Using FlexApp DIA with Cloud Storage, VHDXs, or Local Disks

Department installed applications include those that are still managed by IT staff or desktop administrators and delivered to users but are not included in a master image. ProfileUnity with FlexApp DIA is enabled by the administrator for select users or groups within the ProfileUnity Management Console. Admins package applications that are provisioned on a virtual disk to run separately from the OS and local session. When users log in, these FlexApp applications appear alongside their golden image applications.

Note: One of the most powerful features of ProfileUnity is the filters that can be leveraged during the assignment of FlexApp Layers. Note that filters apply only to cloud, VHDX, or local disk FlexApp packages/layers. VMDK-based FlexApp layers currently support user, group, and basic machine assignments. The primary reason for the difference in VHDX vs. VDMK package types centers on architecture. The ProfileUnity Configuration INI-based workflow does not apply to the VMDK-based assignments controlled by vCenter. For more information, refer to the FlexApp Using VHDXs vs VMDKs guide.

Installing the FlexApp Packaging Console & Packaging Applications

The FlexApp Packaging Console allows administrators to configure and prepare any applications that will need to be configured for users and made available as a department installed application (DIA). This software can be downloaded from the ProfileUnity Management Console and installed on a separate machine for packing applications. For more information on installing and using the FlexApp Packaging Console, refer to the ProfileUnity FlexApp Packaging Console Guide.

Enabling Cloud, VHDX, or Local Disk FlexApp DIA Layers for Users in the Management Console

After applications have been packaged on the appropriate 32-bit or 64-bit OS platform using the FlexApp Packaging Console, the ProfileUnity Management Console enables admins to set which applications are configured for which users or user groups.

To enable cloud, VHDX, or local disk FlexApp DIA layers for users, complete the following steps:

  1. Click the Configuration Management option in the left column.
  2. Create a new configuration or choose the configuration you want to edit and click the (Edit) icon to the right of the configuration name.
  3. Click the FlexApp DIA icon.
  4. Click the Add FlexApp DIA Rule button in the top right corner of the screen.
  5. (Optional) On the New FlexApp DIA Settings screen that pops up, select a Filter for this configuration element to apply this FlexApp DIA rule to certain users or groups.
  6. Click and drag the packages you want for this rule from the Library column into the FlexApp Packages To Install column.

  7. Select the Enable Click To Layer checkbox for each package that you want to delay the layering of. If this option is selected, layering will take place when the user clicks the application icon on the desktop, rather than at user login. For large applications that can take a long time to layer, it is recommended that you do not select Enable Click To Layer and instead layer those applications during the user login process.
  8. If the application you want was packaged prior to FlexApp Packaging Console v6.7, the package can be updated automatically for Click-to-Layer compatibility by completing the following substeps:
    1. Open the FlexApp Packaging Console version 6.7 or higher.
    2. Select Edit the package’s metadata for the package you want.
    3. Click OK.
  9. Check the Cache Blocks Locally checkbox for each FlexApp Package that you want to replay using a cached mode on user desktops. This is particularly helpful with inconsistent network connections, SMB shares behind firewalls, and routers that have many hops. In cached mode, ProfileUnity requests blocks of the FlexApp package and stores them locally so the next time the block is referenced, it is read from local storage. Cache Blocks Locally is enabled by default for FlexApps on cloud storage and is optional for FlexApps on SMB storage.
  10. Click Save.
  11. Click the Update button in the top right corner of the screen to update the configuration with the FlexApp DIA changes.
  12. To activate your changes for any subsequent user logins, remember to download a new INI file after you have made all changes to your configuration. Do this by clicking the (Download Configuration) button on the Configuration Management screen.

Viewing Cloud, VHDX, or Local Disk FlexApp DIA Packages in the Management Console

To view cloud, VHDX, or local disk FlexApp DIA packages in the Management Console, click the Inventory Management option in the left column.

The Inventory Management screen opens with the FlexApp DIA tab displayed. All applications that have been packaged and created as cloud, VHDX, or local disk types to be used by FlexApp appear in the list on the screen.