB when
running on a 64-bit client since that capability was introduced with 11.2.

If the server machine has a non-NVIDIA GPU or low-end, non-CUDA-compliant

NVIDIA GPU, the standard Citrix 11.2 or 12.0 online plug-in for Windows can be used,
because it supports decoding of CPU-compressed graphics. The 11.100 Citrix Receiver for
Linux is also supported when using CPU-based compression. To obtain the benefits of the
GPU codec you must use the special HDX 3D Pro Graphics client (current version is
designated 11.1.9).

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Chapter 4 – Seamless Application Delivery

In some cases, rather than delivering a full desktop to users, it might be preferable to deliver just the
GPU-accelerated application. Seamless Application Delivery allows you to deliver an application
from the HDX 3D Pro Graphics platform into the user’s local desktop and have it appear just like a
local application.

Publishing application shortcut on VDA

1. Install XenDesktop 4 VDA on the server (host).

2. Install HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 after installing the XenDesktop 4 Virtual Desktop

Agent.

3. Log on to the VDA console and Navigate to “%systemdrive%\Program Files

(x86)\Citrix\ICAService\SeamlessInitialProgram” in case of 64-bit VDA and publish

the short cut of the application to be remoted (This path changes to

“%systemdrive%\Program Files\Citrix\ICAService\SeamlessInitialProgram” in case of

32-bit Virtual Desktop Agent.)

Only one shortcut is allowed in the folder above. If no shortcut is found, or more than one
shortcut are detected, an error message appears to the end user when connecting to this
VDA.

The administrator can configure the command line and working directory in the created
shortcut.

Up to this point in the configuration process, it is the default way of configuring VMHApps
in XenDesktop 4.x. Refer to your XenDesktop 4.x Administrator’s Guide if you have any
trouble in getting to this stage.

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Publishing the Seamless application in DDC

1. Log on to XenDesktop DDC (Desktop Delivery Controller).

2. Start Citrix Delivery Service Console.

3. Right click on Desktop Group and select Create Desktop Group.

4. Select Assigned or pooled as your Assignment Type and Select Use Desktop Group

for VM Hosted Apps as mentioned in the below screen shot.

5. Fill in the remaining infrastructure details and click Finish.

Launching the Seamless Application

1. Log on to Client machine.

2. Log on to the XenApp plug-in.

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3. Right click on XenApp plug-in and find Desktops and Applications listed on the top.

4. Click on Applications and it lists all the Seamless Applications published for that user.

5. Using the Web plug-in, the user can select the application under the Applications tab.

6. This should launch the Seamless application for you.

Use Image ConfigTool along with Seamless Applications

Log on at the HDX 3D Pro Graphics VDA console and perform following steps:

1. Remove existing hosted application shortcut (if any) from:

%install%/Citrix/ICAService/SeamlessInitialProgram/

2. Create a Batch file with any valid name (for ex HDX3D_VMHApps.bat).

3. Add all the applications that need to be launched on the workstation seamlessly in the
following way using START command:

start /d “<my App1 installed location>” myApp1Name.exe

start /d “<my App2 installed location>” myApp2Name.exe
:
:
start /d “%systemdrive%/Program
Files/Citrix/ICAService/” PicaImpersonationClient.exe
Note: Always add PicaImpersonationClient.exe as the last application that needs to be launched on the
workstation seamlessly. It’s mandatory to have this in the batch file to be able to use the ConfigTool

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seamlessly. Note that users won’t be able to use the Configuration Tool along with hosted applications if
PicaImpersonationClient.exe is not added to the batch file.

