Contents

1. Finding Documentation
2. Getting Support
3. Introduction
4. What's New in this Release
5. Installation Information

Finding Documentation

1. The Citrix Virtual Channel Software Development Kit is automatically installed when you install the Virtual Channel SDK (default location: %SystemDrive%\Program Files\Citrix\VCSDK\Docs). To open this document, double-click the vcsdk.pdf file.
2. Online documentation is provided as Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files. To view, search, and print the PDF documentation, you need Adobe Reader (supported versions include 5.0.5 with Search, Version 6, 7, or 8).
3. To provide feedback about the documentation, fill out the Documentation Feedback form.

Getting Support

Citrix provides technical support primarily through Citrix Solutions Advisor. Contact your supplier for first-line support or use Citrix Online Technical Support to find the nearest Citrix Solutions Advisor.

Introduction

A Citrix Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) virtual channel is a bidirectional error-free connection used for the exchange of generalized packet data between a server running Citrix Presentation Server and a Citrix Presentation Server Client. You can create virtual channels to add functionality to the clients. Possible uses for virtual channels include support for administrative functions, new data streams, and new devices.
The Citrix Virtual Channel Software Development Kit (VCSDK) allows you to write both server-side applications and client-side drivers to support additional virtual channels using the Citrix ICA protocol. The server-side virtual channel applications run on servers running Presentation Server. This SDK provides support for writing new virtual channels for the Citrix Windows and Windows CE clients. See the accompanying documentation for detailed information about the client versions supported.
Important: Use Version 10.x of the Citrix Virtual Channel SDK with Citrix Presentation Server Clients Version 10.0 or later.
The Citrix Virtual Channel SDK provides the following:

1. Description of the architecture of the ICA protocol as it relates to virtual channels.
2. Citrix Virtual Driver Application Programming Interface (VDAPI) that you use with the virtual channel functions to create new virtual channels. The virtual channel support provided by VDAPI makes writing your own virtual channels easier.
3. Working source code for several example virtual channels that demonstrates programming techniques.

For more information about this SDK, refer to the Citrix Virtual Channel Software Development Kit.

What's New in this Release

1. Support for Microsoft Visual Studio.NET 2005 (Microsoft Visual C++ 8.0)
2. New method to configure virtual channel settings using Configuration Storage located in the registry

Installation Information

Installing the Virtual Channel SDK

To install the Virtual Channel SDK

1. Click the link at the top of this page to download vcsdk.msi.
2. Run vcsdk.msi.
   You must complete the following tasks during installation:
   1. Accept the license agreement
   2. Choose to install the Win32 and/or Windows CE version of the Virtual Channel SDK and specify destination folders
3. Log off and log on or set the CLNTROOT environment variable to the directory where you installed the SDK; for example, C:\VCSDK.

To set up the compilers environments for each of the target platforms you build, see the Citrix Virtual Channel Software Development Kit.

Uninstalling the Virtual Channel SDK

To uninstall the Virtual Channel SDK

• Use the Add/Remove Programs utility in the Windows Control Panel to remove the Virtual Channel SDK.