So you want to get Citrix certified? 21 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Certification, Citrix, Project Delaware, XenApp/Presentation Server.Tags: CCA, CCEA, CCIA, Citrix, Citrix Certification
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•Where do you start?
•What course should you attend?
•What exams do you take to become Citrix Certified?
Given the various name changes that Citrix products have undergone – it can be a bit confusing!!!
Before explaining the Citrix training and certification tracks, I’ll start off with some of the Citrix products and the names that they have been known as – hopefully this will clarify things for you.
Then…
In the early days of Citrix there was Citrix MultiUser and then WinView for OS2. Microsoft came up in the world and WinFrame was born. Winframe grew until it became Citrix Metaframe 1.8.
Metaframe 1.8 became Metaframe XP. One of the big improvements in Metaframe XP was the consolidation of all the Metaframe 1.8 consoles into the sing Citrix Management Console (CMC). The CMC is what we would now {2007 / 2008} refer to as the Presentation Server Console).
Metaframe XP had its additions in the form of Feature Releases (FR) – Metaframe XP FR1, Metaframe XP FR2, Metaframe XP FR3. FR3 saw the Program Neighborhood Agent Admin Tool feature appear – no more manual editing of XML files!!!
Metaframe XP then made way for Citrix Presentation Server 3.0. Presentation Server 3.0 saw the birth of the all new and improved licensing strategy and Access Suite Console.
Hot on the heels of Presentation Server 3.0 came Citrix Presentation Server 4.0 with the new Isolation Environments features. It was around this time the Citrix decided to brand many of their other products to the version 4.0 convention.
- Presentation Server 4.0
- Password Manger 4.0
- Access Gateway 4.0
Now…
Presentation Server 4.5 followed next with Application Streaming, Configuration Logging, Health Monitoring and Recovery and the newly named Access Management Console. Presentation Server 4.5 saw the introduction of Feature Pack 1 with Smart Auditing, as well as Platinum licensing etc. Once again Citrix standardised the naming of many products to 4.5 at this time.
The big name change….
As of April 11, 2008 the nomenclature of Presentation Server 4.5 courses, exams and related certifications have been updated to include the Citrix XenApp name. This name change brings Presentation Server into line with other Citrix Products such as XenServer and XenDesktop. In case you have been on a different planet recently – Citrix acquired XEN Source in 2007 for $500 million.
Just over the horizon…
Project Delaware is the code name for XenApp 5.0 which is scheduled for release very soon (probably late 2008). It has many improvements – namely support for Windows Server 2008 and most noticeably the sexy black Web Interface 5.0!! See my previous posting for some screen shots of this.
Now let’s have a look at the training and certification tracks…
The Citrix Access Suite includes, Citrix XenApp, Citrix Password Manager and Citrix Access Gateway.
Foundation level certification for the Access Suite includes the following levels of certification.
- Citrix Certified Administrator (CCA) for Citrix XenApp (Presentation Server 4)
- Citrix Certified Administrator (CCA) for Citrix Password Manager 4
- Citrix Certified Administrator (CCA) for Citrix Access Gateway 4
Advanced certification for the Access Suite includes the following levels of certification.
- Citrix Certified Enterprise Administrator (CCEA) for XenApp (Presentation Server 4)
- Citrix Certified Infrastructure Architect (CCIA) for XenApp (Presentation Server 4)
FOUNDATION
What should you do to become a CCA for Citrix XenApp (Presentation Server 4)?
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Recommended Training |
Exam code |
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CCA for Citrix XenApp (Presentation Server 4) |
CTX-1455CW (E-Learning) * Citrix Common Management Platform 4.5: Administration
CTX-1259AI (ILT) ** 5 days or CTX-4100AI (ILT)** 3days Citrix XenApp (Presentation Server 4.5): Administration |
What should you do to become a CCA for Citrix Password Manager 4?
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Recommended Training |
Exam code |
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CCA for Citrix Password Manager |
CTX-1455CW (E-Learning) * Citrix Common Management Platform 4.5: Administration
CTX-1327AI (ILT) ** 2 days Citrix Password Manger 4.5: Administration |
What should you do to become a CCA for Citrix Access Gateway 4?
| Recommended Training | Exam code | |
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CCA for Citrix Access Gateway 4 |
CTX-1455CW (E-Learning) * Citrix Common Management Platform 4.5: Administration CTX-1307BW (E-Learning)* Citrix Access Gateway 4.5 Standard Edition: Administration*
CTX-1308AI (ILT) ** 2 days Citrix Access Gateway 4.5 Advanced Edition: Administration |
ADVANCED
What should you do to become a CCEA for Citrix XenApp (Presentation Server 4)?
