Autor: Edwin
Data: 2018-07-13 19:48:34
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We have a Mac user trying to connect via Winflector to apps in our office. The Winflector server runs on a Windows 10 machine. She connects to the server and gets the applications available to her, an Access database and an Excel spreadsheet, but when she double clicks on either one, the connection shuts down immediately. She can log in to the server again. I can log in from my Windows machine using her credentials and run the apps without problems. A few of our Mac users have worked through Winflector to run these apps without problems; several have had difficulty connecting to the server; this is the only one who has been able to log in but unable to run the apps. What can we do?
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Autor: rl (staff, linux)
Data: 2018-07-17 13:26:19
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We've heard similar reports from some users but we were never able to reproduce the problem on any of our machines. We suspect that it may be related with the increased security restrictions in newer macOS versions.
If you run Winflector directly from the DMG file then it may be helpful to copy the application from the DMG to any permanent location in your computer (like the desktop or the Applications folder). Otherwise, we will investigate the problem but at the moment we can't predict any expected ETA of the fix.
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Autor: Edwin
Data: 2018-07-22 19:36:45
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I've taken a few days to respond so that my Mac using colleague could have a chance to act on the DMG suggestion. She has now done so with the result that the client does not shut down on attempting to start a program, but programs still do not start (either Access or Excel). So, no joy.
At the same time I have been looking into using the browser based client, at least for my Mac users, but have been concerned that it may be less secure. What is you opinion on that? I have noted the subsequent post to the forum about the security of the internal http server, which I take it may be the same question.
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Autor: rl (staff, linux)
Data: 2018-07-23 18:27:56
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I've taken a few days to respond so that my Mac using colleague could have a chance to act on the DMG suggestion. She has now done so with the result that the client does not shut down on attempting to start a program, but programs still do not start (either Access or Excel). So, no joy.
Have you tried other applications as well? Is there a problem running all applications or just Access and Excel?
As I said above, we will take care of this but we can't help much at the moment. Please see the logs in your computers:
- Client (Mac): the file "~/Library/Application Support/com.winflector/guiclient/MacOS/logs/tcllog.txt"
- Server (Windows): all files in the directory C:\Winflector\server\applogs.
Please send them to us at support@winflector.com or maybe you just take a look and find the solution inside.
At the same time I have been looking into using the browser based client, at least for my Mac users, but have been concerned that it may be less secure. What is you opinion on that? I have noted the subsequent post to the forum about the security of the internal http server, which I take it may be the same question.
Yes, it's been answered in the other thread: the HTTP server is our own internal implementation. There is nothing to steal, nothing to inject, no commands to hack. Plus there is a SSL layer and our own encryption algorithms.
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Autor: Edwin
Data: 2018-07-24 22:55:51
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Two things to add:
My colleague has tried the browser based client and has had the same result. Tht is, the client comes up but the Access program does not riun.
In case it may be of use to you, she is using a MacBook Air running on High Sierra version 10.13.6.
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Autor: rl (staff, linux)
Data: 2018-07-25 13:51:50
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The browser based client is a totally different thing than the native client. If the Access program does not run in the browser based client then most likely it is not a Mac specific problem and the program does not run anywhere, including Windows. Are you able to test this on a Windows client? If you don't have another Windows machine it is possible to run the client on the server machine.
Regarding the browser based client: make sure you click the Run in browser button because Run causes the native client to be launched.
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Autor: Edwin
Data: 2018-07-31 16:33:50
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None of us who have accessed Access remotely via Winflector from a Windows machine has had any problems. However, the problem may be the particular Mac rather than Macs in general.
I've been waiting to post again until I had an opportunity to watch the server window on the host machine while my colleague tried use Winflector from her Mac. Part of the mystery for me with the browser based client is why she should have difficulty with the browser based client when the program is actually running on the host machine.
She is able to bring up the login page and successfully log in, seeing the programs available to her. (This much is actually true for her with the native client, too.) Those programs are the Access database and an Excel spreadsheet. When she clicks on Run in browser for the Excel program it starts and runs normally, showing one connection and one session in the server window. Closing that, she started the Access program. The server window briefly showed one connection and session and then reverted to zero. Clearly the Access program is making a demand on her Mac that the Excel program is not. One additional bit of info that I hadn't bothered you with before because it didn't seem important: The Access database is started via a .bat file that shows up in successive command windows on the client machine before Access launches. When I observe this process on the server when I am launching remotely from the client on my Windows computer, it shows one connection but 2 sessions, one I infer from the .bat program and one for Access. It would appear that on my colleague’s Mac the process does not make it through the .bat program (all of this running, of course, on the host machine).
The MacBook in question is a 2014 machine running macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 with 4G of memory. I do have another Mac user who has had the same experience. I don't know the age and specs of her machine.
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Autor: rl (staff, linux)
Data: 2018-08-01 15:08:46
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Hi Edwin,
I have good news: we have identified the problem with Winflector not starting on Mac and we are going to fix it. The optimistic answer is that it will be ready this week.
One additional bit of info that I hadn't bothered you with before because it didn't seem important: The Access database is started via a .bat file that shows up in successive command windows on the client machine before Access launches.
This is a different issue but the simple answer is: *.bat files will not work in the browser client. More generally: no text mode (command line box) will work, even if it uses the console only to launch a GUI application. You must use a graphical emulator of a console box and run the script inside. If your .bat file consists of a single command (even if it is long) then try to use this command directly instead.
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Autor: rl (staff, linux)
Data: 2018-08-01 15:34:39
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UPDATE: There is a way to run a batch file. Please try to use an extra option for Winflector. Create guiapp.cfg file in C:\Winflector\server folder (C:\Winflector\server\guiapp.cfg), and add the line:
-consoleoff
After that, .bat file should be executed on the server and the console window will not be displayed.
See the documentation: Specifying application options in guiapp.cfg configuration file.
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Autor: Edwin
Data: 2018-08-01 19:30:53
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Good news, indeed. We will stay tunred.
And this explains why the Excel file started and the Access file did not (really the batch that didn't run).
Thanks VERY much.
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Autor: rl (staff, linux)
Data: 2018-08-02 15:43:27
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Edwin, I'm sending you the update instructions by email.
To everyone else reading this thread: the fix will be included in the next public release (3.9.6.3).
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Autor: Edwin
Data: 2018-08-04 03:15:06
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I'm happy to report that, at least for the Mac using colleague I had be working with, the fix did indeed work. Thank you very much.
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