ThinWorld Citrix and APP-V Knowledgebase

Customising the Windows Logon Screen

2012-02-29T17:17:00.000Z

A Nice touch for Windows 7 Deployments is to customise the logon screen with your corporate look and feel. This can be achived with the following process.

Add the registry key OEMBackground (REG_DWORD) value 1

to the path
HKLM\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\authentication\loginui\background

Create a JPEG and name it backgrounddefault.jpg and place it in the folder

C:\Windows\System32\oobe\info\Backgrounds

The file should not be larger the 256KB , and will be stretched to fit users screen.

RealServe IT Netscaler

2012-02-26T23:11:00.002Z

When configuring the netscaler for RealServe IT i had to enable an extra option in the
System, Settings, Configure modes section.

This set=up required Layer2 mode to be enabled i think it was

XenServer Backup MetaData

2012-02-26T15:47:00.000Z

Backing up the VMs from XenServer is only one part of catering for DR on XenServer.
The Virtual disks can be backed up within the XenCentre console but the metadata that links the Virtual disks
with the machine information also needs to be backed up.

This is performed at the CLI

xe vm-export metadata=true --multiple filename=VMEXPORT

This will store the Metadata backup on the path the command is run from.
Then use a tool like WINSCP to grab the files from the Xenserver host and store somewhere securely.

Troubleshoot System Event Notification Services errors

2012-02-24T18:02:00.000Z

The following command may help if the need to troubleshoot SENS is required.

sc queryex sens

Windows 7 and Server 2008 Group Policy Settings overview

2012-02-18T15:25:00.000Z

I have chopped the Microsoft Group policy spreadsheet up so it displays as a webpage.
This makes a handy resource for making a quick search for the location of a group policy setting.

Thinworld Group Policy Settings web display

Bypass powershell execution policy

2012-02-15T18:15:00.000Z

I was given this information by a collague but have not tested this as yet.

Bypassing Execution Policy for Powershell

When execution policy prevents execution of PowerShell scripts, you can still execute them. There is a secret parameter called "-". When you use it, you can pipe a script into powershell.exe and execute it line by line

Get-Content 'C:\somescript.ps1' | powershell.exe -noprofile -

Wanova Management Server Path in Config File

2012-02-14T14:55:00.000Z

If you wish to manually change the path to the Wanova Management server the following file needs to edited

C:\program files\wanova\Mirage Service\Wanova.Desktop.Service.exe.config

and look for the serverAddress field

Internet Explorer Registry Keys commonly required for delivery

2012-02-14T11:35:00.003Z

Im often trying to dig around for Internet Explorer registry keys to control IE as opposed to using group policy.

The following has some good detail on the registry locations used by IE.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc736412(v=ws.10).aspx

Citrix Profile Manager

2012-02-13T10:50:00.000Z

This is a good article covering Citrix Profile Manager

It recommends that as a minimum that Local and LocalLow and Local Settings are set excluded from roaming.

http://blogs.citrix.com/2012/02/11/citrix-profile-management-and-vdi-%E2%80%93-doing-it-right/

Appsense Antivirus best practice

2012-02-08T13:43:00.003Z

Appsense have a knowledgebase article on best practices for anti virus in environments with Appsense Installed.

This guide includes info for most popular AV vendors.

https://www.myappsense.com/Knowledgebase/TN-150489.aspx

XenServer XAPI Service Does Not Start

2012-02-03T21:50:00.001Z

After a power cut i have had a long drama with my XenServer box.
Hindsight being what it is i probably need not have incurred such a long downtime.

After the powercut my XenServer failed to boot with the message XAPI service will not start. Press F8 to retry.
The retry fails to restart the XAPI.

I assumed the powercut had meant a bad write to my harddrive and so re-installed XenServer onto the
same harddisk. My box had 2 hard disks with the 2nd disk being the storage repository for the VM's.

After the re-install i manually had to add the 2nd hard disk as a storage repository using the 2nd part of this citrix article http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120962

This added the 2nd hard disk as additional storage repository, so i could see all my VM disks but had no VM's attatched to them.

as per the document i created new VM's with no disk attatched. Then after it booted, i edited its config and atttched the VMs from my 2nd hard disk. Its pure guess work as to which disk is which machine but after a while had most of my machines up and running.

BUT

the server then died. I rebooted and XAPI SERVICE ERROR AGAIN

I thought now that my XenServer primary hard disk must be damaged from the power failure.

I install a new hard disk and re-install XenServer 5.6 Sp1 again.

I again manually attach my 2nd disk as storage repository. Manually create VMs and attach to the disk images.

the server then died. I rebooted and XAPI SERVICE ERROR AGAIN

I now think , hmmmm

I now go back to google and find http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX128316

Basically my error logs have filled up and killed the XAPI service. I just connected to my xenserver with WINSCP and deleted the 1.2GB logfile in \VAR\LOG. Restart the server and im back up and running.

I will now keep an eye on the log file to see if it grows , and work out what the errors are i guess,

Appsense 2003 servers not communicating with the management server error 401

2012-01-31T15:58:00.001Z

I had an environment with a mix of 2003 and 2008 servers. The CCA for all 2008 servers showed up as expected but no 2003 servers. When looking in eventlog of the 2003 servers they failed to connect to the management server with a error 401. (typically security)

When i tried to push the CCA from the management console to the device I got the error
"Failed to install CCA not enough storage space to perform this command"

I set "management\deployment" access to anonymous in the Appsense SCU and all my 2003 servers showed up.

Appsense Citrix Hook Recommendations

2012-01-31T15:17:00.000Z

TN-150517 - Recommended AppSense Excludes for Citrix Hooks

Date added: 19 Oct 2011

Back to results

Applies To

Products:	Application Manager ALL, Environment Manager ALL, Performance Manager ALL
Windows:	*All versions of Windows

Symptom

We have seen a range or Performance / Stability issues to date that have been related to various Citrix Hooks, including:

High PTE usage for all AppSense executables

Environment Manager crashes / hangs

General instability or unpredicted behaviour with AppSense products

Cause

In many of these cases, the symptoms have been caused by the presence of various Citrix hooks within our processes, most commonly the Citrix Multi Monitor Hook (mmhook.dll) and the EdgeSight Monitoring components.

PTE Usage, for example, for EMAgentAssist.exe (roughly equivalent to EMUser.exe in Environment Manager 8.1.x), dropped from 12,000 to 4200 when excluded from MMHook.dll, and dropped to 4100 when excluded from all Citrix hooks.

Solution

Add the following entries to the Citrix Hook exclusions within the following key(s) depending on OS / Citrix Version (Comma separated):

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Citrix\CtxHook

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Citrix\CtxHook64

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Citrix\CtxHook

Value Name: ExcludedImageNames

Value Type: REG_SZ

Value Data:AMAgent.exe,Cca.exe,WatchdogAgent.exe,WatchdogAgent64.exe,EMAgent.exe,EMAgentAssist.exe,EMNotify.exe,EmCoreService.exe,EmExit.exe,EmLoggedOnUser.exe,EmSystem.exe,EmUser.exe,EmUserLogoff.exe,PmAgent.exe,PmAgentAssist.exe

Add the same processes to the EdgeSight Exclusions (note these entries are semi-colon separated rather than comma as above):

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\rskcore

Value Name: UviProcessExcludes

Value Type: REG_SZ

Value Data:AMAgent.exe;Cca.exe;WatchdogAgent.exe;WatchdogAgent64.exe;EMAgent.exe;EMAgentAssist.exe;EMNotify.exe;EmCoreService.exe;EmExit.exe;EmLoggedOnUser.exe;EmSystem.exe;EmUser.exe;EmUserLogoff.exe;PmAgent.exe;PmAgentAssist.exe

In addition, please Note that by installing Hotfix ES540XA6AgentWX64001 for EdgeSight for XenApp Agents, Version 5.4.7.1, the above UVIProcessExcludes Value will be deprecated on the Server.

During the Hotfix installation, any value data within UVIProcessExcludes will be migrated to the new UviProcessisExcluded location (please see citrix article http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX131261 for more information).

To exclude specific processes if the above Edgesight 5.4.7.1 ES540XA6AgentWX64001 Hotfix is in place:

Add a list of processes to be excluded from being monitored by EdgeSight (separate the processes by a semi-colon) to the UviProcessList registry key.
Set the UviProcessIsExcluded registry key to 1 to exclude the processes in the list:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\rskcore
Name: UviProcessList
Type: REG_SZ
Data:

AMAgent.exe;Cca.exe;WatchdogAgent.exe;WatchdogAgent64.exe;EMAgent.exe;EMAgentAssist.exe;EMNotify.exe;EmCoreService.exe;EmExit.exe;EmLoggedOnUser.exe;EmSystem.exe;EmUser.exe;EmUserLogoff.exe;PmAgent.exe;PmAgentAssist.exe

Name: UviProcessIsExcluded
Type: REG_DWORD
Data: 1 (to exclude the listed processes from being monitored, this is set to 1 by default)

Appsense Personalisation Tweaks

2012-01-31T15:14:00.002Z

These are some tweaks that can be considered in EM 8.* environments.

01: Network Load Balancer Monitoring – Ensure that the monitoring site is not Status.aspx

02: %ProgramFiles%\AppSense\Environment Manager\Personalization Server\App_Code\Global.asax.cs - Find the first line 'Protocol.IsCompatible = IsCompatibleTypeEnum.Incompatible;' and rem it out (//). Ensure this is the same on each of the Personalization Servers. After the change either reboot the server or restart the PersonalizationServer website.

