This product release includes the following new, modified, and enhanced features.

New product names

If you’ve been a Citrix customer or partner for a while, you’ll notice new names in our products and in this product documentation. If you’re new to this Citrix product, you might see different names for a product or component.

The new product and component names stem from the expanding Citrix portfolio and cloud strategy. Articles in this product documentation use the following names.

• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops: Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops offers a virtual app and desktop solution, provided as a cloud service and as an on-premises product, giving employees the freedom to work from anywhere on any device while cutting IT costs. Deliver Windows, Linux, web, and SaaS applications or full virtual desktops from any cloud: public, on premises or hybrid. Virtual Apps and Desktops was formerly XenApp and XenDesktop.
• Citrix Workspace app: The Citrix Workspace app incorporates existing Citrix Receiver technology as well as the other Citrix Workspace client technologies. It has been enhanced to deliver additional capabilities to provide end users with a unified, contextual experience where they can interact with all the work apps, files, and devices they need to do their best work. For more information, see this blog post.
• Citrix SD-WAN: NetScaler SD-WAN, a crucial technology for our customers and partners transforming their branch networks and WANs with cloud technology, is now Citrix SD-WAN.
• Citrix Secure Web Gateway: As the Citrix Networking portfolio expands, we’re proud to offer our robust Citrix Secure Web Gateway service, previously known as NetScaler Secure Web Gateway.
• Citrix Gateway: Our robust NetScaler Unified Gateway, which allows secure, contextual access to the apps and data you need to do your best work, is now Citrix Gateway.
• Citrix Content Collaboration and Citrix Files for Windows: The advanced access, collaboration, workflows, rights management, and integration features of ShareFile are now available in the Citrix Content Collaboration component set in our secure, contextual, integrated Citrix Workspace. Citrix Files for Windows allows you to access your Content Collaboration files directly through a mapped drive, providing a native Windows Explorer experience.
• Citrix Hypervisor: The technology from XenServer for virtualization infrastructure, based on the XenProject hypervisor, is now Citrix Hypervisor.

Here’s a quick recap:

Implementing this transition in our products and their documentation is an ongoing process.

• In-product content might still contain former names. For example, you might see instances of earlier names in console text, messages, and directory/file names.
• It is possible that some items (such as commands and MSIs) might continue to retain their former names to prevent breaking existing customer scripts.
• Related product documentation and other resources (such as videos and blog posts) that are linked from this product’s documentation might still contain former names.
• For Citrix Hypervisor: The new name will be used on the Citrix website and in informational product materials from September 2018. You will also see the new name in the administrator consoles of some Citrix products, such as Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops. The XenServer product release and technical documentation materials will continue to use XenServer 7.x until early 2019.

Your patience during this transition is appreciated. For more detail about our new names, see https://www.citrix.com/about/citrix-product-guide/.

New product and component version numbers

In this release, product and component version numbers are displayed in the format: 7 YYMM.c.m.b.

• YYMM = Year and month when the product or component released. For example, a release in September 2018 appears as 1809.
• c = Citrix Cloud release number for the month.
• m = Maintenance version (if applicable).
• b = Build number. This field is shown only on the About page of the product, and in the OS’s feature for removing or changing programs.

For example, Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 1809.1.0 indicates that the product released in September 2018, is associated with Citrix Cloud release 1 in that month, and is not a maintenance version. Some displays show only the version’s year and month: for example Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 1809.

In earlier releases of this product (XenApp and XenDesktop 7.18 and earlier), version numbers were displayed in the format: 7.version, where the version value incremented by one for each release. For example, the release following 7.17 was 7.18. Those earlier releases will not be updated with the new numbering format.

Install VDAs: More options that affect what is installed

In earlier releases, the Environment page of the VDA installer indicated only whether or not the machine would be used as a master image. Now, you can indicate which tool you’ll use to provision VMs, if any. Your choices are:

• This machine is a master image to be used with Citrix Machine Creation Services to provision VMs. (Server or desktop)
• This machine is a master image to be used with Citrix Provisioning Services or a third-party provisioning tool (such as Microsoft SCCCM) to provision VMs. (Server or desktop)
• This machine is to be used for brokered connections. (Server only)
• This machine is to be used in a Remote PC Access deployment. (Desktop only)

Your selection affects which Citrix provisioning software is installed. That selection also affects the default values of items on the Additional Components page.

