Citrix SD-WAN WANOP

Optimize Citrix Receiver for HTML5

Application that must serve dynamic content work on HTML5 WebSockets. Citrix Receiver for Chrome and Citrix Receiver for HTML5 are such applications that support HTML5 WebSockets. These applications have simplified access to Virtual Desktops as these can be integrated with most recent Web browsers that support HTML5 WebSockets.

Note

You do not need to make any changes to the appliance configuration to use this feature.

How a Citrix SD-WAN WANOP appliance optimizes Citrix Receiver for HTML5

In a typical branch office and datacenter setup, shared resources like Virtual Desktop Agent (VDA) are installed on a Citrix Citrix Hypervisor server in the datacenter. Clients from the branch offices access these shared resources over the network by using Citrix Receiver.

In a typical branch office and datacenter setup, shared resources like Virtual Desktop Agent (VDA) are installed on a Citrix Citrix Hypervisor server in the datacenter. Clients from the branch offices access these shared resources over the network by using Citrix Receiver.

Being HTML compliant, VDA uses a WebSocket listener that runs on port 8008. When accessing an application, the client initiates a TCP connection at port 8008, and uses it to send an HTTP request to the server to upgrade the connection and use the WebSocket protocol. After the client negotiates the WebSocket connection with VDA, Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) negotiations begin and the client and the server use ICA over HTML5 to exchange data. For more information about the sequence of messages exchanged between the client and server, see Messages Exchanged Between the Client and the Server.

After connections are established between the clients and the server, the Citrix SD-WAN WANOP appliance starts optimizing the connections by speeding up the traffic over the network, and accelerating Web page and other applications using Citrix Receiver for HTML5. The functionality of optimizing the Citrix Receiver for HTML5 connections is similar to HTTP Acceleration.

Note

Configure a Citrix SD-WAN WANOP appliance to optimize Citrix Receiver for HTML5

Optimization of Citrix Receiver for HTML5 connections is a zero configuration feature. You do not have to make any configuration changes to the appliance. Upgrading the Citrix SD-WAN WANOP software to release CB 7.3.1 or later creates the alt-http application classifier on the appliance and maps this application classifier to port 8008, which is the default for Virtual Desktops. As soon as you upgrade the software the appliance, it is ready to optimize native Chrome connections that use Citrix Receiver for HTML5.

If you are using SSL encryption for connections over Citrix Receiver for HTML5, connections use ICA over SSL. To enable ICA over SSL acceleration with Citrix Receiver for HTML5, you need to configure standard SSL acceleration, which includes the appropriate destination IP address in the service class and SSL profile mapping. If you are planning to deploy the appliance in ICA proxy mode, you must map the StoreFront VIP address to StoreFront certificates. Similarly, if you plan to deploy the appliance in any end-to-end SSL encryption deployment mode, you must map the VDA IP address to VDA certificates.

Warning

Make sure that you do not change the port number of the alt-http application to any other port number. If you delete this application classifier or need to make any changes to it, you must add the port 8008 to the HTTP application classifier.

Verify Citrix Receiver for HTML5 connections

To verify that the appliance is optimizing Citrix Receiver for HTML5 connections, you can check to see if connections are listed in Citrix (ICA/CGP) and ICA Advanced monitoring pages . Existence of HTML5 connections in the monitoring pages is an indication that the appliance is optimizing the Citrix Receiver for HTML5 connections.

To verify Citrix Receiver for HTML5 connection on a Citrix SD-WAN WANOP appliance:

  1. Navigate to the Monitoring > Optimization > Citrix (ICA/CGP) page.

  2. On the ICA Connections tab, verify that the HTML5 connections are listed. An HTML5 connection is shown with HTML as a prefix in the Client Computer Name column, as shown in the following screen shot:

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  3. Navigate to the Monitoring > Optimization > ICA Advanced page.</span>

  4. In the Conn Info tab, scroll down to the ICA Client and Server Information section. Entries for HTML5 connections have Citrix HTML5 client in the Product ID column, as shown in the following screen shot:

    Localized image

Optimize Citrix Receiver for HTML5