"IllegalStateException. Error message: cannot open system clipboard." when copy and paste from within a PAM RDP Session

Products

• CA Privileged Access Manager (PAM)

Issue/Introduction

When user copies anything from within a PAM RDP session the following error message appears:

IllegalStateException. Error message: cannot open system clipboard.    
com.ca.xsuite.app.rdp3.client.app.RDesktop [PAM Access Agent-3]

2020-01-23 11:36:48 ERROR - Stack trace:
   sun.awt.windows.WClipboard.openClipboard(Native Method)
   sun.awt.windows.WClipboard.setContentsNative(Unknown Source)
   sun.awt.datatransfer.SunClipboard.setContents(Unknown Source)
   com.ca.xsuite.app.rdp3.client.layer.channel.ClipChannel.setClipboardContents(Unknown Source)
   com.ca.xsuite.app.rdp3.client.handler.clipChannel.server.FormatDataResponseHandler.process(Unknown Source)
   com.ca.xsuite.app.rdp3.core.layer.Layer.process(Unknown Source)
   com.ca.xsuite.app.rdp3.core.layer.Layer.process(Unknown Source)
   com.ca.xsuite.app.rdp3.core.layer.Layer.process(Unknown Source)
   com.ca.xsuite.app.rdp3.core.layer.Layer.process(Unknown Source)
   com.ca.xsuite.app.rdp3.core.layer.ITULayer.doProcessing(Unknown Source)
   com.ca.xsuite.app.rdp3.core.layer.ITULayer.mainLoop(Unknown Source)
   com.ca.xsuite.app.rdp3.client.app.RDesktop.main(Unknown Source)
   com.ca.xsuite.launcher.a.n.run(Unknown Source)
   java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(Unknown Source)
   java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(Unknown Source)
   java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)    
   com.ca.xsuite.app.rdp3.client.app.RDesktop [PAM Access Agent-3]

Environment

Privileged Access Manager
Version 3.x

Resolution

This is not a PAM Client error. Please visit the following link for a description and cause of this problem:

Error “Cannot Open System Clipboard”, trying to set system clipboard fails/works on and off. What is the cause?

So, this should not be specific to PAM Client but can occur between other software whatever takes over the clipboard.
When another software has taken ownership of the clipboard, other applications can return that error while accessing the clipboard if the initial application does not release the clipboard ownership.

Additional Information

The following Microsoft Article: 

Copy past error : Connot open the Clipboard : Excel 2010 on windows 10

suggests the usage of ClipboardOwnerDebug.exe which tells you what process is taking control of the clipboard and not releasing it (holding on to it for too long).

Please, provide this information to the affected user to troubleshoot the problem.