Citrix MetaFrame for UNIX


Although this book is primarily focused on MetaFrame XP for Windows 2003, UNIX-based applications continue to be a mainstay of many large enterprise environments, and Windows and UNIX users alike can benefit from seamless, single-point, webified access to these applications. Because of the overall value of server-based computing in providing web-based seamless access to all applications from any device, for all users, the authors felt strongly that MetaFrame for UNIX should be featured in this book. A large majority of the features and infrastructure discussed throughout this book will apply equally to MetaFrame for UNIX and MetaFrame XP for Windows 2003. Features and tools such as Web Interface for MetaFrame, MetaFrame Secure Gateway, Load Management, and any-device access are further promoted by bringing the UNIX applications to the Citrix SBC infrastructure fold.

MetaFrame for UNIX version 1.2 offers the same value as MetaFrame for Windows, but with a UNIX/Java twist: low-bandwidth, universal client access over any network connection to any UNIX or Java application. MetaFrame for UNIX provides web-based access to these applications from any of Citrix's over 200 client platform choices, at a lower cost per seat than many X-Window client applications. An additional benefit is a dramatically lower bandwidth use, allowing remote deployment of applications that have rarely seen their way past the local area network. MetaFrame for UNIX supports a large majority of Citrix usability features across platforms. An example is the copy and paste feature-a user from any type of client device can copy and paste between any ICA applications, regardless of whether the application is running from a UNIX server, Windows 2003 Server, or Windows 2000 Server.

Integrating MetaFrame for UNIX with Other Citrix Servers

MetaFrame for UNIX will coexist with other Citrix servers (for example, MetaFrame XP) on a network by sharing master browser information. License pooling only works though if the XP servers are in mixed mode for interoperability.

Although MetaFrame for UNIX Operating Systems servers cannot be added to MetaFrame XP server farms, an ICA Passthrough client can be utilized to access applications on MetaFrame for UNIX using Program Neighborhood. Using ICA passthrough technology will allow non-Win32 ICA Clients to take advantage of the Citrix Program Neighborhood features. This is done by publishing the ICA Client on a MetaFrame for Windows server and having clients "pass through" the server's Citrix Program Neighborhood client to access a server farm. Alternatively, Citrix XML Service with Web Interface for MetaFrame can be used to provide users with access to Windows and UNIX applications from one location.

Note

Cross-server administration between Windows and UNIX versions of MetaFrame is not possible with this release.

System Requirements

This section lists the minimum machine specifications and operating system requirements for MetaFrame for UNIX.

Minimum Machine Specifications

The minimum machine specifications depend upon how many connections are to be supported. As a general rule, we recommend each server have between 16 and 24MB of RAM per ICA connection. However, the memory may need to increase depending upon the type of applications being hosted and the session properties, such as color depth and size. Table 12-1 lists the minimum hardware specifications and are intended as guidelines only. Note that these requirements are much lower than the typical hardware requirements for a Windows MetaFrame XP environment, largely due to the assumption that most UNIX applications and operating systems make more efficient use of the hardware.

Table 12-1: MetaFrame for UNIX Hardware Requirements

Platform

Requirement for 1–3 Connections

Requirement for More Than Three Connections

Sun Solaris SPARC

Sparcstation 20

128MB RAM

Ultra-30

UltraSPARC-II 248 MHz

Sun Solaris Intel

P133

128MB RAM

PII 300

256MB RAM

HP-UX

C110 120 MHz PA-RISC

128MB RAM

A400 440 MHz PA-RISC

256MB RAM

IBM AIX

43P Model 150

128MB RAM

44P Model 270

256MB RAM

UNIX Operating System Requirements

This section provides information about the operating system requirements for MetaFrame for UNIX on each of the platforms.

Table 12-2 shows the operating system requirements for MetaFrame for UNIX.

Table 12-2: Operating System Requirements for MetaFrame for UNIX

Platform

Supported Operating Systems

Required Operating System Software/Packages

Sun Solaris SPARC

  • Solaris 2.6 (also known as SunOS 5.6)

  • Solaris 7 (also known as Solaris 2.7 and SunOS 5.7)

  • Solaris 8, SPARC version

  • Solaris 9, SPARC version

  • X-Window System with the appropriate window manager for the platform—for example, CDE

  • SUNWxwoft X-Window System optional fonts

  • SUNWuiu8 Iconv modules for UTF-8 Locale

    (Check if these packages are installed using the pkginfo command, see note following this table).

