Larry,
We keep the database on a separate 2008 server and all local traffic uses shortcuts to the multiple apps in the same directory as the database. Citrix users are not allowed a shortcut to an exe in the DB directory. I embed the R:Base engine and Plugins in the exe but keep RMail external. I only allow one instance of each exe. We were unhappy with the performance on our old 2003 Citrix server and decided to use a Citrix Access Server (an appliance) and fired up two Citrix servers (Server 2008 R2) at once. The Citrix Access Server is needed to balance the load between servers. It's working well. Occasionally we still have printer issues (not populating all required printers) when someone connects with an incompatible printer driver for their local printer, but we can now shut down or restart one server whenever necessary, while debugging the printer problem. Recurring printer issues have always been a challenge since day one on Citrix. We spec a list of printers we approve for use with our system and as long as remote users have an approved printer ( we only populate their default printer, and two networked printers in OKC) very few problems appear. If they connect with a problem printer, we disable their Active Directory login. My main DB reports 180 connections during peak usage (many users use up to 5 different exes at once), but during load balancing there are about 20-30 users on each Citrix box. When we shut down one of the servers, I have seen as many as 42 users on one box. Performance was a little slower but no problems were reported. Wish I understood everything I learned during the rollout :-) Kenny From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Lawrence Lustig Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 4:55 PM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - RE: Application "hanging" Kenny, great information, I'm forwarding to the IT folks. Question: We can relieve some of that load by moving the executable and other support files to the terminal server. The database files themselves, however, still need to be shared from the file server. Is that the configuration you're still using? Are the database files on a different box from the RDP server? And how many simultaneous R:Base users do you have on the RDP box? Many, many thanks for this help! -- Larry _____ From: Kenny Camp <[email protected]> To: RBASE-L Mailing List <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 5:47 PM Subject: [RBASE-L] - RE: Application "hanging" Here is a snippet from the 2nd link. The 50 command limitation quickly becomes a problem on a Terminal Server because there is only one redirector that is shared by all users on the server. In a typical Terminal Server environment, often users will all connect to the same file server for home directories, roaming profiles and redirected folders. This means that each user could easily be generating multiple SMB commands to a single file server. Once you start loading 50+ users on the server, you can easily have more than 50 outstanding SMB commands that need to be serviced, especially if folder redirection is being used. Since only 50 get serviced at one time, the rest of the commands begin to queue up and wait for servicing. This can cause poor performance or even application failures as applications make file requests that time out waiting to be serviced Kenny From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Kenny Camp Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 4:41 PM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - RE: Application "hanging" Here are two links that we used to help come up with our solution. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2194664 We tried the hot fix mentioned in this article and it did not fix our problems. http://blogs.citrix.com/2010/10/21/smb-tuning-for-xenapp-and-file-servers-on -windows-server-2008/ This problem appeared almost immediately after moving from Server 2003 running Citrix to 2008 Still looking... Kenny From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Kenny Camp Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 4:26 PM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - RE: Application "hanging" Maybe that was SMB - Server Message Block. I'm trying to find a link I could post. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Kenny Camp Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 4:18 PM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - RE: Application "hanging" I believe this to be the same issue we resolved for our 9.1 compiled applications on Server2008 using Citrix/RDP. We put additional copies of the executables(s) on each of our Citirx server's local drives. No problems since we did this, and we weere having major problems for a while. I don't remember the exact wording but my internet searches trying to resolve this issue referred to a known Windows issue about only one Control block (MCB?) and once locked by a crashed program, all users would attempt to connect through the one locked/crashed MCB (or whatever it was called) file. We have 40 Citrix users working constantly entering sales orders and checking stock etc. We are very happy with how things are working now. Kenny From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Lawrence Lustig Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 3:57 PM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - RE: Application "hanging" I have been dealing with the same issue, RB76. Problem appears to occur only on RDP sessions on a Win 2088 terminal server. Application will run fine for a day or more and then a problem occurs. When the problem occurs no R:base session, RDP or workstation, can attach to the database files. Stations already attached appear to hang, the application stops working. The problem can be solved by rebooting the terminal server (the file server and workstations do not need to be rebooted). I believe that the problem can also be solved by clearing the open file connections to all R:Base sessions originating on the terminal server without actually rebooting the server, but I'm not 100% sure of that. After the problem is solved, all users can access the database again without requiring a reboot of the file server. The files are intact, except that operations in progress may have left cursor or row locks on tables that cannot them be cleared. In other words, it appears that one of the sessions on the terminal server is obtaining some kind of lock on one or more of the database files that is affecting both new and already existing connections to the file(s). QUESTION: For those users seeing something similar, are you running with STATICDB on? I'm wondering if that setting would cause fewer locking issues, at least on RB1. -- Larry _____ From: John Engwer <[email protected]> To: RBASE-L Mailing List <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 10:09 AM Subject: [RBASE-L] - RE: Application "hanging" Dennis, I am seeing a similar problem with my V8 application running MS server 2008. (users local on Terminal Services, RDP). The application will intermittently hand and post a "Cross-Thread error" in the OS event log. The application is fairly large and the hangs can occur anywhere in the application. If you search the list you will see my prior postings on this subject. John Engwer (412) 751-2433 -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dennis Fleming Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 10:30 AM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - Application "hanging" Using Rtime 7.1 The customer recently moved four plants to their corporate server and using RDP. Running slowly but usually OK. Occasional "Application Hangs" are an issues. In this environment the server is just pushing screens and printouts to client and receiving keyboard/mouse input. Is this the same as a timeout? TIA, Dennis ***** Dennis Fleming IISCO www.TheBestCMMS.com Phone: 570 775-7593 Mobile: 570 351-5290
