Newbie to Citrix: General Questions

[mortsdeh]

Hi,

The company I work for are performing a job for a client using Citrix MetaFrame XPa FR2 SP2. It is up to me to familiarize myself with how a citrix environment works. I have been reading, mostly on the citrix official web site. but I would also like to have a discussion here. I hope you will be patient with me having very little knowledge about Citrix.

The idea is: A production environment having several different stations where work are performed. These stations will have thin clients connected to Citrix MetaFrame. Access rights or policies should be applied to each station to determine what part of the production process each station could access. The clients should only access the information necessary to perform work at their respective stations.

Questions:
1. What does XPa and FR2 mean (I guess SP stands for Service Pack)?

2. What are needed more than the current Citrix Metaframe XPa FR2 SP2 environment to make this happen?

3. I have read some about Citrix Access Gateway (SE, AE and EE), Advanced Access Control and Endpoint Analysis. Are these part of the Citrix MetaFrame XPa FR2 SP2 or are they separate licenses?

4. Will any more licenses of other Citrix products be needed?

5. Can anyone point me to relevant articles or information on the Internet I should read?

6. Are there any more questions I should answer but haven't thought of?

I am very grateful for all answers to my questions,
Best
Mortsdeh

 

[ascotta]

Hi Mortsdeh,

Firstly XPa FR2 SP is very veery old hat. Let me explain.

Yes SP means service Pack, but it is also used in conjunction (usually with FR) FR = Feature Release. And XP is the platform.

I believe currently we are at PS (Presentation server v 4)

Which ois quite a bit more advanced than what you are dealing with production wise.

You are very correct to be reading the Citrix web site about current releases.

Access Gateway is the way to go. I have been here for a while, but sadly am no longer involved in Citrix, however as Citrix was my life(how sad is that) for 10 years from Winframe to PS4 then I want to give as much of my experience as I can, becasue it is a stunning product.

[blue] A perspective from the other side!![/blue]

Cheers
Scott

 

[mortsdeh]

Thank you Scott for your answer. I am beginning to get the concept of Citrix. I have been reading about Citrix and thin clients on the web site

http://www.thin-world.com/.

A good site.

When you say that it is a very old hat, how old do you mean? 2 years, 4 years?

I have assumed that XPa means "Citrix MetaFrame XP Presentation Server version ?, Advanced Server" Is that correct?

I will deal with Citrix most certainly on a Windows Environment. Is it always the case that it is Terminal Services Application Servers that are used, or are there other options in the Windows Environment?

Best
Mortsdeh

 

[ascotta]

Yes XP is the generic name it is now PS Presentation Server XP is at least two years old. SP2 anf FR 2 are at least 4 years old.

[blue] A perspective from the other side!![/blue]

Cheers
Scott

 

[mortsdeh]

Hi again. I am hoping for some new answers on some questions

1. Are the XPa FR2 SP2 shipped with Secure Gateway or Access Gateway, or are additional licenses required?

2. Can XPa FR2 SP2 run both Secure Gateway and Access Gateway?

3. Are ICA and RDP two protocols for connecting thin clients to the Citrix servers? What are the differences?

Grateful for answers,
Best
/M

 

[ascotta]

1. No they are different products

2. As far as I am aware Secure Gateway and Access Gateway enable users to get to XPa FR2 SP2

3 ICA and RDP are two protocols. Usually RDP connects to Terminal Services Only, and ICA connects to Terminal Services with Citrix products on them. I mean usually.

[blue] A perspective from the other side!![/blue]

Cheers
Scott

 

[mortsdeh]

I now have som more information on the computer environment.

The servers are W2K SP4 with Citrix MetaFrame XPa FR2 SP2 (i.e. not an Advanced Server and not yet a presentation server because that is SP3).

The thin clients are Neoware C50 with NeoLinux installed on them. When booted, a W2K SP4 desktop are shown.

Questions:
1. How is application access control normally done in this thin client environment? Only applications necessary to perform the job at each station should be accessed. I have read something about ezConnect. Is this enough to perform access control?

2. Can Secure Gateway or Access Gateway be used in this setup?

3. Which of ICA or RDP are most often used in this environment?

Best
/M

 

[ascotta]

ICA would be the protocol of choiec here.

Secondly, unless the thin clients have an inbuilt ICA client(Citrix Client) then they will have to be delivered a desktop. (You could install Citrix client onto the Servers and publish that and then get teh this clients to connect to that.

If it is desktops then I am afraid we a talking profiles.

Secure Gateway will not help in this, access gateway may, I don't know enough about the product anymore.

[blue] A perspective from the other side!![/blue]

Cheers
Scott

 

[darren97]

ascotta

I can't add any more to your post, but I am gutted that you are out of the frame, you have been a valuable resource to me from a citrix pov on many ocassions,,,I hope it's big bucks that have lured u away from citrix!!!

Regards, Darren

 

[ascotta]

Thank you very much Darren97, much appreciated. I may be out of the game but I can still be valuable here, I do know how the product work just not as granularly as before.

No not big bucks, but I moved me and my family to Oz from Scotland. There is only one Citrix install within 300 miles of where I live so I have to go back to general support. But I do get to learn how to do other suff now. Writing web sites in dotnet and the likes which is interesting.

[blue] A perspective from the other side!![/blue]

Cheers
Scott