For details, see Install VDAs.

Install and upgrade VDAs: Change in additional component defaults

In earlier releases, when you selected Enable connections to a server machine on the Environment page for a server OS catalog, the Citrix User Profile Manager, Citrix User Profile Manager WMI Plugin, and Citrix Machine Identity Service components were installed by default, even though they did not appear on the Additional Components page in the wizard.

Now, when you selected Enable connections to a server machine on the Environmentpage for a server OS catalog, the Citrix User Profile Manager and Citrix User Profile Manager WMI Plugin components appear on the Additional Components page. They are not selected by default.

Install and upgrade VDAs: Removal of option to install Machine Identity Service

The Machine Identity Service no longer appears on the Additional Components page. If you select the MCS master image option on the Environment page, the Machine Identity Service is installed automatically. It is not installed if you select any other option on the Environment page. (Although you can prevent (exclude) its automatic installation in a command-line installation, keep in mind that MCS does not work correctly without the Machine Identity Service.)

Install and upgrade VDAs: New command-line option to install additional components

When installing or upgrading a VDA using the command line, you can now use the /enableadditional option to include an additional component in the installation. For details, see Command line options for installing a VDA.

Install and upgrade VDAs: New option to install Citrix Files for Windows feature

When installing or upgrading a VDA, you can now indicate on the Additional Componentspage whether to install Citrix Files for Windows (formerly ShareFile). This choice allows users to connect to their Citrix Files account and interface with Citrix Files through a mapped drive in the Windows file system, without performing a full sync of their content. By default, this option is disabled. For information about Citrix Files, see the ShareFile documentation. For installation information, see Install VDAs.

Install and upgrade VDAs: Citrix Workspace app not installed by default

In earlier releases, Citrix Receiver for Windows was installed or upgraded by default when you installed or upgraded a VDA. Now, Citrix Workspace app for Windows is not installed by default when using the full product or VDAWorkstationSetup.exe installer. In a command-line installation, if you omit the /components option, only the VDA is installed (not the Citrix Workspace app for Windows). To install the Citrix Workspace app with the VDA, select the check box on the Core Components page in the graphical installer, or specify /components vda plugins on the command line.

Install and upgrade VDAs: Install MCSIO write caching driver and MCSIO default

In earlier releases, the MCSIO write caching driver was installed automatically when you installed a VDA. This driver was used by Machine Creation Services for configuring cache for temporary data (known as MCSIO). Now, when you indicate on the Environment page that you will be using MCS, the Features page contains an entry to enable installation of the MCSIO write caching driver. For details about this option, see Install VDAs.

MCSIO is now disabled by default: the driver installation check box is cleared by default, as are the memory allocation and disk cache size check boxes in the catalog creation wizard. For more information, see Storage shared by hypervisors and Configure cache for temporary data.

Applications: Limit per machine

You can now limit the number of application instances per machine. This limit applies to all machines in the Site. This limit is an addition to the existing application limit for all users in the Delivery Group and the limit per user. This capability is available only through PowerShell, not in Studio. For details, see Configure application limits.

Desktops: Maximum instances per Site

You can now limit how many concurrent instances of a desktop are allowed in a Site. This feature helps service providers control the number of workloads in the Site. This capability is available only through PowerShell, not in Studio. For details, see Create Delivery Groups > Step 6. Desktops.

Citrix Smart Scale deprecated

Citrix Smart Scale is deprecated in on-premises deployments as of this release. For information about what this means, see Deprecated.

Citrix Director 1808

Citrix NetScaler Insight Center has reached its End of Maintenance date as of 15th May 2018. See the Citrix Product Matrix. Integrate Director with Citrix NeScaler MAS for network analysis. To migrate your NetScaler Insight Cente to NetScaler MAS, see Migrate from NetScaler Insight Center to NetScaler MAS. For instructions to integrate with MAS, see Configure network analysis.

ServerCore

Citrix Director is now available to be installed on Windows Server Core.

