Operating a PC as a PC terminal (Using Metaframe)

Introduction

This Citrix Metaframe ICA client allows access to the PC server environment on your PC. In a similar manner to the UNIX client, in this mode of operation the PC becomes a remote terminal to the PC server which runs the applications software.

Logging On and Off

Logging on occurs automatically when Citrix Metaframe is invoked. This effectively opens a new session for you to work in. At the end of a session you MUST log off. This closes down the session in an orderly fashion.

Log off by selecting the "Shut Down" option from the program menu. This will display an options form. You will have two options "log off from <user name>" or "disconnect". You should normally select the "log off from <user name>" option,

Should you find that the connection is broken for some reason, Metaframe will provide you with the facility to reconnect and continue. The status of the session and the display will be exactly as it was before the disconnection occurred.

Interacting with the PC Desktop

As part of the Citrix Metaframe interface a number of the standard functions of the local PC environment are made available in the Citrix Metaframe environment. The Windows clip board will operate between both environments. The disks and printers from the local PC are made available.

 

Using the Windows clip board

The operation of the Windows clip board is unaffected by the transition between the Citrix Metaframe and the local PC environment. You can transfer text and graphics between programmes and environments using the normal copy and paste functionality.

 

Windows <Print Screen> and "<Alt >Print Screen" Functions

The "Print Screen" facility provides the ability to take a graphical snap shot of the entire windows environment. This can then be pasted into a document or graphical tool for manipulation.

The "<Alt> Print Screen" facility provides the ability to take a graphical snap shot of a single window. If you select a window then execute the "<Alt> Print Screen" only the selected window will be saved. This can then be pasted into a document or graphical tool for manipulation.

Transferring files between your PC ICA client session and your local PC

The current configuration of the PC ICA client mounts the removable media from the local system as additional drives in the PC client environment. The drives can be found on the Windows Explorer interface at the top level as additional drives. The additional drives can be identified in the Windows Explorer interface by the "<Drive>$" names given to them. They can also be found in the "Network Places" section under a heading of "Client". Thus the floppy, cdrom, system and network drives on your local PC are available in the ICA client environment. You can use Windows explorer to "drag and drop" between the systems. The system will use the network between the two systems to transfer the files. This means that the transfer rate is limited to the bandwidth of the connection. In any case the transfer of large files should be avoided.

 

Enabling this facility

In order to enable this facility you need the "Client Security Status" to be set correctly. If you select the frame of the Citrix Client window and use the right hand mouse button you will see a number of context options. One of which is "Client Security Status", selecting this option will display a selection form

 

Figure: Citrix Client frame selected and displaying options

 

When you access the "Client Security Status" form choose the settings to allow the client full access to your system. This will enable you to transfer files between the two systems. You can reset this back to no or read only access after the transfer if you wish.

 

Client Security Status form set to full access

 

Using the Floppy Drive

The use of a floppy drive limits the maximum file size transfer to 1.4 Megabytes. It can be treated in exactly the same way as a normal floppy drive. Files already resident on the floppy can be opened deleted or renamed in the Gandalf environment. Additional files can be added up to the storage limit available on the floppy.

Using the CDR/RW drive

For those of you with a DVDR/DVDRW or CDR/CDRW drive available on your local system, you need to format the disk as a "directCD" disc. For those of you with a CDR/CDRW drive available on your local system. This can be used to transfer files as well.

You need to format the CDR/CDRW as a "directCD" disc. All the main CDR/CDRW software vendors support this facility. Once formatted, which can take a significant amount of time for CDRW disks, you can treat the CDR/CDRW as a giant floppy. You can "drag and drop" files using the Windows explorer interface to and from the client system.

The interface does not support the normal Windows XP CDR/CDRW operations. You must use a CDR/CDRW formatted for "directCD".

Using a Local Disk

If you follow the network places path to the client entries you will find all the networked and local facilities are available. Again you can drag and drop files using the Windows explorer system. In this case the upper limit is the amount of disk space you have available. The maximum transfer rate is limited by the connection between the two remote systems.

Using a removable USB drive

This should appear as another disk in the client list and can be treated in the same way as a normal disk.

 

Transferring files between your UNIX account and your personal PC

The UNIX systems support the use of "Samba". This makes it possible for you to interact with your personal UNIX account using Windows explorer. In actual fact the Samba software provides a way for windows explorer interactions on a UNIX system. Thus you can transfer files from the UNIX systems to Gandalf or onto your personal PC using windows explorer. Remember if you use "drag and drop" the system will move the file. It is suggested that instead you use "Copy and Paste". Using the relevant menu or short cut commands to first copy the source file and then to paste it into the target location.

