Remote Desktop Refresh
- Is there any way to perform a remote desktop refresh for a SG Client? I was under the assumption that you could remotely connect to another SoftGrid PC using the Client Management utility and Right-Click/Refresh Server under Desktop Configuration Servers. (We're using ver. 4.2)
Also -- does anyone know how to remotely refresh the user's desktop via a command line? I'm assuming using SFTMIME.EXE or SFTTRAY.EXE?
Any insight would be much appreciated.
Ian
Answers
Ian,
I beleive there will be a way to do exactly what you want, it's just not available quite yet. Allow me to explain.....
Last year, Microsoft purchased DesktopStandard, and one of their products was a set of group policy extensions. Now, these extensions, which are going to be called the Group Policy Preference extensions, have not been released to the general public. They are available in the most current release of Windows Server 2008, however. Once they are released, you will be able to use them on, I beleive, Windows XP.
One of those Group Policy extensions allows you to run scheduled tasks, and one of the options you can choose is to "Run in the logged-on user's security context"
So, for your large scale small time window deployment, you could create a scheduled task to run at a specific time. That scheduled task would consist of the desktop refresh command, and you'll just need to check the little box on the 'Common' tab that tells the task to execute as the logged on user. (I think the tab might have a new name in Server 2008.)
Hopefully that is what you are looking for.
Eric Johnson
All Replies
Dear Ian,
what do you think about the usage of sysinternals tool psexec.exe and sftmime or sfttray.exe.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/PsExec.mspx
I think that could be a workaround.
Marc
- Hi Marc,
Exactly. I've tried using it... the problem seems to be that I cannot impersonate the user currently logged-in to refresh their desktop. But yeah, PSExec is exactly what I'd like to be able to remotely refresh a user's desktop with. (For example, during repid, seamless deployments)
Ian Hi,
You can run refresh from command-line using sfttray:
sfttray.exe /refreshall
/Kalle
- Hi Kalle -- You're correct, that works. However, if I'm using PSExec to remotely do a desktop refresh I can only do it for the user that I'm using to connect with and not the user currently logged into the machine. Do you know any way around this?
Ian Hi Ian,
Could you explain what your use case is? Then we may be able to give you a work around. Refresh has to be run in the user context so you need the user to launch it.
- Hi -- Absolutely. Right now we have a scripted pre-load for large scale deployments. We'd love to be able to script refreshing the user's desktop after the application has been loaded. This way we don't have to instruct users to perform manual desktop refreshes. Where this comes handy is doing large scale deployments in relatively small periods of time.
Also. There used to be an option in the older SoftGrid client to where you could use the SoftGrid Client Management utility to remotely connect to a client's machine and perform the desktop refresh for them. In our latest client (4.2.0) it appears that this option is no longer available. This is handy for our Help Desk when troubleshooting or adding SoftGrid applications -- they don't have to instruct the user to Right-Click Refresh or Logoff/Login.
I know to us it probably seems trivial, but you'd be amazed at how many nurses and hospital employees know what a "System Tray" is. =)
Thanks for the response.
Ian
OK, understood.
A couple of options:
Sequence an SFTMIME REFRESH (or sfttray) script and publish it to all users. They will still have to be told to launch it, but you could put it on the desktop.
The only automated way I can think of with out pushing a package is to set the Refresh Interval in the Default Provider policy. Unfortunately, that will refresh each interval (say 4 hrs) whether there are new packages or not.
Hopefully, there are some creative solutions out there.
Ian O'Robin wrote: . There used to be an option in the older SoftGrid client to where you could use the SoftGrid Client Management utility to remotely connect to a client's machine and perform the desktop refresh for them. In our latest client (4.2.0) it appears that this option is no longer available. This is handy for our Help Desk when troubleshooting or adding SoftGrid applications -- they don't have to instruct the user to Right-Click Refresh or Logoff/Login. By the way, Remote Refresh has never been a feature (well at least since 3.2 anyway)
- Hi -- Thanks for the response. The refresh policy was something we thought about as well... we just didn't want to set the refresh policy to 4 hours on all our desktops since it would seem a bit excessive to do when we only need this for large scale, small time window deployments. Ah well, for now it looks like instructing users to refresh their desktops may and/or logging/in-out is our only option...
I could've sworn it used to be a feature... but I could certainly be wrong. If not, it'd be a great feature to add =) I haven't tried it yet but why not use AT in a batch file.
AT \\{COMPUTERNAME} {TIME} /INTERACTIVE "C:\Program Files\SoftGrid.....\SFTTRAY.EXE /REFRESHALL"
I'll give it try tomorrow.
Gordon
Unfortunately. The interactive does not run as the user. The AT command does not work.
Gordon
Unfortunately the AT command interactive does not run as the user. It simply allows the user to see the popups.
Gordon
Hi Gordon -- Dang... that was a good idea. I tried it as well... no dice. Thanks for the help though.
I have created a small python script which can be used to do the remote refresh, but the only issue with that is that it needs user details (such as username & password) for which you wish to refresh the shortcuts.
If that helps you then i can upload it .
Thanks and Regards
Mayank Johri
Ian,
I beleive there will be a way to do exactly what you want, it's just not available quite yet. Allow me to explain.....
Last year, Microsoft purchased DesktopStandard, and one of their products was a set of group policy extensions. Now, these extensions, which are going to be called the Group Policy Preference extensions, have not been released to the general public. They are available in the most current release of Windows Server 2008, however. Once they are released, you will be able to use them on, I beleive, Windows XP.
One of those Group Policy extensions allows you to run scheduled tasks, and one of the options you can choose is to "Run in the logged-on user's security context"
So, for your large scale small time window deployment, you could create a scheduled task to run at a specific time. That scheduled task would consist of the desktop refresh command, and you'll just need to check the little box on the 'Common' tab that tells the task to execute as the logged on user. (I think the tab might have a new name in Server 2008.)
Hopefully that is what you are looking for.
Eric Johnson
- Dear Ian,
We use the command: sftmime /remove obj:app /complete /global . Though this is not a remote solution, but it might be possible to use it in a script or GPO.
C:\program files\microsoft application virtualisation client\sftcmc.msc then delete the apps and refresh the server is a second local method.
Kind regards,
Daniel - Hi,
so, while there seems to be no technical solution to enforce a remote Server refresh (at least if using "Native/Full infrastructure Mode". This is different for an ESD integrated or SCCM integrated scenario).
Though users don't always understand the concept of the SystemTray, they usually know how to log on again or how to start an application from the Desktop or Startup Menu.
I think it is affordable to ask a user to log off and on again in order to get a new application. Because this is not always possibe (Hospitals sometimes use shared desktops) I would evaluate placing a "Refresh" shortcut to the startmenu or Desktop.
I asume that users either need an instruction to "do something" in order to use the newly published application or they explicitely ask for a new application and then they should be willing to "press a button" to get one.
Alternatively, a web based access method could be established, that offers the list of applications inside a Browser.
(Like Softricity ZeroTouch once wanted to offer). You may have a look onto immidio's AppScriber that can do this (www.immidio.com). However, this approach of course would imply a significant change in the way users access their applications.
Falko
