Novell Client on Citrix XenApp 5.0 and 6.0

  • Document ID:7010587
  • Creation Date:07-Aug-2012
  • Modified Date:31-Jul-2014
    • Micro Focus Products:
      Client for Open Enterprise Server (Novell Client)

Environment

Novell Client 2 SP2 for Windows 2008
Novell Client 2 SP2 for Windows 2008 R2

Situation

Is the Novell Client supported on a Citrix XenApp 5.0 for Windows 2008 or Citrix XenApp 6.0 for Windows 2008 R2 server?

Resolution

1.  According to Citrix Document ID: CTX123768,

XenApp for Windows 2008 and 2008 R2 support for Novell is through Novell Domain Services for Windows.

Citrix current support for Novell:

For Citrix XenApp 5.0 for Windows 2008 (32 and 64-bit) and Citrix XenApp 6.0 for Windows 2008 R2, Novell support is through the use of the Domain Services for Windows http://www.citrix.com/ready/partners/novell/products/dsfw to allow for a Citrix environment to work with Novell.

For Citrix Presentation server 4.5 2003 (32 and 64-bit) and XenApp 5.0 for Windows 2003, Novell support with XenApp for Windows Server 2003 is through the Novell client; CTX108565 – Citrix and Novell Integration. The Novell client installed on the Citrix servers modifies the registry logon GINA to allow for the NWGINA.dll to be used and supported.
 
2. Some have had success integrating the Novell Client with the Citrix XenDesktop by enabling the Client setting "Login With Non-Novell-Credential Provider" from the "Advanced Login" tab  in properties of the Novell Client 2 for Windows.  See  http://forums.citrix.com/message.jspa?messageID=1467691

Additional Information

With Citrix on Windows Server 2003 and earlier, eDirectory can be used as the identity source to associate access permissions and published applications to. This configuration actually requires Novell Client to be present on the Citrix XenApp / Presentation Server in order to provide this functionality.
 
On Windows Server 2008 and later platforms, Citrix no longer supports assigning access rights and associating published applications, etc., based on a user's eDirectory identity. Now, Citrix only supports associating the permissions and published applications to Windows user accounts.  No longer does the Citrix ICA client attempt to learn and pass along the eDirectory identity to the Citrix server for single sign on, nor does the Citrix server attempt to learn or use the eDirectory identity of the user logging in.  Only the Windows identity is important to Citrix functionality, just like Windows' own in-box Remote Desktop and RemoteApp support.

The Novell Client can still be present on the Citrix server itself and/or on the end-user workstations.  Any issues in having Novell Client present are no different with Citrix than they are with any other product that employs its own Windows credential provider, since the Novell Client also provides it's own credential provider to help enable a user to logon to both Windows and eDirectory at the same time.

Use of the Novell Client credential provider is not strictly "required"; it's just the default installation mode, and the mode most customers want for logging into both Windows and eDirectory at the same time.

Because many usage scenarios of Citrix involve using the Citrix credential provider, it may be desirable to use the "Login with non-Novell Credential Provider" configuration (See TID 7004709). This essentially disables Novell Client's credential provider, and allows the user to login using a Windows account only (whether in conjunction with Citrix or not), thereby avoiding credential provider-based conflicts or issues.  Novell Client then employs a non-credential provider-related eDirectory-only login after the Citrix credential provider has accomplished the Windows logon, but before the user's desktop is presented.

Novell supports the Novell Client in a Citrix environment, and will investigate and attempt to resolve any Novell Client issues occurring in a Citrix environment.