Learnblog813

1. Teams Vdi Download
2. Microsoft Teams For Vdi
3. Citrix Tech Insight - Microsoft Teams Optimization
4. Tech Insight - Microsoft Teams Optimization With Citrix
5. Microsoft Teams Citrix Support

By Fredrik Brattstig @virtualbrat

Chapter 4: The long-awaited optimization for Microsoft Teams on Windows Virtual Desktop – A/V Redirect. This morning I was wondering, when I saw multiple people post that the A/V Redirect feature will be available from today. They provided with a link from Microsoft, where to download this feature. Citrix is the only VDI/virtualization partner certified for Microsoft Teams. Disclaimer: MS Teams is one of the fastest changing Office applications and currently is on a bi-weekly update schedule. This can make any recommendations obsolete without notice from Microsoft.

Microsoft Teams in a virtualized environment supports chat and collaboration. And with the Windows Virtual Desktop, Citrix, and VMware platforms, calling and meeting functionality is also supported. Teams in a virtualized environment supports multiple configurations. These include VDI, dedicated, shared, persistent, and non-persistent modes.

Man we have been waiting! It is closing in now! We are all waiting for Microsoft Teams Offloading in remote Virtual Desktop scenarios right?!
Let’s have a look on Citrix Teams Optimization Technical Preview

For those that know what Offloading means, GOTO 10

Introduction to ofloading
Offloading techniques are used to reduce the CPU, memory and GPU load on the servers hosting your users virtual machines. You can offload Media playback, Audio/Video conferencing and Browser content. Those techniques dramatically helps in scaling your Virtual Desktop Infrastructure as you move the tasks of rendering Audio and Video to the users endpoint. Instead of having sluggish playing videos in a remote session, the video can be played utilizing the endpoints CPU/GPU providing a crisp and clear playback of a audio, video or conference all embedded in the remoting session.
10
Citrix very recently released Citrix Workspace App (20.04) for Linux and IGEL is quick in delivering a technical preview (TP). The TP is limited to only Audio offloading, but it does a good job!
I recorded a video showing the contents of IGEL OS 11.03.511.tp1 that is IGEL’s tech preview implementation of WSA 20.04 though there are limitations and a bug, when the call is up the quality is prefect! Comparing what I have experienced while testing this TP is that the offloading engine seems to have been re-written and is not comparable with the legacy “Skype for Business Optimization”. In SfB there has been a “this is not native” feeling, this feeling is gone when using Teams (Audio) Offloading on IGEL OS in this tech preview. Audio is crisp, and there is no latency in calling out or picking up incoming calls.
The bug, which I show in the video equals to that the first call in the session you do in Teams, there is no audio in or out. Hang up and call again and it all works. As said, this is a Technical Preview, and will certainly get fixed.

I Hope you will enjoy the recording.
best

/Fred

Citrix HDX Optimization imporves Microsoft Teams performance. It extends the value and enhanced performance of Microsoft Teams.

The HDX Optimization for Teams is bundled as part of VDA in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops. It is installed on the hosts or base image of the catalog and Citrix Virtual Apps servers, which may be used to deliver Teams.

Citrix delivers optimization for desktop-based Microsoft Teams using Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops and Citrix Workspace app. By default, Citrix bundle all the necessary components into Citrix Workspace app and the Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA). When using Microsoft Teams performance is key to achieve a good user experience.

The optimization for Microsoft Teams performance contains VDA-side HDX services and API to interface with the Microsoft Teams hosted app to receive commands. These components open a control virtual channel (CTXMTOP) to the Citrix Workspace app-side media engine. The endpoint decodes and renders the multimedia locally. Reverse seamless snaps-in the local Citrix Workspace app window back into the hosted Microsoft Teams app.

Teams Vdi Download

Authentication and signaling occurs natively on the Microsoft Teams-hosted app, just like the other Microsoft Teams services (for example chat or collaboration). Audio/video redirection doesn’t affect them.

To get the best user experience for your end users, Microsoft Teams performance is key and needs the following
System requirements:

Minimum version – Delivery Controller (DDCs) 1906.2:

Supported operating systems:

• Windows Server 2019, 2016, 2012R2 Standard and Datacenter Editions, and with the Server Core option

Minimum version – Virtual Delivery Agents (VDAs) 1906.2:

Supported operating systems:

• Windows 10 64-bit, minimum versions 1607 up to 1909.
• Windows Server 2019, 2016, and 2012 R2 (Standard and Datacenter Editions).

Requirements:

• BCR_x64.msi – the MSI that contains the Microsoft Teams optimization code and starts automatically from the GUI. If you’re using the command line interface for the VDA installation, don’t exclude it.

Microsoft Teams For Vdi

Recommended version – Citrix Workspace app 2002 for Windows and Minimum version – Citrix Workspace app 1907 for Windows:

Citrix Tech Insight - Microsoft Teams Optimization

• Windows 7, 8, and 10 (32-bit and 64-bit editions, including Embedded editions)
• Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2016 LTSB (v1607) and 2019 LTSC (v1809)
• Endpoint requirement: Approximately 2.2–2.4 GHz dual core CPU that can support 720p HD resolution during a peer-to-peer video conference call.
• Dual or quad-core CPUs with lower base speeds (~1.5 GHz) equipped with Intel Turbo Boost or AMD Turbo Core that can boost up to at least 2.4 GHz.
• HP Thin Clients verified: t630/t640, t730/t740, mt44/mt45.
• Dell Thin Clients verified: 5070, 5470 Mobile TC.
• 10ZiG Thin Clients verified: 4510 and 5810q.
• For a complete list of verified endpoints, see Thin Clients.
• Citrix Workspace app requires a minimum of 600 MB free disk space and 1 GB RAM.
• Microsoft .NET Framework minimum requirement is version 4.6.2. Citrix Workspace app automatically downloads and installs .NET Framework if it is not present in the system.

Tech Insight - Microsoft Teams Optimization With Citrix

Minimum version – Citrix Workspace app 2004 for Linux:

For more information, see Audio optimization for Microsoft Teams -experimental in What’s new in 2004.

Microsoft Teams Citrix Support

Further more please keep these following quick tips in mind to achieve Microsoft Teams performance in Citrix.

To enable optimization for Microsoft Teams, use the Studio policy described in Microsoft Teams redirection policy (it is ON by default). In addition to this policy being enabled, HDX checks to verify that the version of Citrix Workspace app is equal to or greater than the minimum required version. If you enabled the policy and the Citrix Workspace app version is supported, the HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareCitrixHDXMediaStreamMSTeamsRedirSupport registry key is set to 1 automatically on the VDA. The Microsoft Teams application reads the key to load in VDI mode.

HdxTeams.exe contacts the closest Microsoft Teams Transport Relay in the Office 365 cloud. HdxTeams.exe uses anycast IP and port 3478–3481 UDP (different UDP ports per workload, though multiplexing can happen) or 443 TCP TLSv1.2 for fallbacks. Call quality depends on the underlying network protocol. Because UDP is always recommended over TCP, Citrix advise you to design your networks to accommodate UDP traffic in the branch office.

You can deploy Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business side by side, as two separate solutions with overlapping capabilities. For more information, see Understand Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business coexistence and interoperability.