RE: [TCLUG:14798] Big general questions about Citrix

["Carl Patten" <cpatte@trimodalinc.com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: George Swan [mailto:g-swan@maroon.tc.umn.edu]
> Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2000 11:55 AM
> To: tclug-list@mn-linux.org
> Subject: [TCLUG:14798] Big general questions about Citrix
>
>
> Does anyone have any thoughts on a Citrix system?

You bet I do.  We've had one here for about a year.

>
> Are the UNIX and Windows servers integrated or does one type of server
> exclude usage from the other type?  Does the UNIX server imply
> compatibility with Linux?

First, so we don't get bumped for being off-topic, let me say that the
Citrix ICA Client for Linux works great!  It's just a client though, and for
some bastard reason it defaults to installing under /usr/lib.  Eccch.

Ok, now back to the matter at hand:

Citrix server software comes in two varieties, WinFrame and MetaFrame.
WinFrame is a customized stand-alone Windows NT 3.5 server.  MetaFrame is a
product that runs on top of an existing Windows NT Terminal Server or a
Solaris server to provide extra features to an already-multi-user system.
None of their server software works on Linux or any other Unix but Solaris,
and the Windows and Unix servers are completely separate.  WinFrame and
MetaFrame for Windows provide access to DOS and Windows applications.
MetaFrame for Unix provides access to Unix applications.

You can access all applications on any Citrix server using a single ICA
client, which is convenient because you don't need to run X to get to the
Unix apps.  In fact, you can be running DOS on a 286 and get fair
performance running Office 2000 from the DOS ICA client.

>
> Does anyone have actually experience in a working environment regarding
> it's reliability?

Zero experience with the Solaris version.  The MetaFrame 1.8 for NT Terminal
Server is very slick, but since it's running on Windows NT you will have to
reboot the system more often than you'd like, for instance when you install
an app that changes system files.  Peeve: I wish NT had a version of the
"fuser" command so I could see what process or user has a file open!  NT
makes it easy if you're connecting to regular network shares, but since it
treats Citrix users as local users, you can't just look at the network
locks.  Locked files are the single most common reason why I reboot it.

>
> And last.... cost per effectiveness... any comments?
>

Expensive as hell since Microsoft forces you to license it per seat instead
of per server.  In our case it was cheaper to get a single Citrix server and
bump up our WAN bandwidth than to stick a local application server in each
of our divisions, but not by a whole lot.  It does get the job done, though
God help you if you try to run old stuff like dBase IV for DOS on it.

If you want to publish Unix/Linux apps so any client can access them, try
looking at Tarantella (http://tarantella.sco.com).  The server runs on Linux
and several varieties of Unix, and can connect to an NT Terminal Server if
you have one.  Free eval of their Express product!  Disclaimer: haven't had
time to try it.

--
Carl Patten
I.T. Manager
Trimodal Inc.