Configuring USB Settings and Permissions

Setting Default AWI OSD Management Console
Force Local Cursor Visible Disabled
Enable EHCI (USB 2.0) Enabled
Authorized Devices (Add new) Any, Any, Any
Unauthorized Devices (Add new) empty
Bridged Devices (Add new) empty
Devices Forced to USB 1.1 (Add new) empty

USB configurations can be made from different AWI pages.

From the Permissions > USB page, you can configure USB permissions to authorize and unauthorize certain USB devices, configure devices that need to be bridged to the host, and force devices to USB 1.1 for environments requiring such.

From the Configuration > USB page you can enable options that help with cursor and PCoIP sessions with software based hosts.

USB audio configurations are performed from the Configuration > Audio page. For information on configuring USB audio devices, see Configuring Audio.

USB Configuration

The Configuration > USB page allows you to configure parameters for devices plugged into Tera2 PCoIP Zero Client USB ports.

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USB Settings

Parameter Description
Force Local Cursor Visible When enabled, the PCoIP Zero Client always shows the local cursor. When disabled, the local cursor is only shown when the host requests it or a locally-terminated mouse is connected.
  • The cursor will disappear when a locally connected mouse is bridged to a software host. Ensure to enable Force Local Cursor Visible if bridging your mouse.
  • Connections to hosts with Remote Workstation Card Software installed and Remote Cursor and Keyboard enabled will force the mouse and keyboard to be locally terminated.For more information, see Local Cursor and Keyboard.
Enable EHCI (USB 2.0) Enable this field to configure EHCI (USB 2.0) for devices connected directly to PCoIP Zero Client USB ports for sessions with a software host.

This setting applies only to PCoIP sessions with software hosts. EHCI is automatically enabled in hardware-based PCoIP sessions if both endpoints support it. If you want the device to operate in OHCI (USB 1.1) mode, add it to the Devices Forced to USB 1.1 table on the AWI USB permissions page (see Configuring USB Permissions from the AWI).

This feature cannot be enabled on clients with less than 128 MB of RAM. Devices with isochronous endpoints will not operate at USB 2.0 speeds.

To configure USB settings:

  1. From the AWI, select Configuration > USB.
  2. From the AWI USB page, update the USB settings.
  3. Click Apply.

Configuring USB Permissions from the AWI

Note: USB rules best practice for Tera2 Zero Clients

To avoid unexpected behavior, Teradici strongly advises users of Tera2 Zero Clients to configure these device rules in both the PCoIP agent and the Tera2 Zero Client.

From the AWI USB permissions page as shown next, you can configure USB permissions for up to 10 authorized or 10 unauthorized USB devices.

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AWI USB permissions page

From this page, you can:

  • Authorize and unauthorize a list of USB devices based on ID or Class. You can use wildcards (or specify any) to reduce the number of entries needed to define all devices.
  • Configure devices that need to be bridged to the host, and enable USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller Interface (EHCI) mode for certain USB devices.
    If a bridged USB device that is capable of EHCI (USB 2.0) does not perform normally over PCoIP, you can use the Devices Forced to USB 1.1 table to force the device to use OHCI (USB 1.1) instead of EHCI (USB 2.0), which may provide a better experience.

USB plug events are blocked in the Tera2 PCoIP Zero Client hardware for unauthorized USB devices. The host (PCoIP Remote Workstation Card or the host desktop) cannot see or access the device for an additional layer of security.

The USB permissions page (AWI > Permissions > USB) is available on the host and client but the host USB permissions have a higher priority and update the client USB permissions. It is strongly recommended you only set the USB permissions on the host when connecting to a PCoIP Remote Workstation Card. The following rules apply:

  • If the host has permissions programmed (authorized and/or unauthorized), the permissions are sent to the client. If the client has any unauthorized devices, they are added to the host’s
  • If the host does not have permissions programmed, the client’s permissions are used.

The factory defaults have no USB permissions configured on the host. The factory defaults for the client USB permissions are 'any, any, any' (that is, authorized USB devices). Depending on the host implementation (for example, hardware PCoIP host or software PCoIP host), you can configure the USB permissions as required on the client and/or host.

