Deployment BPs Citrix XenApp Over Hughes Satellite Networks - Final v41

8/2/2019 Deployment BPs Citrix XenApp Over Hughes Satellite Networks - Final v41

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Deployment Best Practices for CitrixXenAppover HughesNet ManagedNetwork Services


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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ........................................................................................... 1

HughesNet Managed Network Services ....................................................... 2

Citrix XenApp Overview ..................................................................................... 4

Best Practices & Recommendations ................................................................ 6

Appendix A Lab Environment Detailed Diagram ..................................... 10

Appendix B Citrix WAN Policy Configuration Instructions ....................... 11

Appendix C SpeedScreen Configuration Instructions ............................... 15

Appendix D Sample DEFAULT.ICA FILE with SpeedScreen Settings ...... 20

Hughes Network Systems Contact Information:

Ajith EdakandiPrincipal EngineerHughes Network Systems, LLC(301) 428-7048


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Executive Summary

Broadband networks offer high-bandwidth but can often exhibit high-latency and/or higher jitter withcertain wireless technologies. The unique nature of high-latency networks causes poor performanceamongst latency-sensitive applications. Hughes Network Systems leverages over 20 years of experiencein managing enterprise networks and has over 110,000 sites under management. The result is acomprehensive set of managed network features and functionality. This functionality, available as part ofany one of Hughes Managed Network Services, allows customers to offload much of the networkoperational support to Hughes, while retaining full visibility and oversight of the network. HughesNetManaged Network Services has many distinct advantages over other terrestrial based and other high-latency carriers:

Business users need only deal with a single vendor for their entire network. (Hughes NetworkSystems offers terrestrial and satellite managed services.)

Enterprises have only one communications platform across the network.

HughesNet offers uniformity of network services throughout the system. Different remotebusiness locations can expect the same level of service regardless of their location.

Multicasting (one to many) is a natural application in a satellite network.

The HughesNet service provides high network availability with up-time equal to or greater thanother terrestrial based networks.

The speed of the network rollout to business users is typically substantially faster compared toother terrestrial-based providers.

HughesNet is cost competitive at about the same price as alternate enterprise DSL providers andsignificantly lower than Frame Relay providers.

Citrix XenApp, when used with HughesNet Managed Network Services, can provide an effectiveapplication delivery experience over satellite connections. Utilizing Citrix policies to regulate and optimizeXenApp features in conjunction with proper implementation of SpeedScreen Latency Reduction provides

a desirable end-user experience for satellite network subscribers. The Citrix Access Gateway accesssolution line complements the XenApp/HughesNet solution by providing efficient SSL VPN capabilities,endpoint analysis and simplified access and administration.

This document was developed in partnership between Hughes Network Systems, the worlds leadingprovider of Broadband Satellite Services for business, government and consumers, and Citrix Systems,the global leader in Application Delivery Infrastructure, to provide systems administrators, engineers,architects and managers best practices in delivering applications with XenApp over HughesNet ManagedNetwork Services.

This article will provide an overview on how to optimize Citrix XenApp to effectively deliver applications tobroadband satellite users. The key areas of focus include:

Overview of HughesNet Managed Network Services

Overview of Citrix XenApp Best Practices and Recommendations


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HughesNet Managed Network Services

Typical terrestrial based networks are built using either copper or fiber optic connections. Those usingtelephone links and current generation DSL technology can only sustain limited throughput speeds (on

average, up to 2 Mbps). Compared to traditional leased-line or DSL connections, fiber optic services offersignificantly faster throughput. Both DSL and fiber optic service require some form of physical cablingterminated directly at the subscribers facility (businesses, home, etc).

Non-terrestrial networks such as Wi-Fi, microwave and satellite networks hold many advantages overterrestrial based networks. The most notable is the ability to send and receive data without the physicalconstraints of DSL, leased-line, or fiber optic connections. Satellite in particular, is an attractive alternativeto traditional Wide Area Networks.

A potential drawback of running TCP/IP over a satellite based network is a condition known as networklatency. Network latency is a measure of the delay in transmission of packets from network ingress toegress. Network latency is composed of two different parts: Propagation Delay, which is a factor of thephysical nature of the network topology; and, Processing Delay, determined by the processing time ateach of the hops along the way. All networks exhibit some amount of latency and varies based on the

physical means of communication. Satellite based network will exhibit a greater amount of latency due tothe physical distance that the signal must travel through space to the satellite and back.

