FastX 4 Server Release Notes

Release Channel: 4.1.29

Preview Channel: 4.1.39

* denotes Release Channel Release

4.1.39
April 7, 2025

  • Case 93970: Dashboard
  • Case 94172: Fixed Manager Permissions
  • Case 94171: Metadata for cluster nodes includes VirtualGL information

4.1.37
March 27, 2025

  • Case 94121: Fix load balancing so that sessions start on the proper system
  • Case 94156: The fastx4-sshd service no longer requires IPv6
  • Case 94057: Add a missing file to allow Gnome desktop to work with SSH agent forwarding

4.1.35
March 13, 2025

  • Cases 93492, 94116, 94117, 94125, 94128, 94129, 94133, 94136, 94141, 94142, 94133: Session sharing improvements
  • Case 94118: Discard D-Bus messages to prevent unlimited memory use
  • Case 94079: Apps can be cloned (and then edited, saving settings that don’t appear in the GUI)
  • Case 94146: The menu tool in the browser client can be moved
  • Case 94078: SELinux permissions for Active Directory
  • Case 94144: Scale desktop properly when browser client first connects
  • Case 94121: Reconnect cluster nodes on restart
  • Case 94126: Built-in documentation: Session debug options in application schema
  • Case 94119: Name of processes changed to “fastx4-web”, etc. and “fx session 1XX”
  • Case 94122: Fix for pending sessions

4.1.33
February 27, 2025

  • Session Sharing added
  • Dynamic Session Option which is now defaulted to the mid-right of an active session

4.1.31
February 21, 2025

  • Case 94084: Logins work on RedHat 8 systems with Python 3.6
  • Case 94098: Check session owner on connect request

4.1.29*
February 14, 2025

  • Fixed SSH connection issue introduced in 4.1.27
  • Fixed Gnome copy/paste issue

4.1.27
February 11, 2025

  • Case 94069: Fix link communication to prevent 100% CPU usage
  • Case 93991: Report error caused by per-user tmp directory
  • Case 93970: Minor GUI fixes in session list
  • Case 94057: Don’t start certain auto-start apps in Gnome sessions
  • Case 94059: Prepare for future session sharing
  • Case 94063: Package requires “lib” perl module
  • Case 94061: Inhibit the screensaver in Gnome and “Default Desktop” sessions

4.1.25
February 3, 2025

  • Case 94029: Fix SSH login problem introduced in version 4.1.21
  • Case 94048: Sessions launched from version 4.1.15 and earlier will work with current server version
  • Case 94052: The Debian/Ubuntu package will still work if the fastx4-sshd service fails
  • Case 94036: Fixed the “Announcements” admin feature

4.1.23
January 30, 2025

  • Hot fix an issue in 4.1.21

4.1.21
January 30, 2025

  • Case 94031, 94035: When the Crypt::OpenSSL::RSA perl module was missing, a user could not login via HTTPS, when using SSH authentication.
    Extra detail (which doesn’t need to go in the release notes): This problem was fixed in 3 different ways:
    1. The libcrypt-openssl-rsa-perl package was added as a “Recommends” in our Debian/Ubuntu package.
    2. If the module is still missing, the link script will still work, it just won’t verify the token with the public key.
    3. If the link script still exits with an error code, the web login will still succeed, and will use fastx4-sshd to launch sessions.
  • Case 94023: scripts/link can now be used to obtain a token, for use in custom scripts.
  • Case 94032: The “Nodes” page in the admin’s “Manage” section now displays the correct information about nodes in a cluster.
  • Case 94027: Fixed the error in which an application was “edited” from the “My Sessions” page and the fields in the “Start New Session” dialog were blank, without the information from the app.
  • Case 94027: Logging configuration (in the loglevel.ini file) now has better defaults for types not listed in that file.
  • Case 94027: The id.py script is updated to be compatible with python 3.9.

4.1.19
January 27, 2025

  • Case 93979: A session can be “cordoned” if the FastX server doesn’t know the login. This allows better security while still allowing the admin to “uncordon” a session, and assign it to the correct login. 
  • Case 93972: Use a token to authorize the “link” connection from a session to the FastX server when using single sign-on or job scheduling.
  • Case 94017: Automatic operations, controlled by a script, can happen when a session is cordoned. An email notification can be sent to the admin.
  • Case 94022: A session will automatically update the linkToken before it expires.
  • RPM Packaging: The epel-release package is no longer a dependency.
  • RPM Packaging: Requirements include individual perl libraries instead of the massive “perl” package.
  • Case 93814: Fix for a session that could become a “zombie” if terminated while connected
  • SELinux fixes to allow cleanup of socket files in /tmp
  • Case 93982: Close start dialogs (including forms) on submit to avoid confusion
  • Case 93976: Fixes for SAML and OIDC
  • Case 93972: What used to be the Javascript findUser function is now implemented in an external language-independent script file