Sample batch file creation:

start /d “C:\WINDOWS\system32\” notepad.exe

start /d “C:\WINDOWS\system32\” mspaint.exe
:
:
start /d “%systemdrive%/Program
Files/Citrix/ICAService/” PicaImpersonationClient.exe
4. Save the Batch file on your VDA desktop or at any other location on the system drive
like C:\

5. Create a shortcut to this Batch file and place the shortcut in the following directory:
%install%/Citrix/ICAService/SeamlessInitialProgram/

See below snapshot for sample shortcut:

Configuration in DDC for Seamless applications with the Configuration tool

1. Run the following command from a command prompt:

“C:\Program Files\Citrix\Desktop Delivery

Controller\PortICASetDefaults.exe" /o c:/xml-original.xml

2. Browse to c:/xml-original.xml, Open the file and find the following XML Tag:

<LogoffCheckSysModules></LogoffCheckSysModules>

Generally located under:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<Config xmlns="Portica.xsd">
<System>

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:
:
<Seamless>
<LogoffCheckSysModules></LogoffCheckSysModules>
<SeamlessFlags>0</SeamlessFlags>
<WorkerFullCheckInterval>500</WorkerFullCheckInterval>
<WorkerWaitInterval>50</WorkerWaitInterval>
</Seamless>
:
:
</System>
:
:
</Config>
3. Modify the tag as shown below.

<LogoffCheckSysModules><value>PicaImpersonationClient.exe,
ConfigTool.exe</value></LogoffCheckSysModules>

4. Save the XML file with changes.

5. Write the changes made to the xml file back to the DDC by running following
command:

"C:\Program Files\Citrix\Desktop Delivery

Controller\PortICASetDefaults.exe"/i c:/xml-original.xml

6. Run following command to create new .xml file just to verify previously committed
changes:

"C:\Program Files\Citrix\Desktop Delivery

Controller\PortICASetDefaults.exe" /o c:/xml-originalv2.xml

7. Open the file and confirm that the changes were made:

<LogoffCheckSysModules><value>PicaImpersonationClient.exe,
ConfigTool.exe</value></LogoffCheckSysModules>

8. Start a new session from your end device using Desktop Receiver.

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Possible Error Messages with Seamless Applications

Short cut for the intended application is missing from seamless folder: “Unable to
launch application. Contact your help desk with the following information:

The remote Application launch shortcut is not configured correctly on the machine
<Machine Name>” message is displayed

User is still logged on to the VDA: “You have started Windows Explorer Desktop in your
remote session. This obscures your local Explorer Desktop.

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Chapter 5 – User Experience

Connecting
There are two methods for connecting to an HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 host from a client machine.
You can either connect through a Web broker or using the Citrix on-line plug-in.

1. Connecting from the web:

a. Navigate to http://ip_of_ddc_machine
b. Log on using the credentials specified to add the HDX 3D Pro Graphics host to the
DDC. Select the assigned desktop and click on it. This launches the desktop.
c. To adjust image quality, left-click the icon in the system tray.
d. Use the slider bar to adjust image quality.

2. Connecting from XenApp plug-in.

a. Launch Citrix XenApp from the start menu.
b. Fill in the username, password, and domain.
c. Connect.

Using the Quality Control Tool and User Interface

HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 provides users with an easy way to find the optimal balance between a
sharper image and smoother motion (depending on a user’s available connection).

How to use the slider bar

Sliding the bar to the right increases the sharpness of the image you see on your desktop. This might
degrade the responsiveness if insufficient bandwidth is available. Sliding the bar to the left decreases
the quality of the image seen on the desktop but results in smoother motion when moving objects
on the screen.

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Example - Graphic intensive program on LAN

In this case, slide the bar all the way to the right. The high-speed connection allows for a
high frame rate (FPS) even at the best image quality. If the FPS is low and the motion is not
smooth, slide the bar to the left until it becomes smooth enough.

Example- Graphic intensive program on WAN

Slide the bar to the middle of the bar and adjust it until motion is smooth. To see finer
details (better image quality), slide the bar to the right until the image is sharp enough. Slide
back to the left when done.

Setting up keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts allow the user to change the position of the slider bar using the keyboard. You
can change the shortcut for moving the slider to the right, and to the left. The user can also define
the step size by which image quality is modified.

