HOW TO Automate http to https Redirection of Web Interface for XenApp
Enterprise customers will often make one of the following choices:
• Leave the Web Interface homepage as an unsecured URL, ergo with the http:// prefix
• Force users to remember the https:// prefix to the Web Interface URL
• Redirect the Web Interface homepage from an http:// URL to an https:// URL
There are associated risks involved with each of these choices. Passwords will be transmitted over the network in clear-text if the Web Interface homepage is left unsecured (with an http:// prefixed URL).Forcing users to remember the https:// prefix to a secured URL may require end user training and result in additional help desk calls. The choice made by many Enterprises is to redirect the Web Interface homepage to a secured URL.
How it Works
- The end user opens their web browser and types the unsecured URL to the Web Interface server, such as http://citrix.itgeeeks.com.
- Before being presented with the Web Interface login screen, the end-user is redirected by the IIS server.
- The IIS server will redirect the end-user to a secured URL.
- The secured URL is populated in the end-user’s web browser.
- The end-user is now presented with the secured URL without being prompted for additional information. This will ensure that the end-user’s credentials are encrypted using SSL.
Web Interface Redirection Configuration
HOW TO Get an ICA File Through Citrix Web Interface
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.
Web Interface 4.5
Using HTTP
1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. From the Tools menu, click Folder options…
3. Select the File Types tab.
4. Select the ICA / Citrix ICA Client extension.
5. Click Advanced and select the Confirm open after download check box.
6. 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.
Tool - Citrix PowerSmart Utility for Presentation Server
Today, it’s common to find dozens to hundreds of Presentation Servers at typical customer sites powered up and running all night and throughout weekends, with very little actual user loads present. These servers are needlessly consuming power and generating data center heat.
This free Citrix PowerSmart Utility attempts to help customers reduce power consumption by powering off idle Presentation Servers during off business hours. Read the detailed post here
Download
Download the installation program from cdn:here
Download user guide from cdn:here
Citrix PowerSmart for XenApp Demo
A short demonstration of Citrix PowerSmart for XenApp. It shows the configuration and how a XenApp server running on HP ILO2 enabled machine can be dynamically powered on/off based on the demand and time of the day to save energy.
Tool - XML Service Explorer
This tool offers a graphical user interface to build requests to be sent to the XML service. The response is displayed for inspection. Thus, the XMLServiceExplorer allows administrators to debug how the XML service works and what kind of information is passed to Web Interface.
Presentation Server provides a system service running on port 80 (by default) called Citrix XML Service. As implied by its name, the service uses XML to format the data exchanged over HTTP. All requests and responses are defined in the Document Type Definition (DTD) called NFuse.dtd. This file is distributed with all versions of Web Interface (C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\XenApp\conf).
You can build your own XML requests using tools like Fiddler2, a Web Debugging Proxy, and sending them to a XML service of your choice.
You can read the detailed post on Nicholas Dille blog and download the XML Service Explorer
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