4.1.17
January 13, 2024

  • Case 93957, 93958: Using the browser client to open a session no longer opens a new tab by default, but uses the same tab as the main FastX login. In order to see the old behavior, there is a “Open in new tab” checkbox, which can be configured to be the default option.
    This change may be a surprise to end users who are used to the old behavior.
  • Case 93969: Security: Added a super-admin lockout feature on multiple login failures
  • Case 93963: Security: Added an opinion to hide stack traces on errors
  • Case 93971: Fixed an issue that would cause running sessions to not appear on other cluster members
  • Case 93192, 93965: Minor RLM license manager fixes
  • Case 93806: Stop occasional multiple windows from opening when launching a new session.
  • Improved screenshot caching
  • Case 93845: Dynamic forms that can be generated by a script
  • Case 93844: Fixed error when session actions were disabled

4.1.15
December 19, 2024

  • Case 93938 (and others): Ubuntu Desktop App
    When FastX is installed, it will detect that the system has the Gnome Ubuntu Desktop installed, and if so will install the FastX app named “Ubuntu Desktop” instead of the “Default Desktop” app. (If this is an upgrade, and the “Default Desktop” app is already installed, it will not be removed, but the Ubuntu Desktop app will still be installed.)
  • Case 93926: Session Events can be part of a FastX app. If present, these are commands that are run when certain events happen, such as the start of a session, or connecting to a session. (Other events will be added in the future.) These are used in the Ubuntu Desktop app to inhibit idle processing to work around a bug in the Gnome lock screen in remote desktops.
  • Case 93895: Fixes for resizing in multi window more (web client)
  • Case 93847 and 93163: When an app is added or modified in the /etc/fastx/apps directory, the new configuration will be loaded immediately without a server restart.
  • Case 93930: The config file https.ini can now be used to configure TLS behavior.
  • Case 93844, 93927: Fixes and enhancements for pending sessions (for job scheduling)

4.1.13
December 11, 2024

  • Updates to Kubernetes and job scheduling

4.1.11
December 6, 2024

  • Fixed a licensing issue

4.1.9
December 3, 2024

  • Case 93911: Don’t crash if license directory does not exist
  • Case 93905: Fixes for fastx-sshd service
  • Minor logging fixes
  • Case 93902: Direct connections to cluster members
  • Case 93710: SAML secrets can be stored in their own files
  • Case 93903: Added ability for future unencrypted connections
  • Case 93865: Support future client 4.1 direct SSH connections
  • Case 93884: Weblink improvements
  • Case 93892: Fix exec-bg
  • Case 93596: Remove duplicate timestamp in log messages
  • Case 93891: Environment variable TCPDISPLAY for use with remote X11

4.1.7
November 15, 2024

  • Case 93870: Forwarder for compute nodes
  • Case 93874: Allow simultaneous SSH connections
  • Several clustering fixes

4.1.5
November 8, 2024

  • Case 93856 case 93866: When a user launches an app via the edit button, all fields (most importantly, the Window Mode) will be disabled if the app has the “strict” setting. When first installed, all the desktop apps will have the “strict” setting.
  • Case 93841: The name of a custom form will not be shown in the header. If the header is desired, then the form should be edited to add it.
  • Case 93854: When a superadmin (not a linux user) logs in, the home page is now the settings page
  • Case 93137, 93816:  Job scheduling improvements
  • Start forms now work when launching from the desktop client
  • Case 93096: Disable multi-surface compositing in desktop sessions


4.1.3
November 5, 2024

  • OIDC fixes
  • Case 93854: A superadmin login (as “admin” instead of linux username) now goes directly to Admin page instead of Sessions page
  • Case 93852: Allow form input to a “strict” app
  • Case 93568: Gnome desktop app now includes composite=false setting

4.0.63
October 30, 2024

  • Case 93764: Fixes to load balancing (on which node to start session)
  • Process form input before load balancer (which allows the node to be determined based on user input)
  • Case 93775: Support for future FastX client to connect directly to compute node when connecting with SSH (performance enhancement; requires FastX client 4.1)
  • Case 93806: Eliminate duplicate popup window when using session scheduler
  • Case 93780: Don’t leave zombie Gnome Terminal session
  • Case 93834: Load balance to “local node” properly.

4.0.61
October 15, 2024

  • Clustering: In the “Manage” section, the list of cluster nodes was not showing
  • Case 93775: SSH clients can now connect to sessions running on a different server.

