Just few days ago Citrix has announced the third LTSR version for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, available for download as version 1912. In this post I would like to summarize the key features available in both LTSR versions to help you decide on migration to latest LTSR version. If you are in LTSR track you might be intrested to see feature implementation history starting from LTSR 7.15
LTSR 7.15 vs LTSR 1912
| Version | LTSR 7.15 | LTSR 1912 |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Windows Desktops (VDI) | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Windows Apps/Hosted Shared Desktops | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Linux Desktops | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Linux Apps/Hosted Shared Desktops | Yes | Yes |
| Local Host Cache | Yes | Yes |
| Zones & Zone Preference | Yes | Yes |
| Workspace Environment Management | Yes | Yes |
| App Layering | Yes | Yes |
| Federated Authentication Services | Yes | Yes |
| SCOM Packs | Yes | Yes |
| MCS/PVS Acceleration | Yes | Yes |
| Enhanced Graphics (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) | Yes | Yes |
| Adaptive Transport | Yes | Yes |
| Browser Content Redirection | Avail with add-on | Yes |
| Compliance (508, Common Criteria, FIPS) | Yes | - |
| Citrix ITSM adapter for ServiceNow | Yes | Yes |
| Varying DPI Settings/Multi-Monitor | - | Yes |
| H.265 Code Support | - | Yes |
| Windows 10 Continuum (Citrix Hypervisor only) | - | Yes |
| Office 365 User Layers Experimental | - | Yes |
| Application Dashboard (Director) | - | Yes |
| Unified VDA (3D Pro & Standard) | - | Yes |
| Session watermarking | - | Yes |
| Workspace Experience Theme (StoreFront on-prem only) | - | Tech Preview |
| Webcam compression for 64-bit apps | - | Yes |
| Linux Adaptive Transport, Smart Card,NVIDIA SDK & Keyboard | - | Yes |
| App Probing and Reporting | - | Yes |
| Intuitive Webcam Plug-n-play | - | Yes |
| Progressive display enhancements | - | Yes |
| Faster Smart Card login performance | - | Yes |
| Battery Status Visibility in Virtual Desktops | - | Yes |
| Machine Creation Services for Linux app and desktop VDAs | - | Yes |
| App-V support for Dynamic Configuration files | - | Yes |
| Support for Windows Server 2019 VDAs | - | Yes |
| Optimized web-based Microsoft Teams and other WebRTC applications | Avail with add-on | Yes |
| NVENC and H.265 with Server-based published applications and desktops | - | Yes |
| Application launch limits per Server VDA | - | Yes |
| Desktop launch limits per Site | - | Yes |
| Redirect encrypted mass storage USB devices with Server VDAs | - | Yes |
| File transfers larger than 4GB with Client Drive Mapping | - | Yes |
| Linux VDA SmartCard certificate mapping | - | Yes |
| Virtual Display Layout | - | Yes |
| Graphics Status Indicator | - | Yes |
| DPI Matching | - | Yes |
| Local Text Echo | - | Yes |
| Up to a 5x improvement in file copies with Client Drive Mapping | - | Yes |
| Intelligent throughput enhancements | - | Yes |
| Multiple Restart Schedules for a Single Delivery Group in UI | - | Yes |
| Windows Ink in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops | - | Yes |
| Docking & Undocking via RemotePC | - | Yes |
| SSL Print Job Encryption from VDA to Citrix Universal Print Server (UPS) | - | Yes |
| Windows LSA Protection | - | Yes |
| Copy & Paste from Virtual Session to Local Endpoint and Vice Versa | - | Yes |
| MCS Write-back Cache v2 | - | Yes |
| Citrix Cloud Delivery Controllers to Session Recording | - | Yes |
| Linux VDA Fast Smart Card Support | - | Yes |
| Linux 18.04 Ubuntu Support | - | Yes |
| Linux VDA Display in Director | - | Yes |
| Citrix Optimization for Microsoft Teams | - | Yes |
| Workspace experience with simple twofactor authentication | - | Yes |
| Desktop Probing and Reporting | - | Yes |
| Onboarding on-premises sites to Workspace Analytics | - | Yes |
| Time Zone Redirection | - | Yes |
| Role-Based Access Control in Session Recording Player | - | Yes |
| Seamless Copy/Paste from Chrome Workspace app Client | - | Yes |
| Linux VDA on Google Cloud Platform Support | - | Yes |
| Printing Support in a Linux Virtual Apps Session | - | Yes |
| Gemalto Smartcard Support for Linux | - | Yes |
| Support for Catalog Tags | - | Yes |
| AMD Hardware Encode | - | Yes |
| Enhanced Logging Capabilities to Session Reliability | - | Yes |
| Windows Virtual Desktop Preview Support | - | Yes |
| Phase II Session Recording Player RBAC | - | Yes |
| Linux VDA MCS Enhancements | - | Yes |
| Linux VDA Re-Auth Enhancements | - | Yes |
| Linux Protocol Info in Director | - | Yes |
| Session Recording Web Player | - | Yes |
| User Personalization Layer | - | Yes |
LTSR 1912 vs CR
| Version | LTSR 7.15 | CR 7.16 | CR 7.17 | CR 7.18 | CR 1808 | CR 1811 | CR 1903 | CR 1906 | CR 1909 | LTSR 1912 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Windows Desktops (VDI) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Windows Apps/Hosted Shared Desktops | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Linux Desktops | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Linux Apps/Hosted Shared Desktops | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Local Host Cache | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Zones & Zone Preference | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Workspace Environment Management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| App Layering | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Federated Authentication Services | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SCOM Packs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MCS/PVS Acceleration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enhanced Graphics (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Adaptive Transport | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser Content Redirection | Avail with add-on | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Compliance (508, Common Criteria, FIPS) | Yes | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Citrix ITSM adapter for ServiceNow | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Varying DPI Settings/Multi-Monitor | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| H.265 Code Support | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows 10 Continuum (Citrix Hypervisor only) | - | Experimental | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Office 365 User Layers Experimental | - | Experimental | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Application Dashboard (Director) | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Unified VDA (3D Pro & Standard) | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Session watermarking | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Workspace Experience Theme (StoreFront on-prem only) | - | - | Tech Preview | Tech Preview | Tech Preview | Tech Preview | Tech Preview | Tech Preview | Tech Preview | Tech Preview |