| Recommended Training | Exam code | |
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CCEA for Citrix XenApp (Presentation Server 4) |
Prerequisites
CTX-1264AI (ILT) ** 3 days Citrix XenApp (Presentation Server 4.5): Support CTX-1456AI (ILT)** 2 days Citrix Access Suite 4.0: Build/Test Workshop |
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What should you do to become a CCIA for Citrix XenApp (Presentation Server 4)?
| Recommended Training | Exam code | |
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CCIA for Citrix XenApp (Presentation Server 4) |
Prerequisites
CTX-1456AI (ILT)** 2 days Citrix Access Suite 4.0: Build/Test Workshop CTX-6113AI (ILT) ** 2 days Citrix Access Suite 4.0: Analysis CTX-6114AI (ILT)** 2 days Citrix Access Suite 4.0: Design |
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* E-Learning Courses
- To be completed online at https://citrix.learning.accenture.com
- Includes an assessment which must be passed by the candidate.
** ILT = Instructor Led Training
Useful info – look for the Enablement Guide on each of the exam information pages – Enablement Guides provide exam length, number of questions and exam objectives.
In some cases credit can be obtained for completing alternate exam. E.g. 1Y0-258 can be used instead of 1Y0-264 – please confirm this with Citrix Education before making any certification / exam decision.
Please confirm all of these details on the Citrix web site.
Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services vs Citrix XenApp 13 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Citrix, XenApp/Presentation Server.Tags: Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services
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Curious about Terminal Services in Server 2008 and XenApp?
Have a read of Brian Madden’s article in which he does a quick comparison… naturally Citrix came up trumps!!! Check it out here.
Known Issues with Service Pack 2 for Windows Server 2003 13 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Citrix.Tags: W2K3 SP2 issues
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Citrix announced the follow issues yesterday…
- Uninstalling Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 causes links to the Access Suite Console/Access Management Console to break.
Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 upgrades the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) to version 3.0. MMC 2.0 console files (.msc) with user preferences that are opened by MMC 3.0 are updated to the MMC 3.0 format. If MMC 3.0 is uninstalled, MMC 2.0 cannot open the console files that have these updated user preferences.
Click here to see the full article from Citrix
How to Run Web Interface 5.0 in 64-bit Mode 13 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Citrix, Project Delaware, Web Interface, XenApp/Presentation Server.Tags: 64-bit, Project Delaware, Web Interface, Web Interface 5.0
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I wish I found this article a week ago … I have been fighting with ASP.NET in 32-bit mode on a 64-bit server!!! This article describes how to run Web Interface 5.0 in a 64-bit Internet Information Services (IIS) process.
Background
This article applies to Citrix Web Interface 5.0 running on Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 or 7.0 with an appropriate version of Visual J#.NET 2.0 Second Edition on a 64-bit computer.
Web Interface 5.0 is a .NET application that is compiled so that it can be used on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of ASP.NET. Web Interface makes use of Visual J# and 64-bit support is added by Visual J#.NET 2.0 Second Edition. This allows the Web Interface to run inside a 64-bit IIS process.
The ability to run inside a 64-bit process can prove particularly useful on IIS 6.0, where the entire IIS Web site is either a 32-bit process or a 64-bit process. This makes it easier for the Web Interface to coexist with 64-bit Web applications on the same IIS site.
Procedure to allow the Web Interface to run as a 64-bit process on IIS 7.0
1. Open the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) IIS Manager snap-in on the server running the Web Interface.
2. In the left pane, click Application Pools and, in the Features View, select the application pool that your Web Interface site uses (usually called CitrixWebInterface5.0.xAppPool).
3. In the Actions pane, click Advanced Settings.
4. In the General section, change the Enable 32-Bit Applications setting to False.
To allow the Web Interface to run as a 64-bit process on IIS 6.0
1. When you install the Web Interface, allow the installer to switch IIS to 32-bit mode.
2. To switch IIS back to 64-bit mode and register the 64-bit version of ASP.NET, click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
3. From the command prompt, type the following command to disable 32-bit mode:
cscript <systemdrive>\inetpub\adminscripts\adsutil.vbs SET W3SVC/AppPools/Enable32bitAppOnWin64 0
4. Type the following command to install the version of ASP.NET 2.0 and to install the script maps at the IIS root and under:
<systemroot>\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\version\aspnet_regiis.exe -i
where version is the build version number of ASP.NET.
5. Open the MMC IIS Manager snap-in on the server running the Web Interface.
6. Click Web Service Extensions under the server running the Web Interface and ensure that the status of the appropriate ASP.NET version is set to Allowed in the details pane.
