computer science

Independent Computing Architecture

Independent Computing Architecture is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Independent Computing Architecture rather than just read about it. In short: Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) is a proprietary protocol for an application server system, designed by Citrix Systems. The protocol lays down a specification for passing data between servers and clients, but is not bound to any one platform.

Key takeaways

Independent Computing Architecture belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Independent Computing Architecture to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Independent Computing Architecture from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) is a proprietary protocol for an application server system, designed by Citrix Systems. The protocol lays down a specification for passing data between servers and clients, but is not bound to any one platform. Citrix's ICA is an alternative to Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).

Products Practical products conforming to ICA are Citrix's WinFrame, Citrix XenApp (formerly called MetaFrame/Presentation Server), and Citrix XenDesktop products. These permit ordinary Windows applications to be run on a suitable Windows server and for any supported client to gain access to those applications. Besides Windows, ICA is also supported on a number of Unix server platforms and can be used to deliver access to applications running on these platforms. The client platforms do not have to run Windows; for instance, there are clients available for Mac, Unix, Linux, and various smartphones. ICA client software is also built into various thin client platforms. ICA is broadly similar in purpose to window servers such as the X Window System. It also provides for the feedback of user input from the client to the server, and a variety of means for the server to send graphical output, as well as other media such as audio, from the running application to the client. The key challenges in an architecture are network latency and performance—a graphically intensive application (as most are when presented using a GUI) being served over a slow or bandwidth-restricted network connection requires considerable compression and optimization to render the application usable by the client. The client machine may be on a different platform and may not have the same GUI routines available locally; in this case, the server may need to send the actual bitmap data over the connection. Depending on the client's capabilities, servers may also off-load part of the graphical processing to the client, e.g. to render multimedia content. ICA runs natively over TCP port 1494 or may be encapsulated in Common Gateway Protocol (CGP) on TCP 2598. ICA supports the concept of channels at a session layer to encapsulate rich media redirection or USB extension within ICA.

Client software

Citrix ICA Client (DOS, OS/2) Citrix Presentation Server Client (Mac, Java) Citrix Receiver (Linux, Unix, Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Android, Chrome) Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop Plugin (Windows) SAP

See also Desktop virtualization Remote Desktop Protocol

References

External links A Slashdot discussion giving insights on how ICA works A web page contains a description of the ICA file syntax. Archived 2020-10-01 at the Wayback Machine

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Independent Computing Architecture

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Independent Computing Architecture claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Independent Computing Architecture before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Independent Computing Architecture ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Independent Computing Architecture

In research: Independent Computing Architecture appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Independent Computing Architecture in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Independent Computing Architecture is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Citrix Systems, Remote desktop, Remote desktop protocols, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Independent Computing Architecture outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Independent Computing Architecture in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Independent Computing Architecture means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Independent Computing Architecture out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Independent Computing Architecture in simple terms?

Why does Independent Computing Architecture matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Independent Computing Architecture?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Independent Computing Architecture.