Term of the Moment
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Definition: ICA
(Independent Computing Architecture) An input/output presentation protocol from Citrix that governs the keyboard, mouse and screen formatting between clients and servers in Citrix's products. Originally "Intelligent Console Architecture."
The First Windows Thin Client Computing
Using Citrix's WinFrame on Windows NT in the mid-1990s, ICA was the first protocol to provide thin client computing for Windows. Soon after, Microsoft came out with its Terminal Services, based largely on Citrix software, but using the RDP protocol. ICA supports numerous client platforms, including Windows, DOS, Mac, Unix, Linux and Java. See thin client, WinFrame, Citrix XenApp and Citrix XenDesktop.
ICA in Practice
The First Windows Thin Client Computing
Using Citrix's WinFrame on Windows NT in the mid-1990s, ICA was the first protocol to provide thin client computing for Windows. Soon after, Microsoft came out with its Terminal Services, based largely on Citrix software, but using the RDP protocol. ICA supports numerous client platforms, including Windows, DOS, Mac, Unix, Linux and Java. See thin client, WinFrame, Citrix XenApp and Citrix XenDesktop.
ICA is used in Citrix products such as XenApp, while Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is used in Microsoft's built-in thin client software.