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Integrating the NetScaler Gateway Plug-in with Citrix Receiver
NetScaler Gateway supports Receiver. The orchestrated system consists of the following components:
- Receiver for Windows 3.4 or newer
- Receiver for Mac
- Receiver for Android
- Receiver for iOS
- StoreFront 2.1 or newer
- AppController 2.8 and newer or XenMobile 10
- Merchandising Server that is installed on a virtual machine (VM) in your data center
- Citrix Update Service that is hosted on the Citrix Web site
For more information about NetScaler Gateway compatibility with Citrix products, see Compatibility with Citrix Products.
You can configure NetScaler Gateway so that when users log on to the appliance, the NetScaler Gateway Plug-in opens a web browser that allows single sign-on to the Receiver home page. Users can download Receiver from the home page.
When users log on with Receiver, user connections can route through NetScaler Gateway in the following manner:
- Directly to App Controller
- Directly to StoreFront
- To StoreFront and then App Controller if you do not configure MDX mobile apps in App Controller
- To App Controller and then StoreFront if you do configure MDX mobile apps in App Controller
Note: Connections that are routed directly to App Controller are supported in AppController 2.0, AppController 2.5, AppController 2.6, App Controller 2.8, and App Controller 2.9 only. If you have AppController 1.1 deployed in your network, user connections must route through StoreFront.
Configuring Receiver and Merchandising Server
Receiver, StoreFront, and App Controller streamline the installation and management of application delivery to user desktops. When you include Merchandising Server, you select the plug-ins to install on the user device. When users log on for the first time, the plug-ins download and install on the users’ device.
Receiver and Merchandising Server together provide the following two important features:
- The Merchandising Server allows you to configure, deliver, and upgrade plug-ins on your user’s devices.
- Receiver manages all the operations for Citrix plug-ins on user devices; the self-service plug-in provides the ability to create an application and services store for users.
When users install Receiver, all plug-ins installed on the user device, including the NetScaler Gateway Plug-in, become part of Receiver automatically. To easily enable subsequent updates, users can install Citrix Receiver Updater for Windows 3.0 or Receiver Updater for Mac, which is an optional software client for use with Receiver for Windows. Citrix Receiver Updater, a separate component, works with Merchandising Server to deploy and automatically update Receiver and associated plug-ins to user devices or on virtual desktops through XenDesktop.
The self-service plug-in is fully integrated with Receiver. You can load the Receiver plug-in for the self-service plug-in into Merchandising Server, schedule it for delivery, and then silently push the plug-in to user devices that have Receiver installed. When users start the self-service plug-in, the store is fully stocked with all the applications users are authorized to access.
The Merchandising Server Administrator Console is the interface on the Merchandising Server that you use to configure Citrix applications (and application plug-ins) and schedule their delivery to user devices. The Merchandising Server broadcasts the plug-ins and their installation instructions to users on the scheduled date. Users simply install Receiver on their user devices. Once installed, Receiver gets the delivery information from the Merchandising Server and installs the plug-ins. After installation is complete, Receiver starts its plug-ins in the correct order, ensuring that connectivity services are available for plug-ins that require it.
If users install the Repeater Plug-in or the offline plug-in on the user device, users might be prompted to restart the device.