Export of Filters data

You can now export real-time monitoring data in the Filters tab to CSV format files. The export feature is available from the Machines, Sessions, Connections, and Application Instances Filters pages. You can select a predefined custom filter or select suitable filter criteria, choose required columns in the table, and export the data. Data of up to 100,000 records can be exported. The exported CSV files give a comprehensive view of the real-time data, and help ease analysis of large data sets. This feature is available on Delivery Controller version 7 1808 or later and VDAs 1808 or later. For more information, see Filter data to troubleshoot failures.

Logon Performance – Interactive session drill-down

The Logon Duration panel in the User and Session Details view includes information on the Interactive Session phase of the logon process. The time taken for each of the three subphases (Pre-userinit, Userinit, and Shell) is displayed in the Interactive Session bar as a tooltip. This provides more granular troubleshooting and remediation of this phase of the logon. The cumulative time delay between the subphases and a link to the documentation is also provided. This feature is available on Delivery Controller version 7 1808 or later and VDAs 1808 or later. The Interactive Session drilldown bar shows the time duration for the current session only. For more information, see Diagnose user logon issues.

Logon Performance – GPO drill-down

The Logon Duration panel in the User and Session details view contains the GPO (Group Policy Objects) duration. This is the total time taken to apply the GPOs on the virtual machine during the logon process. Now, you can see the drill-down of each policy applied as per CSEs (Clients-Side Extension) as a tool tip in the GPO bar. For each policy application, the drill-down displays the status and the time taken. This additional information eases troubleshooting and remediation of issues involving high GPO duration. The time durations in the drilldown represent the CSE processing time only and do not add up to the total GPO time. This feature is available on Delivery Controller version 7 1808 or later and VDAs 1808 or later. For more information, see Diagnose user logon issues.

Machine historical data available using OData API

The following historical data containing machine analytics is now available through the OData API. This data is collected on an hourly basis and rolled up for the day.

• Number of powered on machines (for power managed machines)
• Number of registered machines
• Number of machines in maintenance mode
• Total number of machines

The data is aggregated for the time period during which the Monitoring Service is running. For more information on the usage of the OData API and examples, see Citrix Monitor Service 7 1808. The database schema is available at Monitor Service Schema.

Virtual Delivery Agents (VDAs) 1808 for ServerOS and ClientOS

Version 1808 of the VDA for Windows Server OS and the VDA for Windows Desktop OS includes the following enhancements (in addition to the VDA installation and upgrade items listed above):

Better network throughput over high latency connections

We raised the default number of ICA output buffers that are used to send and receive data from 44 (64 Kbytes) to 100 (~145 Kbytes). This change delivers improved throughput performance even on high latency connections. This enhancement applies to only Citrix Workspace app 1808 for Windows or higher. For more details, see CTX125027.

Client drive mapping support for large file transfers

Client drive mapping now supports transfers of files larger than 4 Gbytes. Citrix Workspace app for Windows minimum version 1808 is required.

Redirection of encrypted hardware USB storage devices

We now support generic USB redirection of encrypted hardware USB storage devices into VDA for Server OS sessions, as well as the previously supported VDA for Desktop OS sessions. After the device is redirected, none of its drives appear on the local client. If unlocking the drive is required, perform that in the session. Ensure that you install Windows update KB4074590 installed on the VDA before using this new feature.

PDF printer support

Printer support for PDFs has been added to users of Citrix Workspace app for Windows.

NVENC video encoding support on Server OS VDAs

The XenApp and XenDesktop 7.17 release introduced Desktop VDA support for selective H.264/H.265 encoding with NVIDIA NVENC GPUs. In this release, the similar capabilities have now been extended to Server OS VDAs equipped with NVIDIA NVENC GPUs.

Virtual Delivery Agents (VDAs) 1808 for Linux

Adjust average bit rates based on bandwidth estimation

With this release, Citrix is enhancing HDX 3D Pro hardware encoding by adjusting average bit rates based on bandwidth estimation. For more information about this experimental feature, see Configure graphics.

