Optimizing the Windows Logon- and Logoff process

Transcription

Optimizing the
Windows Logon- and Logoff process
by Thomas Kötzing
Optimizing the Windows logon- and logoff process
ThomasKoetzing.de
Notice
The information in this publication is subject to change without notice.
THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.
THOMAS KOETZING, SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR TECHNICAL OR EDITORIAL ERRORS OR
__
OMISSIONS CONTAINED HEREIN, NOR FOR DIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR ANY
OTHER DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS
PUBLICATION.
Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and / or registered trademarks of
their respective companies.
Copyright © 2004-2006 Thomas Kötzing, ThomasKoetzing.de, GERMANY.
All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER
No warranties of any kind. Use at your own risk.
Version History
Version
Date
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Author
Description
0.1
March 2003
Thomas Kötzing
Initial version
0.2
June 2006
Thomas Kötzing
Updated for Windows 2003 SP1 and Citrix
Presentation Server
Reviewed by
Name
Date
Description
Clemens Wunder
March 2003
MCSE, CCEA
Shane Broomhall
June 2006
Novell CLE, CNE, CNI, CNS, CLP, RHCT, LPI1,
Linux + LCP, LCI, CCEA, MCT, MCDBA, MCSE,
MCSE + I, MCSA
Jeff Pitsch
July 2006
Microsoft MVP (2006) – Terminal Server, CCIA,
CCEA, MCSE, HP ASE
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My Intension - Your benefit
Whenever you have problems with logging on- or logging off from Windows® Servers with terminal
services in application mode, this document will help you. It will help with troubleshooting and
optimizing the logon- logoff process. Your will find practical experiences written by Administrators
for Administrators. This document applies to Windows 2000 and Windows 2003, with or without
Citrix Presentation Server, and includes a detailed description of the related processes.
The Author
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I have worked for a long time as Citrix Administrator and Freelancer on a lot of projects and in
many different client sites. In 2003 I started posting in the official Citrix Support Forum where I
have answered thousands of questions and I’m still one of the top users in the Citrix Forum. As a top
poster I was invited by Citrix in November 2003 to attend an “Advanced Technical Training” in the
EMEA Citrix Escalation Center Dublin. Later on Citrix invited me to be speaker at the Citrix Support
& Engineering Institute of technology (CSEIT) 2004 in Orlando, where I have presented the first time
about logon and logoff issues. Since then I was Presenter at BriForum 2005/2006, PubForum 2005,
SBC-Solution Day 2005 and the CUG.no tech conference 2006.
In February 2006 I moved from my old domain CITRIX4GE.DE to ThomasKoetzing.de and in July 2006
I was awarded as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for Terminal Server.
My thanks
Thanks goes to my friend and business partner Clemens Wunder for his patience, enthusiasm and
technical knowledge when working on the document as well for his support and impulses for my
ideas.
Bärbel Fischer, my dearest girlfriend for bringing the document in the right light, Shane Broomhall
for correcting the English translation and Jeff Pitsch for reviewing the whitepaper.
For their support, Jay Tomlin, Saul Gurdus and most of all Rene Alfonso (all from Citrix© Inc) as
well as Robin Caron (Microsoft©).
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I like to hear your feedback regarding this document and I will try keeping it up to date.
Thomas Kötzing
Thomas@ThomasKoetzing.de
While every effort has been made to ensure that the content of the document is accurate there are
no warranties of any kind. Thomas Koetzing reserves the right to revise this publication and to
make changes to its content, at any time, without obligation to notify any person or entity of such
revisions or changes.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, photocopied, stored on a retrieval system, or
transmitted without the express written consent of the publisher.
copyright  2004-2006, Thomas Kötzing, Nürnberg.
All rights reserved.
.
