Saving Word and Excel Docuements slow through Citrix 1

[Creed3737]

Hello, hope you can help, we have Metaframe XP feature release 3 running on Windows server 2003. The server has Office 2002 SP3 installed.

When logged onto the server using citrix it takes longer to save word and excel documents than it does if logged in using rdp in a remote desktop. Using RDP the document saves instantly or a few seconds, citrix takes over 10 seconds or more to save the document. I know its not minutes delay but from a users perspective its not really acceptable, also its baffling me . The save location is a mapped drive on a file server.

Any ideas?

Cheers!

 

[rjs]

I am seeing the same thing, but with Office 2003. Post if you find the answer and I will do the same.

R.Sobelman

http://www.tracklogins.com

 

[ascotta]

I haven't seen this issue. I have 2003 in a test environment, and externally it is fine too.

I have a mapped drive, and in the registry it is eg: H: not \\server\share I have seen saving to UNC paths being slow, check out that it is saving to drive letter and not a UNC.

[blue]Arguably the best cat skinner around ! [/blue]

Cheers
Scott

 

[MikeBatters]

Myself and Creed have now found the solution to our problem. It relates to MS KB Article No 321169 and if you implement the RegKey changes to EnableSecuritySignature=0 and RequireSecuritySignature=0 the problem is solved.

There is however one thing that the MS Article does not tell you which is that if the server reboots it resets to the key value back to thier defaults and the problem reoccurs. We have got round this by removing the Write permission to the lowest level possible from SYSTEM so that it cannot change the RegKey values back. Tested to make sure that it does not cause the system any grief at boot time and it is fine. We have only changed the Registry Permisssion of the paramaters subkey as it is only required at that level.

Hope it helps!! B-)

 

[ascotta]

Just as an aside, could you have written a kix script to do said change at login time ? Save changing permissions in registry ?

[blue]Arguably the best cat skinner around ! [/blue]

Cheers
Scott

 

[MikeBatters]

Ascotta,

Unfortunately not as the permissions require changing on the FILE Server end of this and not the Citrix end so the login script would be running on the wrong server.

Further to my comments it actually appears that even though the system has only got the read permission it is still capable of resetting these permissions and it does it at random intervals as well as at boot time. it must be something like the KCC resetting these regkey vales.

Ideal fix would appear to be Demote the File Server and have a separate DC. In one of our cases that is not an option there fore i have a scheduled task importing the registry key every hour (which works as there is no requirement to reboot or restart services after the change).

Hope this helps further.

 

[Creed3737]

We think we have been able to stop the system from resetting those registry keys at boot time and at random intervals. If you set the permissions of the "Set Value" priv to deny for the system account, that seems to do the trick.

Cheers!

 

[djacobus]

Wow, I was just checking this site to see if anyone has posted this problem already. What luck. However when I check the settings on the registry keys: EnableSecuritySignature and RequireSecuritySignature my values are already set to "0". I am running 2 win2003 standard servers with metaframe XPa with work 2003.

Any ideas??

 

[Matedog]

I thank god when i saw there was an soloution to this problem. But i cant get it to work anyway. I have changed the parameters on the file server, but still it takes five seconds longer to save in citrix instead of using RDP.

Can someone please help me.

 

[rjs]

We found a TID that indicates you can control this via policy. Microsoft document 887429.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;887429

Anyone else tried this approach?

R.Sobelman

http://www.tracklogins.com

 

[MikeBatters]

Haven't tried this approach but there is no reason why it shouldn't work.

Let me know if it does.

 

[rjs]

We tried the GPO in the MS document. It does not seem to work. The IS staff at this site does not want to set permissions on the registry key and the scheduled task (every 5 minutes) seems to be causing their regular workstation connections to have to reauthenticate to the domain controller throughout the day.

Anyone else see an alternative?

Any chance Microsoft and/or Citrix would come out with a hot fix to address this?

R.Sobelman

http://www.tracklogins.com

 

[MikeBatters]

RJS,

The scheduled key change is not ideal i agree and I have removed our test implementation of it as well.

I have not rolled out the "Deny Set value" permission to a couple of live servers (about 3 weeks ago) with the full effect of fixing the problem being seen. Further more we have been through many reboot cycles etc and there have been no side effets from setting this key.

I can't see any other was round this really at present and MS hotfixes take time to appear.

Why are your IS Staff reluctant to change teh "Deny Set Value" permission. If it is from a lack of testing point of view we have now got 2 test sites which i can confirm are fine!

Sorry that no more help really.....

 

[rjs]

I am only doing the Citrix end of this site. The domain controllers are production servers and there is no effective test environment there. They are concerned about future issues (a hot fix or other event) which might be impacted by setting the registry permission. But I don't see any alternative either.

R.Sobelman

http://www.tracklogins.com

 

[MikeBatters]

RJS,

As your hands appear tied on this the only other suggestion is that DC Services are moev off the File Server and put on a separate DC Server (e.g. a little DL360) instead.

Its the only other solution i can think of and in an ideal world is the best practice implementation too.

Sorry i cant think of anything better than that.

Mike