39
Session Recording Technology Preview Administrator’s Guide
citrix.com
Disclaimers ............................................................................................................................................ 5
About this technology preview ............................................................................................................. 5
Summary of new and enhanced features ............................................................................................ 5
Limitations and caveats ......................................................................................................................... 5
Known issues ........................................................................................................................................ 5
Fixed issues .......................................................................................................................................... 8
System requirements ............................................................................................................................ 8
Session Recording Administration components .............................................................................. 8
Session Recording components ........................................................................................................ 10
Security recommendations.................................................................................................................. 11
Scalability considerations .................................................................................................................... 15
Hardware recommendations .......................................................................................................... 15
Important deployment notes................................................................................................................ 16
Install Session Recording .................................................................................................................... 17
Session Recording installation files ............................................................................................... 18
Install Session Recording Administration components .................................................................. 18
Install the Session Recording Database ........................................................................................ 19
Install the Session Recording Server ............................................................................................. 20
Install the Session Recording Agent .............................................................................................. 20
Install Session Recording Player ................................................................................................... 21
Uninstall Session Recording ............................................................................................................... 21
Configure Director to use the Session Recording Server ................................................................... 21
Automating installations ...................................................................................................................... 22
Configure Session Recording to play and record sessions ................................................................ 23
Authorize users to play recorded sessions .................................................................................... 23
Authorize users to administer recording policies ........................................................................... 24
Set the active recording policy to record sessions ........................................................................ 24
Configure Session Recording Player ............................................................................................. 25
Grant access rights to users ............................................................................................................... 25
To assign users to roles ................................................................................................................. 25
Create and activate recording policies ................................................................................................ 26
Use system policies ....................................................................................................................... 26
To configure custom policies ......................................................................................................... 27
Using Active Directory Groups ....................................................................................................... 27
White Listing Users ........................................................................................................................ 28
Create a new policy ....................................................................................................................... 28
Modify a policy ............................................................................................................................... 28
39
Session Recording Technology Preview Administrator’s Guide
citrix.com
Delete a policy ............................................................................................................................... 28
Disable or enable recording ................................................................................................................ 29
To disable or enable recording on a desktop or server ................................................................. 29
Configure the connection to the Session Recording Server ............................................................... 29
Create notification messages .............................................................................................................. 30
To create a new notification message ........................................................................................... 30
Enable custom event recording .......................................................................................................... 30
To enable custom event recording on a server ............................................................................. 31
Enable or disable live session playback ............................................................................................. 31
Enable or disable playback protection ................................................................................................ 31
Enable and disable digital signing ....................................................................................................... 32
To enable digital signing ................................................................................................................ 32
To disable digital signing................................................................................................................ 32
Specify where recordings are stored .................................................................................................. 32
To specify the location for recorded files ....................................................................................... 32
To specify a restore directory for archived files ............................................................................. 32
View recordings ................................................................................................................................... 33
To launch the Session Recording Player ....................................................................................... 33
To display or hide window elements .............................................................................................. 34
To change Session Recording Servers ......................................................................................... 34
Open and play recordings ................................................................................................................... 34
To open and play a recording in the search results area .............................................................. 34
To open and play a recording by accessing the file ...................................................................... 34
Use favorites .................................................................................................................................. 35
Search for recorded sessions ............................................................................................................. 35
To perform a quick search ............................................................................................................. 35
To perform an advanced search .................................................................................................... 36
To set search options ..................................................................................................................... 36
