[KB8062] Recommended settings for ESET Server Security for Microsoft Windows Server installed on a terminal or Citrix server

Issue

  • Configure ESET Server Security for Microsoft Windows Server installed on a terminal or Citrix server

Details

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To optimize the performance and usability of ESET Server Security for Microsoft Windows Server on terminal or Citrix servers, adjust selected default settings.

Solution

  1. Disable the ESET Server Security for Microsoft Windows Server graphic user interface (GUI) to prevent the main program window from opening every time a user logs in
  2. Optimize real-time file system protection (Citrix servers only)
  3. Exclude Citrix-related objects from scanning (Citrix servers only)

I. Disable the ESET Server Security for Microsoft Windows Server graphic user interface (GUI)

Through ESET PROTECT or ESET PROTECT On-Prem

  1. Open the ESET PROTECT Web Console.

  2. Assign the Visibility - Silent mode policy to the client server device for which you want to disable the graphic user interface (GUI):

    ESET PROTECT

    Click Configuration → Advanced setup → ESET Server/File Security for Microsoft Windows Server. Click the Visibility - Silent mode policy and click Assign computers.

    ESET PROTECT On-Prem

    Click Policies → ESET Server/File Security for Microsoft Windows Server. Click the Visibility - Silent mode policy and click Assign computers.

  3. Select the check box next to the client server device and click OK.

    For more information about applying policies, see how policies are applied to clients.

Manually on a client server device

  1. Click Start, type ESET Shell and click ESET Shell.

    ESET Shell quick start guide

    If you are running ESET Shell for the first time, a quick start guide appears. To close the guide, press X. To open the guide again, in the root context (eShell>), type guide and press Enter.

    For more information, see ESET Shell.

  2. Type set ui ui gui-start-mode none and press Enter:

    Check or change the GUI mode

    To check which GUI mode is currently used, run get ui ui gui-start-mode.

    To change the GUI mode, run set ui ui gui-start-mode full or set ui ui gui-start-mode none.

II. Optimize real-time file system protection (Citrix servers only)

  1. Open the main program window of ESET Server Security for Microsoft Windows Server.

  2. Press F5 to open Advanced setup.

  3. Click Protections → Real-time file system protection. Disable the toggle next to the following settings and click OK:

    • Network drives
    • File open
    • File creation
    • Removable media boot sector access

III. Exclude Citrix-related objects from scanning (Citrix servers only)

  1. Open the main program window of ESET Server Security for Microsoft Windows Server.

  2. Press F5 to open Advanced setup.

  3. Click Scans, expand Exclusions, and click Edit next to Performance exclusions.

  4. Create exclusions for Citrix-related objects; if needed, view the Citrix Consolidated list of Antivirus exclusions. To create an exclusion, click Add, type the object path into the Path field, for example, C:\Program Files\Citrix\, and click OK.

    To exclude all folder contents, type \* at the end of the path in the Path field. For more information, see Performance exclusions.

  5. After you add all required Citrix-related exclusions, click OK → OK.

Last Updated: May 28, 2026

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