Agent in CMD and UI mode
The Workspace Environment Management agent can run in CMD mode and UI mode.
When you configure the agent to run on logon, you can control whether to start it in CMD mode or UI mode. To do that, use the Agent Type setting, available on the Administration Console > Advanced Settings > Configuration > Main Configuration tab. For more information, see Advanced settings.
If you do not configure the agent to run automatically on logon, you (administrators or end users) can start the agent in CMD mode or UI mode on the agent machine. To do that, navigate to the agent installation folder and identify the following two .exe files:
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VUEMCmdAgent.exe. Lets you run the agent in CMD mode.
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VUEMUIAgent.exe. Lets you run the agent in UI mode.
Differences between CMD mode and UI mode
For CMD mode, be aware of the following considerations:
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When running automatically on logon, CMD mode displays a command prompt. CMD mode exits automatically after startup.
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On startup, CMD mode applies the user-assigned actions to the agent. Those actions include network drives, printers, applications, and more.
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Currently, CMD mode does not support any command-line operations.
For UI mode, be aware of the following considerations:
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When running automatically on logon, UI mode displays an agent splash screen.
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UI mode can present the following options:
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My Applications. Lets you view applications assigned to you.
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Capture Screen. Lets you open a screen capture tool. This option requires Enable Screen Capture on the Administration Console > Advanced Settings > UI Agent Personalization > Helpdesk Options tab to be enabled. For more information, see Helpdesk Options.
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Reset Actions. Lets you open the Reset actions tool to specify what actions to reset in the environment.
This option requires Allow Users to Reset Actions on the Administration Console > Advanced Settings > UI Agent Personalization > UI Agent Options tab to be enabled. For more information, see UI Agent Options.
- Manage Applications. Lets you open the Manage applications tool to manage applications.
This option requires Allow Users to Manage Applications on the Administration Console > Advanced Settings > UI Agent Personalization > UI Agent Options tab to be enabled. For more information, see UI Agent Options.
- Manage Printers. Lets you open the Manage printers tool to configure a default printer and modify printing preferences.
This option requires Allow Users to Manage Printers on the Administration Console > Advanced Settings > UI Agent Personalization > UI Agent Options tab to be enabled. For more information, see UI Agent Options.
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Refresh. Refreshes the agent, applying the user-assigned actions to the agent. Those actions include network drives, printers, applications, and more.
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Help. Lets you open a website through which you can ask for help.
This option requires Help Link Action on the Administration Console > Advanced Settings > UI Agent Personalization > Helpdesk Options tab to be specified. For more information, see Helpdesk Options.
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About. Displays information about the agent version.
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Exit. Lets you close the agent.
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To reset actions and manage applications and printers, you can directly use the following tools (available in the agent installation folder) without the need to use the agent in UI mode:
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ResetActionsUtil.exe. Lets you open the Reset actions tool.
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AppsMgmtUtil.exe. Lets you open the Manage applications tool.
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PrnsMgmtUtil.exe. Lets you open the Manage printers tool.
Key differences between CMD mode and UI mode:
- The CMD agent applies settings and then exits. You can configure the WEM agent service (Citrix WEM Agent Host Service or Citrix WEM User Logon Service) to start the CMD agent at a particular point in time (for example, logon or reconnect). If necessary, administrators can invoke the CMD agent manually.
- The UI agent keeps running. The Citrix WEM Agent Host Service starts or stops the UI agent. The UI agent provides self-service options to end users. We recommend that administrators do not launch the UI agent manually.
Note:
You cannot run the CMD agent and the UI agent at the same time in a session.