| Webcam compression for 64-bit apps | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Linux Adaptive Transport, Smart Card,NVIDIA SDK & Keyboard | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| App Probing and Reporting | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intuitive Webcam Plug-n-play | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Progressive display enhancements | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Faster Smart Card login performance | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Status Visibility in Virtual Desktops | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Machine Creation Services for Linux app and desktop VDAs | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| App-V support for Dynamic Configuration files | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Support for Windows Server 2019 VDAs | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Optimized web-based Microsoft Teams and other WebRTC applications | Avail with add-on | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NVENC and H.265 with Server-based published applications and desktops | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Application launch limits per Server VDA | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop launch limits per Site | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Redirect encrypted mass storage USB devices with Server VDAs | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File transfers larger than 4GB with Client Drive Mapping | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Linux VDA SmartCard certificate mapping | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Display Layout | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Graphics Status Indicator | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DPI Matching | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Local Text Echo | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Up to a 5x improvement in file copies with Client Drive Mapping | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intelligent throughput enhancements | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple Restart Schedules for a Single Delivery Group in UI | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Ink in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Docking & Undocking via RemotePC | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SSL Print Job Encryption from VDA to Citrix Universal Print Server (UPS) | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows LSA Protection | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Copy & Paste from Virtual Session to Local Endpoint and Vice Versa | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MCS Write-back Cache v2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Citrix Cloud Delivery Controllers to Session Recording | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Linux VDA Fast Smart Card Support | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Linux 18.04 Ubuntu Support | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Linux VDA Display in Director | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Citrix Optimization for Microsoft Teams | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Workspace experience with simple twofactor authentication | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Probing and Reporting | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Onboarding on-premises sites to Workspace Analytics | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Time Zone Redirection | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Role-Based Access Control in Session Recording Player | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Seamless Copy/Paste from Chrome Workspace app Client | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Linux VDA on Google Cloud Platform Support | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Printing Support in a Linux Virtual Apps Session | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gemalto Smartcard Support for Linux | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Support for Catalog Tags | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes |
| AMD Hardware Encode | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes |
| Enhanced Logging Capabilities to Session Reliability | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Virtual Desktop Preview Support | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes |
| Phase II Session Recording Player RBAC | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes |
| Linux VDA MCS Enhancements | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes |
| Linux VDA Re-Auth Enhancements | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes |
| Linux Protocol Info in Director | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes |
| Session Recording Web Player | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes |
| User Personalization Layer | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes |
Deprecations and removals
The following table shows the platforms, Citrix products, and features that are deprecated or removed.