- For more information about ASP.NET on IIS 6.0, see Microsoft Support Article 894435
Citrix Web Interface with Microsoft Silverlight and AJAX 13 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Citrix, Project Delaware, Web Interface, XenApp/Presentation Server.Tags: Ajax, Silverlight, Web Interface
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How cool is this !!! Check out Jason Congers site www.jasonconger.com
Understanding Citrix HotFix naming conventions 13 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Citrix, XenApp/Presentation Server.Tags: Hotfix Naming Conventions
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The hotfix name gives all required information on the supported product, platform and language.
AAAB000C11DDDDDDD222 = PSE400R01W2K3X64001
First set of characters (AAA) – Supported Product
Presentation Server (PS), MetaFrame Presentation Server (MPS)
Second set of characters (B) - Product Language
English (E), German (G), French (F), Spanish (S), Japanese (J)
Third set of characters (000) – Product Version
400 (4.0), 450 (4.5)
Fourth set of characters (C) – Product Rollup
R
Fifth set of characters (11) – Product Rollup version
01, 02, 03
Sixth set of characters (DDDDDDD) – Operating System
Windows 2000 (W2K), Windows 2003 (W2K3), W2K3 64Bit (W2K3X64)
Seventh set of characters (222) – Hotfix number
001 up to 999
How to speed-up Web Interface logins 13 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Citrix, Web Interface, XenApp/Presentation Server.Tags: Performance, Web Interface
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Sometimes the Web Interface login page takes a while to open – this could be due to the fact that background worker processes go idle. Subsequent requests are fast due to the fact that the background worker processes have started. If they are idle for 20 minutes, then they get closed and new logins will once again take a while.
Prevent the background worker processes going into an idle state by doing the following on Windows Server 2003 with IIS 6.0.
Open the IIS Manager –> Application Pools –> CitrixWebInterface4.xAppPool –> Properties –> Untick the checkbox: Shutdown worker processes after being idle for (time in minutes)
Brief Troubleshooting Guide for Citrix Products 13 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Uncategorized.add a comment
Here is a really handy link to a .pdf download which contains all the troubleshooting guides that you could poke a stick at. http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX106727
How to Back Up Citrix Web Interface 4.x Sites on IIS 6.0 13 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Citrix, Web Interface, XenApp/Presentation Server.Tags: Web Interface
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Requirement
- Web Interface 4.x
- A locally stored webinterface.conf configuration file
- IIS 6.0
Procedure for backing up Web Interface 4.x sites:
1. Back up the Citrix\AccessPlatform folder that is in the <root directory>\inetpub\wwwroot location.
2. Export the CitrixWebInterfaceAppPool to a file, as per the screenshot below:
a. In the Web Interface Console, expand Application Pools, then right-click CitrixWebInterface4.xAppPool.
b. Select All Tasks.
c. Click Save Configuration to a File…
d. Select a location to save the configuration backup file and click OK.
3. This step creates an XML file containing all the application pool configuration of the sites.
Procedure for restoring Web Interface 4.x sites:
1. Import the previously saved XML file to the IIS application pools section.
a. In the Web Interface Console, right-click Application Pool.
b. Select New.
c. Click Application Pool (from file)…
d. The Import Configuration dialog box containing a list of application pools stored in the XML file. Select the application pool configuration to restore and click OK.
2. Restore the previously saved Citrix\AccessPlatform folder to the <root directory>\inetpub\wwwroot location.
3. Restart IIS by issuing the iisreset command.
Enabling Download of ica32t.exe Client Install on Web Interface 4.5 13 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Uncategorized.add a comment
By default, Web Interface 4.5 pushes the Ica32Pkg.msi file instead of ica32t.exe*. This may cause problems for customers who do not wish to push an MSI file. The ica32t.exe is also a smaller file to download.
Procedure
1. Copy the ica32t.exe file to the \Program files\citrix\Web Interface\4.5\Clients\ica32 folder on the Web Interface Server.
2. Open the WebInterface.conf file located in \inetpub\wwwroot\citrix\AccessPlatform\conf.
3. Locate the line that reads:
Win32Client=Default
4. Change it to read:
Win32Client=Citrix ICA Client for Windows&/Citrix/AccessPlatform/ Clients_common/ica32/ica32t.exe
5. Save the file.
The link in the Message Center to download the file should now link to the ica32t.exe file.
* Please consider which ICA client version you are deploying.
How to Change the Web Interface Logout Behaviour 13 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Uncategorized.add a comment
Some administrators want to prevent the default response when a user logs out of the Web Interface. (By default a page appears saying “You have logged off“. You may wish to redirect users back to the original Web Interface page or a custom page of your choice.