03: %ProgramFiles%\AppSense\Environment Manager\Personalization Server\web.config - Search for the line 'compilation debug' and ensure that the line reads 'compilation debug="false"'.

04: Auto Close - On the PersonalizationServer database the 'default' setting is to have autoclose ON. This can cause performance degradation. You can check the configuration by executing the following SQL within Management Studio:

SELECT * FROM sys.databases WHERE DATABASEPROPERTYEX(name, 'IsAutoClose') = 1

This will give you a list of all databases which have AutoClose turned on. You can then disable Auto Close by executing:

ALTER DATABASE [PersonalizationServer] SET AUTO_CLOSE OFF WITH NO_WAIT

This can also be done this through the GUI if desired (right click the database > Properties > Options > Auto Close)

If this option is taken to change the database to AutoClose = Off the Personalization SCU will return a variance.

05: IIS Queue Length - You can essentially follow the guide found on http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd441171(office.13).aspx which explains how to change the queue length depending on the IIS version. Ideally this needs to be set to around 1.5 times the number of concurrent users.

06: PersonalizationServerPool – Ensure that the pool has only ‘1’ worker process.

Monitor number of connections to IIS

2012-01-31T14:29:00.001Z

If you are performing load balancing across web servers its nice to ensure that the load is looking fairly even.
A quick and simple monitor can be performed by looking at the following perfmon metric

+Web Service
Concurrent Connections

Disable Adobe Flash Auto Updates

2012-01-30T12:20:00.000Z

In a RDS environement you will not want users prompted each time that adobe updates the flash version.

Adobe document a process to prevent this
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/167/16701594.html

The steps are pretty simple.
Use Notepad++ to create a file with the line
AutoUpdateDisable=1

Convert this file to a UTF-8 text format and save as MMS.CFG
This file then need to be deployed into
%windows%\system32\macromed\flash
%windows%\syswow64\macromed\flash

This file overrides individula users settings.sol files.

Powershell AD intergration

2012-01-28T09:30:00.000Z

The following is a good article about getting AD intergration setup for powershell.

http://www.mikepfeiffer.net/2010/01/how-to-install-the-active-directory-module-for-windows-powershell/

with this you can use commands like Get-aduser to retrieve users AD information.

Wanova Mirage upgrade from v2 to v3

2012-01-28T08:46:00.002Z

The wanova v3 administration guide documents the process for migration from a v2 to v3 environment.

Im here going to post some of that information for quick refererence for myself. If your performing your own upgrade please aquire the latest adminitration guide and follow the documented procedure within that.

Set Regional format to US (this can be set back after upgrade)

1. Uninstall all Mirage Servers.
2. Uninstall the Mirage Management Console.
3. Uninstall the Mirage Management Server.
The Mirage 3.0 Software must then be installed using the new MSIs in the following order:
1. Install Mirage Management Console.
2. Install Mirage Management Server.
3. Install Mirage Servers.

Citrix XenApp 6.5 License service fails to start

2012-01-25T11:15:00.001Z

In the event the Licence server does not shutdown correctly the flag file can get stuck. Simply delete or rename this file and re-start the licence service.

concurrent_state.xml located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Licensing\LS\conf

Citrix Fileshare

2012-01-24T22:16:00.001Z

We have started to use Citrix fileshare. Initial thoughts are its pretty good. Its no Dropbox, but it is good, and very simple to use.

https://realserveit.sharefile.com/

Published desktop Clock not displaying

2012-01-17T15:47:00.000Z

Some GPO's lockdown to taskbar prevent users from seeing the clock in the bottom right.
If so the folowing reg key can enable the clock again for users.

Deploy with GPO preferences or whatever your favourite reg poker is.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\StuckRects2

You'll see a "Settings" value, which contains something like this:
28 00 00 00 ff ff ff ff 02 00 00 00 03 00 00 00 6d 00 00 00 20 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 03 00 00 00 05 00 00 00 04 00 00

The nineth pair of digits determines the Taskbar properties. Possible values are:
Always on top = 0x02
Auto hide = 0x01
Show small icons in Start menu = 0x04
Hide clock = 0x08

Combine the properties you want and set the byte. For example:
Always on top + Show small icons + Show clock = 06
Always on top + Show small icons + Hide clock = 0e

Note that the changes do not take effect immediately, you have to restart Explorer, or logoff and logon again to see the changes.

Redirection of Documents renames users home drive folders to "My Document"

2012-01-12T11:56:00.001Z

If you have or plan to deliver Citrix Desktops with XenApp 6 or newer you will likely need to provide a solution for the "documents" area.

This horrible area designed to make things easier for users has made things far more complicated in corporate environments.

The gotcha is to simply redirect the documents area to the users home drive. This has the effect of renaming everyones area on the home drive area from %username% to "My Documents" , this is only a logical rename and everything works ok, its just very ugly to the adminstrator as they cant see whos home drive is which without click the properties of each one.

An explanation of workarounds to this behaviour are detailed here.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947222

Citrix Disconnection Timeout in Xenapp 6 or newer

2012-01-12T11:37:00.001Z

I found this a bit of a gotcha, the Citrix polices in XenApp 6.0 for Disconnection timeouts are for XenDesktop only and do not effect XenApp.

To control the Disconnection timeout change the following key

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\ICA-TCP
MaxDisconnectionTime

This value is to 1000th/sec so a value of 1000 = 1 second

Unable to launch Citrix applications and desktops with Chrome browser

2012-01-12T11:26:00.000Z

I had a problem where i was unable to launch Citrix applications with my chrome browser. Firefox and IE worked all ok.

The solution was to disable the Citrix plugin inside Chrome

This is done in settings, Options, under the hood, Privacy (content settings) , plug ins, then scroll through the plugin and disable the citrix ICA client one.

Manage Per User File associations

2012-01-11T16:55:00.000Z

To manage per user file associations via GPO preferences manage the following registry key area.

eg. .JPG file association to office picture viewer

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.jpg\OpenWithProgids
OISjpegfile = Blank REG_BINARY

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.jpg\UserChoice
Progid = Applications\ois.exe

Windows 2008 R2 Change Default wallpaper

2012-01-11T15:51:00.000Z

When a user first logs onto a windows 2008 R2 server they see the windows 2008 wallpaper.

This occurs even if a wallpaper is set with GPO. This due to the GPO running to late in the logon process to change the wallpaper.

This gives a very poor first logon experience to users. (along with loads of other rubbish 2008 settings that are very hard to change)

A workaround for this is to edit the windows default wallpaper.

C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper\Windows\img0.jpg

The file has trustedinstaller settings so you will need to take ownership of the file in order to edit it,

Stop Windows 2008 R2 Logon and Logoff Sounds

2012-01-11T14:42:00.002Z

I could not find a group policy setting in 2008 AD templates to disbale the windows logon sound.
I tried to add the reg key manually to no avail.

The only solution i could come up with was to rename the sound files.

There are in c:\windows\media\windows logon sound.wav and windows logoff sound.wav
These files are protected by trusted ownership, so you need to take ownership before renaming.

Citrix XenApp 6.5 reverting to Classic Menus rather than Windows 7 look

2012-01-11T10:51:00.000Z

I had a problem where my new XenApp 6.5 installation showed users a classic start menu despite the desktop experience being installed.

I had run the Windows 7 look and feel scripts, and set the GPO as per Citrix Article below

Setting Windows 7 desktop experience

The GPO "force classic start menu" item was "not configured"

The problem turned out to be some legacy group policy settings that must upset the XenApp theme for users at logon. Im not sure as yet on the exact policy as i disabled all within the following container

User Config\Admin Templates\Control Panel\Personalization

APP-V Exclusions a good article

2012-01-09T13:33:00.000Z

http://blog.stealthpuppy.com/virtualisation/just-how-do-exclusions-in-app-v-packages-work/

Server Reboot Event ID 6009

2012-01-06T15:56:00.001Z

This Event log entry is handy for checking quickly when servers rebooted.

Manage the Users Pinned Taskbar Items via registry

2012-01-05T12:05:00.001Z

If you are delivering a Published Desktop on Server 2008 then you will no doubt be unhappy with the microsoft delivered set of pinned taskbar items.

Server Manager

PowerShell

you probably dont want your users to see these, so i remove the everyone and Userr groups from the NTFS permissions for these icons located in the following locations

•%AllUsersProfile%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Windows PowerShell\Windows PowerShell.lnk

•%AllUsersProfile%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools\Server Manager.lnk

•%AllUsersProfile%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools\Windows PowerShell Modules.lnk

Adding Custom Taskbar pinned items

If you also wish to pre-populate the users some of your own pinned items to the taskbar then you need to manage the following registry key (its a reg_Binary so rip it from a known good setup) and file path

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband

%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar

Change the Default Lock screen and logon Screen Background

2011-12-29T13:30:00.001Z

http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/03/15/windows-7-to-officially-support-logon-ui-background-customization/

Create Citrix Session Printers with powershell script

2011-12-29T09:36:00.000Z

During a farm migration moving across printer session policies is a tedious task.

The following allows you to script this in powershell with the help of the Citrix.common.GroupPolicy cmdapplet.

This should hopefully make life a bit easier.

