General query re: Citrix

[TomKane]

Hi,

I have a query in relation to Citrix and would be grateful for any advice that you might have:

We have an application that we roll out to various users and it works but we are getting increasingly worried about the security aspect not to mention a bit fed up of rolling it out and the time taken, etc..

Somebody suggested Citrix as a possible solution as apparently you don't have to install the app as such on the users PC - which sounds great.

The thing is that we pretty much starting from scratch with this thing and really whet I'm asking for is advice as to where to start looking and pitfalls and problems to look out for.

Thanks in advance,
Tom

 

[CitrixEngineer]

It depends very much on the application in question and the scope of your deployment (number of users, etc);

Since we don't know what the application is, we cannot comment on any particular pitfalls.

A general rule of thumb is if the app works with Terminal Services, it will work with Citrix MetaFrame. This is reliable, since MetaFrame is based on the original code that Microsoft have since incorporated into Terminal Services.

Microsoft Office apps are easiest, since all (except Outlook) work "out of the box". MetaFrame similarly works from a default installation - but the biggest traps (as you will see from other postings on this site) are bespoke applications, remote connectivity and printing.

All 3 of these areas relate to the underlying Windows Server Operating System, so the trick is to get that working first, then concentrate on the Citrix features. Some smaller operations find that MetaFrame does not add enough value to what they are trying to achieve, so stick with Terminal Services. However, most businesses want to use the load-balancing, application publishing and extended client set that MetaFrame offers (I'd say these are the main advantages - YMMV).

If your deployment is for, say, 50 plus users, you may want to consider a multiple server farm running Citrix MetaFrame XPa, so that you can load-balance the applications for high availability.

This site will provide a lot of the help you need - so keep coming back! CitrixEngineer@yahoo.co.uk