Finally multi-site and enterprise readiness of #StoreFront subscription DB! – #Citrix
This has been one of the things that many larger companies where asking for in the earlier versions of StoreFront (and to get rid of the SQL database of course). Before you could not in a supported/good/easy way get the user subscription database that contained all the items (apps and desktops) that the end-user had subscribed to replicated between sites and StoreFront groups.
For instance if you had a datacenter in Stockholm and then one in Beijing, and had a storefront server group at each datacenter and then used GSLB to load balance the StoreFront or Access Gateway access into those then users could travel and then end up on the other StoreFront group of servers and then didn’t have his/her subscriptions… this was not that good but with StoreFront 2.0 there is now support for how to synchronize the subscription database between the stores on the different groups/sites.
This is still a messy configuration I must say, how hard is it to build it into the console Citrix?!?! Same things as many of the config changes that you still have to do in web.config files…. really not that admin-friendly…
But here you find you how to setup the replication “jobs”:
And of course Citrix also added some other features in this new release:
What’s new
Separate database no longer required. The requirement for a separate database has been removed. Users’ application subscription data are stored locally and automatically replicated between StoreFront servers. For more information, see Plan your StoreFront deployment.
High availability and multi-site configuration. To enable load balancing and failover between the deployments providing the desktops and applications, you can define groupings and hierarchies, including specific backup deployments. You can restrict user access to specific resources by mapping deployments to Active Directory user groups. For more information, see StoreFront high availability and multi-site configuration.
Smart card authentication. StoreFront supports smart card authentication through both Receiver for Windows and NetScaler Gateway. Smart card authentication from desktop appliances and repurposed PCs through Desktop Appliance sites and XenApp Services URLs is also supported. For more information, see Use smart cards with StoreFront.
Receiver for HTML5 integration. You can configure Receiver for Web sites to enable users who cannot install Citrix Receiver to access their desktops and applications directly within HTML5-compatible web browsers. For more information, see Receiver for Web sites.
Desktop Appliance sites. You can enable users to access their desktops from non-domain-joined desktop appliances. The web browser on the appliance is configured to access the Desktop Appliance site for a store in full-screen mode at startup. For more information, see Desktop Appliance sites.
Receiver for Web site shortcuts. You can embed on your websites links to desktops and applications available through Receiver for Web sites. For more information, seeReceiver for Web sites.
XenMobile App Controller workflow integration. Receiver for Web site users can subscribe to applications to which you are managing access with App Controller user account management. For more information about App Controller user account management, see Configuring Applications for User Account Management.
Receiver for Web site user change password. You can enable Receiver for Web site users to change their Active Directory domain passwords and configure notifications for users whose passwords are about to expire. For more information, see Optimize the user experience.
Fast Connect support. StoreFront supports pass-through authentication with proximity cards through Fast Connect-compatible third-party products to XenApp Services URLs. For more information, see XenApp Services URLs.
IPv6 support. StoreFront supports communications with both servers and clients on IPv6 networks and on hybrid dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 networks.
Other features
Citrix Receiver integration. Citrix Receiver provides users with intuitive, self-service access to your StoreFront stores from any device, anywhere. For more information, seeCitrix Receiver.
Email-based account discovery. You can enable users who install Citrix Receiver on a device for the first time to set up their accounts by entering their email addresses. For more information, see Configure email-based account discovery.
One-click configuration of Citrix Receiver. You can configure Citrix Receiver for your users by making provisioning files available. For more information, see To export store provisioning files for users.
Automatically provisioned applications. You can automatically subscribe all users to a core set of applications. For more information, see Optimize the user experience.
Application synchronization. Subscribed applications follow users from device to device. Users do not need to resubscribe to their applications each time they use a different device, ensuring that they enjoy a consistent experience across all their devices. For more information, see Plan your StoreFront deployment.
Receiver for Web sites. In addition to accessing StoreFront stores within Citrix Receiver, users can also access stores through web pages. For more information, see Receiver for Web sites.
Citrix Receiver detection and deployment. Receiver for Web sites prompt Windows and Mac OS X users who do not have Citrix Receiver installed to download the appropriate version from the Citrix website. For more information, see Receiver for Web sites.
NetScaler Gateway support. StoreFront integrates with NetScaler Gateway to secure connections from remote users over public networks. Both connections through the NetScaler Gateway Plug-in and clientless access are supported. You can use SmartAccess to control user access to resources on the basis of session policies. For more information, see User authentication.
Pass-through authentication. StoreFront supports pass-through of domain and smart card credentials from users’ devices, and pass-through authentication from NetScaler Gateway. For more information, see User authentication.
Secure user connections. You can configure StoreFront to use HTTPS to secure communications with users’ devices. For more information, see Secure your StoreFront deployment.
ICA file signing. StoreFront can digitally sign ICA files so that versions of Citrix Receiver that support this feature can verify that the file originates from a trusted source. For more information, see Secure your StoreFront deployment.
Workspace control. You can configure applications to follow users as they move between devices so that they do not have to restart their applications on each device. For more information, see Optimize the user experience.
Legacy client support. When you create a new store, access for older clients that support Web Interface XenApp Services sites is enabled by default. For more information, seeXenApp Services URLs.
Centralized server management. You can manage a group of StoreFront servers using the Citrix StoreFront management console on the primary server. For more information, see Configure server groups.
Happy StoreFront’ing! 😉
//Richard
The IT Melting Pot! 