Content Redirection in MetaFrame XP with Feature Release 2
Content Redirection in MetaFrame XP with Feature Release 2
Barry Flanagan
Senior Systems Engineer Brian Stearman
Systems Engineer
Barry Flanagan
Senior Systems Engineer Brian Stearman
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Agenda
• What is Content Redirection?
• What are the Requirements for Content Redirection?
• How is Content Redirection Configured?
• How does Content Redirection work?
What is Content Redirection?
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What is Content Redirection?
• Content Redirection allows administrators to specify whether server or local resources are used to open content, no matter where it is stored.
• Use Content Redirection to redirect application launching from:
– Client to server – Server to client
CLIENT
SERVER
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Client to Server
• Content Redirection allows files residing on the local workstation to be opened with a published application rather than a
locally installed application.
CLIENT SERVER Local App (Explorer, Word, IE) Acrobat content located anywhere Published Acrobat
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Server to Client
• Content Redirection allows a fixed set of URLs encountered within ICA sessions to be launched within locally installed
applications rather than Internet Explorer or players on the MetaFrame XP server.
CLIENT SERVER URL Content Local App (IE or Player) Published App (Outlook) with URL Link
What are the Requirements for Content Redirection?
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What are the requirements?
Client to Server
• MetaFrame XPa or XPe
• FR2 server license, FR2 connection licenses
• NFuse Classic 1.7
• Program Neighborhood Agent ICA client
• Client drive mapping enabled
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What are the requirements?
Server to Client
• MetaFrame XP
• FR2 server license, FR2 connection licenses
How is Content Redirection Configured?
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How is Content Redirection Configured?
• Server to Client
• This type of content redirection is enabled in one of three ways.
– Farm-wide – Server-wide
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How is Content Redirection Configured?
Server to Client • Farm Wide
settings:
• Enable for
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How is Content Redirection Configured?
Server to Client • Server level
setting • Use farm
settings – OR –
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How is Content Redirection Configured?
Server to Client
• User Policy setting
• Configured using FR2 user policies
• Precedence:
– User policy
– Server properties
– Farm
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How is Content Redirection Configured?
Client to Server
• Plan file types to be redirected to the published
applications.
• Publish an application.
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How is Content Redirection Configured?
Install the FR2 PNAgent client
– Win32 client only
– Specifiy the NFuse Classic webserver – FR2 farm only
– Specify Authentication mechanism
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How is Content Redirection Configured?
• Choose authentication method
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PNAgent / Client configuration
• Client Options
– Server
– Application Display – Ica Options
• Deploying/configuring the client:
– Config.xml
– Command line MSI
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PNAgent / Client configuration
Client Options • Server
– Server URL – Logon Mode
• Application display
– Show apps. in start menu (+location!) – Display in desktop folder & system tray
• ICA Options
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PNAgent / Client configuration
Deploying the client! • Config.xml
– Settings contained in Config.xml
– Location: Inetpub\wwwroot\Citrix\PNAgent
– See pp. 58-70 ICA Win32 Client Admin. Guide • Ica32a.msi
– msiexec /I <MSI_Package> /qn+ [Key=Value]
– Key/Value pairs pp. 41-42 ICA Win32 Client Admin. Guide • Ica32a.exe
– Extract files with compression utility
– Locate and modify install.ini
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PNAgent / Client configuration
Sample Client options:
• Server URL (http or https)
• Start Menu location (under Programs) • Authentication type / logon mode
• NDS Context • Screen size • Audio quality
• Which options users see (tabs) • AND More…….
How does Content Redirection Work?
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How does Content Redirection Work?
Client to Server
• The user authenticates to the farm using the PNAgent client.
• The PNAgent client edits the file type associations in the registry to point to published applications (pulled from config.xml on NFuse Classic server).
• When a user clicks on a file type configured for content redirection, the published application is utilized.
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How does Content Redirection Work?
Client to Server – Registry Modifications
• A sample of the registry modifications made to the client workstation if MS Paint were the published application:
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\PAINT.PICTURE\shell\
open\command=(Default) REG_SZ "C:\Program Files\Citrix\
PNAgent\pnagent.exe" /launch <Twincam88 Paint> /param:”\\Client\ %1\”
• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Paint.Picture\shell\open\
command=(Default) REG_SZ "C:\\Program Files\Citrix\PNAgent\ pnagent.exe" /launch <Twincam88 Paint> /param:"\\Client\%1\"
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How does Content Redirection Work?
Server to Client
• On install of Feature Release 2, the server registry is modified.
• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\http\shell\open\command.
• The current value for the key copied to a new key “command_backup”. The command key set to
“ServerFTA.exe %1”. ServerFTA.exe executes Server to Client Redirection.
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How does Content Redirection Work?
Server to Client - Once a URL linked is clicked in a published application:
Three checks are made:
– ServerFTA.exe checks session id to verify this is an ICA session (not console or RDP).
– Verify that a valid FR2 license is on the server.
– Verify that Server to Client Redirection is enabled for farm, server, or user.
– If all answers are yes, ServerFTA proceeds. If any answer is no, control is passed to the executable called in the
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How does Content Redirection Work?
• ServerFTA.exe sends a message to the client via the ICA Control Virtual Channel to launch link via local application.
• Local client passes link info to appropriate local application.
• If the client does not have an appropriate player or cannot directly access the
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How does Content Redirection Work?
URLs Redirected by Default
• http Hypertext Transfer Protocol
• https Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol
• rtsp Real Player and QuickTime
• rtspu Real Player and QuickTime
• pnm Older Real Players
Supporting Content Redirection
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Supporting Content Redirection
Issues
• Content Redirection is unidirectional. For
example, mailto: links will not be redirected to server.
• Microsoft Word does not redirect HTTP or HTTPS type hyperlinks to the Web browser on the client device. This is because the Microsoft Office suite does not directly access the “Shell” values and redirects these types of links directly to the
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Supporting Content Redirection
Issues
• Neither the Notepad text editor
(Notepad.exe) nor the Write text editor (Write.exe) support URL hyperlinks.
• Any applications installed manually (not
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Supporting Content Redirection
Support Utilities
• Microsoft provides a free utility FTYPE to check current File Type Associations.
• If PN Agent crashes, it may be necessary to clean up File Type Associations. FTACLN.exe is
provided to restore client’s File Type
Questions?
