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Cloud Networking is fast
You can create a complete end-to-end network from the datacenter to the cloud. All cloud servers communicate securely over SSL VPN.
Between the datacenter and the Amazon EC2 cloud is a site-to-site SSL VPN built with Vyatta. On the XenApp server in the cloud runs the Citrix Accelerator which connects back to the Citrix Branch Repeater/WANScaler at the datacenter, to accelerate data connections. The Citrix Accelerator makes cloud computing fast, Vyatta makes it secure.
The reason for using Vyatta site-to-site SSL VPN between the datacenter and Amazon EC2 cloud is there needs to be a secure network between the two for the transfer of data. The Vyatta AMI (Amazon Machine Image) can also function as a complete router and firewall. The Vyatta SSL VPN router provides security with scalability.
As you can see from the network diagram and video, complete routing from the datacenter to the Amazon cloud network is seamless. Data resides at the datacenter and is accessed, over the SSL VPN, by the Application running in XenApp. The remote user connects to XenApp, runs the application, and the application delivers the data to the remote user, quickly and securely.
To get your own cloud, go here.
Configurations used
Vyatta SSL VPN (V1) - Datacenter Configuration
Vyatta SSL VPN (V2) - Cloud Configuration
Windows VPN Client - Cloud Configuration
Links for this solution
Vyatta - go here
Amazon EC2 - go here
XenServer is Free! - go here
XenApp - go here
XenApp VPN Client - go here
Dell Server - go here
IP Addresses - go here
Watch This
Its powerful AppExpert!
In my last post, I discussed the new look and feel for our Access Gateway user experience. Most of the focus was about the consistency of user experience across Citrix Delivery Center. Well, the WANScaler product team has done the same with the Accelerator client plug-in. The Accelerator desktop icon is pretty cool...
The real value of Accelerator is that it makes things go faster (hence the name, gotta love those creative marketing folks 
).
In my job, the biggest kick that I get with Accelerator is when I transfer files from my laptop to my V: drive on the network. First pass on a big Powerpoint presentation download can take a couple of minutes across the world, but then after a few tweaks to the file, the upload takes less than 10 seconds. There is no way that I'll ever let someone take this away from me.
The performance improvement is a result of Delta compression where only the changes are re-transmitted. The running joke is that we'll improve this someday and call it Gamma compression.
The geek in me has fun opening the Accelerator Manager window and watching the Performance page. The more light blue in the graph the better. Here, it's making my home DSL line feel like I'm in the office on the LAN.
Accelerator integrates with the Access Gateway client so that you get the combined benefit of a fast and secure connection when you are remote. Although, I run in this mode on our open wireless network when in the office as well. More on this some other time...
With the Accelerator icon running in my systray, I know that WANScaler and the Accelerator client plug-in are quietly working in the background to make my experience "LAN-like" everywhere I connect.
Go Fast!
Gordon 