[THIN] Re: Cursor blink rate in Windows 2003...
- From: "Brian Madden" <brian@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 18:41:52 -0500
Ron, Claudio, and I will all be attending the MVP Conference in Redmond in
about three weeks. We'll be sure to ask the developers then.
Hopefully that's not too long of a wait!
Brian
Brian Madden
brian@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
+1.202.302.3657
Visit www.brianmadden.com for in-depth Citrix, Terminal Server, and
server-based computing news and analysis, white papers, downloadable videos,
and product reviews.
-----Original Message-----
From: thin-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:thin-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Jeff Durbin
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 6:36 PM
To: thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [THIN] Re: Cursor blink rate in Windows 2003...
Man, that's lame. Thanks Microsoft!
> -----Original Message-----
> From: thin-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:thin-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sjolund, Dag
> Sent: Wednesday, 10 March 2004 4:57 p.m.
> To: thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [THIN] Cursor blink rate in Windows 2003...
>
>
> List Subscribers,
>
> In preparing for an upgrade of a Windows 2000 Server-based
> terminal services farm to Windows 2003 Server, I have run
> into an issue with the cursor blink functionality on the
> Windows 2003 Server platform. After talking with Microsoft
> Support, cursor blinking functionality is programmatically
> disabled by design on the Windows 2003 Server platform for
> RDP sessions. This was not the case on Windows 2000 and NT
> 4.0 based platforms. Microsoft's reasoning for this design
> is likely anchored in the historically well known issue of
> bandwidth implications relating to a blinking cursor, coupled
> with the desire to make RDP protocol as "thin" as possible by
> default. Even though the cursor blink issue only had
> bandwidth implications in certain environments, the global
> disabling of this "feature" has ramifications in environments
> where available bandwidth is a non-issue. Does anyone have
> any connections with the right people at Microsoft to get
> something like this addressed? I have an active case with MS
> Support on this issue, though it is currently in a "We
> can't/won't change this functionality"
> stage. The support rep is trying to address the issue
> through proper MS Support channels, but I figured I would try
> to assist him with some help from this distinguished forum.
> The cursor blink rate issue is a big one as it relates to
> window/field navigation, especially for visually impaired
> users, and though a minor detail configuration wise, is a
> show stopper for the overall solution. Someone with the
> right connections please respond.....please.... Did I say
> please? I'll attach an e-mail that I sent to MS Support for
> those who are really interested. For those who are not,
> sorry for temporarily taking up ~25K in your inbox.
>
> Dag Sjolund, MCSE, CCNA, CCA, CISSP
> Senior Systems Engineer
> Best Western International, Inc.
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> __________
> _
>
> [MS Support Rep],
>
> The issue that we are experiencing with the CursorBlinkRate
> feature on Windows 2003 Server may have adverse implications
> on proceeding further with Windows 2003 Server-based Terminal
> Services implementations in our environment. Best Western
> International, Inc., THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN(r),
> currently utilize a multi-server, multi-farm Windows 2000
> Advanced Server Terminal Services solution to provide call
> center functionality for all Central Reservation Centers worldwide.
> =20
> Though potentially viewed as a minor detail in the overall
> solution, one of the vital requirements of this solution is
> for the call center agents to at all times be able to
> identify where in their call center applications they have
> navigated. This is especially true for agents that are
> visually impaired and/or have other physical challenges
> relating to mouse movements and keyboard operation. With the
> Windows 2000 Server platform this was a non-issue, as the
> cursor blink rate was a functional and adjustable setting,
> that could be tailored to the target Terminal Services environment.
> =20
> This brings us to the issue at hand: In Windows 2003, the
> cursor blink functionality has been globally disabled for the
> purpose of optimizing bandwidth usage of the RDP protocol and
> Terminal Services. As one can surmise, this means that even
> in scenarios were available bandwidth is not an issue, this
> feature cannot be enabled. In Best Western International's
> Terminal Services environment, cursor blinking has by design
> been enabled since the release of Windows NT 4.0 Terminal
> Server Edition, and is currently enabled in the Windows 2000
> Server-based implementation. The Terminal Services
> environment spans multiple LAN/WAN architectures, including
> Dial-up modem connectivity, DSL/ADSL, Frame Relay circuits,
> T1/T3, and 100/1000Mb LAN segments. The individual servers
> routinely handle 250+ concurrent Terminal Services sessions
> without performance issues. At no point have we experienced
> issues relating to bandwidth usage as a result of the cursor
> blink feature.
> =20
> In summary, and judging from the numerous responses received
> from posts on newsgroups and other support forums on this
> topic, this issue is one that impacts decisions regarding the
> feasibility of Windows 2003 as a Terminal Services solution.
> The suggested behavior for the cursor blink feature would
> mirror the functionality on the Windows 2000 Server platform,
> but with one small adjustment: The cursor blink feature is
> enabled and adjustable, but the default behavior should be
> set to "no blinking" (-1).
> =20
> Please investigate if would be possible to submit this case
> as a justification for a patch or revision of the associated
> code. Below are details of the issue experienced. Let me
> know if you have any questions or concerns.
> =20
> Thanks,
> =20
> Dag Sjolund, MCSE, CCNA, CCA, CISSP
> Senior Systems Engineer
> Best Western International, Inc. - THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL
> CHAIN(r) =20
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------
> --------
>
> =20
> Summary of issue at hand:
>
> Platform: Windows 2003 Server Enterprise Edition with all
> updates, upgraded in place from Windows 2000 Advanced Server
> SP3. Running native Terminal Services (RDP 5.2).
>
> Symptoms: User profiles retained the pre-upgrade
> CursorBlinkRate settings, but cursor is not blinking at all.
> The users are able to change the Cursor blink rate setting
> Control Panel's Keyboard applet properties, but it has no
> actual effect on the blink rate. Cursor blinking and the
> functional adjustment of this value seems to be globally
> disabled. There are no "override" string values in the
> HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal
> Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp\UserOverride\Control Panel\Desktop key.
> Adding a "CursorBlinkRate" string value with a desired
> millisecond value in this key has no effect.
>
> =20
>
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