Developer Documentation
Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops
Current Release Service 2507 LTSR 2411 2407 2402 LTSR 2311 2203 LTSR

Pre-requisites for Upgrading VDAs Using VUS

May 28, 2025
Contributed by: 
C

To perform VDA upgrades using VUS, the following prerequisites must be met.

Enable the VDA Upgrade Service for your Site

To enable VUS for your 2503 Site, run the following PowerShell cmdlet:

Set-VusSite -Enabled $true

Once enabled, import the latest VDA versions to your CVAD Site by running the following PowerShell cmdlet:

Import-VusVdaReleasesMetadata -Path ‘[<CVAD-2503-ISO>\Support\VdaUpdateServiceMetadata\vda_releases.xml]’

Enable the VDA Upgrade Service

To enable the VDA Upgrade Service feature, use the VDA Upgrade option when creating or editing a Machine Catalog. Admins must choose from the following upgrade cycles when enabling the VUS:

  • LTSR
  • CR
  • LTSR Early Access Release (EAR)
  • CR EAR

To enable the VDA Upgrade Service for a machine catalog from Web Studio, right-click on a catalog, click “Edit Catalog”, select the “VDA Upgrade Service” tab, check the “Use VDA Upgrade Service” box, and select an upgrade track.

VDA Upgrade Service

To enable the VDA Upgrade Service for a machine catalog using PowerShell, use the Set-VusCatalogUpgradeType cmdlet.

The upgrade type can be set as “LTSR”, “CR”, “EAR_CR”, or “EAR_LTSR”.

Example: Set-VusCatalogUpgradeType -CatalogName "Workstation catalog" -UpgradeType LTSR

Note:

Enabling the VDA Upgrade option will not result in the automatic upgrade of VDAs. All VDA upgrades through VUS must be initiated as a separate task explicitly performed by administrators.

VDA Requirements

VDA Version

  • For machines created using MCS:
    • 2311 or later
  • For machines added using Websocket VDA Enrollment
    • 2311 or later
  • For manually provisioned machines
    • 2411 or later

Provisioning Type

  • Single or multi-session persistent machines provisioned using non-Citrix provisioning services or .
  • Single-session MCS-provisioned persistent machines (AD joined, Azure AD joined, and non-domain-joined).
  • Remote PC Access machines.

VDA Upgrade Agent

  • The VDA Upgrade Agent version 7.44 or later must be installed and active on the VDA. The agent can be installed:
    • As an additional component, when upgrading your VDA or modifying the VDA installation.
    • Using the standalone MSI that is available in the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops iso.
      • MSI name: CitrixUpgradeAgent_x64.msi
      • Path: x64\Virtual Desktop Components

Permissions

You must have the Full Administrator or Machine Catalog Administrator role in CVAD.

VDA State

For upgrades scheduled through VUS to proceed as intended, the VDAs targeted for upgrade must meet the following prerequisites:

  • The VDA must not be manually put in maintenance mode.
  • For a VDA upgrade to occur successfully, no users can be logged on.
    • VDAs are placed in maintenance mode when the upgrade process begins draining user sessions throughout the upgrade window. They are removed from maintenance mode once the upgrade is completed successfully.
    • If a user has an active or disconnected session throughout the duration of the upgrade window, the upgrade will be canceled at the end of the Upgrade Window.

      Note:

      Active and disconnected sessions can be terminated using the forced logoff option in VUS.

  • VDAs not provisioned through MCS (manually provisioned) must be added to a Delivery Group before performing an upgrade through VUS.
  • VDAs must be powered on.

    Note:

    AutoScale does not cease power managing machines when VDA upgrades are scheduled. Consider disabling AutoScale schedules on the Delivery Group when upgrades are in progress.

Connectivity

  • VDAs must be able to communicate with Delivery Controllers over HTTPS for VDA upgrades.
    • To verify that the VDA installer is signed by a valid certificate, VDAs must communicate with the following URLs.
      • http://crl3.digicert.com/*
      • http://crl4.digicert.com/*
      • http://ocsp.digicert.com/*
      • http://cacerts.digicert.com/*
  • If VDAs do not have access to the internet, configure the VDAs to bypass the certificate revocation list (CRL).
    • Disable the “VDA upgrade certificate revocation list check” Citrix policy setting, and assign it to the delivery group.
      • Policy description:
        • When enabled, the VDA Upgrade Agent performs certificate revocation list checks during component upgrades.
        • When disabled, the VDA Upgrade Agent skips these checks. Disable this setting for VDAs without access to the internet.

        vus-connectivity

VDAs with Proxy configurations

  • Only proxies in the form of Hostname: Port (IP:Port) and PAC file are supported. SOCKS5 proxies are not supported.
  • The VDA Upgrade Agent must be configured to use a proxy using Web Studio or the registry.
    • VDA Upgrade Agent proxy configuration using Web Studio.
      • Enable the VDA upgrade proxy configuration Citrix Policy setting for the VDAs that use a proxy.
      • Input the proxy address or the path to the PAC file in the settings.
    • VDA Upgrade Agent proxy configuration using the registry
      • Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\VirtualDesktopAgent
        • Value type: String
        • Value name: ProxySettings
        • Value data: Proxy address or path to pac file.
          • For example:
            • Proxy address: http://\<URL or IP>:\<port>
            • Pac file: http://\<URL or IP>/\<path/\<filename>.pac

VDAs installed using the VDAWorkstationCoreSetup.exe

If the VDA was originally installed using VDAWorkstationCoreSetup.exe, it can still be upgraded using VUS, which utilizes VDAWorkstationSetup.exe.

When upgrading VDAs that were installed with VDAWorkstationCoreSetup.exe using VUS, you should review the installation options to ensure only the desired features are enabled, especially if migrating from a minimal core installation.

Pre-requisites for Upgrading VDAs Using VUS
May 28, 2025
Contributed by: 
C
May 28, 2025
Contributed by: 
C

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