Create a new Policy
new-item XenApp Farm Policy:\Users\PrintPol

Create a Session Printer
set-itemproperty LocalFarmGPO:\Users\PrintPol\Settings\ICA\Printing\SessionPrinters -name values "\\server\printer,model=Printer Model Name,Location=Location"

Filter the Policy
set-itemproperty LocalFarmGPO:\Users\PrintPol\Filters\User\user@domain.com

Set Default Printer
Set-itemproperty LocalFarmGPO:\Users\PrintPol\Settings\ICA\Printing\DefaultClientPrinter -name value "\\server\printer"

Disable or enable a Policy
set-itemproperty "LocalFarmGPO:\User\PrintPol" -name enabled -value false

Scripted Teaming of NIC and Setting ILO settings

2011-12-29T09:04:00.002Z

I have an old article on my old blog site that deals with scripting the teaming of Nics and setting of ILO
parameters. This is quite old but might still be handy today

http://www.thinworld.net/blog/2009/07/scripted-teaming-of-nic-cards-and.html

Pagefile Sizing Article

2011-12-28T13:53:00.000Z

There is a good article about page file sizing in the Citrix forums today.

The basics for sizing is summed up in this statement

To optimally size your paging file you should start all the applications you run at the same time, load typical data sets, and then note the commit charge peak (or look at this value after a period of time where you know maximum load was attained). Set the paging file minimum to be that value minus the amount of RAM in your system (if the value is negative, pick a minimum size to permit the kind of crash dump you are configured for). If you want to have some breathing room for potentially large commit demands, set the maximum to double that number.

The full article is Page File Done Right

Citrix StoreFront

2011-12-27T23:16:00.002Z

Ive been playing around with the tech preview of Citrix Storefront.

I have the Receiver for web part working as per the installation instructions on the E-Docs.

I am however having problems with it working as a store for receiver.
The store I created has a HTTP URL and the Reciever will only except HTTPS entries.
to workaround this set the following reg key
HKLM\Software\wow6432node\citrix\dazzle\allowaddstore VALUE = A

This however did still not get my Citrix Receiver communicating.

I installed a certifcate on my storefront server. Request Certificate
I set up HTTPS bindings on my server Set HTTPS bindings

But still when i create a store its always HTTP and not HTTPs.

I will continue to troubleshoot this and post back

RadeDeploy Command to pre-cache Citrix Streaming Profile Applications

2011-12-20T18:19:00.000Z

RadeDeploy can be used to pre-cache applications to the client (in my case the RDS server)

The command lives in the following directory
c:\program files (x86)\citrix\streaming client

radedeploy -m /deploy:"\\server\Stream$\appfolder\app.profile"

the -m performs a monitor. This is good for one of's but for automation there is no need.
I intend to put this command into a server startup script to ensure that all servers are fully popualated on
reboots and new servers added to the farm get pre-populated.

Citrix Streaming Profiler Isolation

2011-12-19T18:40:00.000Z

When a user is running an streaming Profiling application the following are the default isolation locations

Registry : HKCU\Software\Citrix\RadeCache\
FileSystem %userprofile%\Appdata\Roaming\Citrix\RadeCache

Citrix Reciever Registry Keys

2011-12-19T15:01:00.000Z

Here are some registry keys that can be useful for managing Citrix Receiver on a users XenApp session.

HKCU\Software\Citrix\Receiver\ShowIcon - This controls if the notification area icon is shown
HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Citrix\Pnagent\ServerURL - Path to PnAgent Services Site
HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Citrix\Pnagent\EnablePassthru - For Passthru authentication

the target session is incompatible with the current session

2011-12-17T20:02:00.000Z

I recieved this message when trying to RDP to my XenApp 6.5 Server.

The problem was a trapped ICA session on the server.

A reboot enabled me to get back on all ok, and then i set-up improved session idle and disconnection values to prevent my ICA session clogging up the box again.

Citrix Desktop Icons strange Behaviour with the text label

2011-12-12T16:03:00.000Z

We had desktop icons on our XenApp 6.5 Published desktop appearing very strange.

The icons would sometimes have white text below them and other times had white text with a black outline. This view was very inconsistent so part of the icon name would be in white and they other half had the outline.

The problem was due to the "Use Drop Shadows for Icon labels on desktop" option being enabled.

This option is seen from the GUI in
Right click Computer , Properties
Advanced System Settings
Performance Settings

This option can be set in the registry with the following Key
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Listviewshadow REG_DWORD = 0

Hide Libraries Buttons in Server 2008 R2

2011-12-08T15:23:00.004Z

In order to prevent users seeing the Libraries folders from their My Computer and File Save as dialog boxes delete the following registry key

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}

It should be noted that Hiding the libraries has the knock on effect of preventing Search Bar working as expected.

As an alternative to above we can change the library view to not show Music/Videos/Pictures by right clicking them and choose not to show. Also click Documents and then click the Locations list to remove the public location. Then logoff.

This library information is all stored in a XML files stored in the profile in the location
%appdata%\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Libraries

These file can easily be edited on a win7 or 2008 box as it understands the format. Or you can open the files in notepad.

These XML files then needs to deployed to users. At my greenfield site we did this by putting the XML file in the default users Appdata directory. If you already have live users with Librarys that you need to change you will have to be more creative.

XenApp 6.5 Client Information

2011-12-08T13:41:00.000Z

The Citrix Client software has changed names and features alot recently. This is a quick summary of where we are at as of XenApp 6.5

Citrix Receiver – Install this component on user devices to manage plug-ins and clients. Users access applications through the Receiver plug-ins.

Citrix Offline Plug-in – This component was formerly called the Streaming Client. It must be installed on user devices for users to stream applications either to their desktops or to the server. It is installed automatically on the server when you install XenApp.

Citrix Online Plug-in – This component was formerly called Program Neighborhood Agent and Citrix XenApp Client. It must be installed on user devices for users to stream applications to their desktops, as well as to run applications in offline mode.

PowerShell Daves Basics

2011-11-30T10:17:00.002Z

Ok , Im just starting out with Powershell so im going to dump some basic info and code here. Sorry it probably wont be pretty.

Get-ExecutionPolicy - This will display the policy for the current session.
Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted - Will allow all scripts to run.

Control this setting with GPO
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows PowerShell

Create a folder
[IO.Directory]::CreateDirectory("h:\newdir2")

Check for existance of file or folder

Test-Path c:\scripts\*.wma

Switch a Local Profile to a Guest Profile at Logoff

2011-11-25T15:25:00.000Z

The following site has a powershell script that can be used to change a user local profile into a guest account.
Using Appsense EM logoff triggers we can perform this task at logoff.

This has the benefit that guest account clean themselves up at logoff where locals stay on the server. We dont want users local profiles to stay on the server as thats a mess.

http://www.michelstevelmans.com/local-profiles-appsense-personalization-powershell/

App-V Cache Location Registry Keys

2011-11-25T14:59:00.002Z

App-v uses to registry key entries to control the location of Global and User Caches on the client device.

Global Cache
This is where the applications will be streamed to for storage.
HKLM\Software\ow6432Node\Microsoft\softgrid\4.5\Client\Configuration\GlobalDataDirectory

User Cache
This is where user writes will be performed.
HKLM\Software\Wow6432node\Microsoft\Softgrid\4.5\Client\Configuration\UserDataDirectory

Hiding the Language bar for 2008 R2 XenApp 6.5

2011-11-25T10:29:00.000Z

Once again ive seen the Language bar rear its ugly head inside a Citrix Published application.

I have already posted the keys to prevent this on server 2003, but these keys make no difference on 2008 R2 servers.

Setting the following keys prevented the problem in my XenApp 6.5 Implementation.

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\CTF\MSUTB\ShowDeskBand
REG_DWORD
value: 00000000

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\CTF\Disable Thread Input Manager
REG_DWORD
value: 00000001

Citrix Streaming Profiler Logoff lag due to child process

2011-11-23T11:55:00.000Z

You can add the following key to prevent the problem of lingering child processes from Citrix Streaming Profiler applications.

HKLM\Software\Wow6432node\Citrix\Rade
SandboxStatusMonitorPeriod
REG_DWORD
Value Data : 0

The default value is normally 5 minutes.

Citrix XenApp v6.5 Feature Comparison and Migration document

2011-10-30T21:44:00.003Z

This document provides detailed information on the features available in Citrix Xenapp versions from 4.5 thru to 6.5

http://www.citrix.com/site/resources/dynamic/additional/Citrix_XenApp_6.5_Comparative_Feature_Matrix.pdf

This also a great migration document
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsupport.citrix.com%2Fservlet%2FKbServlet%2Fdownload%2F23379-102-660648%2FTechGuide%2520Upgrading%2520Migrating%2520to%2520XA6%2520v1.1.pdf

I think alot of place will be looking to go from XenApp 4.5 to 6.5 so here i will give a brief list of the additional features.

Streamed App Accelerator - This is a great ability for XenDesktop deployments that use XenApp Streaming for application delivery. The Cache of all the streamed applications can be mounted as a VHD for use by all the desktops in a pool. This means that each desktop does not need to pull down the cache files they can all share the same files. This greatly reduces the IO load of each desktop getting the application cache.
SCCM Connector - This intergrate Xenapp with SCCM console
Role Based Installation - Provision new servers into a farm much easier than in the past.
HDX v2 Flash Acceleration - Uses the new engine to render flash on the client device. Requires the correct software on the end point (see my other blog post)
HDX Realtime audio - Allows the placement of audio via UDP outside of the ICA stream. Perfect for VOIP intergration
HDX plug and play USB - Much bettter support for USB devices plugged into the end point device.
Instant app access - This allows the client to make a connection to the farm before the user even selects an application. This means application launches will appear fast as the connection the Xenapp server has already taken place.
Enhanced Desktop Experience - Windows 7 look and feel desktop delivery
Multi stream ICA - Allows 4 ICA streams instead of 1. This will allow for better QOS for the user sessions.
Citrix Universal Printer Driver - Claimed 90% better compression
User profile Manager streaming - UPM allows for better user profile management. the later versions allows you to select which part of registry for logon and what other parts are streamed on demand.
HTTPS streaming of applications - Makes it easier to traverse firewall
Desktop Director - Console designed for easy management of XenApp and Xendesktop farms
Dynamic Data Centre Provisioning - Ability to assign servers a worker or controller role.

