Blog posts tagged with 'ica'
As you may have seen in previous blog discussions some of us are very keen on the idea of a device that goes beyond the existing smartphone limitations of small screens and keyboards. The ability to connect to XenApp - XenDesktop from a phone and view it ( & use it ) on a large screen is now possible. This video demos the Nirvana Phone concept with an iMate 6150 and a Redfly from Celio. We are not at Nirvana yet, but these devices make it visible we are getting closer.
| Do you ever go on trips and wish you could leave your laptop home? | Choose |
|---|---|
| All the time |  |
| Occasionally | |
| Wishfull thinking .. | |
Let us know of other candidates for the Nirvana Phone, and what you think is still missing.
If you are interested in running ICA client on Linux, I've created two short videos showing the step by step instructions. Unlike windows ICA client, installing Linux version of ICA client requires more steps although it is relatively straight forward after you watch the video I hope. I used Ubuntu Linux as an example. Other Linux distributions may work slightly differently.
The embedded videos don't have associated notes. Please click the links below to see the same video with notes and at a higher resolution
Click here to watch the "how to install ICA client" video with notes.
Click here to watch the "how to use ICA client" video with notes.
Click here to see all of my videos.
Here is my earlier blog that is related to installing ICA client on Ubuntu.
I hope you find the videos useful. Love to hear your feedbacks. For example, your experience with other Linux distributions will be interesting.
Acknowledgment:
I found many articles on the Internet about installing ICA client on Linux. Here are some good examples I referenced
Running Windows applications on the iPhone may not be a high priority for Steve Jobs, but for many IT users and providers the desire seems to be increasing. The recent SDK and upcoming release of the Apple 3G iPhone has increased the interest in Citrix enabling iPhone access to XenApp hosted Windows applications. We are always encouraging expanded access to XenApp from any suitable device and the iPhone appears to be a very good candidate. The great screen and touch features would provide usable viewing of apps even though they were designed for bigger screens. Plus the improved email and networking capability of the device can now make it a real contender for business use. The iPhone could be even be the " Nirvana Phone " if a new docking station was offered to provide video access to a full sized monitor plus a standard keyboard.
So the question is one of priority and market demand, where does this fit on the list of nice to have vs. must have now, and does the solution need to come from Citrix or could it be partner provided such as the Rove Mobile client for BlackBerry. We encourage your opinions and feedback.
| Do you need a Citrix client for the iPhone ? | Choose |
|---|---|
| I want it for myself | |
| I need it for my company users ( and myself ) | |
| Cool, but my company is not likely to enable it | |
Wanted to do a quick post on some of the cool gadgets we will be demoing in the Geek Speak Lounge at Synergy 2008 sponsored by Intel. Alot of the devices are the ones you may have seem me blog on earlier, and a few are potential candidates to add into the mix down the road. Here's your chance to get hands on with some of these next generation access devices, and BYOG (Bring Your Own Gadget) that you think would make a good Nirvana Device candidate for use with Citrix:
If you look close you'll see 4 of these devices actively connected to a XenDesktop, and 2 of them remoting that desktop from the device out to a larger screen in true Nirvana Device fashion!
Devices shown starting in the front and moving counter clockwise:
- i-Mate 9502
- Impatica Showmate
- Nokia 810N
- HP iPAQ 210 - accessing a XenDesktop
- i-Mate 6150 (behind the iPAQ) - accessing a XenDesktop connected to the 22" Dell Monitor
- Celio Redfly Mobile Companion
- Sprint Treo 700wx (on the Redfly) - accessing a XenDesktop connected to the Redfly
- Nokia E90 - accessing a XenDesktop
- Nokia E61i
All of the devices shown currently work with XenApp and XenDesktop except for the Nokia 810N. Intel will also be providing some prototype devices to show off as well.
We'll also be following up to this post with a full rundown of all of the cool stuff that you can see and use in the GS Lounge early next week!
Look forward to seeing you and hearing your comments in the Geek Speak Lounge at Synergy 2008
PS: You might even have a chance to one of these cool devices home with you from the show to use with your own XenApp and soon XenDesktop environment!!!
There are millions of gaming consoles out there, they should be being leveraged to deliver the fullest set of media possible, and it is possible to do without changing a thing, sort of!
The gaming console has evolved into being much more than just for gaming, it is becoming a media conduit for access to all kinds of media.
