As I begin typing this post, I’m not sure if this post will end up being informational, a plea, a rant, or some combination of all three. Maybe it’s just me, and I’m fully aware and able to accept that in all likelihood it probably is, but my biggest pain point when deploying new Citrix XenDesktop/XenApp infrastructures isn’t typically databases, or applications, or Machine Creation Services, or user profiles, but <bleeping> Citrix Receiver….though I guess to be fair, applications that rely on some specific Java/web browser mix to work aren’t that great either.
When working with Citrix, I do whatever I can to avoid ANY potential interaction with one of my least favorite pop-ups….the Citrix Receiver Add Account window!
For years now, I’ve been installing Citrix Receiver using the CLI. This allows me to bypass the Add Account window as well as minimize or outright eliminate any user interaction required to configure Receiver. With the CLI, you can easily specify your preferred options including the StoreFront URL and you’re ready to access published desktops and applications.
On a recent project, I followed my usual Receiver installation and validation process by first testing published desktops and applications via a web browser. Having no problems when accessing published resources through the browser, I then attempted to push published resources to the desktop without success and when opening Receiver directly, I received the error “Your apps are not available at this time“.
To make a short story shorter, I contacted Citrix support using chat and was told something I found quite shocking, and I quote, “installing Receiver with the CLI is not supported when using NetScalers“. Honestly, I was stunned even though I was given this support KB as “proof”. Do any of you out there have any thoughts/comments about this? Is this actually true? Is Citrix encouraging me to never install NetScalers again? Do tell….
Ultimately, though I wasn’t able to get Receiver to work when installing via the CLI, I was able to connect to published resources by using a GPO to customize Receiver.
But how and why? How does the NetScaler know I installed Receiver with the CLI? And why does the NetScaler care? Should I ever deploy another NetScaler? Can you do secure remote access to Citrix resources using Kemp load balancers? So many questions….
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