Connect time to Citrix is 5 minutes, but runs fine once in 3

[Airforce1]

I have 3 users at the same location that experience a long delay while connecting to Citrix. They tell me sometimes it is as long as 5 minutes before they see the login screen!

Once, they are in, everything is fine; performance is ok. They are connecting through an ADSL connection (like many of our other users). They are all W2K clients, but we have other W2K clients in other locations who connect within 10 seconds.

 

[Highland]

It sounds like some sort of routing issue....???? How are your remote sites connected....??? Do the clients use DHCP or Static addresses....???

 

[Airforce1]

Hi,

I would agree that it sounds like a routing issue, but why would it work ok after they connect, and why wouldn't they having routing issues with other websites?

They are using DHCP with dynamic addresses.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Highland]

It sounds like the clients are having problems locating their Citrix server but can find the route to the other web addresses that u are using....???? Depends how u have the clients configured to connect to the other addresses are they using DNS or WINS...is it the same route..??? Do they use the same ADSL...??? Found the following article on thinnet it explains how clients resolve hostnames......

Hope this helps.....

http://www.thethin.net/archive3.cfm?id=65916

 

[IHaTeCitRix]

Sounds to me like your users have very large user profiles. Check things like IE Cache, My Documents, files on the desktop etc. The smaller the profile, the quicker the session will launch.

 

[Airforce1]

Profiles are not it; I can connect from my locaton using one of the problem user's profile in about 9 seconds!

 

[CitrixEngineer]

It certainly looks like it could be a profile problem - if they're large, and you're squeezing them down an ADSL connection there is the potential to slow down logins - although session performance will be OK. Over the LAN, this will not be as much of an issue.

DNS settings can be a real gotcha - the problem could be with the clients, a router (if static entries are used) or a DNS server, if reverse lookup tables are not updated correctly.

Do your users connect with a dial-up client through PN or via an NFuse web page?

If they connect to a NFuse page, is the connection time reduced?

How large is the average users profile? If it's <5mb, then profiles probably are not the issue.

I hope this helps CitrixEngineer@yahoo.co.uk

 

[Airforce1]

Thanks for your inputs/suggestions. I just checked, and the user profiles are not significantly different than anyone else's (around 1 MB). We are using the ISP's DNS; are you suggesting I maybe change the DNS servers they are pointing too to see if that makes a difference?

Users connect through PN. We have not used NFuse before, but I would like to play with it sometime.

 

[Highland]

Cant see it being a profile problem....??? Its only the clients that are remote....???? I presume your servers are all centrally located...the ADSL link is only passing the screen updates between client and server......???..and even at that its not a particularly slow link....??? It has to be a routing issue....??? Is this a new site that you have recently set-up...??? Where are the routes to your older sites configured...????

Sorry 4 the questions....!!!

 

[IHaTeCitRix]

If your local DNS servers resolve to public addresses try pointing them there, or better yet, use the DNS from a known good client. If they are remote to your site, and other clients come in fine, then routing is not the issue (Or it would be a global issue). Do the clients with issues have other problems as well? General slowness perhaps? Test it with known good settings....

 

[CitrixEngineer]

I must have been having a brain freeze - of course loading the profiles won't slow down remote clients!

Name resolution and routing will, however.

I agree with the above - the clients should have DNS entries to all DNS resolvers.

More coffee needed... CitrixEngineer@yahoo.co.uk

 

[Airforce1]

Thanks everybody for you help. I will pursue the routing issue.

 

[MDonato]

I'm experiencing the same problems with random remote sites. I'm using all WYSE 3360SE WinTerminals with static addressing over Cable Modem connections. From the time I select CONNECT until the login screen appears varies between 5-10 minutes, however if I bring one of these back to the main office (Citrix location), the connect time is about 10 seconds (what I would expect). Once the remotes actually get the login screen, everything is lightning fast, it's just that initial connection, and then if they disconnect, it all starts over again. I'd be interested in what works and doesn't work for everyone trying to utilize Citrix in this type of environment.

-Mike
Michael A. Dontato MCNE, MCSE, CCA
mdonato@site-technologies.com

http://www.site-technologies.com

 

[DaveNamou]

Do you have the same low connect time if you just use RDP (Terminal Server Client) to connect to the Citrix Server?

Also, when using Citrix (ICA) to connect to the server, try using the actual IP address's instead of the DNS address. This will bypass the DNS server completely.

One other thing. Are you connecting to a published app that is load balanced? If you are, try connecting directly to the server (using IP address again, Not DNS address) to see if you still have the same problem. Dave Namou, MCSE CCEA

 

[MDonato]

Yes, I'm already connecting using the ip address. (It used to take even longer using the domain name.) This is a single server setup with no load balancing. I'm pretty much at a loss as to what's going on. Like I said, it varies by site. Either all machines at a site are quick, or all are slow. I've even replaced the routers while doing basic troubleshooting.

-Mike
Michael A. Dontato MCNE, MCSE, CCA
mdonato@site-technologies.com

http://www.site-technologies.com

 

[DaveNamou]

What about the RDP client? Have you tried connecting to the server using the RDP clinet? Dave Namou, MCSE CCEA

 

[Airforce1]

I hate to show my ignorance, but I have no idea what the RDP client is versus the regular one.

I'm doing the exact same thing as MDanoto above, i.e., no load balance, using the IP of the Citrix box, etc. with the exact same results.

 

[MDonato]

Nope, I'll try that.

Thanks!

-Mike Michael A. Dontato MCNE, MCSE, CCA
mdonato@site-technologies.com

http://www.site-technologies.com

 

[DaveNamou]

RDP client is Microsoft's version of the &quot;THin Client&quot;. Just like Citrix has &quot;Program Neighborhood&quot;, Microsoft had the RDP Client. You can find a copy of the client in C:\WINNT\system32\clients\tsclient\win32\disks

Once you install the client, you can connect to your Citrix server as long as RDP has not been disabled.
Dave Namou, MCSE CCEA

 

[Highland]

If your connecting using the IP Address of the Citrix Server then it cant be a WINS or DNS problem, so it comes back to either routing or networking.....its quite difficult without knowing your Network Topology....???

Is the response always consistent at each site...???...or is it sometimes OK/sometimes not....??? Try doing a tracert from a client to server...and then the reverse, see if theres any difference as to the route taken between the 2...???