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Index
1 Basics about logon and logoff – fast or slow............................................................................. 5
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1.1 Windows user profile.................................................................................................... 5
1.1.1 Local profile ........................................................................................................ 5
1.1.2 Roaming profile .................................................................................................... 5
1.1.3 Mandatory profile .................................................................................................. 5
1.1.4 Hybrid profile (FlexProfileKit).................................................................................... 5
1.2 Default profile folder structure ....................................................................................... 5
1.3 User registry hive........................................................................................................ 6
1.4 Understanding the logon and logoff process ......................................................................... 7
1.4.2 Realizations from the logon procedure ......................................................................... 9
1.4.3 Realizations from the logoff procedure ........................................................................10
2 Troubleshooting and Optimizing ........................................................................................ 11
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2.1 User profile folder redirection........................................................................................11
2.1.1 Profile analyzing ..................................................................................................11
2.1.2 Troubleshooting and optimizing.................................................................................11
2.1.3 Group Policy (Active Directory) .................................................................................11
2.1.4 Windows policies (NT Domain / Novell)........................................................................12
2.1.5 Logon script ........................................................................................................12
2.1.6 Deleting a roaming profile .......................................................................................13
2.1.7 The FlexProfileKit Version 5.0...................................................................................13
2.1.8 References for profiles ...........................................................................................13
2.2 User authentication ....................................................................................................14
2.2.1 Analyzing the logoff procedure .................................................................................14
2.2.2 Troubleshooting ...................................................................................................16
2.2.3 References for authentication ..................................................................................16
2.3 Logon scripts & start programs .......................................................................................16
2.3.1 Analyzing scripts & program starts .............................................................................17
2.4 Citrix Client mappings .................................................................................................17
2.4.1 Analyzing CmStart - Client mappings...........................................................................18
2.4.3 References to Citrix mappings ..................................................................................19
2.5 Server paths .............................................................................................................19
2.6 Group policy.............................................................................................................20
2.6.1 Analyzing of group policies ......................................................................................20
2.6.3 References to group policies ....................................................................................20
2.7 Stuck profiles ...........................................................................................................20
2.7.1 Analyzing stuck profiles ..........................................................................................21
2.7.2 Troubleshooting & optimizing ...................................................................................21
2.7.3 References for hanging profiles .................................................................................22
2.8 Process UserInit with Windows 2003 Service Pack 1 and above..................................................23
2.8.1 References to UserInit with Windows 2003 SP1 ...............................................................23
2.9 Citrix Presentation Server Enhanced Logon Feedback ............................................................24
2.9.1 References to Citrix Enhanced Logon Feedback ..............................................................24
3 Citrix Presentation Server – Special case sessions remains active................................................ 25
3.1 Analyzing disconnected sessions......................................................................................25
3.2 Troubleshooting.........................................................................................................25
3.3 References...............................................................................................................26
4 Additional optimizations ................................................................................................. 26
4.1 Extending the timeout for the Registry- Flush operation .........................................................26
4.2 Starts the Desktop in it’s one process ...............................................................................26
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1 Basics about logon and logoff – fast or slow
The duration of the logon and logoff process is often a subjective feeling for a user, especially if the
user was just migrated from a Fat to a Thin Client. Otherwise the user will not notice that the new
Thin Client might only need 5 seconds to bring up the logon screen.
Nevertheless in real life there can be differences in the logon duration from seconds to 20 minutes
or more (the times cannot be compared with a reconnection process). This is due to the fact that
the logon process depends on the environment. Also by definition the Windows logon process starts
when the secure attention sequence (winlogon window) shows up.
1.1 Windows user profile
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For a better understanding it’s useful to know the different profile types and the structure of the
user profile. Microsoft supports three different kinds of Windows profiles.
1.1.1 Local profile
The classic local profile is used basically on each Windows workstation. The profile is stored on the
local system and applies only to that computer.
1.1.2 Roaming profile
This profile type was introduced by Microsoft to support roaming users in the meaning of using
multiple computers at different times. It was not introduced to support terminal service users but
was the only solution at that time. The roaming profile is stored centrally and is copied and loaded
during logon to the computer or server where the user tries to logon. This will guarantee a
consistent appearance and behaviour in the user’s application and desktop settings.
1.1.3 Mandatory profile
The mandatory profile is write protected and can be used as local or roaming profile. This is much
more robust but clearly not very useful because the user settings are lost after logoff.
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1.1.4 Hybrid profile (FlexProfileKit)
This type of profile is a mixture of the mandatory and roaming profiles “found” by some smart
consultants. Basically a mandatory profile is used but through logon and logoff scripts the user
changes are stored in an extra file.
1.2 Default profile folder structure
On the Server all profiles are stored in the default directory “Documents and Settings“ or in the
folder that was defined in the Server registry.
Registry
System Key:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList]
Value Name: ProfilesDirectory
Data type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Value: %SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings (default)
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 173870
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For the single user the profile structure looks like the following:
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Folder Name
Description
\Application Data
Per-user roaming application data.
\Cookies
User Internet Explorer Cookies
\Recent
Shortcuts to recently used documents.
\Desktop
Desktop items, including files and shortcuts.
\PrintHood
Shortcuts to printer folder items.
\Favorites
Users Internet Explorer favorites.
\Local Settings
Temporary files and per-user non-roaming application data.
\NetHood
Shortcuts to My Network Places items.
\SendTo
Shortcuts to document storage locations and applications.
\Start Menu
Users personal start menu.
\Templates
Per-user customized templates.
\Windows
Windows system settings
\My Documents
Per users documents.
1.3 User registry hive
When logging into a Windows system the user profile is loaded. What does that mean? As described
before, the profile includes different subdirectories for different purpose and a file named
ntuser.dat in the root of the profile (renamed to ntuser.man for a mandatory profile)
This file holds all user specific registry settings. At login the ntuser.dat is loaded into the system
registry hive HKEY_USERS with the Security Identifier (SID) of the user HKEY_USERS\<SID>
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Illustration 1
In Illustration 1 the ntuser.dat of the local Administrator was loaded into the system registry. The
important registry hives are Software, Control Panel and Environment. The SID ending with 500 is
reserved for the local Administrator. After loading the user data into HKEY_USERS\SID the system
creates a symbolic link to HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
This process can be observed when opening the HKEY_USERS hive in the program regedit. With
regedt32 the ntuser.dat can manually loaded into the registry as well as with regedit since Windows
XP / 2003.