  • The Iconv libraries must be installed—check that the following files exist in the /usr/lib/iconv folder:

    UCS-2*.so

    UTF-8*.so

    8859-1*.so

Sun Solaris Intel

Solaris 8 Intel version

Same as earlier entry for Sun Solaris SPARC

HP-UX

HP-UX version 11.x (including 11i)

  • X-Window System with the appropriate window manager for the platform—for example, CDE

IBM AIX

AIX version 4.3.3, 5.1, and 5.2

  • X-Window System with the appropriate window manager for the platform—for example, CDE

Note

On Solaris versions 7, 8, and 9, the SUNWxwoft X-Window System optional fonts and SUNWuiu8 Iconv modules for UTF-8 Locale packages are installed when you do an end-user install. On Solaris 2.6, the packages are not installed in an end-user install.

Operating System Patches For information about the operating system patches that are required, see document CTX222222 in the Solution KnowledgeBase on the Citrix web site at http://knowledgebase.citrix.com/. The information in the Solution KnowledgeBase is updated regularly.

Euro Currency Symbol Support

MetaFrame for UNIX supports the ISO 8859-15 Euro-currency symbol, if the underlying UNIX operating system supports it. To ensure this support, you may need to install patches recommended by your operating system and hardware vendor. See the web site for your operating system manufacturer or contact your hardware vendor for details of the appropriate patches and for instructions for ensuring Euro symbol support.

Installing MetaFrame Version 1.2

This section explains how to

  • Create the Citrix server administrator user and group

  • Install MetaFrame for UNIX for the first time

Installation Overview

Perform the following steps to install MetaFrame:

  1. For first-time installations of MetaFrame, create the Citrix server administrator user and group accounts.

  2. Install MetaFrame from the CD-ROM.

  3. For first-time installations of MetaFrame, add the MetaFrame path(s) to all users' paths, so that the MetaFrame commands can be executed.

  4. Start the MetaFrame processes on the server.

Creating the Citrix Server Administrator User and Group For first-time installations of MetaFrame for UNIX, create the Citrix server administrator group account and a user in this group before installing MetaFrame. This account is required by some MetaFrame commands that demand special administration rights for MetaFrame, but do not require root access to the UNIX system.

Note

You must set up the Citrix server administrator group and user account before installing MetaFrame. The installation will fail if the ctxadm group and ctxsrvr user have not been created. Do not use the Citrix server administrator user or group for any purposes other than MetaFrame system administration.

Create the Citrix server administrator's group using the group name ctxadm and create a Citrix server administrator using the username ctxsrvr. Make sure the ctxsrvr user is added to the ctxadm group, and that the ctxadm group is its primary group.

Installing MetaFrame for UNIX on Solaris

Although the installation of MetaFrame for UNIX varies slightly for all supported versions of UNIX, we will cover the installation on Solaris, as this offers a good example of the steps and procedures required.

This section describes how to install MetaFrame for UNIX version 1.2 for the first time.

  1. Log on as root at the server on which MetaFrame for UNIX will be installed.

  2. Mount the MetaFrame CD-ROM.

  3. Change to the directory for the version of MetaFrame to be installed. For example, type: cd /cdrom/mfunix/solaris_version (cd /cdrom/mfu_fr2/solaris) where solaris_version is the name of the directory on the CD-ROM for the platform architecture (SPARC or Intel) of Solaris being used. The path is usually /cdrom/mfunix/... but it may change depending on how the specific system mounts the CD-ROM.

  4. To install the MetaFrame package, type pkgadd -d /cdrom/mfunix/pkgfile_name pkg. This starts the package installation script. For example, pkgadd -d /cdrom/mfunix/solaris/CTXSmf.

    Note

    Use the command in Step 4 rather than the command syntax listed in the MetaFrame for UNIX administration guide from Citrix—the Citrix guide is incorrect.

  5. At the prompt for the startup/shutdown script installation, type y to start MetaFrame when the machine is booted and stop it when the machine is shut down. If answered yes, the script S99ctxsrv is installed in the /etc/rc2.d directory.

