Published Applications file type associations with Client Device Redirection from UNC/Mapped Network Drives

[alienjoker]

Hi,

We are looking to deploy published applications with Horizon View 7.0.2 but we seem to be getting a little stuck when trying to open files from the client device via the remote application if the file originated from on a network share.

For example, if I have file in C:\Temp called Hello.XLSX, if I right click and Open With (Excel - Horizon), it will duly go to the RDSH server and open Excel with the file on the client PC.

If however, I try the very same operation from a file that resides on either a UNC path or a mapped drive on the client, it throws up an error, largely in part because the remote app server doesn't have the mapped drive or has trouble understanding how to open a file that isn't technically on the client that originated the request. (within the logs you can see its attempt to open \\tsclient\XXXX but that isn't really going to work with a file that isn't physically on the client.

In the world of Citrix, they permit the use of relative paths so you can call the application with the UNC path (I believe by updating the application publishing variables) also in alignment with a Registry Key, but is there any way of doing this in VMware as all our users documents are stored on DFS and we would rather the users didn't have to open the published application first to then File/Open the document as it means extra button presses, education for the users.

Many thanks

Andrew

[grossag]

I worked on the file type association feature and asked the people who own the underlying technology (client drive redirection a.k.a. CDR) about this. They said that the inability to share network shares over CDR is a known issue. They have forwarded this request to the PM in charge of the feature for prioritization. You are welcome to file a SR with VMware as well to help track the issue, but engineering is aware of the ask.

[alienjoker]

Thanks, this is a pretty basic requirement for any Enterprise organisation and I'm surprised it has taken so long for VMware to consider implementing this. Most organisations use some method of folder redirection and therefore omitting something so core and key to application behaviour is a big show stopper for mass adoption of application delivery. I can't imagine having to re-educate users that they must click "File/Open" every time they want to open a file that resides on a network share or for that matter, reconfigure everyones Horizon Client "Sharing" and adding each and every mapped drive. In any case, if the network location is in fact a UNC path, you aren't currently even able to add that as something that will be accessible via the published application as the Add button only offers the presence of fixed drive letters.

For the uptake of cloud based application delivery, this is potentially a big show stopper for many who rely on such basic functionality.

[HendersonD]

This is a big show stopper for us as well. Telling users to open the application first, go to the File menu and choose Open and then maneuvering to a home directory of shared drive to open the proper file is just too much. Double clicking on a file directly from a shared drive/folder location and having it open in the proper application is what all users are accustomed to.

In our environment, K12 Education, Chromebooks have become very popular. Even on a Chromebook users need to occasionally launch a Windows application. Right now there is some painful compromises whether using HTML5 or the ChromeOS client and accessing a full desktop via View or host application via RDS. The file type association together with the lack of USB redirection makes this approach very difficult.