Display problems with a PowerBuilder application deployed via Remote RDS

Question

Hello everyone,

We are encountering a problem with an application that we have developed in PowerBuilder and deployed via Remote RDS. The application is experiencing display issues that we are unable to resolve.

Problem Summary: When we try to access the application via Remote RDS, the application’s display is incorrect. Some windows do not open and require a second opening to appear. Some windows are hidden or ghost and suddenly appear. The display freezes when we leave the RDS window to switch to another application and come back (We manage to unlock by moving or changing the window…).

System Information:

• Server Operating System: Windows Server 2019 Standard
• Client Operating System: Windows 11
• PowerBuilder Version: Appeon PowerBuilder 2019 R2

What We’ve Already Tried: We tried to solve the problem by modifying our code to re-execute window.show() instructions in the window open events (Because Windows.show events in more advanced opening events are forgotten) ; but this modifies the standard triggering sequence of the window events and causes object initialization problems. Moreover, it forces us to have a specific version of the application while it works very well on both Windows Server and Windows 11.

We would be very grateful if someone could help us solve this problem. Thank you in advance for your time and help.

Best regards,

Pierre

Answer 1

Hello,

We appreciate you sharing the details of the display challenges you're experiencing with your PowerBuilder application in a Remote Desktop Services (RDS) environment. Please note that while our primary expertise resides in Microsoft technologies, we are somewhat limited in our knowledge about applications specifically developed in PowerBuilder. Consequently, our assistance primarily focuses on the RDS infrastructure and graphics-related aspects.

With that in mind, here are the key points for optimizing your RDS setup:

Optimizing RDS for Graphical Applications

1. Updating Graphics Drivers: It's crucial to ensure your server's graphics card drivers are up-to-date and configured for optimal performance with RDS. This step is fundamental for smooth graphical operations in a remote desktop scenario.
2. Exploring RemoteFX Capabilities: If your setup is compatible, enabling RemoteFX can be a viable solution to enhance the graphical experience in a virtualized environment. This can be managed through the Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration or Group Policy, focusing on the following path:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host

Regards,

Karlie

Answer 2

Hello Karlie,

Thank you for your reply. I tried to update display driver on server to :

And RemoteFX is activated. But the behavior remains the same.

Do you think VMware could be the cause of the problem?

Regards,

Pierre

Answer 3

If possible, test accessing the RDS server directly from a physical machine running Windows 11 to isolate whether the issue persists outside the VMware environment.

Answer 4

There's no problem when the application is run via a remote session directly on the server. This only with RDS.