Citrix: Installing the ICA Client on OS X

By using the Citrix ICA Client, you can access applications licensed by Purdue that can be run via a server in realtime, without having to install the software on your computer. Different browsers on OS X use different methods of displaying the application, however. Safari will run the Java ICA client, which doesn't require a download to run. Firefox, on the other hand, downloads an .ica file, which the Citrix ICA Client then uses to connect to the Citrix server.

Note for Safari Users: Although you can access Citrix apps with the Java client using Safari on OS X 10.3 Panther, the user experience is very rough, and has a high chance of hanging the browser. However, Java client performance in OS X 10.4 Tiger is excellent. Therefore, if running OS X 10.3 Panther it is recommended that you use an alternative browser like Firefox to obtain the .ics file, rather than using the Java client on Safari. Also, when accessing Citrix via the Java ICA client, you may be requested to verify the Java client's certificate. Click Yes when prompted. See Figure 1.

Figure 1

Citrix ICA Client Software Setup

To run the ICA Client software you will have to download the ICA Client installer, install the software and make a small configuration change.

First you will need to download the Citrix ICA Client. This software will auto-update itself in the future, saving you future downloads. Install the software; the default install location is /Applications/Citrix ICA Client.

Once the software is installed, open the Citrix ICA Client Editor. The main window will appear. See Figure 2.

Figure 2

We need to change the default network protocol; if we don't, Citrix will give an error every time a connection is attempted. To change this, click on the Default Settings... button in the lower left corner of the Client Editor window. See Figure 3.

Figure 3

In the new window that appears, click the Network Protocol popup and change "TCP/IP+HTTP" to "TCP/IP". See Figure 4.

Figure 4

Click Save in the lower right corner of the window, and you will return to the main window. Quit the editor, and open a web browser. Enter the address of ITaP's Citrix server: http://apps.ics.purdue.edu/. Log in with your Purdue ID and password, and you will be presented with the list of applications available to you. See Figure 5.

Figure 5

Select an application. You will download a .ica file, which you can double-click and open with the Citrix ICA Client. See Figure 6.

Figure 6

The application will load, and you will see the application running as if you were sitting at a computer running the application locally. See Figure 7.

Figure 7