  6. At the prompt for the man page installation, type y to install the MetaFrame man pages.

  7. At the prompt for anonymous users, type y to create 15 anonymous user accounts to enable guest access (this is optional, and generally not recommended for security reasons).

  8. At the prompt about security settings for setuid/setgid, type y to set the correct file permissions for the MetaFrame files and processes (a yes answer to this question is required, or MetaFrame will not operate correctly).

  9. At the next prompt, type y to continue installing MetaFrame. When complete, a message states that the installation was successful and the command prompt is displayed.

Note

Do not attempt to share via NFS or copy the MetaFrame for UNIX installation files between servers. The configuration database cannot be duplicated.

Setting the Paths to MetaFrame for UNIX Commands There are two types of MetaFrame commands: user and system administrating commands. Any user can run the user commands, which include the MetaFrame commands for logging off and disconnecting from a server. User commands are installed in /opt/CTXSmf/bin/ for Solaris and HP-UX, and in /usr/lpp/ CTXSmf/bin for AIX.

System administration commands can only be run by the ctxsrvr user (or members of the ctxadm group). Commands in this group include server, published application, and ICA Browser configuration tools. Administration commands are installed in /opt/ CTXSmf/sbin for Solaris and HP-UX, and /usr/lpp/CTXSmf/sbin for AIX.

Generally, nothing has to be done to allow users to run user commands from their sessions. The path to these commands is added to each user's path upon connection to the server, so any user can access MetaFrame user commands from an ICA session. However, configuration may have to be performed for users to access MetaFrame commands if the user's shell script startup file (for example, .profile or .login) overrides the path. For instance, on HP-UX, the default system profile (/etc/profile) sets the PATH environment variable explicitly.

To configure user access to MetaFrame commands if C shell is being used, use a .login file for the user, and add the path to the user commands. For example:

  • For HP-UX and Solaris: setenv PATH ${PATH}:/opt/CTXSmf/bin

  • For AIX: setenv PATH ${PATH}:/usr/lpp/CTXSmf/bin

If a Bourne or similar shell is being used, employ a .profile file for the user, and add the path to the user commands. For example:

  • For HP-UX and Solaris: PATH=${PATH}:/opt/CTXSmf/binexport PATH

  • For AIX: PATH=${PATH}:/usr/lpp/CTXSmf/binexport PATH

In addition to the user commands, a Citrix server administrator should be able to run the system administration commands. After a first-time installation of MetaFrame, the system needs to be configured so that the ctxsrvr user can run all the commands from the MetaFrame server console, and also from an ICA session.

To configure ctxsrvr access to MetaFrame commands when using a C shell, use a .login file for the ctxsrvr user, and add the path to the user and administrator commands. For example:

  • For HP-UX and Solaris: setenv PATH {PATH}:/opt/CTXSmf/sbin:/opt/CTXSmf/sbin

  • For AIX: setenv PATH ${PATH}:/usr/lpp/CTXSmf/sbin:/usr/lpp/CTXSmf/sbin

If a Bourne or similar shell will be used, use a .profile file for the ctxsrvr user, and add the path to the user and administrator commands. For example:

  • For HP-UX and Solaris: PATH=${PATH}:/opt/CTXSmf/sbin:/opt/CTXSmf/sbinexport PATH

  • For AIX: PATH=${PATH}:/usr/lpp/CTXSmf/sbin:/usr/lpp/CTXSmf/sbinexport PATH

Setting the Path to the Man Pages Generally, nothing needs to be done to allow users to display man pages for MetaFrame for UNIX commands from a session. The path to these files is added to every user's MANPATH environment variable upon connection to the server. However, access may need to be configured to the MetaFrame man pages if the user's shell script startup file (for example, .profile or .login) overrides the path.

To display the MetaFrame man pages from the server console when logging on as ctxsrvr, the MANPATH environment variable must be set to point to the location of the installed man pages. This is only required if this is the first install of MetaFrame on the server.

To set the MANPATH environment variable

If using a C shell:

  • For HP-UX and Solaris: setenv MANPATH ${MANPATH}:/opt/CTXSmf/man

  • For AIX: setenv MANPATH ${MANPATH}:/usr/lpp/CTXSmf/man

If using a Bourne shell:

  • For HP-UX and Solaris: MANPATH=${MANPATH}:/opt/CTXSmf/man

  • For AIX: export MANPATH

Starting and Stopping MetaFrame for UNIX

When installation is complete, start the MetaFrame process on each server using the ctxsrv command.

