Known Issues

Known issues and limitations that may be encountered when using Alchemy.

Shell Extensions

The following are limitations in the current Alchemy offering regarding packaging and virtualisation of Windows Shell Extensions. This includes features such as context menus and file associations. If any of the following scenarios are encountered, contact Cloudhouse for assistance in finding a workaround.

1 – Not all shell extension types are supported

There are many different kinds of shell extensions available in Windows, but not all are supported by Alchemy. Only context menu handlers and file associations are supported.

2 – Duplicate entries can be displayed in the right click context menu

If an application configures a right click context menu entry and that same context menu entry already exists on the target machine during deployment, the context menu will appear twice. One of these entries will be the pre-existing context menu entry and one will be the new entry installed as part of the Alchemy Compatibility Package.

There are multiple ways that these context menu entries can be configured. Depending on how they are configured, it may be possible to modify the text or icon in order to distinguish between the entries. It is recommended that Cloudhouse is contacted for support. The method through which the entry is added to the context menu must be established and then the icon or text changed based on which method was used.

3 - Virtualised application sometimes appears with the Cloudhouse name and logo in the "Open With -> Always use this app" menu

The virtualised application sometimes appears in the menu in which the user can select the default program for opening certain file types with the incorrect icon and text. When accessing the right-click context menu, you will be able to select the virtualised application from the Open With > Always use this app option, but depending on the method that the application uses to add itself to this list it can display with a Cloudhouse name and icon.

Fix: This issue was fixed as part of v4.7.2408.44127 of Auto Packager, released 30/08/2024. The original application icon and text is now displayed in the Always use this app menu. To resolve this issue, upgrade to v4.7.2408.44127 of Auto Packager. For more information, see Alchemy August 2024.

Drivers

Automatic driver detection is only available in certain environments, and some drivers still require installation via their dedicated installers (meaning they can't be entirely installed using an .inf file).

Logging

Customers running versions of Package Runtimes prior to version 4.7 may encounter an error when running packages due to the licensing hash changing. This issue is caused by a log file rolling into a new file when its size exceeds what is set in Cloudhouse.Container.Usage.exe.config, Cloudhouse.Container.Deployment.exe.config, Cloudhouse.Container.Run.exe.config, or Cloudhouse.Package.Management.exe.config. By default, log files roll into new files once they reach 10 MB. When a new file is created, the file extension changes, resulting in the invalidated hash. The resulting error looks like this:

This issue is not present in Package Runtimes 4.7 or newer. And it can be fixed manually in earlier versions by updating the Cloudhouse.Container.Usage.exe.config to include the property <preserveLogFileNameExtension value="true" /> as seen below:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
  <configSections>
    <section name="log4net" type="log4net.Config.Log4NetConfigurationSectionHandler, log4net" />
  </configSections>
    <startup> 
        <supportedRuntime version="v4.0" sku=".NETFramework,Version=v4.0,Profile=Client" />
    </startup>
  <log4net>
    <appender name="RollingFileAppender" type="log4net.Appender.RollingFileAppender">
      <file value="Cloudhouse.Usage.Log" type="log4net.Util.PatternString" />
      <appendToFile value="true" />
      <rollingStyle value="Size" />
      <maxSizeRollBackups value="10" />
      <maximumFileSize value="1MB" />
      <staticLogFileName value="true" />
      <preserveLogFileNameExtension value="true" />
      <layout type="log4net.Layout.PatternLayout">
        <conversionPattern value="%date %-5level %logger - %message%newline" />
      </layout>
      <lockingModel type="log4net.Appender.FileAppender+MinimalLock" />
    </appender>
    <appender name="ConsoleAppender" type="log4net.Appender.ConsoleAppender">
      <layout type="log4net.Layout.PatternLayout">
        <conversionPattern value="%date %-5level %logger - %message%newline" />
      </layout>
    </appender>
    <root>
      <level value="INFO" />
      <appender-ref ref="ConsoleAppender" />
      <appender-ref ref="RollingFileAppender" />
    </root>
  </log4net>
  <runtime>
    <assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="log4net" publicKeyToken="669e0ddf0bb1aa2a" culture="neutral" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-2.0.7.0" newVersion="2.0.7.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="System.Net.Http" publicKeyToken="b03f5f7f11d50a3a" culture="neutral" />
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="0.0.0.0-2.2.29.0" newVersion="2.2.29.0" />
      </dependentAssembly>
    </assemblyBinding>
    <AppContextSwitchOverrides value="Switch.System.Net.DontEnableSystemDefaultTlsVersions=false" />
  </runtime>
</configuration>