An Introduction to
What is Citrix? ................................................................................. 3 Signing in to Citrix .......................................................................... 4 Customizing Citrix........................................................................... 6 Launching Applications in Citrix.................................................... 9 Working with Citrix with Email and Blackboard.......................... 13
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What is Citrix?
Have you ever received a file from someone and not been able to open it? For example, if you have WordPerfect on your home computer, chances are that Microsoft Word documents are impossible for you to open on that computer. It is likely, though, that you have Microsoft Word installed on your work computer, however. If you could somehow connect to just Microsoft Word from your home computer, opening that document would no longer be a problem. That‟s exactly what Citrix does – it allows you to connect to a set of programs using an “outside” computer (i.e., your home computer) and use those applications just like you would the ones that are installed on your home computer. Once you have opened a program in Citrix, that program will look and respond as though it were actually installed on your home computer. As an employee of Fayetteville State University, you have access to a number of great software programs through the University‟s Citrix connection. You can access this from any web-enabled computer using just your network log in information. This service is not only free for you to use, it‟s also fairly simple and fast. You will be up and running with your first Citrix session in no time at all. Before we start, though, bear a couple of things in mind: 1. You use your network log in information (username and password) to open a Citrix session, so please be careful not to allow others access to these items. It is not recommended that you use Citrix from a publicly accessible computer. 2. You will not be able to access any of the FSU network drives except for your “T” drive. 3. This is not the same as using your actual computer at work. Citrix connects to a particular set of programs on a network server, not your regular work hard drive. You may have a program on your work computer‟s hard drive that is not on the Citrix drive, in which case you will not be able to use it. Ready? Let‟s get started…
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Signing in to Citrix
To begin using Citrix from any web-enabled computer, you will need to start from the Fayetteville State University web site. The following instructions walk you through how to get there and how to open and sign in to Citrix. 1. Once you are connected to the internet, open your web browser. Then you can type the following web address into the address bar: http://www.uncfsu.edu 2. You can pick the “Citrix” option from the “Quick Links” drop-down menu on the lower right side of the home page (figure 1). Clicking on this option will take you to the sign-in screen (shown in figure 2).
figure 1
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3. Use the same username and password to sign in to Citrix that you use for your network account (this is also the same one you use for logging in to your email and to Blackboard). In figure 2, the Blue Arrow indicates where to type your username. The Purple Arrow indicates where to type your password. Once these are typed in, click the „Log In‟ button.
figure 2
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Customizing Citrix
Once you have successfully signed in, you will see the welcome screen shown in figure 3 (but without the big arrow).
figure 3
YOU MUST NOW PERFORM ONE OF TWO ACTIONS, DEPENDING ON YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM (i.e. , your version of Windows, Mac, or Linux). A. If you are using Windows XP: you will need to make sure you have the ICA client installed prior to launching applications. To install: 1. Click on the link indicated by the Green Arrow in figure 3 (MetaFrame Presentation Server Client for 32-bit Windows). 2. You will be asked to SAVE a file named ica32t.exe. Save it to your desktop. 3. Minimize your browser window. Double-click the new icon on your desktop to install the MetaFrame Presentation Server Client program that you just downloaded. Once installation is complete you can skip to page 9, „Launching Applications in Citrix.‟ 6
B. If you are using Windows Vista, Mac OS X, or Linux: you will need to make sure you have the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed prior to launching applications. To install, go to www.java.com , type the letters JRE into the Search box, and download and install the latest version available as directed on the website. 1. Once installation is complete, direct the Citrix portal to use the Java client instead of the ICA client. To do this, start by clicking on the “customize” icon (see figure 4) to open up the Settings window.
This is the “Customize” button
figure 4 7
2. In the Settings window, scroll down to the Client Deployment Preferences section. This is where you will change the Client option from “Default” to “Client for Java.” Once you have clicked on “Client for Java” in the dropdown list, click the “OK” button at the bottom of your screen.
