This article describes the difference between earlier versions of Client Drive Mapping (CDM) and the version in Citrix XenApp 6.0 and 6.5.
Description
Versions prior Citrix XenApp 6.0, use the method of network mapping the local drive of the user. This method only mapped local drivers, not network drivers of the user machine. For users to be able to add network driver mappings they require a script to use the net use command and locate the drives from \CLIENT. With this method, the administrator is also required to create a log off script to delete these drives when the session is logged off. On XenApp 6.0, the CDM system uses a completely different mechanism; it uses the concept of redirection; the same concept used with Microsoft Remote Desktop connections.
Simple things to know about the client drive redirection:
- Mapped drives are classified inside the session as Network Drives; redirected drivers have no specific Windows category so they are classified as Others.
- Before, users had to create scripts to add the network drives in the ICA session; this is not required with redirection. The only setting the user needs to modify would be the policy to allow redirection for network drives on the client’s workstation.
- If an application depends on searching in the network drive, the application will fail. Redirected drives are not searchable by applications; in this case the user would require searching \CLIENT inside the session and mapped the desired drive. This can be done manually or by script.
Product Differences
Changes of Client Drive Mapping (CDM) now called Citrix Drive Mapping Redirector (CDMR) on XenApp 6.0 and 6.5 on Windows Server 2008 R2.
Service
Location: HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetServices
Network Provider
Location: HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlNetworkProviderOrder
View on Explorer
In this screen, the drive is being redirect instead. There are two things in this screen that are important, the Q disk is really a network drive being redirected and the drives are recognized as Others, because the drives are not mapped, only redirected; the same way it works in Remote Desktop connections.
Components of Client Drive Mapping (CDM), from Presentation Server 4.5, XenApp 5.0 for Windows Server 2003 and XenApp 5.0 for Windows Server 2008.
Service
Location: HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetServices
Network Provider
Location: HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlNetworkProviderOrder
View on Explorer
In this screen, it is clear that the drives are being mapped, that is why they are recognized as network drives.
Read the original KB article here.