Downloading a file to the local C: drive is very slow???

[Zakk]

When in Citrix XP and running SAP 4.6D GUI if I save a file to the local client C:\ drive it takes 70+ seconds and the client processor utilization pegs at 90 to 100%. If I save the file to a citrix server drive it takes < 3 seconds. I can then drag and drop the file to the C: drive very quickly.

Any ideas on what might be causing this? I have already tried turning off anti-virus (no change).

 

[woonbronmaasoevers]

What is your connection speed to the server.

If its a dail-up it coul be that its slow.

If its a LAN i do not understand. You do not have other performanceproblems?

gr,
Danny

 

[Highland]

Have you tried from another client/location....??? Is it just slow saving files from the one application....???

 

[Zakk]

I talked with a Citrix Engineer. He said that the ica client uses the ica protocol and it is optimised for graphics and not file transfers, therefore file transfers will be slow along with large print jobs. If the file is saved to the citrix server it is local and is fast. Then moving the file from the citrix server to the client is fast because it is using TCP and not ICA. Feature Release 2 is supposed to have some performance improvements in the file transfer and printing areas.

By the way, this problem occured on any type of client local or remote (dial-up, WAN, etc.)

 

[Highland]

Not sure I totally agree with that...!!! I agree ICA is optimised for graphical changes on Client machines, but remember it is also using IP as its transport mechanism between Client and Server....

How large are the file tranfers you are doing....???

 

[Guest_imported]

I agree with highland.

If i download a 10mb file it takes 10 seconds to save it to my local disk

gr,,
Danny

 

[Zakk]

This issue is when saving a generated report from an SAP Gui client running on the Citrix client. When saving from SAP directly to the C:\ drive (about a 500KB file) it can take up to 20 minutes verses saving the file to a local citrix server drive (users home folder on a citrix server) would take only a few seconds.

Then if the saved file is dragged and dropped from the Citrix server drive to the Citrix client C:\ drive it only takes a couple of seconds.

 

[Highland]

Are you copying the file from within a client session (ie still using client drive access)...????...or mapping to the server from the local desktop....???

It sounds like an application problem....??? How does the application know which drive to save to...???...is this something you input when generating the report...??? Do you have to input a drive letter or a full UNC path (client name\path)... Could it be a conflict with another drive mapping...???

 

[Zakk]

All drives are mapped from within the Cirix client.
C:\ is mapped to the Citrix clients local pc C:\ drive
H:\ is mapped to \\CitrixServer\user\%username% folder

When the user saves the file in the SAP gui he points to the c:\ drive which is mapped to the c$ mapping in Citrix. So SAP saving through Citrix to the C:\ drive is slow.

If the user saves to his H:\ drive, which is also mapped by Citrix and points to the \\CitrixServer\user\%username% folder, the save is fast.

If the user copies a file from his Citrix H:\ drive to his Citrix C:\ drive the copy is fast.

Here is how I understand it:

The SAP gui is really running on the Citrix server so if the file save has to go to the citrix server (H:\) it is fast and using TCP.

If the save from SAP is to the client C:\ drive the file is going through the Citrix ICA and is slow.

If a file is copied from the Citrix Server(H:\) to the Client C:\ drive and the copy is not done through an application, then the protocol is again TCP and not the ICA.

 

[Highland]

Can you use Client Drive Access to set-up the users C:\Drive?? This will auto-create a drive mapping (normally V: for C:\drive) and try saving from the App then...???

If the H: drive is mapping straight to the same Citrix server then it's not really using any Network transport to save data....???

ICA is really only generating the &quot;view&quot; to the server from within your client &quot;window&quot;, any printing, saving of files etc.. is performed using the TCP/IP protocol regardless of whether the file is being generated from within an application or copied between machines, I'm really not sure why the Citrix Engineer you spoke to said what he did...??? ICA also gives you the additional ability to map client drives and printers from within your &quot;session&quot; to the server &quot;automatically??!!&quot;....ICA is also dependant on TCP to provide the connection to the server, if there was a problem with the connection between the client and the server it would &quot;probably&quot; be because TCP wasn't working correctly......

It sounds as if the C: mapping isn't correct in some way...??? Try either &quot;autocreate&quot; or changing the drive letter.....????

Hope this helps..........