Xendesktop 5 MCS and KMS activation

2011-10-24T22:46:00.000+01:00

Citrix have an workaround for the fact that MCS does not support KMS activation of windows 7.

This basically boils down to re-arming the image before cloning it out.

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX128580

Xendesktop Aero Effect

2011-09-27T21:43:00.000+01:00

With XenDesktop 5.5 you can now deliver the Windows 7 Aero Effects like
Glass effect
Thumbnail preview
3D effects
Shadow Effects
and more

There are some pre-reqs for this to work for this to work though.

This is the extract from a Citrix Blog
Also /CTX130849 explains there needs to be a miniumum 5fps by default but this can be changed

Aero Redirection requirements

This first release of Aero Redirection is designed for “rich clients” (essentially, PCs). Client computers must meet the following software, hardware, and video card minimum requirements to be able to receive Aero graphics:

2 gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor non-mobile (3 GHz recommended)
1.5 gigabyte (GB) of random access memory (RAM)
DirectX 9 class graphics card that supports Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware with 128-megabyte (MB) video memory
DirectX 9 runtime (Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7). ThinPC and XPe are supported if the DirectX 9 runtime binaries have been preinstalled.
Connection bandwidth of 3 Mbps available per user (Broadband 6 Mbps recommended)
Citrix Receiver 3.0 for Windows

Aero Redirection is only available with XenDesktop 5.5 on Windows 7 VDAs through VDI deployment. It is supported on the following hypervisors:

Citrix XenServer 5.6 and above
VMware ESX
Microsoft Hyper-V

VDAs must be configured with minimum 1.5 GB of RAM without overcommit.

Internet Explorer MF.DLL Missing

2011-09-21T14:49:00.000+01:00

If deploying Windows 7 (N versions, with no Media player features) in a XenDesktop environment you will likely receive a "MF.DLL missing" error message on launching Internet Explorer.
This is because the VDA installation adds in a media requirement to Internet Explorer.

This can be resolved by adding the media installation files from by following Microsoft Article KB968211

XenDesktop VDA DDC list

2011-09-21T14:25:00.001+01:00

The DDC list is stored on the VM in the registry key HKLM\Software\Citrix\VirtualDesktopAgent
ListOfDDCs

This list is chosen at catalog creation time but should ideally be managed via GPO.

The list is space delimited

Error: Citrix ICA could not configure Thinwire and switch to the remote ICA display

2011-09-21T14:00:00.000+01:00

I recieved this error message in the following environmnet

XenDesktop 5.5
VMWare vSphere 4.1

The client would start to connect to the desktop then suddenly drop.
The Thinwire error message displays in the eventlog of the virtual desktop the user tried to connect to.

The problem is a clash with ICA and the Vmware display adaptor, the VDA install needs to be performed after the VMware tools installation or update. The VDA installation removes the conflicting VMware display adaptor.

Error: The Catalog Could not be Loaded Due to the Following Errors: There are no Master Images Associated with this Catalog

2011-09-13T14:13:00.000+01:00

When trying to create a new catalog in XenDesktop 5.5 i received the following error message.

Error: The Catalog Could not be Loaded Due to the Following Errors: There are no Master Images Associated with this Catalog

The problem seemed to be that when created a connection to the host , i had selected to allow 2 types of storage that are available in my hypervisor. Im not sure why but this caused a problem in the MCS creation process. I deleted the host and added it again but this time selected only 1 type of storage (the same storage as the Master image machine) and then the catalog creation process worked as expected.

Certificate with key size greater than RSA512 or DSA512

2011-09-13T12:45:00.000+01:00

When trying to add a certificate to a netscaler i recieved the following error message.

This was basically because of a licence issue on the netscaler which hinders support for high encryption certificates.

Full details in this citrix article
http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX125548

XenApp - Unable to save the profile the profile directory does not exist

2011-09-06T12:25:00.000+01:00

While trying to save a application profile created with XenApp Streaming profiler i got the following error message.

"Unable to save the profile the profile directory does not exist"

The problem appears to be that you can only save the profile into the root of a share , and not a subfolder.

eg. \\server\share and not \\server\share\streamedapps

XenDesktop - Connection error status (1030)

2011-09-05T20:21:00.001+01:00

While testing XenDesktop 5.5 I got the following error message while trying to connect to a virtual machine.

Connection Status Error (1030)

The problem was DNS related as a ping test from the client machine to the guest VM (win7-vm-pd1) showed the machine name resolved correctly but the machines FQDN (win7-vm-pd1.thin.net) did not.I amended the DNS entry manually and the connection was then established all ok.

XenDesktop 5.5 Flash rendering with NPAPI Flash Player - How to install

2011-09-03T00:35:00.002+01:00

Xendesktop 5.5 and XenApp 6.5 move away from using the native windows Adobe Flash Player to perform client side flash rendering. The products now require NPAPI Flash Player on the client side.

This can be download from adobe using the following process.

Visit get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions
Step 1 - Choose the windows option (if its a windows client of course)
Step 2 - Choose Flash player for other browsers

I also noticed today that Citrix have a download link on their website, this popped up for me today while testing Xendesktop 5.5 and visiting a flash website.

http://hdx.citrix.com/hdx-flash/download-plugin

XenServer - Remove Local Storage Repository

2011-08-26T12:14:00.000+01:00

If you need to remove a local storage repository due to disk replacement/upgrade or failure then you need to perform the following CLI commands. This action cannot be done from the XenCentre Console as you might expect.

1. First, you have to determine the Storage-Repository-UUID:
xe sr-list
-> write down / take note of SR-UUID of the SR to delete

2. Find the corresponding Physical Block Device (PBD):
xe pbd-list sr-uuid=your-SR-uuid

-> write down / take note of PBD-UUID of the PBD to unplug and delete

3. Unplug the PBD:
xe pbd-unplug uuid=your-PBD-uuid

4. Delete PBD:
xe pbd-destroy uuid=your-PBD-uuid

5. Delete the association of your SR and the PBD:
xe sr-forget uuid=your-SR-uuid

XenServer Add new Local Disk Storage

2011-08-25T12:30:00.003+01:00

My Xenserver local disk corrupted and failed to boot.

I tried to re-install Xenserver on the device but it told me only a clean install was possible.

I did not want to do this as i hoped i could recover some of the VM's from the disk.

I had a spare hard disk so i placed a 2nd hard drive in my XenServer.

I then put a fresh install of Xenserver on that new hard disk.

XenServer did not see the the older hard disk, so i mounted it with the following procedure which does not destroy any data on the disk.

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX119905

This then let me see the VMs in the console though i had no VM information only the disks. Unfortunatly the VMs when mounted as a seperate drive on a working VM still did not work so i think the disk was corrupted.

I then replaced the hard drive with a brand new one and added from scratch with the following procedure
http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX121313

Attix5 v Wanova

2011-08-24T15:55:00.002+01:00

I discovered a product today called Attix5.

A bit about Attix5
This product does background backups across the LAN or Internet to a central SIS repository.
It uses de-dup technology to ensure it doesn't send the same files that are are already stored in the data centre.
It uses data compression to minimise anything it does have to send across then network.
It enables users to perform snapshot restores of their files to their current device or a different one.

All this sounds very much like part of what the Wanova Mirage product does.
In fact its pretty much exactly what the Mirage product does. (using Microsoft VSS)

The differences
The Attix product is designed as a backup and restore solution. The Wanova solution is a device image management solution that has backup and restore feature built-in.
So basically Wanova includes backup and restore features like Attix5 but backs up the whole image and not just Folder and files, this would include things like user installed applications and user personalisation.
On top of this Wanova allows IT to Manage the user Desktop Image and allow the push of applications and patches to the users. So its really a very different product.

Conclusion
I guess if you were thinking of buying Attix5 you should consider looking at Wanova to see if it makes sense to get yourself the backup and restore functionality but with all the extras thrown in.

Windows 7 Tuning Registry Keys

2011-08-24T12:36:00.000+01:00

I found the following bunch of keys on a article i read. I have not had time to test if these work as expected, or if they also work in Server 2008.
The timeout ones for applications look handy as shutdowns on Win7 and Server 2008 do seem to be slower than prior operating systems.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]

"NoLowDiskSpaceChecks"=dword:00000001
"LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo"=dword:00000001
"NoResolveSearch"=dword:00000001
"NoResolveTrack"=dword:00000001
"NoInternetOpenWith"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"AutoEndTasks"="1"
"HungAppTimeout"="1000"
"MenuShowDelay"="0"
"WaitToKillAppTimeout"="2000"
"LowLevelHooksTimeout"="1000"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control]
"WaitToKillServiceTimeout"="1000"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"AutoEndTasks"="1"
"HungAppTimeout"="1000"
"MenuShowDelay"="0"
"WaitToKillAppTimeout"="2000"

NoLowDiskSpaceChecks = Low Disk Notification
deactivated

LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo = Determines whether Windows traces shortcuts back
to their sources when it cannot find the target on the user's system.

NoResolveSearch = Prevents the system from conducting a comprehensive search
of the target drive to resolve a shortcut.

NoResolveTrack = Prevents the system from using NTFS tracking features to
resolve a shortcut.

NoInternetOpenWith = Specifies whether to use the Microsoft Web service
for finding an application to open a file with an unhandled file association.

AutoEndTasks = Specifies whether user processes end automatically when
the user either logs off or shuts down Windows .