An example of a HughesNet communication medium is depicted below. Among other transportmechanisms HughesNet also uses satellites operating in a geostationary orbit, approximately 22,000miles above the surface of the earth. The communications between a remote application client and itscentral database or network server must first travel nearly 44,000 miles to the central server, and then theresponse from that server must travel another 44,000 miles back to the application client. The signaltravels at the speed of light, the same as Local Area Networks. The approximately 88,000 mile round tripthrough the satellite defines the bulk latency in a network [Figure 1].

Figure 1 - Distance and Latency

At a minimum, the best-case propagation delay for this transit would be approximately second.Average latency exhibited by the HughesNet satellite service is typically between 600 and 800milliseconds, depending on traffic prioritization and network load. Software applications that are notoptimized to mitigate network latency may, in fact, be making many client to server round trips,significantly lengthening the completion time for a specific transaction.


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HughesNet (HN series) satellite routers utilize Hughes patented Performance Enhancing Proxy (PEP)and TurboPage technology to optimize the performance of many widely used Internet protocols. PEPimproves performance by transparently converting various TCP/IP protocols into a satellite-friendlyprotocol upon entering the satellite network and restoring it prior to leaving the network. TurboPagesignificantly improves Web browsing performance over satellite by anticipating and fetching a web page'sembedded objects before a browser requests them. Working in tandem with Hughes acceleration

technology are Hughes advanced data and header compression algorithms and DNS cachingtechniques, which result in more efficient bandwidth utilization and a superior user experience.


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Citrix XenApp Overview

Server-Side Virtualization with XenApp

XenApp abstracts the user interface from the application processing that occurs on a centralized,secured server. This technology is ideal for delivering client/server applications because it eliminates thecomplexities of deploying, managing, updating and securing a vast array of client software on eachindividual users access device. Instead, a single instance of the client application is installed on XenAppwithin the secure confines of the data center. The application executes entirely on the server, while itsinterface is displayed on the users device. Application delivery can be enabled for any user, regardless ofdevice, network or location.

XenApp delivers applications to users through the Independent Computing Architecture (ICA), acommunication protocol by which servers and client devices exchange data in a server environment toseparate an applications logic from its user interface. As an application runs on a server, XenApp

intercepts the applications display data and uses the ICA protocol to send this data to the ICA clientsoftware running on the users device. The ICA protocol encrypts and transports an applications interfacefrom the server it is running on to the users client device for display. It then returns the users input,mouse-clicks and keystrokes, to the application on the server.

This virtualization technology, combined with having both client and server components running togetherin the data center and other key features of XenApp (Citrix Policies and SpeedScreen LatencyReduction), typically results in improved application performance and end-user experience in comparisonto delivering traditional client-server, messaging, and file/print services over a network susceptible tonetwork latency.


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Citrix Access Gateway

Citrix Access Gateway complements the available security features within XenApp and HughesNetnetworks. It is a hardened appliance deployed in a DMZ or other network point-of-entry that secures alltraffic with standards-based SSL and TLS encryption. It serves as a complete replacement for SecureGateway servers or traditional IPSec VPN devices. Remote users connect via an easy-to-use Web client

to enjoy a rich, desk-like experience. Always-on access seamlessly reconnects users to their documentswhen they change locations or devices, or lose connectivity. Integrated end-point scanning ensures userdevices remain safe for connecting to the corporate network and access policies determine the level ofuser access based on administrator-defined rules and end-point analysis.


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Best Practices & Recommendations

General High-Latency Network Considerations

In a low-latency, high-bandwidth environment, administrators rarely have to take latency into account.Administrators utilizing satellite (and in some circumstances other wireless) based HughesNet ManagedServices for IT service delivery can improve end user experience by reducing client-to-server round triptimes, caching data, batching records and packets, and leveraging compression and accelerationtechnology. Here are some general best practices on how to optimize network communications over high-latency networks:

Limit the number of client to server round trips - Every round trip from a remote client,through the satellite network and back will typically take between 600 800 milliseconds, andoccasionally more. While the approximate one second round trip seems almost trivial, a processthat makes multiple round trips will become an issue. On a LAN this is not a concern. It isdefinitely a problem when multiple transactions must take place sequentially over a satellite orother high latency wide area network.

