Server 2019 Seamless Publish App runs SelfService.exe and Receiver.exe causing unexpected session roaming

[Cory Allen1709157910]

We have recently transitioned from a 2016 Published Desktop and Apps to a 2019 Published Desktop and Apps on CVAD 2305.  Our Desktop image includes CWA 2203 CU2 so that users that run a published desktop can launch CWA and run additional published apps from the Desktop.  This Desktop image also includes published apps such as Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. that can be run seamlessly outside of the desktop. This worked perfectly fine from Server 2016.  Now with Server 2019, same policies, same delivery group, etc when a user launches a seamless office app such as Outlook we can see that additional processes run that didn't run from the 2016 environment.  Notably items in the HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run key and some additional Receiver processes like "c:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\ICA Client\receiver\Receiver.exe" -autoupdate -startplugins -disableshowcontrolpanel followed by an additional "c:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\ICA Client\SelfServicePlugin\SelfServicePlugin.exe", etc.  This then will cause any apps to roam to this session which we do not want to have happen.  

 

Do we know if this new behavior is expected?  Is it configurable?  Can we prevent it from happening on Seamless Published Apps?

[Jeff Riechers]

Are those apps running on the same server?  Or are they running on a different server?  If they are published apps from the same server you can use the vprefer function and they will run directly without starting a secondary session.

 

Are people running published apps outside of the desktop?  Or just inside.  If you don't want particular published apps from roaming into the desktop you will need to setup some form of app hiding via  custom storefront store, or disable the delivery group session roaming from powershell.

[Cory Allen1709157910]

On 12/19/2023 at 3:40 AM, Jeff Riechers1709152667 said:

Are those apps running on the same server?  Or are they running on a different server?  If they are published apps from the same server you can use the vprefer function and they will run directly without starting a secondary session.

 

Are people running published apps outside of the desktop?  Or just inside.  If you don't want particular published apps from roaming into the desktop you will need to setup some form of app hiding via  custom storefront store, or disable the delivery group session roaming from powershell.

Thanks Jeff,  The apps are running on the same server.  I think even if you take the published desktop out of the equation then even just having CWA installed on the same image causes it to run unexpectedly on the 2019 image when launching published apps.  When we launched the same apps from 2016 (also with CWA installed on the image) then the receiver executables would not launch.  So to answer the the rest of your question session sharing all works as expected as these apps are launched inside and outside of the desktop.  Inside the desktop we expect CWA processes to run as we require that they launch certain published apps within a published desktop.  Outside the desktop we allow basic MS Office apps to run independent from a full published desktop over a gateway connection.  Only now when a user launches a published MS Outlook or Word or Adobe Reader, etc we get additional processes now of which cannot be ignored because the reconnect apps argument will roam other sessions incorrectly and unnecessarily. 

[Cory Allen1709157910]

OK.  I think this all revolves around Shellbridge and how it's handling Startup Apps (run keys).

https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX573346/sessions-not-logging-out-after-enabling-shellbridge

I am going to use this workaround for now plus I want to upgrade to 2311 to see how this other issue has been resolved:

Quote

If shellbridge is enabled, you might not be able to log off from a session by clicking the X icon on the window. [CVADHELP-23425]

 

[Cory Allen1709157910]

No change in 2311.  We will disable the startup apps for now though which is working.  Side note, after updating the VDA to 2311 the logons became unbearably slow.  Going to save troubleshooting that for another day.  Rolling back to 2305.