businessobjects enterprise xi r2 citrix integration

BusinessObjects Enterprise XI R2 Citrix Integration Validation Project Citrix® WANScaler, NetScaler, and Presentation Server 4.5, Platinum Edition November 14, 2007

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Revision History Revision Change Description Updated By Date 0.1 Initial Draft Worldwide Field Services 11/6/2007 0.2 QA Worldwide Field Services 11/9/2007 0.3 Revisions Worldwide Field Services 11/14/2007 1.0 Completed Version 1.0 Worldwide Field Services 11/14/2007

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Table of Contents Executive Summary................................................................................4

Overview.......................................................................................................................... 4 Common Customer Challenges ........................................................................................... 4 Citrix Solutions.................................................................................................................. 5 Project Summary .............................................................................................................. 5

Integration Solution ...............................................................................7 Test Environment Architecture ........................................................................................... 7 Integrated Products .......................................................................................................... 8 Validated Functionality ...................................................................................................... 9

Configuring BusinessObjects XI with Citrix Products ..........................10 Publishing InfoView on Presentation Server 4.5 ..................................................................10 Streaming InfoView XI with Presentation Server 4.5............................................................12 Publishing Streaming InfoView XI Application on Presentation Server 4.5..............................16 Single Sign-on with Password Manager 4.5.........................................................................18 NetScaler Configuration – Creating Expressions ..................................................................21 NetScaler Configuration – Configuring Caching ...................................................................22 NetScaler Configuration – Configuring Compression ............................................................25 NetScaler Configuration – Load Balancing BusinessObjects XI Web Servers...........................27 NetScaler Configuration – SSL Offload ...............................................................................29 WANScaler Configuration ..................................................................................................32

Executive Summary

Overview Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CTXS) is the global leader and most trusted name in on-demand access. More than 180,000 organizations around the world rely on Citrix to provide the best possible access experience to any application for any user. Citrix customers include 100% of the Fortune 100 companies and 98% of the Fortune Global 500, as well as hundreds of thousands of small businesses and individuals. Citrix has approximately 6,200 channel and alliance partners in more than 100 countries. Citrix annual revenues in 2006 were $1.134 billion. Learn more at www.citrix.com.

Business Objects is a global leader in business intelligence (BI) with more than 42,000 customers. Twenty percent (20%) of their install base is currently publishing at least one of their applications via Citrix Presentation Server. Business Objects Enterprise is a suite of performance management, information management, reporting, and query and analysis tools. In a partnership to better accommodate a mutual customer base and overcome common challenges, Citrix and Business Objects have conducted this project to validate Citrix WANScaler, NetScaler, and Presentation Server 4.5, Platinum Edition as a delivery platform for Business Objects XI.

Listed below are some of the benefits that can be gained by leveraging the Citrix Presentation Server Platinum Edition, Citrix NetScaler and Citrix WANScaler to provide access to the BusinessObjects Enterprise:

• Streamline application deployments and accelerate ROI to customers

• Extend the reach of Business Objects solutions

• Improve response time to the end client for web based applications

Common Customer Challenges Geographical Separation

As businesses become more geographically dispersed over the globe, the exchange of data is often hindered by low bandwidth high latency WAN connections. Businesses often attempt to overcome slow application response times by resorting to costly WAN link upgrades, only to find that the bandwidth cannot be fully utilized if networks span long distances and are thus subjected to high network latency. Additionally, users working from the same regional or branch office are often accessing the same documents and shared resources from the central data center in HQ, resulting in multiple, repetitive downloads of large amounts of data over a limited network connection.

Application Availability

Web server farms are often stressed by numerous inefficient tasks that are not directly involved with delivering application content. Server hardware resources can be heavily utilized by network and security tasks like managing multiple TCP connections and handshakes, encrypting and decrypting content, exchanging SSL crypto keys with clients, and managing surges in user requests. The burden of these tasks will result in reduced server availability and slower response times for end-users.

Endpoint Management

Web applications often have specific browser and run-time environment requirements that complicate enterprise endpoint management. Ensuring smooth operations for end users will require desktop management teams to maintain proper configurations.

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Remote Access

As workforces become more mobilized, increasing needs for remote access require business to provide sensitive internal information to employees connecting from any location. In addition to being costly, remote access solutions can also be very complex for both end-users and administrators.

Citrix Solutions WANScaler 4.2

Citrix WANScaler solutions provide high-performance application delivery to branch office users. WANScalers accelerate application performance across wide area networks (WAN) by an average of 5x to 30x, and up to 300x at peak compression efficiency. With WANScalers in the network, end users in the branch office will experience LAN-like application performance over the WAN, which means less time waiting for slow applications and more time using the application.

