Introduction

VMware offers the Mobile Secure Desktop architecture which provides mobile secure access to applications and data across devices and locations. Liquidware Labs’ user virtualization solution, ProfileUnity, with FlexApp is a 3rd-party enabling software technology for the VMware Mobile Secure Desktop. ProfileUnity with FlexApp offers true user virtualization and user installed applications which is a central component of the VMware Mobile Secure Desktop architecture as it untethers users from devices and allows them access to desktops, data and resources based on their identity for an “Any Time, Any Where, Any Place” work model.

This guide has been authored by experts at Liquidware Labs in order to provide information and guidanceconcerning the evaluation process of ProfileUnity 5.0 with FlexApp technology for the use cases associated with the VMware Mobile Secure Desktop Architecture.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording for any external use by any person or entity without the express prior written consent of Liquidware Labs.

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Phone: 678-397-0450

©2012 Liquidware Labs Inc. All rights reserved. Liquidware Labs, Stratusphere FIT, Stratusphere UX Stratusphere IXD, FlexApp, and ProfileUnity are trademarks of Liquidware Labs. All other products are trademarks of their respective owners. 12-0523

Contents

VMware Mobile Secure Desktop with ProfileUnity with FlexApp

ProfileUnity with FlexApp Technology Overview

Top Reasons Customers Use ProfileUnity

QuickStart Process

Download Options

Requirements and Preparation

ProfileUnity Installation And Setup

ProfileUnity Management Configuration

Evaluation and Management Concepts

Profile Portability & Folder Redirection With User Authored Data Migration

Context Aware Filters Applied To Custom Drive Mappings

Creating Context Aware Filters

Applying Filter to Custom Drive Mapping

Printer Management

FlexApp Technology

Exclusive Features for VMware ThinApp

ThinApp Deployment

Further Evaluation

Thank You

VMware Mobile Secure Desktop with ProfileUnity with FlexApp

VMware offers the Mobile Secure Desktop architecture which provides mobile secure access to applications and data across devices and locations. Liquidware Labs’ user virtualization solution, ProfileUnity, with FlexApp user installed applications, is a 3rd-party enabling software technology for the VMware Mobile Secure Desktop.

Today’s workforce cannot afford to be tethered to traditional stationary desktops. New devices have proliferated companies of all sizes and industries. Workers are increasingly mobile or working remotely from office locations. Industries that have a non-traditional work mode, such as healthcare, transportation or law enforcement, need to leverage a secure and always available desktop model to perform their jobs where they are. Many organizations, prompted by their workers, are considering Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies.

To respond to this changing work model, VMware has introduced the Mobile Secure Desktop. By using a validated architectural design for virtualized desktops on VMware View and vSphere, organizations can now have unparalleled desktop and application access across qualified devices and locations -- in the office or halfway around the world. VMware View and ThinApp allows access to desktops, data and applications based on endpoint device configuration, network location and user identity. User virtualization is an essential component in decoupling the user from the machine and operating system. ProfileUnity with FlexApp complements VMware View with functionality that supports an “Any Time, Any Where, Any Device” business strategy. ProfileUnity with FlexApp adds these critical capabilities to VMware Mobile Secure Desktop solution:

•Organizations can leverage secure, cost-effective non-persistent desktops yet offer a high degree of personalization.

•“Follow me” user profiles, data and user installed apps provide a consistent one-profile-per-user experience for workers regardless of how many devices they use or where or when they login.

•Organizations can tap a universal profile format For Windows XP/7/8 to enable the greatest degree of device compatibility.

•Context-aware session settings help to provide local resources to users based on their identity, not on the machine they are using.

•Organizations using VMware ThinApp gain additional features support for deployment, inventory, licensing and dynamic assignment of applications.

Organizations get a sophisticated full featured user virtualization solution that is “lightweight” and reduces complexity in their environments. ProfileUnity with FlexApp runs as a virtual appliance and does not require complex back-end systems to support it. This solutionleverages a network-side agent design to reduce impact on network and storage resources.

Because ProfileUnity automates so much of the profile management process, administratorscan reclaim time to spend on more productive, higher value tasks.

ProfileUnity with FlexApp Technology Overview

Award-winning ProfileUnity™ is a feature-rich and affordable user virtualization and profile management solution for virtual desktop deployments and physical PCs. ProfileUnity decouples user profiles and data from the operating system for migration to VMware View or any platform that supports Windows OS, making it the ideal bridge solution for heterogeneous environments running physical, virtual and Terminal Services sessions.

ProfileUnity delivers a flexible universal profile that is compatible across multiple Windows versions. With no software to install on desktops, this cost-effective solution separately stores and infuses user profiles, configurations, and data into the Windows OS in seconds at login, enabling organizations to be more flexible than ever before with their desktops.