Default Keyboard Shortcuts are:

Sharper Image: Ctrl + Shift + O

Smoother Motion: Ctrl + Shift + L

To change these shortcuts, expand the widget to show the keyboard shortcut controls. To set or
change a shortcut, simply double click on the text to the right of the label and hold down the new
keys you want. The key should contain first two modifiers (Ctrl/Alt/Shift) and then an
alphanumeric character. Press Enter to set the hotkey. To change the increment, just double click it
and enter the new numerical value. Now these keyboard shortcuts can be used to increase or
decrease the image quality without opening the Image Configuration widget.

Where did my slider bar go?

Pressing Minimize/Close button minimizes the HDX 3D Pro Graphics Image Configuration Tool
to an icon in the System Tray. Left click the icon to bring it in front. Hovering the mouse over the
Image Configuration Tool icon gives the current quality setting.

2D Drawings:

User should check the 2D Drawing checkbox in low bandwidth scenarios when 2D or wireframe
drawings are complex and a drag is experienced while moving the drawings. For all other cases the
2D Drawing checkbox should be unchecked.

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Fixed Quality:

This option should be used whenever the user wants to stick to the quality set. This allows user to
work with the desired quality at all times. However in low bandwidth if the fixed quality set is too
high then the interactivity might be low.

Lossless:

Lossless option should be used only for medical applications where pixel perfect images are required.

In case of low bandwidth if fixed quality is unchecked, intermediate lossy frames are sent to give better user experience.
As soon as the user stops interactivity, the final frame is Lossless. In other words, the image is lossy while in motion to
ensure responsiveness, but pixel perfect when it becomes stationary.

Systray icon for Lossless codec:

This icon is seen only when both Lossless and Fixed Quality are checked in Image Configuration
tool. Hovering the mouse on this icon displays following message:

Systray icon for Lossy codec:

Hovering the mouse on this icon displays following message:

Changing Client Resolution Settings

This can be done effectively by disabling the Desktop Viewer toolbar (connection bar). By doing
this you consistently get the window size you specify.

Refer to the HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 Troubleshooting Guide for more details:

http://support.citrix.com/article/ctx123413

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To disable the Desktop Toolbar (Farm-Wide):
1. Log on to the machine hosting your XenDesktop DDC as an administrative user.
2. Navigate to C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\DesktopWeb\conf for WI client and
C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\PNAgent\conf for PNA client
3. Edit the default.ica file in both locations.
4. In the section {WFCLIENT] and in the section [APPLICATION] add the following
line: ConnectionBar=OFF

This allows you to request windowed sessions, and prevents the cached connection bar (Desktop
toolbar) session resolution and color depth information being used in session negotiation.

Note that USB remoting and client-side scaling are both Desktop Viewer (connect bar)
features, so they are unavailable if the connection bar is disabled in this way. To enable
back the connection bar, remove the “ConnectionBar=OFF” line

Alternate Procedure to change client resolution settings:

If you want to keep the Desktop Viewer toolbar ON then to change client resolution settings you
must be using Connection Method 2 (using the XenApp plug-in) as defined in the previous section
‘Connecting’:

1. Right click the XenApp systray icon on the client and select Options.
a. Select the Session options tab.
b. Change the Window Size to the resolution you are looking for.
i. For example, if your native client resolution is 1600x1200 you can set the
window size to 1280x1024 to keep HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 in a windowed
mode.
c. Click OK.
d. The same thing can be done using the XenApp Web plug-in if more than one desktop is
assigned to the user.
2. Connect to the HDX 3D Pro Graphics server through the XenApp plug-in.
3. HDX 3D Pro Graphics window might initially start in full screen mode, if so, click the
Maximize/Restore button in the top right to bring it into Windowed mode.
4. Make sure that the HDX 3D Pro Graphics window is roughly the size that you want to be in the
future (based on the resolution setting you have just selected).
5. Click the Citrix icon in the connection bar and click Change Resolution. Click Yes.
6. Disconnect your session and reconnect through the XenApp plug-in.

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7. Rely on the first method to work in windowed mode by disabling the connection bar if you face
any performance issue by this method.

This should result in your HDX 3D Pro Graphics window opening in a windowed mode at the
resolution you configured.

