An update to this post from AppSense –
The AppSense User Virtualization Service was introduced in EM 8.1 build 8.1.475.0 released June 2011
The AeDebug dependency issue was resolved in 8.1 build 8.1.591.0 released October 2011
Thanks for the info guys, so if you are upgrading to versions 8.1.591.0 or later, you don’t need to worry about the issue with the Registry key. However, the service name change still stands, so if you have other software that interacts with the Environment Manager service by name, you’ll need to check it’s all still working.
Somewhere between 8.0 and 8.2 (8.2, I think) AppSense renamed the AppSense Environment Manager Agent Service to the AppSense User Virtualization Service. There were also some changes to core process names to make them easier to identify, but the service one stands out slightly because some people using Group Policy or Group Policy Preferences to control the startup type and service failure suddenly found their policy objects were no longer working. I’m not sure whether custom rules in System Center Operations Manager to monitor the service are also affected, but there’s a chance they might be, so I’ve notified the clients I know that use SCOM to maintain AppSense service integrity. If you use SCOM or any monitoring tool that depends on the service name as a parameter, then it could well be time to check, if you’ve done the 8.2 upgrade.
Note – if you are using GPP to set the service properties, although the Display Name is AppSense User Virtualization Service, the service name is actually AppSense EmCoreService and this is the title you’ll need to make the GPP setting work . This had me confused at one client for a little while until I realized what was up. However, if you are using the GPO variant for service control – Computer Config | Windows Settings | Security Settings | System Services – the Display Name will do just fine.
Another potential issue to be aware of around the new service is that it needs the registry key HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AeDebug to be present in order to function correctly. If the key isn’t there, you’ll see the AppSense User Virtualization service start and then stop, with the message “The AppSense User Virtualization Service on the Local Computer started and then stopped. Some services stop automatically if they have no work to do, for example, the Performance Logs and Alerts service.” To rectify this, you’ll need to recreate the key. I’ve worked with a few clients who’ve hit this issue because back in the days when they were radically performance-tuning their XenApp servers, they had removed this key to disable the Dr Watson debugger (see this MS article). The removal of the key is mentioned in a few Citrix/Terminal Server tuning tips articles on the Internet, so don’t be surprised to find it missing at a lot of places!
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