Terminal Server Installation

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derchef1959
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Terminal Server Installation

Post by derchef1959 »

Hi there

we are using PDFXchange as a our standard PDF Printer for quite some time as this is the only software I know which is able to attach a predefined file to the PDF, a feature we need here.

We have change to Windows 2008 Terminal Server and - assuming it was legal judging from the mods comments in this forum - installed it on the Terminal Server. The printer is available but the office add in (MS Office 2010 Terminal Server version) does not really work, at first it worked only for one terminal user but then I started to pull the relevant PXCOfficeAddin4Toolbar.dot into the templates it works on some of the user, others do not work or even crash office.

The plugin was installed on a standard path C:\Program files\Tracker Software\PDF-XChange 4\pdfSaver, the relevant dot is on a different position...
can you help please ?
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Paul - Tracker Supp
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi derchef1959,

yes it's legal to use the software on a Terminal Server, as long as you have licensed all users appropriately, either install in free mode and pass out your serial key to only those who will use it or use your permissions to limit access to only those who are licensed. See this article for detail: https://www.pdf-xchange.com/knowled ... nal-Server

Regards the .dot file - we use this to make the Word Addin start a little faster. Can you remove all instances of PXCOfficeAddin4Toolbar.dot and report if this resolves the issue please?

hth
Best regards

Paul O'Rorke
Tracker Support North America
http://www.tracker-software.com
derchef1959
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by derchef1959 »

I will do that and reply

meanwhile I have a bigger problem: as the Word plugin keeps disappearing we simply choose the pdf printer from the word printer dialog, as we are using pdf xchange for sometime we have stored the relevant settings in a profile, I am able to load the profile and make this as the one used, however once Word is restarted, the pdf printer jumps back to the standard settings in other word it keeps forgetting the other profile...

I need to have several things preset like security and most important append file to pdf..

Can you please advise ?
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Tracker Supp-Stefan
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by Tracker Supp-Stefan »

Hello derchef1959,

Please try to set a default profile through Start -> Devices and Printers -> PDF XChange 4.0 -> Printing Preferences - and it should be used as the default profile each time Word is restarted.

Best,
Stefan
derchef1959
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by derchef1959 »

Hi Stefan

thank your for your quick reply I will try that and report...

I have taken the dot file out, effect: no Office Plugin in Word available..

I guess this is Terminal Server access rights bullsh.t
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Paul - Tracker Supp
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi derchef1959,

it could be permissions, hard to say from what we are seeing. Can you see the Add-On in Excel and Powerpoint?
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Paul O'Rorke
Tracker Support North America
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derchef1959
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by derchef1959 »

Hi Paul


first of all: the settings problem is solved thank you so much..

As to the add in:
havent checked Excel etc. so far. The funny thing is: it does work for some Terminal Users and for others it does not, I pretty sure that the security settings of word are the same for all thoses users...

I am not a big server administration expert, but is it possible that the relevant dll only accepts a limited number of users to handle it ?

Under a workstation installation every users has its one dll whereas under the Terminal User installation every user has access to the same dll...


just my two cents..
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Paul - Tracker Supp
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi derchef1959,
is it possible that the relevant dll only accepts a limited number of users to handle it ?
I don't believe so. I will get confirmation but it is my understanding that any limitation would be dictated by system resources not an inherent limitation in the DLL itself. A terminal Server

So you have a better understanding of the Terminal Server functionality, here is an overview of how PDF-XChange settings are accessed on on a Terminal Server:
  • Install the software as Admin with the usual Terminal Server caveats, change user \install, console not an RDP session, no users logged on etc
  • Settings are stored in the registry in LOCAL_MACHINE.
  • User launches PDF-XChange and it will look to the registry for this CURRENT_USER and if it has settings will use them, if not is will pull them from LOCAL_MACHINE and set them in the CURRENT_USER hive.
It might be a valuable test to delete the Key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Tracker Software for the user with issues and have them start the program again. It shuld copy reg settings again. Normally I wouldn't suggest this but the fact that you have only some user's experiencing this suggests to me that the installation and settings in LOCAL_MACHINE anr good.

hth
Best regards

Paul O'Rorke
Tracker Support North America
http://www.tracker-software.com
derchef1959
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by derchef1959 »

Paul - Tracker Supp wrote: Install the software as Admin with the usual Terminal Server caveats, change user \install, console not an RDP session, no users logged on etc
hmmm what do you mean by
change user \install ?