FlexApp user installed application (UIA) software enables a potentially limitless number of applications to be stored separately from the Windows operating system yet 'snapped-in' in only seconds at login. FlexApp addresses a need in the virtual desktop market to empower virtual desktop users to install the applications they need to be productive. UIA applications are self-managed by user who is responsible for all updates and the ongoing viability of the application. In supporting UIA, FlexApp brings back the control the user had on physical desktops and applies it to non-persistent hosted desktops.

Award-Winning ProfileUnity offers these key advantages:

  • ProfileUnity retains profiles in native Windows® formats, which keeps them backward and forward compatible across Windows operating systems, including Windows XP/2000/Vista/Server 2003/2008/Windows 7/8. ProfileUnity is the perfect solution to harvest user profiles and user data from Windows XP environments in preparation for migration to Windows 7 or Windows 8.
  • Any platform that runs Windows OS can utilize ProfileUnity for profile management, including VMware® View and physical machines. So you can use one solution for your entire desktop environment. User Profiles, User Authored Data, and Application Data Settings (even between mixed versions) are dynamically made available to any desktop Windows OS at every login.
  • ProfileUnity can run as a standalone system or virtual appliance. No software to install on desktops. No backend systems or proprietary databases are required. ProfileUnity is priced an average of 40 to 50 percent less than other user virtualization offerings, for faster ROI faster and to reduce overall budget.
  • ProfileUnity offers sophisticated features including Context-Aware Filters, Integration with Microsoft® Active Directory, Drive Mappings, Automated Folder Redirection and more.

Innovative FlexApp technology provides key benefits to customers, including:

  • Simplifies management of non-persistent Windows environments dramatically because fewer master images must be maintained
  • Promotes greater desktop virtualization ROI and economies of scale because more workers can use the virtual desktop infrastructure
  • Reduces desktop administrator time on maintenance and troubleshooting activities
  • Significantly lowers TCO as organizations realize optimal license use and reduce storage requirements
  • Virtualizes the installation of an application location, not the application itself, thus appears native to the OS, therefore, applications are instantly usable without any modifications

This QuickStart and Evaluation Guide for ProfileUnity with FlexApp isdesigned to focus your efforts on the most valuable and consistently used functionality that can apply to a wide range of organizations. It is not meant to demonstrate the depth of the solution’s customizable feature capabilities as these are quite significant and comprehensive.

It is strongly recommended that you read this guide in its entirety before you begin the installation and configuration for the product. In order to get the best results for the evaluation, it is good idea to familiarize yourself with the special features and unique capabilities of ProfileUnity with FlexApp outlined in this guidebook before you engage in the configuration process.

How you configure the product depends in part on the exact features you wish to test for your environment. Also, you will need to test actual user profiles and data in order to evaluate many of the features, so be prepared with identified Windows user test candidates before installation and configuration.

Top Reasons Customers Use ProfileUnity

For the most part, customers choose ProfileUnity to automate many of the processes around managing their user profiles, user data and the resources (including printers, drive, applications, etc.) that are assigned to users.

The top reasons that customers deploy ProfileUnity include:

  • Speeding up user login times
  • Moving user-authored data to the network
  • Migrating user profiles to new environments or upgraded OS
  • Configuring desktops with assigned shortcuts, drives, printers, etc.
  • Capturing and portability of user installed applications

The examples provided in this QuickStart and Evaluation Guide will illustrate how to use ProfileUnity to address these needs in customers’ environments.

QuickStart Process

Download Options

You have two options when downloading ProfileUnity. (See Figure 1.)Both options are available after filling out a quick form on the Liquidware Labs Downloadpage. These options are Standalone (1) and Virtual Appliance (2).

  1. ProfileUnity Standalone (option at top of image) – A Windows installer package consisting of approximately 50 MB that can be installed on to any Windows Server or Desktop. No virtual infrastructure is required.

(OR)

  1. Liquidware Labs Stratusphere Virtual Appliance (options at bottom of image) – One virtual appliance with all of Liquidware Labs’ desktop transformation solutions.

You may choose either option, both versions have the same features. Some customers choose the Virtual Appliance because they prefer that method and they may be considering other products from Liquidware Labs. Other customers choose the Standalone method because it may be the only product from Liquidware Labs that they need, they may not readily have an available virtual server for the appliance, or they prefer the lightweight 50MB download.

Requirements and Preparation

The following requirements and preparation should be made to the environment for either method of download and installation.

  • Ensure that you have administrator access to save files to the Netlogin folder of the domain controller.

NOTE: If the Netlogon folder is not desired, any other UNC path may be used that meets the following requirements: “Authenticated users” must have read access and there should be a replication strategy in place to avoid the possibility of the alternative server being down.

  • Ensure that you have rights to the domain to modify and create Microsoft Group Policies.
  • Ensure that users have allocated network drive space. Existing paths are fine. Suggested size for compressed profile store is 150 MB (15-50 average is typical.)
  • Ensure that you have ample network storage available per user for folder redirection of “My Documents” and any other files you wish to redirect. Storage required will vary greatly depending on quantity of user data per user.

