TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE FOR CITRIX HDX COMPONENTS

Transcription

1 TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE FOR CITRIX HDX COMPONENTS Section: General Information and Overview HDX MediaStream for Flash Defined HDX accelerates multimedia performance by sending compressed streams to endpoint devices and playing them locally; it works by running the Flash Player on the client, rather than the server. The browser (IE) instance that contains the Flash Player remains on the XenApp server. The interface between IE and the Flash Player is the ActiveX interface. (SEE IMAGE BELOW) Finally, The HDX service on the server, "Citrix HDX MediaStream for Flash", runs under the Local Service account, and has the most limited privileges needed by the service to perform these functions.

2 The current supported XenApp server and client requirements are: XenApp 5.0 (or 4.5) for Windows Server 2003/Feature Pack 2/R05 or later XenApp 5.0 for Windows Server 2008 R1/Feature Pack 3 XenApp 6.0 for Windows Server 2008 R2 Client plug-in 11.2,12.0,12.0.3(all clients 11.2 and later, to include private clients) for Win32 full operating system. NOTE: There is no current support for Adobe Flash Player on 64-bit Internet Explorer; 32-bit Internet Explorer running on a 64-bit operating system is supported. Users who would like to use Flash on a 64-bit OS must launch 32-bit IE. Audio Synchronization over HDX Virtual Channel Often Flash applications contain sounds & various audio, such as sounds produced from a video in a Flash video player. HDX MediaStream for Flash will attempt to set the sound controls of the Flash player process on the client to match what they would be if the Flash player were running within the browser on the server. HDX MediaStream for Flash will send the master sound controls of the server session to the client. Additionally, for more recent Operating Systems (Vista or later) the sound controls that are sent from the server are applied to the process hosting the Flash Player (PseudoContainer.exe). For older client Operating Systems, the sound controls sent from the server are applied to the client device's master WAVE sound. Session Reliability over HDX Virtual Channel The XenApp feature of Session Reliability, which uses the CGP protocol to allow an ICA session to stay active when a network interrupt occurs, is supported for HDX MediaStream for Flash. If Session Reliability is in use, and a network interruption occurs, the Flash Player running on the client will continue running, until it reaches a point where it needs to make an ActiveX interface call to the browser. That call will remain pending until the ICA connection is re-established and then the call will be completed. Multiple Flash Player instances running over HDX Virtual Channel HDX MediaStream for Flash fully supports all scenarios in which multiple Flash Players are initiated on the client device at the same time. These include any of the below scenarios: Multiple ICA client sessions running from the same client device, each of which has initiated a Flash Player using HDX MediaStream for Flash. The multiple ICA client sessions can point to the same or different XenApp server(s). Multiple IE instances running in a single ICA session, each of which has instantiated a Flash Player using HDX MediaStream for Flash. Multiple browser tabs within the same IE instance, each of which has instantiated a Flash Player using HDX MediaStream for Flash. Also supported is the case in which a single IE process hosts multiple Flash Player instances each of which is in a separate top-level window. Multiple Flash Player instances running on the same HTML page.

3 Section: Troubleshooting and Configuration The main KB article that can be used to perform general configuration and setup for HDX: How to Deploy and Configure HDX MediaStream for Flash; CTX If the appropriate steps to enable and configure HDX MediaStream for Flash have not been taken, then the session will failover to server-side Flash rendering; this may occur for any of the below scenarios or configurations: 1.Virtual Channel present and working on both the client and server - HDX MediaStream for Flash can only function if the HDX MediaStream for Flash Virtual Channel is present on both the server and client. On the client, this means the HDX MediaStream for Flash Virtual Driver is present and registered (11.2 plug-in or later) On the server, this means the HDX MediaStream for Flash hook is installed and the service is installed and running. 2.Adobe Flash Player installed and correct versions - Both the client and the server must have Adobe Flash Player 10 or greater installed. Also, they need to be the same version. If the server has a newer version that the client, then server-side rendering is used. 3.Certain HDX GPO are enabled and configured: IMPORTANT: HDX MediaStream for Flash is enabled by default when the Server side service component is installed and running. It is not required to have the Client or Server side HDX GPO template enabled or configured for HDX to work. The GPO template allows an administrator to control per user availability of the HDX features. There are various settings that can be set in both the client and server GPO, to assist an administrator in managing and configuring their HDX environment. The "Enable HDX MediaStream for Flash" GPO Policy is set to globally disable HDX MediaStream for Flash for all connections; this can be either on a per-machine or per-user basis. HDX MediaStream for Flash will only be used if it is enabled on the XA server (as it is by default), and enabled on the ICA Client. If it is not enabled on either end, server-side Flash rendering will be used. The "Per URL Blacklist" GPO Policy may be enabled and set to disable HDX MediaStream for Flash for specified URL s. The Set network latency threshold is enabled and configured. During initialization of the ICA session, the HDX components measure and evaluate the network latency between the client workstation and the XenApp server. If this policy is enabled, and the network latency threshold is greater than that set in the GPO, then the Adobe Flash Player content is rendered on the server. If it is lower than the threshold set, then the content is streamed to the client workstation. NOTE: HDX MediaStream for Flash should work correctly regardless of what network latency may occur; however with higher latency the end-user has to wait longer for any web pages containing Flash to load. There are some web pages that can have multiple Flash Player instances to load, this would likely result in less than ideal HDX performance. HDX MediaStream for Flash GPO registry path settings are as followed: For GPO s applied to Computer Configuration, the location is under the target computer's HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies registry key, and the settings are pushed out when the computer boots up. For GPO s applied to User Configuration, the location is under the HKEY_USERS\( TargetUser )\Software\Policies registry key, and the settings are pushed out when the user logs on. 4.XenApp server configuration has Flash Player disabled The XenApp servers have configuration in their respective administration console that allows the Flash Player to be completely disabled on the server. If the Flash Player is disabled (the "Enable Macromedia Flash Player" checkbox is unchecked), HDX MediaStream for Flash is not used for any ICA sessions on that server. 5. PseudoContainer.exe on the client machine PseudoContainer is a required client component of HDX MediaStream for Flash; it serves as a stand-in ActiveX container for the Flash Player. This executable (PseudoContainer.exe) must be running on the client workstation for HDX to work

