Step 4: Create a connection file (optional) - Amazon DCV
Creating the connection fileSupported parametersRunning the connection file

Step 4: Create a connection file (optional)

Using the Windows, Linux, or macOS native client, you can create a connection file that you can use to instantly connect to a Amazon DCV session.

Creating the connection file

The connection file is a text-based file with a .dcv file extension. The format of the .dcv file is similar to that of an .ini file. The file includes [groups] followed by the parameters and their values. The groups and parameters take the following format:


[group_name]
parameter_name=parameter_value

For example:


[options]
fullscreen=true

You can create a connection file for a specific Amazon DCV session directly from the client. Or, alternatively, you can create a connection file from scratch using a text editor.

Note

The procedure for creating a connection file from scratch using a text editor is the same for the Windows, Linux, and macOS clients.

To create a connection file from the client

  1. Open the client.

  2. Connect to the server and session where you are creating the file.

  3. Select the hostname for the Amazon DCV server in the top-right corner and choose Save Connection As.

  4. In the Save As window, enter a file name and destination folder, and choose Save.

By default, when you create a connection file, the file includes the format, host, port, user, and proxytype parameters. These parameters are required to connect to the session that the file was created from. You can manually customize or add parameters at any time by editing the file using a text editor.

To create a connection file from scratch using a text editor

  1. Create a .dcv file with the following file name format: file_name.dcv

  2. Open the .dcv file using your preferred text editor.

  3. Add the [version] group and format parameter to the top of the file in the following format:

    [version]
format=1.0
    Important

    If the .dcv file doesn't include the [version] group and format parameter, parsing fails.

  4. Add the required parameter groups using the following format:

    [group_name]

    For more information about the parameter groups, see Supported parameters.

  5. Add the parameters and parameter values after the groups using the following format:

    parameter_name=parameter_value
    Note

    • Parameter names are case sensitive.

    • Don't enclose string parameter values in quotation marks.

    For more information about the parameters and parameter values, see Supported parameters.

  6. Save the changes and close the .dcv file.

You can also use this procedure to add additional parameters to an existing connection file at any time.

Supported parameters

Currently, the .dcv file supports parameters in three parameter groups—[version], [connect], and [options]. The following tables list the groups and their available parameters.

[version] parameters

Important

This is a required group. If your .dcv file doesn't include this group, parsing fails.

The following table lists the parameters that can be specified in the [version] group.

Parameter Type Default value Description
format string
Important

This is a required parameter. The parameter value must be 1.0.

If your .dcv file doesn't include this parameter, parsing fails.

[connect] parameters

The following table lists the parameters that can be specified in the [connect] group.

Parameter Type Default value Description
host String The hostname of the Amazon DCV server hosting the session.
port Integer 8443 The port to use when connecting to the Amazon DCV server.
weburlpath String A custom path on the Amazon DCV server for connection. For example, if you specify customPath, the client attempts to connect to host:port/customPath.
sessionid String The ID of the Amazon DCV session to connect to.
authtoken String The authentication token to be used for the connection. If you specify an authtoken, you must also specify a sessionid. When using authtoken, you can omit the user and password parameters.
user String The user name to use when connecting to the Amazon DCV server.
password String The password to use when connecting to the Amazon DCV server. The password isn't encrypted.
proxytype String SYSTEM The proxy type to be used. Valid values include HTTPS, HTTP, SOCKS5|SOCKS, SYSTEM, or NONE|DIRECT. If you specify SYSTEM, your computer's proxy settings are used.
proxyhost String The address of the proxy server to be used if connecting through a proxy server.
proxyport Integer The port to be used if connecting through a proxy server.
proxyuser String The user name to be used for proxy authentication.
proxypassword String The password to be used for proxy authentication. The password isn't encrypted.
transport String auto

The protocol to use for data transport. With auto the client first tries to connect using the QUIC (UDP) protocol. If the QUIC connection fails, transport automatically falls back to websocket.

Specify websocket to use the WebSocket (TCP) protocol for data transport, or specify quic to use the QUIC (UDP) protocol for data transport. If you enable QUIC, the QUIC protocol is used for data transport and WebSocket is used for authentication traffic. If you enable WebSocket, the WebSocket protocol is used for both data transport and authentication traffic.
webport Integer 8443 The port to use for WebSocket (TCP) traffic.
quicport Integer 8443 The port to use for QUIC (UDP) traffic.
certificatevalidationpolicy String ask-user The policy for validating an untrusted certificate. Values include strict, accept-untrusted, and ask-user.

[options] parameters

The following table lists the parameters that can be specified in the [options] group.

Parameter Type Default value Description
fullscreen Boolean false Indicates whether the client starts in full screen mode.
useallmonitors Boolean false Indicates whether the client uses all monitors when starting full screen mode.
promptreconnect Boolean true Indicates whether the client prompts you to reconnect after you disconnect from a session. If the parameter is set to true, you're redirected to the sign-in screen when you disconnect. If the parameter is set to false, the client closes when you disconnect.
enableyuv444decoding Boolean false Indicates whether to enable the High color accuracy (YUV 4:4:4) when encoding dynamic video content.

Running the connection file

To run .dcv connection file, navigate to the file and double-click it.

Or, specify the file path as an argument for the dcvviewer command.

  • Windows client

    C:\> dcvviewer.exe path\connection_file_name.dcv

  • Linux and macOS client

    $ dcvviewer path/connection_file_name.dcv