1.4 Understanding the logon and logoff process
The following table explains the main logon and logoff procedure when connecting to a Windows
Desktop. Points that differ from a Windows 2000 Server logon and logoff are marked differently.
The listing of all needed steps already shows options for troubleshooting and optimizing. To get a
better understanding, the main steps are described in detail
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In the brackets are the needed system processes and their calls to start new programs or processes.
In the logoff process the UPHClean service was included. In the future a similar service will be part
of the Windows operating system starting with Vista and Longhorn and the service will be updated
through the Windows update.
Those of you who want to know absolutely every detail of the logon process will find a great flow
diagram under the following URL
http://www.brianmadden.com/content/content.asp?ID=587
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01.
Logon procedure
The user starts the remote Windows desktop.
02.
Only with Citrix Presentation Server Advanced or Enterprise
In a Farm with load-balancing the client will be redirected to the least busy server.
03.
The Microsoft licenses are checked. First the Client Access License (CAL) and next the TerminalService- Client- Access License (TSCAL)
[Winlogon, Csrss]
04.
The user is authenticated against the Domain (or local) and the session permissions are set.
[Winlogon-> GINA (ctxgina->msgina/nwgina),Winlogon-> Lsass]
05.
The System re-establish’s the user’s network connections.
With Citrix Presentation Server the Enhanced Logon Feedback (stuisrv.exe) kicks in.
[Winlogon-> UserInit, Winlogon -> stuisrv.exe]
With Windows 2003 Service Pack 1 and above a second UserInit is launched and stays active for
1 minute for a certificate autoenrollment.
[Winlogon-> UserInit]
The System loads the user profile:
From the Logon Server (Domain Controller) information is retrieved, if the user has a configured
profile and what type:
If so, then the system checks if a local profile already exists
If so, then the system compares which profile is newer. If the remote profile is newer, then
the profile is downloaded from the network share to the Windows server.
If the user has no profile, then the system creates a new profile from the "Default User" and
"All User".
[Winlogon, UserInit-> Profile]
The System applies all group policies configured for the user.
[Winlogon, UserInit]
The System reads the registry key "Shell" and starts the defined user shell.
[Winlogon, UserInit->Explorer.exe]
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05a.
06.
07.
08.
09.
10.
__
11.
The System reads the "AppSetup" registry key and starts all programs that are listed in the key.
(Witht Citrix Presentation Server CmStart.exe is added to the key).
[Winlogon, UserInit-> UsrLogon.cmd, UserInit -> CmStart.exe]
UsrLogon.cmd is executed to run possible compatibility scripts.
[Winlogon, UserInit->UsrLogon.cmd]
Only with Citrix Presentation Server
CmStart.exe start’s the ICA Client Update Manager and the seamless engine wfshell. Part of
wfshell is to open virtual channels (Client device mappings). Since PS4 the main Printer
mapping is done the Citrix print service.
[Winlogon, UserInit->CmStart.exe, CmStart->cltmgr.exe, CmStart->wfshell.exe]
12.
The System start’s any Application that has been defined in the Group policy
[Winlogon, Explorer->Applications]
13.
The Explorer reads the "RUN" registry key and start’s all defined Application.
[Winlogon, Explorer->RUN Keyl->Applications]
14.
The Explorer start’s all programs from the "Autostart" directory of the users menu and from the
AllUsers "Autostart".
[Winlogon, Explorer->Autostart->Applications]
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Illustration 2
Illustration 2 shows a screenshot of Process Explorer (from sysinternals.com) during a user logon on
to a Citrix Presentation Server running Windows 2003. It shows the main processes that are involved
at logon time.
1.4.2 Realizations from the logon procedure
Copying big profiles
It’s obvious that a roaming profile is copied to the terminal server each time a user logs on.
Therefore the pure copy process of the profile can consume a good amount of the logon time.
Domain Controller as bottleneck
Depending on the Server Farm size and the number of users that have to be authenticated, the
domain controller can slow down the logon process. The domain controller may not have enough
performance to handle all the logon requests.
Incorrect Autostart-Scripts
A lot of programs and scripts can be executed during logon. If those programs start incorrectly
or if scripts are not well programmed or even have minor errors, then the logon can slowed
down again.
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Citrix / Microsoft Mappings
Citrix and Microsoft client mappings can slow down the logon if a user has a fair amount of local
or Network printers as well as client drives.
Group policies
A large amount of group policies can slow down the logon, since all policies need to be applied
before the process continues.
Stuck profile
If a profile get’s stuck in the Server registry during logoff, it can result in slower logons and
problems with the user profile in general. In a worst case scenario the user get’s a completely
new default profile.
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01.
02.
03.
04.
05.
06.
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07.
08.
Logoff procedure
The user ends the Windows Terminal Server session.
[Winlogon->Csrss]
The System start’s the Applications that have been defined in group policies for logoff
[Winlogon, Csrss, Explorer]
The System terminates any process that are running in the user context after a defined timeout.
[Winlogon-> Csrss]
The System "tries" to unload the user registry hive from the server registry.