HungAppTimeout = Specifies how long the system waits for user
processes to end after the user clicks the End Task command button in
Task Manager.

MenuShowDelay = Specifies the interval from the time the cursor is
pointed at a menu until the menu items are displayed.

WaitToKillAppTimeout = Specifies how long the system waits for user
processes to end after the user attempts to log off or to shut down
Windows. When the time specified in this entry expires, the End
Task dialog box appears, stating that the process did not respond.
If the value of AutoEndTasks is 1, the system ends the process
automatically.

LowLevelHooksTimeout = This tweak changes the time to wait to kill
a service, which is not responding

WaitToKillServiceTimeout = Determines how long the system waits
for services to stop after notifying the service that the system is
shutting down.

Citrix XenApp Multimedia Settings

2011-08-23T14:28:00.001+01:00

I just read this very good article on the current state of play with Citrix Multimedia rendering and the options that are available today.

Citrix Things! - Multimedia and XenApp - what you can and can't do

Virtualise Internet Explorer 6 - A Real Solution with Browsium

2011-08-22T12:51:00.002+01:00

Many people having been looking to Virtualise Internet Explorer 6 for years, using such technologies as APP-V and ThinApp.

These approaches don't work and are unsupported by the App Virtualisation vendors and Microsoft.

Unibrows Browsium delivers the solution but without the need for virtualisation. It uses a plugin to allow the IE6 engine to run inside a tab in IE8. This unique approach does not break Microsoft support agreement for IE8. It also means that you can run the 2 browsers on the same machine.

The product uses Policies to manage which websites will use the IE6 engine, so IT define a list of websites that require the IE6 engine to work correctly. The end users work as normal in IE8 and the Browsium plug in runs for those sites that IT have defined.

The product has an additional benefit as it also allows different version of Java Runtime Environment within different tabs on the browser. This is again centrally managed with policies allow IT to determine which website require which version of Java. This is all seamless to the end user.

The Plug-in also works with Internet Exlorer 9.

For more information and sales information visit
http://realserveit.com/solutions/browsium.html

XenServer Pool Monitoring Tool

2011-08-22T12:14:00.000+01:00

The citrix blogs have a link on this article to a small util that allow you to monitor XenServer pools in a little app.

XenServer Monitoring Tool

Enabling thin provisioning on an existing XenServer

2011-08-17T11:04:00.000+01:00

Enabling Thin Provisioning is an option during XenServer Installation. Thin Provisioned disks are a pre-requisite for using the new XenServer feature IntelliCache.

If you missed this option when creating the machine storage repository it is possible to enable the feature from the CLI afterwards. This will however destroy your Storage repository as the file format for Thin Provisioning is EXT3 as opposed to the standard LVM.

In some instances this method may still however be useful.

I got the command from the XenServer install guide CTX129387

localsr=`xe sr-list type=lvm host=<hostname> params=uuid --minimal`
echo localsr=$localsr
pbd=`xe pbd-list sr-uuid=$localsr params=uuid --minimal`
echo pbd=$pbd
xe pbd-unplug uuid=$pbd
xe pbd-destroy uuid=$pbd
xe sr-forget uuid=$localsr
sed -i "s/'lvm'/'ext'/" /etc/firstboot.d/data/default-storage.conf
rm -f /etc/firstboot.d/state/10-prepare-storage
rm -f /etc/firstboot.d/state/15-set-default-storage
service firstboot start
xe sr-list type=ext
To enable local caching, enter the following commands:
xe host-disable host=<hostname>
localsr=`xe sr-list type=ext host=<hostname> params=uuid --minimal`
xe host-enable-local-storage-caching host=<hostname> sr-uuid=$localsr
xe host-enable host=<hostname>

LoginVSI - Basic Overview and installation notes

2011-08-11T17:31:00.001+01:00

I have been testing Login consultants VDI benchmarking tool LoginVSI today.
This product allows the benchmarking of a VDI environment to ensure it will scale as you expect.
It will ultimately allow you to answer the question of how many guests you can deliver on your hypervisor
and see if the bottleneck is CPU/Memory/IO

The product itself consists of 2 main installs :
Launcher - This component will launch the virtual desktops. A single launcher can handle around 50-80 desktops. You can pool the launchers to ensure a larger test.
Guest Tools - These are tools that you need to install within the Guest VM desktops. These will be used to carry out automated tests within that VM. You will basically create one good VM image with these tools then clone this image to the number of desktops that you wish to test.

Lab Environment
In addition to the LoginVSI components you will obviously need a working VDI environment consisting of things like :
Hypervisor (Vmware , XenServer, Hyper-V)
Connection Broker
Web interface
Connection Client (ICA, RDP , PCOIP etc..)
AD (LoginVSI will create its own OU for placing test users and computers)
Network File Share (for storing all the output logs)

Installation Overview
The installation of this product is very far from an smooth process. A number of pre-reqs and seperate installers are required to get the installation working. Here i give a some brief notes on how i got the install working.

ADSETUP - This will ask how many user accounts you wish to create, and the syntax of test User IDs
and password.
This will then create an OU in AD with the relevant containers and add the newly created
user IDs into this container.

FileShare - Create a network file share for storing the output logs from tests. The test user account created
above will require modify access to this area to be able to create output logs.

Guest VM - The XPS printer driver needs to be removed their is a tool to perform this
Add the provided GPO to remove the xendesktop splash-screen
Ensure that test user account are members of the remote desktop users group
Set the VM pagefile size to fixed and 2x physical RAM
Move the machine account into the LoginVSI OU
Disable Internet Explorer ESC (server 2003 and 2008 only)
Run the loginVSI installer. This will install some products like adobe, flash, java and kidkeylock

Launcher - The installer will ask you to specify the file share location
Install the separate anaylser product to be able to view the output files
Install 3rd party .net Add ins from start menu (this is for the anaylser)
Ensure

Next the launcher will need to be configured with the required parameters.
RDP connections work out of the box , but no ICA launcher is included. For this
a custom scripting technique and Python third party code is required (see seperate section)

Citrix ICA launcher
This launch process is not supported by Citrix , but did however work in our Lab environment.

Install Python v2.6 onto the launcher machines
Install windows for Python extensions
Copy wi.py script to c:\python26
Rename wi.py to WILauncher.py
Copy PAM3 files into C:\Pythin26\lib\site-packages

Then in the launcher configuration menu choose "custom command line with CSV"

The following syntax is required to use the Python Citrix Launcher

c:\python26\python.exe "c:\python26\WILauncher.py" "http://DDC/Citrix/desktopweb" "%CSV_User%" "Password!" "Domainname" "XDgroup" "20"

Then on the next line provide the path to the CSV file. The CSV file needs to only list the user ID fields.

XenDesktop Policies
In order to ensure smooth automated testing policys should be set to prevent users recieved any popups. Best practice for this would be to disable client device mappings like drives and USB devices. It is also good practice to remove the XenDesktop splash screen to improve performance.

Appsense Environment Manager v8.1

2011-08-09T12:40:00.000+01:00

Appsense Environment Manager 8.1 is now released and is a major update from the v8.0
I have so far only read the release notes but heres a quick summary of the differences from 8.0

EM Agent
32 bit and 64 Bit Agent combined
Lower CPU and memory consumption by the agent
Improved network usage (not sure what this means)

New Conditions
By Operating system (yipee saves custom code)
By Date and Time
By existence of a folder or file (yipee saves custom code)
By existence of text within a file (yipee saves even more custom code)

New Actions
Add text to a file (very handy for some tricky custom stuff, again saves lots of coding)
Session Values (yipee, Environment variables basically that you can pass about and check etc..)

User Personalization
Session Data enhancements to allow sharing of registry keys between personalised/isolated applications

Debug Tools
A File based registry browser tool (could be handy for troubleshooting)
Log Viewer (I had beta of this and its wicked)
Reg import and export tools

Summary
Improved logon speed etc.. (This claim is simply based on your improving the order of logon events with the new actions and triggers.

The full information is available in this Appsense Document
Appsense EM 8.1 Whats New

Wanova Issued New Patent in Desktop Virtualization

2011-08-08T14:28:00.001+01:00

July 2011

Wanova Inc has announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued the company, it’s first of several pending patents. The turnkey desktop cloud provider has acquired a patent in “architecture of single, centralized management of a primary copy of each PC image within an organization’s network, via Wanova’s unique layering technology; enabling a local copy of the image to run on an endpoint, with constant and optimized synchronization between the two images.”

Citrix User Profile Manager v Appsense EM

2011-08-08T13:23:00.003+01:00

The Citrix User Profile Manager (UPM) component has been designed by Citrix to alleviate many of the problems associated with traditional Windows Roaming profiles.

Aimed at users getting their desktop delivered with XenDesktop this technology takes roaming profiles to a new level of management.

The setup is pretty simple with a service agent being installed on the users virtual desktop. Then adding a Citrix Provided ADM template to AD. This ADM template controls all the management of the profile manager.

The ADM template allow controls such as

Which users will use the UPM
Location the profile will be stored
Include Reg Keys
Exclude Reg Keys
Stream the Profile (speeds up logon)
Default Profile Template
Local Administrator Processing

A Great demo video is available from Citrix
Citrix Video Demo

Comparison with Appsense User Personalization

While the Citrix User profile manager is a big step forward in profile management over the standard windows Roaming profile , it does look quite simplistic when compared to the very mature product Appsense Environment Manager.
Essentially Appsense does everything the CUPM does but with more options and flexibility.