Cache Infrequently Changing Data Locally - Cached data does not have to be fetched overthe network, thus decreasing total network traffic and making the user experience better increasing user productivity: clients will not have to wait on an operation to complete beforeperforming another one.

Batch Data Records Together - Multiple records transfer, either upload or download, to/from aserver over the network are almost always best batched together rather than sent individually.This may seem like antithetical advice to keep network payload small, but pushing on a record byrecord basis will entail a heavy price in communication overhead involving multiple serverrequests and round trips. The real saving is in reducing these round trips.

Leverage HughesNet Performance Enhancing Protocol (PEP) and TurboPage - Hughescomprehensive package of acceleration and compression technologies is embedded in every HN

router. The result is dramatically improved throughput and response time through mitigation ofsatellite delay, meaning Hughes customers experience wire-line or better performance ofbroadband IP applications. HughesNet routers utilize Hughes patented Performance EnhancingProxy (PEP) to optimize the performance of many widely used Internet protocols.

Citrix XenApp Recommendations

The SpeedScreen Latency Reduction and Citrix Policy features of Citrix XenApp provide an effectivesolution to HughesNet Managed Services by effectively delivering applications over high-latencynetworks. Citrix Consulting Services and Hughes Network Systems Customer Solutions & ApplicationsResearch team designed a testing environment to effectively develop best practices andrecommendations when Citrix XenApp is leveraged on HughesNet Managed Networks. The following

diagram depicts the testing environment used for this engagement:


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Figure 2 Lab Environment Layout

Citrix XenApp was tested to evaluate the delivery of bandwidth-demanding applications over high-latency

connections for several different application types, including productivity, client/server, and browser-based applications. EdgeSight for Load Testing was scripted with Microsoft Office (Productivity), InternetExplorer (Browser), and Hyperion (Enterprise Client/Server) applications to ensure a consistentexperience when using a LAN-based connection versus a satellite-based link. Visual observation of end-user experience and performance metrics from EdgeSight for Load Testing from both types of networkconnections were gathered and analyzed.

Results from integration testing show that Citrix policies optimized for satellite communications inconjunction with the SpeedScreen Latency Reduction features of XenApp provided the best end userexperience for HughesNet Managed Network subscribers. Other features, such as the Citrix AccessGateway, were also tested to measure their effectiveness when used with XenApp server.

Testing Strategy Configuration PerformanceBasic CitrixConfiguration Citrix Configuration:Bitmapcaching enabled. SpeedScreen,

Native Compression and CitrixPolicies Disabled,

Hughes Configuration:NoPEP

Users experienced connection difficulties, randomsession interruptions, intermittent screen freezing,and frequent pauses (5-7 seconds) during typingand for all applications.


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Basic CitrixConfigurationwith HughesNetPEP

Citrix Configuration:Bitmapcaching enabled. SpeedScreen,Native Compression and CitrixPolicies Disabled,

Hughes Configuration: PEPenabled

Users were able to maintain connections to theCitrix XenApp server. Microsoft Office, InternetExplorer and Hyperion applications accessingdata through XenApp improved. Experiencedfrequent screen freezing and pauses in typing, butapplications were functional. Average 2 to 4second delay in typing characters in allapplications

CitrixEnhancements &PEP

Citrix ConfigurationBitmap caching enabled.SpeedScreen, NativeCompression and Citrix WANPolicy enabled.

Hughes Configuration: PEPenabled

Reliable connections maintained to XenAppservers. Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer andHyperion applications end-user experiencesignificantly improved. Typing pauses and delaysminimized (


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Figure 3 Farm-Wide Session Reliability Settings

Figure 4 Server-Default ICA Keep-Alive Settings

For this testing scenario, setting the ICA keep-alive (utilizing TCP port 1494) or Session Reliability(utilizing TCP port 2598) values to 180 seconds allowed sufficient time for reconnection in theevent a session would become interrupted. Before implementing either option, administratorsshould consider the benefits of either session reliability or ICA Keep-Alive specific to theirenvironment and determine whether these settings should be applied to farm-wide/server defaultsor to specific servers. All settings should be well-tested before implementing them in a productionenvironment. Refer to the Citrix XenApp Server Administrators Guidefor information on SessionReliability and ICA Keep-Alive features.


