Article Details  Author: Thomas Koetzing   User Rating:   | 2 PoorBest

In March 2006 I introduced sepagoPROFILE 1.2 in my article "profile management with sepagoPROFILE" and mentioned that sepago is working on supporting streaming applications. With the version 1.5.x sepago has extended their profile solution to manage streaming applications and virtual desktop (VDI / DDI) solutions.

This article will describe how sepagoPROFILE helps to manage profiles in streaming and or virtual desktop scenarios. It will also summarize the differences between 1.2 and the current version 1.5x

sepagoPROFILE (sP)
Never heard of sepagoPROFILE? Then you should read my article "profile management with sepagoPROFILE".
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sepagoPROFILE 1.5x changes
Evolving from version 1.2, sepago spent around 9 months to develop the current sepagoPROFILE version 1.5x The result is an optimized solution based on customer, community feedback and extended in different ways. The support of virtual desktop solutions required the support of workstation operating systems like Windows 2000 or XP. Vista and Server 2008 is a whole new game, since Microsoft made some changes to the profile on those platforms.

Logfile settings

Summary of changes:

• The sepagoPROFILE service now injects the user settings at a much earlier stage. This is very important and therefore sP now supports:
  • Keyboard scan code mappings (change keys)
  • Certificates with private keys
  • Saved passwords
  • Multilingual User Interface (MUI) settings
• Optimized logon processing for peak logon times.
• Support of Windows 2000 and Windows XP Workstations
• The ADM templates where extended and re-organized
• More logging details and granular configurable
• Exclude or include of specific registry keys (manage settings)
• Compressing (archiving) folders when synchronizing files
• Includes final version of sepagoPROFILEMigrate

Application streaming
Application streaming becomes more important for companies, since it enables a centralized application delivery and often fits into existing infrastructures. Also applications can be "hot" updated and isolated from other applications. The communication between application isolations (interisolation) is still an issue for streaming solutions and therefore a mixture of applications are deployed to servers or desktops. 

Now using the same application remote and streamed (dual-mode) results in different settings for that application because there is no automatic synchronization. When using traditional roaming profiles it will end with "last writer wins" and losing the setting either from the streaming or the remote application. Separating the application settings is not what the end user wants, thus not a solution for the scenario.


Virtual Desktops (VDI / DDI)
Virtual desktops (running on a virtual machine, blade PC or workstation) is somehow the same as streaming application regarding user settings. The only thing is that virtual desktop create even more complex scenarios.
Even though the user will not and should not care from where he gets his desktop or applications, as long as he gets his personal settings back! Also the (streamed) application could reside on a virtual desktop but shown to the end user as remote, seamless application. Again this is all transparent for the user, if the settings are still the same.

sepagoPROFILE and application- and or desktop virtualization
How does sepagoPROFILES handle dual-mode streaming or virtual desktop solutions? Key question is how to handle the last writer wins problem? Merging is the answer and is exactly what sepagoPROFILES does. The merging process is done on the server or desktop and during that time the settings file is locked (no overwrite possible) on the file share. The level of merging is per registry value to ensure a granular synchronization of user settings. 

Now there is no "hot" update of the registry values, meaning you change something in the remote application and suddenly will be the same in the streaming application. Even if there where such thing as a hot update, the application itself must notify and handle such runtime update. For some applications or settings this might work but not for the majority of currently existing applications.

Nevertheless sepagoPROFILES ensures persistent user profile settings in today's virtualization strategies for streaming-, remote applications or desktops.

sepagoPROFILE licensing
The licensing model was changed by sepago, now a customer can use sepagoPROFILES on Workstations as well. That's the reason why sepago moved from "concurrent user" to "per user" model. This is an advantage and more value for customers using the product on Servers and Workstations (virtual desktops) at the same time. The VDI / DDI market is slowly growing and means for multiuser environments "only" a disadvantage.   

Summary
Modern application delivery are getting more dynamic and flexible but at the same time persistence user experience becomes more important than ever. sepagoPROFILES helps to ensure that user get the settings regardless where the application resist.

Advantages (update from 1.2)

• Solves "last writer wins" problem (save merge)
• Supports VDI / DDI and streaming applications
• Optimized for peak logon times
• Exclude or include of registry keys
• Very early import of user settings during logon
• Support of Keyboard scan codes changes

Disadvantages

• No offline support
• Licensing model
• No Windows VISTA/2008 support (Q1 2008)
  A beta version for VISTA/2008 soon available!
• No wildcards for file include or exclude

References

• sepago Whitepaper "sepagoPROFILE: A comprehensive profile solution"
  http://www.sepago.de/documents/sepago_whitepaper_user_profiles.pdf
• sepagoPROFILE product page
  http://www.sepago.com/e/produkte.html
• Trial Download of sepagoPROFILE and eval license request
  http://www.sepago.de/e/sepagoPROFILE_Download.html
• Technical paper on sepagoPROFILE
  http://www.sepago.com/img/sepagoprofile_technisch_englisch.pdf

Comments

Profilthema bald erledigt? Written by Gast on 2008-02-05 14:06:52 Die Spatzen pfeifen es von den Dächern, sowohl Microsoft als auch Citrix arbeiten an einer integrierten Lösung für das Profil- (oder besser das Environment-) Management. Ob hier eine Lösung wie die von Visionapp, Appsense oder RES zugekauft, OEM oder wie auch immer implementiert wird bleibt offen. Fakt ist das etwas passieren wird! Lieber Thomas MVP, CTP, Chief Architect. Lass doch mal deine persönliche Stellungname dazu ab!   Deine Meinung hat Gewicht! Verschwende Sie doch bitte nicht mit Werbung für einen Hersteller einer kommerziellen Lösung. ;-)

Profilthema bald erledigt? Written by Thomas Koetzing on 2008-02-05 15:54:07 >Lass doch mal deine persönliche   >Stellungname dazu ab!  Gerne doch. Seit 1999 ist immer wieder zu höhren das Citrix von Microsoft gekauft wird, soll ich jetzt allen sagen Kauft kein Citrix mehr? Das Thema Profile ist bei MS/CTX auch schon lange Thema (iForum 2001 München) aber passiert ist noch nichts, obwohl Profile ein sehr wichtiges Thema in dem Umfeld ist. Microsoft selbst lässt nicht mal mehr UPHClean weiter Entwickeln... und was sollen die Unternehmen in der Zwischenzeit machen? Hoffen das irgendwann mal MS/CTX etc. eine Lösung mit ausliefert? sepagoPROFILE ist wie ich finde eine super Lösung die ich allgemein mit FlexProfileKit Kunden anbiete, denn oft ist eine supportet Version von Firmen gewünscht!  Gearde ist Windows 2008 raus, ist jetzt ende mit Citrix Presentation Server...oder möchtest Du nur das ich mehr über Flx und Solution4 schreibe?

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