4 NOTE: There may be some cases when using the default client-side content fetching for HDX is not desirable. For example, the content being accessed may be referenced by the Flash Player using a network address that is internal to an organization (e.g. Such a URL can only be resolved on the server so, server-side content fetching must be used. Moreover, the most common use case requiring HDX MediaStream for Flash server-side content fetching is within an organization that restricts the network connectivity of their ICA client devices; environments in which the user s end devices are configured to communicate only with their XenAPP servers. The below graph details the differences between the Client-Side and Server-Side Content Fetching

5 Section: Troubleshooting and Configuration (con t) Dynamic Blacklist There are certain situations that HDX MediaStream for Flash will fail, as a result of certain web pages that have been designed to work in a way that is not compatible with our HDX design. These failures cannot be detected, so HDX has been designed to create an use a dynamic blacklist" to remember websites that provoke these failures. As a result, it will fallback to server-side Flash rendering for the current browser tab that provoked the failure, and future browser tabs that navigate the failing URL. 1.The following events will cause the offending website to be added to the user's dynamic blacklist: A failed attempt to fetch content from the client. The client device may not have access to the content server An attempt to fetch content from a local file system path. A crash or panic in the HDX MediaStream for Flash client A crash or panic in the HDX MediaStream for Flash server 2.When HDX MediaStream for Flash experiences any of the above listed events, the following actions occur: The current top-level URL of the offending browser tab is refreshed, and HDX MediaStream for Flash is no longer used for the reloaded page. The current top-level URL of the offending browser tab is added to the user's dynamic blacklist. When the user browses to that URL for a period of time in the future (24 hours), HDX MediaStream for Flash will not be used. An appropriate event log is generated on the XenApp server. 3.The dynamic blacklist additions are placed in a per-user registry location as follows: For Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 in non-protected mode: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Citrix\HdxMediaStreamForFlash\Server\PseudoServer\DynamicBlacklist For Internet Explorer 8 in protected mode, (note user SID specific path): HKEY_USERS\SID:S \Software\Citrix\HdxMediaStreamForFlash\Server\PseudoServer\DynamicBlacklist

6 Section: Troubleshooting and Configuration (con t) You can use the Windows Operating System Event Viewer to find events related to HDX; events may be for informational, warnings or errors. Additionally, these events will be written to the Application Log. EVENT MESSAGES: Source process Type ID Text (English) iexplore.exe Error 42 Unexpected server error occurred in HDX MediaStream for Flash. The browser will be closed.%r%rfile Name: %1%rLine Number: %2%rFunction: %3%rFunction Dname: %4 iexplore.exe Error 43 There was a problem initializing HDX MediaStream for Flash. Server-side Flash rendering will be used if available. HDX MediaStream for Flash Service Error 44 The session is not sufficiently licensed for HDX MediaStream for Flash. Serverside Flash rendering will be used if available. iexplore.exe Error 45 The HDX MediaStream for Flash Service is not available. Server-side Flash rendering will be used if available. iexplore.exe Error 46 Unexpected client error occurred in HDX MediaStream for Flash. The browser page will be refreshed and server-side Flash rendering will be used if available. iexplore.exe Warning 47 HDX MediaStream for Flash failed to start up. Server-side Flash rendering will be used if available. iexplore.exe Warning 48 The Flash Player on the client device is a lower version than the Flash Player on the server device. Server-side Flash rendering will be used.%r%rclient Player version: %1%rServer Player version: %2 iexplore.exe Warning 49 The maximum number of Flash Player instances has been exceeded for this session. If available, Server-side Flash rendering will be used for the additional Flash Player instance. iexplore.exe Warning 50 The client does not support HDX MediaStream for Flash. Server-side Flash rendering will be used if available. iexplore.exe Warning 51 The Flash Player is not available on the client device. Server-side Flash rendering will be used if available. iexplore.exe Warning 52 The Flash Player on the client is a version not supported by HDX MediaStream for Flash. Server-side Flash rendering will be used if available.%r%rclient Player version: %1 iexplore.exe Warning 53 Network latency is above the level supported by HDX MediaStream for Flash. Server-side Flash rendering will be used if available.%r%rmeasured latency (milliseconds): %1 iexplore.exe Warning 54 The client's Flash Player was unable to fetch Flash content directly from the client device. The browser page will be refreshed and server-side Flash rendering will be used if available. iexplore.exe Information 55 HDX MediaStream for Flash is not enabled. Server-side Flash rendering will be used if available. iexplore.exe Information 56 A URL containing the Flash Player is on the HDX MediaStream for Flash blacklist. Server-side Flash rendering will be used if available.%r%rurl: %1 iexplore.exe Information 57 The client end-user has chosen not to use HDX MediaStream for Flash. Serverside Flash rendering will be used if available.