To start MetaFrame:

  1. Log on at the MetaFrame server as a Citrix server administrator (for example, log in with the default user ctxsrvr).

  2. At the command prompt, type ctxsrv start.

Note

If during installation you chose to add the startup/shutdown script, MetaFrame will automatically start when the machine is booted.

To stop the MetaFrame process on a server, use the ctxshutdown command. With ctxshutdown, the time can be specified for when the shutdown process will begin, and users can be notified that the server is about to shut down.

When the shutdown process begins, applications will terminate, except for those that have registered window hints. These applications will attempt to interactively log users off by displaying a series of prompts. With ctxshutdown, the maximum duration that users have to respond to these prompts can be specified. Any sessions that are still active when this period expires are terminated and the users are automatically logged off. The server prevents users from logging on during the shutdown process.

To stop MetaFrame:

  1. Log on to the MetaFrame server as a Citrix server administrator.

  2. At the command prompt: use the ctxshutdown command to shut down the server using the defaults. By default, the server shutdown process begins after 60 seconds; the message "Server shutting down. Auto logoff in 60 seconds" is sent to all users logged on to the server. Applications that have registered window hints (the WM_DELETE_WINDOW attribute) have a further 30 seconds to interactively log users off before terminating. To specify other parameters with the ctxshutdown command, see Table 12-3 for a list of parameters and descriptions of what they do.

    Table 12-3: ctxshutdown Command Parameters

    To Perform the Following:

    Use This Command:

    Shut down the server using the defaults. By default, the server shutdown process begins after 60 seconds; the message "Server shutting down. Auto logoff in 60 seconds" is sent to all users logged on to the server. Applications that have registered window hints (the WM_DELETE_WINDOW attribute) have a further 30 seconds to interactively log users off before terminating.

    ctxshutdown

    Operate in quiet mode. This reduces the amount of information displayed to the administrator by the ctxshutdown command.

    ctxshutdown -q

    Specify when the shutdown process will begin, and how long the message will be displayed, in seconds. The default is 60 seconds. When this period expires and the shutdown process begins, applications that have registered window hints (the WM_DELETE_WINDOW attribute) will attempt to interactively log the user off. Applications that have not registered window hints will terminate immediately.

    ctxshutdown -m seconds

    Specify how much time applications with registered window hints (the WM_DELETE_WINDOW attribute) have in seconds to interactively log users off. The default is 30 seconds. When this period expires, any remaining sessions are automatically terminated, users are automatically logged off, and the MetaFrame process stops.

    ctxshutdown -l seconds

    Specify the message displayed to all users logged on to the server. If you do not specify a message, the default message "Server shutting down. Auto logoff in x seconds" is displayed, where x = the number of seconds specified in the -m option (or the default of 60 seconds, if this is not specified).

    ctxshutdown message

Publishing a MetaFrame for UNIX Application

Once MetaFrame and any desired UNIX applications are installed on the UNIX server, the next step is to publish the application. Once the application is published, it will be available to any ICA client (version 6.0 and later) and can be published via Web Interface for MetaFrame (see Chapter 16).

Use the ctxappcfg command to publish an application. The command prompts the administrator for the information required to publish the application. Application installation is not part of the application publishing process. Before an application can be published, both MetaFrame for UNIX and the application must be installed. The order in which the application and MetaFrame are installed does not matter. Once an application is installed, it can be published at any time.

To publish an application:

  1. Log on to the MetaFrame for UNIX server as a Citrix server administrator.

  2. At the command prompt, type ctxappcfg.

  3. You will see the following prompt: App Config>. Type add. When you add a new application, the program requests each item of information required. Table 12-4 lists the syntax and parameters for the App Config Add program.

    Table 12-4: Syntax and Parameters for the App Config Add Program

    At the Prompt:

    Type:

    Name:

    The user selects this name when setting up an ICA connection to this published application. The name does not need to be the same as the name of the executable file for a particular program.

    Command line:

    The command line required to run the application or script file—for example: /usr/bin/diary.bin.

    Working directory:

    The default working directory. This directory must exist. Leave blank to specify the user's home directory. Note that ~/sub-dir is supported; ~otheruser is not.

    Anonymous [yes|no]

    y if the application is for anonymous use only, or n if it is only for users with explicit accounts.