[Winlogon, UserInit->HKCU\<SID>]
The unload process is repeated as defined in the group policy, once a second for 60s by default.
[Winlogon, UserInit]
If the unload is not successful, then the UPHClean service kicks in. UPHClean closes any open
registry handle the user registry hive and forces the unload of the user profile.
[Winlogon, UserInit->UPHClean]
The System copies the roaming profile back to the network share.
[Winlogon->UserInit]
The System deletes the local cached user profile, if that was defined in the group policy.
[Winlogon->UserInit->Profil]
1.4.3 Realizations from the logoff procedure
Copying big profiles
The same as with logon. Big profiles extend the logoff time from a Windows system.
Process termination
The stopping of processes as well as the execution of programs and scripts can take some time
before the logoff will continue.
Unload of the user registry hive
The repeated unloading of the profile can take up to one minute by default, before UPHClean
will force the profile to be unloaded.
Special case Citrix published application
There is a special case where actually a logoff never happens because a sub process of the
published application is still active. For the user it looks like a successful logoff.
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2 Troubleshooting and Optimizing
The results from the logon and logoff showed that there are some potential points for optimization.
The following optimizations can be a challenge to implement in a production environment
2.1 User profile folder redirection
The part of the user profile that get’s copied between the network share and the server should be
as small in size as possible. The Microsoft folder redirection group policy can redirect important
profile sub directories to a network share and therefore reduce the total size of the user profile.
__
2.1.1 Profile analyzing
Find out the size of the user profile folder by using Windows explorer or eventually the whole
profile share for all users with a useful tool like treesize. Even if the profile has an acceptable size
the logon might take too much time. The reason for this can be a large number of very small files
within the user profile. Typically these small files reside in the folders: Cookies, Recent and
Favorites. Copying hundreds of files with a size of 500 byte can take a lot of time. Using the free
Microsoft Windows Resource Kit program "DIRUSE" will show the amount of files within the profile.
2.1.2 Troubleshooting and optimizing
Folder redirection can be set manually through registry keys or configured in the group policies.
Microsoft way is using the group policy “Folder Redirection”. The same effect can be reached in an
NDS or Windows NT domain using scripts or Windows NT policies.
With the use of folder redirection, directories from the user profile can be redirected to a different
place. Within a Terminal Server environment the best place to redirect profile folder is the home
drive of the user.
When using folder redirection a highly available file share (cluster solution) should be used.
If the user is still logged on to the Terminal Server and the connection to the file share is lost, then
the system can’t reach the redirected folders. This will result in fatal errors for user applications or
missing icons, program settings and so on.
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After activating folder redirection the defined directories are not copied anymore from the network
share to the Terminal Server. This will reduce the size of the user profile and therefore can
dramatically speed up the logon. Important folders for redirection are Application Data, Desktop
and My Documents. Using scripting techniques, every profile sub folder can be redirected.
2.1.3 Group Policy (Active Directory)
Group Policy Object (GPO)
User Configuration: Only visible in Active Directory
User Configuration\Windows Settings\Folder Redirection
GPO Name: Application Data, My Documents, Desktop, Start Menu
Status: Enabled
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2.1.4 Windows policies (NT Domain / Novell)
With NT/NDS a system policy (ADM – File) needs to be created and is based on the scripting solution.
Make sure that the policies do apply to user profiles.
2.1.5 Logon script
During logon the following registry keys needs to be changed per user. This can be done for example
with Microsoft Resource Kit program regini.exe (part of Windows 2000 and above)
Registry
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User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders]
Value Name: Personal
Value Name: My Pictures
Value Name: Favorites
Value Name: History
Value Name: AppData
Value Name: Desktop
Data type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
Value: %USERPROFILE%\Value Name (default)
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Illustration 3
In Illustration 3 all possible folder redirection registry keys are shown. The Active Directory group
policy for folder redirection is limited for Application Data, Desktop, My Documents and the Start
Menu whereas the scripting solution can redirect any folder that is defined in the User Shell Folders
hive. Again, make sure that the changes apply to the user profile.
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2.1.6 Deleting a roaming profile
To keep the roaming profile consistent and to save storage space on the terminal server the cached
roaming profile should be deleted after logoff. The automatic removal of the roaming profile is
done though the Windows system when set in the group policy or the Server registry.
Computer Configuration:
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Logon or with Windows 2003
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\User Profiles
GPO Name: Delete cached copies of roaming profiles
Status: Enabled
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Registry
System Key:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
Value Name: DeleteRoamingCache
Data type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1
2.1.7 The FlexProfileKit Version 5.0
The FlexProfileKit offers a lot of options to simplify profile handling and reduces the problems of
logon and logoff issues. This profile variant is already deployed in big environments and has been
proofed has a flexible and robust solution. Flex is also the right choice for profile migrations.
The FlexProfileKit was “found“ by Jeron van de Kamp (to say it with his own words). The main
component is a modified Office wizard from the Microsoft Office Resource Kit. The wizard is
launched through logon and logoff scripts during logon. Not visible for the user the wizard reads or
writes defined user registry keys to or from a separate file. The file is copied between the server
and the file share but can automatically be compressed up to 7 times. Since the Administrator
defines what keys should be saved, the user specific file is very small in size.