Here is a quick list of additional features in the Appsense EM product

Advanced Triggers for application launch and close (+ other trigger conditions)
Conditions like User location, Access method etc...
Application settings are isolated to prevent conflicts
Platform Independent (eg. Windows XP and Windows 7)
Logon time Analysis tool
Group Policy Integration
Scaleable for Multisite Environments
Reporting functionality for auditing application usage

Hide the XenDesktop 5 Splash Screen

2011-08-01T12:15:00.003+01:00

To prevent the XenDesktop5 splash screen displaying set the following registry value

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Citrix\WelcomeScreen]
"WinOptOut"=

Set the value to match the client version no.
See the detail in this article.
http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX129729

Citrix Program Neighborhood and XenApp 6

2011-07-29T17:03:00.000+01:00

There is some concern that with the removal of Citrix program Neighborhood in v11 of the ICA client onwards that older terminals with a fixed ICA client may not be able to connect to newer XenApp versions. Also some companies want to continue to use Program Neighborhood as their users access method to published applications.

From reading various blog entries and citrix articles I believe that setting the Program neighbourhood to use TCP+HTTP should still work with XenApp 6 servers.

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX121727

20 Second Logon Delay with Internet Explorer 7 - IE branding

2011-07-26T09:14:00.000+01:00

There is a known issue with Internet Explorer 7 and IE branding.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941158

The fix is to install the hotfix and add a regkey
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_PARSING_BRANDING_CMDLINE_FLAGS_KB941158
Value= *
Data = 1

Type = REG_DWORD

Wanova - Blue Screen On Windows 7 download

2011-07-18T14:15:00.002+01:00

During a Migration from Windows XP to Windows 7 using Wanova Mirage the client machine blue screened. The Blue screen reported an error with VOLSNAP.SYS

The Client machine did not have enough diskspace to download the windows 7 image. deleting unrequired files on the Windows XP partition resolved the issue and the machine continued the download and migrated to Windows 7 Successfully.

Outlook 2003 to 2010 migration problem using Microsoft USMT

2011-07-18T14:09:00.001+01:00

When using the microsoft User State Migration Tool (USMT) to migrate users from a Windows XP/Office 2003 environment to a Windows 7/Office 2010 environement

I encountered the following error messages when launching Outlook 2010

“Cannot start Microsoft Outlook, cannot open the outlook window. The set of folders cannot be opended. The attempt to log on to Microsoft exchange has failed”

“Cannot open your default e-mail folders. The Attempt to log on to Microsoft Exchange has failed”

The resolution to this was to ensure i was using USMT v4. (this cannot be downloaded on its own, its part of the windows 7 IAK download)

And install a patch to office 2010 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2023591

After this the migration was succesful. Users Mailboxes, Signatures, Arhives and nickname settings all migrated as expected.

QNAP 210 NAS Speed Test

2011-07-01T11:48:00.000+01:00

Ive recently purchased a QNAP NS210 Turbo NAS Drive.

Im very please with this product.

Speed wise Its very impressive. These are some basic disk speeds ive achived copying files from the QNAP to my PC. (note my PC has SSD so bottleneck not likely to be my PC disk)

Write36 MB/sec
Read 61MB/sec

Comparing with the my previous Bufallo NAS, i used to get around 12MB/sec on reads and writes.

Set a registry value in APP-V using the OSD file

2011-06-30T15:45:00.002+01:00

Setting registry keys via the OSD file is a great way to control the application.
This practive is best suited for commonly changed registry values.

The benefit of setting the regisdtry key values in the OSD file is that you dont have to open the sequence and update it each time the keys need to be changed, you can simply edit the OSD file in notepad.

the syntax for the OSD file reg key entries are

#VIRTUALENV TERMINATECHILDREN="FALSE"#
#REGISTRY#
#REGKEY HIVE="HKCU" KEY="Software\ODBC\ODBC.INI\placprd"#
#REGVALUE REGTYPE="REG_SZ" NAME="Application Attributes">T
#/REGKEY#
#/REGISTRY#

(note replace # with < and > i had to port hash as blogger turns < into HTML)

Changing the Internet Explorer Default File open path

2011-06-29T19:58:00.000+01:00

Changing the Internet Explorer default file open path proved to be a hard one to get to bottom of. This work with Internet Explorer 8 , im not sure about other versions. Ive no idea why microsoft dont just allow a path setting on this one.

You basically need to export the following reg_binary keys from a machine that has the correct location set. Then set this for the user before they launch Internet Explorer.

HKCU\Software\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ComDLG32\LastVisitedPidMRU
Value Name :MRUListEx
Value Name : 0

Set the Outlook 2003 Default Save Path

2011-06-27T15:51:00.004+01:00

By default Outloook saves the My Documents and there is no menu option to change this path.
There is however an override key that you can add to the registry

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Options
DefaultPath (REG_STRING) = "path"

For full details see
MS Office - Changing Outlook default SAVE location

Roaming Profile Behaviour Values

2011-06-21T09:45:00.001+01:00

The following areas determine a clients current roaming profile behaviour.

Delete Roaming Profile Behaviour
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WinLogon\DeleteRoamingCache

1 = Enabled 0 = Disabled
This controls if the client device will clean up the roaming profile at logoff.

Exclude Directories from Roaming
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WinLogon\ExcludeProfileDirs
Lists the profile directories not to roam

GPO Settings
User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> User Profiles

Appsense personalisation status check

2011-06-20T23:40:00.003+01:00

If you want to ensure your client can communicate with the personalization server as expected
check by visiting the following URL
Http://personalisationserver/personalizationserver/status.aspx

Appsense Personalisation at Logon

2011-06-20T23:05:00.001+01:00

The Following details the interaction between the client and PS Server at logon.
This can help in troubleshooting.

When the user logs on the EM agent Assist is started by the EM Agent
The EM Agent Assist loads the Configuration.aemp file
The PMM checks the config for ProfileMangagementPrimaryServer entry (it goes through failover list if neccessary)
The PMM calls session.aspx passing it session informatin (,Site UserID, OS , netbios etc..)
The PS use the details above to determine which site the user belongs to and responds with a list of XML failover sites.
The PMM replaces the PS failover list it had earlier. It will from now on use this list.
The PMM now calls config.aspx on the PS passing up the details as for session.aspx
The PS determines which personilsation group the user belongs to based on the info passed up and responds with a XML config for that user.
The PMM saves that users XML config as c:\appsensevirtual\\Profileconfig.xml
The Profileconfig.xml contains the details of which applications are to be personalised for that user.

theres a few more steps that i will document later.

Appsense v8 Multisite SQL Replication Information

2011-06-20T22:49:00.001+01:00

Principles

Environment Manager Personalization Server replication requires one database to be the master, and the other databases to be subscribers, in replication terms. The following Microsoft SQL Servers can be used:

· Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2

· Microsoft SQL Server 2008

· Microsoft SQL Server 2005

· Microsoft SQL Server 2000

If the Microsoft SQL Servers are a mix of versions, the SQL Server hosting most current version must be set up as the master.

Microsoft SQL Express and MSDE databases are not supported for database replication.

		It is important to realize that when a subscriber system is first added, all the existing data is deleted and replaced with data from the master. After replication is set up, data can be created on the subscriber and merged with the master regularly.

Prerequisites

The setup files required can be found, for a default installation on Drive C:, in the folder C:\Program Files\AppSense\Environment Manager\Personalization Server\Replication on any personalization server. This folder should be copied to the master Microsoft SQL Server database machine, if it is not a personalization server itself.

Initial Steps

Ensure that remote access is enabled for your Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 instances. To do this use:

· Microsoft SQL Server 2008 SQL Server Configuration Manager.

· Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Surface Area Configuration Tool.

For further information refer to the Microsoft SQL Server documentation.

Ensure that Personalization Server databases have been created on all servers, by installing Personalization Servers connecting to the databases.

Ensure that any firewall software allows remote access to SQL Server.

For further information on Microsoft Server 2008 systems refer to the Microsoft Help.

The master database requires that the replication folder is shared, as the scripts ConfigAC.sql, ConfigDC.sql, DataDC.sql and DataAC.sql are accessed through this share. Ensure the share is set up before starting the setup process. The setup file will ask for the UNC path of the share. For example \\Server1\Replication.

If this is a SQL Cluster, the share specified here must be a clustered file share resource so it is available to all cluster nodes.

The SQL Agent service on the master must be running under an account that has sysadmin database access to all servers via Windows Authentication, this is not the default. This can be changed with the Services applet in Administrative Tools.

To run the setup procedure you must be logged in to an account that has sysadmin database access to all servers via Windows Authentication.

Performing the Setup

The two command files used are:

· SetMasterUp.cmd - Run to set up the master and the first subscriber.

· AddSubscriber.cmd - Run to add an additional subscriber. Do not run until SetMasterUp.cmd has been run.

These files can be found in either the SQL2008, SQL2005 or SQL2000 subfolders of the Replication folder and are always run on the master database machine. However, in the case of an SQL Server Cluster, the scripts may be run on any cluster member. Select the correct subfolder for your master and run the files either by opening a command prompt and entering the name of the file when in the current directory, or simply double-clicking on the files from Windows Explorer.

SetMasterUp.cmd supports cluster installation and contains guidance on how to install in this scenario.

SetMasterUp prompts for the following information:

· Server instance name and personalization database name of the master database

· Path for the snapshot folder - This is a scratch folder used by replication. The command file should offer a standard default which is OK to accept.

· UNC Path for the drop/add constraint scripts. This is the share from step 4 in the Initial Steps.

The command file then sets up the master and for convenience automatically runs AddSubscriber.cmd which prompts for the following information:

· Server name, Server database instance name and personalization database name of the slave to be added

To add further subscribers, use AddSubscriber.cmd on the master. When run in this way, it asks for the instance name and database name for the master database as well as the subscriber details.