Administration Control Tool

An administration control tool (HDX3DCmdLineToolX86.exe/HDX3DCmdLineToolX64.exe) is
also is installed along with the installer at “%systemdrive%\Program Files\Citrix\ICA Service”
depending on the server OS.

From there, while connecting through a client to an HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 session, you might
use the tool by running it from the command line. Running the tool without any parameters gives
you the parameter options. Using the appropriate commands you can query or change information
about the user setting. You must always preface usage of this tool with
HDX3DConfigCmdLineX86.exe/ HDX3DConfigCmdLineX64.exe

Available commands are as follows:

To display all the currently configured options:

DISPLAY CURRENT_OPTIONS

To disable and enable advanced logging, respectively:

DEBUG_LOGGING 0
DEBUG_LOGGING 1

To change codecs between CPU-based and GPU-based, respectively:

SWITCH_CODEC CPU
SWITCH_CODEC GPU

To enable and disable HDX 3D Pro Graphics from using image quality intelligence,
respectively:
ENABLE_FIXEDQUALITY 0
ENABLE_FIXEDQUALITY 1

To set a recommended frame rate for the HDX 3D Pro Graphics calculations:
SET_FRAMECAPTURERATE X [Where x is a value between 10 and 50]

To enable and disable HDX 3D Pro Graphics from using image quality intelligence,
respectively:
GPUCODEC_MINCUDACORES XX [where XX can be 32 and 64 – by default it is 96]

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Warning: 32 or 64 core GPUs are not recommended for using the GPU codec and 3D CAD
applications. Consult your application vendor(s) for GPUs supported by your CAD application(s).
Also, the user should run this command on native and log off before connection; the user is not
supposed to run this command within the session.

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Chapter 6 – Logging
Basic Logging
Normal error messages and status messages are written into the Event Viewer by default. When you
experience a crash or error it is best to consult these logs in the Event Viewer and contact Citrix
Technical Support.

Advanced Logging
HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 comes with a logging system that is turned OFF by default. This is to
ensure maximum performance during user sessions and logging is only meant to be used during
situations that require detailed troubleshooting. You should contact Citrix Technical Support before
enabling advanced logging functionality.

1. Log on to the HDX 3D Pro Graphics server and run the Admin Control Command line
tool HDX3DCmdLineToolX86.exe/HDX3DCmdLineToolX64.exe from command
prompt. You can find this tool installed in %systemdrive%\Program Files\Citrix\ICA
Service.
2. Start the command prompt and run this tool from the location: %systemdrive%\Program
Files\Citrix\ICA Service.
3. Run Dbgview.exe.
4. This now displays a multitude of log messages for debugging. Contact Citrix Technical
Support for more assistance.

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Chapter 7 – Troubleshooting
For troubleshooting needs, contact Citrix Technical Support and open up a support case.
Additionally, however, you can find solutions to some common problems below.

Known Issues and Limitations

The following known issues and limitations (with workarounds where applicable) exist in the 1.1
release:

• This release of HDX 3D for Professional Graphics is not localized into languages other than
English. However, the English language version is supported on non-English versions of the
supported operating systems.

• Monitor Blanking (overlay) on Win 7

‐ Monitor blanking in Windows 7 works only in Basic/Classic mode (both 32 bit and 64
bit).

‐ The overlay screen should appear when logging on to the server through HDX 3D Pro
Graphics and it should go away on disconnect/logoff.
There could be situations where monitor blanking does not get enabled (such as Aero
mode). The system informs user that monitor blanking is disabled through a message
box. Meanwhile the picaOverlay.exe process tries to create an overlay screen. Once it is
successful in creating an overlay screen the user is informed (again through a message
box) that the monitor has been blanked.

• Logon Screen is displayed off set if session size is different than the console resolution.
Workaround: Keep the same resolution on the console as on the user device.

• Overlay buffer support (used by some media players, such as the VLC Media Player) is not
available on Windows XP HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 hosts. On Windows 7 hosts, this issue
is not seen.
Workaround: In the Settings of the VLC media player (Tools Æ Preferences Æ Video), the
use of overlay buffer should be toggled off. Similar settings can be used for other media
players if this issue is seen.

