Citrix Inerview Questions with answers

1. What is the requirement for Citrix server installation?

2. What is Datastore

3. What is Data Collector?

4. What is LHC?

5. What is Client Lock Down?

6. What is Printer terminology in Citrix?

7. How to use datastore for database

8. What is the difference between all citrix versions?

9. What are different load evaluators are available in Citrix

10. How to implement Policies in Citrix

11. What you will check when any user is not able to launch citrix application.

12. What is IMA?

13. What is ICA and what is the advantage of ICA

14. What is Speed Screen?

15. What is the query command in citrix?

16. What are the different ports used in Citrix

17. How the licensing works in Citrix and difference in Citrix Licensing version wise

18. What are the consoles available to manage citrix server

19. What is Web Interface or Nfuse?

20. What is citrix secure / access gateway and how its work

21. What are the differences between Win2K and 2K3 Terminal server.

22. What is the difference between 2k & 2k3 terminal server licensing

23. What is SBC?

24. What is Printer driver replication and mapping?

25. How to recover when Datastore failing

26. How to recover when IMA failing

27. What is the requirement of Installation Manager and what kind of extension its support.

28. What are the parameters of Resource Manager?


I've just been asked to provide a list of questions that an interviewer can ask a candidate about Citrix. A couple come to mind like:
Default ICA port
Command to put the server into install mode
Purpose of the Data Store
Purpose of the Data Collector

How to change the ica port.
How to change the xml service port.
The ports for server-to-server communication and cmc ports.

- purpose of zones
- moving servers to other zone
- preferences of zone DCs (most, preferred...)
- licensing issues (server + connection lics)
- load balancing definition and elementary "workflow"
- IMA service used for what
- ICA, IMA Ports 1494, 2512, 2513 for CMC, SSL 443
- components needed for web connectivity (IIS, Nfuse, SG/MSAM)
- troubleshooting using eventlog
- why is ICA that much faster than RDP ? Technological differences

How they would bring new sites online

How web interface and CSG work

The process when users connect using these products to launch their apps.

Tell them about your setup and ask them how you could improve it

What they know about Terminal Services

Asked about the TS license server

What are the differences between the Win2k license server and Win2k3?

Differences in GPO's between the 2 OS's

How they troubleshoot citrix issues

What sites do they use?

Normal:
- Why does a new desktop get a "dial-up or network problems." when the OS is win2k pro, or XP pro.
- Why does the spooler service sometimes crash, after staring a print job?
- How much ssl certificates, do I need to setup a CSG configuration?
- Why does single sign on not work, when using NFuse or WI?
- Can you describe your best hardware configuration for a 35 to 40 user server?

Hardcore:
- How do you fight latency, and when is it needed? (Ping times)
- How does the raid controller need to be set on a terminal server?
- Why does my CSG connection not work, while using a 56 bits version cert?
- How do you configure a Cisco router TCP/IP stack for optimal citrix traffic?

Purpose of Zones.
Zone is subset of Farm and is designed so that we could use Farm as a unit. Zone has server members and one of them is ZDC (Zone Data Collectors) in each zone. These ZDCs communicate between zones. Zones are very help full in controlling traffic.
Preferences of zone DCs
This is done so that user accessing an application is directed to least busy server. To get detail on this please refer to Citrix administrative guide 4.0.

Ica port: 1494
I think to change install mode
>change user\install
>change user\execute

Default ICA port is a common question to ask in the interview: 1494. Apart from this, should be ready with all Port details which is related to the citrix environment.
Normally whenever we install the device on the OS, we use the "Change user /Install" and after finishing the installation task we need to execute from the mode to use "change user /execute".
Purpose of the datastore to store all the information related to the published application. This is the one very crucial part of the citrix.
Data Collector is nothing but it keeps the information about the published application, user’s session, Zones etc.


Currently we have a mixed PS4.0 and XP farm as we are in the process of migrating our XP servers to PS4.

Our current DataStore is a SQL2000 database on a W2K server (call it SQL1) which has daily Full backups and more frequent transaction log backups.

Although we have 96 hours should our DataStore go down, I think it would be prudent to have a warm spare 'ready to go' ... just in case.

So what is the best way to do this?

I'm thinking the following as there have been posts about NOT using SQL Backups and Restores.

