How Citrix XenApp Works

July 20, 2011 gunnalag Leave a comment Go to comments

1. User requests an application via below mentioned client access modes
1. Citrix Client (Receiver) (over http on port 80 or- https on port 443) (for SMB
uses port 445)
1. Online Plug-in
2. Offline Plug-in (Streaming Client)
2. Citrix Web Interface (Browser)
3.
2. Citrix Web Interface server passes the user request to Zone Data Collector server,
with below details
1. Authentication (user access token)
2. User Information (user name, password and domain)
3.
3. The Zone Data Collector server returns the best application server available to Web
Interface server, after performing below checks
1. Available Servers
2. Server Load
3. Zone Preferences/Policies
4. User Access Rights
5.
4. Web Interface server generates the ICA file (Independent Computing Architecture)
and passes to the client, which is a small file used for session initiation, based on the
DC response and below details
1. Application Server to be used as returned by the DC

2. User Rights
3. Local Web Configuration details
5. By launching ICA file user connects to the XenApp server. Below actions take place
during connection establishment
1. Client and Server determine the encryption levels and other capabilities
2.
6. XenApp server validates that RDS (Remote Desktop Services)/ TS (Terminal
Services) Licenses are available
1. If Licenses are available then further connection process proceeds
7. XenApp server passes user credentials to AD and confirms the authentication
1. Verifies if user has access to the Server and Application
8. XenApp server Logons the User, Finds the User profile and Loads it. As part of this
XenApp server does below actions
1. downloads the user roaming profile from the profile/remote server to the XenApp
server, if
1. a copy of the roaming profile doesnt already exist locally
2. the roaming profile on the profile store is newer than the locally existing
copy of the user profile
3.
9. XenApp server checks out a user license from Citrix License Server (over port
27000)
1. Verifies the availability of Citrix XenApp ConCurrent User License to allow the
Citrix session creation
2. An Error message is displayed if licenses are not available.
10. XenApp server queries AD for user GPOs (including logon scripts) and applies them
in the user session
1. Also, applies additional GPO extensions like

1. Folder Redirection
2. Security Policies
3. GPO software/application deployment for user specified
4. Entries found in Run keys
5. User Logon Scripts
6.
7.
11. XenApp server then applies the configured Citrix Policies and Settings, which
include
1. Drive Mapping
2. Session Printers and their Auto-Creation
3. other Citrix User Policies
12. XenApp servers runs the Startup Menu Applications for the user session
1. Any applications or scripts in the users Startup folder are executed.
13. Then User gets the final and fully loaded session on their client device via client
software over ICA protocol
14.
Pictorial Representation of the above steps: (follow the numbering for the flow directions)