Play recorded sessions ....................................................................................................................... 36
Use player controls ........................................................................................................................ 37
Use the seek slider ........................................................................................................................ 37
To change the playback speed ...................................................................................................... 38
To skip over spaces where no action occurred ............................................................................. 39
Use events and bookmarks................................................................................................................. 39
To display events and bookmarks in the list .................................................................................. 39
To insert a bookmark ..................................................................................................................... 40
To add or change an annotation .................................................................................................... 40
33
Session Recording Technology Preview Administrator’s Guide
citrix.com
To delete a bookmark .................................................................................................................... 40
To go to an event or bookmark ...................................................................................................... 40
Change the playback display .............................................................................................................. 40
To display the Player window in full-screen format ....................................................................... 41
To display the Player window in a separate window ..................................................................... 41
To scale the session playback to fit the Player window ................................................................. 41
To pan the image ........................................................................................................................... 41
To display a red border around the session recording .................................................................. 41
Cache recorded session files .............................................................................................................. 42
To enable caching .......................................................................................................................... 42
To empty cache ............................................................................................................................. 42
Troubleshooting Session Recording ................................................................................................... 42
Session Recording Agent cannot connect ..................................................................................... 42
Session Recording Server cannot connect to the Session Recording Database .......................... 43
Sessions are not recording ............................................................................................................ 44
Unable to view live session playback ............................................................................................ 44
Recordings are corrupt or incomplete ............................................................................................ 45
Test connection of the database instance failed when installing the Session Recording Database or
Session Recording Server ............................................................................................................. 45
Verify component connections ....................................................................................................... 45
Test IIS connectivity ....................................................................................................................... 46
Troubleshoot certificate issues ...................................................................................................... 47
Search for recordings if the Session Recording Player fails .......................................................... 48
Troubleshoot MSMQ ...................................................................................................................... 49
Change your communication protocol ........................................................................................... 49
Reference: Manage your database records .................................................................................. 51
Quick reference chart .......................................................................................................................... 51
Reference ............................................................................................................................................ 53
About Citrix Systems ...................................................................................................................... 53
Attributions ..................................................................................................................................... 53
Copyright ........................................................................................................................................ 53
37
Session Recording Technology Preview Administrator’s Guide
citrix.com
5
Disclaimers
This document is furnished "AS IS." CITRIX DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES REGARDING THE
CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. This document may contain
technical or other inaccuracies or typographical errors. Citrix reserves the right to revise the information in
this document at any time without notice. This document and the software described in this document
constitute confidential information of Citrix and its licensors and are furnished under a license from Citrix.
This document and the software may be used and copied only as agreed upon by the Technology
Preview Agreement.
About this technology preview
Share feedback about this technology preview through the link provided on the download site.
You cannot upgrade from this version of the product, and you cannot upgrade to it from earlier Session
Recording versions. Citrix recommends using this technology preview software in a test deployment.
Summary of new and enhanced features
Session Recording 7.6.200 includes support for Platinum XenApp 7.6 FP 3 and XenDesktop 7.6 FP 3.
This support includes:
x VDI desktops recording
x Delivery Group rules
x Keyword filtering during rule configuration
x Special handling for unsupported graphics modes
Limitations and caveats
x Session Recording is available only in English for this Technology Preview.
x This technology preview is not recommended for use in a production environment. Upgrades to or
from this technology preview are not supported.
x Session Recording does not support Desktop Composition Redirection (DCR) display mode. By
default Session Recording disables DCR in a session if the session is to be recorded by
recording policy. You can configure this behavior in Session Recording Agent properties.
x Session Recording does not support Framehawk display mode and cannot record sessions in
Framehawk display mode.
Known issues
x Session Recording does not support published applications named Desktop. Such applications
cannot be added into the recording rules in the Policy Console. [#588707]
x Session Recording does not support the rollover feature for sessions from Desktop OS VDAs.
[#584890]
C# PDF Library SDK to view, edit, convert, process PDF file for C# PDF SDK for .NET allows you to read, add, edit, update, and delete PDF file metadata, like Title, Subject, Author, Creator, Producer, Keywords, etc.
pdf metadata reader; bulk edit pdf metadata
41
Session Recording Technology Preview Administrator’s Guide
citrix.com
6
x When Machine Creation Services (MCS) or Provisioning Services creates a VDA with configured
master image and Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) installed, the VDA has the same QMId as
the MSMQ. This might cause various issues, such as:
x Sessions mighty not be recorded even if the recording agreement is accepted.
x The session logoff signal might not be received by the Session Recording server, which leads
to the session always in Live status. [#528678]
The workaround to create a unique and persistent QMId for each VDA is to use a script. To use
the script, do the following:
1. Make sure the execution policy is set to RemoteSigned or Unrestricted, in PowerShell.
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
2. Create a scheduled task and set the trigger as At system startup and run with SYSTEM account
on the Provisioning Services or MCS master image machine.