Citrix WANScaler is a symmetric solution where an appliance is deployed both in the central data center as well as the branch office. Mobile and at-home users can benefit from WANScaler optimization by leveraging the Windows based WANScaler client software.

Citrix WANScaler provides benefits by using more suitable TCP parameters on the WAN side as well as an extensive compression history on disk and in memory, which allows for small tokens to traverse the WAN in place of the full length payload. In addition, layer 7 protocol optimization helps reduce the number of round trips on chatty protocols such as CIFS over the WAN.

NetScaler 8.0

The Citrix NetScaler Application Switch combines the features and functions of traditional data center point products - load balancing, caching, compression, SSL acceleration, attack defense - into a single network appliance, built from the ground up to maximize the performance of applications. Citrix NetScaler products deliver maximized application performance, end-to-end application security, continuous application availability, and reduced cost of operations.

Presentation Server 4.5, Platinum Edition

Citrix Presentation Server is an end-to-end application delivery system that virtualizes and streams Windows-based applications for the lowest total cost and highest data security—to any user, with any device, over any network. Platinum Edition includes all the features of Enterprise Edition and adds critical capabilities for application performance monitoring, SSL VPN remote access with SmartAccess control and single sign-on application security.

Presentation Server can dramatically improve the performance of data intensive Web applications by publishing Web browsers on servers that are in the same data centers as required back-end data. In a centralized infrastructure, large data transfers could be contained completely within network storage, limiting WAN traversals to the virtualization layer with the Citrix ICA protocol.

Project Summary During this validation, all BusinessObjects delivery scenarios with Citrix WANScaler, NetScaler, and Presentation Server, Platinum Edition, functioned properly, proving the following: • WANScaler can successfully accelerate BusinessObjects traffic over low bandwidth, high latency WAN

links with its TCP optimization and compression features. • NetScaler can successfully provide a high availability BusinessObjects server environment through

load balancing and offloading resource intensive networking tasks.

• Presentation Server 4.5, Platinum Edition can provide a secure, centralized BusinessObjects environment, simplifying endpoint management. Presentation Server successfully delivered

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BusinessObjects XI InfoView as a virtualized, server-based application as well as an application streamed to a client workstation. Single sign-on functionality with Password Manager was proven, and EdgeSight 4.5, a powerful monitoring tool included with Platinum Edition, was also installed to ensure the full Presentation Server Platinum offering could be extended with BusinessObjects XI.

This document outlines the products involved with this validation effort, the testing environment, the validation criteria, and provides some specific configuration steps for delivering BusinessObjects XI via Citrix platforms.

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Integration Solution

Test Environment Architecture The architecture set up in the test lab using Citrix products as a delivery platform for BusinessObjects Enterprise XI is diagrammed below. The scenario in the lab was intended to validate the integrated functionality of BusinessObjects XI and Citrix products in a branch office use case, where the branch office is separated by a low bandwidth, high latency WAN link.

Figure 1. Branch Office WAN Separation Test Architecture

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Integrated Products The table below outlines the complete product list of tested components from both BusinessObjects XI and Citrix.

Components Version Platform information

Citrix Server Products

Presentation Server 4.5 Operating System: Windows 2003 R2, SP2 Presentation Server Hotfixes

• PSE450W2K3R01

Web Interface 4.6 Operating System: Windows 2003 R2, SP2

License Server 4.5 Operating System: Windows 2003 R2, SP2

Streaming Profiler 1.1 Operating System: Windows 2003 R2, SP2

Password Manager 4.5 Password Manager Console Operating System: Windows 2003 R2, SP2 Central Store: File share Password Manager Hotfixes

• PM450W002

EdgeSight 4.5 Operating System: Windows 2003 R2, SP2

Citrix Appliances

NetScaler 7000 8.0 Version: 8.0.48.7 Features Enabled:

• Load Balancing • Integrated Caching • Compression • SSL Offload

WANScaler SM85 Series 3

4.2 Version: 4.2.17

Bandwidth Mode: Softboost

Citrix Client Components

EdgeSight Client for Presentation Server

4.5.3244 Operating System: Windows 2003 R2, SP2

Presentation Server Client 10.1 Operating System: Windows 2003 R2, SP2

Password Manager Agent 4.5.125 Operating System: Windows 2003 R2, SP2

Streaming Client 1.1 Operating System: Windows 2003 R2, SP2

Business Objects Products/Components

Business Objects Database Server

XI Operating System: Windows 2003 R2, SP2

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Business Objects Web Servers (2)


Business Objects Services (Application) Server


Validated Functionality Business cases tested during this project include accessing and navigating four different Web Intelligence reports in four separate user workflows. The following workflows provided by Business Objects were used to validate BusinessObjects XI delivered via Citrix:

Workflow 1 Workflow 2 Workflow 3 Workflow 4

• Log in to InfoView

• Open the simple report 1

• Navigate to two random pages

• Close the report

• Open the complex report 1



• Log off InfoView



• Refresh report




• Refresh report




• Log in to InfoView,


• Add redefined calcs

• Sort on chart

• Create section

• Navigate to last section

• Navigate to page 2

• Turn on alerter


• Open complex report 2

• Open prompt

• Refresh document


• View in PDF mode





• Create section

• Turn to chart

• Navigate to last section


• Apply alerter

• Open prompt

• Refresh data

• Turn drill on

• Drill down first column



The workflows above were completed successfully during multiple iterations through delivery scenarios involving Presentation Server 4.5, Platinum Edition, NetScaler, and WANScaler

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Configuring BusinessObjects XI with Citrix Products The steps required for integrating BusinessObjects XI with the Citrix products involved in this validation are outlined below. No special configuration was required for the BusinessObjects XI infrastructure.

Publishing InfoView on Presentation Server 4.5 In order to use the InfoView Web application with Citrix Presentation Server, the application must be published using the Access Management Console to make it available to users.

Step Action Image 1.

In the Presentation Server node in the Access Management Console, right click on Applications node under farm name. Select New Published Application

2.

Select a Display name for the application. The option to add a description of the application is also available. Click Next.

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3. From the Type node, choose Application and Installed application as the server application type. Click Next.

4.

From the Location node, for the Command line field, enter the path of the target browser and URL for the application For example: “C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe” https://bobj.ccslab.net:8443/ businessobjects/enterprise115/ desktoplaunch/ InfoView/logon/logon.do. For the Working directory field, enter the path the browser’s location. Click Next.

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Streaming InfoView with Presentation Server 4.5 In order to stream InfoView from a file share to a Citrix Presentation Server or an end user device using the Streaming feature of Presentation Server, a streaming profile must be created and saved to the file share. For this test, Mozilla FireFox was streamed.


On the Set Target Operating System and Language screen, select target operating system (Windows Server 2003 for this test) and language (English for this test).

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2. On the Choose Installer screen, choose installation program (C:\Firefox Setup 2.0.0.7.exe). Click Next.

3. On the Run Installer screen, choose Launch Installer to being installation.

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4. On the Run Application screen, highlight Mozilla Firefox and click Run.

5.

On the Select Applications screen, select Mozilla Firefox as the application you want to publish from the Citrix Access Management Console. Click Next.

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6. Verify that the Firefox package shows up with the Windows Server 2003 target.

7.

Enter the UNC path and the profile name (Firefox).

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Publishing Streaming InfoView on Presentation Server 4.5 After a profile has been created, publish the application and specify that it will be streamed.


In the Presentation Server node in the Access Management Console, right click on Applications node under farm name. Select New Published Application

2.

Select a Display name for the application. The option to add a description of the application is also available. Click Next.

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3. On the Type screen, choose Application and Streamed if possible, otherwise accessed from a server and choose Streamed to server as the server application type. Click Next.

4. From the Location node, for Citrix streaming application profile address, enter the fully qualified path. Select Mozilla Firefox from the Application to launch from the Citrix streaming application profile dropdown. For the Extra command line paratmeters, enter the URL of the application: For example: “http://bobj:8080/ BusinessObjects/Enterprise 115/desktoplaunch/InfoView /logon/logon.do” Click Next.

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Single Sign-on with Password Manager 4.5 To enable single sign-on via Citrix Password Manager for the InfoView application, an application definition must be created to tell the Password Manager Agent how to recognize the application and provide credentials on behalf of the user.


Select the Web button to specify the application type as a web application and start the wizard.

2.

Click Select in the Identify form screen and enter the URL For example: “http://bobj: 8080/businessobjects/ enterprise115/ desktoplaunch/InfoView/ logon/logon.do.”

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3. Right –click on each of the descriptions of the fields to be defined and assign a purpose to each field.

4.

Verify that all fields have been assigned a purpose (Username/Id, Password, Custom Field 1, and Submit).

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5. Enter a label to use for custom field 1 (Authentication).

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NetScaler Configuration – Creating Expressions Global expressions were used in this test for use with caching and compression policies. The following steps were applied to create expressions:


Expand the System node in the Navigation panel on the NetScaler Configuration applet, and select Expressions. Clicking Add will trigger the form displayed in the accompanying image. Click Create to finish the process.

2. The newly created expressions will be displayed in the Expressions list. The expressions to recognize .css, .js, and .gif files used in this test are displayed to the right.

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NetScaler Configuration – Configuring Caching By default, cached objects reside in a “default” content group. It is a best practice to separate content types into custom content groups. This provides an easier means to manage policies and track statistics.


