Software from Citrix that eliminates the permanent installation of applications in the user's machine. It provides "local application delivery" by streaming the application as needed to the Citrix Receiver client in the user's machine. See application streaming.
XenApp also provides "hosted application delivery," which is a centralized, terminal-based architecture for Windows and Unix servers. Also known as a "thin client" environment, it is the reason the company was founded. Using Citrix's ICA protocol, which governs keyboard, mouse and screen transfer, a user's machine is turned into an input/output (I/O) terminal to the server, which runs any and all applications that might normally run on a desktop PC. In lieu of PCs, low-cost ICA terminals can also be used. See ICA.
XenApp and Terminal Services
XenApp relies on Microsoft's Terminal Services, which lets multiple users simultaneously share one copy of an application running in a Windows server. Although Terminal Services can be used without XenApp to provide multiuser computing, XenApp adds a raft of enhancements for central control, printers, server farms, handheld devices, scalability and policy management. XenApp also enables a wider variety of platforms to be used as terminals. Another advantage over Terminal Services without XenApp is speed on wide area networks, because XenApp moves much of the user interface graphics rendering into the client machine eliminating bandwidth-intensive graphics traveling over the network.
Interestingly, the foundation of Microsoft's Terminal Services itself is based on Citrix software. In 1997, Citrix licensed its MultiWin technology to Microsoft and it became the underlying Terminal Services foundation. Citrix XenApp was formerly Citrix Presentation Server and originally Citrix MetaFrame. See thin client, Terminal Services, centralized processing and Citrix XenDesktop.
Unix X Window System
In Unix, X Window provides the shared terminal services. XenApp sets up an X Window partition in the server for each user and converts between X Window and ICA. See X Window.
Multiuser Computing
Citrix XenApp adds the ICA protocol to Windows Terminal Services and Unix environments, which enables a wide variety of clients to function as input/output terminals.
XenApp also provides "hosted application delivery," which is a centralized, terminal-based architecture for Windows and Unix servers. Also known as a "thin client" environment, it is the reason the company was founded. Using Citrix's ICA protocol, which governs keyboard, mouse and screen transfer, a user's machine is turned into an input/output (I/O) terminal to the server, which runs any and all applications that might normally run on a desktop PC. In lieu of PCs, low-cost ICA terminals can also be used. See ICA.
XenApp and Terminal Services
XenApp relies on Microsoft's Terminal Services, which lets multiple users simultaneously share one copy of an application running in a Windows server. Although Terminal Services can be used without XenApp to provide multiuser computing, XenApp adds a raft of enhancements for central control, printers, server farms, handheld devices, scalability and policy management. XenApp also enables a wider variety of platforms to be used as terminals. Another advantage over Terminal Services without XenApp is speed on wide area networks, because XenApp moves much of the user interface graphics rendering into the client machine eliminating bandwidth-intensive graphics traveling over the network.
Interestingly, the foundation of Microsoft's Terminal Services itself is based on Citrix software. In 1997, Citrix licensed its MultiWin technology to Microsoft and it became the underlying Terminal Services foundation. Citrix XenApp was formerly Citrix Presentation Server and originally Citrix MetaFrame. See thin client, Terminal Services, centralized processing and Citrix XenDesktop.
Unix X Window System
In Unix, X Window provides the shared terminal services. XenApp sets up an X Window partition in the server for each user and converts between X Window and ICA. See X Window.
Multiuser Computing
Citrix XenApp adds the ICA protocol to Windows Terminal Services and Unix environments, which enables a wide variety of clients to function as input/output terminals.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- News to know: Skype; reCAPTCHA; Oracle Q1; Zune HD; Bing
- Here are today's notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates see BNET's around-the-Web tech coverage. Sam Diaz: Report: Skype founders sue eBay; could complicate Skype sale Dave Greenfield: Skype Founders Sue eBay and...
- Blog posts 2009-09-17
- Citrix adds virtual machine delivery to XenApp's bag of tricks
- Citrix just launched a new version of it's XenApp application virtualization and application delivery product. This would allow the system to deliver the appropriate software to a client device. Access to an application, the application itself or a complete virtual system supporting that application could all be made to appear...
- Blog posts 2009-09-16
- Citrix XenApp Platinum Edition - ( v. 4.5 ) - license
- 50adfasdfasdfasdfasdsadfasd
- Discussion threads 2009-09-11
- Leostream releases Connection Broker 6.1
- Leostream has released another upgrade of its multi-platform connector broker to ease the management of virtual desktops. Connection Broker 6.1, which was released last month, features enhanced policy and reporting capabilities, Wake-on-Lan and power control for physical machines and browser access to Citrix XenApplications. ...
- Blog posts 2009-08-17
- Citrix and Fujitsu cuddle closer together
- Citrix and Fujitsu recently announced that they were taking their long-standing relationship to another level. Fujitisu has signed an OEM agreement with Citrix and will incorporate Citrix technology at a deeper level than ever before. The key questions are where these two companies think that they're going to get more...
- Blog posts 2009-07-14
- Wyse releases virtual desktop accelerator
- Wyse has launched a virtual desktop accelerator and hopes that will open the door to greater acceptance of the concept of a hosted virtual desktop environment. One of the key inhibitors in the past have been overall performance due to transmission latency and loss of data that required retransmission. Wyse,...
- Blog posts 2009-07-13
- Automating Citrix XenApp on XenServer Deployments on HP ProLiant Servers
- Citrix and HP have jointly developed and tested an automated deployment solution that is as powerful as it is cost-effective. This allows one to use RDP in conjunction with Citrix-developed PowerShell cmdlets to deploy XenServer VMs to a XenApp server farm hosting published applications. Citrix and HP jointly developed this...