- Deprecated items are not removed immediately. Citrix continues to support them in this Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 1912 Long Term Service Release (LTSR), but they will be removed in a future release.
- Removed items are either removed, or are no longer supported, in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops.
| Item | Deprecation announced in | Removed in | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citrix SCOM Management Packs for XenApp and XenDesktop, Provisioning Services, and StoreFront. | 1912 | Use Director for monitoring and managing your deployment. | |
| Support for Microsoft .NET Framework versions prior to version 4.8 for VDAs and core server components. Includes Delivery Controller, Studio, Director, and StoreFront. | 1912 | Upgrade to .NET Framework version 4.8. | |
| VDAs on Windows Server 2012 R2. | 1912 | Install VDAs on a supported operating system. | |
| AppDNA application migration component of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Premium edition. | 1909 | ||
| Installing Studio on 32-bit (x86) machines. | 1909 | Install on a supported x64 operating system. | |
| Support for the Excel hook in seamless applications. This was used for creating separate taskbar icons for each Microsoft Excel 2010 workbook. | 1909 | 1909 | |
| Core server components on Windows Server 2012 R2 (including Service Packs). Includes: Delivery Controller, Studio and Director. | 1906 | Install on a supported operating system. | |
| Support for Site Configuration, Configuration Logging, and Monitoring databases on Microsoft SQL Server versions 2008 R2, 2012, and 2014 (including all Service Packs and editions). | 1906 | Install databases on a supported Microsoft SQL Server version. | |
| Support for VDAs on Windows 10 on x86 platforms. | 1906 | 1909* | Install VDAs on a supported x64 operating system. *This feature is still supported in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 1912 LTSR. |
| Removal of Citrix Smart Tools Agent from Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops installation media. | 1903 | 1906 | |
| Removal of Citrix Brokering Protocol 1.0. | 7.15 LTSR CU3 | ||
| Removal of Delivery Controller options for the following end-of-life products within StoreFront: VDI-in-a-Box, and XenMobile (9.0 and earlier). | 1903 | 1903 | |
| Support for Linux VDA on Red Hat Enterprise Linux/CentOS 7.5. | 1903 | 1903 | Install Linux VDA on a later version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. |
| StoreFront support for users to access desktops on Desktop Appliance sites | 1811 | 1912 | Use Desktop Lock for nondomain-joined use cases. |
| Support for Framehawk display remoting technology | 1811 | 1903 | Use Thinwire with adaptive transport enabled. |
| Support for Citrix Smart Scale in all Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (and XenApp and XenDesktop) versions. This functionality will reach End of Life on 31 May 2019. | 1808 | 1906 | Consider using the Virtual Apps and Desktops Service on Citrix Cloud for improved power management functionality. |
| Support for Microsoft .NET Framework versions 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, and 4.7 by Citrix StoreFront, Citrix VDAs, Citrix Studio, Citrix Director, and Citrix Delivery Controller. | lip.18 | 1808 | Upgrade to .NET Framework version 4.7.1 or later. (The installer automatically installs .NET Framework 4.7.1 if it is not already installed.) |
| Support for Linux VDA on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.3. | lip.18 | 1808 | Install Linux VDA on a later version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. |
| StoreFront support for TLS 1.0, and TLS 1.1 protocols between Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (formerly XenApp and XenDesktop) and Citrix Receiver, and Workspace Hub. | lip.17 | Upgrade Citrix Receivers to a Citrix Workspace app that supports the TLS 1.2 protocol. For more information on Citrix Workspace app, see https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/citrix-workspace-app. | |
| VDA support for policy setting “Automatic installation of in-box printer drivers”. | lip.16 | lip.16 | None. Policy setting supported with VDAs on earlier OSs only (Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 R2 and earlier). |
| Support for the Linux VDA on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 Service Pack 4. | lip.16 | lip.16 | Install Linux VDA on supported SUSE version. |
| Support for Citrix WDDM driver on VDAs | lip.16 | lip.16 | The Citrix WDDM driver is no longer installed with VDAs. |
| Mobility SDK / Mobile SDK (from the former Citrix Labs) | lip.16 | Superseded by mobile experience policy settings, and native experiences for hosted desktops/apps. | |
