Microsoft KB Archive/938625

= How to troubleshoot problems with SoftGrid Client refresh operations =

Article ID: 938625

Article Last Modified on 8/13/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft SoftGrid for Terminal Services
 * Microsoft SoftGrid for Windows Desktops

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INTRODUCTION
In Microsoft SoftGrid Client, a refresh operation occurs when the client communicates with the SoftGrid Virtual Application Server (VAS) to obtain a list of the applications that the current user has permission to use. The client also obtains the icons and the file type associations for these applications. SoftGrid Client rebuilds the icons during each such operation.

Occasionally, a problem may occur with the refresh operation. Depending on the nature of the problem, you may not receive an error message when this problem occurs. In some cases, the refresh operation appears to finish without errors. For example, the SoftGrid Client Management Console may display the status of the refresh operation as Ongoing, and then display the status as On Logon without displaying an error message. However, the icons may not be created as expected.



MORE INFORMATION
Typically, refresh problems do not occur if a user is in the correct SoftGrid Users Active Directory groups for the correct applications, and the applications have been published correctly in the SoftGrid Server Management Console.

If you encounter behavior that suggests a failure to communicate with the SoftGrid VAS, follow these troubleshooting steps:
 * 1) Make sure that the VAS service is running on the VAS.
 * 2) Make sure that at least three instances of the Sftcore.exe process are running in the task list on the VAS.
 * 3) Telnet to port 554 on the VAS. Then, press ENTER several times to confirm that you receive an &quot;RTSP invalid&quot; response. This action verifies that the server is listening.
 * 4) Make sure that the users are in the correct Active Directory groups. These groups must be Global groups.

If the problem is not resolved after you follow these steps, you may be experiencing one of the following problems. Follow the appropriate additional steps in this article, depending on the problem that you are experiencing.
 * Icons are created. However, they appear as the SoftGrid default icon instead of as the correct icons. The SoftGrid default icon appears as an orange cube that contains orange balls.
 * Icons are not created even though the user is in the correct Active Directory groups.
 * XML parsing errors occur.

Icons appear as the SoftGrid default icon
Typically, this problem occurs when applications are not published correctly or when the client does not have access to the location where the icons are hosted. To resolve this problem, follow these steps:
 * 1) In the SoftGrid VAS Management Console, make sure that the icons are published by using UNC path names or by using HTTP paths. The icons should not be published by using local paths such as &quot;D:\Content\App\App.ico&quot;.
 * 2) Make sure that users have correct user rights to the location where the icons are hosted.

Icons are not created even though the user is in the correct Active Directory groups
Typically, this problem occurs when the .osd MIME type has not been created on the server that is running Internet Information Services (IIS). To resolve this problem, follow these steps:
 * 1) View the SoftGrid Client log file (Sftlog.txt). Look for entries that reference an inability to create applications and that contain a result code of  -200000194. This result code indicates that the .osd MIME type is missing.
 * 2) In the VAS Management Console, verify that the HTTP path of the application is correct.
 * 3) Start the IIS Management Console.
 * 4) In the console tree, right-click the server, and then click Properties.
 * 5) Click MIME types, and then Click New.
 * 6) In the Extension box, type OSD.
 * 7) In the MIME box, type application/softricity-osd.
 * 8) Click OK to close the dialog boxes.
 * 9) Right-click the server, point to All Tasks and then click Restart IIS.
 * 10) In the console tree, point to All Tasks and then click Restart IIS.

After you follow these steps, perform another refresh operation on the SoftGrid client. Then, determine whether the problem is resolved.

XML parsing error
When this problem occurs, you receive an &quot;XML Parsing Error&quot; error message during the refresh operation, and the operation never finishes. This problem is uncommon. However, it may occur after you upgrade VAS 3.x to VAS 4.x. Typically, this problem is caused by a special character in the application name. For example, the &quot;&&quot; in &quot;Spybot Search & Destroy&quot; can cause this problem. The XML parser in VAS 4.x is much more strict. In VAS 3.x, special characters in the application names may not cause this error.

Note The VAS Management Console does not let you import a new application that does not meet the XML requirements. Therefore, this problem does not occur in a complete VAS 4.x environment.

The XML code that fails is not contained in a specific .osd file. The code is included in the APPLIST code that is passed to the client during the refresh operation. In environments that consist of many applications, it may be difficult to find the application that causes the problem. To help find the application, follow these steps:
 * 1) Configure the logging level on the SoftGrid Client to Verbose.
 * 2) Reproduce the problem.
 * 3) Start Notepad, and then open the SoftGrid Client log file (Sftlog.txt).
 * 4) Use the Find feature to find &quot;.&quot;
 * 5) Copy everything from the  tag to the  tag. Include the tags.
 * 6) Paste the data into a new Notepad document or into an XML editor document.
 * 7) If you use an XML editor, the editor shows the number of the line that contains the error. If you use Notepad, save the document as an .xml file. Then, drag this file into Internet Explorer to display the XML code and the number of the line that contains the error.
 * 8) View the line that contains the error to find the application that is causing the problem. Look for a special character or a name that begins with a space.
 * 9) In the SoftGrid VAS Management Console, unpublish the application. Modify the package name in the .osd files to remove incorrect characters. If it is necessary, modify the names of the .osd files themselves. Then, republish the application.

After you follow these steps, perform another refresh operation on the SoftGrid client. Then, determine whether the problem is resolved.

Note Multiple applications may contain special characters.

Keywords: kbinfo kbtshoot kbexpertiseadvanced KB938625

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