Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops provides an on-premises virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution that can deliver ArcGIS Pro with an optimized user experience. Citrix is a widely used VDI platform that supports a shared or pass-through graphics processing unit (GPU) to a virtual machine (VM).
Note:
ArcGIS Pro is not supported with Citrix XenApp (Citrix Virtual Apps, where applications are published to terminal servers and resources are shared. Each user must run ArcGIS Pro in a dedicated VDI with GPU resources assigned.
Citrix Hypervisor GPU support allows the VM to process DirectX or OpenGL calls generated by ArcGIS Pro on the GPU instead of the central processing unit (CPU). This allows ArcGIS Pro to provide 3D rendering and an optimized user experience in a virtualized environment.
Hardware requirements and the workflow for deploying ArcGIS Pro using Citrix VDI technology are described below.
VDI resource
Understanding your organization, its users, and the software you are intending to deploy is important for a successful VDI deployment. The Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops User Guide provides essential information about the Citrix deployment methodology of Define, Assess, Design, Deploy, and Monitor, as well as the necessary tools.
Hardware requirements
The server hardware required to virtualize ArcGIS Pro with Citrix shares a common architecture: 2U servers, with current processors, 256 GB of RAM or more, adequate storage, and shared or pass-through GPUs. The GPU allows a virtualized copy of ArcGIS Pro to provide 3D rendering and an optimized user experience. Currently tested GPUs that deliver this performance are the following NVIDIA GPUs designed for virtualization:
- NVIDIA T4
- NVIDIA A2, A10, A40
- NVIDIA L4, L40s
Select the server hardware
ArcGIS Pro relies on GPU-enabled hardware to provide an acceptable user experience in a virtual environment. Selecting the correct server hardware that is compatible for delivering ArcGIS Pro is important. To ensure that the server you intend to purchase is compatible with a NVIDIA vGPU, see the NVIDIA Qualified System Catalog.
The following are examples of the required hardware specifications:
- Intel Xeon Gold 6458Q 3.1G, 32C/64T, 16GT/s, 60M Cache, Turbo, HT (350W) DDR5-4800
- Two NVIDIA L40, PCIe, 300W, 48 GB Passive, Double Wide, Full Height GPU
- 256 GB RDIMM, 4800MT/s Octo Rank (8 RDIMMs)
- Five 960 GB SSD Read Intensive SATA Hard Drives with RAID 6
Select a GPU
GPUs are essential for the delivery of ArcGIS Pro. Selecting the correct GPU or GPUs depends on the type of server, the ArcGIS Pro workloads that need to be supported, and the VM or server density. To determine the type of GPU that is best for your VDI deployment, see the NVIDIA Virtual GPU.
Install components for Citrix Hypervisor
To successfully deploy ArcGIS Pro with Citrix Hypervisor, the following must be installed:
- Citrix Hypervisor (8.x or greater)
- Citrix Studio and Citrix Director to manage and monitor the hypervisor and resources
- Machine creation services (MCS) or Citrix Provisioning (PVS) for VM deployment
For additional information, see the Citrix product documentation.
Install NVIDIA vGPU Manager
The next step is to install the NVIDIA vGPU Manager. This requires installing the appropriate NVIDIA vGPU software package. From the NVIDIA licensing portal, download the archive that includes the required host drivers and guest VM drivers. The basic steps are as follows:
- Upload the NVIDIA vGPU package to the host.
- Place the host in maintenance mode.
- Install the vGPU software package using Citrix Hypervisor command line tools.
For additional information, see the NVIDIA vGPU deployment guide.
Create and configure the virtual machines
Citrix Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA) must be installed on each VM. The VDA enables communication between the VM and the Citrix infrastructure, and allows GPU-accelerated ArcGIS Pro sessions. Once the VDA is installed, configure the VM with an NVIDIA vGPU Manager profile that matches the intended workload.
Citrix optimizes remote graphics using HDX 3D Pro, which provides the best performance for ArcGIS Pro 3D rendering and GPU-intensive tasks.
Connect the client
Citrix Workspace App is the client software used to connect to VMs. Clients are available for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. Once installed, users connect to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops through Citrix StoreFront or Citrix Gateway.
Connection clients include the following:
- Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)
- Citrix Workspace App
- HDX 3D Pro