I am going to blur the line on the definition of media and include web, applications, and desktops as a type of media, because they are also media.
The ongoing perception is that the gaming console should only be focused on being a gaming console. Also, there is the argument that if gaming consoles started to have to worry about adding new features that they would lose focus of what they were intended to be in the first place. Well, I do agree to a point that it should first and foremost be what it was originally designed for, a gaming console. Another argument is the fear that if the gaming console becomes too much like a PC, you now would have to worry about installing applications, getting updates for applications, and then there is the whole virus issue. I believe that there is a middle ground to the issue, in that the industry has been delivering applications for a while now, companies like Citrix and Microsoft have pioneered the application delivery industry, there is no need to develop applications for a given platform.
I titled this article in reference to the XBOX 360, but it also applies to the Wii and the PS3, as these gaming media consoles are capable of internet connections, they have the ability to support USB and Wireless peripherals such as a keyboard and mouse, and they all support a high enough video resolution that the on screen user experience would not be diminished. We are already seeing the user experience on small form factor and mobile devices being greatly enhanced with true web browsing, remote applications, and remote desktops.
Also, I used reference to the ICA and RDP protocols for good reason, as these protocols have already solved the problems of application and desktop delivery. In a minimalistic approach and a starting point, we could leverage these protocols to access a remote desktop to computers on our home networks, just as Microsoft is doing with their Media Center Extender abilities already with the XBOX 360. In a grander vision, it would be something truly amazing to be able to utilize them to also access published applications that exist on the internet or the work place, over secured connections of course, which these protocols already do.
Is the gaming console in jeopardy of becoming something much bigger, and quite possibly becoming a Cloud Computing Device, it's hard to say, but I for one hope that we see the convergence and use of remote desktop and remote application abilities given serious thought for the gaming console.
Frameworkx Community Blog - What if the XBOX 360 supported the RDP Protocol?
Use of the Citrix ICA client on mobile devices that have VGA resolution or larger, or companion devices such as the Celio Redfly changes the game a bit when using the Citrix ICA client to connect to full Win32 applications delivered by Citrix Xenapp. The increased resolution can leverage some configuration changes on the ICA client to get more optimal usage. Below are some tweaks that you can do to get a more "Nirvana" like experience with such devices. This setting was used in the demo blog entries previously posted.
Most Win32 applications are usable at a VGA 640x480 resolution, so I recommend running ICA in full screen mode on mobile devices that support VGA resolution. This allows the user to get rid of the program bar at the top of the screen and the navigation tool bar at the bottom of the ICA client. Comparison pictures below (Note: screen clarity is degraded in the below screen shots, native screen is clear). Caution, when you run in full screen mode, you will not have access to the local keyboard button, thus if you device does not have a QWERTY keyboard, you should have a Bluetooth keyboard connected.
HP iPaq 210 running ICA connection to SAP Enterprise Portal without the Full Screen option set. Notice the screen space that is lost at the top and bottom of the screen.
HP iPaq 210 running ICA connection to SAP Enterprise Portal with the Full Screen option set. This allows you to leverage the full resolution of the device.
To set the Full Screen option, simply follow the steps below. Note that this is a global option and all of the apps you launch will come up in Full Screen mode.
In the Programs area, start "ICA Client":
This should launch the ICA Client UI into your browser.
Select "Edit Global Settings" from this screen:
Select "Edit Preferences" on the next page:
Scroll down to the "Enable Full Screen" check box and select it:
Scroll down to the bottom and select the "Save" button:
So if you have a mobile device that supports VGA 640x480 resolution or higher, you might try the above settings to get a better user experience. Also, if you need to access another application on the mobile device while running a XenApp or XenDesktop session in Full Screen mode, you can always hit the Windows button on your device to pull up the devices start menu as shown below.
So our search for the Nirvana Smartphone, or companion device at CTIA 2008 comes to an end with this post. Our friends at i-mate have gotten us another device to put through the Hotel Acid Test. In this case an i-mate Ultimate 9502. I'll let you check out the full specs on their website, but this device packs VGA 640x480 resolution onto a 2.8" screen. The clarity of the screen is very good, allowing you to clearly read the text, but again, some may need to pull out the reading glasses when not connected to an external monitor. Stand-alone pics below:
Pic 1: 9502's browser connected to Web Interface.
Pic 2: 9502 connected to a published desktop.
