Question:

Now, with all three applications—App A, Adobe Reader, and Outlook—running remotely from the farm host, we observe that after emailing a report, Adobe Reader becomes unresponsive. Users are prompted with a ‘not responding’ message and are unable to close Adobe Reader, leaving it indefinitely frozen, although they can switch back to other applications and continue working.

This problem has been frequently reported lately. Despite rebooting the farm hosts and updating Adobe Reader to the latest version, the issue persists. Have you encountered a similar situation, or do you have any insights on resolving this non-critical yet persistent and bothersome problem?”

Answer:

In a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) farm setup, where applications are accessed remotely, it’s not uncommon to encounter issues of application unresponsiveness. The scenario described presents a particularly challenging situation where Adobe Reader, after being used to email a report through Outlook, becomes unresponsive and cannot be closed by the user. This issue persists despite routine maintenance and software updates.

The problem manifests when three applications—App A, Adobe Reader, and Outlook—are running concurrently on a remote farm host. After a report is emailed from within Adobe Reader, the application hangs, displaying a ‘not responding’ message. Users are unable to exit Adobe Reader, which remains indefinitely frozen, though they can navigate away to continue their work with other applications.

Possible Causes and Solutions

This persistent issue could be attributed to several factors, including but not limited to:

1.

Resource Allocation

: The RDP farm host may not allocate sufficient resources to handle the concurrent running of these applications, especially when performing memory-intensive operations like emailing large attachments.

2.

Application Conflicts

: There might be conflicts between Adobe Reader and Outlook, particularly with the plugins or add-ins used to facilitate the emailing of documents directly from Adobe Reader.

3.

Software Bugs

: Despite being updated, Adobe Reader could contain bugs that only surface under specific conditions, such as when interfacing with other applications like Outlook.

4.

Profile Management

: FSLogix, while robust, might have certain configurations that do not play well with the sequence of operations performed by the user.

To address this issue, consider the following steps:

–

Resource Optimization

: Ensure that the RDP farm hosts are adequately resourced to handle the applications in use. This might involve increasing memory allocation or optimizing the host configuration.

–

Plugin Management

: Investigate the plugins or add-ins that enable communication between Adobe Reader and Outlook. Updating or disabling certain plugins might resolve the conflict.

–

Isolate the Issue

: Attempt to replicate the problem with different user profiles and on different farm hosts to determine if the issue is widespread or isolated.

–

Contact Support

: Reach out to the support teams of the software providers. They might have insights or patches for known issues.

Conclusion

While the problem is non-critical, it is understandably frustrating for users. A systematic approach to troubleshooting—starting with resource checks and moving through software and profile management—can often reveal the root cause and lead to a viable solution. By addressing these issues, organizations can ensure a smoother, more efficient remote working experience for their staff.