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Clipboard, File Transfer, and Drive Redirection with HyWorks

The document provides information on mechanisms to transfer files or content to/from remote servers to client systems.

HyWorks supports the following methods:

  1. Clipboard Redirection

  2. Drive Redirection

  3. Accops File Transfer

Clipboard Redirection

Clipboard redirection allows the client desktop's local clipboard to perform clipboard operations in remote sessions.

Default or Native Clipboard Redirection

HyWorks comes up with default clipboard redirection. This mechanism allows clipboard redirection from both directions and can not be controlled.

How to enable clipboard redirection: Clipboard redirection can be enabled from the HyWorks Connection profile.

To enable clipboard redirection:

  • Navigate to Local Resources in the connection profile.

  • Select the Clipboard option.

How to disable clipboard redirection from Windows Server: The following group policy can be used on Windows servers to control clipboard redirection at the server level:

  1. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Device and Resource a Redirection.

  2. Do not allow Clipboard redirection option:

    • Enabled: Clipboard redirection will not work.

    • Disabled: Clipboard redirection will work.

    • Not configured: Clipboard redirection will work as per the connection profile configuration.

Limitations

Sharing content through clipboard redirection has the following consequences:

  • No control over content type.

  • Unidirectional controls are not possible.

  • No logging or monitoring of copied content.

  • Files can also be transferred by default.

To overcome these and some more challenges, Accops Smart Clipboard and File Transfer features (v3.4-SP2 or later) can be used.

Smart Clipboard and File Transfer Control for VDI

As remote work grows, organizations must ensure that data sharing is secure, adheres to internal policies, and remains efficient. This requires managing the direction of data flow, restricting the data types that can be transferred, and setting size limits to prevent performance issues or security risks.

To meet the demand for secure and controlled data transfer in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environments, HyWorks offers a solution that utilizes the Accops client-server extension module to manage clipboard and file transfers.

This centralized solution allows administrators to configure, control, and enforce policies across all client and server endpoints. It ensures consistent data flow, restricts data types, and limits file size to enhance security and maintain performance.

Here, we will look into the configurations of:

Prerequisites:

  • Administrative credentials are required to access HyWorks version 3.5.0.19765, the controller’s management console.

  • Accops Workspace Client version 7.0.0.1042 or later.

    Note

    • The feature is currently supported with Windows desktop Workspace client only. The document will be updated as the feature support is extended to other platforms.

  • Accops Session Client Extension Version 3.5.0.51 or later.

  • Session Host Server version 3.4.1.138 or later

    • DVM version 3.4.0.1109 or later

    • AUEM version 3.4.0.370 or later

    • Accops server extension version 3.4.0.34 or later

Accops Smart Clipboard Configuration (Windows Only)

Smart Clipboard Configuration controls provide security and flexibility in transferring clipboard contents between the client machine and the remote desktop.

Configuration on HyWorks Controller

The following configurations must be done on the HyWorks Controller’s management console.

  1. Log in to the management console using administrative credentials.

  2. Navigate to Policies > Profiles > Connection Profiles.

  3. Select the profile in which the Smart Clipboard Configuration needs to be configured and select Edit.

  4. Navigate to Local Resources. Select Local Drives and Resources > Accops Smart Clipboard (Windows Only) option.

  5. Configure options as per requirements. The Field descriptions are provided below.

  6. Save the connection profile.

    • The configured setting will be applied in the next session of the user.
Field Specifications

The details of the configuration parameters are given below.

  • Content Type Selection: This section helps the admin decide whether to allow or deny textual or visual content transfer.

    • Text: Allows the transfer of text content.

    • Image: Allows the transfer of image content.

    • Max Transferable Content Limit: The admin can set a maximum size limit for content transfers. Specify an integer value in KB, MB, or GB to set the maximum permissible data transfer size. File sizes are allowed from 1 KB to 2147483647 KB, with a default of 512 KB.

  • Allow Copy from: Decide the direction of the data transfer. The choices are:

    • Both Directions: Allows unrestricted clipboard access for bidirectional content transfer.

    • Client to Remote Desktop: Allows one-way clipboard transfer from the client to the remote desktop.