The host USB permissions are only updated at the start of a PCoIP session. They are authorized in the following order of priority (from highest to lowest):

  • Unauthorized Vendor ID/Product ID
  • Authorized Vendor ID/Product ID
  • Unauthorized Device Class/Sub Class/Protocol
  • Authorized Device Class/Sub Class/Protocol

The following parameters display on the AWI USB permissions page:

AWI USB Permissions Parameters

Parameter Description
Authorized Devices Specify the authorized USB devices for the device:
Add New: add a new device or device group to the list. This enables USB authorization by ID or Class:
  • ID: The USB device is authorized by its Vendor ID and Product ID.
  • Class: The USB device is authorized by Device Class, Sub Class, and Protocol.
Remove: Delete a rule for a device or device group from the list.
Unauthorized Devices Specify the unauthorized USB devices for the device.
Add New: add a new device or device group to the list. This enables USB unauthorization by ID or Class:
  • ID: The USB device is unauthorized by its Vendor ID and Product ID.
  • Class: The USB device is unauthorized by Device Class, Sub Class, and Protocol.
Remove: Delete a rule for a device or device group from the list.
Bridged Devices Tera2 PCoIP Zero Clients locally terminate HID devices when connecting to VMware Horizon virtual desktops. However, some devices advertise as HID but use different drivers. These devices may need to be bridged to the host rather than locally terminated. This setting lets you force the Tera2 PCoIP Zero Client to bridge specific USB devices so that they use the drivers on the virtual desktop.
Add New: Add a device or device group to the list. This lets you bridge USB devices by their Vendor ID and Product ID.

Bridging requires host support; USB bridging is not supported by all PCoIP hosts. See your host's guide for more information.

Remove: Delete a rule for a device or device group from the list.
Devices Forced to USB 1.1 If a bridged USB device that is capable of EHCI (USB 2.0) does not perform normally over PCoIP, you can use this table to force the device to use OHCI (USB 1.1) instead of EHCI (USB 2.0), which may provide a better experience.
Add New: Add a device or device group to the list. This lets you bridge USB devices by their Vendor ID and Product ID.
Remove: Delete a rule for a device or device group from the list.

Bridging requires host support; USB bridging is not supported by all PCoIP hosts. See your host's guide for more information.

The following figures show the parameters that display when you add a new USB authorized or unauthorized entry. The parameters that display depend on whether you describe the device by Class or ID.

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Device class parameters

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Device ID parameters

The following parameters display when you authorize or unauthorize USB device parameters:

USB Authorized/Unauthorized Devices Parameters

Parameter Description
Add new When adding a new USB authorization or unauthorization entry, select one of the following:
  • Class: The USB device is authorized by its device class, sub-class, and protocol information.
  • ID:The USB device is authorized by its vendor ID and product ID information.
Device Class This field is enabled when Class is selected.
Select a supported device class from the drop-down menu, or select Any to authorize or unauthorize (disable) any device class.
Sub Class This field is enabled when Class is selected.
Select a supported device sub class from the drop-down menu, or select Any to authorize or unauthorize (disable) any sub-class.
Protocol This field is enabled when Class is selected.
Select a supported protocol from the drop-down menu, or select Any.
Vendor ID This field is enabled when ID is selected.
Enter the vendor ID of the authorized (or unauthorized) device. The valid range is hexadecimal 0-FFFF.
Protocol ID This field is enabled when ID is selected.
Enter the product ID of the (authorized or unauthorized) device. The valid range is hexadecimal 0-FFFF.

The following figure shows the parameters that display when you add a new USB bridged entry.

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USB Bridged Parameters

The following parameters display when you add a new USB bridged entry:

USB Bridged Devices Parameters

Parameter Description
Vendor ID Enter the vendor ID of the bridged device. The valid range is hexadecimal 0-FFFF.
Protocol ID Enter the product ID of the bridged device. The valid range is hexadecimal 0-FFFF.

To configure USB permissions from the AWI:

  1. From the AWI, select Configuration > USB.
  2. From the AWI USB page, update the USB permissions.
  3. Click Apply.