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High Availability Subsystem
High availability is a key feature when architecting one’s infrastructure, and in FSLogix Apps 2.6, FSLogix Profile Containers and Office 365 Containers will now automatically recover should the Containers become unavailable/disconnected. This can come in quite handy when those occasional flare ups arise from file servers where one might typically store their VHD(x)s.
When the VHD becomes unavailable, FSLogix automatically checks to see if this was in fact the intended behavior. If this was not the intended behavior, then the VHD will reattach without any user interaction, or adminstrative manipulation. There is no need for the user to logoff and log back on.
For additional information and how to configure this feature of the High Availability Subsystem, please see ReAttachRetryCount and ReAttachIntervalSeconds:
Online Documentation
Granular Control Over User Profile Configurations
In this instance, FSLogix Profile Configuration Settings can be modified to override their default settings (user specific > group specific > normal) to add flexibility in managing your users’ profiles. What makes this so useful is the fact that you can span and store your user profiles in a variety of ways.
For example, let’s say we need to have one group that uses VHD profile containers and another that uses VHDX. Or, let’s consider a scenario where we wish to span our users across an array of separate file servers, while grouping them by file server. All of this can be achieved with just a few quick clicks. ‘Ok, so I can choose the type of container and where they should reside, but what about our end users that need those containers?’
We all know that some users can be like that furry critter we’ve watched virally invade social media, and end up caught in some precarious scenarios. This is where it’s up to us to protect the users from themselves by setting criteria, or restricting specific capabilities, such as not allowing certain users to roam the Search Index.
Multi-Profile Support
Since the release of our Best of Citrix Synergy 2015, award winning FSLogix Profile Containers, one question has commonly lingered amongst our customers, partners, and prospects. Can FSLogix Profiles support different profiles? The answer is YES. You can now store different profiles for the same user. For example, if a user logs onto a Windows 7 machine, then later into a Windows 2012 R2 session, then two Profile Containers will be created, and persist for that user.
User Profile Safety Net
In this facet of the design, we enable the means to force the use of a Profile Container. In case a Profile Container cannot be loaded (or created), the user will not be allowed to start a session but will instead be presented with a (customizable) message. Here’s how it works: when a user is SUPPOSED to get a FSLogix Profile, but there is some error preventing it:
- A local profile is created
- Frxshell.exe replaces the shell (Explorer.exe)
- When frxshell is terminated by the user, the session is ended and the local profile (that was just created) is removed.
The default message displayed by frxshell is: “The user profile failed to attach. Please contact support.” But this can be easily modified to display whatever makes the most sense for the scenario.
Additional Enhancements
While we’ve covered a number of feature enhancements, that was only the tip of the iceberg. To understand the full scope of FSLogix Apps 2.6 please Request an Evaluation or contact sales@fslogix.com. For now I will leave you with these addtional highlights:
- Java Version Control supports more ways of how Java can be invoked from websites.
- Enhanced functionality for assignment by Computer Groups
- Updated ADMX/ADML files for Office 365 Containers (for the Container High Availability settings)
- Reduced VHD(X) format times down to a second or two.
- Advanced logging for improved customer support
- Optimized Office 365 Container and Explorer (shell) interactions for ultra fast logon times.
To learn more about all the features associated with FSLogix Apps 2.6, please refer to https://docs.fslogix.com/
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