Post Setup Steps

After setup Synchronize Site Databases on the Tools ribbon page > Replication group in the Environment Manager console, will not work unless the normal logon used by the Personalization Server is given appropriate privileges in the database. Synchronize Site Databases causes replication of user data to occur immediately, normally it is replicated at midnight. The setup procedure intentionally does not set this up because of the possible security implications.

To Synchronize Site Databases to work you have to identify the login used by the Personalization Server, which will have been set up by the Server Configuration Utility at time of installation, and change it using Management Studio/Enterprise Manager as follows:

SQL 2008: The login needs to be added to the SQLAgentOperatorRole in the msdb database.

SQL 2005: The login needs to be added to the SQLAgentOperatorRole in the msdb database.

SQL 2000: The login needs to be added to the sysadmin server role.

Appsense v8 Personalisation Multi site Database Replication OverView

2011-06-20T22:40:00.001+01:00

Appsense Environment Manager provides the tools to enable SQL replication between multiple disparate SQL Databases. Appsense supports Sequel Merge replication and Multi-node replication. (Publisher/Subscriber model)

This delivers the ability for users to roam and receive the same personalisation settings from multiple appsense environments within your organization.

The replication schedule can be customized by administrators or using the management console and instant replication can be requested to ensure all the databases are upto date.

This design requires that Personalisation, Management and SQL services are available on each required location.

SQL replication ensures the databases are up to date. In the event of conflicts the Publishers server setting would win. Configuration within the appsense console ensures that users are directed to the personalisation server closest to them.

Appsense v8 SQL Account permissions

2011-06-20T22:25:00.001+01:00

When implementing an Appsense v8 Environment you are going to require 3 SQL accounts.

Admin Account - Database Creation (DBO Role)
Service Account - Database Access (ProfileServerService)
Day to Day - Administration (ProfileServerAdministrator)

When installing the appsense management and personilsation server components you basically should be entering the Database Creation credentials at the first set of dialog. This will be used to create the database. At the 2nd set of dialog enter a Service style account with a password that will not change. This account will be ongoing by appsense itself to maintain the connection to the database.

QNAP 210 NAS Moving/Adding the QMultimedia folder

2011-06-17T14:43:00.000+01:00

By design my QNAP 210 Turbo Multimedia service requires you to put all your files in the default share QMULTIMEDIA

This is not really want i wanted as i created other shares already for my photos and videos etc..

In order to workaround this limitation you can simply add a link inside the QMULTIMEDIA folder to your other shares. This is as simple as connecting to the QNAP NAS with WINSCP and browsing the /share/HDA_DATA/Qmultimedia folder. Then right click and click Add new link. Then Enter a friendly name in the top field and the path to the required folder in the bottom field.
You can add as many links as you like.

Now when you browse from Ipad or Iphone or whatever media player you have you can now browse all the NAS content.

File Association and the DropTarget Reg Key

2011-06-17T11:05:00.001+01:00

When setting File Association for TIF files I encountered a strange problem.

I set the basics for file association (i.e)

HKCR\.TIF tifimage.document
HKCR\tifimage.document\Shell\Open\Command = "C:\myviewer.exe" "%1"

But TIF Files kept opening in a viewer other than the myviewer.exe specified.
Inside the Open Registry Key was another key called DropTarget
Renaming/Deleting this key fixed the issue.

Im not to sure on the details of this key but it was not required in my environment.
Details on the key are
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee872121(v=vs.85).aspx

Adobe Reader Web Browser Intergration Registry Key

2011-06-13T15:26:00.000+01:00

Setting the following key ensures that PDF documents when browsed through internet explorer open in the full Adobe Reader product and dont render inside IE. If you want them to render in IE then set the Key value to 00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\x.x\Originals]
'bBrowserIntegration'=dword:00000000

Control Java Version used By Internet Explorer

2011-06-13T14:40:00.003+01:00

Controlling multiple Java versions on Windows Server 2008/ Windows 7 and Internet Explorer

You can have multiple versions of the Java runtime Environment installed on your windows platform.

Control Panel
The last version installed will be the one that displays from Control Panel. If you wish to launch the control panel for another version simply browse the C:\programs files\Java directory for the relevant version and in the BIN directory their should be a javacpl.exe. This will allow you access to that versions control panel.

Internet Explorer Intergration
Using the java control panel for the required version is the easiest way to set the Java version that will interact with Internet explorer. The following however can be perforemed within the registry.

When you click Internet options, advanced and scroll thru to the java section you will see the Java version registered with Internet Explorer.
To change this version number via the registry you need to find the following key
HKLM\Software\Javasoft\Java Plug-in\x.x.x_xx
UseJava2Iexplorer = 0 = OFF 1 = ON

And edit a number of values under the following registry section
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\AdvancedOptions\JAVA_SUN

And alter the users deployment file stored in
%applicationData%\Sun\Java\Deployment

Prevent MSTSC Pop up warning about unknown publisher

2011-05-30T12:54:00.001+01:00

When launching a RDP connection to a remote server you likely see the warning

The Publisher of this remote connection cannot be identified. Do you want to connect anyway.

There is a tickbox to prevent the popup from occuring again.
If ticked the remote computers IP address is written into the following registry area

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Terminal Services Client\LocalDevices
The Remote computer is set with a HEX value of 44

Oracle Java Digital Certificates Pre-install

2011-05-25T13:25:00.002+01:00

Oracle Form Applications will often prompt users about the digital certificate (certainly on first launch)
We can pre-populate the user with the required digital certificate by placing the file in the following location

%userprofile%\Appdata\LocalLow\Sun\Java\Deployment\Security\trusted.certs

(note : this is the path on win7 and server 2008 environments)

I also found this tip which i have not tested
keytool -importcert -file my.cer -keystore "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Sun\Java\Deployment\security\trusted.certs" -storepass "" -noprompt -v

also some good info here on pre-populated the config

VBS to edit Proxy server bypass list

2011-05-24T13:33:00.001+01:00

The following is a VB Script that can amend a users Proxy server bypass list.
This script is great in that it appends the list so that it can be run multiple times during logon or applicaiton launch without losing setting made previosuly.

'--------------------------------------------------
'Aim:       To add exceptions to the proxy settings
'           Developed to avoid duplicates being in the list
'--------------------------------------------------
Option Explicit

Const HKCU = &H80000001
Const SUB_KEY = "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings"
Const VALUE_NAME = "ProxyOverride"
Const BYPASS_SITES = "*.thinworld.net"
'--------------------------------------------------
'HKCU = value for the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive
'SUB_KEY = location for the security zone map
'VALUE_NAME = value name to look for
'BYPASS_SITES = sites to bypass the proxy
'--------------------------------------------------

Dim objReg
Dim strValue, strNewValue, strSite
Dim arrTemp, arrTempSites
'--------------------------------------------------
'objReg = WMI class to manipulate the registry
'strValue = the value retrieved from the registry
'strNewValue = the value to write to the registry
'--------------------------------------------------

'-- get the existing bypass list --'
Set objReg = GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\.\root\default:StdRegProv")
objReg.GetStringValue HKCU, SUB_KEY, VALUE_NAME, strValue

'-- write the new bypass list --'
objReg.GetStringValue HKCU, SUB_KEY, VALUE_NAME, strValue
arrTempSites = Split(BYPASS_SITES, ";")
strNewValue = strValue
For Each strSite In arrTempSites
arrTemp = Split(strNewValue, ";")
If Not Array_InArray(strSite, arrTemp) Then
   strNewValue = strSite & ";" & strNewValue
End If
Next
objReg.SetStringValue HKCU, SUB_KEY, VALUE_NAME, strNewValue

WScript.Quit 0

'--------------------------------------------------
'Aim:       To determine is the given text is in the given array
'Returns:   True if found, False if not found
'--------------------------------------------------
Function Array_InArray(ByVal needle, ByVal haystack)

Dim idx
Dim blnFound
'--------------------------------------------------
'idx = index in an array
'blnFound = whether the item is found or not
'--------------------------------------------------

blnFound = False

For Each idx In haystack
    If LCase(needle) = LCase(idx) Then
     blnFound = True
     Exit For
    End If
Next

Array_InArray = blnFound

End Function

Automate Personal Certificate Import

2011-05-17T16:51:00.002+01:00

A VB Script to silently install a personal certficate for users. This can be used to automate certificate installation for users. You will need to get a copy of winhttpcertcfg.exe utility to import the certificate.

--------------------------------------------------

'Aim: To silently install the given personal certificate

'--------------------------------------------------

Option Explicit

Dim objShell

Dim strCertTool, strCertPath, strCertPwd, strUserName, strAppCache, StrUserID, StrAppCacheServer

'--------------------------------------------------

'objShell = Windows Script Host Shell Object

'strCertTool = path to the tool used to do the import

'strCertPath = path to the certificate file

'strCertPwd = certificate password

'strUserName = current user in form DOMAIN\Username

'strAppCache = application cache location

'--------------------------------------------------

'-- build the required variables --'

Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

strAppCache = "\\msgchhost\" & StrUserID & "$\tsprofile\"

strUserName = objShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%userdomain%") & "\" & objShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%username%")

StrAppCacheServer = objShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%app_cache%")

strCertTool = strAppCacheServer & "\Certificates\winhttpcertcfg.exe"

strCertPath = strAppCache & "certificatename.pfx"

strCertPwd = "xxxx"

msgbox strCertpath

'-- run the tool in a hidden window --'

objShell.Run strCertTool & " -i " & strCertPath & " -a " & strUserName & " -c CURRENT_USER\My -p " & strCertPwd, 0, True

'-- Clean Up --'

Set objShell = Nothing

WScript.Quit 0

Client Drive Mappings Prompt for access

2011-04-29T16:41:00.000+01:00

When first connecting to a farm with Client Drive Mapping enabled users will get a prompt similar to the screenshot below.