Use the drop down to change this text from „Default.‟ to „Client for Java‟ here, then click on the „OK‟ button below.
figure 5
Your computer is now ready to use Citrix with Windows Vista, Mac OS X, or Linux.
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Launching Applications in Citrix
Once the configuration has been completed you can use any of the programs you see in the Applications window (figure 6 shows two examples of some of the programs you should see).
figure 6
Double-click on the icon for the program you want to use to launch it. The program should begin to load automatically; however, please note that it will load slower if that application is actually installed on the computer you are working from. Once loading has completed, you should see the standard Acceptable Use Policy Acknowledgement window (figure 7). Click „OK‟ to proceed.
figure 7 9
After the Acceptable Use screen has cleared, you may see the Client File Security window (figure 8). If so, please select the following options: Access Level: Full Access. This will allow you to access your computer hard drive for file storage. Do You Want To Be Asked Again? Never Ask Me Again. This will allow you to avoid numerous pop-ups asking the same question again.
figure 8 If the File Security window does not pop up, you should check your file security settings to be sure they are correct. Double click on the Citrix icon in your System Tray, located at the bottom right-hand side of your computer screen near the time display (see figure 9).
figure 9
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The Program Neighborhood Connection Center should open. Now click on the „File Security‟ button on the right-hand side of the window. (see figure 10).
figure 10
This will bring up the Client File Security settings dialog box. Refer back to figure 8 for the correct settings (or just click on the buttons for „Full Access‟ and „Never Ask Me Again‟ if you don‟t want to go all the way back to figure 8). Once the File Security settings are completed and you have launched an application, you can use that program the same way you normally would. Even though it will seem as though you are working on your own computer while you are using Citrix, saving your files will require a small change in procedure. This will ensure you can use those files as attachments in an email, for example, or to submit them via Blackboard‟s Digital DropBox. Saving files to your computer from Citrix is very similar to the procedure you normally use to save a file. The biggest difference is the name of the drive you save your file to.
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To save files to your local computer: 1. From the program you are using, click on „File‟ and then choose „Save As‟. 2. In the „Save in‟ drop down box, select C$ on Client. (C$ is how Citrix sees your local hard drive. See figure 11 for an example.) 3. Type a name for your document in the „File Name:‟ text area, then click the „Save‟ button. Your document is now saved on the C drive of your computer. From here you can attach the document to either your email message or Blackboard‟s Digital Dropbox just as you would any other file.
figure 11
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Working with Citrix with Email and Blackboard
To attach a file to your Outlook email: 1. Click on the paperclip icon in your email menu bar (see the red arrow on Figure 12). 2. Browse to the file you want to attach 3. Double-click on that file to select it 4. Click the „OK‟ button 5. Send your email as you normally would
figure 12
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To send a file via BlackBoard‟s Digital DropBox (after you have logged in to your BlackBoard Account):
figure 13 1. In the „My Courses‟ block, click on the name of the course you are going to submit the file for. You should see a screen similar to the one in figure 14.
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figure 14 2. Click the „Course Tools‟ option on the left menu pane. You will see a list of tools you may use for this course. Click on the „Digital Dropbox‟ listing. (figure 15).
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figure 15 3. Once the Digital Dropbox is open (figure 16), click the „Add File‟ button. You will see a text area to enter a file name and a „Browse‟ button to select your file. Click the „Browse‟ button to browse to your hard drive and select the file you saved from Citrix. After file has uploaded, click the „Submit‟ button to submit your file.
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figure 16
Working with Citrix is much easier to do than to describe, so if you have not done so already, keep this guide handy and try it! Once you have logged in and worked with Citrix a few times you will feel like a pro. We believe you will find Citrix to be a very useful tool for increasing your productivity and computing mobility. Remember, if you run into difficulty you can give us a call at the Help Desk for additional assistance: 910-672-2085.
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