3. Add the command as a startup task.
powershell.exe -file C:\GenQMID.ps1
Warning: Editing the registry incorrectly can cause serious problems that may 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.
Summary of the script:
1. Generate the QMid based on the hash value of the machine FQDN.
2. Stop related services, including CitrixSmAudAgent and MSMQ.
3. Set the QMid in the registry.
4. Start services that stopped previously to apply QMId’s change.
THIS SCRIPT IS FOR REFERENCE:
function ConvertHexStringToByte($theString)
{
$bytes = New-Object Byte[] ($theString.Length / 2)
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $theString.Length; $i += 2) {
$bytes[$i / 2] = [System.Convert]::ToByte($theString.Substring($i, 2), 16)
}
return $bytes
}
Try {
# Get UUID of machine
$strUUID = (Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_ComputerSystemProduct | Select-Object -Property U
UID).UUID
# Remove "-"
$strUUID = $strUUID.ToString().Replace("-", "")
38
Session Recording Technology Preview Administrator’s Guide
citrix.com
7
# Convert string to bytes
$UUID = ConvertHexStringToByte($strUUID)
# Set UUID as QMId
$new_QMID = $UUID
} Catch {
# IF exception occurred, just use MD5 digest of FQDN as QMID
# Get FQDN
$fqdn = [System.Net.Dns]::GetHostByName(($env:computerName)).HostName
# Calculate MD5 hash of FQDN
$md5 = new-object -TypeName System.Security.Cryptography.MD5CryptoServiceProvider
# Set md5 digest as QMID
$utf8 = new-object -TypeName System.Text.UTF8Encoding
$new_QMID = $md5.ComputeHash($utf8.GetBytes($fqdn))
}
# Write new_QMID into registry
Set-ItemProperty -Path HKLM:Software\Microsoft\MSMQ\Parameters\MachineCache -Name "QM
Id" -Value $new_QMID
# Restart MSMQ to adopt new QMId
# Get dependent services
$depServices = Get-Service -name MSMQ -dependentservices | Select -Property Name
Restart-Service -force MSMQ
# Start dependent services
if ($depServices -ne $null) {
foreach ($depService in $depServices) {
$startMode = Get-WmiObject win32_service -filter "NAME = '$($depService.Name)'" | Select -Pr
operty StartMode
if ($startMode.StartMode -eq "Auto") {
Start-Service $depService.Name
}
}
}
x When recording a session with a resolution higher than or equal to 4096 x 4096, there might be
fragments in the recording appearance. [#524973]
x When you change your XenApp or XenDesktop license type, the change does not take effect
immediately for Session Recording. Workaround: Restart the VDA machine. [#532393]
39
Session Recording Technology Preview Administrator’s Guide
citrix.com
8
x Limitation for Session Recording to support the Pre-Launched application sessions [#561109]
x Problem:
ɷ If the active policy tries to match the application name, the application launched in
the pre-launched session will not be matched, which results in the session not being
recorded.
ɷ If the active policy records every application, when the user logs into the Windows
Receiver (at the same time the pre-launched session is established) a notification for
recording will appear and the empty session and any applications that will be
launched in this session later will be recorded.
x Workaround:
ɷ Publish the applications in separate Delivery Groups according to their recording
policy. Do not use the application name as the recording condition. This will ensure
pre-launch sessions will be recorded. However, notifications will still appear.
Fixed issues
x You might receive an Installation failed error in the following two cases. You can ignore the message,
but to avoid receiving the message, restart the machine before reinstalling the Session Recording
components. [#544579]
x Uninstalled the Session Recording components, and then reinstalled them without restarting the
machine.
x Installation failed and rollback happened, and then you tried to reinstall the Session Recording
components without restarting the machine.
