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Announcing ProfileUnity FlexApp 6.8.7: Elevate Your Workspace Management

Jason Mattox
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We are excited to introduce ProfileUnity FlexApp 6.8.7, our latest release designed to enhance your workspace management experience. This update brings a host of new features and improvements aimed at optimizing performance, security, and user experience.

 

Key Enhancements in ProfileUnity FlexApp 6.8.7:

ProfileUnity Management Console

  • .NET 8 Upgrade: The ProfileUnity Console's license service has been upgraded to .NET 8, providing improved security, performance, and future compatibility.
  • Multi-Administrator Configuration Locking: Administrators working on the same configuration are now prevented from making simultaneous edits, avoiding the risk of lost changes. A lock mechanism ensures that only one admin can edit a configuration at a time, with a timeout in place.
  • Enhanced SAML Authentication: ProfileUnity now supports multiple, concurrent Consoles integrated for authentication in a single Entra ID Tenant.
  • MongoDB Upgrade: MongoDB has been upgraded to version 7.0, delivering enhanced performance, reliability, and security for ProfileUnity.
  • Microsoft Azure AVD App Attach Integration: FlexApp inventory can now sync directly with Azure AVD's App Attach inventory. This feature allows FlexApp-only customers to manage host pools and FlexApp assignments through a unified interface, eliminating the need to log into the ProfileUnity console for these tasks.
  • Windows IoT Support: ProfileUnity and FlexApp now support Windows IoT devices. Within the console, administrators can filter behaviors specifically for Windows IoT, differentiating them from full Windows environments for more tailored management.
  • Custom PowerShell Filters: Filters in ProfileUnity now support PowerShell script conditions, enabling unlimited filtering scenarios. This addition provides flexibility to create advanced conditions that determine if the filter should be applied.
  • Cloud Path Browsing: Cloud paths can now be browsed within the ProfileUnity console, just like UNC paths. This allows for a more streamlined setup when working with cloud storage locations.
  • Application Preservation Mode: A new feature to optimize logoff times for non-persistent desktops by halting the reverse playback of FlexApps. This feature is configurable per configuration within the ProfileUnity console, under the main module settings.
  • Optimized Templates: All system templates have been updated to reduce the size of profile backups and improve performance during login and logoff.
  • Improved Active Directory Group Search: Searching through Active Directory groups within the ProfileUnity console has been enhanced for faster and more intuitive user experiences.
  • Credential Testing for Cloud Services: Administrators can now test cloud credentials directly within the Add Cloud Credential screen using a newly added test button, without needing to rely on the template wizard.
  • Expanded Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): FlexApp inventory is now integrated into RBAC. Administrators can limit access so that users can check in FlexApp packages into the ProfileUnity console without giving them access to other configuration areas.
  • Shortcut Details in FlexApp Inventory: Application shortcut details are now visible within FlexApp package details, providing more comprehensive management capabilities.
  • Improved Active Directory Query Handling: Authentication and access control operations have been optimized by breaking out users and groups, speeding up Active Directory queries within the console.

Client

  • .NET Core 8.0 Upgrade: The client installation now includes .NET Core 8.0 instead of the previous .NET Core 6.x, ensuring enhanced performance, security, and future compatibility.
  • Faster Logoffs: Client logoffs are now 50% faster out-of-the-box when FlexApps are active on the system. This performance improvement is enhanced even further when Application Preservation Mode is enabled.
  • 7-Zip Upgrade: The version of 7-Zip used by ProfileUnity has been upgraded, providing improved security and performance.
  • Expanded File Association Support: ProfileUnity now supports file associations for both the msteams and ms-teams protocols, streamlining opening of Microsoft Teams.
  • Filter Performance Boost: The performance of systems using a large number of filters has been significantly improved, resulting in faster operation and more efficient processing.
  • Cloud Path Support for User-Defined Scripts: User-defined scripts can now be stored and executed from cloud paths. For example, scripts located in Azure Blob Storage can be referenced directly (e.g., az://configuration_blob/scripts/rest.ps1), providing more flexibility for distributed environments.
  • Cloud Path Support for Filters: Filters that rely on folder or file paths now support cloud-based file checks. For example, a filter condition such as if exist az://my_blob/.../file.txt will evaluate to true if the specified cloud file is present.
  • Extended Client License Leases Request: The client license service now allows laptops to take up to 12 hours to request a lease license, which will be valid for 90 days, ensuring more flexibility for mobile users.
  • Parallel Logon Portability Rules: Logon portability rules now run in parallel, significantly reducing login times and improving overall efficiency.
  • ProfileDisk Mount Time Visibility: The ProfileDisk mount time per user is now recorded and visible in the Windows Registry under HKLM\Software\WOW6432Node\Liquidware Labs\ProfileDisk\<user sid>\ProfileAttachTimeMs, providing administrators with insight into the mounting performance.
  • Updated File Association Management: Both administrator-driven and user-driven file association handling has been updated to work with new changes from Microsoft, referenced in KB5043178, which attempts to restrict third-party vendors from managing file associations.
  • Multi Rule FlexApp playback boost: When configuring many FlexApp rules that could apply to a user, the playback time of many rules is now on par to having all the users FlexApp within a single rule.

