Multiuser FE not allowing multiple users when published on RemoteApp

[hmhill17]

Have a MDB written for Access 2000 run time for Terminal Server. I moved it to Server 2008 and the 2003 Runtime. Up and running with a few growing pains. We then published it through RemoteApp. RemoteApp is not allowing multiple RemoteApp instances to run. If I open it on the server and then open another copy through RemoteApp, both run just fine.

Default open is set to Shared. It worked fine when everyone connected to the Terminal Server and ran it from a shortcut on the desktop. Does anyone know how to force RemoteApp to allow multiple runs?

It is currently published to RemoteApp using a batch file.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Does this setup give each user his own personal copy of the FE? I'm guessing it doesn't or there wouldn't be a problem. Access FE's should NOT be shared.

Tell this to your Citrix admin and he may be able to work out what to do:

When an Access application is opened, Access creates a lock file in the same directory as the Application .accde/etc. If Access is not able to create this lock file, Access will only allow exclusive usesince it cannot manage updates without the lock file. When each user closes his instance of the shared file, Access removes him from the logged in users in the lock file. When the last person logs out, Access deletes the lock file. In the original configuration, the app was running in each user's private directory and so he had permission to add/delete the lock file plus, no other user was sharing the same physical copy of the FE so there was no contention.

If RemoteApp cannot be configured to copy the FE to the user's private space, you can't run it that way.

 

[hmhill17]

Thanks for the info.

RemoteApp is set up with a batch file that opens the MDB. I'm betting that it's putting the ldb in the same folder once one person runs it so I guess that's the problem. However, it use to run in Terminal Server with multiple people using a desktop short cut to the same file so we assumed there wouldn't be a problem. Of course, there's no guarantee that more than one person ever used it at any one time.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Please let us know the resolution to this.

 

[hmhill17]

Right now I think it's differences between 2000 and 2003. I'm going to put the 2000 runtime on the server and see what happens.

Installing the 2000 runtime allowed me to run 2 copies of the mdb no problem. The third attempt to run appears to have timed out. I'm starting to think it's a licensing issue with Terminal Server/Remote App more than a problem with the application.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Very likely. Not only do you need terminal services licenses for every user but you also need the appropriate Office licenses. Versions of the Access runtime prior to A2007 required a distribution license. Is that installed properly? Don't ask me how to do it. The documentation that came with your developer's tools (or whatever it was called back then) should tell you what you need to do.

A better alternative since you are distributing with the runtime is to convert the app to A2010 and use that runtime engine which is free.