4.0.59
October 4, 2024

  • Case 93764: Make sure FX_LOCAL_DIR (/var/fastx-local) is readable by users when FastX is installed on a clean server
  • Case 93746: Fix a potential (not reproducible) bug that could caused an orphaned session (where Xorg and the X11 apps still run, but cannot be connected) when doing an idle time query.

4.0.57
October 2, 2024

  • Case 93717: Configuration on the server allows the suppression of the “FastX web server is not running …” message, and also allows a SSH connection to be rejected if the web server is not running.
  • Case 93734: The status/update connection between FastX sessions and the FastX web server is more robust.
  • Case 93715: Added a tool to migrate FastX 3 configuration
  • Case 93713: A tmpfiles.d configuration is added that causes FastX files in /tmp to be removed on a system reboot. The files had been left in /tmp if the system were rebooted while FastX sessions were still running.
  • SELinux fixes for RHEL 8
  • Case 93689: Handle misconfiguration of the SERVICES configuration variable in a more user friendly way
  • Case 93684: Prevent a crash when an invalid TCP port is received

4.0.55
August 27, 2024

  • Case 93691: Node.JS version 18 or later is now required
  • The install/activate script can be used for fastx-web licenses
  • Case 93642: Advanced services will work with node 18
  • Case 93600: Fix tools/reset-admin to work in interactive mode
  • Case 93595: SELinux fixes for fastx4-nats

4.0.53
August 7, 2024

  • Case 93588: Auto-connect to a session even when the session scheduler takes up to 60 seconds before the session is started.
  • Case 93522: The FX_VAR_DIR directory can now be in a location other than the default (/var/fastx), and the “license” subdirectory can still be found by the FastX sessions.
  • Case 93604: License key “fastx-advanced” has been replaced with “fastx-web” (since it is only used by the FastX web server). This license is also available to FlexLM customers.
  • Case 90388: Fixes for session sharing
  • Disable clipboard if browser doesn’t support it
  • Case 93572: More reliable communication with sessions in cluster
  • Case 93156: Minor changes to the way D-Bus is launched
  • Case 93576: Launching custom session from default app
  • Case 93569: Fixes to launcher scripts

4.0.51
July 19, 2024

  • Case 93511, case 93556, case 93566: This version will work on FIPS-enabled systems
  • Case 93534, case 93537: Minor changes to admin license page
  • Case 93554: Fix issue when creating forms

4.0.49
July 15, 2024

  • FastX version now appears at the bottom of the sessions page
  • Logging improvements
  • Case 93547: Initial install now works properly
  • Case 93544: Login on cluster system works properly
  • Case 92655: FX_VAR_DIR/env is unneeded and no longer used. Instead local settings (e.g. certificate file) can be set in FX_LOCAL_DIR/fastx.env file.
  • Case 93523: Sessions will be removed from sessions window when cluster member on which they are running disconnects (or is shut down)
  • Case 93514: Fixes for connecting to sessions running on a different cluster member

4.0.47
July 8, 2024

  • Case 93529, 93523: Cluster support
  • Case 93476: FastX Advanced is included in package
  • Case 93514: SELinux: Allow NFS-mounted /var/fastx for clustering
  • Case 93533: New RLM version 16.0 (licensing)
  • Case 93495: Fix permissions problem preventing login
  • Case 93524: Report hostname where session is running
  • Case 93516: XFCE4 on Ubuntu needed D-Bus
  • Case 93511: VirtualGL detection is enabled by default
  • Case 93503: Fix “missing” apps based on saved filter
  • Case 90388: Fixes to session sharing
  • ARM builds are available

4.0.45
June 5, 2024

  • Case 93132, 93148: SSH connection loads application icons asynchronously. (Note: This feature requires client 4.0.1 or later and will be most helpful in installations with a large number of FastX applications.)
  • Case 93410: When connecting with SSH, create the authentication file in FX_TEMP_DIR (unless FX_LINK_DIR or TMPDIR are set)
  • SELinux fix: Allow fastx-sshd (and sshd) to listen to port 3322 (and other ports)
  • RedHat 8 installation: Require Node.JS version at least 1:14, instead of 0:14

4.0.43
May 14, 2024

  • Case 93407: Allow FastX 3 to run after a FastX 4 install

4.0.41
May 9, 2024

  • Case 93376: Allow the customer to remove welcome messages, etc.
  • Case 92215: Performance settings menu is now backwards compatible with FastX 3 desktop client
  • Case 92215: Performance settings added to web client
  • SELinux: Make the fastx_t label not “permissive”. This is more secure and the correct thing to do, but could potentially cause issues that we should monitor.
  • Case 92405: Added SAML metadata
  • Case 93394: Old “profile” label removed in session popup window
  • Case 93393: Allow a cloned session to run as soon as it is saved
  • Case 93358: Fix welcome page
  • Case 93407: Fixes to the SELinux module

4.0.39
April 30, 2024

  • Case 93358: An option to add the admin login button has been added.
  • Case 93384: When a license server is added from the Admin page, the file is named after the hostname of the license server.
  • Case 93383: saving HTTP headers fixed
  • Case 93379: Don’t ship a copy of VirtualGL. Instead add it as a “suggested package”. If VirtualGL is on the system, use it.
  • Case 93387: Since performance settings are not yet implemented, the menu to set them has been removed from the Admin page.