FlexApp

  • .NET 8 Upgrade: FlexApp has been upgraded to .NET 8, providing improved security, performance, and future compatibility.
  • Improved FlexApp VHDx Mounting: FlexApp VHDx files now mount under the system account by default. This requires domain computers to have Read and Execute permissions on the file share. This change resolves issues caused by authentication tokens that previously expired after 10 hours. Mounting under the system account ensures that the authentication token never expires. If the required system permissions are not present, the mount will failover to the user like in previous versions.
  • Enhanced File System and Registry Filter Drivers: FlexApp's file system and registry filter drivers have been updated to improve security, performance, and overall compatibility with newer versions of windows.
  • FlexDisk VDDK Library Update: The FlexDisk VDDK library has been updated to maintain compatibility with newer versions of VMware vSphere, ensuring seamless integration with VMware environments.
  • Optimized Cloud Storage with FA1 Format: FlexApp Core now uses the FlexApp One format by default for storing FlexApp packages in the cloud. This format supports compression, greatly improving the user experience by reducing the amount of data transferred over the internet for block caching. This results in faster access and more efficient local block caching.
  • Registry Value Reversal on Logoff: Native registry values that have been merged with FlexApp registry values are now properly reversed during logoff, ensuring a clean and accurate profile state for the next session.
  • Automatic Shortcut Cleanup: FlexApp shortcuts created by the "Click-to-Layer" feature are now automatically removed during system shutdown, leading to a smoother user experience without lingering shortcuts.
  • Automatic File Association with Click-to-Layer: FlexApp's Click-to-Layer feature now automatically applies to any file associations present in the FlexApp package. For example, if a text editor is layered on demand, clicking a .txt file will trigger the FlexApp to playback and open the file with the packaged application.
  • Cloud Storage Support for Published Apps: FlexApp when used with published applications, or Remote App, now support FlexApps stored in cloud storage, allowing seamless on-demand application delivery from the cloud.
  • Dynamic Priority Management: FlexApp introduces Dynamic Priority Management, which elevates the priority of the FlexApp currently in focus by the user. This feature ensures that even under high system load, the active FlexApp receives priority, enhancing performance and user experience. In some cases, FlexApp can even outperform its native installed version of the application.
  • Automatic Cache Rebuild: FlexApp now automatically rebuilds an interrupted cache job, eliminating the need for the user to log off and back on to complete the cache. This ensures uninterrupted workflow even if caching is temporarily disrupted.
  • Reduced Elevated Processes: FlexApps that process automatic startup items within user space previously ran with elevated privileges. These processes will no longer be elevated, reducing the attack surface, and improving overall security by limiting elevated processes running within user space.

FlexApp Packaging Console Improvements

  • .NET 8 Upgrade: The FlexApp Packaging Console installs .NET 8, providing improved security, performance, and future compatibility.
  • Improved Azure Blob Performance: Uploading and downloading FlexApp packages from Azure Blob Storage is now faster, improving overall performance and efficiency for cloud-based environments.
  • Preservation of ACL Changes During High-Compatibility Captures: FlexApp applications that modify Access Control Lists (ACLs) on files or folders during High-Compatibility captures now preserve these changes within the package, ensuring that the application runs correctly when deployed.
  • WebView2 Runtime Support: The FlexApp Packaging Console runtime tools now include WebView2 runtimes, improving compatibility and functionality with web-based components in FlexApp applications.
  • Improved Capture Feedback: The FlexApp Packaging Console now provides more visible feedback to indicate when the system is preparing for capture after the "Start Capture" button is clicked. This makes the process clearer and reduces any uncertainty for the user.
  • Enhanced Version Field Functionality: The FlexApp Package Version field now supports a "tab-like" function when entering periods (.), streamlining the process of specifying package versions.
  • Faster High-Compatibility Captures: High-Compatibility captures no longer require running the compact tool, as they are automatically compacted because of how they are written too. This results in faster captures and a more efficient packaging process.
  • App Volumes conversion Support: The FlexApp Packaging Console now supports converting applications from Omnissa App Volumes into FlexApp. After selecting the option to convert App Volumes, a pop-up guide provides detailed steps, including the action to attach the App Volumes VMDKs or VHDx app stacks for conversion.
  • Mandatory OS Optimizations: OS optimizations are now mandatory during the installation and setup of the FlexApp packaging console. These optimizations help maintain a clean package and ensure the highest compatibility during application playback.

FlexApp One Improvements

  • Proxy Support for OAuth: FlexApp One now supports proxy settings within Internet Options when using the OAuth feature, improving flexibility in environments where proxies are required for OAuth authentication.
  • New FlexApp Filter Drivers: Both FlexApp Core and FlexApp One have been updated with new filter drivers. The FlexApp engine will prompt users to install the new driver during activation if a newer version is detected. Notably, both the old and new drivers can coexist, allowing older and newer FlexApp One packages to run side by side without needing to remove the older driver version.
  • Shortcut Information via CLI: The FlexApp One Engine now includes a command-line interface (CLI) flag that enables users to print out package shortcut information.
  • Custom Log Path via CLI: The FlexApp One Engine now supports a CLI flag to specify a custom log file path, giving administrators more flexibility in directing log output to the desired location for troubleshooting.
  • AppStream support: AppStream support was added for publishing FlexApp One CTL shortcuts to AppStream Dynamic App API.

We encourage you to explore these new features and enhancements to maximize the benefits of ProfileUnity FlexApp 6.8.7. For detailed information and guidance on upgrading, please refer to the ProfileUnity 6.8.7 Release Notes.

 

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