- White papers 2009-07-01
- HP Reference Configuration for Citrix XenApp: 1,500 Microsoft Office 2003 Users on HP ProLiant BL465c G6 Server Blades
- HP and Citrix collaborate at an engineering level to ensure that customers benefit from software, hardware and service solutions that are jointly tested, certified, and tuned to deliver optimal server performance. HP and Citrix have developed a range of recommended configurations and services for Citrix applications, focusing on particular business...
- White papers 2009-07-01
- Best Practices for Deploying Citrix XenApp on XenServer on HP ProLiant Servers
- Since the first hypervisor came on the market, businesses have been challenged to consolidate underutilized servers on to a single physical machine. While early results were disappointing, resulting in large performance penalties due to virtualization overhead, there have been significant advances in technology. Today's AMD Opteron and Intel Xeon processors...
- White papers 2009-07-01
- HP Reference Configuration for Citrix XenApp: 1,500 Microsoft Office 2003 Users on HP ProLiant BL460c G6 Server Blades
- HP and Citrix collaborate at an engineering level to ensure that customers benefit from software, hardware and service solutions that are jointly tested, certified, and tuned to deliver optimal server performance. HP and Citrix have developed a range of recommended configurations and services for Citrix applications, focusing on particular business...
- White papers 2009-06-01
- Citrix C3 â€" Where are the partners?
- Citrix put some significant new meat on the bones of its Citrix Cloud Center (C3) offering last week but left behind one crucial element. Who are the partners delivering this offering? At its annual customer get together, Citrix Synergy 2009, the company fulfilled our prediction of the true...
- Blog posts 2009-05-11
- Citrix Receiver: instant access to Windows applications on iPhone
- Citrix announced last week its Citrix Receiver application for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch that gives users access to full-featured Windows applications and documents from their mobile device. Citrix says the application will enable users to run existing enterprise applications on iPhone while maintaining control of...
- Blog posts 2009-05-11
- Citrix dazzles market -- and Microsoft -- with new Xen products
- Citrix is putting some dazzle into its expanding virtualization and application delivery software portfolio -- and its relationship with Microsoft. At its annual conference known as Synergy 2009, the Ft Lauderdale, Fl company launched a series of new products and upgrades of its Xen virtualization software and...
- Blog posts 2009-05-05
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11: Lots of Tech but Short on Polish
- At first glance, Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 (SLED 11) is virtually indistinguishable from the company's Free/Open Source and community supported Linux distribution, openSUSE 11.1. But does SLED 11 have the extra polish and the value add to justify its position as Novell's premier enterprise...
- Blog posts 2009-03-23
- Virtualization: What Does It Mean for SAS?
- SAS groups virtualization into four categories: Hardware Virtualization, Presentation Virtualization, Application Virtualization, and Storage Virtualization. Hardware Virtualization (VMware, Xen, and Microsoft Hyper-V) and Presentation Virtualization (Windows Terminal Server, Citrix XenApp,) are technologies being used by SAS users today. Application Virtualization (Citrix XenApp, Microsoft App-V) is a newer technology for application...
- White papers 2009-03-09
- Parallels' Serguei Beloussov speaks out on free XenServer
- Parallels' CEO, Serguei Beloussov, has published his opinion regarding Citrix's recent announcement that they were making a free edition of XenServer available see Citrix launches a free version of XenServer and Citrix Essentials for more information. Let's hear what he has to say and review his comments. Here's what...
- Blog posts 2009-02-24
- Citrix lays off 10 percent of workforce
- A little birdie told me this morning that Citrix has begun following through with yesterday's warning that it would cut 10 percent of its global workforce, with some people in the Santa Barbara, Calif. office already receiving notice, according to the source, who is familiar with the proceedings. ...
- Blog posts 2009-01-30
- Citrix Receiver for iPhone
- Earlier in the month, Citrix analyst relations sent me a message laying out the company's plans to offer client software, a "Reciever" in Citrix-speak, allowing the iPhone to display Windows applications that are presented by Citrix's XenApp formally presentation manager. Since I'm a big fan of making applications available "any...
- Blog posts 2008-12-29
- Cloud Courting: Round One
- VMware and Citrix want to be your cloud infrastructure provider. The competing virtual infrastructure makers announced dueling cloud initiatives this week aimed at providing xSPs with simple to deploy and buy cloud computing platforms that come from very different angles and may serve to bifurcate the mid to small market...
- Blog posts 2008-09-19
- Microsoft: It's time to consummate the marriage with Citrix already
- The relationship between Microsoft and Citrix is much like that of a man who has been serially dating the same woman for 15 years, but never seems to be able to consummate the deal. He's afraid of commitment, or perhaps like that old expression goes, why...
- Blog posts 2008-09-13
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- The best support in the Linux business
-
If Linux is going to power your mission-critical applications, you'd better have the best support known to business. Novell was rated the top provider of Linux technical support.
- Learn more >>
- The more you simplify, the more you save
-
When you transition from your existing Red Hat environment to SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell, you can recognize dramatic cost savings, perhaps as much 50%
- Learn more >>
- New Online Dashboard for IT Leaders
-
Read about top issues IT decision-makers face every day, plus get cost-effective solutions to real-life IT problems.
- Learn more >>
- Reduce risk. Reduce complexity. Increase reliability.
-
A simplified IT environment isn't just less complex. It's also more reliable. Standardize on a single Linux platform with SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell, and get the world's most interoperable Linux
- Learn more >>
SmartPlanet
- Thought-provoking progressive ideas on diverse topics that intersect with technology, business, and life, and matter to the world at large. Visit SmartPlanet
- More from IBM
-
- Innovate your business' process model, play against the market, compete against others on our scoreboards and WIN! Try INNOV8 2.0: A BPM Simulator
- Enabling Real-World Business Transformation through IBM Service Management Read the EMA Analyst Report