__
In Terminal Server (Citrix) Farms the FlexProfileKit is highly recommended and has become a
default installation in Server-based Computing environments.
2.1.8 References for profiles
Step by Step Roaming Profiles Configuration
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/161070
How To Change the Default Location of User Profiles and Program Settings
Folder Redirection feature in Windows
How to create a roaming user profile in Windows 2000
Roaming Profile Folders Do Not Allow Administrative Access
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How to Automatically Delete Locally Cached Profiles
Using Group Policy to Delete Cached Copies of Roaming Profiles
Policies and Profiles Standards
http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX19327
User Profile Deletion Utility (Delprof.exe)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=901A9B95-6063-4462-8150360394E98E1E
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Directory Disk Usage (Diruse.exe)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=955d7f2f-73d9-4018-9dd742da210e62ee
User Profile Best Practices for MetaFrame Presentation Server
Flex Profile Kit v5.0
http://portal.loginconsultants.nl/forum/attachments/FPKv5.0.zip
2.2 User authentication
Often the problem in a terminal server environment lies in other components such as the
authentication of the user against the domain. This is not a very common problem but if the server
for authentication (AD, PDC, NDS) can’t handle a high number of requests during a short time, then
the user logon will slow down since it must wait to be authenticated.
2.2.1 Analyzing the logoff procedure
The logon process can be reviewed in great detail through a log file. The log will show timeouts and
a lot of other information in the userenv.log file. The user environment verbose logging needs to be
enabled per server.
Registry
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System Key:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
Value Name: UserEnvDebugLevel
Value: 10002 hex
Note: The activation of the verbose logging can be set on production servers without the need for a
reboot. On the other hand the logging will slow down the logon and logoff process and therefore
should be disabled after troubleshooting. The verbose logging is disabled simply by deleting the
registry key. The log file can be found on the server in the following directory:
%windir%\debug\usermode\userenv.log
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Illustration 4
Illustration 4 shows a snapshot of the userenv.log file. On the left site you can find the time index
that is logged in milliseconds. On 5:56:13:300 pm (17:56:13:300) the client was authenticated and
then began the user profile loading. It’s obvious in what great detail the logon- and logoff process is
monitored and a very good for troubleshooting. If the log file reaches a size of more that 300kb,
then the log file will be renamed to userenv.bak when the server is re-started. Without a re-start
the file can grow until the hard drive has no space left.
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2.2.2 Troubleshooting
If the logon problem is due to authentication then upgrading the logon server or adding additional
logon servers will solve the problem.
Another option to speed up the logon and is only indirectly related to authentication is to increase
the number of the Terminal Server idle sessions. In times where many users try to logon not enough
idle sessions might be available to handle the logons. This problem was eliminated with Windows
2003 and is handled dynamically. With Windows NT/2000 the number auf idle sessions can be
changed through the registry where each additional idle session will consume 2MB RAM.
Registry
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System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server]
Value Name: IdleWinstationPoolCount
Value: 2
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article – 243215
Note: After changing the registry value a Server re-start is needed
2.2.3 References for authentication
User Data and Settings Management
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/technologies/manageme
nt/user01.mspx
Examining the Terminal Server Key in
KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control
How to Enable User Environment Debug Logging in Retail Builds of Windows
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2.3 Logon scripts and start programs
There are a lot of options to starting scripts and programs during logon and logoff. Those options
need to be examined. When Software is installed, programs are often added to the RUN registry key
or shortcuts are copied to the StartUp folder and therefore executed for every user. A typical
example is a quick start program in the system tray for the network card or a virus scanner monitor
(for normal users?). Does the program XY need to be started for every user even though only a few
actually need it? Can the logon script be optimized? You need to check if programs really need to be
executed for every user at logon time.
The program Autoruns from sysinternals.com shows quickly and graphically what programs and
scripts are automatically launched during server boot or user logon.
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2.3.1 Analyzing scripts and program starts
To remove errors in login scripts you have to find them first. Especially with logon scripts that run
seamlessly from the user, it’s difficult to find the issue.
To troubleshoot scripts you should:
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Enable the display output (ECHO ON)
Add pauses in the script for testing
Redirect the display output into a log file.
Remove any error that might happen through the script. Also non optimised scripts can slow down
the logon. An example would be the extended use of the resource kit program iFmember. When
enumerating more that 50 groups in the script with iFmember, then it will slow down the logon
process.
Registry
System Key:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal
Server\Install\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal
Server\Install\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce]
User Key:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce]
Additionally check the programs in the Startup directory:
%AllUsersProfile%\Start menu\Programs\Startup
__
If scripts are used intensively a more effective scripting language than the windows shell script
(CMD) should be used. Switching to VBS, WSH, KIX, MSH etc. scripts can minimize the batch
processing. It’s not about one program or script but it’s the amount of all things that run during
logon and everything should be analyzed to see if it’s really needed. It’s not only the slow down of
the logon, it’s also the waste of server resources when applications are launched for every user. A
good example is the Citrix single sign on service that is enabled by default when installing Citrix
Presentation Server. The ssonsvr.exe process will launch in each session and consumes about 4MB
per user and sometimes has a bad influence on the user logoff. If pass through is not used, then
disable single sign on.
