Citrix Installation

Performance Issues

Citrix

01/22/2001 - All Citrix/Terminal Services users must use Check Factory v 2.45.11 or above. The TEMP folder requirement is no longer required. Failure to use the new release may result in output problems when two users are printing simultaneously.

5/1/1998 - Check Factory v 2.30 and below are incompatible with Citrix WinFrame networking. Check Factory versions 2.31 and above are compatible. We strongly suggest that you download the latest version from the File Downloads page.

Check Factory is compatible with Citrix provided the following conditions are met: 

You are using Check Factory v 2.45.11 or above. DL it from our web site: File Downloads

Each Citrix client must have: 

1. Its' own Windows directory that only it can see. The Check Factory CFUSER.INI file is stored there. 
   
2. Its' own Check Factory printer driver that must print to a file (port) in the clients' user directory. You must then  open the CF Settings menu and point Source, Destination and Lastfile to the clients' USER directory). 
   PLEASE SEE #1 below..

Bottom line is, Check Factory expects to be running in an environment similar to a stand alone PC with directories that only it can see and a printer driver that will print to a file in the clients' user directory.. 

How do I install Check Factory on the Citrix server?

You must install Check Factory on the server when the server is in INSTALL MODE. Make sure you have Administrator rights.  Click on Start, Settings, Control Panel, Add/Remove programs. Install Check Factory from the floppy disks using the Add New program feature.

How do I set up Check Factory for each user?: 

1. Set up a Windows printer on the server for EACH user: 

When you add a printer in a Citrix server environment, the printer driver can only see drives from the server perspective. No matter how you map drives for a client, the printer drivers will never see the client drive mapping. It is essential to understand this! It is impossible to setup one printer that can be used with all clients.

Printer drivers on the server DO NOT recognize or utilize client environment variables such as %homedrive%, %homepath% etc. You cannot use them in the Port definition.

If you have 3 clients who will be using Check Factory on a Citrix system you must add 3 printers on the server, one for EACH client. Each printer will print to the LFECF000 file (port) in the clients' own user directory.

You will install 3 printers on the SERVER, each with a unique name that corresponds to the client user name. The printers will be replicated to each client when the client logs on.

Client Name:	Printer Name:	Printer Driver:	Port:
Bob	CF_BOB	HP Laserjet 4	J:\USERS\Bob\LFECF000
Mary	CF_MARY	HP Laserjet 4	J:\USERS\Mary\LFECF000
Joe	CF_JOE	HP Laserjet 4	J:\USERS\Joe\LFECF000

These printers are NOT in any way connected to the physical printer. Connecting to the physical printer is done in the Check Factory Print Menu.

How is Check Factory triggered?

When user Bob desires to print something that requires the use of Check Factory he will choose the CF_BOB printer. The print job will be placed in the LFECF000 file located in Bobs' user directory. Check Factory, running in another task will see that file and process it, ultimately printing it to the printer that is defined in the Check Factory Print menu, Define Align printers.

2. For EACH user, run Check Factory, select the Check Factory, Settings menu: 

(This tells the client's Check Factory program where to find the print job to process)

3. Check Factory will only operate correctly if the Port of the "Check Factory" printer, "CF_BOB" in this case, is the same as the "Source File" defined in Check Factory, Settings.

Note:

In many cases a drive letter such as J:\ is already mapped to the clients' user folder so it is OK in this case to enter J:\LFECF000, J:\DESTFILE.000, J:\LASTFILE.000  for the source, destination and last file.

Check Factory does not recognize environment variables such as %homepath% etc.

Performance Issues:

Check Factory uses a polling method to look for the LFECF000 file generated by the accounting application and the windows print driver. On a PC workstation the polling interval of every 1 millisecond is not an issue. However the interval on a Citrix/Terminal Server is an issue and can slow down the server considerably. The interval may be adjusted by adding the line:

TimerInterval=xxxx

to the [Startup] section of the CFMASTER.INI file in the CFACTORY folder on the server where xxxx = the polling interval in milliseconds ( 1000ms = 1 second). The recommended value is 2000 - 3000.

The timer interval is displayed in the Check Factory, Settings window next to the Timer Event check box.

Thanks to Jim Rainsberger of www.Rainsberger.com for all his help with performance optimization in a Citrix environment.

If you have further questions you may call support at 352-591-1015.