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Appendix A Lab Environment Detailed Diagram


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Appendix B Citrix WAN Policy Configuration Instructions

Action / Description Caption

Create a new policy in thePresentation Server Consoleby right-clicking on policiesand choose Create Policy

Type in the name of thepolicy, a description andcheck the box next toOptimize initial policysettings for a connection type.In the connection type box,choose Satellite. Then, clickOK.

Next, click Policies on the left

side of the PresentationServer Console. You will seethe policies in your farm onthe right side of the screen.Right-click on the policy andchoose properties.

In the window, you will seethe default settings forSatellite communications.

Adjust any settings (disablingunused virtual channels,audio optimizations, printingoptimizations, etc.) to

minimize bandwidth usage byunused features.

Click OK to save yoursettings.


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To apply these settings, right-click on the policy in thePresentation Server Consoleand choose Apply this policyto

Check the box at the top toenable the type ofassociation, select anyadditional parameters(servers, users, IP addresses,etc.) and click OK to applyyour settings.

Citrix WAN Policy Settings

Policy Group\ Policy Sett ing

Bandw idth\ Visual Effects

Turn Off Desktop Wallpaper Not Configured

Turn Off Menu Animations Enabled

Turn Off Window Content WhileDragging

Enabled

Bandwidt h\ SpeedScreen

Image acceleration using lossycompression

Not Configured

Bandw idth\ Session Limits

Audio Not Configured configure if channel is used.

Clipboard Not Configured configure if channel is used.

COM Ports Not Configured configure if channel is used.

Drives Not Configured configure if channel is used.

LPT Ports Not Configured configure if channel is used.

OEM Virtual Channels Not Configured configure if channel is used.

Overall Session Not Configured configure if channel is used.

Printer Not Configured configure if channel is used.

TWAIN Redirection Not Configured configure if channel is used.

Client Devices\ Resources\Audio


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Microphone Enabled

Sound Quality Low

Turn Off Speakers Enabled

Client Devices\ Resources\Drives

Connection Not Configured disable drive mappings if not used.

Mapping Not Configured disable drive mappings if not used.

Client Devices\ Resources\Drives\ Optimize

Asynchronous Writes Not Configured

Client Devices\ Resources\Ports

Turn Off COM Ports Not Configured disable if channel is not used.

Turn Off LPT Ports Not Configured disable if channel is not used.

Client Devices\ Resources\ PDADevices

Turn On Automatic Virtual COM PortMapping

Not Configured

Client Devices\ Resources\Other

Configure TWAIN Redirection Enabled, default values.

Turn Off Clipboard Mapping Not Configured disable if channel is not used.

Turn Off OEM Virtual Channels Not Configured disable if channel is not used.

Client Devices\ Maintenance

Turn Off Auto Client Update Not Configured.

Printing

Session Printers Not Configured.

Print ing\ Client Print ers

Auto-Creation Enabled, Client Default Only.

Legacy Client Printers Not Configured.

Printer Properties Retention Enabled, Retained in User Profile.

Print Job Routing Enabled, Always connect indirectly.

Turn Off Client Printer Mapping Not Configured.

Printing\ Drivers

Native Printer Driver Auto-Install Not Configured.


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Universal Driver Not Configured.

User Workspace\ Connections

Limit Total Concurrent Sessions Not Configured.

Zone Preference and Failover Not Configured.

User Workspace\ ContentRedirection

Server to Client Not Configured.

User Workspace\ Shadow ing

Configuration Not Configured.

Permissions Not Configured.

User Work space\ Time Zones

Do Not Estimate Local Time forLegacy Clients

Not Configured.

Do Not Use Clients' Local Time Not Configured.

User Workspace\ Citr ixPassword Manager

Central Credential Store Not Configured.

Do Not Use MetaFrame PasswordManager

Not Configured.

User Workspace\ St reamedApplications

Configure Delivery Protocol Not Configured.

Securit y\ Encryption

SecureICA Encryption Not Configured.


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Appendix C SpeedScreen Configuration Instructions

To configure SpeedScreen Latency Reduction for a XenApp Server:

Action / Description Caption Launch the SpeedScreen

Latency Reduction Managerfrom the ICA toolbar.

Click on New to launch theSLR wizard to add anapplication/process.

The wizard will launch clicknext.


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Browse to theprocess/executable that youwish to enable forSpeedScreen. Alternatively,you can use the pointer toselect the application windowif it is already open. Whencompleted, click next.