2.4 Citrix Client mappings
The program CmStart.exe (Client Manager Starting Utility) is a Citrix process that is responsible for
the start of the Client Manager to keep ICA Clients updated. In the end, CmStart fires up Citrix
seamless engine wfshell.exe and is responsible for client mappings like printer, drives, COM, LPT
etc. It’s also good to ask if every client printer needs to be mapped or if only mapping the default
printer is good enough. Mapping all printers can slow down the login and the same applies to all
other mappings. Also the windows print spooler is involved for printer mappings and is enumerating
the status of all printers a user has. This is the reason why 3rd party printer driver can really be
troublemakers for the logon process.
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2.4.1 Analyzing CmStart - Client mappings
With mappings you should keep an eye on the client. The amount of drives and printers that need to
be mapped to a user session are important for the logon behaviour. Very important are the installed
3rd party print drivers.
The ICA Client update is started through CmStart.exe and takes time to enumerate the local client
version.
__
As mentioned before, the automatic client update should be disabled when that Citrix feature is not
used (Use another method of software distribution). With Presentation Server the client update can
be disabled centrally through Citrix policies. Before Presentation Server the client update needed to
be disabled manually per server via
Start → run → cudutil.exe
From the menu Database choose properties and then uncheck the Enable checkbox (Illustration 5)
Illustration 5
To see if client mappings are the source for slow logon, disable, as a test, ALL client mappings using
Microsoft or Citrix protocol configuration.
__
Start → run → mfcfg.exe → ica-tcp → Client Settings → Client mappings overwrite →
disable ALL options.
Try the logon and re-enable step – by - step any needed mapping where you should enable the
Windows Client printer mapping at last. Still a big problem is 3rd party print drivers. During logon
the Microsoft print spooler subsystem is used to enumerate the status of each client printer
If the print spooler service (spooler.exe) spikes CPU then it’s most likely because of a large number
of client printers or a 3rd. party printer driver is not 100% compatible.
Remove all 3rd party printer drivers and use only drivers that come with the original Windows CD. If
you find not the right printer driver then use a compatible driver from the Windows CD. To find out
what printer driver is the best choice use the printer driver matrix from
http://www.printingsupport.com
Citrix has changed the Network printer creation to Microsoft SMB since feature release 2 for
MetaFrame XP 1.0 The printer are now mapped via SMB (Server message block) but is much slower
as the previous Citrix client mapping method.
With feature release 2 HotFix 102W2K065 and the following registry key is needed to turn back the
way how Network printers are mapped.
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Registry
System Key:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Citrix\ClientPrinterAutoCreate]
Value Name: fCreateNetworkPrinter
Value: 1 (Network Printer as Client Printer=1, Feature Release 2 behaviour = 0)
Citrix Knowledge Base Article - 101705
With MetaFrame XP 1.0 feature release 3 there is a new option in the Citrix Management Console
(CMC) to revert this behaviour. You find the option in the properties of a published application
under ICA Client options. Activate “Start Application without waiting for client printer creation”
__
Another way to workaround the printer creation is to use CmStart.exe in the UsrLogon.Cmd where
the script is executed asynchronously. To do so you need to remove CmStart.exe from the
“AppSetup” registry key and place it in the UsrLogon.Cmd with the command Start "cmd.exe /c"
"cmstart.exe". If now there is a problem with the printer mapping, then the logon will continue but
the printers might be mapped later on.
With Presentation Server 4.0 the previous workaround is not needed anymore, since Citrix
introduced a print service CpsSrv that is now responsible for the client printer mapping. The new
service should therefore prevent a hang or crash of wfshell and is also able to map the user’s
printers after logon.
2.4.3 References to Citrix mappings
What Does the CMSTART Command Do?
Troubleshooting Citrix ICA Printer Autocreation
Troubleshooting Slow Logons
Run startup scripts asynchronously
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/gp/10.asp
__
Presentation Server 4.0 Printing Enhancements
2.5 Server paths
It might sound trivial but check the server’s path environment variable. The variable should not
have double entries and the important paths (System, System32, Citrix) should be at the beginning
of the string (some application tend to place themselves at the beginning of the variable)
During the ICA handshake the client’s available fonts are enumerated. During logon those fonts are
searched on the Server and if the fonts are not in the server path it can take up to 20min. before
the logon continues. This is the reason why Citrix recommends adding the font path to the server
path variable:
%SystemRoot%\fonts
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2.6 Group policy
In large domains with cascaded group policies, the logon can slow down to apply all the policies to
the current user. With Windows 2000 there was a group policy to apply the policy asynchronously.
2.6.1 Analyzing of group policies
To determine if the group policies are slowing down the logon, a review of the userenv.log will show
if this is the case. The verbose logging needs to be enabled, see point 2.2. Find the first line that
shows the start of group policies and notice the time index. Follow along the group policy to the last
line and see how much time was consumed to apply all the group policies for the user.
