Tech Papers

This article goes into depth on how zones work in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops environments. We also discuss the implications of putting items like delivery controllers, hypervisor connections, and machine catalogs into different zones. You might want to start by reading about zones in the Citrix product documentation. Primary and satellite zones Each site has one primary zone, which includes the central Site database and at least two Delivery Controllers. Secondary, or satellite zones, i

Zones Deployments that span widely dispersed locations connected by a WAN can face network latency and reliability issues. Rather than creating multiple Sites, of which each requires its own SQL Server Site database needed to manage separately, you can configure zones within a single Site. The impact of latency on brokering performance End users launch resources every day. With the addition of zones, users can now be on higher-latency links as long as there is a local broker. Extra latency

Microsoft SQL Server is an important component of any Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) deployment. To plan and understand Citrix SQL interactions is greatly beneficial to you and your organization in maintaining a healthy and well performing Citrix environment. Lacking SQL Server high availability and ample compute resources have a negative effect on the user experience and uptime of the Citrix infrastructure. Database summary There are 3 databases that are required / created during t

This tech paper provides information about accurately determining the RAM cache size when using the feature RAM cache with overflow to disk. RAM cache with overflow to disk is a Citrix Provisioning (PVS) feature where vDisk writes are written to Windows nonpaged pool RAM first. Once the user-specified RAM cache size has reached its specified size, PVS flushes the RAM cache content to disk to create room for new data. The RAM cache size fluctuates based on workload pattern and other variations

Overview This Tech Paper aims to convey what someone skilled in ADC would configure as a generic implementation. Power and lights out management settings If you have purchased a Citrix ADC appliance, you should ensure: The Citrix ADCs are deployed in locations separate enough to meet your high availability requirements. The redundant Power Supply Units on each ADC (if you have purchased such) are connected to separate electrical supplies. The lights out management card (if you hav

Overview Citrix Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is a cloud-based virtual desktop solution that allows organizations to provide remote access to their applications and desktops. Testing is essential for deploying Citrix DaaS for several reasons: Ensuring compatibility: Testing verifies that the Citrix DaaS solution is compatible with the existing IT infrastructure and applications in the organization. It helps identify any compatibility issues and provides an opportunity to resolve them before dep

With Citrix Director, you are able to configure policies and conditions that alert you when the configured threshold is breached. This feature was first introduced in XenDesktop 7.7 and is available today in all versions of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops. This article helps you configure your proactive alerts and notifications using the PowerShell cmdlets. Configuring the notification subscription Let’s assume that you are a Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops admin and you are trying to unde

Overview When deploying any operating system, the settings are always targeted for the most compatible settings to ensure that the device works and is the most backward compatible. The Windows Operating system is no different. The latest Windows releases have settings to allow it to function with releases from 20+ years ago, with few restrictions on what can be done within the operating system. Windows has its built-in Firewall, Antivirus, and Update settings that allow some protections. Still

Overview This article provides guidelines for troubleshooting Citrix Workspace app (CWA) issues on ChromeOS. Besides the prerequisites for CWA, the article discusses general troubleshooting guidelines, log collection, and information that the frontline support team must gather before the issue is escalated. Citrix and Google have both published articles on this topic. The purpose of this article is to provide all the information in one place. General Citrix Workspace app for ChromeOS is a na

Overview Citrix Workspace app for Windows provides access to a user’s resources using Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops. These resources include SaaS, web and legacy applications and desktops. Citrix Workspace app provides access from the desktop, start menu, Citrix Workspace user interface and web browsers. On a side note, it is possible to access resources on a Windows device using the Citrix Workspace app for HTML5, without installing the Citrix Workspace app for Windows. However, there is a

This article provides an overview of common ports that are used by Citrix components and must be considered as part of networking architecture, especially if communication traffic traverses network components such as firewalls or proxy servers where ports must be opened to ensure communication flow. Not all ports need to be open, depending on your deployment and requirements. NetScaler SDX Source Destination Type Port Det

Overview A new Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Long Term Service Release (LTSR) is an exciting time. It also means many updates from the previous LTSR, as two years of previously developed, field-proven features are packaged together with a longer maintenance cycle. When preparing for the next LTSR, several considerations and planning tasks need to occur for a smooth and successful migration. The following key factors should be considered when planning for a new LTSR: Compatability. Softwa

Overview This article focuses on deploying the Citrix Workspace app for ChromeOS using Google Workspace to automate the application deployment from the Google Cloud console. The advantage for the end user will be Citrix Workspace app will appear installed in any ChromeOS. After login to Citrix Workspace app, they will be provided access to any Linux and Windows virtual apps and desktops, alongside any internal web applications without a VPN client. Configuration Sign in to your Google Admin

Overview ‘End users don’t like change’ is the feedback we often get here at Citrix. When undergoing migrations, IT teams go to great lengths to minimize any changes to the end-user experience. Change to the end-user experience can often lead to increased help desk tickets and reduced satisfaction. Citrix has several tools and features to help reduce changes to end users. These tools include vanity Workspace URLs to maintain your access URL and site aggregation to consolidate and maintain icons

Overview The article provides guidelines for configuring antivirus software in Citrix DaaS and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops environments. Resources for configuring antivirus software on other Citrix technologies and features (for example, Cloud Connectors, Provisioning Services, and so on) are included. Incorrect antivirus configuration is a common problem resulting in various issues ranging from performance issues or degraded user experiences to timeouts and failures of various

Overview This Tech Paper aims to convey what someone skilled in ADC would configure as a generic implementation to receive an A+ grade at Qualys SSL Labs. Qualys SSL Labs performs a robust series of tests and provides a scorecard that you can use to improve your configuration. The scan is free and only takes about a minute to complete. Qualys actively develops SSL Labs. Tests are likely to change as new protocols are created and vulnerabilities found. It is good practice to test s

Disclaimer: This information is provided on an "AS IS" basis without warranty of any kind. It is for information purposes only, and is subject to change at any time at Citrix's sole discretion. Introduction Global organizations—including healthcare, government, and financial services—rely on Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) to provide secure remote access to environments and applications. When properly configured, CVAD can provide security measures that extend well beyond what is native

The Local Host Cache (LHC) feature allows connection brokering operations in a Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops site to continue when an outage occurs. The following procedure demonstrates how LHC can be used to perform a nondisruptive upgrade of the Site when there are no secondary zones. Before continuing it is recommended to review the Local Host Cache feature, its requirements and limitations: https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/citrix-virtual-apps-desktops/manage-deployment/local-host-cache.htm