Product Release Notes: NComputing N-series Firmware Version 1.6.0 for N400, N500, and N500w Product: NComputing N-series Firmware. Version: 1.6.0 Supported Citrix Environments: XenDesktop versions 5.0, 5.5, 5.6, and 7 XenApp versions 6 and 6.5 Feature Packs 1 & 2 VDI-in-a-box 5.0, 5.1, and 5.2 Supported Hardware: N400 N500 N500w Supported vspace Management Center Version(s): vspace Management Center 3.3.1 Important Installation Note: The firmware file system for N-series devices has been changed as of release 1.5.1. For a full description of the new file system and its use, consult the Updating Firmware section below. N-series environments managed by vspace Management Center should be upgrade to VMC 3.3.1 prior to updating N-series devices to 1.6.0. N-series FW 1.6.0 Release Notes Mar 19, 2014 Page 1
Updating Firmware: As of release 1.5.1, the N-series firmware update process has changed. Below is an explanation of the new system. Refer to the following KB article for additional information on N-series firmware update functionality. http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/entry/425 NOTE: If your devices are running firmware 1.3.7 or older, please refer to the following KB article and apply the patch contained therein before proceeding: http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/entry/439 New Firmware Update System As of version 1.5.1, each new N-series firmware release will include two firmware files. The first, intended for use as a single-version, sequential update, works exactly as previous firmware versions. That is, as an update from the last official release to the current release. The second file, intended as a complete, standalone install of the current firmware, can be used to update a device that is several versions behind the current release version in a single step; without the need to progress through each previous version in the order of their release. This new system offers new flexibility and streamlines the firmware update process when devices are several versions behind the current release, while retaining the ability to perform rapid, single version updates using minimal file sizes when possible. Identifying the new firmware files: The single-version update file and full, standalone update file are differentiated by the first set of digits in their version number. The full update s value is incremented by 100, while the remaining digits are identical. For example: Nxxx_FW_ver_1_6_0.tar.gz single- version sequential update, for use with the previous official release. Nxxx_FW_ver_101_6_0.tar.gz full update, usable when a device is several versions behind. Note that both of these files should be added to your firmware repository before updating to 1.6.0. Administrators must only direct their devices to the Nxxx_FW_ver_1_6_0.tar.gz file (not the 101.6.0 file). The firmware will automatically use the full update file if the update in question spans more than two versions. N-series FW 1.6.0 Release Notes Mar 19, 2014 Page 2
Installing 1.6.0 via N-series GUI When installing 1.6.0 on a device for the first time using the device GUI, follow these steps: 1. Ensure both of the firmware files (sequential and full) have been uploaded to an FTP accessible folder. If you are unfamiliar with this process, consult the FileZilla example in the following KB document: http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/afile/370/342/ 2. From the N- series GUI, under the Management - > Firmware/Wallpaper Update Tab, select the URL (Manual) update type and fill out the URL field, using the FTP address of the firmware file. (again, this will be the 1_6_0 file, not the 101_6_0 file) (This step is essential. The FTP URL must be pointed at the 1.6.0 file. In the event that DHCP tags are being used, ensure that the DHCP tags have been updated to point at this same file.) 3. Once the URL field has been populated, you can perform the firmware update using the method of your choosing (URL Manual, Automatic, DHCP, etc.). Installing 1.6.0 via USB Drive* When installing 1.6.0 on a device for the first time using a USB memory device, follow these steps: 1. Copy the catalog.txt and Nxxx_FW_ver_1_6_0.tar.gz files to the USB storage peripheral and connect it to the N- series access device. 2. From the N- series GUI, under the Management - > Firmware/Wallpaper Update Tab, select the USB (Manual) update type and fill out the URL field, using the directory location of the Nxxx_FW_ver_1_6_0.tar.gz file from step 1. 3. Once the URL field has been populated, you can perform the firmware update. *NOTE: USB update requires firmware 1.4.1 or newer. Feature not present in older versions. Installing 1.6.0 via VMC Before updating via VMC, verify that all VMC servers within the environment have been updated to VMC 3.3.1, and then follow these steps: For devices currently running v1.4 and above: 1. Ensure that both firmware files (Nxxx_FW_ver_1_6_0.tar.gz and Nxxx_FW_ver_101_6_0.tar.gz) have been uploaded to vspace Management Center via the Administration - > Manage Firmware - > Upload firmware menu. 2. Initiate a firmware update from vspace Management Center to 1.6.0 using the Device Management - > Update Firmware menu. For devices currently running v1.3.7 and below: Apply the patch found at the following URL, then proceed to steps 1 and 2 above. http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/entry/439 N-series FW 1.6.0 Release Notes Mar 19, 2014 Page 3