1)... Build another W2K server with SQL2000 on - call it SQL2 with exactly the same login IDs etc as the original.
2)... Create a blank DB on SQL2 called exactly the same name as the one on SQL1 - call it XPDB
2)... At one of the servers (preferably a Data Collector though any Citrix server will do), take a copy of the mf20.dsn and amend the current DB Server (SQL1) entries to the newly built server name (SQL2) and save it as SQL.DSN in the same directory.
3)... Run the following command:
dsmaint migrate /srcdsn:"%ProgramFiles%\Citrix\Independent Management Architecture\MF20.dsn" /srcuser: /srcpwd: /dstdsn:"%ProgramFiles%\Citrix\Independent Management Architecture\SQL.DSN" /dstuser: /dstpwd:.

This should move the server from the original DB (SQL1) to the new DB (SQL2).

Then it is a case of exporting all the apps from the SQL1 and importing them into SQL2 and ensuring that any changes made on SQL1 are done to SQL2 via the moved Server.

1)... Will the above work?
2)... Is there a much easier way?
3)... As it is a mixed PS4 and XP farm should I do the DSMAINT MIGRATE on a PS4 server?


Running Presentation Server 4.5 R02 and Adobe Acrobat Standard 8.1.2. When running Acrobat as a seamless window from web access, the application immediately closes. When running Distiller in this way, it says:

ACROTRAY.EXE - DLL Initialization Failed.
The application failed to initialize because the window station is shutting down.

It then closes. Both Acrobat and Distiller work perfectly when run from the desktop. The problem seems to only occur when it is a seamless published application.

This problem appears to be fairly widespread as I have seen many other posts referring to the same issue. The workaround is to first open another non-Adobe application and then open Acrobat or Distiller and everything is fine.

Workarounds are better than nothing but, a fix would be best. Patches up to and including PSE450R02W2k3001 have not resolved the problem.

Is there a fix for this problem and, if not, is Citrix going to address it in the near future?


I am currently having an issue where my roaming profiles are growing larger than I think they should, and most of this is coming from the NTUSER.DAT file. Due to the size increase, my Windows 2000 server registries fill up and the server throws a "Registry full, please increase registry size and try again" error message when users try and open programs. This is crippling us because servers who usually get 40-44 sessions per box are now only getting 26-31 users per box. I already have my max registry size set to 250Mb and my swap file set to 3000Mb. If I increase the max registry size more than 250Mb, it defaults back to around 190Mb so even fewer users can get on the system.

I have investigated and found that most of my users have multiple BACKUP OF EXCHANGE entries in the Windows Messaging Subsystem of their NTUSER.DAT (HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\). Some instances of this are as high as 777 key entries, with multiple sub keys, each with multiple DWORD and BINARY values. A basic example is:

-Windows Messaging Subsystem
-Profiles
-BACKUP OF Exchange
-BACKUP 10 OF Exchange
-BACKUP 100 OF Exchange
-BACKUP 101 OF Exchange
-BACKUP 102 OF Exchange
- (etc. etc.)

Now, in their TS roaming profile, We also get multiple BACKUP OF Exchange.FAV and Exchange~23.srs type files. These are also in series like the keys in the NTUSER.DAT file. These can add up to over 2Mb per user profile.

a) Question, what may be causing this?

b) Question, how may I correct it?

c) Question, how may I get rid of both the NTUSER.DAT entries and TS Roaming Profile files safely?

My only solution so far is to contact each user individually and reset their profile from scratch and make them start over with their customizing. This knocks them down from as high as 75Mb profiles with 18Mb NTUSER.DAT files to 1Mb profiles with 600Kb NTUSER.DAT files.

We are using MetaFrame XP Feature Release 3 on six HP Proliant ML350 G3 servers with dual 2.8 GHz Xeon processors (multithread turned off in BIOS) and 2 GB RAM.

Our workstations are 77% XP, 3% 2000, 20% Windows 98 (soon to be XP by middle of Feb/06).

Ans: If you want to prevent the automatic generation of the backup keys, you have to add a option to your *.prf file, that include the outlook profile configuration.

Here the solution:
BackupProfile=No
Add this line under the [general] section.


We have recently formatted one of our Citrix Servers. After that the keyboard mapping is not working in this particular server.
We have a logon script which will dictate the keyboard mapping for the users.
When the users login to other citrix servers there is no issues. But for this server the keyboard mapping is not working.
Any specific settings that need to be done. I checked the Regional setting its same with other servers.

What version of the client is being used and what operating system?

I think it was the metaframe, but was the user max changed from 25 to 15? If not metaframe (then I apologize for posting in the wrong section) what product was it if anyone knows?

Hi, I already post in PS 4.5 section. But I forgot to mention that there is also the limitation cause by the number of TS License and Citrix license that you own.


Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 4
Citrix Metaframe XPe 1.0 Service Pack 4 Feature Release 3
Windows 2000 Professional Service Pack 4
Win32 Client 8.0.24737

We have a published seamless app that in turn is able to launch IE6 as a separate seamless window within the same session.
Users are able to drag and drop from the main app window to the IE window. This is working fine when dragging direct from one window to the other. However, our users need to be able to maximise the main app window, and then reactivate the other window during the drag by hovering over the taskbar button for the second window until it comes to the front. As the windows are both seamless, this is obviously the local client taskbar.

This element is not currently working - is it supported? No matter how long the user hovers over the taskbar button, the corresponding window is never activated.

Anyone ever get this to work? I have the exact same issue with a customer I am working at. They can drag and drop between applications when they are not running maximised. But when dragging to the windows toolbar the mouse pointer changes to the restricted icon to show that it's not possible.

Using PS4.5 and 10.200 clients.


I am coming into a new environment and they have XPa Servers and PS4 servers. They are all in the same farm so:
1. How do I tell what type of Farm it is?
2. Can XPa servers run in a PS4.0 farm?
3. Can XPa servers run in a PS4.5 farm?

I think I've read that a XPa server can't be upgraded to PS4.5 and can't run in a 4.5 farm.

You have a mixed farm. You can tell what the individual servers are by looking at the server properties in the CMC.

You can have XPa servers and PS4.0 in the same farm, but you need to consider the license implications as they are licensed differently. If users connect to both XPa and PS4.0 servers for different published applications then they will be using 2 licenses. One from the XPa servers and the other from the citrix licensing server that they introduced from PS3.0.

I wouldn't recommend running a mixed farm for anything other than as part of a migration.


Check out the PS4.5 administration guide if you want to do an upgrade check out the following:

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX112223

Page 78. If you are migrating from earlier than PS3.0 then you have to migrate to a new farm and retain no settings. Also you can't do an inpalce upgrade to 4.5 from PS4.0 unless your OS is Windows 2003.


I have several TS servers, W2K with SP4, all running Metaframe 1.8 FR3. All of a sudden I am getting a machine here and there that is getting the following error:-

Metaframe Presentation Server connection interrupted.
Attempting to reconnect...

Network or dial-up problems are preventing communication with the Citrix MetaFrame server.

One machine in particular has been using citrix for well over 2yrs now, and all of a sudden this happened. The machines that have this problem are running a variety of OS, all Windows mind you, and most of them are either running ICA client 8, or 8.1.

We're finding it only seems to affect clients on Windows XP and it appears to be licensing related.

We have resolved the problem for most users (including all support staff) by restarting the terminal services licensing manager service on the appropriate domain controller however this is still leaving (we think) 2 users who are still receiving this error.

All the citrix servers were shut down last night, while they were down I rebooted the domain controller that controls the terminal services licensing and then brought the citrix servers up, with the data collector first and then the other 4. However the problem still remains.

I have the same problem-- all are W2K SP4 server farms-- this is occurring in 2 separate locations with nothing to do with each other. It is as if it is firewall related, since internal LAN ICA sessions run fine; but when anybody comes from the outside, they get this message.

I have the same problem-- all are W2K SP4 server farms-- this is occurring in 2 separate locations with nothing to do with each other. It is as if it is firewall related, since internal LAN ICA sessions run fine; but when anybody comes from the outside, they get this message.

Had this issue - turned out the license had expired on ICA app, once updated this worked fine

I had this issue seems there is something to do with the HardwareID in windows xp SP2. I deleted the HardwareID from the registry on the client computers and they worked fine.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE->Software->Microsoft->MSLicensing->HardwareID

Deleted file HardwareID in registry also, but sill am facing same problem.

Well after much research on my problem. It turned out to be the MS terminal licenses. My boxes were pointed to the wrong MS Term server.

We had the same problem thanks to you all we had it solved, it was Windows Terminal server licenses we forgot to activate it we did and things are great now

I deleted the reg key mentioned and it all works now!

But...anyone know WHY it happened? I can see it something to do with TS Licensing, but what? Only 2 users so far out of 100 got this problem, everyone else is ok.

Anyone know how to retrieve an application limits via script? (allow 1 instance & max instances per user)
I can't seem to find anything.

I can retrieve app name, users, groups etc just not instance limits.
Try this one:

List Applications and Limits.


Anyone know where I can get hold of a CD for Citrix XPE 1.0 FR3 SP3?
Upgrading is not a possibility for me, but we need to rebuild a server, and the disk is gone.

You didn't mention which OS you are running but you can look in ftp://ftp.citrix.com/metaXP and check the Win2K and Win2K3 folders.







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