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  • #4163
    RPP
    Participant

      Hi

      We have recently got a Citrix server to allow our remote site users to run the same bespoke in-house software the main office has.

      We have Citrix Metaframe Presentation Server 4, running on Windows 2003 Server (including Terminal Services). The Citrix server’s system drive is mapped to Q: (with R: being it’s CDROM) so that any user can still have access to their own C: and D: drives.

      Groupwise and Formativ seemed to have installed perfectly well and my Formativ applet runs OK.

      Q1) I assume that Formativ itself will only operate using Q: and not inadvertantly try and access applets or files on the user’s C: drive? (ignoring any specific calls I might write in my applets)

      To make my applet aware of the Q: drive I was trying to use the Registry object to retrieve the computer’s name so I could then adjust the root drive letter as appropriate.

      My test applet worked on my PC but not on the Citrix server – even though I can see that the same key exists in the Local_Machine area of the registry by using regedit (within my Citrix session)

      Q2) Is there some restriction that would stop Formativ reading the Registry?

      Q3) Also, are there any other considerations I need to be aware of when using Formativ under Citrix? We are only just starting out so I can adjust our plans accordingly.

      Thanks

      Simon

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    • #7318
      Support 1a
      Participant

        Thank you for your question, and our apologies for the delay.

        quote:


        Q1) I assume that Formativ itself will only operate using Q: and not inadvertantly try and access applets or files on the user’s C: drive? (ignoring any specific calls I might write in my applets)


        Formativ does not contain any hard coded references to C: drive. It determines the location of all files using calls to Windows API’s that return system-based locations, not drive letter based locations.

        quote:


        Q2) Is there some restriction that would stop Formativ reading the Registry?


        Nothing in Formativ itself. However, Formativ is obliged to adhere to standard registry security restrictions just like any other application. These restrictions can vary based on your environment. It sounds like your users do not have appropriate access to the required registry hive on the server. If your objective is to determine the Windows oy system drive, I would suggest you use the PathShell() method. This method takes an integer representing the location you wish to determine, and returns a path. For example, you would pass it 37 to obtain the location of the WindowsSystem folder, or 36 to obtain the System folder. Search for ‘PathShell’ in the language guide for full details.

        quote:


        Q3) Also, are there any other considerations I need to be aware of when using Formativ under Citrix? We are only just starting out so I can adjust our plans accordingly


        The only real issue you need to be aware of relates to the licencing mechanism being used. If you are using Formativ 1.6.x, ensure you are using the latest build available from the downloads page (earlier versions had issues running under Citrix). Version 2.0 is fine. I’ll email you some specific details regarding licencing under Citrix.

        Regards,

        Advansys Support

        #7317
        Support 1a
        Participant

          Here is some additional information about Formativ and Citrix:

          Formativ itself does not have any operational conflicts with Windows Terminal Services (WTS) nor Citrix, apart from the inherent dependency on the GroupWise C3PO architecture. The GroupWise C3PO architecture uses the Windows HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry hive to store user specific C3PO settings, which according to the Microsoft documentation, is not compatible with WTS (because all users inherit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE settings in a WTS/Citrix environment).

          Even with this GroupWise design limitation, GroupWise/Formativ should still work within the Citrix environment. The only practical problem is likely to be if your users do not have the appropriate rights to write to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry hive. This could be overcome by providing those rights to every user, or by installing a master GroupWise/Formativ configuration, including the applets, for a special user who does have the appropriate registry rights. Alternatively, it could also be possible to extend the registry by manually creating the required entries under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive.

          The Formativ warning message arises when, upon startup, it tests read/write access to the following registry key area:

          HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARENovellGroupWise5.0C3PODataTypes

          Read/write access to this area is required for registering GroupWise events and other client integrations which may be used by Formativ and Formativ applets. This is a standard GroupWise third party integration requirement. Read/write access is usually required beyond initial admin installation because applets dynamically register for the events at time of their first execution.

          A GroupWise integration registry entry looks like:

          HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARENovellGroupWise5.0C3PODataTypesGW.MESSAGE.MAILAdvansys.formativEventsGW#C#REPLY

          and in this case, it indicates that an applet or C3PO has registered to be notified when a Mail message REPLY event is activated (a user replies to a mail message).

          If Formativ cannot write to this area, applets cannot register for events or other client integrations (toolbars, menus).

          Possible Solutions

          OPTION (1) Modify ‘limited user’ profile security to allow additional registry access.
          a) allow read/write access to ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE’ hive; or
          b) allow read/write access to ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARENovellGroupWise5.0C3PODataTypes’ hive.

          OPTION (2) Create registry entries during initial admin installation.

          i) Create HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE entries during main Admin installation.

          The admin install should create automatically:
          HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREAdvansys Corporationformativ1.0

          The admin install should create automatically some settings in:
          HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARENovellGroupWise5.0C3PODataTypes

          For applet solutions, when in Admin mode, you would need to install EVERY applet which the limited user will need to run. This will ensure all the appropriate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARENovellGroupWise5.0C3PODataTypes entries are written. You can then choose to replicate this registry key hive to other machines which need to run the same applets.

          You will need to repeat step i) each time you add an applet which uses a GroupWise client event which is not already registered.

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