The following information will help you get started with the Amazon WorkSpaces Mac OS X client application.
Contents
Requirements
The client application requires Mac OS X 10.8.1 or later.
Setup and Installation
Install Citrix Receiver Client for Mac Download the Citrix Receiver client for Mac, available from the; Citrix Receiver and click Download. Note: this will take you to Citrix's website to download the latest installer. Kerberos Extras for Mac is available for use by MIT faculty, staff, and students. How to Obtain Download Click the Download button at the top of this page. Installing Although Kerberos is included with Mac OS X, Kerberos Extras must also be installed under an admin account on your Mac. That means the client MUST use user authentication, NOT the VNC password. The client also needs to be free, not paid. I know Mac OS X comes with a suitable client built in, but I need one for Windows and/or Linux, or in the absence of such a system, some way to add Kerberos authentication capability to some existing client. To implement Kerberos and SSO for Mac clients in an Active Directory domain, follow these steps: Open Server Admin. If necessary, connect to your Mac OS X Server by choosing Server→Connect and entering your server administrator username and password. Kerberos Client Installation and Setup. The purpose of this document is to describe how to install and configure Kerberos software on AIX, Linux, and Mac OS X platforms at UNC Chapel Hill.
Download and install the Amazon WorkSpaces Mac OS X client from Amazon WorkSpaces Client Downloads.
Connecting to Your WorkSpace
To connect to your WorkSpace, complete the following procedure.
To connect to your WorkSpace
- The first time that you run the client application, you are prompted for your registration code, which is contained in your welcome email. The Amazon WorkSpaces client application uses the registration code and username to identify which WorkSpace to connect to. When you launch the client application later, the same registration code is used. You can enter a different registration code by launching the client application and choosing Options, Register in the upper-left corner on the login screen menu.
- Enter your username and password in the login screen and choose Sign In. If your Amazon WorkSpaces administrator has enabled multi-factor authentication for your organization's WorkSpaces, you are prompted for a passcode to complete your login. Your Amazon WorkSpaces administrator will provide more information about how to obtain your passcode.
- If your Amazon WorkSpaces administrator has not disabled the 'Remember Me' feature, you are prompted to save your credentials securely so that you can connect to your WorkSpace easily while the client application remains running. Your credentials are securely cached up to the maximum lifetime of your Kerberos ticket.After the client application connects to your WorkSpace, your WorkSpace desktop is displayed.
- (Optional) If your WorkSpace uses an AD Connector directory, you can update the maximum lifetime of the Kerberos ticket by following the steps in Configuring Kerberos Policies in the Microsoft TechNet Library. If you need to disable the 'Remember Me' feature, search for help in the Amazon WorkSpaces forum.
An interruption of network connectivity causes an active session to be disconnected. This can be caused by events such as closing the laptop lid, or the loss of your wireless network connection. The Amazon WorkSpaces client application for Mac OS X attempts to reconnect the session automatically if network connectivity is regained within a certain amount of time. The default session resume timeout is 20 minutes, but this timeout may be modified by your network administrator through your domain's Group Policy settings.
Client Views
You can switch to full screen mode by choosing View, Show Fullscreen in the client application menu.
While in full screen mode, you can switch back to window mode by moving the mouse cursor to the top of the screen. The client application menu is displayed, and you can choose View, Exit Fullscreen in the client application menu.
Client Language
You can select the language displayed by the client by performing the following steps.
Note
In the client, Japanese is available in all regions. However, Japanese is only available in Tokyo for individual WorkSpaces.
Install Kerberos Client Mac
To select the client language
- In the Amazon WorkSpaces client application, open the Advanced Settings dialog box.
- Enter your desired language in the Select a language list and choose Save.
- Restart the client.
Display Support
Amazon WorkSpaces supports a maximum of four displays and a maximum resolution of 3840x2160 (ultra-high definition, or UHD). The maximum supported resolution depends on the number of displays, as shown in the following table.
The Amazon WorkSpaces client application extracts the Extended Display Information Data (EDID) of all attached displays and determines the best compatibility match before starting the session. If you have a High DPI display, the client application automatically scales the streaming window according to your local DPI settings.
Proxy Server
If your network requires you to use a proxy server to access the Internet, you can enable the Amazon WorkSpaces client application to use a proxy for HTTPS (port 443) traffic. Proxy with authentication is not currently supported.
Note
Remote Desktop Client For Mac
The Amazon WorkSpaces client applications use the HTTPS port for updates, registration, and authentication. The desktop streaming connections to the WorkSpace require port 4172 to be enabled, and do not go through the proxy server.
To use a proxy server
- In the Amazon WorkSpaces client application, open the Advanced Settings dialog box.
- In the Proxy Server Setting area, check Use Proxy Server, enter the proxy server address and port, and choose Save.
Command Shortcuts
The Amazon WorkSpaces Mac OS X client supports the following command shortcuts:
- Control+Option+Return—Toggle fullscreen display
- Control+Option+F12—Disconnect session
Release Notes
The following table describes the changes to each release of the client application.
Release | Changes |
---|---|
2.5.9 | Minor bug fixes. |
2.5.8 |
|
2.5.7 |
|
2.5.6 | Minor fixes |
2.5.5 |
|
2.5.2 |
|
2.5.1 |
|
2.5.0 | Adds support for user self-service WorkSpace management capabilities |
2.4.10 | Minor fixes |
2.4.9 | Minor fixes |
2.4.8 |
|
2.4.7 |
|
2.4.6 |
|
2.4.4 | |
2.4.2 | Minor fixes |
2.4.0 |
|
2.3.7 |
|
2.3.6 | Localization enhancements |
2.3.5 | Minor improvements |
2.3.3 |
|
2.3.1 | Minor fixes |
2.3.0 |
|
2.2.3 | Resolves minor bugs and improves stability |
2.2.1 |
|
2.1.4 | Resolves a crash issue on macOS Sierra |
2.1.3 | Closing the client expires the reconnect token. You can easily reconnect to your WorkSpace as long as the client is running. |
2.1.0 |
|
2.0.8 |
|
2.0.4 |
|
1.1.80 |
|
1.1.6 |
|
1.1.4 |
|
1.0.8 |
|
1.0 | Initial release |