The available ICA channel types and their functionalities are described below. For details on configuring channel policies, see Channel policy.
CTXTW |
Yes |
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.
Channel-specific actions:
For example: "actions": {
"audit": true,
"four_eyes": true,
"content_policy": {
"key": "433849548566ab327522e6"
"meta": {
"href": "/api/configuration/policies/content_policies/44287216854f482e7f2b24"
}
},
} |
CTXCAM |
None |
Audio Mapping: Enable access to the sound device of the server. |
CTXCDM |
None |
Drive Mapping: Enable access to the client's hard drives on the server. |
CTXCLIP |
None |
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 SPS can audit the clipboard channel, but the Safeguard Desktop Player cannot search or display its contents. |
CTXSCRD |
None |
Smartcard: Enable using client side installed smartcards in server-side applications. |
CTXCOM1 |
None |
Printer (COM1): Enable access to the serial port COM1. |
CTXCOM2 |
None |
Printer (COM2): Enable access to the serial port COM2. |
CTXLPT1 |
None |
Printer (LPT1): Enable access to the parallel port LPT1. |
CTXLPT2 |
None |
Printer (LPT2): Enable access to the parallel port LPT2. |
CTXCPM |
None |
Printer Spooler: Enable access to the client's printer from the remote desktops and applications. |
CTXFLSH |
None |
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. |
CTXUSB |
None |
USB: Enable using client side installed USB devices in server-side applications. |
CTXTWI |
None |
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. |
SPDBRS |
None |
Speedbrowse: Speeds up web browsing. Not currently supported by Safeguard Desktop Player, should be disabled by default. |
custom |
Yes |
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, configure the channels field.
Channel-specific access control rules:
-
channels: To permit only specific custom channels, configure this field. For example:. "channels": {
"selection": "restricted",
"restrictions": [ "CUSTOM1", "CUSTOM2" ]
} |
List of options that affect all ICA connections.
URL
GET https://<IP-address-of-SPS>/api/configuration/ica/options
Cookies
session_id |
Contains the authentication token of the user |
Required |
The value of the session ID cookie received from the REST server in the authentication response, for example, a1f71d030e657634730b9e887cb59a5e56162860. For details on authentication, see Authenticate to the SPS REST API.
Note that this session ID refers to the connection between the REST client and the SPS REST API. It is not related to the sessions that SPS records (and which also have a session ID, but in a different format). |
Sample request
The following command lists global ICA options.
curl --cookie cookies https://<IP-address-of-SPS>/api/configuration/ica/options
Response
The following is a sample response received when listing global ICA options.
For details of the meta object, see Message format.
{
"body": {
"audit": {
"cleanup": {
"enabled": false
},
"timestamping": {
"selection": "local",
"signing_interval": 30
}
},
"service": {
"enabled": true,
"log_level": 4
}
},
"key": "options",
"meta": {
"first": "/api/configuration/ica/channel_policies",
"href": "/api/configuration/ica/options",
"last": "/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies",
"next": "/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies",
"parent": "/api/configuration/ica",
"previous": "/api/configuration/ica/channel_policies",
"transaction": "/api/transaction"
}
}
key |
|
|
Top level item |
Contains the ID of the endpoint. |
body |
|
|
Top level item |
Contains the elements of the global ICA options. |
|
audit |
|
Top level item |
Contains settings for timestamping and cleanup. |
|
service |
|
Top level item |
Global setting to enable ICA connections, and specify the logging detail. |
|
|
enabled |
boolean |
Set to true to enable ICA connections. |
|
|
log_level |
int |
Defines the logging detail of ICA connections. |
cleanup |
|
|
Top level item |
Global retention settings for ICA connection metadata. To configure retention time for a specific connection policy, use the archive_cleanup_policy element at the endpoint of the policy instead. |
|
channel_database_cleanup_days |
|
int |
Global retention time for the metadata of ICA connections, in days. Must exceed the retention time of the archiving policy (or policies) used for ICA connections, and the connection-specific database cleanup times (if configured). |
|
enabled |
|
boolean |
To enable the global cleanup of ICA connection metadata, set this element to true. |
timestamping |
|
|
Top level item |
Global timestamping settings for ICA connections. |
|
selection |
|
string |
Configures local or remote timestamping.
|
|
server_url |
|
string |
Required for remote timestamping.