Choose the local text echo,and click next.


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Select whether this will beapplied to ALL installations orselected installations of theapplication, then click next.

Click Finish.

Click Apply/OK to save/exitthe SpeedScreen LatencyReduction Manager.


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To configure SpeedScreen Latency Reduction for an ICA Client connection (ProgramNeighborhood Client):


In Program Neighborhoodwindow, select the customICA connection or ApplicationSet to configure.

In the Program Neighborhoodtoolbar, click the Propertiesicon.

Click the Options tab in thedialog box to display theOptions page.

In the SpeedScreen LatencyReduction section, set themode to On to decrease thedelay between user input andscreen display. Turn on both

local text echo and mouseclick feedback.


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To ensure SpeedScreen Latency Reduction is enabled, the following Web Interface (version 4.x)settings are required for the Citrix Web Client and Program Neighborhood Agent:


Edit the default.ica file located \Inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\WebSite Name\conf for a Web Interface site, or

\Inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\PNAgent\conf for ProgramNeighborhood Agent sites (NOTE: These paths reflect adefault installation of Web Interface).

In the [Application] section, add:

ZLKeyboardMode=1ZLMouseMode=1


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Appendix D Sample DEFAULT.ICA FILE with SpeedScreen Settings

; ICA Override File

;

; Add ICA file settings that you want to be sent to client devices

; to this file. Settings contained in this file override any

; settings generated by Web Interface. This file is only used when

; no bandwidth profile is selected. When a bandwidth profile is

; selected bandwidth_xxx.ica is used.

;

; NOTE: The format of this file has been changed from previous

; versions of Web Interface. For backwards compatibility, you may

; continue to use legacy files. All lines containing a tag of

; the form [NFuse_XXX] will be ignored.

;

[WFClient]

Version=2

RemoveICAFile=yes

ProxyTimeout=30000

ProxyFavorIEConnectionSetting=Yes

ProxyUseFQDN=Off

[ApplicationServers]

Application=

[Application]

Launcher=WI

TransportDriver=TCP/IP

DoNotUseDefaultCSL=On

BrowserProtocol=HTTPonTCP

LocHttpBrowserAddress=!

WinStationDriver=ICA 3.0

ProxyTimeout=30000

AutologonAllowed=ON


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ZLKeyboardMode=1

ZLMouseMode=1

[EncRC5-0]

DriverNameWin16=pdc0w.dll

DriverNameWin32=pdc0n.dll

[EncRC5-40]



[EncRC5-56]



[EncRC5-128]



[Compress]

DriverNameWin16=pdcompw.dll

DriverNameWin32=pdcompn.dll


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Notice

The information in this publication is subject to change without notice.

THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS ORIMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR

PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC. (CITRIX), SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FORTECHNICAL OR EDITORIAL ERRORS OR OMISSIONS CONTAINED HEREIN, NOR FOR DIRECT,INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE FURNISHING,PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS PUBLICATION, EVEN IF CITRIX HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THEPOSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES IN ADVANCE.

This publication contains information protected by copyright. Except for internal distribution, no part of thispublication may be photocopied or reproduced in any form without prior written consent from Citrix.

The exclusive warranty for Citrix products, if any, is stated in the product documentation accompanying suchproducts. Citrix does not warrant products other than its own.

Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respectivecompanies.

Copyright 2008 Citrix Systems, Inc., 851 West Cypress Creek Road, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33309-

2009 U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Version History

Author Version Change Log Date

Justin Venezia 0.1 First Draft 4/10/2008

Justin Venezia 0.2 Revisions based on Hughes QA 4/22/2008

Justin Venezia 0.3 Citrix Consulting Solutions QA 6/19/2008

Justin Venezia 0.5 Citrix Product Mgmt QA 6/27/2008

Justin Venezia 1.0 Final Document 6/30/2008

Ricardo Belmar 1.1 Final Hughes QA 8/08/2008

851 West Cypress Creek Road Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 954-267-3000 http://www.citrix.com

Copyright 2008 Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Citrix, the Citrix logo, Citrix ICA, Citrix MetaFrame, and other Citrix product names aretrademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. All other product names, company names, marks, logos, and symbols are trademarks of their respective owners.

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Deployment BPs Citrix XenApp Over Hughes Satellite Networks - Final v41