Remote access to CAE software (Citrix XenApp)

How to use Citrix XenApp to remotely access CAE software

With the Engineering Duo roll out, you will now need to use remote.engr.wisc.edu whenever you wish to use Citrix XenApp.  You will no longer be able to log in using the Citrix Workspace app, however it can still be used as a method to access applications if you need to access files stored on your local hard drive (See Step 5B). That being said, we do recommend using the light/web version, as there are fewer variables that can cause issues. Note that Citrix will automatically log you out after 15 minutes of inactivity.

WARNING: It is best practice to save files to your CAE filespace, or setup UW storage through KUMO. DO NOT SAVE TO THE LOCAL COMPUTER unless you are certain that you are saving to YOUR computer and that you verify that the file is on YOUR computer. The Default place to save to "This PC" in XenApp is on the XenApp server. This will cause your files to be lost forever.

  1. Navigate to remote.engr.wisc.edu and log in with your NetID credentials

     

  2. You will now be prompted to login with Duo.  Either enter a password or send a Push notification to your mobile device

     

  3. You will now see a message about acceptable use of Citrix XenApp.  Please read it and click Accept

    Acceptable Use

  4. You should now see a page asking how you would like to use Citrix.  As mentioned above, we recommend using the light/web version, however, you are able to use the Citrix Workspace application as well:
     


  5.  If you selected the light/web version, see part A; If you wish to use Citrix Workspace, see part B:

A. Light/Web Version (recommended)

This version will keep everything in your web browser.  To launch an app. click on it's icon. For this example, we'll use Matlab


The application will now launch in a new tab in your browser


Using the light/web version will also allow you close an active session if the program gets hung up. For info on doing that, see here: https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/102255

 

B. Citrix Workspace/Receiver

To use Citrix Workspace, you'll need to have the application installed. If you have previously attempted installing, make sure all other versions have been uninstalled before attempting again. Information on that can be found here:

Mac: https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/34018

Windows: https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/34016


You launch apps the same way as the Light/web version, clicking on them in the main Citrix webpage.  We'll use Matlab again as the example



The first time you launch an app, you may get a pop-up asking if you want to Open the Citrix Workspace Launcher.  You can check the "Always Allow" box if you wish, then click "Open Citrix Workspace Launcher"



Citrix Workspace should now open Matlab (it will open outside of the browser and not in a new tab like the light/web version did) 


Workspace with Matlab

The only major advantage to using workspace is having access to files stored on your computer:

Windows: https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/34955

Mac: https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/35441


NOTE: IF YOU ARE SAVING FILES USING WORKSPACE, VERIFY THE SAVE LOCATION.  IF YOU SAVE TO C: ON THE CITRIX SERVER YOUR FILES WILL LIKELY BE GONE NEXT TIME YOU LOG IN. MAKE SURE YOU ARE SAVING TO YOUR FILESPACE, A KUMO OPTION (https://kb.wisc.edu/cae/55146), OR YOUR LOCAL C: DRIVE.

Switching versions of Citrix

Users can switch between the browser-based Light/Web Version and the installed Citrix Workspace client.

Step 1: Open Account Settings

Log in to https://remote.engr.wisc.edu/.

Select the your profile in the upper-right corner and select Account Settings.

Step 2: Go to Advanced

Step 3: Choose either "Use Web Browser" or "Use Citrix Workspace app" depending on your default

Depending on your setup and whether or not, it will either give you an option to switch to the web browser or Citrix Workspace App. Click this to switch

     

     


    Keywords:
    citrix xen app remote matlab ees solidworks workspace receiver mac windows xenapp 
    Doc ID:
    110906
    Owned by:
    Dan S. in CAE
    Created:
    2021-05-19
    Updated:
    2026-09-01
    Sites:
    Computer-Aided Engineering