Citrix Ready workspace hub

Citrix Ready workspace hub enables Citrix Casting, which makes it possible to securely transfer your mobile session to a hub.

Prerequisites:

• Citrix Workspace app 1809 for Android or later.
• Bluetooth enabled on the device for hub discovery.
• Mobile device and workspace hub using the same Wi-Fi network.

Enable Citrix Casting

To turn on Citrix Casting, go to Settings > Citrix Casting. Select the Use Citrix Casting checkbox.

Then set a default app or desktop that launches automatically when you transfer your mobile session to the hub. To choose any app or desktop, from Settings, click Configuration > Preferred Resource.

Now you can roam or cast your session.

Session roaming

Using session roaming, you can launch a VDA session from a mobile device and transfer it to the Citrix Ready workspace hub.

• Manual roaming
• Proximity authentication

Manual session roaming

Scan the QR code of the Citrix Ready workspace hub to transfer the VDA session to the workspace hub. When the session roams, the workspace hub has full control of all the peripherals available within the session.

How to start session roaming manually:

1. Launch Citrix Workspace app.
2. Tap Settings > Citrix Casting > Use Citrix Casting.
3. Tap the workspace hub icon to scan the QR code using a code scanner.
4. You can roam the session manually in the following ways:
   • By scanning the QR code of the workspace hub.

   OR

   • By tapping View hub list . You can select a workspace hub from the list by tapping the workspace hub icon displayed next to its name, as shown below. Workspace hubs appear in the order of the Bluetooth signal strength.
5. Click the workspace hub setting icon to:
   • Set discovery range.
   • Set disconnect range.

The session starts roaming after connecting to the workspace hub.

Tap the X icon on the right to disconnect the roaming session. You can swipe down on the screen with two fingers to disconnect as well.

Session roaming with proximity authentication

Proximity authentication provides a way to authenticate and launch a session automatically without touching the mobile device. When you launch the Citrix Workspace app, the session roams to the Citrix Ready workspace hub when the device enters the proximity authentication range of the workspace hub.

When a mobile device is within range of the Citrix Ready workspace hub, the default virtual desktop or app set in Citrix Workspace app launches on the Citrix Ready workspace hub automatically. When the mobile device moves out of range, the launched desktop or app closes.

To use proximity authentication, ensure that Bluetooth is enabled on both the mobile device and the workspace hub. Enable Location settings on mobile device running on Android Version 6.0 and later.

To configure proximity authentication:

1. In Citrix Workspace app, tap Settings > Citrix Casting > Use Citrix Casting.
2. Tap Configuration. The Configuration dialog appears.
3. In the Configuration dialog:
   • Tap Proximity Authentication option to enable it. When you set the Proximity Authentication option to OFF, the VDA session roams only to the favorite workspace hub. When you set the Proximity Authentication option to ON, VDA session roaming works on all available workspace hubs.
   • Discovery Range - Indicates the Bluetooth signal strength relative to the distance between the mobile device and the workspace hub. Discovery range is the range in which proximity authentication works automatically. The default value is -40.
   • Disconnect Range - Indicates the Bluetooth signal strength relative to the distance between the mobile device and the workspace hub. Disconnect range is the beginning of the range outside of which the proximity authentication ceases. The default value is -70. Disconnect Range must be equal to or less than Discovery Range and values must be negative. You can adjust the values depending on RSSI values displayed in the workspace hub list. See Figure Workspace hub dialog for reference.
   • Preferred Resource is the default VDA session that launches when your mobile device enters the proximity authentication range. This setting is specific to the account you use to log on to Citrix Workspace app. To set your preferred resource, log on to Citrix Workspace app and set it. If you have more than one account, you must set a preferred resource for each account. This setting is persistent, which means you need to set your preferred resource only once per account. Your preferred resource launches every time you enter the proximity authentication range until you change the setting.

When you move your mobile device into Range 1, proximity authentication is triggered and your favorite VDA session launches automatically on the workspace hub. As long as your mobile device remains within Ranges 1 or 2, your default desktop or app keeps running on the workspace hub. When you move your Android device out of Ranges 1 and 2, your desktop or app closes automatically.

Favorite hubs

Long click a workspace hub from the hub list to set the hub as the favorite hub. The favorite hub’s name appears in blue at the top of the workspace hub list.

When you enable proximity authentication and if there are multiple workspace hubs within range, a dialog appears to let you select a workspace hub to roam your session.

If multiple Citrix Ready workspace hubs are within range and Citrix Workspace app is running in the background, a notification appears on your mobile device. Click the notification and select the workspace hub you want to connect to.

To exit a session:

• Move your mobile device out of Ranges 1 and 2.
• Use two fingers to swipe down on the Citrix Workspace app home page.
• Close Citrix Workspace app.
• Exit the windows session on the Citrix Ready workspace hub.
• Tap the X icon on the right to disconnect the roaming session.

Session casting

Session casting allows you to redirect any app or desktop from a mobile device to a large screen connected to a workspace hub. When a session casts, you can use the keyboard and the mouse on the hub and on the device to control the session.

To cast your session to a hub:

1. Inside a session, tap the Cast icon on the toolbar. A menu and camera view appears.
2. Scan the QR code on the workspace hub to connect.

Extended connectivity periods

During a long-running session, you can put the device down with the screen locked. To ensure that the session runs uninterrupted, consider the following tips:

• Battery optimization can interfere with your session. To avoid the effects of battery optimization, add Citrix Workspace app to the Android battery optimization ignore lists:
  • Go to Settings. Search for Battery optimzation > All Apps -> Workspace.
• If you’re using a third-party battery optimization app, remove Citrix Workspace app from its optimization list.
• Citrix recommends that you bring the Citrix Workspace app’s main interface to the foreground before locking your screen. Doing so ensures that the mobile device operating system does not end the Citrix Workspace app session.

Secure connection

Citrix Ready workspace hub supports secure connections between your Android device and the hub. To ensure that your Android device is securely authenticated, you need to install the client certificate.

1. Download and install the certificate on the mobile device.

   Note:

   If the Android device does not recognize the certificate format, change the suffix. (from .pem to .crt).

2. On your Android device, go to Settings > Other security settings > Install from device storage > Trusted credentials.

An alert message notifies you if an Android device is unable to verify the host name or find the certificate. Choose one of the following options:

• Allow once: Connect to the hub using an untrusted certificate.
• Always: Connect and add the hub to the trusted list. The alert message doesn’t appear again.
• Cancel: Cancel the connection.

To reset the notification to the original setting, uninstall the app or clear your cache.