Opening an explorer window onto your UNIX account

If you invoke an explorer window and enter the following address into the header bar it will access the UNIX systems:

This will change the explorer window so it displays the top level of the UNIX Samba access. If you click on the "Students" entry this will take you directly to the top level of your UNIX account. You can then use the explorer window to move, copy, delete and create things as you would on a PC. You have the ability to copy files or directories between your UNIX account and your personal PC disks and vice versa. As described your personal PC disks will be available as "client" disks in the window explorer panes. To facilitate such transfers it is suggested that you open up two explorer panes. One on the UNIX account, the other on the area you wish to transfer the data to.

Figure : Explorer showing Beaker Samba top level

When you have selected the "students" level you will be taken to your personal UNIX area. You can then treat the area exactly as you would any other area opened using windows explorer.

Figure : Explorer in UNIX personal account

 

Transferring directly from applications using "File -> Save As"

In certain modules you open the application directly rather than a Citrix Metaframe desktop, so you do not have direct access to the PC desktop. When you start the application you are requested to set the level of access that will be granted to local resources. In order to allow you to use the resources on the local PC you should allow "Full access". Once this has been done you can use the "File -> Save As" option to read or transfer the data without having to start the PC environment.

 

Examples of Accessing Client Resources using Windows Explorer.

The picture below shows the local PC floppy drive mounted as "A$ on `client(A:)`" and the local PC CDRW drive mounted as "D$ on `client(D:)`". The main window shows the floppy drive on the local PC being accessed.

Windows Explorer accessing client floppy drive

 

 

This second example, below, shows Windows Explorer on Gandalf with the local PC floppy and CDRW drives mounted as network drives.

Windows Explorer on Gandalf showing local PC Floppy and CDRW drives mounted as network drives under the Client network

 

Using Other Drives From the Local PC

You can mount and access any of the local PC drives in the Citrix Metaframe environment. To do this you need to use the "My Network Places" option from the Windows explorer, program menu or the desktop. If you select the "Entire Network" option one of the options displayed will be "Client Network". This contains all the available drives on the local PC. This will include any network drives. You can then use any of the normal methods to transfer information. The image below shows the "Client Network" with the one of the drives opened for access. This image was captured using the "<Alt> Print Screen" facility.

Windows explorer "My Network Places -> Entire Network -> Client Network" on local PC client

Application-only Citrix Interfaces

In certain of the AMI modules, for example the project management module you can access the Microsoft project application directly without having to directly open a Citrix Metaframe client. When you start the application for the first time you are requested to set the level of access that will be granted to local resources. In order to allow you to use the resources on the local PC you should select the "Full Access" option. To enable this feature select the frame of the Citrix client and use the right hand mouse button to raise the alternative menu. Select the "Client Security Status" option from the menu and on the form displayed select the option to grant full access. If you then use the "File -> Save As" you can then save directly to the removable media, or via the "My Network Places" client entry to any of the disks on mounted on the local PC. The alternative is to save the file on the PC server and use a Citrix Metraframe client and Windows explorer to transfer the data to the local PC.

 

Description of Windows explorer figure below

The picture below shows a windows explorer in the Citrix Metaframe environment the local PC floppy drive is mounted as "A$ on `client(A:)`" and the local PC CDR/CDRW drive mounted as "D$ on `client(D:)`". The main window shows the floppy drive contents on the local PC.

Windows Explorer on Gandalf showing local PC Floppy and CDRW drives mounted as clients

Printing from Citrix Metaframe

From Citrix Metaframe to local PC Printer

Citrix Metaframe will make your local printers available as part of the printer configuration for the Citrix Metaframe client. Thus you can print directly to your local system printers. All the printers available on the local PC will be tagged with the prefix "Client". The local name of the printer is retained as part of the name so it can be identified. You can select these printers as you would normally select a printer. Network printers mounted on the local PC will be available. The configurations available within the Citrix Metaframe environment for the printers are limited. Options which are not available can be configured by modifying the default settings for the printer in the local PC environment.

Citrix MetaFrame print environment showing Client printers

 

Printing to a local file

To do this you need to add a new printer, or modify and existing printers default options on the local PC so that "print to file" is set. This will allow you to print to a file on your local PC. If you are adding a new printer you need to do this before you start the Citrix Metaframe client.

 

Updated 12.10.05 cf1