Common Problems faced while recording Citrix ICA script in Vugen

Question: When recording against a Citrix Nfuse website using Multi-Protocol, after clicking on the published application icon to create a connection to the Citrix server, an SSL Certificate Error appeared.

Solution:  To get past the errors please do the following:

a.            In the port-mapping tab, delete the current entry for port 443 and add the following 2 entries as shown:

b.      The port-mapping tab should look like the following after both entries are entered.  Be sure to UNCHECK the entry for the Citrix server.

c.    Record a new script and the error should not occur again.

Question: During recording, there is a window titled “ICA Seamless Host Agent” that pops up.When manually logging into the application there is no such popup.

Solution:This popup is a result of the mode that VuGen is recording in.The Citrix solution requires that LoadRunner record in this mode.This is an informative window popup and not an error.  To work around it, simply click on OK and it will go away.

Q.Internet Explorer disappears during a Multi protocol Nfuse recording as soon as the Citrix ICA client is launched.
S.Check to see if the machine has been set up to record against multiple processes.Go to the registry editor to;

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\AppInit_DLLs

and check to see if it’s pointing to bbhook.dll.If it is then remove the entry and then reboot the machine.

Q.Internet Explorer disappears or crashes during a Multi protocol Nfuse recording as soon as the browser is launched.
S:Check to see if the machine has any Anti-Virus software running.Try shutting down the Anti-Virus services.If you have McAfee Anti-Virus installed, shut down the following services:

·AVSyncManager
·McShield

If you have Norton Anti-Virus installed, shut down the Norton Antivirus service from the services menu.

Q.The Citrix ICA client window is minimized after it is launched during recording.  Clicking on the icon on the taskbar does not bring it up.

S:Right click on the Citrix ICA Client icon on the taskbar and select maximize.This will bring the client back to the restored view. Adjust the window size as necessary.Do not minimize the Citrix ICA Client window during replay, as this will cause the same problem to occur again.

Q.The Recording Options in VuGen is NOT reflecting the changes being made in it.The user changes the information,clicks on OK, but when going back to the Recording Options the information is still not changed.
S.Click on the “Use Defaults” button to clear the information and then re-enter it again Or,you can go to the \dat directory and look for citrix_ro.ini.This file contains information from the Recording Options.Make sure the changes are being reflected here.

Citrix Protocol in load runner Recording Tips

When recording a script, be sure to follow these guidelines in order to create
an effective script.

Single vs. Multi-Protocol Scripts
When creating a new script, you may create a single protocol or multi-protocol script. If you plan to record a simple Citrix ICA session, use a single protocol script. When recording an NFUSE Web Access session,
however, you must create a multi-protocol script for Citrix ICA and Web (HTML/HTTP), to enable the recording of both protocols.

Record into Appropriate Sections
Record the connection process into the vuser_init section, and the closing process into the vuser_end section. This will prevent you from performing iterations on the connecting and disconnecting.

Run a Clean Session
When recording a session, make sure to perform the complete business process, starting with the connection and ending with the cleanup. End your session at a point from where you could start the entire process from
the beginning. Do not leave any client or application windows open.

Explicit Clicks
When opening expanded menu options, click explicitly on each option—do not depend on the expanding menu. For example, when choosing Start > Programs > Microsoft Word, be sure to click on the word Programs.

Do not Resize Windows
Although VuGen supports the resizing of windows during recording the session, we recommend that you do not move or resize them while recording. To change the size or position of a window, double-click on the
relevant Sync on Window step in the script’s Tree view and modify the window’s coordinates.

Make Sure Resolution Settings are Consistent
To insure successful bitmap synchronization, make sure that the resolution settings match. On the recording machine, check the settings of the ICA client, the Recording Options, and the Run Time settings. On the load
 generators, check the settings of the ICA client, and make sure that they are consistent between all load generators and recording machines. If there is an inconsistency between the resolutions, the server traffic increases in order to make the necessary adjustments.

Add Manual Synchronization Points
While waiting for an event during recording, such as the opening of an application, we recommend that you add manual synchronization points, such as Sync on Bitmap or Sync on Text.

Disable Client Updates
Disable client updates when prompted by the Citrix client. This will prevent forward compatibility issues between VuGen and newer Citrix clients that were not yet tested.

Windows Style
For Sync on Bitmap steps, record windows in the "classic" windows style not the XP style.

To change the Windows style to "classic":
1 Click in the desktop area.
2 Select Properties from the right-click menu.
3 Select the Theme tab.
4 Select Windows Classic from the Theme drop down list.
5 Click OK

In the next post will post some common problems faced while recording the ICA protocol.