Citrix Access Essentials 3.0 Windows Server 2008 Install Review

Just finished a test deployment of Citrix Access Essentials 3.0 running on Windows Server 2008 and although branded as the "lite" version of XenApp (new name for Presentation Server) I think it's a good alternative for cost conscious small businesses who can't really justify the cost and complexity of implementing XenApp but would like to utilize features beyond what Microsoft's Terminal Services offers. If you're not familiar with Citrix Access Essentials check out the overview here:

http://www.citrix.com

My Deployment Details

• The test server was a 2.8 ghz dual processor configured 2gb of ram with 25gb of drive space VMWare virtual machine
• Windows 2008 Server Standard Edition was installed with no roles configured and joined to the domain
• Downloaded Citrix Access Essentials 1.3gb iso
• Extracted CAE 3.0 iso to a staging server for install over the network
• Started the CAE 3.0 install

One of the convenient features of CAE 3.0 setup is that it installs and configures all the required Windows 2008 Server roles as part of the installation process. The install process was running smoothly and then this error popped up on the Citrix Access Essentials Quick Start component: 

A review of the Windows Installer log revealed the following:

=== Verbose logging started: 12/12/2008  12:01:50  Build type: SHIP UNICODE 4.00.6001.00  Calling process: MSI (c) (8C:08) [12:01:50:996]: Note: 1: 2203 2: C:\Program Files\Citrix\Web Interface\5.0.1\Clients\WIONLY\ica32web.msi 3: -2147287037

This installation package could not be opened. Verify that the package exists and that you can access it, or contact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer package.

MSI (c) (8C:08) [12:01:50:996]: Note: 1: 1708
MSI (c) (8C:08) [12:01:51:012]: Product:  -- Installation failed.

=== Verbose logging stopped: 12/12/2008  12:01:51 ===

When I checked the "C:\Program Files\Citrix\Web Interface\5.0.1\Clients\" path, no WIONLY directory had been created. I'm not sure if this was a bug in the install itself or an issue related to the install environment. There were a few similar references to this error on the web and the Citrix knowledebase but nothing specific to CAE 3.0. As a workaround I manually created the WIONLY directory, dropped in the ica32web.msi file and restarted the install. It completed successfully after that. The install process does require a few reboots.

Next was the Quick Start tool Setup checklist:

Note the Advanced Mode option in the Quick Start screenshot (  view full-size  ). The current mode of this install is Basic or single server mode. CAE 3.0 now supports multiple servers and server groups if you select to run in Advanced Mode. In regards to licensing and Microsoft TSCALS, I believe you can purchase CAE 3.0 bundled with or without Microsoft TSCALS depending on your existing environment.

Majority of the Setup items are wizard based and easily walk you through the licensing, security, web access, apps publishing, etc. I did run into another issue when trying to configure Administrators. I kept getting this error:

I checked the services and they were all running. All other functions from the Quick Start tool worked fine. I ignored the error and was able to manage Administators from the Access Management Console.

The web interface setup wizard requires an SSL certificate for external website access which I installed from an in house Certificate Authority. Published apps are then accessed over port 443. The web interface was ready to serve up apps internally and externally after just a few clicks through the wizard and after opening up ports 80 and 443 on the firewall.  Here are some screenshots from the web interface:

Published apps page:

If you plan to  redirect to https, be sure to install the HTTP Redirect service in IIS. I had to install it afterwards since it wasn't  installed during the CAE 3.0 Server 2008 roles configuration (  view full-image )

The published desktop and standalone apps through the web interface and the Program Neighborhood worked as expected along with audio, printer and local drive mapping  features.

All the typical management functions, user management, apps security, session info and shadowing are available within Quick Start > Management (  view full- image )

Conclusion

Although I hit a few bumps during the install this was a positive first experience with Citrix Access Essentials 3.0. I think its a really good offering for the SMB market with it's installation and deployment ease and uncomplicated configuration and straightforward management functionality. Comments or questions welcomed.