• True Full Screen support for OpenGL applications is not available in this release. Apart
from this, all other office applications and DirectX applications in full screen mode are
supported. Full Screen mode in Google Earth, CATIA, and YouTube videos where some
part of the GDI desktop is seen are supported with this release.

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• Animated cursors are not supported in this release.

• Original resolution of HDX 3D Pro Graphics server does not appear when it is restarted
from client.
Workaround: This does not impact the resolution you get on the remote desktop. In full
screen desktop mode whatever is the client resolution that is given to the remote desktop
during a session.
Uninstalling the VDA before HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 can cause system
instability.

Workaround: Make sure you follow the sequence below.

Installation:

1. Install VDA (xdsAgent.msi)

2. Install HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 (HDX3D_PROFX_SERVERMSIX86.msi/

HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX64.msi)

Un-installation:

1. Uninstall HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1

(HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX86.msi/
HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX64.msi)

2. Uninstall VDA (xdsAgent.msi)

Installing the XD hot fix on XD VDA:

1. Uninstall HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1

(HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX86.msi/
HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX64.msi)

2. Install the XenDesktop hot fix on top of the VDA (xdsAgent.msi) then again
install HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 (HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX86.msi/
HDX3D_PROGFX_SERVERMSIX64.msi)

• Slider bar of the image configuration tool does not move to the exact location where user
clicks.
Workaround: Move the slider rather than positioning it with a click in the slider space.
Keyboard shortcuts are also available to move the slider position.

• For best performance use CUDA 2.1 or CUDA 2.2 display drivers on the host.

• When multiple users are sharing a WAN connection, such as from a branch office, the
network administrator should preferably limit the bandwidth per user. For example, if 20

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concurrent users are sharing a 45 or 60 Mbps network bandwidth line at the same time and
each user needs a maximum of 3 Mbps (peak) then the network administrator should restrict
each user to 3 Mbps. If there is too bandwidth fluctuation for a user at runtime (for example:
from 2 Mbps to 8 Mbps) it can have a negative performance impact, because Pro Graphics
tends to make full use of available bandwidth.

• True multi monitor support is not available in the 1.1 release. However, if you have multiple
monitors on the client side, this should not block you from using HDX 3D Pro Graphics;
only one screen is used to deliver the virtual desktop.

• The HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 image configuration tool (UI), Start Menu, DU Meter, Tool
tips etc., when overlapping with an OpenGL window, might cause reduced visual quality in
you Pro Graphics session when you have not selected the fixed quality option in the HDX
3D Pro Graphics 1.1 image configuration tool. When you move these applications away
from the OpenGL window (Graphics part) then the quality comes up to the quality level set
by the user.

• Local monitor blanking gets enabled with remote HDX connection. This is achieved by
keeping the default Windows timeout at Never. Any changes made to this setting can cause
the local monitor to become active or visible. Users are recommended to avoid changing the
setting for security reasons.

• If the host workstation doesn’t have a monitor then attaching a monitor to the host
workstation within a session can cause instability for that session.
Workaround: Disconnecting and reconnecting solves this problem.

• HDX 3D Pro Graphics Image Configuration tool might go in hidden icons under systray.
Workaround: Click on “Customize” under sys tray and set “Show Icon and Notifications”
for Configuration tool

• To verify the correct installer for HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1, navigate to Add/Remove
Programs and check the version of Citrix HDX 3D Pro Graphics (retail). It should show
1.1.xxx.

HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.1 is available for download at:

www.citrix.com/xendesktop/hdx3dprographics1.1

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The previous release, HDX 3D Pro Graphics 1.0, is available at the URL below and it works
only with XenDesktop versions 3.x:
www.citrix.com/site/SS/downloads/details.asp?downloadId=1860541&productId=163057
(Do not use this because it works with XenDesktop 3.x only)

Support
For Technical support, contact Citrix and open a support case.

For basic troubleshooting, refer: http://support.citrix.com/article/ctx123413

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