Alternate method (for deployments that utilize an FTP repository for firmware files): 1. Ensure that the full update file has been uploaded to an FTP accessible folder (this is the 101_6_0 file), and that the sequential update file (1_6_0) has been added to VMC s firmware repository. If you are unfamiliar with hosting files via FTP, consult the FileZilla example in the following KB document: http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/afile/370/342/ 2. From VMC, push a profile update to the device(s) in question, setting the FTP URL value in the firmware update tab to that of the full update file location (this is the 101_6_0 file). 3. Once the profile push has completed successfully, you can initiate a firmware update from vspace Management Center to 1.6.0 using the Device Management - > Update firmware menu. Optional Patches Available: The following patch files are available for use with N-series firmware 1.6.0, and are entirely optional. Once 1.6.0 has been successfully installed, administrators may install any of the following patches using the same method that they employed to install 1.6.0. Nxxx_OldFirmware-1.0.tar.gz, listed in the What s New section, is an exception to this rule. If used, it should be installed before 1.6.0. Consult the respective KB links for further information on each patch. Nxxx_volume-control-1.0.tar.gz This optional patch can improve audio output for N-series device using monitors with built-in speakers. Note that using this patch with standard analog speakers or USB speakers may generate undesired background noise. More information on this patch as well as the patch file itself can be found at the following URL: http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/entry/440 Nxxx_roaming-1.1.tar.gz This optional patch provides the ability to move from one N-series device to another, while maintaining the same Citrix environment sessions between the two. More information on this patch as well as the patch file itself can be found at the following URL: http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/entry/427 Nxxx_vnc_en_notification-1.0.tar.gz Certain international laws require notification and acceptance by the user of any device when an administrator attempts to view or control their session. This patch enables by default a feature that notifies users of administrative activity in compliance with those laws. More information on this patch as well as the patch file itself can be found at the following URL: http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/entry/428 N-series FW 1.6.0 Release Notes Mar 19, 2014 Page 4
Whats New: The following new features have been added as of this release: Nxxx_OldFirmware-1.0.tar.gz This optional patch provides administrators with a straightforward means of updating devices running firmware 1.3.7.2 or older. After applying this patch, any such devices can be updated directly to firmware 1.6.0 using the firmware update process outlined in the Updating Firmware section of these release notes. More information on this patch as well as the patch file itself can be found at the following URL: http://www.ncomputing.com/kb/entry/439 Citrix Receiver 12.5.4 Support The Citrix Receiver version used by N-series devices has been updated to 12.5.4. Xen Desktop 7 Support in Compatibility Mode N-series devices now support Xen Desktop version 7 in compatibility mode. Citrix Audio Quality Improvements In addition to high quality audio settings, N-series devices are now optimized to use medium quality server-side audio settings. Medium quality is recommended by Citrix for VOIP applications. Copy Function (Alt+Left Mouse) N-series devices now support the Office Tools Alt+Left Click copy function within Citrix environments. SD Card Hot-plug SD Cards can now be plugged in or swapped without the need to log out and back into the N-series device. Clear Type Font Support N-series devices now support Clear Type fonts within XenApp. Fixed in This Version: The following known issues have been resolved as of this release: vspace Management Center Status Remains in Connecting State Occasionally, on powering up or after a factory reset, an N-series device could fail to connect to vspace Management Center correctly and remain listed in the connecting state within VMC. This has been resolved. N-series FW 1.6.0 Release Notes Mar 19, 2014 Page 5
Management Server Status Displayed as Unknown in Auto- Discovery Mode Re-enabling Management Server Auto-discovery (after the device s Management Zone settings had been reset with Auto-discovery disabled) could cause the device to report an Unknown Management Server status rather than automatically connecting to available Management Servers as intended. This has been resolved.. Auto-Update and Wallpaper Files An error message will now be displayed when the auto-update feature is used in conjunction with the URL of a wallpaper file. Note that the autoupdate feature is intended to check for and acquire firmware files only. Capital Accented Text Characters (German) An issue that could cause all accented characters to be entered as capital letters has been resolved. Lower case accented characters should now function as intended. Brasilia and Salvador Time Zone Offsets (UTC -3:00) Devices configured to use time zone offsets for Brasilia and Salvador (both UTC -3:00) were not reporting the correctly adjusted time. This has been fixed. Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, and London Time Zone Offsets (UTC) Devices configured to use time zone offsets for Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, or London (all UTC) were 1 hour behind the intended offset. This has been fixed. Blank Spaces in USB Printer Vendor Names USB printers whose vendor names contained blank (or white) spaces were not functioning correctly. This has been resolved. Time Zone Display after Factory Reset / Firmware Update Prevously, after performing a factory reset or firmware update, devices were not showing the default time zone configuration properly under Device Settings->Preferences->Date/Time. This has been resolved. Imprivata: Your Password must be Updated In rare cases, an unexpected error message could result from attempting to use an Imprivata compatible proximity card. This has been resolved. N-series FW 1.6.0 Release Notes Mar 19, 2014 Page 6
Generic Printer Support An issue that caused generic printers to stop working with firmware version 1.5.1 has been resolved. Printers that use generic/text only drivers (such as point of sale printers) should once again function as intended. Wireless Roaming N500w access devices could previously experience dropped sessions while roaming from one wireless access point to another. This has been resolved. Devices Showing Offline While Connected Devices should now consistently show as online in vspace Management Center when connected to a server. Additional Minor Fixes Several additional fixes have been applied that relating to the GUI and to N-series interactions with vspace Management Center. Additional Information and Errata: The following section covers addition notes not included in the sections above, and describes any known issues that may exist with this release. These issues will be addressed in a future release. Profile Association Removed by Device-side Settings Changes [LHDX-1020] DO NOT USE SAVE when a device has a profile associated with it within vspace Management Center and no changes have been made to the settings. Doing so can remove the profile association with that device in vspace Management Center resulting in the device not receiving future changes to the profile. Use SAVE only if changes have been made to the devices configuration. WORKAROUND: Press the HOME screen button instead of SAVE to exit. Backspace Unintentionally Returns User to Login Screen [LHDX-1009] After toggling any checkbox within the device s GUI, pressing the Backspace key on the keyboard will return the user to the initial N-series login screen. This functionality is unintended. N-series FW 1.6.0 Release Notes Mar 19, 2014 Page 7
Display Resolutions may be Missing from Resolutions Menu [LHDX-1001] Some display resolution options may be missing from the Display settings menu in vspace Management Center. WORKAROUND: Change the resolution from the device s GUI. User Can Interact With XenDesktop Screen From Within Receiver [LHDX-848] While within XenDesktop, the user can switch back to the Citrix Receiver screen using Ctrl+Alt+UP/Down. When they return to the Receiver screen in this way, a thin strip of the XenDesktop window may remain visible along the top of the screen. Clicking on it will return the user to XenDesktop. This is unintended functionality. Scanner Configuration Default Client IP Value When configuring a scanner (USB or Network) for use with an N-series device through the device GUI, the Client IP value will default to ONLY ME. This value indicates that other N-series devices will NOT be able to connect to the scanner through your device, thus limiting the USB scanner to use by the device it is physically connected to. Network scanners can, naturally, be accessed via their own IP address if your network routing rules permit. Entering Invalid Characters for Client and Scanner IP Fields [LHDX-738] It is currently possible to enter characters into the Client and Scanner IP address fields (when adding a USB or network scanner) that are not valid for an IP address. Users should ensure that all characters entered are correct before finalizing the addition of a new scanner. Contacting Technical Support and Additional Resources Visit the NComputing Knowledge Base at www.ncomputing.com/kb for more information. To request Technical Support, please visit the NComputing Support page at www.ncomputing.com Disclaimer Information contained in this document may have been obtained from internal testing or from a third party. This information is for informational purposes only. Information may be changed or updated without notice. NComputing reserves the right to make improvements and/or changes in the products, programs and/or specifications described herein anytime without notice. All NComputing software is subject to NComputing intellectual property rights and may be used only in conjunction with Genuine NComputing hardware and in accordance to the NComputing End User Licensing Agreement and Terms of Use. www.ncomputing.com Copyright 2003-2013 NComputing, Inc. All rights reserved. NComputing is the property of NComputing. Microsoft, Windows and XP are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation. Other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Specifications are subject to change without notice. Performance may vary, depending on the configuration of the shared computer. N-series FW 1.6.0 Release Notes Mar 19, 2014 Page 8