Enhanced Microsoft 365 support lets you further optimize Microsoft Teams and Skype when running in virtualized sessions, from a wider array of endpoint devices. More specifically, Microsoft 365 extensions let users access OneDrive content from within Citrix Workspace or the Citrix virtualized environment based on individual needs. Authentication and chat data remain secure in the WVD. Set up the Citrix ShareFile trigger, and make magic happen automatically in Microsoft Teams. Zapier's automation tools make it easy to connect Citrix ShareFile and Microsoft Teams.

• Microsoft Teams on Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, part #2 – default settings and JSON wrangling We’re back to Teams. Time to take a delve into its murkiest areas – configuring a default user state, and trying to wrestle with JSON files.
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops can optimize Microsoft Teams to run on any device, anywhere. Citrix SD-WAN can enhance the network performance of Microsoft Teams voice, video, and data delivery. Together they provide a great Teams user experience. Watch this video to learn how Citrix optimizes Microsoft Teams.

The initial release of Microsoft Teams VDI support only supported a single incoming video stream for the active speaker. This is the default view:

However, now available in public preview is seeing the video of four attendees in a 2×2 grid. This is a great improvement for user experience on VDI clients.

Steps to enable the 2×2 grid view VDI public preview:

1. Ensure you are using Citrix or VMware optimised VDI https://aka.ms/teamsonvdi. To check this in Teams, select your profile picture > About > Version. You’ll see a banner which shows the client version plus a message about the VDI platform the client is running on in the form “[VDI Platform] Media Optimized.” For example, “Citrix HDX Media Optimized” or “VMWare Media Optimized”

2. Ensure you have the latest VDI client and Teams MSI version installed

3. Enrol selected users in the preview program (https://aka.ms/TeamsPublicPreviewAdmin) and have them enable preview on their clients. Profile picture > About > Public Preview.

Switch to public preview

Now you will see 2×2 grid view in VDI experience

More details on the tech community here: Now in public preview: Teams on VDI 2×2 Gallery View – Microsoft Tech Community

Microsoft Teams Public Preview

The Microsoft Teams Preview program provides early access to unreleased features in Teams. Previews allow you to explore and test upcoming features. It is not the same as TAP, there is no need to sign up or be approved, and you can enable it for just select users.

Find out more at https://aka.ms/TeamsPublicPreviewAdmin

Other features currently in the preview program alongside Teams Meetings 2×2 Gallery View in Citrix and VMWare VDI

• Windows Native Notifications are now Supported on Teams: Users can now select their preferred means of notification delivery, either through Teams built-in banners or the Windows native banners.
• Meeting Reactions: Meeting reactions are a new way to interact in meetings. Participants can send reactions which are shown as a stream on content that is being shared, and on the individual who sent the reaction if they’re displayed on the meeting stage.
• Together Mode and Large Gallery for Web Meetings Large Gallery enables you to see the videos of up to 49 other people at once. This option is available when at least ten people have their cameras turned on. Together mode lets you feel like you’re in the same shared space with everyone in the meeting. Together mode is available when there are at least five people in the meeting.
• Call Merge Call Merge allows users to merge a new call they place, or a new incoming call, into their 1-1 or group call. This applies to Teams VOIP calls and PSTN calls.

You can find out what is in the current preview program release here: Release Notes Current Channel (Preview) – Office release notes | Microsoft Docs

Learn how to use Microsoft Teams Optimization for Citrix. Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, along with Citrix SD-WAN, can optimize Microsoft Teams and provide a great user experience.

Now organizations can centrally deploy Microsoft Teams within their virtual environments and deliver a fully-featured Microsoft Teams experience, but also giving IT admins the benefits of centralized management.

Citrix delivers optimization for desktop-based Microsoft Teams using Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops and Citrix Workspace app. By default, we bundle all the necessary components into Citrix Workspace app and the Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA). ( Microsoft Teams Optimization with Citrix )

Our optimization for Microsoft Teams 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.

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.

CTXMTOP is a command and control virtual channel. That means that media is not exchanged between the Citrix Workspace app and the VDA.

Only Client-fetch/client-render is available.

Microsoft Teams installation

To start using Microsoft Teams Optimization for Citrix. Citrix recommends you to follow the Microsoft Teams machine-wide installation guidelines and avoid using the .exe installer that installs Teams in Appdata. Instead, install in C:Program Files (x86)MicrosoftTeams by using the ALLUSER=1 flag from the command line. In this mode, the Teams application doesn’t auto-update whenever there is a new version. We recommend this mode for non-persistent environments. For more information, see Install Microsoft Teams using MSI (VDI Installation section).

If you have dedicated persistent VDI environments and you want the Teams application to auto-update and would prefer Teams to install per-user under Appdata/Local, use the .exe installer or the MSI without ALLUSER =1.

If using Citrix App Layering to manage VDA and Microsoft Teams installations in different layers, deploy this registry key on Windows before installing Teams with ALLUSER =1:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARECitrix

Or

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREWOW6432NodeCitrix

Create an empty registry key named PortICA (leave the default Name, Type, and Data).

Profile Management recommendations

When the ALLUSER =1 flag is passed to the MSI from the command line, the Teams app installs under C:Program Files (~300 MB). The app uses AppDataLocal for logs and AppDataRoamingMicrosoftTeams for user specific configurations, caching of elements in the user interface, and so forth.

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.

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

• 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.

Enable optimization of Microsoft Teams

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.

If you click About > Version, the Optimized for Citrix legend displays

If you don’t see Optimized for Citrix, exit Teams by right clicking on the notification area icon and restart.

Ms Teams On Citrix

Citrix HDX Optimization for Microsoft Teams

These components are by default, bundled into Citrix Workspace app and the Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA)

Call Flow

Does Microsoft Teams Work In Citrix

1. Launch Microsoft Teams.
2. Teams authenticates to O365. Tenant policies are pushed down to the Teams client, and relevant TURN and signaling channel information is relayed to the app.
3. Teams detects that it is running in a VDA and makes API calls to the Citrix JavaScript API.
4. Citrix JavaScript in Teams opens a secure WebSocket connection to WebSocketService.exe running on the VDA (127.0.0.1:9002). WebSocketService.exe runs as a Local System account on session 0. WebSocketService.exe performs TLS termination and user session mapping, and spawns WebSocketAgent.exe, which now runs inside the user session.
5. WebSocketAgent.exe instantiates a generic virtual channel by calling into the Citrix HDX Browser Redirection Service (CtxSvcHost.exe).
6. Citrix Workspace app’s wfica32.exe (HDX engine) spawns a new process called HdxTeams.exe, which is the new WebRTC engine used for Teams optimization.
7. HdxTeams.exe and Teams.exe have a 2-way virtual channel path and can start processing multimedia requests.—–User calls——
8. Peer A clicks the call button. Teams.exe communicates with the Teams services in Azure establishing an end-to-end signaling path with Peer B. Teams asks HdxTeams for a series of supported call parameters (codecs, resolutions, and so forth, which is known as a Session Description Protocol (SDP) offer). These call parameters are then relayed using the signaling path to the Teams services in Azure and from there to the other peer.
9. The SDP offer/answer (single-pass negotiation) and the Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) connectivity checks (NAT and Firewall traversal using Session Traversal Utilities for NAT (STUN) bind requests) complete. Then, Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) media flows directly between HdxTeams.exe and the other peer (or O365 conference servers if it is a Meeting).