Expand the Integrated Caching node in the Navigation panel on the NetScaler Configuration applet, and select Content Groups. Clicking Add.

2.

Enter a name for the content group. Add file size constraints and timeouts by clicking on the Memory tab. Click Create to finish the process.

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3. The new content groups will now be available for use.

4.

To create caching policies, expand the Integrated Caching node in the Navigation panel on the NetScaler Configuration applet, and select Policies. Click Add.

5.

Enter a name for the policy and select CACHE as the Action. Select the appropriate content group in the Store in Group drop-down list. Match the appropriate expression in the Named Expressions list. Click Create to complete the process.

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6. The list of available policies will be updated.

7.

To activate the policies, click the Activate Policies button.

8.

Add the newly created policies from the Available list view to the Configured list view. Assign a Priority for each policy. Click OK to complete the activation.

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NetScaler Configuration – Configuring Compression The NetScaler system implements lossless compression that can be interpreted by popular browsers like Internet Explorer, Netscape, and AOL. It can compress payloads up to a ratio of 4:1. By default, the system compresses text/ HTML and text/plain MIME formats for all browsers. The NetScaler system compresses traffic based on the format supported by the browser. While the NetScaler system can compress content generated by most CGI applications, by default it does not compress client side javascript traffic.

Configuring a policy to enable compression for javascript will provide additional compression.


Expand the Compression node in the Navigation panel on the NetScaler Configuration applet, and select Add.

2. Enter a name for the policy

and select COMPRESS in the Response Action drop-down list. In the Name Expressions list, select the expression created to recognize javascript in the previous steps. Click Create to finish the process.

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3. The policy can now be applied by clicking the Global Bindings button.

4.

The newly created policy will initially be in the list of available policies. Select the policy and click the Add button to move it into the list of configured policies.

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NetScaler Configuration – Load Balancing BusinessObjects XI Web Servers Step Action Image 1.

Expand the Load Balancing node in the Navigation panel on the NetScaler Configuration applet. From the Servers node, add an entry for each BusinessObjects Web server in the load balancing rotation.

2. From the Services node, add a new Service for each web server in the load balancing rotation.

3.

For each new Service, select a Service Name and Server. Select HTTP for the Protocol field and enter the appropriate port for the target BusinessObjects application. In this example, InfoView access occurs over port 8080. On the Monitors tab, select the default http monitor. Click the Create button.

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4. From the Virtual Servers node, add a virtual IP address (VIP) to receive incoming requests to load balanced group of servers. Use HTTP for the Protocol and select the appropriate port for InfoView. In this example, port 8080 is used. In the Services tab, select each service that applies to server.

5.

Click on the Persistence tab. Select Round Robin for the LB Method. For the Persistence settings, choose COOKIEINSERT and set the timeout value to 0. As a best practice, use SOURCEIP as a backup persistence method. Click OK.

6. Verify the State is UP for the Virtual Server.

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NetScaler Configuration – SSL Offload For deployments of BusinessObjects Enterprise XI requiring additional security, NetScaler can provide enhanced performance and scalability for Web servers by shouldering the resource intensive encryption processes. To configure SSL Offload, follow the steps below:


To obtain a certificate request, use the tools available on the NetScaler. Expand the SSL node in the Navigation panel on the NetScaler Configuration applet, and select CA Tools. Click on the Create Certificate Request link. Use the request information to generate a certificate from a Certificate Authority. For more details, refer to the NetScaler Installation and Configuration Guide (ICG) available from http://support.citrix.com

2. To install the certificate, select the Certificates node in the Navigation panel on the NetScaler Configuration applet. Click Add. Enter the required information, browse to the certificate, and click Install.

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3. Under the SSL Offload node in the Navigation panel, create servers and services in a similar manner as the process outlined for Load Balancing. The same servers and services can be applied to both Load Balancing and SSL Offload.

4. Under the SSL Offload node, select Virtual Servers. Create a new virtual server using the same process used for Load Balancing. Ensure the Protocol setting is for SSL. In the Port text box, enter the appropriate SSL port for the application. Port 8443 was used in this test environment with Tomcat.

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5. Click the SSL Settings tab to configure the certificate for the new virtual server. Click OK.

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WANScaler Configuration The WANScalers used in this test required only a few configurations to provide optimization for BusinessObjects XI.


The bandwidth mode chosen for this test was Softboost, and the Bandwidth Scheduler was set to Full Bandwidth with send and receive limits set to 96% of the maximum available bandwidth.

2. The default Service Class Rule for private HTTP was configured for port 8080 to work with the instance of BusinessObjects being tested.

3.

The default Service Class Policy for private HTTP was configured to use disk based compression.

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