appsense environment manager 8.5 beta
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Benefits from Environment Manager 8.5
• Faster Deployments• Easier to install and configure• Deploy without workarounds and scripts
• Reduced hardware costs• Improved server performance• Reduced database size
• Improved user experience• Faster logons and app launches• Seamless roaming between environments
• Enable hosted service providers• Multiple instance support• Service Provider Licensing program
Common problems fixed in EM 8.5
• Changing the client configuration mid-session• No way to personalize non-exportable certificates• Lack of support for personalizing user mapped network drives• No support for capturing individual files or registry values• Personalizing Windows Explorer views and navigation settings• Capturing Windows and App Credentials inside EM Personalization• Desktop Settings problems across Windows versions and architectures (x86/x64)• Having to rollback all Desktop Settings, not just the those that may have become corrupted• Not being able to use environment and session variables in conditions and actions• Desktop, Task Bar and Start Menu links to non-existent applications• Using SQL scripts to clean out ‘stale’ EM personalization data• No built-in templates for Office 2013 and Office 365• Writing scripting loops to wait for network connection• Scripting Robocopy (instead of using Copy function)• Find and Replace didn’t allow in-place editing
… and many more!
Environment Manager 8.5 highlights
• Biggest overhaul of the Console since 8.1• Desktop Settings receives the biggest changes• Removed or simplified overly complex functionality • 250+ bugs fixed that have not previously been
addressed in previous versions
Console usability improvements
• Console settings, sizes, views, controls, etc. all persisted between sessions• Dialog and dialog control size changes persisted , tabs, grids, columns, sort order, etc.• Personalization server connection persisted in connection dialog• Personalization Analysis view preferences persisted • Console can now be personalized
• Ribbon menus cleaned-up and reorganized to reflect user workflow• Expand and Collapse All button for expandable controls• Modeless Find and Replace dialog with more usable options• Default button on delete confirmation boxes changed to cancel
Ribbon Menus
Console find and replace
• Find: the text you are searching for• In: the objects you want to search• Where: the scope of the search
• Configuration• Library• Library\Reusable Nodes• User\Logon\Pre-Desktop• User\Process Started• Etc.
• Replace: the text to replace
Policy configuration
• Logon and Logoff handling improvements• Logon and Logoff more deterministic and more granular • Logon split into 3 sub-triggers
• Pre-Session – new trigger that fires once the user profile has been created but before the user session is started, replaces the Environment tab
• Pre-Desktop – replacement for the Logon trigger in previous versions and fires slightly earlier during the logon process
• Desktop Created – new trigger that fires once the desktop shell has been created
• Logoff handling changed no longer reliant on local policy
Policy configuration continued
Upgrades – will default to legacy mode (current model 8.4) until
selected
Policy configuration cont.
• Network Available trigger to compliment Computer Startup• Regular Expressions support for the Process Start action
extended to include process parameters (control, rundll32, etc.)
• Environment and Session variable expansion available inside conditions, actions and custom scripts, $(sessionVar)
• Folder copy action improvements:• Copy, Mirror and Sync use the same dialog• Mirroring a folder only copies files that have changed• Folder synchronization includes renamed and deleted files and folders
Folder copy action improvements
• Specify number of sub folders
• Exclude junction points• Copy file attributes• Copy security attributes• Copy owner information
Policy configuration other
• Mid-session config change gets 3 settings:• Immediately• At User Logon• At Computer Startup
EM 8.5 – Policy
Demo
Personalization highlights
• Manage All Processes – removed• Personalization Group blacklists – simplified, reduced to a
single global list for child processes• Desktop Settings + Session Data = Windows Personalization
• No longer hidden inside Personalization Groups• Works across Windows architectures (x86 and x64)• No longer uses confusing inherit, shared and separate model• Stores Windows settings in user configurable collections• Provides full customization and policy conditions
Windows Personalization
• A first class citizen inside the Personalization Console• User Personalization
• Application Personalization• Windows Personalization – uses the same paradigm as Applications
• Collections of windows settings set granularity level• Controls what can be rolled back at the same time• User configurable – create your own collection name• User configurable – choose Windows settings for each collection• Default out-of-the-box ‘it just works template’ for majority use case
Windows Personalization cont.
Windows Personalization Conditions
• Windows Personalization Conditions = Targeting• Uses policy conditions engine (Computer Name, OS version, Is VDI, Has
Battery, etc.)• No server-side performance impact, conditions evaluated on client
• Conditions are applied to Windows Settings collections• Create your own Windows Settings collection, add Windows settings to
it and then add Windows Personalization conditions• Personalization Group Membership Rules still valid for membership of
Personalization Groups
Windows Personalization Conditions cont.
Windows Personalization cont.
Windows Personalization cont.
• New built-in Windows Personalization settings include: • System Tray Notification Area• Windows Explorer Layout (Details, Navigation and Preview panes)• Folder Views (Details, List, Content, Tiles, Icons)• Start Menu (Recently launched applications)• Windows Libraries (Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos)• Network Location Shortcuts• Action Center
• Windows certificates and credentials become built-in Windows Personalization settings
Windows Personalization – user configurable settings
• Custom Windows Setting = Session Data• Has it’s own editor to create a Custom Windows Setting• Specify Files/Folders and Registry Keys/Values• Select which Windows versions it applies to• Add the custom settings to a Windows Settings collection• Import, Export and Share
Windows Personalization cont.
• Synchronization extended to cover:• Session Locked• Session Disconnect
• Extra caching options• Pre-caching allows user cache to be pre-populated• Save cache on failed sync updates user cache when disconnected
Windows Personalization cont.
• Profile clean-up• Specify the clean-up delay
• Zero = Immediately• -1 = Don’t clean-up• N = # days to delay
Windows Personalization
Demo
Application Personalization
• Personalize files• Personalize registry values• Wildcard support for registry keys (Office 2013)• Internet Explorer 10 and 11 support• New Office 2013 / 365 personalization template• Default inclusions and exclusions improvements
Installation
• More intuitive DesktopNow Installer• Standalone and Enterprise being replaced with three options• One option will pre-configure the SCU for an initial trial or PoC
• Feature picker style installer for more advanced options• Multi-instance installer, not just via PowerShell
Installation continued
Configuration
• EM and EMBI SCU’s merged• EM SCU includes AMC PowerShell cmdlets• SSL support added to Web browser UI• Personalization Server Site ordering to enable retry order to be
changed• Load balancing improvements – retries for virtual hosts and site
ordering
Platform and Infrastructure
• Non-Persistent VDI support• Configs deployed from the AMC without being wrapped in an MSI• Configurable config location (can be stored in a persistent location)• CCA can pause computer startup until a configuration is available• Image preparation – removes persistent settings from prior to being
sealed
EM 8.5 Beta
• We need your feedback!• Tell us about what we have built, have we missed anything?• Tell us about bugs and environmental issues• Available later today or tomorrow• Release Candidate available end of May