4.0.37
April 22, 2024

  • When connecting to localhost, allow a non-encrypted connection
  • Fix tools/fastx-cli
  • Case 93313: The UI will show if the fastx4-advanced package is active
  • Case 93331: Fix reset-admin script
  • Case 93356: Fix checking if FX_CONFIG_DIR is read-only
  • Case 93358: Re-added welcome page
  • Case 93349: New install/license-server script
  • Added VirtualGL logging for better debugging

4.0.35
April 2, 2024

  • Case 93280: Allow the login name to be modified. (E.g. transform “user@AD-domain” to “user”.)
  • Case 92937: “Click to activate license” successfully goes to “admin license” page. Other admin pages can now be bookmarked in the browser.
  • Miscellaneous SELinux fixes
  • Case 93293: Fix tools/fastx-cli
  • Case 93284, case 93285, case 93295: Fixes and improvements to “user applications”. (A user application is a FastX Application created by a non-admin as a “personal application”. They can be created and edited from the main Sessions page.)
  • Case 93290: Fix for Applications with non-ascii characters (e.g. Japanese or Greek, like π).
  • Case 93294: When an admin creates a new Application (in /etc/fastx/apps) it is now world-readable. This allows it to be used even in failsafe mode (when the FastX web server is not running).
  • Case 93164: The Advanced repository has been created with the fastx4-advanced and fastx4-nats packages.
  • Case 93084: Fixes to fastx4-nats package.
  • Case 93125: BMP (uncompressed) codec added in preparation for possible future external compressor, for possible video compression.

4.0.33
February 8, 2024

  • A “fastx2” license key will no longer work. Only “fastx” keys are supported.
  • Case 93163: Automatically update apps when a file in the apps directory is changed, added, or deleted.
  • Case 92775: Allow the /etc/fastx and /var/fastx directories to be shared among several FastX servers.
  • If a license file has a bad hostname, give a better error. Previously it said: “Error -43”. (This fix has also been applied to the FastX 3 branch, if we build another 3.3 version.)
  • Case 93190: Don’t generate build_id links (used for debugging), because this caused conflicts with certain other packages installed on RedHat 8.

4.0.29
January 31, 2024

  • Case 93174: Fixed the ability to upload an icon (e.g. for a new app)
  • Case 93172: Fixed the ability for an admin to add HTTPS headers
  • Case 93173: Cloning an app will copy the command
  • Case 93169: When restarting the fastx4 service, give it time to shut down
  • Case 93183: If a load balancer script returns an unknown code, translate that to an HTTP 500 error
  • Case 93182: The name is LOAD_BALANCER_SCRIPT, not LOAD_BALANCER_CUSTOM_SCRIPT
  • Case 93186: Installing on Ubuntu/Debian without SELinux no longer shows an error

4.0.29
January 26, 2024

  • Debian build fixed
  • Case 93170: The “install” directory has been cleaned. There are now only 3 scripts:
    • activate – Generate license file from activation key
    • apps – (Re)generate FastX apps from apps on system (e.g. Gnome, xterm)
    • non-root – Setup a non-root installation of the package
  • Case 93169: Space is saved by moving common node packages to a single directory. (This reduced the package size by 4M.)

4.0.27
January 24, 2024

  • Early Access Release
    • RHEL 8 or higher is required

4.0 beta build 2011
January 23, 2024

  • Case 93156: D-Bus is launched before GNOME desktop and GNOME Terminal.
  • Several Debian/Ubuntu installation fixes
  • Case 93160: License activation on clean install

4.0 beta build 2009
January 18, 2024

  • Case 93145: Allows the user to save the connection type (web client)
  • Case 93148: This should show the application icons in a browser client web connection.
  • SELinux permissions added (mostly for fastx4-rlm)

4.0 beta build 2007
January 16, 2024

  • Case 93135: Desktop client can now make web connections to server.
  • Case 92939: A session can be launched via fastx4-sshd (when the user’s link script is not running).
  • Case 93142: Fix “uptime” value in session list
  • Case 93034: Fix background color
  • Case 93140: An newly created application can now be deleted.
  • Case 93139: Make an appropriate default icon for newly created application.

Changes in FastX 4