    The published application is automatically enabled. It can now be accessed from an ICA Client by setting up a connection to this published application from the client, or by configuring Web Interface for MetaFrame.

  4. At the App Config prompt, type exit.

Note

A user cannot use the root account (su) to log on or connect to a MetaFrame for UNIX application, even though MetaFrame XP allows connecting to MetaFrame XP published applications as the administrator user.

About ICA Client Keyboard Support

This section describes how to use ICA Client devices with non-English keyboards with MetaFrame for UNIX servers. MetaFrame for UNIX supports ICA Client devices that use the following keyboards:

  • US English 409

  • UK English 809

  • French 40c

  • German 407

  • Swedish 41d

  • Spanish 40a

  • Italian 410

Configuring Non-English Keyboard Support To configure non-English keyboard support:

  1. Ensure you start the server in the country locale of the ICA Client keyboard that your users are using. For example, if your users have German keyboards, start the server in a German locale. This ensures that the session runs in an appropriate locale where fonts containing the required keyboard symbols are in the font path and keyboard symbols appear correctly on the screen.

  2. Make sure your users select the appropriate keyboard in the Settings dialog box on the client device. For further information about selecting keyboards, refer to the Client Administrator's Guides for the clients you are deploying.

Note

You can alter the locale for an individual user by setting environment variables in their startup files.

Troubleshooting Non-English Keyboard Support If users experience problems obtaining accent symbols, such as the circumflex accent (^), it may be that the application they are using does not support dead keys. A dead key is a key that does not produce a character when pressed—instead, it modifies the character produced by the next key press. For example, on a generic French PC keyboard the ^ (circumflex) key is a dead key. When this key is pressed, and then the A key is pressed, " " is generated.

Configuring MetaFrame for UNIX Event Logging

Following an initial install of MetaFrame for UNIX, events are not configured to be sent to the system log (syslog).

MetaFrame uses the following event log levels:

  • user.notice

  • user.info

  • user.warning

  • user.err

  • user.debug

To record MetaFrame events, add a line to the /etc/syslog.conf file and specify the event log levels to be recorded. You must be logged in as root to edit syslog.conf.

Note

The event log level names that MetaFrame uses may also be used by other programs. You may see messages from other software in the event log.

For example, adding the following line to the end of syslog.conf (separated with a tab, not a space) causes all event log messages from MetaFrame for UNIX to be put in the file /var/adm/messages:

  • For Solaris and AIX: user.notice;user.info /var/adm/messages

  • For HP-UX: user.notice;user.info /var/adm/syslog/syslog.log

Note

The file you use (for example, /var/adm/messages) must exist. If it does not, then create it. You may also want to send certain types of MetaFrame event details to the console. For example, to ensure that all MetaFrame for UNIX error messages appear on the console, add this line to the file /etc/syslog.conf: user.err /dev/console. For details about configuring system event logging, see the syslog.conf man page.

Configuration Requirements to Run Version 1.2 Features

Generally, after installing or upgrading to MetaFrame for UNIX version 1.2, the following is required in order to fully utilize the latest features of this release. Some items to consider:

  • Ensure that your ICA Client users are running Version 6.3 or later ICA Clients. Without Version 6.3 or later ICA Clients, users will be unable to take advantage of some of the new features, including:

    • Greater ICA session size and color depth

    • Multimonitor display

    • Greater bandwidth efficiency

    • HTTP browsing

    • SSL security

    The latest ICA Clients are available for download at http://www.citrix.com/download/.

  • Ensure that version 1.6 of the Citrix XML Service or later is installed on all MetaFrame for UNIX servers. Version 1.7 of the Citrix XML Service is available as an optional package that can be chosen during the installation of version 1.2. If the latest version of the XML Service is not used, the new features will not be available to users who connect to applications via Web Interface for MetaFrame.

Note

If you are installing the XML Service on a machine for the first time (in other words, the XML Service is not installed on the machine already) publishing is disabled by default. Therefore, before the XML Service will respond to Web Interface or client HTTP browsing requests, publishing must be enabled.




Citrix Metaframe Access Suite for Windows Server 2003(c) The Official Guide
Citrix Access Suite 4 for Windows Server 2003: The Official Guide, Third Edition
ISBN: 0072262893
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 158

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