Support YUV444 software encoding

Starting with this release, the Linux VDA supports YUV444 software encoding. The YUV encoding scheme assigns both brightness and color values to each pixel. In YUV, ‘Y’ represents the brightness, or ‘luma’ value, and ‘UV’ represents the color, or ‘chroma’ values. You can use this feature of the Linux VDA on Citrix Receiver for Windows 4.10 through 4.12 and on Citrix Workspace app 1808 for Windows and later. For more information, see Configure graphics.

Smart card certificate mapping

Starting with this release, a smart card certificate-mapping module is deployed. This mapping module (or mapper) maps a certificate to a domain user when the user is logging on to a Linux virtual desktop session. This new feature enhances smart card logon by supporting smart card certificates generated from a larger range of certificate templates. For more information, see the Configure the pam_pkcs11 module section of Pass-through authentication by using smart cards.

Support Citrix Workspace app for HTML5

Starting with this release, you can use Citrix Workspace app for HTML5 to access Linux virtual apps and desktops directly without connecting your client to Netscaler Gateway. For more information, see Support Citrix Workspace app for HTML5.

HDX bandwidth limit

This version of the Linux VDA supports the bandwidth limit on total sessions and the bandwidth limit per each virtual channel. You can set the relevant bandwidth policies to avoid performance issues that can arise due to the bandwidth consumption of sessions. For a list of supported bandwidth policies, see Policy support list.

Citrix Provisioning 1808

This release includes a connector for Citrix Cloud along with supporting license improvements, an update to Always on Tracing (AOT) functionality, and Nutanix AHV host updates. See the fixed and known issues for additional information about this release of Provisioning Services. This release includes improved performance, storage migration enhancements, SQL updates, support for Windows performance counters, and support for UEFI guest VMs for Nutanix AHV. See the fixed and known issues for additional information about this release of Citrix Provisioning.

Note:

Use the most recent version of the Citrix License Server for the latest features. If you are upgrading from an existing version to the newest version, the most recent version of the license server is available by using the product software. When you do not upgrade to the latest version of the license server, the product license enters the 30-day grace period. For more information, see Licensing.

Improved performance with asynchronous I/O streaming

A target device previously served incoming operating system storage requests by traversing through three different layers (RAM cache, VHDX file, and network streaming) sequentially to complete a request. This traversing leads to less than optimal performance due to the latency introduced when waiting for sub-IO completion, before submitting a new sub-IO request.

This release includes updates to the Citrix Provisioning target device that supports asynchronous IO in all three layers of the provisioning model: RAM cache, the VHDX file, and network streaming, effectively improving performance by adding asynchronous IO functionality.

The following vDisk cache modes support asynchronous IO:

• Private or maintenance mode
• Cache in device RAM with overflow on hard drive
• Cache on server persistent

By default, this asynchronous I/O feature is disabled. To enable it, apply a registry to Citrix Provisioning target device based on one of the following scenarios:

• For a new installation of Citrix Provisioning: Apply the registry update after finishing the installation of Citrix Provisioning on the target device and before running the Imaging Wizard.
• For a vDisk upgrading a target device to this version of Citrix Provisioning, apply the registry update when the vDisk is in Private or Maintenance mode.

Note:

Reboot the target device to apply the registry change.

Apply the following registry change:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CVhdMp\Parameters] “AsyncIO”=dword:00000001

Warning:

Editing the registry incorrectly can cause serious problems that might require you to reinstall your operating system. Citrix cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. Be sure to back up the registry before you edit it.

Storage migration within the same host

Citrix Provisioning improves storage migration within the same host by updating how Citrix Studio integrates OS storage within a VM. To use this functionality:

1. In Citrix Studio, set the delivery group, containing members the desired target devices, to maintenance mode.
2. Shut down all provisioned target devices.
3. Go to Configuration > Hosting and select the Host resource that you want to change. In Actions portion of the screen, click Edit Storage.
4. In OS, Temporary, and PvD Storages, uncheck the old storage. Changing the storage places the storage into Superseded status. Click Remove… to permanently remove it. Select the new storage you are going to use.

1. Go to the hypervisor and migrate the VMs to the new storage. Some hypervisors (ESX and VMM) have meta data for VMs. Move them also.
2. Disable maintenance mode on the delivery group.
3. Boot all the provisioned target devices.

