It has been a while but here is some more NetScaler madness for you, on Spilt Tunnelling this time. Hopefully I’m not boring you guys just yet (because there are a few more coming). Split tunnelling is a feature specific to SSL VPN’s and controls how the client (plugin) decides what traffic must (or may) be sent through the VPN tunnel and what traffic may be sent out directly on its local network, usually involving Internet facing traffic.
The ultimate Citrix printing internals cheat sheet! BIG Takeaway list included!
In this article (part two) I’d like to focus on the Citrix printing pathways, how they differ and when one or the other will, or can be used. I’ll also highlight the universal print driver, server and printer together with a whole bunch of CTX defaults, best practices including some of the most common troubleshooting tools and a BIG list of takeaways. However, knowing what happens after a user hits print and how traffic flows throughout our infrastructure is probably the best place to start. I have also included a BIG list of takeaways, which is available as a separate download as well.
Continue ReadingCitrix NetScaler… The basics continued, part six. Content Switching!
Average time to read: 6 minutesIf you have been following this series up till now, meaning you actually have read part one through five, then Content Switching should be a relatively easy concept to grasp. If you understand what a vServer is, how a service and server object are bound to each other and that we use monitors to constantly check if all is up and running then you are basically good to go. All we need now is a content switch vServer and a basic load balance setup and take it from there.
Citrix NetScaler… The basics continued, part five. Global Server Load Balancing!
Average time to read: 6 minutesFrom a NetScaler perspective Global Service Load Balancing (GSLB) can seem pretty intimidating. In short, GSLB is used as a way to manage and control the traffic flow between two (or more) separate physical locations (data centers) that are, in most cases, geographically dispersed. This can be for either load balancing purposes, high availability, fault tolerance, disaster recovery and so on. The mechanism behind GSLB is based on Microsoft DNS.
Citrix NetScaler… The basics continued, part four. What about SSL?
Average time to read: 9 minutesI think we all know port 443 and the SSL (Secure Socket Layer) protocol that goes with it right? When securing our inbound (incoming) as well outbound (outgoing) network traffic we have to deal with things like certificates, public and private key’s, certificate authorities (CA), and so on and so forth. This can be confusing. Where do certificates get applied, what is a CA, what types of certificates are there and which ones do we use? Also, once applied, how does the NetScaler actually know who it is communicating with and how is traffic secured? Using the NetScaler to offload SSL you say? Let’s have a look.
Citrix NetScaler… The basics continued, part three. High Availability!
Average time to read: 5 minutesI think we are all familiar with the term High Availability, or HA in short. It simply means that if a single machine or system fails we will have another equally configured system, or multiple, in standby mode or actively participating a.k.a. active / active, ready to take over when needed. This way we won’t loose any of the functionality that the failing, or failed, machine was providing us with. Which in the case of the NetScaler could be anything from a Gateway to Load Balancing, SSL offloading, Content Switching and more. Needless to say that the Citrix NetScaler has some nifty build-in HA capabilities as well.
Citrix NetScaler… The basics continued, part two. Static routes, SNIP and MIP!
Average time to read: 5 minutesBefore we jump into what a static route actually is and why we would like, or need, to configure one we must first have a basic understanding of the so-called SNIP, or Subnet IP Address, in full. And while we are at it, we will have a quick look at the MIP, Mapped IP Address, as well. Both er important to understand how traffic flows through a NetScaler device.
Citrix NetScaler… The basics continued, part one. VIP’s, Monitors and other objects!
Average time to read: 5 minutesWhen dealing with the Citrix NetScalers there is a lot to get your head around, especially when you are still relatively new to the product / technology. The different licensing models, all of the ADC (Application Delivery Controller) features (and there are a lot) the secure remote access gateway functionality and a whole bunch of abbreviations like NSIP, SNIP, MIP, VIP and so on and so forth, which will have your head spinning in no time. You have to know about monitors, static routes, load balancing, HA and more. A very interesting, powerful but potentially confusing product when starting out.
Who needs Citrix Synergy Europe when we have events like E2EVC?!
Average time to read: 10 minutesDon’t get me wrong, I like Citrix, but every now and again companies, since their run by people, make mistakes, it happens. Normally you’d learn from them, but I guess there will always be exceptions. Dear Citrix, please listen to us, the community, and bring back Synergy to where it belongs (as well), Europe! Luckily we have E2EVC, which, even if Synergy would return, is ranked Nr. 1 by many, and since a couple of months I know why. Of course it’s hard to compare these types of events and maybe we shouldn’t, but let’s just say that Citrix leaves us no other choice. Read on please, it’s not all bad.
Citrix NetScaler Gateway, the basics!
Average time to read: 7 minutes
I don’t want to spend to much time talking about the different kinds of editions and or licenses available, if you want to know about those I suggest you check out one of my previous articles here, or just give citrix.com a visit. Throughout this article I’d like to briefly focus on some of the basic terminology and traffic flow that comes with the NetScaler Gateway edition providing our users with secure remote access. This (the Gateway edition) is probably one of the most popular NetScaler implementations today, although, and as you might know, the NetScalers ADC edition also has the Gateway functionality build-in and can provide us with a bunch of additional features as well. Let’s have a look shall we?!