If testing the optional FlexApp feature, ensure you have a non-persistent VDI environment for testing, where the desktop refreshes at logoff. Also have a storage path where a VHD can be created or where an existing VMware Persistent Disk resides. Microsoft.net should also be included in the build of the virtual machine. Although ProfileUnity’s Guided Configuration will give you the option to quickly implement FlexApp, please be aware that there is additional documentation available. A FlexApp Technical Guide is available on the Liquidware Labs Support Documentation page.

WARNING: Only select this option for non-persistent VDI environments. FlexApp does not yet support physical Windows desktops or persistent VDI desktops.

Additional configuration requirements are necessary if you plan to use the Liquidware Labs Stratusphere Virtual Appliance. If you have chosen this method, please ensure the appliance has the following information:

  • Hostname
  • IP Address(Static) – REQUIRED
  • Network Mask
  • Default Network Gateway IP Address
  • DNS Server IP Addresses
  • Mail Relay Servers – OPTIONAL
  • NTP Servers – STRONGLY RECOMMENDED
  • DNS Entry Name for the Stratusphere™ HUB Address -- STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

Depending on size, the appliance will need to be configured with minimum 4GB of RAM, 2vCPUs and a 20-30GB virtual disk after the import.

ProfileUnity Installation And Setup

Once you have downloaded, you may begin the installation/setup of ProfileUnity. The following section outlines the required steps for installation of the Standalone version (1) and for the Virtual Appliance version (2) of the product.

  1. ProfileUnity Standalone – Launch the executable you downloaded and follow the prompts. What you are installing is the ProfileUnity management console which can be on the administrator’s PC, an alternate Windows desktop, or a Windows Server. The console is used to manage ProfileUnity; it writes and saves configuration files used by ProfileUnity’s small local network hosted agent. The machine that this is installed to does not need to be on 24/7 because ProfileUnity can run in production without the console being present. The installer will be implementing a very lightweight database called PostgreSQL, and a lightweight web server. These are used for configuration only, your organization’s user data and profiles are not stored in the SQL database and they do not need to be live in the production environment.To implement the Client (agent) for all desktops, you’ll also be locating a few files on your network to the Netlogin file share of your domain controller. This is not a mandatory location but does help ensure security, scalability to tens of thousands of users, and no single point of failure. Refer to 1.1.2 in the full ProfileUnity Help Manual on the Liquidware Labs Support Documentation web page for a step-by-step guide if needed.

Note: The default Password for the ProfileUnity web console is UN: profileUnity PW: admin

  1. Liquidware Labs Stratusphere Virtual Appliance – Launch the virtual appliance, and login to ProfileUnity (See Section 1.2.2 in the fullProfileUnity Help Manualon the Liquidware Labs Support Documentation Web page if needed.) The console is used to manage ProfileUnity; it writes and saves configuration files used by ProfileUnity’s small local network hosted agent. Refer to Section 1.2.3 in the full ProfileUnity Help Manualto run the installer which will copy the ProfileUnity agent and some lightweight needed files to the production environment file share. These will be copied to the Netlogin file share of your domain controller. This is not a mandatory location but does help ensure security, scalability to tens of thousands of users, and no single point of failure.

ProfileUnity Management Configuration

To configure the production environment and the console, ProfileUnity has an easy-to-use Guided Configuration Wizard. You will see the Guided Configuration option upon opening the console for the first time. If you miss the prompt, you may enter a guided configuration at any time in the “Configuration Management” portion of the console as see in the screen below (Figure 2).

Please refer to Section 2 in the fullProfileUnity Help Manualon the Liquidware Labs Support Documentation webpage for further detail.

The Guided Configuration wizard is a step-by-step wizard that automatically configures ProfileUnity for Profile Portability, Folder Redirection and migration of certain folders (if desired), and optionally turns on and configures FlexApp. The Guided Configuration will quickly walk you through these tasks.

The Guided Configuration wizard will begin by ensuring that you have completed the following:

  1. Computer Configuration – you will assign a startup.vbs as a startup script. An example is given in the Guided Configuration. If needed, see Section 3 of thefull ProfileUnity Help Manualon the Liquidware Labs Support Documentation web page for further detail.
  2. User Configuration - 1) Configure ADM template settings and2) Assign logoff.vbs as a logoff script. An example is given in the Guided Configuration. If needed, see Section 3 of thefull ProfileUnity Help Manual on the Liquidware Labs Support Documentation web page for further detail.
  3. License Group- You will create a license group for users that will execute ProfileUnity. By default, this license group needs to be members of a security group named ProfileUnity. Nested groups are not supported and the number of users in the ProfileUnity group cannot exceed your license count. If needed, see Section 3 of the full for further detail.

Next you will set a Home Directory Path – this will set profiles and folder redirection to point to users’ home directory network path. This is an existing server in your environment where users can save files. An example path is provided in the product. If testing FlexApp, a VHD will also be provisioned in this path to store user installed applications.