Citrix ICA Client: Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
What is Citrix? Why do I need to install it on my computer?
Citrix Presentation Server is a remote access product used by HAI to deliver applications to our clients. Programs such as iSTAT and MIRS are run on servers at HAI and are accessed remotely by Citrix client software installed on user's computers, in a similar way to how mainframe applications work. Since the server is running the actual application, no software aside from the Citrix ICA Client is required on a user's computer in order to run these programs.
In order to use iSTAT for AEM reporting, you will need to install the Citrix ICA Client on your PC. This software is free of charge, and is available from HAI or directly from Citrix Systems.
Installing and Connecting to Servers
How do I install the Citrix ICA Client?
Instructions for how to install the Citrix ICA Client on a computer running Windows:
My computer is on a corporate network with a firewall. Is there anything special that we need to do?
Depending on whether your company uses Citrix internally or with other vendors, your IT Department may need to open up a port on your corporate and/or desktop firewall to allow Citrix ICA protocol traffic to pass through. The Citrix ICA protocol travels over TCP Port 1494, a different port than most web traffic uses. If this port is not open, your ICA Client will not be able to connect to HAI's servers.
Technical instructions on how to test for connectivity :
Connecting to an HAI Terminal Server Through a Firewall
I don't have permission to install software on my computer. Can I still connect?
In order to connect to a Citrix server, your computer will need the Citrix ICA Client software installed. If your company's policies forbid you to install software on your computer, you will need to contact your systems administrator for assistance.
My company already uses Citrix. Can I connect to your servers with what I have already on my computer?
So long as the ICA Client software is of a relatively recent version (8.0 and above) and the required ports are open on your corporate firewall, you should be able to use our servers like you would any other Citrix server. See the instructions on "How Do I Connect to iSTAT" for information on how to connect.
I have installed the Citrix ICA Client on my computer. Now how do I connect to iSTAT?
Once your computer has the Citrix ICA Client software installed, you should be able to connect to HAI's servers and run iSTAT by clicking on the "iSTAT" link on the AEM Applications page on the HAI AEM Statistics Processing website. You will be asked to enter your HAI username and password to access this page.
https://www.haiint.com/ica/proglaunch.aspx
How do I know if my connection is working?
If you see a Windows login screen similar to the one below, you have successfully made a connection to an HAI Citrix server. You will need to provide your HAI username and password at the login prompt in order to run iSTAT and/or other programs.
If you do not see this screen, you may have issues that will need to be corrected before connecting. Some common issues include:
- Error message from Citrix ICA Client : "No Route to Specified Subnet"
This error indicates that your ICA Client cannot reach our server. This is typically a firewall related error message; see the Corporate Firewall notes for more information. This may also indicate a more general Internet connectivity issue; try visiting other pages on our website and others to verify that your Internet connection is not offline. Please contact your IT department for assistance with general Internet connectivity issues. - Prompt from Web Browser Asking What To Do with ICA File
This message may indicate that the ICA Client is not installed on your computer, or that your web browser needs to be restarted after installing the ICA Client.
After installing the Citrix ICA Client, your web browser should automatically hand off a certain type of file (extension .ICA) to the ICA Client to be processed. The ICA Client reads this type of file, and uses the information inside to connect to HAI's Citrix servers.
See the following document for more information on how to correct this issue:
Citrix ICA Client: Launching Applications from Website Does Not Work
I clicked on the link for iSTAT (or another program), and I saw a message saying "ICA File Not Found". What can I do?
The "ICA File Not Found" message is usually a symptom of a problem between the ICA Client and your web browser cache. Clearing out your temporary Internet files from inside your web browser (Internet Explorer) and trying again will usually correct this. See your Web Browser's Help menu for details on how to do clear out Temporary Internet Files.
As a workaround, you can try the following :
- Log onto the AEM Applications page :
https://www.haiint.com/ica/proglaunch.aspx - Right click the link for your application (ex. iSTAT), and select "Save Target As". Save the ICA file to your Windows Desktop.
- Double Click on the ICA File. If installed correctly, the Citrix ICA Client should open the file and initiate a connection to the server.
I use a non-US standard keyboard. Is it still possible to use your system?
Yes; the Citrix ICA Client software supports a wide array of keyboard layouts and types. HAI servers default to a US-International layout (QWERTY keyboard), but this setting can be overridden by local settings on the ICA Client of an individual machine.
More information : Selecting a Keyboard Type for the ICA Client
I see a dialog box asking me for access to my local files when I sign on. What do I do?
After installing the Citrix ICA Client on your computer and signing on to a remote application (such as iSTAT) for the first time, you will see a dialog like the image below asking for permission to use your local computer's hard drives during your ICA session. To allow access to your local drives during your session, choose the menu items "Full Access" and "Never Ask Me Again", then click "OK".
Printing
How do I print from within iSTAT?
The Citrix ICA client software will connect your local printers to HAI's servers so that they appear in print dialog menus in iSTAT, with the same names that they are listed as on your computer. By default, the ICA Client will attempt to connect each printer listed on your computer to the server, and the default printer on your session will be the same as it is on your computer. Depending on how many printers you have access to, the process of connecting these printers may take a few minutes to complete.
Citrix employs a technology called the Universal Print Driver to accommodate the wide variety of printer makes and models in service today. Where possible, the server will use the same driver as the actual printer device; when this is not possible, the server will substitute a universal driver that works in tandem with your ICA Client software to produce print output on devices that our server has no drivers for. In practice, this means that you should have no difficulty printing to any device you wish to print to.
When I try to print, I see no printers listed in my printer menu (or I only see "UniPrint").
This means that your ICA Client was not able to connect your printers to our server. Some common causes of this error are:
- Outdated Citrix ICA Client software.
Older Citrix ICA client versions prior to 8.0 do not support the Citrix Universal Print Driver service. Download and install a new client, if possible. - Local printing issues
Verify that you have a printer attached to your computer, and that you can print from other applications on your computer.
When I try to print, I can select my printer, but nothing comes out.
Possible causes of this behavior include:
- Server print queue stuck
From time to time, print jobs may fail to spool from our server to your client. This may result in a condition where a failed job remains in the print queue, blocking any subsequent print jobs from completing. This can occasionally be corrected simply by logging out of the application, then signing back on to the server. If this fails, call HAI Technical support to assist in clearing the stuck queue from the server side. - Interference from local Antivirus software
Some antivirus software has been known to cause problems with Citrix printing, intercepting print job data and failing to send it along (McAfee Antivirus v8.0 in particular). Citrix Technical Support has documented the issue here:
http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX106698&searchID=19546664 - Outdated Citrix ICA Client software
Older Citrix ICA client versions prior to 8.0 do not support the Citrix Universal Print Driver service. Download and install a new client, if possible. - Local printing issues
Verify that you have a printer attached to your computer, and that you can print from other applications on your computer.
For More Information
The Citrix Systems Knowledge Base is the primary source of technical information on ICA Client technology. A wealth of technical documentation on Citrix Presentation Server and the ICA Client is available at:
May 25, 2006
Please contact HAI Technical Support for more information.