So how did it do in our Hotel Acid Test, not bad. While the VGA resolution is a little tight on the native screen, it works well when output to a larger monitor. As with the 6150, there is no noticeable latency when outputting the video to the TV. The 9502 uses a RCA audo video cable to output to the external monitor, and it's not quite as clear as the 6150 which uses a VGA cable, but still very usable. The icons are a little fuzzy, but I'm having not problem using this setup. You also get a fade-in effect of the letters when typing, but again, not a big deal IMO. Again, the network connection is 3G WWAN on ATT, and latency while using Word is not an issue at all, very responsive.
Pic 3: 9502 connected to hotel TV using RCA audo/video cable.
You are currently limited to the 640x480 resolution even when attached to an external monitor, which is fine for most Win32 apps, or desktops. But it sure would be nice to have 1024x768 or larger functionality down the road. The VGA 640x480 resolution could also be less than optimal if connecting to an overhead projector while giving a presentation.
But in general, I'm liking this device as well. Seems to have a good mix features that's making using it with XenApp for this post rather comfortable. Very quick and responsive as I'm typing this post. Maybe not the ultimate Nirvana Smartphone, but definitely a potential contender in today's market. I can definitely see certain road warriors leaving their laptop at home if they have this in their pocket.
Being this is my last post, I had to try my favorite test on a mobile device, viewing a 3D AutoDesk design from XenApp on a mobile device over ICA, you gotta love SpeedScreen! We gotta get another video of this demo out, but this time running to an external monitor! A still shot shown below.
Pic 4: AutoDesk Design Review delivered by XenApp to the 9502 output to the hotel TV. I cut the flash on this pic so the screen didn't wash out as much.
Unfortunatley, you get not sense of the performance with a still pic.
Got some comments on this use case, give us your feedback.
As I stated in my previous post, there is no one Nirvana devicethat will fit everyone's tastes, so here's another twist on the topic.
Impatica Showmate is a device, call it a "puck", that you make a Bluetooth connection to from your smartphone using its Screen Projector software that you install on your smartphone. A VGA cable is connected between the Showmate and the monitor you want to use. You must register your mobile device with the Showmate. Simply start the installed client on mobile device, enter in a few numbers from the bottom of the Showmate to register. Then you just choose what registered Showmate device you want to connect to and hit select. Your screen then pops up on the monitor the Showmate is connected to.
Pic 1: Picture of the Showmate "puck", and VGA and USB power ports.
Impatica was in the BlackBerry booth at CTIA showing their Showmate working with BlackBerry phones. As part of the demo environment, they had the Rove Mobile Citrix Client on demo BB, and showed how they can remote the ICA presentation to an external monitor. As you can see from the show pics below, they have some novel ideas about using this type of setup on portable LCD screens and such that you would find in police squad cars or utility trucks. Great idea, especially when matched with the Rove Mobile Citrix Client to get access to all kinds of data from the secured data center.
Pic 3: Michael Doyle, Impatica Director, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer showing the Impatica Showmate at CTIA 2008.
Pic 4: Showmate displaying a BlackBerry screen onto a portable LCD monitor inside a customer UI, mock of a law enforcement unit. You can see the ICA session imbedded in the customer UI.
To stay consistent, I put the Impatica Showmate through the same hotel acid test I did with the other vendors. I must note that the Windows Mobile Impatica ScreenProjector client that I'm using as I type this is still in Beta. I used the Showmate with 2 devices, a Dell Axim X51v and an ATT 8525. Latency on the X51v was very noticeable at times on the X51v, but response was good when using the 8525. Note sure if this is related to old .vs. newer hardware/Bluetooth stacks, or the fact that the X51v has a larger resolution. In general basic text entry like I'm doing now is pretty good. Again, thanks to the Impatica team for getting us this beta to try. I'm sure they still have some tuning tweaks up their sleeves before GA.
The script is the same, in this case I'm using the Dell Axim X51v connected to the Showmate via Bluetooth to VGA out to the hotel's flat screen TV. This picture below is an actual picture of the creation of the text for this blog using a XenApp connection to a published desktop, and running MS Word on that desktop over ICA. This is where I stop and take the picture 
Pic 5: Show mate connecting the Axim X51v running the ICA cleint to the hotel TV, and bluetooth mouse and keyboard.
