Data on premise

XenApp Expansion Server AMI

This blueprint documents deploying Citrix XenApp in a private cloud environment to deliver Windows applications from the cloud over a secure VPN. Citrix XenApp is provided as an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) running in Amazon VPC. With this Citrix XenApp AMI, both hosted application and streaming application is supported. You must have a XenApp server farm, SQL database or Access database, and License Server on premise in your datacenter for this XenApp server to connect back to. This XenApp AMI, the expansion AMI, will connect back to your premise datacenter for license retrieval and SQL datastore. Customers and prospects will benefit from using this blueprint to gain experience with hosting applications, streaming applications and for testing applications prior to delivering them in their corporate environment.

Technical Overview

In this scenario, a single XenApp image instance can be started on the Amazon VPC infrastructure as an expansion to the XenApp farm back in your premise datacenter. This AMI does not contain the Citrix XenApp license server or SQL Server 2005 Express.

Users Connecting to VPC:

Currently, VPC is only accessible via site-to-site tunneling using IPSec between VPC and the customer datacenter. Users may reach the VPC instances through LAN, WAN or a VPN tunnel to the corporate network that can be routed to VPC. At present, soft client VPNs using IPSec or SSL are not supported.

Locating and Starting Citrix AMIs:

The Citrix AMI's can be located in Elasticfox, by navigating to "Images." Enter "Citrix" in the images field. The Citrix C3 images will be listed. You can launch any of them by performing a right-click and selecting "Launch Instance of this AMI." Select keypair, launch in VPC, and select a subnet.

XenApp Server Cloning:

If you are expanding for a high number of users, you will likely need to launch several instances of this AMI. The best way to clone servers and have them ready for use is to start with a base XenApp AMI and fully configure server settings and application installation to match the current production builds. Once done, bundle the AMI, then register the bundle as an AMI and store in Amazon S3. When live cutover is necessary, retrieve the AMIs and start your instances.

Domain Authentication:

This AMI is not a domain controller. You should be able to authenticate to your primary domain controller back at premise, across the VPN. You can also build a domain controller in the cloud, and authenticate to that.

Computer Name

The computer name or hostname of this machine is not tied to the Citrix XenApp license file. That is only required on the license server. You can and should change the hostname, domain and farm membership of this computer. The process is as follows:

• Navigate to computer -> properties. Change the computer name. Restart.
• Navigate to computer -> properties. Place the computer in your domain. Restart.
• Open a command prompt and run "chfarm". Join the existing XenApp farm back at your premise datacenter.

XenApp AMI Specifications:

AMI ID:

ami-3b1cff52

Bucket:

citrix-c3-lab

AMI Filename:

XenApp5.0_ExpansionServer_32bit_v1.3.manifest.xml

Platform:

Windows Server 2003 Service Pak 2, 32 bit. This AMI is based on or built on the Amazon base AMI ami-df4daab6, a windows authenticated platform that allows you to use authentication port numbers with the image. The machine is not part of a domain, so you will need to join your own domain. The domain controller can be at the premise datacenter or in the cloud.

This server does not have a datastore or license server installed. It is intended to be used as an add-on, or expansion server to expand an already existing farm back at the premise datacenter.

Credentials:

User: Administrator
Pass: Citrix123
Domain: CTXSlic1

Log in with the Administrator account and create user accounts.

Demo server uses:

You can use this demo server to test the expansion of an existing XenApp 5.0 farm for scalability and performance requirements.

You can demo pre-installed applications (notepad, internet explorer, server desktop), and your own installed applications. To do this point your browser to the public IP Address of the server. You can also test by pointing your XenApp hosted plugin to this address. The XenApp hosted plugin is commonly installed on the client's remote computer.

XenApp streaming is not configured, but this along with other XenApp 5.0 components can be installed quickly by navigating to the c:\inetpub\ftproot\XenApp5.0_W2K3 directory and launching autorun.exe from XA5_EN_W2K3. Components are contained in the XA5_EN_COM_W2K3 directory.

You can use this machine to profile, install, and publish your own applications for hosted as well as streaming delivery. Just install your application on the server, and refer to the Administrator Guide on the Citrix Knowledge Base at support.citrix.com.

The following Citrix components are installed on this Server:

• XenApp 5.0 for Windows Server 2003
• Hotfix Roll Up 4
• Web Interface 5.1.1

Licenses:

BYOL - Bring Your Own Licenses

• You will need a license for Microsoft Terminal Services

XenApp Configurations:

There are two Web Interface sites already created on this server. One Access Platform site and one XenApp Services site. The Access Platform site delivers applications through a web browser on port 80. The XenApp services site delivers applications through the XenApp plugin installed on the client machine.

The following applications are published on the XenApp server:
Installed Applications: Wordpad, Internet Explorer, Desktop.

Streamed applications are not pre-configured on this server.