RemoteApps and TM1

[Paul Segal]

Hi All,

I'm just testing Excel and TM1 as a RemoteApps application under RDC on Server 2008 R2 with 9.51. Clients are running XP SP3. It works (very) well except that RemoteApps doesn't necessarily return focus to the correct window if you, for example, double-click on a SUBNM formula. This doesn't happen in a full RDC session, and from what I can gather from google this is a know problem. However, google peters out on a solution that works, so I was wondering if anyone else had looked at this and found something that fixes it?

Best

[kangkc]

Hi Paul,
I just posted a topic asking about the exact configuration that you have tested. I found a KB on related issues.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/967885

[Paul Segal]

Sadly, that KB has a fix that doesn't appear to work, or at least that I haven't made work yet.

As I mentioned, in other respects Excel/TM1 as a RemoteApp appears to work very well, and avoids users having to have another complete desktop to work with. Instead, they just have another instance of Excel which looks and feels very like their local Excel and blends into their local desktop. The usual advantages and disadvantages of RDC apply (for the latter, it's things like File/Send to not working because you won't necessarily have Outlook set up on RDC) but so far to my mind the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I haven't quite yet worked out whether the windows focus thing is a show stopper or an irritant - I'm going to test it on some users to see what they think.

[kangkc]

Hi Paul,
Care to share the pros and cons on the new 2008 Remote services? We are looking at implementing similar architecture on 2008 server with 9.5.x. Any major issue (installation etc ?) encountered so far ?
Many thanks.

[Paul Segal]

I haven't got very far in testing the normal RDC yet, although it seems to work well enough from what I've seen. I have raised a service request with Cognos IBM on the RemoteApps windows issue, but I suspect the answer is that it's Microsoft's problem rather than a Cognos one. (If that sounds negative, my dialog with support has so far been pleasant and less bureaucratic than I thought it would be.)

I'll update when I have more news/experience.

Best

[Martin Ingram]

If anyone has experience of both, it would be very interesting to hear any comments regarding comparison with Citrix (it sounds v similar)

[George Regateiro]

If anyone has experience of both, it would be very interesting to hear any comments regarding comparison with Citrix (it sounds v similar)

The last time our Microsoft account reps came to do their dog and pony show of all the new features we were basically told that their virtualized application technologies were licensed citrix technologies. How closely this maps to the Xenapp offerings I do not know, be the core should be similar.

[kangkc]

I haven't got very far in testing the normal RDC yet, although it seems to work well enough from what I've seen. I have raised a service request with Cognos IBM on the RemoteApps windows issue, but I suspect the answer is that it's Microsoft's problem rather than a Cognos one. (If that sounds negative, my dialog with support has so far been pleasant and less bureaucratic than I thought it would be.)

I'll update when I have more news/experience.

Best

Hi Paul,
I just set up a test environment on 2008 R2 with remoteapps. I must say it works pretty well from user experience. One question though, if you have Excel 2007 installed, by adding Excel 2007 as a remoteapps, do you experience any problem with TM1 add in ?

I can only test TM1 Architect as I need to locate a Volume/Open license Excel key as Excel can't be installed on Terminal Server unless it's a Volume/Open license.

[Paul Segal]

I don't know for sure, as we don't use Excel 2007, just 2003. I would imagine that the only problem that will show up is the one I'm hunting down here - namely the focus goes to the wrong window after having done, for example, a double-click on a SUBNM formula. No news on a fix, I'm afraid.

[kangkc]

Hi Paul,
Just managed to did a test using Excel 2002 (XP). It works well except occasional focus issue. I found that if I minimize the explorer, cube viewer windows and work solely on Excel templates, I have less of a problem.

Did a bandwidth test to check on the data traffic, pretty good compression as for refreshing a templates, a cube view. Total byte transfer is about 1MB.
Did another testing using mobile broadband, the actual speed clocked is about 50-70kbs but I'm still getting pretty responsive display.

In summary, good user experience and as you said, I can live with the focus issue but will have to run through that with users.

[Paul Segal]

Update on Remote Apps: as mentioned, I raised a PMR for this, and have recieved the following: "Product Management have come back on your question with regards to using RemoteApp with TM1. Unfortunately it has not been tested against and therefore we do not officially support it's use with TM1." I have suggested that would be a good idea to test against it, but I'm not doing the holding my breath thing.