__
It is advisable to enable the group policy for loopback policy processing in replace mode. This will
ensure that only the group policies for the OU are applied and all others are replaced. This will not
only speed up the logon but will also ensure the security of the terminal server, since you “know”
what is applied.
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Group Policy
GPO Name: User Group Policy loopback processing mode
Status: Enabled
Modus: Replace
2.6.3 References to group policies
Loopback Processing of Group Policy
Troubleshooting Group Policy Application Problems
__
How To Install and Use Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP) in Windows Server 2003
How To Optimize Group Policy for Logon Performance in Windows 2000
How to apply Group Policy objects to Terminal Services servers
2.7 Stuck profiles
“Stuck“ profiles have a great influence on the logon behaviour. In best case the user registry hive is
fully unloaded, the profile copied back to the network share and finally deleted on the terminal
server. Under certain circumstances processes might have an open handle to the user registry hive
at the time when a user logs off. An example is Windows installer service that accesses the user
hive to maybe repair settings. If the system is not able to unload the user registry hive, then the
hive remains in the server registry – it’s stuck. If the same user logs in again, several things can
happen from getting a new profile to even being unable to logon.
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2.7.1 Analyzing stuck profiles
The unload misbehaviour is logged in the server event log as event ID 1000 “Windows cannot unload
your registry file”. Additionally you can find the user SID in HKEY_USERS after the user has logged
off and you still can’t unload the hive using regedt32. In this case only the termination of the open
handle to the user registry hive or a server reboot will free the user registry hive.
__
2.7.2 Troubleshooting & optimizing
To solve the user registry hive unload problem, Microsoft programmer Robin Caron has developed a
service that closes any open handle and forces the unloading of the profile. The service is called
UPHClean – User Profile Hive Cleanup and works very well. The version 2.x of UPHClean can also
close open file handle to the user profile and fix other file or folder permission issues. With the next
version of Windows Server (Longhorn) and Workstation (Vista) the UPHClean is included in the OS
and will be automatically updated through the Windows update service.
UPHClean should be installed on every terminal server to make sure the profile get’s unloaded.
Before UPHClean kicks in the system retries the unloading of the user profile. The unload retries can
be configured through group policies.
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Logon
or with Windows 2003
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\User Profile
GPO Name: Maximum retries to unload and update user profile
Status: Enabled
Max retries: 60 (default)
Default is 60 retries once a second but with UPHClean installed the value can be reduced to a much
lower value or even null.
If a user logs off when he still has open applications, then the system has to terminate each running
program. The system will grant each application a timeout to gracefully close itself. The timeout
value can be set through the registry but be aware that if a user has an unsaved document it will
not be saved and the user will also not be asked to save it. There are two registry values AutoEndTask and WaitToKillAppTimeout – with a default value of 20 seconds.
__
Registry
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
Value Name: AutoEndTask
Data type: REG_SZ
Value: 1 (Enables the automatic termination)
Value Name: WaitToKillAppTimeout
Data type: REG_SZ
Value: 5 (Timeout of 5 seconds before the process is terminated)
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A better way to set the user registry values is the global system registry key
Registry
__
System Key: Microsoft RDP
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDPtcp\UserOverride\Control]
Citrix ICA
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\ICAtcp\UserOverride\Control]
Value Name: AutoEndTask
Data type: REG_SZ
Value: 1 (Enables the automatic termination)
Value Name: WaitToKillAppTimeou
Data type: REG_SZ
Value: 5 (Setzt eine Wartezeit von 5 Sekunden, bevor der Prozess beendet wird)
With Windows 2003 those global keys don’t work anymore and has to be set on a per user basis.
In some cases there are some “left over’s” in %UserProfile% that can be removed through the
Windows Resource Kit Utility Delprof. Delprof can be executed as a Windows Task nightly or after a
server reboot.
2.7.3 References for hanging profiles
User Profile Hive Cleanup Service
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=1B286E6D-8912-4E18-B57042470E2F3582
Troubleshooting profile unload issues
Roaming User Profiles Do Not Unload
A roaming user profile does not upload successfully
__
Issues When Windows 2000 Loads and Unloads Profile
Roaming Profiles May Not Unload After You Install a New Printer
UsrClasses Hive Does Not Unload During Logoff Because of an Intermittent Handle Leak in
Spoolsv.exe
Closing Timed-Out Applications Without Choosing End Task
Terminal Server and Connected Terminal Services Clients Pause When a Terminal Services
Client Logs On or Logs Off
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2.8 Process UserInit with Windows 2003 Service Pack 1 and above
With Windows 2003 Service Pack 1 Microsoft has moved the user and computer certificate
autoenrollment into the Userinit process. The enrollment has up to 70 seconds to complete and
during that time a logoff from a published application is not possible. If a certificate autoenrollment
is not needed then it can be disabled through a per user registry key or group policies.
