IBM Support

Window sizes change/shrink (and cannot be resized), plus font / text size changes, when using JAVA functions via Remote Desktop, caused by using Windows 8.1 option "Let me choose one scaling level for all my displays"

Troubleshooting


Problem

User's client PC is based on Windows 8.
User launches Windows Remote Desktop Connection (RDC), and connects to a Windows 2012 server desktop. From here the user launches the Controller 'local' client. User logs into Controller.
  • Everything looks OK initially.
However, if the user launches a Java based function (for example 'Command Center', 'Maintain Jobs > Define' or 'Help > System Info') then:
1. The entire window shrinks and cannot be resized larger again
2. Some fonts may become unreadable (because they no longer fit into their boxes and are cropped)

Symptom

Steps to reproduce the problem:

1. Logon to a Windows 8.1 machine

2. Open 'Control Panel'

3. Click 'Appearance and Personalization'

4. Click 'Display'

5. Enable (tick) the box 'Let me choose one scaling level for all my displays'

6. Choose 'Custom Option'

7. Select: 150

8. Apply.
9. Reboot the Windows 8.1 PC

10. Use the Microsoft RDC client to remotely connect to a Windows 2012 Server (for example the Controller application serveR) with has the Controller local client (CCRLocalClient.MSI) installed

  • IMPORTANT: *** Using this MSI installed version of Controller Client (CCRLocalClient.MSI) is essential ***
 

11. Launch the Controller local client

12. Click 'Company > Command Centre'

  • As it opens, you will see the Command Centre and the whole Controller windows shrink.
 

13 Click 'Help > System Info' (or any other session where text appears)

  • Note that the fonts are all cropped and hard to read:

Cause

Limitation of Controller, triggered when display scaling has been configured to be different from 100%.
  • TIP: For more details of this limitation, see separate IBM Technote #1079895.
Example:
All of the following are true:
(1) End user's PC using Windows 8
(2) End user's PC has the option "Let me choose one scaling level for all my displays" enabled:

(3) User runs Controller remotely on a Windows 2012 server, connecting via Windows Remote Desktop Connection (RDC)

Environment

This problem has been seen under the following combination of environments:
  • Controller 10.2 or higher
  • Windows 8 or higher connecting to a remote Windows 2012 Server.

Resolving The Problem

Fix:
Use 'Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager' (RDCM) instead of RDC (to connect to the remote Windows 2012 server)).
  • In other words, use RDCM to remotely connect to the Windows 2012 server where the MSI installed version of Controller client is launched.

TIP: At the time of writing, RDCM may be obtained from:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=21101


Workaround:
In one real-life environment, it was found that the problem did not occur if the user launched the Controller client (ccr.exe) directly from the following location: ...\program files\ibm\cognos\ccr_64\webcontent\ccr\ (on the Controller application server).
  • For example, create a a desktop shortcut to that location.

[{"Product":{"code":"SS9S6B","label":"IBM Cognos Controller"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU059","label":"IBM Software w\/o TPS"},"Component":"Controller","Platform":[{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Version":"10.2.0;10.2.1","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB10","label":"Data and AI"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
09 October 2019

UID

swg21883699

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