The URL of the timestamping server. Note that HTTPS and password-protected connections are not supported. |
|
oid |
|
Top level item |
The Object Identifier of the policy used for timestamping. |
|
|
enabled |
boolean |
Required for remote timestamping.
Set to true to configure the Object Identifier of the timestamping policy on the timestamping remote server. |
|
|
policy_oid |
string |
Required if the oid is enabled.
The Object Identifier of the timestamping policy on the remote timestamping server. |
|
signing_interval |
|
int |
Time interval for timestamping open connections, in seconds. |
Examples:
Set SPS as the timestamping server:
{
"audit": {
"cleanup": {
"enabled": false
},
"timestamping": {
"selection": "local",
"signing_interval": 30
}
},
"service": {
"enabled": true,
"log_level": 4
}
}
Enable cleanup, and set it to occur every 10 days:
{
"audit": {
"cleanup": {
"channel_database_cleanup_days": 10,
"enabled": true
},
"timestamping": {
"selection": "local",
"signing_interval": 30
}
},
"service": {
"enabled": true,
"log_level": 4
}
}
Change timestamping to a remote server, without specifying a timestamping policy:
{
"audit": {
"cleanup": {
"channel_database_cleanup_days": 10,
"enabled": true
},
"timestamping": {
"oid": {
"enabled": false
},
"selection": "remote",
"server_url": "<url-of-timestamping-server>",
"signing_interval": 30
}
},
"service": {
"enabled": true,
"log_level": 4
}
}
Change timestamping to a remote server, and specify the 1.2.3 timestamping policy:
{
"audit": {
"cleanup": {
"channel_database_cleanup_days": 10,
"enabled": true
},
"timestamping": {
"oid": {
"enabled": true,
"policy_oid": "1.2.3"
},
"selection": "remote",
"server_url": "<url-of-timestamping-server>",
"signing_interval": 30
}
},
"service": {
"enabled": true,
"log_level": 4
}
}
Modify global ICA settings
To modify global ICA settings, you have to:
-
Open a transaction.
For more information, see Open a transaction.
-
Modify the JSON object of the global ICA settings endpoint.
PUT the modified JSON object to the https://<IP-address-of-SPS>/api/configuration/ica/options endpoint. You can find a detailed description of the available parameters listed in Element . The elements of the audit item are described in Elements of audit.
-
Commit your changes.
For more information, see Commit a transaction.
Status and error codes
The following table lists the typical status and error codes for this request. For a complete list of error codes, see Application level error codes.
201 |
Created |
The new resource was successfully created. |
401 |
Unauthenticated |
The requested resource cannot be retrieved because the client is not authenticated and the resource requires authorization to access it. The details section contains the path that was attempted to be accessed, but could not be retrieved. |
403 |
Unauthorized |
The requested resource cannot be retrieved because the client is not authorized to access it. The details section contains the path that was attempted to be accessed, but could not be retrieved. |
404 |
NotFound |
The requested object does not exist. |
ICA settings policies define protocol-level settings (timeout, reliability). You can create multiple policies, and choose the appropriate one for each ICA connection.
URL
GET https://<IP-address-of-SPS>/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies
Cookies
session_id |
Contains the authentication token of the user |
Required |
The value of the session ID cookie received from the REST server in the authentication response, for example, a1f71d030e657634730b9e887cb59a5e56162860. For details on authentication, see Authenticate to the SPS REST API.
Note that this session ID refers to the connection between the REST client and the SPS REST API. It is not related to the sessions that SPS records (and which also have a session ID, but in a different format). |
Sample request
The following command lists ICA settings policies.
curl --cookie cookies https://<IP-address-of-SPS>/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies
The following command retrieves the properties of a specific policy.
curl --cookie cookies https://<IP-address-of-SPS>/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies/<policy-id>
Response
The following is a sample response received when listing ICA settings policies.
