Citrix Receiver Login Problems May Be Very Common | Parallels RAS

Citrix Receiver Login Problems

citrix receiver login problems Citrix Receiver (now known as Citrix Workspace) is notorious for having login problems that are hard to troubleshoot. Because logins precede each user session, any extended delay at this stage instantly curtails user productivity.

It’s a complex web of multiple stages and services

Behind this seemingly simple login process are not only multiple stages that involve several internal and external servers and services (aside from Citrix Receiver itself) like the XML Broker, NetScaler, StoreFront, Delivery Controller, Session Host/VDI and Active Directory. Many of the stages run simultaneously. This means that when you attempt to troubleshoot a slow login, you can’t easily pinpoint exactly where the delay is coming from.

What stage is causing the delay?

Because of the many stages involved, you need to identify first which stage is causing the delay before you can troubleshoot the main issue. Is it when a session is being brokered? Is it while a virtual machine (VM) is being started? During client validation? During Group Policy or script execution? When an HDX connection is being established? During authentication? What if more than one stage is causing the delay? In order to resolve login problems, you need to possess a deep understanding of each stage and the analytical skill to zoom in on the root cause.

Tips for diagnosis

Citrix Monitor Service tracks the duration of each phase of the Citrix receiver login process, from the time a user starts establishing a connection to the time when the virtual desktop is ready for use. The different phases of the logon process include Brokering, VM Start, HDX connection, Authentication, GPOs, Logon Scripts, Profile Load and Interactive Session. This logon duration can be used to identify the login phase causing the delay and to troubleshoot Citrix receiver login problems.

To use the logon duration data, you must first install Citrix User Profile Manager and Citrix User Profile Manager WMI Plugin, and ensure that the Citrix Profile Management Service is running. For XenApp and XenDesktop versions that are older than 7.15, the GPO setting must be disabled. You must also ensure that you are using the default Windows Shell, explorer.exe. For interactive session drilldown, audit process tracking must be enabled. And for GPO drilldown, you may have to increase log size for operational logs.

The logon duration data panel can be viewed from the User Details view. The data either represents the current logon process or the time it took to log on to the current session if the user is already logged on. To figure out which stage is causing the delay, you can compare the current logon duration for each phase against its average logon duration of the past seven logins for the current user and also for all users in the same delivery group. After identifying the slow phase, you will be able to forward the query to a relevant person. Citrix receiver login problems are often caused due to issues like installing a new application, an OS update, configuration changes and high profile load. You can also have the user log in once again to re-generate the logon duration graph.

Business consequences of Citrix Receiver login problems

In today’s fast-paced environments, most applications are mission-critical. Downtime for mission-critical applications can have serious implications for businesses. A recent study found that the cost of downtime for mission-critical applications could very well be over $67K. Server downtime and employees facing system issues can significantly impact employee productivity and result in monetary losses for businesses. It’s important to address Citrix Receiver login problems in time to provide a seamless experience for employees.

Avoid Citrix Receiver login problems for good

The surest way to avoid Citrix Receiver login problems is by shifting to Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS). Parallels RAS not only comes with an uncomplicated architecture that’s less susceptible to login issues, but it’s also equipped with an AI-powered session pre-launch feature that enables ultra-fast user logins.

Download your 30-day evaluation period of Parallels RAS and get rid of your login problems today!

References:

EG Innovations | https://www.eginnovations.com/blog/two-easy-methods-for-troubleshooting-citrix-logon-issues/

24×7 IT Connection | https://24x7itconnection.com/2019/04/24/how-to-troubleshoot-citrix-logon-issues/

Spiceworks | https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/323694-citrix-receiver-enterprise-logon-problems

Carl Stalhood | https://www.carlstalhood.com/workspace-app-for-windows/