ProfileUnity FlexApp technology provides an alternative way of delivering applications to just the users who need them. FlexApp allows Administrators to assign department-level applications to groups of users, and to, optionally, empower selected users to install their own applications. By making use of virtual disks (VHDXs or VMDKs) for application storage, FlexApp enables organizations to create a single base image for all users and layer in extra applications as needed thus reducing storage requirements to maintain multiple base images for different departments or segments of users.
As an alternative application delivery method, FlexApp compliments other solutions and can be used in addition to VMware ThinApp, Microsoft App-V, and MSIX as needed to meet specific application requirements. Unlike some of the other application virtualization solutions, FlexApp uses the technique of application redirection versus application encapsulation. Encapsulated applications are isolated from the operating system with the intention that they can function in a self-contained environment. This isolation can often lead to reduced application incompatibilities as well as the potential launch capability across multiple operating systems. However, after an application has been isolated from the host operating system, communication issues between applications can become more prevalent. The FlexApp Layering technology, leverages symbolic links to the application binary files inside the OS where that application would normally be installed, so that applications can be inserted into the user’s mix as needed. FlexApp applications are not isolated and thus look native to the OS and any other dependent applications.
In addition, FlexApp can be combined with ProfileUnity’s Privilege Elevation & Application Restrictions modules to provide Application Rights Management (ARM) that enables administrators to securely grant specific users detailed application rights without making them a Windows Administrator.
FlexApp technology has been re-architected for use on both persistent and non-persistent desktops. FlexApp is a truly non-persistent application layer based on a virtual registry and a virtual file system overlay that does not overwrite the real registry and file system settings. As a result, it can be used on physical, RDSH, persistent, and non-persistent machines. The re-architecture of FlexApp has resulted in faster load times for FlexApp applications and greater compatibility with even more applications.
FlexApp Department Installed Applications
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. Before delivering these applications to specific users or departments, administrators package applications using the FlexApp Packaging Console. When packaging an application using the FlexApp Packaging Console, each application gets its own virtual disk. After the packages have been created, the admin assigns the packages to users from within the FlexApp Configuration Module in the ProfileUnity Management Console. When a user logs in to their desktop, ProfileUnity, using its filter system, breaks down which applications have been assigned to the user by the administrator. These applications are then played back into the OS and appear beside their golden image applications.
Click-To-Layer
ProfileUnity’s FlexApp Technology layers in application packages in parallel to the user login process without impacting user login speeds. It generally takes 2-4 seconds to layer in each package and make it ready for use. In cases where 10 or more FlexApp packages are assigned to a user, it is possible for the login process to finish and the desktop to be ready before all the FlexApp packages have been layered in leaving a user waiting for their applications to appear. ProfileUnity’s Click-To-Layer feature allows admins to delay selected FlexApp packages and layer them in on an as-needed basis only when a user clicks on the icon to open that application. Heavily used or large applications can still be configured to be layered in during the user login process. ProfileUnity’s default action is to layer in applications in parallel to the user login process.
Combining FlexDisk with FlexApp
FlexDisk can be used in conjunction with FlexApp to achieve better performance with application layering. Segmenting applications into different layers allows administrators to update application layers individually and push out layers to selective groups of users. Using this technique, each application layer is stored in its own VMDK and each user who is assigned to this application layer is given their individual write cache using a snapshot on the VMFS storage volume. Since the application is running from a VMDK on the same or similar storage as the VDI session, application performance will be very similar to an application baked into the base OS.
Combining FlexDisk with FlexApp results in a performance boost and speedier logons. FlexDisk applications are self-contained within each VMDK and connected to the user's desktop when provisioned by your desktop broker. FlexDisk can connect up to 58-60 applications to a user if each application has its own VMDK. Otherwise, you can combine applications into a single VMDK as well. The same FlexDisk application can be shared among hundreds of users.
Folder Redirection with FlexApp
Using the Guided Configuration Wizard within ProfileUnity will allow you to automatically configure all the settings appropriately for FlexApp. The Guided Configuration Wizard options will virtualize the majority of the user’s profile and provide the optimum configuration for portability and folder redirection.
FlexApp System Requirements
- Capturing Microsoft® .NET Frameworks are not supported by FlexApp, so you will need to put the needed frameworks in your base image. Since you will probably not be able to predict what applications your users are installing, placing 3.5 SP1 and 4.6.2 .NET Framework in the base image is the best strategy.
- Your capture path can be a network VHDX, which is managed by ProfileUnity or a VMDK.
- Windows must be activated and genuine.
- FlexApp supports Windows 10 and 11 and Windows Server 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, and 2022 in Remote Desktop Service mode, RDSH, and TSE. In addition to supporting non-persistent desktops, FlexApp also supports well-managed persistent desktops.
