Introduction

Two of the most important concepts to master in thin-client computing are installing and publishing applications. Installing applications involves selecting applications that are compatible with the environment, installing them on the server, testing, and if necessary, customizing the environment to make the application perform as desired. Publishing applications changes our traditional view of connecting to a specific server and running the applications it has installed, and moves us to an application-centric paradigm, in which we choose the application we want, and it is provided to us from whatever server it is available.

Published applications go hand-in-hand with Load Balancing, an add-on product from Citrix, that allows us to group a number of servers together into a Server Farm. Using Load Balancing, a client requests an application from the farm, the master browser determines which server capable of delivering that application is currently the least busy, and then connects the client to that server. This chapter will demonstrate how to install and publish applications in a load-balanced farm and how to manage those applications to achieve the best possible performance.

Deploying applications becomes a two-step process in some ways, although the process is completely centrally managed. First, the applications must be installed on the server. Second, the applications must be delivered to end users. When delivering applications to users, the way that a client connects whether over a phone line or through the Internet plays a role. Internet-delivered applications will require a different method of publishing than sending applications to Citrix...