Citrix/VPN for Mac?

[pgulliver]

Hi all. I'm trying to convince my parents to switch (actually, I haven't even switched yet, waiting for the 12" AlPB to arrive at the local Apple Store.) I'm tired of them calling me around 7pm every evening when either of them has a problem with their aging Gateway.

My Mom's thrilled about switching. My father's enthusiastic (he loves music and digital photography) but worried about compatibility with his current corporate use. Right now he uses the Citrix program to remote logon to his office's NT based network. Is there a remote client program like this for the Mac that would allow him to access his office email/network drives from home? They currently have a cable modem, so speed is not an issue.

 

[lmalave]

Well, there's a Citrix client for Mac OS X: http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/networking_security/citrixicaclientformacosx.html

Does your dad use a PC desktop at work? If so, he can use VNC to see his desktop at work. He'd have to install a VNC server at his work PC: http://download.com.com/3000-2085-8591703.html?tag=lst-0-2 and then install the client on his Mac: http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/networking_security/vncthing.html

Of course, connecting to work computers raises security issues. You mentioned VPN in your subjects message - is this how your Dad connects to work? VPNs come in different flavors, so first you have to make sure that he can connect. Mac OSX has basic IPSec and PTPP VPN functionality, but you may need 3rd party software. For example, my company uses a more exotic VPN (IPSec over UDP, with RSA SecurID for authentication), so I have to use the Cisco VPN client for Mac OS X, which works great.

Hope this helps

 

[JupiterZen]

Re: Citrix/VPN for Mac?

Originally posted by pgulliver
Right now he uses the Citrix program to remote logon to his office's NT based network.

Citrix has a mac client available, but I only saw OS 9 versions of it. Maybe the updated these.

And Microsoft has made an RDP Client for OS X so you can logon to a Terminal Server. But I don't know if it works on Citrix as well.

Probably not. But it's worth a try. We only have Terminal Servers so I can't test on Citrix.

 

[pgulliver]

Thanks

Thanks guys. I didn't realize the Citrix Client for OS/X would be free. That's terrific.

 

[lmalave]

Re: Thanks

Originally posted by pgulliver
Thanks guys. I didn't realize the Citrix Client for OS/X would be free. That's terrific.

Make sure to test it first, though, to make sure it works with your Dad's company's configuration. My company also uses Citrix, for example, but only through some 3rd-party browser plug-in called Tocket that only works with IE on Windows. Thankfully, I can use the VPN connection which is much better anyway. Before I bought my iBook, though, I installed the Cisco VPN client on a friend's machine to make sure I could connect to work. Basically, it was a dealbreaker for me. If I couldn't connect to work I really couldn't justify buying a Mac, much as I'd like to. Fortunately, everything worked out

Sounds like your Dad's in a similar situation as I was, so definitely do all the research and testing you need to before making the purchase.