Implementing UEFI guest VMs for Nutanix AHV hosts

This release of Citrix Provisioning allows you to implement a UEFI guest VM for Nutanix AHV hosts. The following prerequisites exist:

• The Citrix Apps and Desktops DDC are installed, along with the Nutanix plug-in.
• The Nutanix plug-in is installed in the Provisioning Server and Provisioning Console.

Note:

The VM should be set to UEFI before installing the OS.

To implement a UEFI guest VM for Nutanix AHV:

1. Create a master VM.
2. SSH into Nutanix Acropolis and run the following command: **acli vm.update uefi_boot=True**.
3. Mount the Windows and virtual ISOs and install the OS.
4. Install all Windows updates on the OS.
5. Join the OS to Active Directory.
6. Install Citrix Provisioning on the target device.
7. Run the Citrix Provisioning Imaging Wizard to create the target device record, vDisk, and other elements. Choose No to shut down the target device, rather than rebooting it at the conclusion.
8. Set the VM to boot from the ISO boot and PXE boot the VM. Select one of the following boot options:
   • ISO boot – mount a BDM ISO created from the Provisioning Console. SSH into Nutanix Acropolis and run the following command: acli vm.update_boot_device VM NAME disk_addr=CDROM BUS. For example, acli vm.update_boot_device testVM disk_addr=ide.0; this example assumes that the CDROM is bus IDE 0.
   • Network boot – SSH into Nutanix Acropolis and run the following command: **acli vm.update_boot_device mac_addr= , acli vm.update_boot_device testVM mac_addr=52:54:00:2c:ff:03**.
9. Start the VM and log into Windows to start the second stage of Imaging Wizard, imaging.
10. Create a VM. As in the master VM, repeat steps 2 and 7.
11. In the Provisioning Console, create a VM record for the snapshot VM using the VM’s MAC address. Assign the vDisk created in step 7 to this device record.
12. Boot the VM. Install the VDA, and restart if prompted. Shutdown when the installation finishes.
13. Create a snapshot of this VM.
14. In the Provisioning Console, set the vDisk to standard image mode. If the cache mode is Cache on device hard disk or Cache in device RAM with overflow to hard disk, the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Setup Wizard prompts you to create a cache disk.
15. Use the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Set Up Wizard to provision UEFI provisioning target devices using the created vDisk.

SQL basic availability groups

Citrix Provisioning improves SQL functionality for basic availability groups. A basic availability group supports a failover environment containing a single database. SQL basic availability groups are configured the same way as SQL Always-On High Availability groups, with the following differences:

• Limit of two replicas (primary and secondary).
• No read access on secondary replica.
• No backups on secondary replica.
• No integrity checks on secondary replicas.
• Support for one availability database.
• Basic availability groups cannot be upgraded to advanced availability groups. The group must be dropped and readded to a group that contains servers running only SQL Server 2016 Enterprise Edition.
• Basic availability groups are only supported for Standard Edition servers.
• Basic availability groups cannot be part of a distributed availability group.

Tip:

For multi-subnet environments, see Enable SQL Always On multi-subnet failover.

Active Directory-based activation

This release improves Active Directory functionality by updating how Microsoft Volume Licensing is configured for an individual vDisk. With this improvement you can specify that the vDisk uses no volume licensing.

Note:

When using the Microsoft Volume Licensing for a vDisk, consider that Key Management Services (KMS), Multiple Activation Key (MAK) and Active Directory-based activation (ADBA) cannot be used together.

To improve active directory-based activation:

1. In the vDisk Property screen, set the vDisk Microsoft Licensing property to None.
2. On the target device, use slmgr-dlv for a Microsoft image, and cscript ospp.vbs/dstatusfor a Microsoft Office image.

Tip:

A known issue exists where VAMT displays errors about duplicate CMID entries for ADBA activated devices. This occurs although ADBA does not utilize CMID. ADBA, despite being similar to KMS, does not use CMID. Microsoft reuses KMS data when compiling CMID information. The image below illustrates a VAMT tool screen for ADBA. The Duplicate Client Machine ID report displays conflicts for duplicate CMID entries for those devices.