Procedure
1. Open the Access Management (Suite) Console.
2. Select the Web Interface site to change the logout behavior.
3. Under Other Tasks, click Control Diagnostic Logging.
4. Select Use a customized error callback URL and enter the URL you want to redirect to.
5. Click OK.
How to Make the Message Center in Web Interface 4.x Display the Link to Download the .msi File 13 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Citrix, Web Interface, XenApp/Presentation Server.Tags: ICA Client, Web Interface
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Procedure
- Copy the ica32web.msi or ica32pkg.msi file to the \Program Files\Citrix\Web Interface\4.x\ICAWEB\en\ica32 folder.
- Open the WebInterface.conf file with Notepad. The file’s default location is \inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\MetaFrame\conf (for Web Interface 4.5, the default location is \inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\AccessPlatform\conf).
For Web Interface 4.0 to 4.2:
- Locate the following line in the WebInterface.conf file:
Win32Client=Default
- Replace the line described above with the following:
Win32Client=Download the ICA Client for Windows&/Citrix/MetaFrame/ICAWEB_common/en/ica32/ica32web.msi
- Save the file.
- Restart the services.
For Web Interface 4.5:
- Locate the following line in the WebInterface.conf file:
Win32Client=Default
- Replace the line described above with the following:
Win32Client=Download the ICA Client for Windows&/Citrix/AccessPlatForm/Clients_common/ica32/ica32web.msi
How to Obtain an ICA File Through Citrix Web Interface 4.5 and 4.6 13 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Citrix, Web Interface, XenApp/Presentation Server.Tags: ICA File, Web Interface
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In Web Interface versions earlier than 4.5, you can obtain the ICA file contents using Internet Explorer by using the Save Target As… option when using a link in the applications page (or a similar operation in other Web browsers). When using Web Interface 4.5 or later, this operation no longer results in the ICA file being downloaded.
Procedure
For Web Interface 4.5:
Complete the following procedure:
When using an unsecured transport mechanism (HTTP):
-
Change the file type association property. To do so:
- Open Windows Explorer.
- From the Tools menu, click Folder options…
- Select the File Types tab.
- Select the ICA / Citrix ICA Client extension.
- Click Advanced and select the Confirm open after download check box.
- Click OK and then click Close.
Once this is done, each time the application launch is attempted (by clicking the application launch link), a dialogue displays asking if you want to open or save the ICA file. Clicking Open launches the application. Clicking Save allows you to save the ICA file to the desired location.
When using a secure transport mechanism (HTTPS) with Internet Explorer:
When using a secure transport mechanism, the ActiveX control (ICO) is used to launch the application (this does not involve saving the ICA file), hence the file cannot be saved. However, changing some settings in Internet Explorer can revert this behavior so that the ICA file is downloaded. To do this, configure Internet Explorer so that it does not trust the ActiveX control and therefore reverts to downloading the ICA file. Use the following procedure:
- If the site is currently in the Trusted sites or Local intranet zone list, remove it (the site should be displayed in the Internet zone).
- If you are using an operating system that has the Enhanced Internet Explorer Security Configuration enabled, this feature must be disabled (go to the Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > Add/Remove Windows Components section).
- Adjust the settings so that Internet Explorer can download files using the following procedure:
Go to Tools > Internet Options from the Internet Explorer menu.
Select the Security tab.
Click the Custom level… button to display the Security Settings dialog.
Ensure that File download is set to Enabled in the Downloads section.
Once these changes have been made, follow the same operations as described in the HTTP section above.
For Web Interface 4.6:
- Use a Firefox browser to enumerate the application icons.
- Remove the “RemoveICAFile=yes” line so that the ICA file is not deleted when the application is accessed. Edit the file in Notepad.
- If the server farm only contains Presentation Server 4.5 servers, use the Presentation Server Console from Presentation Server 4.0 (Note: Do not use this console to make other changes) and use the built-in feature to create the ICA file by right-clicking the published application. Else, use the Presentation Server Console as normal.
- Use Web Interface 4.5 or an earlier version to create the desired ICA file.
How to Disable Printing Through Web Interface/Secure Gateway 13 June, 2008
Posted by Melvin Porter in Printing, Web Interface, XenApp/Presentation Server.Tags: Printing, Web Interface
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Do you have users connecting in from home over a slow connection? Tired of having to fight with users who try to print from non-supported printers via web interface? Try this…
Add CPMAllowed=Off to the WFClient section of the Template.ica file on the external-facing Web Interface server(s).
The CPMAllowed=Off is used to disable LPT port redirection. Voilà! No printing via Web Interface.