System requirements
Session Recording Administration components
The Session Recording Administration components (Session Recording Database, Session Recording
Server, and Session Recording Policy Console) can be installed on a single server or on different servers.
Session Recording Database
Supported Windows operating systems:
x Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
x Microsoft Windows Server 2012
x Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1
Requirements:
x Microsoft SQL Server 2014 (Enterprise and Express editions), Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (Enterprise
and Express editions) with Service Pack 2, or Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 (Enterprise and Express
editions) with Service Pack 3
x NET Framework Version 3.5 Service Pack 1 (Windows Server 2008 R2 only), .NET Framework
Version 4.5.1., and .NET Framework 4.6
40
Session Recording Technology Preview Administrator’s Guide
citrix.com
9
Session Recording Server
Supported Windows operating systems:
x Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
x Microsoft Windows Server 2012
x Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1
Requirements:
x Before starting the Session Recording installation, you must install some prerequisites. Open the
Server Manager and add the IIS role. Select the following options:
x Application Development - ASP.NET 4.5 on Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012
R2, ASP.NET on Windows Server 2008 R2 (other components are automatically selected.
Click Add to accept required roles)
x Management Tools — IIS 6 Management Compatibility
ɷ IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility
ɷ IIS 6 WMI Compatibility
ɷ IIS 6 Scripting Tools
ɷ IIS 6 Management Console
x NET Framework Version 3.5 Service Pack 1 (Windows Server 2008 R2 only), .NET Framework
Version 4.5.1., and .NET Framework 4.6
x If the Session Recording Server uses HTTPS as its communications protocol, and a valid certificate.
Session Recording uses HTTPS by default, which Citrix recommends.
x Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ), with Active Directory integration disabled, and MSMQ HTTP
support enabled.
Session Recording Policy Console
Supported Windows operating systems:
x Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
x Microsoft Windows Server 2012
x Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1
Requirements:
NET Framework Version 3.5 Service Pack 1 (Windows Server 2008 R2 only), .NET Framework Version
4.5.1., and .NET Framework 4.6
Session Recording Agent
Install the
Session Recording Agent on every XenApp and XenDesktop VDA machine on which you
want to record sessions.
Supported Windows operating systems:
x Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
x Microsoft Windows Server 2012
40
Session Recording Technology Preview Administrator’s Guide
citrix.com
10
x Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1
x Microsoft Windows 10
x Microsoft Windows 8.1
x Microsoft Windows 8
x Microsoft Windows 7 SP1
Requirements:
x XenApp 7.6 FP3 or XenDesktop 7.6 FP 3 with Platinum license
x .NET Framework Version 4.5.1 and .Net Framework 4.6
x Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ), with Active Directory integration disabled, and MSMQ HTTP
support enabled
Session Recording Player
Supported Windows operating systems:
x Microsoft Windows 10
x Microsoft Windows 8.1
x Microsoft Windows 8
x Microsoft Windows 7 with Service Pack 1
Requirements
:
NET Framework Version 3.5 Service Pack 1 (Windows Server 2008 R2 only), .NET Framework Version
4.5.1., and .NET Framework 4.6
For optimal results, install Session Recording Player on a workstation with:
x Screen resolution of 1024 x 768
x Color depth of at least 32-bit
x Memory: 1GB RAM (minimum)—additional RAM and CPU/GPU resources can improve performance
when playing graphics intensive recordings; especially when there are a lot of animations in the
recordings.
The seek response time depends on the size of the recording and your machine's hardware specification.
Session Recording components
x Session Recording Agent. A component installed on each VDA or VDI machine to enable
recording. It is responsible for recording session data.
x Session Recording Server. A server that hosts:
o The Broker. An IIS 6.0+ hosted Web application that handles the search queries and file
download requests from the Session Recording Player, handles policy administration
requests from the Session Recording Policy Console, and evaluates recording policies for
each XenApp and XenDesktop session.
o The Storage Manager. A Windows service that manages the recorded session files received
from each Session Recording-enabled computer running XenApp and XenDesktop.
Documents you may be interested
Documents you may be interested