Support for Windows performance counters

Citrix Provisioning target devices now provide Windows performance counters for each storage tier:

• RAM cache
• VHDX file
• network streaming

Using these performance counters, you can monitor target device streaming IOPS, bandwidth usage, current RAM usage, and VHDX file size.

VDA installer update for provisioned master images

The Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops environment allows you to install the Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA) on a virtual master image. Use this feature if you are configuring Citrix Provisioning or third party tools to provision virtual servers from that master image.

Note:

When creating targets for Citrix Provisioning, select Create a Master Image using PVS or 3rd Party Provisioning Tools. When you select this option, Machine Creation Services (MCS), including MCS IO, is not installed.

Citrix Storefront 3.16

New product names

If you’ve been a Citrix customer or partner for a while, you’ll notice new names in our products and in this product documentation. If you’re new to this Citrix product, you might see different names for a product or component. The new product and component names stem from the expanding Citrix portfolio and cloud strategy.

Note:

StoreFront is not being renamed but Receiver technology is now included in Citrix Workspace app. Apart from a new window title and icon, end users will see a familiar user interface.

Citrix Session Recording 1808

This release includes the following new features that extend the diversity of events that Session Recording can capture. For more information, see Log events.

• Application starts and ends can be logged. Previously available as an experimental feature, the logging of application starts is now fully supported. Moreover, the logging of application ends is also supported. Both the starts and ends of target applications can be logged and tagged in the recording. Note that Session Recording cannot log the end of an application without logging its start.
• File renaming operations can be logged. In this release, Session Recording provides an experimental feature to log file renaming operations in target folders and to tag the event in the recording.

Citrix Self-service Password Reset 1.1.20

You can configure IP addresses that are allowed to connect to the Self-Service Password Reset service. If you do not enter any IP address, all IP addresses are whitelisted, that is, allowed to connect.

Citrix Workspace Environment Manager 4.7

Workspace Environment Management 4.7 includes the following new features. For information about bug fixes, see Fixed issues.

New-wemDatabase PowerShell cmdlet updated

PowerShell modules in the Workspace Environment Management SDK are updated at this release. A new parameter CommandTimeout is provided for the New-wemDatabasecmdlet which allows you to configure timeout period for connection attempts to the WEM database. After the timeout period an error message is displayed. The default timeout is 300 seconds.

The Workspace Environment Management SDK documentation is updated to version 4.7.

Documentation

Workspace Environment Management documentation is updated to reflect current product behavior.

Citrix Applayering 4.13

Citrix App Layering supports leading virtualization and cloud platforms including Citrix XenServer, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV, and VMware vSphere. App Layering integrates with leading end user computing platforms including Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop, Citrix XenServer, Microsoft Azure RDSH, Microsoft Hyper-V RDS, VMware Horizon View, and Nutanix AHV.

Citrix Hypervisor (XenServer) 7.6

XenServer XenServer introduces enhanced features and functionality for application, desktop, and server virtualization use cases. All XenServer 7.6 features are available to all licensed Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (formerly XenApp and XenDesktop) customers.

Networking SR-IOV: Passthrough of Virtual Functions (Enterprise Edition)

XenServer can now use Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) that allows a single PCI device to appear as multiple PCI devices on the physical system.

You can assign one or more NIC Virtual Functions to a VM, allowing its network traffic to bypass the virtual switch. When configured, each VM behaves as though it is using the NIC directly, reducing processing overhead, and improving performance.

For more information, see Using SR-IOV enabled NICs.

Thin provisioning for shared block storage – GFS2 (Enterprise Edition)

XenServer makes thin provisioning available to customers using block-based storage accessed through iSCSI software initiator or Hardware HBA. Thin provisioning is implemented by using GFS2.

