Deploying Cloud Drive Mapper (CDM) in a virtual desktop infrastructure environment
CDM is fully compatible with (but not limited to) virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments such as Citrix and Remote Desktop Service Host (RDSH). Deploying CDM to these environments is a two-step process that entails installing the application and configuring a start-up method. After which, when you authenticate into your VDI environment, CDM starts up as soon as you sign in.
If you’ve enabled Single Sign-on (SSO) for your Microsoft 365 tenancy, CDM automatically signs in to your Microsoft 365 account and maps drives configured for you via Iris. If you’ve not enabled SSO for your Microsoft 365 tenancy, you must manually authenticate with your Microsoft 365 account. After that, subsequent CDM login attempts should be seamless, as your computer locally caches your authentication token.
Installing CDM
To deploy CDM in a VDI environment, you need to install it on a server that your users will connect to. For more information about installing CDM, please see Prerequisites and compatibility and Installing CDM on a standalone computer sections.
You can install CDM using the executable file (.exe) or the Microsoft Software Installer file (.msi). However, if you are capturing a master image for your VDI environment, we recommend using the executable file to install CDM on the master image. Using the exe file for the installation offers a more flexible installation process with custom options. Meanwhile, the msi is more suited for silent deployments.
During installation, we establish communication between our service running on the host and the CDM component users see in the system tray. We add an entry to the Windows Firewall and target it to our specific application and the remote address of its local subnet. In doing so, we ensure that this doesn’t add any additional exposure from the external network or interfere with existing firewall rules.
When you use a silent proxy or firewall to protect local communication between services on the same host, you’ll need to permit CDMCore.exe (from within the installation path) to communicate with CloudDriveMapper.exe in the same location.
CDM uses the gRPC protocol and will work on ports 50000-50100 by default. These are configurable start and end ports. The range in ports is because we have several interfaces, and each user session concurrently consumes a unique port within this range. Other software operating within this range is detected and ignored to prevent interference.
Configuring a startup method for CDM
By default, when you install CDM, a shortcut for the application is added to the Startup folder so that it can run automatically when you start your computer. However, unlike most other software applications, CDM needs to authenticate in the correct context (user rather than elevated command level) to map drives accurately. To configure a custom startup method for CDM, you will first need to delete the CDM shortcut from the Startup folder:
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Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
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Enter shell:common startup in the Open: box.
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Select OK to open the Startup folder.
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Delete the Cloud Drive Mapper shortcut from the Startup folder.
Where CDM is to be used in an "app front-end" environment, the user will have no interaction with it. Therefore, Single Sign-On (SSO) must be enabled so that CDM can auto-authenticate the user and map any required drives during the "app session".
After you have deleted the application shortcut from the Startup folder, you'll need to create a batch file and then configure a startup method for CDM by applying one of the following:
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Manipulating the Userinit registry key (the most successful and widely used method)
If you selected not to add a Start menu shortcut while installing CDM, the above steps do not apply. In this case, please create a batch file and configure a startup method of your choice.
Logging off from a published app environment
Occasionally, CDM can continue running on the server even after Graceful Logoff from a published application environment. To prevent this from happening, you will need to add the name of the CDM executable file to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Citrix\wfshell\TWI
Value Name: LogoffCheckSysModules
Type: REG_SZ
String: CDMCore.exe,Cloud Drive Mapper.exe
The LogoffCheckSysModules registry key relates to the Citrix Workspace software platform. It allows you to specify which background processes should be checked during logging off any of your published applications.
