This week an Enterprise decision was made to use "Citrix" as the solution if units with off-campus locations require direct access.
Below is the official document we received from OIT/ADCS providing information about Citrix. An initial $45 cost and $15 per month fee is associated with Citrix use.
Accessing PeopleSoft from Locations Off-Campus
About half of the computers on the Twin Cities campus are directly connected
to the University backbone with EtherJack service. The other half are connected
through departmentally managed Local Area Networks. The Morris, Crookston, and
Duluth coordinate campuses are also connected to the Twin Cities backbone through
their own independently managed networks.
Computers or networks connected to the University backbone use official University IP addresses. This address is used to identify computers and networks as well as to assign network credentials. All other forms of access (e.g., modem pool) to the University backbone require X.500 user authentication so network credentials can be assigned.
The University offers Microsoft's Windows NT Server/Terminal Server Edition product (also referred to as Citrix due to Microsoft's collaboration with Citrix on this product) to provide access to the PeopleSoft system through the modem pool. We will refer to this simply as Citrix here. If you are at a University Experiment Station or Extension Office, at the Rochester campus, or using an Internet Service Provider (ISP) not connected to the University backbone, this product is for you!
The Citrix Solution
There are three pieces required to use PeopleSoft via the Citrix server: The
Citrix client software which runs on your computer, the server software which
runs on an OIT server, and the network protocol.
The Citrix Client Software
The Citrix client software will run on the following computers and operating
systems:
PC with Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 3.51, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 3.X,
Windows for Workgroups, MS-DOS or PC-DOS, Macintosh OS, UNIX (various including
Linux, Sun Solaris, SGI IRIX, IBM AIX) Java JDK 1.1 compliant desktop
The Citrix Network Protocol
The network protocol used on the Internet is Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol, or TCP/IP. One part of the protocol provides you with network credentials
(IP) and the other carries the information from your computer to the server
(TCP). Once you connect to the University modem pool and authenticate with X.500,
you are assigned your IP credentials.
The Citrix Server Software
The Citrix server is a specialized version of Microsoft's Windows NT Server,
known as Windows Terminal Server Edition. Because the client software on your
computer needs to communicate with this server, each computer that is used to
access the Citrix server needs a Windows NT workstation license, even if the
computer hardware would not normally be capable of running Windows NT workstation.
Performance
The PeopleSoft client software will be executed 100 percent on OIT-operated
servers. Only keystrokes, mouse clicks, and screen updates travel the network.
Performance is based only on your access method (e.g., modem speed). PeopleSoft
application performance using Citrix should be no different than using e-mail
using that same access method.
Security
This system meets all University security requirements for X.500 authentication,
IP credentials, and PeopleSoft logon.
What it Costs and Who to Contact
A one-time fee for NT client license, administration, and set-up is $45.
Monthly cost per X.500 id is $15.
Arrangements for Citrix should be directed to Phil Kachelmyer, OIT/ADCS, phone:
612/625-6821 or e-mail: phk@tc.umn.edu