The responce to prompt gets stored in the users webica.ini in their profile.

Full details on the behaviour can be found inCTX568194

In the farm to ensure the drive mapping work correctly ensure , Citrix policys enable the mappings and that ICA configuration on the terminal server do not Disable the feature.

Citrix Change Client Command

2011-04-29T03:58:00.002+01:00

change client [/view | /flush | /current]

change client [{/default | [/default_drives] | [/default_printers]} [/ascending]] [/noremap]
 [/persistent] [/force_prt_todef]

change client [{/default | [/default_drives] | [/default_printers]} [/ascending]] [/noremap]
 [/persistent] [/force_prt_todef]

change client [/delete host_device] [host_device client_device] [/?]

Parameters

host_device: The name of a device on the host server to be mapped to a client device.
client_device: The name of a device on the client to be mapped to host_device.

Options

/view: Displays a list of all available client devices.
/flush: Flushes the client drive mapping cache. This action forces the server and the client to resynchronize all disk data.
/current: Displays the current client device mappings.
/default: Resets host drive and printer mappings to defaults.
/default_drives: Resets host drive mappings to defaults.
/default_printers: Resets host printer mappings to defaults.
/ascending: Uses ascending, instead of descending, search order for available drives and printers to map. This option can be used only with /default, /default_drives, or /default_printer.
/noremap: If /noremap is specified, client drives that conflict with server drives are not mapped.
/persistent: Saves the current client drive mappings in the client device user’s profile.
/force_prt_todef: Sets the default printer for the client session to the default printer on the client’s Windows desktop.
/delete host_device: Deletes the client device mapping to host_device.
/? (help): Displays the syntax for the utility and information about the utility’s options.

Remarks

Typing change client with no parameters displays the current client device mappings; it is equivalent to typing change client /current.
Use change client host_device client_device to create a client drive mapping. This maps the client_device drive letter to the letter specified by host_device; for example, change client v: c: maps client drive C to drive V on the server.
The /view option displays the share name, the share type, and a comment describing the mapped device. Sample output for change client /view follows:

C:>change client /viewAvailable Shares on client connection ICA-tcp#7

Sharename	Type	Comment
\\Client\A$	Disk	Floppy
\\Client\C$	Disk	FixedDrive
\\Client\D$	Disk	CdRom
\\Client\LPT1:	Printer	Parallel Printer
\\Client\COM1:	Printer	Serial Printer

The /flush option flushes the client drive cache. This cache is used to speed access to client disk drives by retaining a local copy of the data on the server running Citrix XenApp. The time-out for hard drive cache entries is 60 seconds and the time-out for diskette data is two seconds. If the client device is using a multitasking operating system and files are created or modified, the server does not know about the changes.
Flushing the cache forces the data on the server to be synchronized with the client data. The cache time-out for diskettes is set to five seconds because diskette data is usually more volatile; that is, the diskette can be removed and another diskette inserted.
The /default option maps the drives and printers on the client device to mapped drives and printers on the server running Citrix XenApp. Drives A and B are always mapped to drives A and B on the server. Hard drives are mapped to their corresponding drive letters if those drive letters are available on the server. If the corresponding drive letter is in use on the server, the default action is to map the drive to the highest unused drive letter. For example, if both computers have drives C and D, the client drives C and D are mapped to V and U respectively. These default mappings can be modified by the /ascending and /noremap options.
The /default_printers option resets printer mappings to defaults. /default_printers attempts a one-to-one mapping of all client printers; for example, the client’s LPT1 and LPT2 ports are mapped to the server’s LPT1 and LPT2 ports. If the /ascending option is specified, the mapping is done in ascending order.
The /default_drives option resets host drive mappings to defaults. /default_drives attempts a one-to-one mapping of all client drives; for example, client drives A and B are mapped to server drives A and B. Hard drives are mapped to their corresponding drive letters if those drive letters are available on the server. If the corresponding drive letter is in use on the server, the default action is to map the drive to the highest unused drive letter. For example, if both computers have drives C and D, the client drives C and D are mapped to V and U respectively. If the /ascending option is specified, the mapping is done in ascending order.
The /ascending option causes the mapping to occur in ascending drive letter order. For example, if the first two available drive letters on the server are I and J, drives C and D in the preceding example are mapped to I and J respectively.
The /noremap option causes the mapping to skip drive letters occupied on the server. For example, if the server has a drive C but no drive D , the client’s drive C is mapped to D on the server, but the client’s drive D is not mapped.
The /persistent option causes the current device mappings to be saved in the user’s profile. Drive conflicts can occur if the /persistent option is in use and the user logs on from a client device that has a different disk drive configuration, or logs on to a server that has a different disk drive configuration.
The /force_prt_todef option sets the default printer for the ICA session to the default printer on the client’s Windows desktop.

Allow Active Content to run in Files on My Computer - Enabling this setting

2011-04-21T13:37:00.000+01:00

In order for Active X and other Active content to run when viewing files from normal file system (eg. C:\ or a network drive) You may need to enable the setting

"Allow Active Content to run in files on my computer"

This option is seen in the advanced Tab within Internet Explorer Settings

An example of requiring this is viewing Visio Diagrams using Visio Viewer from within Internet Explorer.
GPO can control nearly all the setting on this advanced tab but does not have control for this one.
In order to automate control over this setting we can control the tick via the following registry key

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_LOCALMACHINE_LOCKDOWN\iexplore.exe

0 = Allow
1 = Disallow

Control Open and Save Dialog Prompt on Windows 7 and Server 2008

2011-04-19T16:34:00.002+01:00

When downloading certain content from within Internet Explorer you may well be prompted with a dialog box asking "Do you want to open or save this file ?"

and their will be a tickbox asking if you want this prompt to appear each time.

I have had trouble finding any decent description of the behaviour for this in Windows 7/Server 2008 but do know this much.

The following registry key gets populated your choices.

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\AttachmentExecute\{0002DF01-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}

eg. Adobe Reader Adds AcroPDF.PDF.1 (reg_Binary)
MS word Adds Word.Document.8 (reg_sz)

Adding these keys appears to automatically open the file and not prompt.

I think that the Editflags keys inside HKCR\.fileext may also have a part to play in this process but to resolve my issue of users getting prompted when clicking PDF files the above key was enough.

Allow PassThru Credentials in ICA File

2011-04-15T11:02:00.006+01:00

In order to prevent users being prompted to logon to the terminal server when using a ICA file to launch the application or desktop ensure the following are set in the ICA file.

SSOnUserSetting=On
EnableSSOnThruICAFile=On
UseLocalUserAndPassword=On
May require - AutoLogonAllowed=On

In newer versions of the ICA Client, you need to install the Full Online Plug in to install SSO components.
See this Citrix Article for more information
http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX122676

Controlling File Type Association Behaviour

2011-04-13T10:43:00.003+01:00

This is a good MS article detailing how File Type Associations work.
File Type Assoc Information

The following EditFlags Values allow the control over certain file type behaviour

eg. Allow Downloads, Prevent display in recently used program, always show file extension etc..

FileTypeAttributes

FTA_Exclude 0x00000001	Excludes the file type.
FTA_Show 0x00000002	Shows file types, such as folders, that are not associated with a file name extension.
FTA_HasExtension 0x00000004	Indicates that the file type has a file name extension.
FTA_NoEdit 0x00000008	Prohibits editing of the registry entries associated with this file type, the addition of new entries, and the deletion or modification of existing entries.
FTA_NoRemove 0x00000010	Prohibits deletion of the registry entries associated with this file type.
FTA_NoNewVerb 0x00000020	Prohibits the addition of new verbs to the file type.
FTA_NoEditVerb 0x00000040	Prohibits the modification or deletion of canonical verbs such as open and print.
FTA_NoRemoveVerb 0x00000080	Prohibits the deletion of canonical verbs such as open and print.
FTA_NoEditDesc 0x00000100	Prohibits the modification or deletion of the description of the file type.
FTA_NoEditIcon 0x00000200	Prohibits the modification or deletion of the icon assigned to the file type.
FTA_NoEditDflt 0x00000400	Prohibits the modification of the default verb.
FTA_NoEditVerbCmd 0x00000800	Prohibits the modification of the commands associated with verbs.
FTA_NoEditVerbExe 0x00001000	Prohibits the modification or deletion of verbs.
FTA_NoDDE 0x00002000	Prohibits the modification or deletion of the entries related to DDE.
FTA_NoEditMIME 0x00008000	Prohibits the modification or deletion of the content type and default extension entries.
FTA_OpenIsSafe 0x00010000	Indicates that the file type's open verb can be safely invoked for downloaded files.
FTA_AlwaysUnsafe 0x00020000	Prevents the Never ask me check box from being enabled. The user can override this attribute through the File Type dialog box.
FTA_AlwaysShowExt 0x00040000	Causes the file type's file name extension to be always shown, even if the user has selected the Hide extensions for known file types option.
FTA_NoRecentDocs 0x00100000	Prohibits the addition of members of this file type to the Recent Documents folder. Additionally, in Windows 7 and later, prohibits the addition of members of this file type to the automatic Recent or Frequent category of an application's Jump List. This flag does not restrict members of this file type from being added to a custom Jump List. It also places no restriction on the file type being added to the automatic Jump Lists of other applications in the case that other applications use this file type.