7 Section: Client Endpoint Device Information and Support For a workstation, or endpoint device, to be capable of using the HDX MediaStream for Flash feature, it must have a browser capable of using the Active X plug-in; currently, this is limited to Internet Explorer. Other browsers, such as Firefox or Safari that run on devices like MAC workstations, use a different web browser plug-in. In these situations there will be no client side flash capabilities and the sessions will fall back to server-side Flash rendering. Full Windows32 Operating Systems (2003, 2008,WindowsXP/Sp3,Vista,Win7) are all fully supported for using HDX MediaStream for Flash. Full MAC Operating System (ie. Snow Leopard) are currently not supported for HDX MediaStream for Flash. WinCE Currently has no support for HDX MediaStream for Flash (only up to ICA client version 10.18). Linux thin devices Currently has no support for HDX MediaStream for Flash (scheduled for 2011). Mobile Devices (IPhone, Ipod Touch, Android, Blackberry & Windows Mobile) There is currently no support for these mobile devices to utilize the HDX MediaStream for Flash feature. NOTE: End user devices that are not yet capable of taking advantage of the HDX MediaStream for Flash feature can still use the server-side feature SpeedFlash to improve their viewing of HDX Flash media. Section: HDX Related Articles and Guides How to Deploy and Configure HDX MediaStream for Flash: CTX Understanding Citrix HDX Technology for Optimizing the Branch Office: CTX Citrix Online Plug-in for Windows: CTX Citrix Online Plug-in for Windows with HDX Flash Redirection Enhancements: CTX Troubleshooting the HDX MediaStream (SpeedScreen Multimedia Acceleration) Feature: CTX Troubleshooting SpeedScreen Multimedia Acceleration on Linux: CTX HDX MediaStream for Flash Creates an Unknown Security Identifier in the ICA-tcp Port Permissions on Windows 2003 Feature Pack 2 Servers: CTX How To Test That HDX MediaStream for Flash is Working on Your Client: CTX Receiver for Mobile devices HDX technology -

8 Section: Explaining the differences between HDX MediaStream for Flash, SpeedFlash & HDX Speedscreen Multimedia Acceleration 1. HDX MediaStream for Flash was designed to be an improvement and enhancement for the XenApp server side feature, SpeedFlash (formally called SpeedScreenFlash). HDX MediaStream for Flash essentially is the same as HDX Speedscreen Multimedia Acceleration (aka, RAVE Technology), except that the stream of information being transferred over the ICA channel is Flash video or some type of Flash application (as opposed to Multimedia stream). 2. SpeedFlash - SpeedFlash is a feature of XenApp that when enabled (SEE SCREENSHOT BELOW) will automatically adjust the quality (enhanced compression) of the Adobe Flash Player on the XenApp server, so it will use less network bandwidth when delivering the Flash content to the ICA client via the virtual channel; as a result the end user experience is enhanced and the server will decrease the demand on the CPU. This in different from the HDX MediaStream for Flash feature which renders the Flash video or Flash application on the client device. NOTE: If HDX MediaStream for Flash is enabled for a given website, then SpeedFlash will not be used, regardless of its current configuration. If HDX MediaStream for Flash is not enabled, then SpeedFlash use will depend on its existing configuration mechanism. SpeedFlash Configuration for Server Properties: 3. HDX SpeedScreen Multimedia Acceleration intercepts the Multimedia stream (audio & video) on the XenApp server while it is in its native compressed format; it will then send this information to the client device to be processed. The client workstation device is responsible for decompressing and rendering the stream of information it receives. This lowers the network bandwidth needed to send the information, and lowers the CPU demand on the server.