NetScaler Gateway is one of the most commonly used features of NetScaler. In earlier versions, Citrix had products such as Secure Gateway or Access Gateway, but with the 10.1 release of NetScaler, it was renamed NetScaler Gateway. This feature does the same task as it did before; it grants users remote access through a gateway to the corporate network. It has multiple features and ways in which it can give end users access to the corporate network, which we will cover throughout this chapter. So here is a quick overview of what we will be covering in this chapter:
- Basics of NetScaler Gateway
- Different connection methods and settings
- Sample setup scenarios
- Integrating with XenDesktop/XenApp and XenMobile
- Configuring StoreFront
The NetScaler Gateway feature has been available in many different forms. The first release of the Gateway feature came with Citrix Secure Gateway, which was first released in 2001. This was a Windows-based software, which gave users remote access to their Citrix solutions. Later on, Citrix released Access Gateway, which gave us more features such as SSL VPN, Endpoint analysis, and VPN. It is has now been named NetScaler Gateway and it is available in two different forms, either as a subfeature of NetScaler, or as its own appliance, which further comes in two editions, either a VPX or an MPX edition. This appliance only has the NetScaler Gateway feature and nothing more. More information about these two editions and what their specifications are can be found in the NetScaler Gateway datasheet located at http://bit.ly/1kGLZS0.
Many companies use the NetScaler Gateway feature on a regular NetScaler appliance as it gives the benefit of incorporating many features on the same appliance, instead of having scattered features on many different appliances.