The available ICA channel types and their functionalities are described below. For a list of supported client applications, see Supported protocols and client applications.

  • Drawing (Thinwire): Enables access to the server's desktop (screen). This channel is for remoting graphics and user input (keyboard, mouse). This channel must be enabled for ICA to work.

  • Audio Mapping: Enable access to the sound device of the server.

  • Drive Mapping: Enable access to the client's hard drives on the server.

  • Clipboard: Enable access to the server's clipboard: the clipboard of the remote desktop can be pasted into local applications (and vice-versa). Note that One Identity Safeguard for Privileged Sessions (SPS) can audit the clipboard channel, but the Safeguard Desktop Player currently cannot search or display its contents.

  • Smartcard: Enable using client side installed smartcards in server-side applications.

  • Printer (COM1): Enable access to the serial port COM1.

  • Printer (COM2): Enable access to the serial port COM2.

  • Printer (LPT1): Enable access to the parallel port LPT1.

  • Printer (LPT2): Enable access to the parallel port LPT2.

  • Printer Spooler: Enable access to the client's printer from the remote desktops and applications.

  • HDX Mediastream: Some user widgets (for example Flash player) will not run on the server but on the client. These widgets are controlled from the server side using this channel. This is not supported by Safeguard Desktop Player and it is disabled by default.

  • USB: Enable using client side installed USB devices in server-side applications.

  • Seamless: Enable seamless channels that run a single application on the ICA server, instead of accessing the entire desktop. When disabled, the application window will be accessed along with an empty desktop.

  • Speedbrowse: Speeds up web browsing. Not currently supported by Safeguard Desktop Player, should be disabled by default.

  • Custom: Applications can open custom channels to the clients connecting remotely to the server. Enabling the Custom channel allows the clients to access all of these custom channels. To permit only specific channels, enter the unique names of the channel into the Details field.

NOTE: When the channel opens, there are certain cases when the remote group is not known yet. For example, in case of an RDP or ICA login screen, the drawing channel has to be opened first to properly display the logon screen. Only those channel rules will apply, where the Remote group field is empty. In case of network level authentication, all required information is present already so this limitation does not apply.

NOTE: Multi-stream ICA is not supported in SPS 7.5.