The Showmate form factor is interesting in that you can see the device, or derivative of this device being imbedded in other devices to meet different goals, as shown in there show demo pciture above with a custom UI on the mountable LCD screen. Imagine the use case of a utility working or law enforcement office having a mobile device that when in there car or truck is having applications and data delivered to them via XenApp or XenDesktop. But once they exit their vehicle, they take the mobile device with them and continue to have the same apps and data delivered to them, just on the native screen of the mobile device. Whether it be a policeman on foot, or a utility working working on a transformer in the bucket of his boom truck. A very interesting modular device approach IMO. But at the same time, I can see road warriors carrying the Showmate with them to do presentations from their mobile phone, or use in the hotel as I am. You can read more on their website, but they already have a lot of road warriors using their Showmate today. They also have a product that compresses PowerPoint presentations, and then an optimized viewer to run the presentation from the mobile device. You can get more details on this from their website.
So does the Showmate pass the Hotel acid test? Yes, I've been able to create this post using the Showmate, and my mobile device, and it does provide benefits described around a Nirvana Deviceuse case. So it's definitely another option, with it's own twist on the Nirvana Device seach.
Like this twist, tell us why or why not. As always, we are looking for your input on defining the Nirvana Devicefor use with XenApp and XenDesktop.
The next find on our quest for the Nirvana Smartphoneis the i-mate Ultimate 6150 (i-mate 6150 web site) shown below. The 6150's native screen resolution is VGA 640x480, making it natively more suitable for displaying Win32 apps via XenApp than most QVGA screens.
Pic 1: 6150's browser connected to Web Interface ready to authenticate.
Pic 2: 6150 running a full published desktop at 640x480. I probably should have cleaned the screen before taking the picture
So what makes the 6150 a Nirvana Devicecandidate (Original Nirvana Device Post), it's got video output natively built into the device. The 6150 comes with a VGA adapter cable that connects into the side of the device, so you can then connect it to a monitor that accepts VGA input. The 6150 comes with software that when activated changes the device resolution to 1024x768, turns the 6150's screen into a touchpad mouse and displays the 1024x768 output to the connected monitor. Unfortunately, the cable that I have with my demo device is only about 4ft long and did not reach to the table that was working from, so I'm using my Bluetooth mouse and keyboard instead. Might be something for the i-mate team to look at.
Pic 3: 6150 External output software.
Pic 4: 6150 connected to the hotel's flatscreen TV, running a published desktop from XenApp. MS Word is open and I'm working on this text using this setup. The 6150 is the at the base of the TV in this pic.
All of the work to create this post will be using the 6150 connected to a published desktop in my hotel room using the flat screen TV as an external monitor (except for photo resizing which I will do with my OQO, being I don't have photo shop installed on our XenApp demo server). Seems like a real world use case to me.
In general, I like the 6150, and it is the closest device I've gotten my hands on to date to hit Chris Fleck's Nirvana deviceconcept. Personally, I like devices to have a QWERTY keyboard on the native device as well, and I hope to get a chance to try the i-mate 8150 down the road, which does have a QWERTY and VGA out capability. I also like the fact that the VGA feature is native to the device, so I don't need to carry anything extra but the VGA cable. Flip side is that unlike the Redfly (Celio Redfly post), if I don't have a monitor handy, let's say in the airport, I'm restricted to the native screen of the 6150. Hey, if i-mate gives me a really long cable, maybe I can plug into one the TVs in the airport that always running CNN
So how do I rate the 6150 as a Nirvana device candidate, again I give it an "I like it". I think I'd like the 8150 even better with the QWERTY keyboard, but in terms of it being a smartphone that I can run XenApp applications natively and then attach it an external monitor to extend the usability, it passes my initial hotel acid test. At the end of the day, a Nirvana SmartPhoneis a personal choice. So if you're interested in the concept, I'd say that the i-mate 6105 is one to have a look at.
As always, give us your feed back on this topic. I've got a few more entries on more devices from the show to come. Hopefully one will be the Nirvana Smartphone you're looking for to use with XenApp or soon XenDesktop, and you can leave the laptop at home on that next business trip. As with all of the devices being tried, we will get some more hands on time with them when I get back to FTL. We'll try and update if we find anything new.
This little application verifies the version of both Citrix Client and the Remote Desktop Client.
It's a cool app that allows your help desk run on client machines and not relie on users to tell you what version they are running.
This tool was written by our good friend Alex author of iShadow and fellow Microsoft MVP.
Download: ICA RDP Version Checker
Gus Pinto, Microsoft MVP
Technology Evangelist
Frameworkx.com
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