Thin provisioning makes better use of the available storage by allocating disk storage space to VDIs because data is written to the virtual disk, rather than allocating the full virtual size of the VDI in advance. Thin provisioning enables you to significantly reduce the amount of space required on a shared storage array, and with that your Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

The following use cases can benefit from thin provisioning:

• Server virtualization
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (both persistent and non-persistent)
• Large-scale Cloud deployments

Thin provisioning for shared block storage is of particular interest in the following cases:

• If you want increased space efficiency, because images are sparsely and not thickly allocated.
• If you want to reduce the number of I/O operations per second on your storage array. The GFS2 SR is the first SR type to support storage read caching on shared block storage.
• If you use a common base image for multiple virtual machines, because the images of individual VMs then typically use even less space.
• If you use snapshots, because each snapshot is an image and each image is now sparse.

For more information, see Storage.

It is not possible to upgrade or update from the experimental version of the feature provided in XenServer 7.5 to the fully supported feature in XenServer 7.6. If you previously used this feature as an experimental feature, complete the following steps when updating to XenServer 7.6:

1. Export any data that you want to keep from these SRs.
2. Detach and destroy any GFS2 SRs from your pool before upgrading.
3. Disable clustering on your pool.
4. Complete the update to XenServer 7.6
5. After the update completes, run the following command on all hosts in your pool:
   COPY

6. Run the following command on the pool master:
   COPY

7. When creating a GFS2 SR for your updated pool, ensure that you select Format and not Reattach. You cannot reattach a GFS2 SR that was created with XenServer 7.5 to a XenServer 7.6 pool.

Changes to guest operating system support

XenServer now supports the following new Linux guests:

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.5
• CentOS 7.5
• Oracle Linux 7.5
• Scientific Linux 7.5
• Ubuntu 18.04

For more information, see Guest operating system support.

Automatic application of hotfixes during upgrade or update

XenServer simplifies the hotfix application mechanism when upgrading your XenServer hosts or pools to a newer version. The enhanced Rolling Pool Upgrade and the Install Update wizards in XenCenter allow you to install available hotfixes when upgrading to a newer version of XenServer. This enables you to bring your standalone hosts or pools up-to-date with a minimum number of reboots at the end. You must be connected to the Internet during the upgrade process for this feature to work.

You can benefit from the automatic application of hotfixes feature when you use XenCenter issued with XenServer 7.6 to upgrade from any supported version of XenServer to XenServer 7.0 and later.

Note:

Rolling Pool Upgrade is an Enterprise Edition feature. Upgrading your XenServer hosts using the Rolling Pool Upgrade wizard is available for XenServer Enterprise Edition customers, or those who have access to XenServer through their Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops entitlement.

Using the Install Update wizard in XenCenter to update your version of XenServer is available to all users of XenServer. For more information about XenServer 7.6 licensing, see Licensing.

New structure for the product documentation

The XenServer product documentation is now provided as an HTML documentation set.

• Use the table of contents on the left to navigate to the information that you need
• Use the search box in the top-right to search for specific information
• See an outline of the information in each article in the ‘In this article’ box
• Download all content as a PDF for offline viewing by using the ‘View PDF’ button

All information from the PDF guides is included in the new documentation structure. For example, content from the Installation Guide is available in the Install section and content from the VM User’s Guide is available in the VMs section. The main subjects in the Administrator’s Guide are not included in a separate ‘Administer’ section and are instead listed in the table of contents.

Support for new processors

The following processors are now supported in XenServer 7.6:

• Intel Processor families E-21xxG/21xx (Coffee Lake S)

For more information, see the Hardware Compatibility List.

Citrix Licensing 11.15

Citrix Licensing 11.15 contains new features and fixed and known issues.

If you’ve been a Citrix customer or partner for a while, you’ll notice new names and editions in our products and documentation.

The new product and component names stem from the expanding Citrix portfolio and cloud strategy.

Implementing this transition in our products and their documentation is an ongoing process.

• In-product content might still contain former names. For example, you might see instances of earlier names in console text, messages, and directory/file names.
• It is possible that some items (such as commands and MSIs) might continue to retain their former names to prevent breaking existing customer scripts.
• Related product documentation and other resources (such as videos and blog posts) that are linked from this product’s documentation might still contain former names.

Citrix Smart Tools, August 2018

Manually add Site components – Instead of using Citrix Checks to locate StoreFront, License, and Provisioning servers that are used with a XenApp and XenDesktop Site, you can add these components manually from either the Site’s Health Alerts page or the Site Details page. For more information, see Add Site components.