DAs for me personally, the technical preview for Citrix Gateway Service for StoreFront was very interested in this, so I signed up. I quickly got in touch with the Citrix team regarding this topic, and I’d like to extend a special thank you to Abhishek Singh Thank you for the great collaboration.
This article aims to clarify the scenarios in which this solution is suitable and what can be expected from it in the future.
What problem does the Citrix Gateway service for StoreFront address? The answer to this question will quickly clarify whether it’s even worth reading on.
Requirements:
- You are currently using Citrix Cloud and DaaS, or plan to use them in the future.
- You have modified the design and/or functionality of Citrix Storefront
or heavily customized the Netscaler Portal theme. - You have your own authentication set up on Citrix NetScaler for HDX connections,
So, Citrix StoreFront on the backend. - They use HDX connections through the NetScaler Gateway.
In short, the Gateway Service for StoreFront is intended for those who use a specific on-premises authentication method and/or have heavily customized StoreFront or the NetScaler portal page.
Overview
After the user logs in via the on-premises NetScaler Gateway, the application or desktop launches. The StoreFront server uses the cloud STAs via the Citrix Cloud connectors and the gateway specified in the environment variable. The gateway service then terminates Points of Presence (POP) to use the gateway closest to the user.
An example:
One of my clients uses the „ASG Cloud Cockpit“ product, a comprehensive portal solution built on Citrix StoreFront. The client has taken the first steps toward Citrix DaaS but has serious concerns about user adoption, as Citrix Workspace has little to offer in this regard. To continue using ASG Cloud Cockpit while simultaneously utilizing the Citrix Gateway Service for HDX connections, the Citrix Gateway Service for StoreFront is exactly what you need!
Advantages:
- Complex customizations or authentication processes can be retained. Users stick with what they're used to.
- One Optimal gateway routing is ensured by the gateway service.
- Citrix is responsible for the availability and security of the gateways
- Existing configurations can be easily and quickly updated to use the gateway service.
The Citrix team led by Abhishek Singh has a roadmap for additional features such as: using custom STAs, Local Host Cache (LHC), etc. I would like to have HDX Insight for my connections through the Gateway Service, but unfortunately, a different team is responsible for that.
