MetaFrame XP Integration Review and Engineering Methodology
Citrix MetaFrame XP TIPS and Installation Deployment Notes
MetaFrame XP Administrators Guide - Feature Release 3
MetaFrame XP Advanced Concepts Guide - Feature Release 3
MetaFrame XP Advanced Concepts Guide - Feature Release 2
Installation Manager Getting Started
Networking Issues Affecting Citrix MetaFrame - PDF
MetaFrame XP Engineering Tactics
- Introduction:
- Forward Engineering
- Best Practices
- Integration Tactics
- Environmental Assessment:
- Licensing:
- Integration:
- Hardware Sizing:
- Pre Production Installation:
- Production Installation:
Introduction: The MetaFrame XP integrator notes section is designed to provide a basic road map to engineer and deploy thin client technology. This document is a simple strait forward common sense method of deploying Citrix MetaFrame XP. Also, this document will assist in avoiding some common road blocks, by planning and making some pre-installation decisions that will ultimately enhance the end user experience.
"Forward engineering", "best practices" and "integration tactics", are important concepts to learn, and will play key roles in successfully deploying MetaFrame XP.
Forward Engineering: Refers to planning, designing, modeling and proving your pacticular engineering approach, improving likelyhood of success and decreasing likelyhood of poor user experience and project failure.
Best Practices: Refers to a combination of proven engineering and configuration methodologies that are recommended and endorsed by Citrix and Microsoft, coupled with your common sense engineering tactics.
An example of a best practice, would be if you are deploying 25 MetaFrame XP Servers with 50 published applications, use Microsoft SQL, or an Oracle database for the datastore instead of the default MS Access database.
Another example would be if any or all client systems accessing the MetaFrame server/s are high latency connections, such as dial-in, to adjust MetaFrame XP server settings IcaEnableKeepAlive REG_DWORD: from 0 to 1, and ICAKeepAliveInterval REG_DWORD: to 60.
Citrix Document ID: CTX708444
Integration Tactics: Will be specific to the MetaFrame XP environment in which you are deploying.
For example, logon authentication methods, local, NT Master Domain, Active Directory or Novell NDS. A higher level example would be to think about who is going to access the MetaFrame servers and what applications will they be using. Use logic, divide up the user base, from high end users to the low use end user. Have your high end users, such as management analysts, reporting analysts, etc... those who will use alot of CPU utilization, and place them on a separate group of MetaFrame XP Servers. And have your normal production users, the low end to medium usage people operate on a different group of MetaFrame XP Servers.
Here is a list of things to think about.
Disaster Recovery, Server Redundency, Backup, Virus Protection.
Load Balance for Disaster Recovery if you can. Divide MetaFrame servers between 2 physical sites if at all possible.
Dedicate a server/s for QA and Development.
Divide power users from medium/low end users on different MetaFrame Servers.
Application mix. Which MetaFrame servers will have which applications installed and published.
Logon Authentication method: local server, NT Master Domain, Active Directory, Novell NDS.
Profiles: Local, Remote or Mandatory. Use local profiles or mandatory local profiles if you can.
Environmental Assessment:
Document Network Topology, LAN, WAN, Targeted protocols.
Document Authentication requirements, NT Domain, ADS, Novell NDS.
Assess Business Continuity requirements, if any.
Assess DR strategies, and design appropriate model.
Backup strategy if required.
Review printing requirements.
Security assessment. Access from Public Internet requirements.
Licensing:
License assessment and strategy.
Key point: Microsoft NT 4.0 Master domain license server can exist on MetaFrame or domain member server.
In a Microsoft Active Directory the license server can only exist on a domain controller.
Understanding Terminal Services Licensing
Integration:
Design Logon Scripts and compatability scripts. Scripting References
Policy Design, review and document which policies you will set.
Do not remap drives during MetaFrame install if at all possible.
Security access to the MetaFrame Server/s using Domain Global Group membership.
Profiles, local, roaming, Mandatory. Use local profiles or local mandatory profiles if possible.
Home drive location. Locate them on another FileServer.
Change all applcations save to location to Home drive.
MetaFrame Data Store, Access, Oracle or SQL. MS SQL is my favor.
Load Balancing, split Citrix Farm into two physical sites if possible. This will provide built-in fault tolerance.
Hardware Sizing:
Should you scale servers vertical(4-8 way processor) or horizonal(1-4 way processor). There are benefits to both, however, medium horizonal is my preference, which is 2-4 way processor servers.
VMWare with IBM servers was discussed in a session at Citrix iForum, as another alternative.
Pre Production Installation:
Setup test environment in a lab if you can.
Perform a proof of concept.
Build test Server/s, and document as much as you can.
Thoroughly test all your applications in this test environment.
Pilot and certifiy apps and servers are production worthy.
Have the business formally sign off on the MetaFrame environment as being business worthy.
Production Server Installation:
Install servers into computer room. Plug servers into power and network of course.
Install OS and MetaFrame XP. Patch OS using Windows Update Site.
Install applicatons and document versions and procedures.
Backup or clone server.
Schedule change management to go live, Pilot to small group first.
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