The ICA Thin Client and ICA Services

The other pieces of the picture are the universal ICA thin client, the ICA protocol, the ICA Platform, and ICA Services. Citrix de-veloped the ICA universal thin-client model and protocol—a general-purpose Windows-based protocol. The ICA protocol provides true location independence for Windows-based appli-cations. It also allows Windows-based applications to run at one location and display the program’s user interface somewhere else.

ICA comprises a universal thin client, a protocol, a platform, and system services.

Designed to provide high-performance display of Windows-based applications over local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), or dial-up devices while minimizing network traffic, the ICA protocol—in conjunction with ICA services—and the ICA client can deliver complete Windows-based applications even over low-bandwidth connections. A robust and extensible protocol, ICA includes definitions for the following capabilities:

• Full-screen text presentation
  
  
• Graphical screen presentation of Windows-based applications
  
  
• Keyboard and mouse input
  
  
• Session control
  
  
• Framing for asynchronous connections
  
  
• Error detection and recovery
  
  
• Encryption
  
  
• Compression hooks
  
  
• File system redirection
  
  
• Print redirection
  
  
• Multiple generic virtual channels
  
  
• Cut and paste across servers
  
  
• COM port redirection
  
  
• General purpose WinFrame server browsing
  
  
• Virtual channels for custom extensions

Through its customers, ICA licensees, and organizations such as the Open ICA Forum, Citrix keeps gathering feedback and ideas for ICA development.