ICA - Independent Computing Architecture
===========================================

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        **What is ICA?**

        ICA (Independent Computing Architecture) is a proprietary protocol developed by Citrix Systems that allows remote access to applications and desktops over a network.

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        **Why is ICA useful?**

        ICA is useful for enabling centralized application deployment, remote desktop access, and secure thin-client computing, reducing the need for powerful client devices and simplifying IT management.

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        **How it works?**

        ICA transmits only screen updates, keystrokes, and mouse movements between the server and client, allowing users to interact with applications hosted on a centralized server with minimal bandwidth usage.

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        **Where is ICA used?**

        ICA is widely used in Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (formerly XenApp/XenDesktop) environments, especially in enterprise remote access, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), and thin-client solutions.

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        **Which OSI layer does this protocol belong to?**

        ICA operates primarily at the **Application Layer (Layer 7)** of the OSI model, but also relies on lower layers for transport.

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        **Is ICA Windows specific?**

        No, ICA is not Windows specific. Although commonly used in Windows-based environments, ICA clients are available for other operating systems as well, including macOS, Linux, and mobile platforms.

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        **Is ICA Linux specific?**

        No, ICA is not Linux specific. Linux systems can use Citrix Workspace or open-source ICA clients, but the protocol itself is platform-independent.

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        **Which Transport Protocol is used by ICA?**

        ICA uses **TCP** as the primary transport protocol. It can also work with **SSL/TLS** for secure connections, and **UDP** when used with Citrix HDX technologies for improved performance.

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        **Which Port is used by ICA?**

        By default, ICA uses **TCP port 1494**. When ICA is tunneled through Citrix Gateway (formerly NetScaler), it typically uses **TCP port 443** with SSL encryption.

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        **Is ICA using Client server model?**

        Yes, ICA uses a **client-server model**. The server hosts the applications or desktops, while the client connects remotely to interact with them.

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        Topics in this section,

                * :ref:`Learnings in this section <ICA_step1>`

                * :ref:`Terminology <ICA_step2>`

                * :ref:`Version Info <ICA_step3>`

                * :ref:`ICA Version&IEEE Details <ICA_step5>`

                * :ref:`ICA Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv4 <ICA_step18>`

                * :ref:`ICA Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv6 <ICA_step19>`

                * :ref:`ICA Protocol Packet Details <ICA_step6>`

                * :ref:`ICA Usecases <ICA_step7>`

                * :ref:`ICA Basic Features <ICA_step8>`
                    
                * :ref:`Reference links <ICA_step17>`


.. _ICA_step1:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: Learnings in this section

        * In this section, you are going to learn

.. _ICA_step2:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: Terminology
        
       * Terminology


.. _ICA_step3:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: Version Info
    
         * Version Info


.. _ICA_step5:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: ICA Version&RFC Details

        * rfc details

.. _ICA_step18:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: ICA Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv4

       * setup

.. _ICA_step19:

.. tab-set::
  
   .. tab-item:: ICA Basic Setup on Ubuntu using IPv6

     * setup
       
.. _ICA_step6:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: ICA Protocol Packet Details

        * packet details
       


.. _ICA_step7:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: ICA Usecases

       * usecases
        
        

.. _ICA_step8:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: ICA Basic Features
    
        * features 



.. _ICA_step17:

.. tab-set::

    .. tab-item:: Reference links
     
       * Reference links