The only access I have to the Terminal Server is via remote desktop so it is a rdp session...

when we first installed pdf xchange as admininstrator no users were logged on..
Paul - Tracker Supp wrote: [*] User launches PDF-XChange and it will look to the registry for this CURRENT_USER and if it has settings will use them, if not is will pull them from LOCAL_MACHINE and set them in the CURRENT_USER hive.[/list]
We are only using the printer driver so what exactly do you mean by "user launches PDF-XChange" ? The trouble is as I see it that the relevant word for users with problems does have the dll as add in but this dll is not loaded properly... do you mean by launching after changes in the registry to activate the dll in word again ?

Maybe I do not make myself clear enough: I want that every user has the PDFXChange buttons in the toolbar in word, see attached screenshot...

I have done some tests and the situation is like this:

some users do have the word plugin no problem at all
for some users I may choose the plugin dll and the word plugin is available but once word is restarted the dll is not loaded
for some users choosing the plugin dll does not bring up the word plugin at all on some users activating the dll will crash word...
it seems to restricted to word, I have checked one user who has no word plugin but excel is perfect...

mind you this a brand new server with brand new users.....

is licensing a problem we bought a 15 user licence some time ago with just one key....
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Paul - Tracker Supp
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi

change user /install is a command line switch to set the Terminal Server into 'Install Mode' for Terminal Services 2003 and older - I will check what 2008 requires. There are conditions that need to be met when installing software on a Terminal Server that ensure that the registry keys are put in the correct place and then propagated to users correctly. I want to ensure that the installation was done according to these requirements.

Now I must confess that my training and experience predates Server 2008 so I will check that out now and confirm that the installer for our PDF-XChange Standard works in 2008 as expected.

If a clean installation on Server 2008 works as expected then my suggestion would be to perform that installation again to clean up the issues you are seeing with user access to the Add-On (and DLLs).

I should be able to get that done today. Can you confirm that this is on Server 2008 and not Server 2008 R2? They are different.

regards
Best regards

Paul O'Rorke
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derchef1959
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by derchef1959 »

Its a 2008 R2 server version
I had the IT guys to install the pdfxchange so I guess they knew how to do it properly....
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Paul - Tracker Supp
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Thanks derchef1959,
I had the IT guys to install the pdfxchange so I guess they knew how to do it properly....
I expect this is true. :-)

I will test a 2008 R2 installation. It's late in the day now and setting this up is not trivial. I hope to get it done tomorrow - if not early next week.

hth
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Paul O'Rorke
Tracker Support North America
http://www.tracker-software.com
derchef1959
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by derchef1959 »

Paul - Tracker Supp wrote: It's late in the day now and setting this up is not trivial. I hope to get it done tomorrow - if not early next week.

hth
hey Paul I am more than grateful for all your efforts so far at least the users can work as they can use the pdfxchange with the word printing dialog with the correct settings, the word plugin not working is a "luxury problem" as we say over here:it will make things easier but is not crucial for using the product

So take your time and if I knew where u r I'd buy you a drink or two...
derchef1959
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by derchef1959 »

Paul - Tracker Supp wrote:
I should be able to get that done today. Can you confirm that this is on Server 2008 and not Server 2008 R2? They are different.

regards
any news Paul ?
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Hi

I just heard from the Developer that is working on this that we cannot find any reason why the addin does not load in Word on your Terminal Server. It looks like a problem with Word. Can you ask if the latest Office updates were done and if not ask them to be done for this?

Paul
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derchef1959
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by derchef1959 »

Paul - Tracker Supp wrote:Hi

I just heard from the Developer that is working on this that we cannot find any reason why the addin does not load in Word on your Terminal Server. It looks like a problem with Word. Can you ask if the latest Office updates were done and if not ask them to be done for this?

Paul
believe it or not, we kicked the first installation from the ts, re-installed it and big wonder: it seems to work, if it starts crashing again I will come back to you.

So far thank you so much for your support..
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Re: Terminal Server Installation

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

Thanks for the update derchef1959,

that's great news!
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Paul O'Rorke
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