For details of the meta object, see Message format.
{
"items": [
{
"key": "-301101020",
"meta": {
"href": "/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies/-301101020"
}
}
],
"meta": {
"first": "/api/configuration/ica/channel_policies",
"href": "/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies",
"last": "/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies",
"next": null,
"parent": "/api/configuration/ica",
"previous": "/api/configuration/ica/options",
"transaction": "/api/transaction"
}
}
When retrieving the endpoint of a specific policy, the response is the following.
{
"body": {
"name": "default",
"timeout": 600,
"inactivity_timeout": {
"enabled": true
"value": 13000
},
"preconnect_channel_check": false,
"reliability": {
"reconnect_attempts": 30,
"reconnect_sleep": 2,
"reconnect_timeout": 600
},
"timeout": 600
},
"key": "-301101020",
"meta": {
"first": "/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies/-301101020",
"href": "/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies/-301101020",
"last": "/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies/-301101020",
"next": null,
"parent": "/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies",
"previous": null,
"transaction": "/api/transaction"
}
}
key |
|
| string |
Top level element, contains the ID of the policy. |
body |
|
| Top level element (string) |
The elements of the ICA settings policy. |
| name |
| string |
Name of the ICA settings policy. Cannot contain whitespace. |
| preconnect_channel_check |
| boolean |
Before establishing the server-side connection, SPS can evaluate the connection and channel policies to determine if the connection might be permitted at all. The server-side connection is established only if the evaluated policies permit the client to access the server.
To enable this function, set the parameter to true. |
| reliability |
| Top level item |
Settings for ICA connection attempts. |
| timeout |
| int |
Connection timeout, in seconds. |
| inactivity_timeout |
| Top level element |
|
|
| enabled |
boolean |
- true: If no user activity is detected, it terminates the session after the configured time has passed since the last user activity.
- false: No user inactivity timeout.
|
|
| value |
int |
Only if enabled is true
The value of user activity timeout. Must be greater than or equal to the value of timeout |
reconnect_attempts |
int |
The number of times SPS attempts to connect to the target server. |
reconnect_sleep |
int |
The number of seconds SPS waits between connection attempts. |
reconnect_timeout |
int |
The number of seconds SPS waits after exhausting the number of reconnect_attempts. |
Add ICA settings policies
To add a settings policy, you have to:
-
Open a transaction.
For more information, see Open a transaction.
-
Create the JSON object for the new policy.
POST the JSON object to the https://<IP-address-of-SPS>/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies/ endpoint. You can find a detailed description of the available parameters listed in the parameter list table.
If the POST request is successful, the response includes the key of the new policy. For example:
{
"key": "dcd58077-98b3-4c73-8f0b-b34147863028",
"meta": {
"href": "/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies/dcd58077-98b3-4c73-8f0b-b34147863028",
"parent": "/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies",
"transaction": "/api/transaction"
}
}
-
Commit your changes.
For more information, see Commit a transaction.
Modify ICA settings policies
To modify a settings policy, you have to:
-
Open a transaction.
For more information, see Open a transaction.
-
Modify the JSON object of the policy.
PUT the modified JSON object to the https://<IP-address-of-SPS>/api/configuration/ica/settings_policies/<key-of-the-object> endpoint. You can find a detailed description of the available parameters listed in the parameter list table.
-
Commit your changes.
For more information, see Commit a transaction.
Status and error codes
The following table lists the typical status and error codes for this request. For a complete list of error codes, see Application level error codes.
201 |
Created |
The new resource was successfully created. |
401 |
Unauthenticated |
The requested resource cannot be retrieved because the client is not authenticated and the resource requires authorization to access it. The details section contains the path that was attempted to be accessed, but could not be retrieved. |
403 |
Unauthorized |
The requested resource cannot be retrieved because the client is not authorized to access it. The details section contains the path that was attempted to be accessed, but could not be retrieved. |
404 |
NotFound |
The requested object does not exist. |