Setting up Citrix ADC for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops

A Citrix ADC appliance can provide load balanced, secure remote access to your Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops applications. You can use the Citrix ADC load balancing feature to distribute traffic across the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops server. You can use the Citrix Gateway feature to provide secure remote access to the servers.

Citrix ADC can also accelerate and optimize the traffic flow and offer visibility features that are useful for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops deployments.

Figure 1. Citrix ADC appliance in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops setup

The preceding figure shows the components involved in this deployment:

• NetScaler Gateway. Provides the URL for user access, and provides security by authenticating the users.

• Citrix ADC load balancing virtual server. Load balances the traffic for the Web Interface or StoreFront servers. You can also deploy a load balancing virtual server in front of the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop servers to load balance key components such as XML Broker and Desktop Delivery Controller (DDC) server.

• Web Interface or StoreFront or Web Interface on Citrix ADC. Provides the interface through which you can access the applications.

  Note: Web Interface on Citrix ADC (WIonNS) is a customization of the Web Interface product, hosted on the Citrix ADC appliance.

• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops. Provides the applications that your users want to access.

To set up the Citrix ADC for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops by using the Citrix ADC GUI

Prerequisites

• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop servers are configured and available.
• Web Interface, StoreFront, or Web Interface on Citrix ADC servers are configured and available.
• You have a working knowledge of Citrix Gateway, Citrix ADC, Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, and StoreFront/Web Interface/Web Interface on Citrix ADC.
• Make sure that you have configured a virtual server and a service and bound the service to the virtual server. For more information, see:
  • Load balance XenDesktop
    
  • Load balance XenApp
    

Procedure:

1. Log on to the Citrix ADC appliance and on the Configuration tab click XenApp and XenDesktop.
2. On the Details pane, click Get Started. If the setup exists on the Citrix ADC, click the Edit link corresponding to each of the section that you want to modify.
3. Select the product (StoreFront, Web Interface, or Web Interface on Citrix ADC) that in your deployment provides the interface for access to the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops applications.

4. Set up secure remote access.

   1. In the NetScaler Gateway Settings section, specify the details for the VPN virtual server and click Continue.
   2. In the Server Certificate section, choose an existing certificate or install a new certificate and click Continue.
   3. In the Authentication section, configure the primary authentication mechanism to be used and specify the server details or use an existing server and click Continue.
   4. In the StoreFront section, specify the details of the server that provides the interface for accessing the applications and click Continue.

   5. You can use one of the following as your StoreFront server.

      1. LB virtual server pointing to multiple SF servers.
      2. Web Interface or StoreFront server directly reachable from the Citrix ADC appliance.
      3. Web Interface on Citrix ADC.
5. Click Done to complete the configuration.