| VDAs on Windows 10 version 1511 (Threshold 2) and earlier Windows Single-session OS releases, including Windows 8.x and Windows 7 (see https://www.citrix.com/blogs/2018/01/08/the-citrix-strategy-for-windows-7-virtual-desktop-users/). | 7.15 LTSR (and 7.12) | lip.16 | Install Single-session OS VDAs on Windows 10 minimum version 1607 (Redstone 1) or newer Semi-Annual Channels. If using 1607 LTSB, we recommend a 7.15 VDA. See CTX224843. |
| VDAs on Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012 (including Service Packs) | 7.15 LTSR (and 7.12) | lip.16 | Install VDAs on a supported operating system. |
| Desktop Composition Redirection ( previously known as DirectX Command Remoting) (DCR) | 7.15 LTSR | lip.16 | Use Thinwire. |
| Citrix Receiver for Web classic experience (“green bubbles” user interface) | 7.15 LTSR (and StoreFront 3.12) | 1903 | Citrix Receiver for Web unified experience. |
| Core components on Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (including Service Packs). Includes: Delivery Controller, Studio, Director, StoreFront, License Server, and Universal Print Server. | 7.15 LTSR | lip.18 | Install components on a supported operating system. |
| Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR) feature on Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (including Service Packs) | 7.15 LTSR | lip.18 | Install on a supported operating system. |
| Studio on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 (including Service Packs) | 7.15 LTSR | lip.18 | Install Studio on a supported operating system. |
| Flash Redirection | 7.15 LTSR | 1912 | Create video content as HTML5 Video. Use HTML5 Video Redirection for managed content, and Browser Content Redirection for public web sites. For more information, see the Flash Redirection End of Life note. |
| Citrix Online Integration (Goto product) with StoreFront | 7.14 (and StoreFront 3.11) | StoreFront 3.12 | |
| The user account, CtxAppVCOMAdmin, which was created during VDA installation and added to the Local Administrators Group on the VDA machine, is no longer created. The underlying “COM” mechanism is also removed. | lip.14 | lip.14 | The Windows service CtxAppVService performs the same function. It is automatically installed and configured and requires no user interaction. |
| Universal Print Server UpsServer component support on Windows Server 2008 32-bit | lip.14 | lip.14 | Install on a supported operating system. |
| StoreFront and Receiver for Web on Internet Explorer 8 | lip.13 | lip.13 | |
| VDA command line installation option /no_appv to prevent installation of the Citrix App-V components | lip.13 | lip.13 | Use the command line installation option /exclude “Citrix Personalization for App-V – VDA”. |
| The full-product installer no longer installs the Citrix.Common.Commands snap-in on new installations and automatically removes it when upgrading existing installations. | lip.13 | lip.13 | Some PowerShell commands that were provided by the Citrix.Common.Commands snap-in are still available in the XenApp 6.5 SDK. For more information, see section “Removed features” in XenApp and XenDesktop version 7.13 documentation. |
| Partial functionality to manipulate icon data that was provided by *-CtxIcon cmdlets. | lip.13 | lip.13 | Now provided by *-BrokerIcon cmdlets in the Broker Service. |
| Legacy Thinwire mode | 07.gru | lip.16 | Use Thinwire. If you are using Legacy Thinwire mode on Windows Server 2008 R2, migrate to Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2016, and use Thinwire. |
| In-place upgrades from StoreFront 2.0, 2.1, 2.5, and 2.5.2 | lip.13 | lip.16 | Upgrade from one of these versions to a later supported version and then to XenApp and XenDesktop 7.16. |
| In-place upgrades from XenDesktop 5.6 or 5.6 FP1 | 07.gru | lip.16 | Migrate your XenDesktop 5.6 or 5.6 FP1 deployment to the current XenDesktop version. To do this, first upgrade to XenDesktop 7.6 LTSR (with the latest CU), then upgrade to the latest Citrix Virtual Desktops (formerly XenDesktop) release or LTSR version. |
| Installing Delivery Controller, Director, StoreFront, or License Server on 32-bit (x86) machines. | 07.gru | lip.16 | Install on a supported x64 operating system. |
| Connection leasing | 07.gru | lip.16 | Use Local Host Cache. |
| XenDesktop 5.6 used on Windows XP. VDA installations on Windows XP are not supported. | 07.gru | lip.16 | Install VDAs on a supported operating system. |
| CloudPlatform connections | 07.gru | Use a different supported hypervisor or cloud service. | |
| Azure Classic (also known as Azure Service Management) connections | 07.gru | Use Azure Resource Manager. | |
| AppDisks functionality (and the AppDNA integration into Studio, which supports it)* | lip.13 | Use Citrix App Layering. | |
| Personal vDisk functionality* | lip.13 | Use Citrix App Layering user layer or user personalization layer technology. |
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