    • Remote Desktop to Client: Allows one-way clipboard transfer from the remote desktop to the client devices.

  • Send Logs to ARS: Enable/disable the checkbox to send the file audit logs to be sent to the Accops Reporting Server (ARS). This enables centralized log management to monitor and analyze file access and activities, enhancing security and compliance measures.

Important Points

  1. If both the Remote Session Default Clipboard and the Accops Smart Clipboard (Windows Only), clipboard options are enabled, then the Accops Smart Clipboard option will take priority and will be used.

  2. Accops Smart Clipboard does not by default allow file transfer, but enables only clipboard content transfer. To enable file transfer Accops Smart File Transfer can be configured.

Accops smart file transfer (Windows only)

File transfer controls provide security and flexibility in managing file transfer between the client machine and the remote desktop.

The functionality is based on specific requirements, such as security policies, content size limitations, and permitted content types.

Steps to configure File transfer options:

The following configurations must be done on the HyWorks Controller’s management console.

  1. Log in to the management console using administrative credentials.

  2. Navigate to Policies > Profiles > Connection Profiles.

  3. Select the profile in which the Smart Clipboard Configuration needs to be configured and select Edit.

  4. Navigate to Local Resources. Select Local Drives and Resources > Accops smart file transfer (Windows Only) option.

  5. Configure options as per requirements. The Field descriptions are provided below.

  6. Save the connection profile.

    • The configured setting will be applied in the next session of the user.
Smart File Transfer Field Specifications

The details of the configuration parameters are given below.

  • Allow Transfer from: Decide the direction of the data transfer. The choices are:

    • Both Directions: Allows unrestricted clipboard access for bidirectional content transfer.

    • Client to Remote Desktop: Allows one-way clipboard transfer from the client to the remote desktop.

    • Remote Desktop to Client: Allows one-way clipboard transfer from the remote desktop to the client devices.

  • Max Transferable File Size: The admin can set a maximum size limit for content transfers. Specify an integer value in KB, MB, or GB to set the maximum permissible data transfer size. File sizes are allowed from 1 KB to 2147483647 KB, with a default of 512 KB.

  • Allowed File Type: Set allowed file extensions for transfers between the VDI and the client, allowing only specified extensions and blocking others. The admin can list extensions separated by commas.

  • Blocked File Type: Set restricted file extensions for transfers between the VDI and the client, blocking only the specified extensions and permitting the others. The admin can list extensions separated by commas.

  • Compression Disabled for File Types: Some files are already compressed, so additional compression will not significantly reduce their size. To save resources and processing time, it is advisable to disable compression for these file types. Examples of such files include ZIP, TAR, 7Z, TGZ, EXE, MSI, and RAR.

  • Timeout Duration: Set a time limit in integers for file transfers, with a default value of 5000 milliseconds. This feature ensures that transfers automatically stop if they exceed the specified limit, thereby enhancing the efficiency and reliability of file transfer operations. The available options for time units include MS (Milliseconds) and Sec (Seconds).

  • Send Logs to ARS: Enable/disable the checkbox to send the file audit logs to be sent to the Accops Reporting Server (ARS). This enables centralized log management to monitor and analyze file access and activities, enhancing security and compliance measures.

Options in Session for users

This section provides details on what options are provided to the end-user inside of the remote session.

  1. For Clipboard

    1. The Paste from remote desktop option will be displayed on the right-click context menu on the client system when a user is copying content from the remote computer.

    2. The Paste to remote desktop option will be displayed on the right-click context menu on the remote system when a user is having content copied from the client system.

  2. For File Transfer

  3. The Upload File from Local Computer option will be displayed in the right-click context menu on a remote computer.

  4. The Download File to Local Computer option will be displayed in the right-click context menu on a remote computer when clicking on some files.

Drive Redirection

Drive redirection in Accops HyWorks allows users to access their local computer's drives (like hard drives, USB drives) from within their virtual desktop session, essentially "redirecting" the drive to the remote environment so they can read and write files to it as if it were directly connected to the virtual machine; this functionality is typically managed through Connection profiles in Policies section. More details can be found in the Connection Profile section.