Registry
User Key:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Cryptography\AutoEnrollment\AEExpress]
__
GPO
Computer Configuration: with Windows 2003
Computer Configuration\Security
GPO Name: AutoEnrollment
Status: Disabled
Illustration 6
2.8.1 References to UserInit with Windows 2003 SP1
__
A remote session does not end immediately on a computer that is running Windows Server
2003 Service Pack 1
Published Application Sessions Take 60 Seconds to Log Off when Windows 2003, Service
Pack 1 is Installed
Certificate Autoenrollment in Windows Server 2003
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/technologies/security/au
toenro.mspx
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2.9 Citrix Presentation Server Enhanced Logon Feedback
With MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0 Citrix has introduced the “Enhanced Logon Feedback”. The
purpose is to make the logon process more seamless for the end users. The feature “hides” running
logon scripts, etc. and therefore displays the current process in the Enhanced Logon Feedback GUI
(see illustration 7 with a customized feedback GUI). Basically the Enhanced Logon Feedback feature
has only two processes, CtxHide.exe and stuisrv.exe. CtxHide.exe “hides” the command line
window of scripts execution (UsrLogon.Cmd). The process stuisrv.exe is launched through
winlogon.exe and is responsible for the transparent user logon feedback.
__
Illustration 7
The Enhanced Logon Feedback can be the source of logon issues. To find out if the logon feedback is
responsible for logon issues, it can be disabled through the following registry key:
Registry
System Key:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Citrix\Logon]
Value Name: DisableStatus
Data type: DWORD
Value: 1 (Disables the Enhanced Logon Feedback)
The process CtxHide.exe might be a problem as well (not so often). CtxHide.exe should also be
disabled when an Administrator wants to troubleshoot the logon script. If there is something not
working well in the UserLogon.Cmd, then the Administrator has no visible feedback about it. With a
temporary removal of CtxHide.exe from the AppSetup key, the Administrator will see once again
the execution of the logon script. If CtxHide.exe is the troublemaker, then it can be replaced with
other freeware tools like cmdow, runh etc.
__
Registry
System Key:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Currentversion\Winlogon]
Value Name: AppSetup
Data type: DWORD
Value: CtxHide.exe UsrLogon.cmd,CmStart.exe (remove CtxHide.exe)
2.9.1 References to Citrix Enhanced Logon Feedback
Explaining CtxHide.exe and hiding UsrLogon.cmd
Disabling the Enhanced Logon Feedback for ICA Client
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3 Citrix Presentation Server – Special case sessions remains active
After a user has ended a published application (not a Desktop) the Window is closed on the user side
but the session remains active on the server. This is due to additional programs that have been
started or issues with the seamless engine (wfshell). As a result the user is still logged on to the
server and a logoff never happened. Another login of the same user might not work (session limit
set) or might end with profile issues. The main reason for this is that additional programs are
started without the knowledge of the seamless engine, for example virus monitors, sms client,
single sign on, notes demons and so on. When a published application is closed the seamless engine
(wfshell) will only close the programs that where started through wfshell; any additional programs
remain active and stop the logoff process from completing.
3.1 Analyzing disconnected sessions
__
You will notice the problem in the Citrix Management Console (CMC) or user problems to logon when
session limits are in place. Reviewing the sessions will show a bunch of application as disconnected
(most likely for the same published application). Through the CMC or the task manager, the still
open processes are visible for the disconnected sessions.
Illustration 7
3.2 Troubleshooting
__
The main target is to figure out which additionally started process prohibits the graceful logoff from
the server. Use the CMC to open the session properties (or with task manager on the server) of the
stuck session and terminate the processes (not winlogon.exe and csrss.exe) one-by-one until a
graceful logoff occurs. Once you figure out which process frees up the logoff (let’s say it’s
“xyz.exe”) think about whether you really need that executable. If not, then delete it or uninstall
the application. If the executable is important then you can add a seamless engine registry flag
(LogoffCheckSysModules) to include the process for termination through wfshell. The seamless
engine reads the key at logon time and therefore the setting is active with the next logon.
Here an example fort he program xyz.exe
Registry
System Key:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Citrix\wfshell\TWI]
Value Name: LogoffCheckSysModules
Data type: REG_SZ
Value: xyz.exe (additional programs separated through comas. Example: App1.exe,App2.exe,App3.exe)
Find a detailed description in Citrix Knowledge Base Article CTX891671
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3.3 References
Graceful Logoff from a Published Application Keeps Sessions in Active State
Seamless Exception Registry Flags
4 Additional optimizations
There are a lot of other sources that can result in errors or slow down of the logon and logoff
process that comes from additional Software (Novell, SmartCard etc.), Service Packs, Hotfixes and
so on. Search all the related Software vendors Knowledge Bases about potential problems.
__
The following registry keys have shown to be helpful with the logon- and logoff process.
4.1 Extending the timeout for the Registry- Flush operation
Registry
System Key:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Session Manager\Configuration Manager]
Value Name: RegistryLazyFlushInterval
Value: 5 (Value should be between 30 and 60)
4.2 Starts the Desktop in it’s one process
Registry
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
Value Name: DesktopProcess
Value: 1
__
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Optimizing the Windows Logon- and Logoff process

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