Gateway

Optimizing network traffic with CloudBridge

When users log on with the Citrix Gateway plug-in, the connection can be optimized by using the CloudBridge plug-in, which installs on the user device from CloudBridge. When the connection is optimized through the use of the CloudBridge plug-in, network traffic is compressed and accelerated through Citrix Gateway. When CloudBridge is enabled for a connection, TCP compression policies on the Citrix Gateway are disabled.

The CloudBridge plug-in is deployed and works with the Citrix Gateway plug-in.

Citrix Gateway supports Versions 5.5 and 6.1 of the Repeater plug-in and Versions 6.2 and 7.0 of the CloudBridge plug-in.

CloudBridge optimization and flow control take precedence over Citrix Gateway optimization features that require dynamic content modification. If CloudBridge optimization is enabled for HTTP traffic, the following Citrix Gateway features are not available:

  • Single sign-on to Web applications
  • File type association
  • HTTP authorization

To allow single sign-on to Web applications, you can disable acceleration on HTTP. To do so, you use the command line. Log on to the Citrix Gateway serial console and then at a command prompt, type:

add vpn trafficAction ssoact http -SSO ON

Network traffic destined for a configured HTTP port on Citrix Gateway is excluded automatically from CloudBridge optimization. This is the default setting. If you configure a traffic policy for CloudBridge optimization on an HTTP port, the traffic policy is honored and the network traffic is optimized by CloudBridge. However, the Citrix Gateway optimization features are disabled for all traffic affected by that policy. CloudBridge can accelerate network traffic destined for non-HTTP ports without affecting other Citrix Gateway features.

You use a traffic policy to configure user connections to use the CloudBridge plug-in. You can then bind the policy to users, groups, virtual servers, or globally. The policy is prioritized based on where you bind the policy or by the priority number you give the policy.

To create a traffic policy

  1. In the configuration utility, on the Configuration tab, in the navigation pane, expand Citrix Gateway Policies and then click Traffic.
  2. In the details pane, click Add.
  3. In Name type a name for the policy.
  4. Next to Request Profile, click New.
  5. In Name, type a name for the profile.
  6. In Branch Repeater, select ON and then click Create.
  7. In the Create Traffic Policy dialog box, next to Add Expression, select or enter an expression that represents the traffic types to enable CloudBridge acceleration click Add Expression, click Create and then click Close.

When adding an expression, choose a network expression to use the same IP addresses and port ranges for which the CloudBridge is configured to accelerate. For CloudBridge acceleration to occur, the traffic types configured on Citrix Gateway must match the Service Class Policies configured on CloudBridge.

All TCP traffic benefits from CloudBridge acceleration. If you are planning to use single sign-on, do not accelerate HTTP traffic because the acceleration disables single sign-on.

Optimizing network traffic with CloudBridge