Generic USB redirection of USB audio devices for selected Linux clients only

[Jaroslaw Grzelak]

Hi

 

Does anybody know whether the Citrix Workspace app for Linux (trying with 2303) has the ability to inform the VDA that it wants to use the Generic USB redirection for audio?

 

I have a CONNECT rule in the usb.conf file which automatically redirects the USB audio device identified by VID and PID. The Desktop Appliance Mode is enabled in Citrix Workspace app. The redirection actually works and I see the USB audio device in the Device Manager of the VDA machine (which is Windows Server 2022), but the category it belongs to is 'Sound, video and game controllers', not 'Audio inputs and outputs'. In 'Audio inputs and outputs' I still only see the 'Citrix HDX Audio' devices... Applications obviously only see the 'Citrix HDX Audio' devices, which are some other client audio devices redirected through the optimized audio channel, not the USB audio device I want to redirect through the Generic USB channel.

 

I know, I can force the whole VDA machine (running server OS) to allow Generic USB redirection for audio by adding the 'UsbAudioEnabled' REG_DWORD value to the 'HKLM\Software\Citrix\PortICA\GenericUSB' registry key and setting this value to 1, but it is a global switch. See: https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX238341/usb-redirection-with-server-vda-2016-not-working-with-linux-receivers This registry value completely disables the optimized Client Audio Redirection for all clients. What I'm looking for is a PER DEVICE setting, which would allow me doing it on selected Linux CWA clients only.

 

Citrix Workspace app for Windows has such capability. Even without adding the 'UsbAudioEnabled' value to VDA's registry, on the Windows CWA client side I can create a GPO and enable the 'Audio through Generic USB Redirection' setting under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Citrix Workspace > User experience. This GPO setting effectively creates the 'HostRenderedAudio' REG_SZ value in the 'HKLM\Software\Policies\Citrix\ICA Client\Engine\Lockdown Profiles\All Regions\Lockdown\Virtual Channels\Audio' registry key and sets it to 'true'. See the 'Settings for Audio redirection of XenApp (per user)' section of this article: https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX137939/citrix-generic-usb-redirection-configuration-guide This allows the Generic USB redirection of USB audio on the selected Windows clients, while still allowing all other clients to use the optimized Client Audio Redirection.

 

So the long story short: what I'm looking for is the Linux CWA equivalent of the Windows CWA HostRenderedAudio parameter.

 

I will appreciate any advise.