More often People running into an issue where a seamless applications starts a full Desktop right away. With XenApp your will get the error "ICA Seamless Host Agent Dialog box". The problem is a bug in Microsoft Active Directory Manager from Server 2008/R2. Typically customers have an Active Directory based on 2003 but Administrators are using the MMC Snap-in from Server 2008/R2 but also with AD 2008! Changing something on a user object might activates the "Start the following program at logon" with nothing in it and NOT visible in the Manager. For Windows that means start explorer.exe at logon and is the reason why the Desktop gets started.

If you have the problem, don't use the 2008/R2 or VISTA/WIN7 mmc snap-in for "Users and Computer" and use the one from 2003. With AD 2008/R2 you need to use a script to reset the option.

Citrix has the following article for that bug
When launching a Published Application, Terminal Server Desktop, Explorer.exe Launches http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX120831

Would you like to meet peers at Citrix Synergy?  You know peers for some time through eMail, Posts, Twitter, Facebook you name it but not in person? Use the LinkedIn group CitrixSynergyVisitors to arrange meeting with peers at Citrix Synergy.

I will attend the next Citrix Synergy in Berlin, so see you in October!

Recently I had the task to convert physical Servers to virtual XenServer (P2V) instances and with Windows Server 2000/NT as the operating system. All Servers where from HP and old hardware like ProLiant 5500, DL 580G0 with SCSI hard drives with 4GB and 8GB max capacity. Taget Hardware was HP Blade 460c G6 and I had some issues to overcome but power saving where huge at the end!

This article describes my real world experience I had with the procedure. Read the full article here

Changed: I'm doing quite some PVS implementation and found that Citrix is not working with Microsoft KMS Server! According to CTX124106 the only supported solution is using Microsoft KMS Volume Activation with vDISK in standard mode. At first I noticed that the MAK model is also working with vDISK in standard moduse but not supported by Citrix. After changing to the KMS model I see the follwoing in the eventlog of the KMS server. The screen shot show two examples

The hostname changes from 102 to 111 but the maschine ID (CMID) stays the same. As a result only one server is count with the KMS Server based on Windows 2008 SP2. with other words you can stream 100 XenApp server with PVS but only one Microsoft server license will be used. For some this can be an issue since 5 license are required to start the auto activation. This problem is described in the Microsoft article kb929829 and the solution is to generalized (sysprep) the server but that is of cause not possibe with PVS.

What needs to be done is that the Citrix PVS service changed the CMID during boot time and therfore complaint with Microsoft EULA. Citrix could save the CMID in the PVS database.

Citrix has contacted me and stated that with the next release (scheduled for Q4) of PVS the KMS problem is fixed. Due to customer request the next relesase will also support the MAK model. Citrix also stated that Microsoft knows about the problem:"Microsoft has certainly encouraged us to fix this as soon as possible, but they have not indicated immediate concern that this allows their customers to violate their license agreements."

Sam Jacobs a true master of Web Interface gave a presentation at BriForum 2010. He sends me the modifications so I could publish them. First it's a Support Information tab that shows things like IP-Address, Host name, Client Version etc. In this release I removed the AD query portion for group membership but will publish that version later.

Here the download

• SupportInfo5.x_v1.2.zip

The Citrix INI File Reference (CTX107919) is an important document that describes (mostly) ICA file parameters. This article was last updated in 2007 and for the ICA Client version 9.0! Today we are at version 12.x and a lot of new parameter exist but were not published.

This has changed with the new online ICA settings reference documentation based on version 12.x You find the reference under the following url
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/index.jsp?topic=/ica-settings/ica-settings-wrapper.html