Can PM download an enterprise project when using Citrix?

[Renee IT/PM]

Most of our Project Managers work from home or remotely (client site/hotel).
We have a VPN and Terminal Services/Citrix. Most prefer TS/Citrix.

I've been asked if the PMs can download their project plans while they are
using
Terminal Services / Citrix.

Does anyone know if and how that could be done?

----------------------------------
I found this info from a previous posting dated 02/21/2006. It doesn't give
me an answer to my question, but may be helpful to other Admins.

Your options are:

1. Users connect to the VPN when at home.
They could then open the project is project professional. Note that this
will be slow.

2. Get the users to check out the project when they are at the office and
then select File > Save Offline . They can then open the project at home and
it will be checked out at the office. They can edit the project and save it
offline. When they get back to the office and connect to project server,
they can select File > Save Online.

3. If you have Terminal Services / Citrix then the users could log into
terminal services from home and run Project Professional through terminal
services.
---------------------

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Renee --

If your PM's use Terminal Services, they can remotely access both Microsoft
Project Professional and PWA from inside their Remote Desktop Connection
window. Beyond this, I'm not sure what you mean by "download their project
plans." Have I answered your question?

 

[Rami]

Hi

He means that he needs to get the project plan locally on his machine
although he is using Citrix client.

I think it can be done but I am not 100% sure.

Mohammad

Renee --

If your PM's use Terminal Services, they can remotely access both Microsoft
Project Professional and PWA from inside their Remote Desktop Connection
window. Beyond this, I'm not sure what you mean by "download their project
plans." Have I answered your question?

 

[Rod Gill]

From memory, local storage ends up being local on the Terminal Services or
Citrix home folder for the user. It does not get copied to the user's local
(remote) PC.

This is a problem solved by Project Server 2007.

--

Rod Gill
Project MVP
Visit www.msproject-systems.com for Project Companion Tools and more

Hi

He means that he needs to get the project plan locally on his machine
although he is using Citrix client.

I think it can be done but I am not 100% sure.

Mohammad

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Rami --

How do you know what Renee means?

Hi

He means that he needs to get the project plan locally on his machine
although he is using Citrix client.

I think it can be done but I am not 100% sure.

Mohammad

 

[Nana]

This is possible by checking the "map local drives/printers" when
conneting through citrix. Your administrator needs to enable this
option for user connecting through citrix. When you open a project
from PS and make a local copy to the mapped drives. This should save it
locally on the remote machine

 

[Rafael Dorneles]

Yes, you can!!
To use Citrix metaframe and Terminal Server, the administrator of
citrix have to install the Project Professional into the Citrix Server.
The VPN, in think it´s the same.
Hugs,
Rafael Dorneles

 

[Nana]

I would not recommend setting up project on the Citrix server for
security reasons. Have the administrator install it on the machine
inside your network perimeter and have them provide Remote desktop
access from the citrix server (since a remote desktop connection is
more secure compared to project pro which uses ODBC).

 

[Renee IT/PM]

Dale:

Rami had it correct.

Our PM's are being disconnected from the Terminal Server / Ctirix
connection. The PM's want to have the enterprise project availalbe on their
local machine (ie laptop), update it and then using the T/S/Citirx connect
republish it back to MS Project Server.

 

[Renee IT/PM]

Dale (sorry - I'm learning how to post!)

Rami had it correct.

Our PM's are being disconnected from the Terminal Server / Ctirix
connection. The PM's want to have the enterprise project availalbe on their
local machine (ie laptop), update it and then using the T/S/Citirx connect
republish it back to MS Project Server.

Renee --

If your PM's use Terminal Services, they can remotely access both Microsoft
Project Professional and PWA from inside their Remote Desktop Connection
window. Beyond this, I'm not sure what you mean by "download their project
plans." Have I answered your question?

 

[Carl Dalton]

I think it is fair to say that the three options given at the start of
this email are 100% valid. If using Citrix/TS you cannot use the Save
offline feature to remotely (disconneected from internet) update your
plan in any way, as the file gets stored in the C:\...... drive on the
blade/server hosting your session.

and in case you were going to try, you cannot change drive mappings so
C:\ on the blade is actually your local file system on the machine...

it is a massive issue for lots of companies out there. thus the hoped
for 2007 addressal of the issue.

Carl

 

[Nana]

Carl - Your observations are not entirely accurate.

We use Citrix at my workplace (large federal government agency) and
users are able to map dirives on their remote machines to drives on the
remote server where project pro resides. I am able to save project
files(or any other file for that matter) offline to my remote machine.
But like i pointed out earlier, the Citrix administrator should enable
this feature. BTW: You can also map printers.