Microsoft RDV Team: Easier User Data Management with User Profile Disks in Windows Server 2012

Rob Leitman, a developer working on the Remote Desktop Virtualization team posted a new blog on MSDN about User Profile Disks. Some of the advantages and thinks to remember below.

“…User profile disks offer several advantages:

• Configuration and deployment is simpler than roaming profiles or folder redirection.
• User profiles can be maintained even on pooled virtual desktops that get rolled back after logoff.
• Logon and logoff times are reduced.
• Previously, profiles could be corrupted if used simultaneously on multiple computers. User profile disks are specific to the collection, so they can’t be used on multiple computers simultaneously.
• Administrators can have granular control of exactly which locations get saved to the virtual hard disk (VHDX).
• User profile disks can be stored on Server Message Block (SMB) shares, cluster shared volumes, SANs, or local storage.
• In pooled virtual desktop collections, user profile disks work with virtual machines running both Windows 8 and Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 (SP1).

Some things to remember about user profile disks:

• User profile disks are available only in pooled virtual desktop collections and session collections—not in personal virtual desktop collections.
• Share permissions are automatically set up by the management tools.
• Use Server Manager or Windows PowerShell to manage user profile disks.
• User profile disks are for a single collection only. A user connecting to two different collections will have two separate profiles. If you want to synchronize settings, refer to Microsoft User Experience Virtualization…”

Source and complete blog post:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2012/11/13/easier-user-data-management-with-user-profile-disks-in-windows-server-2012.aspx

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2012 is now available for download including UE-V

Karri Alexion-Tiernan announced today that Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2012 is now available for download! This also includes User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) !

“….As a quick refresher, MDOP includes six products. Its virtualization technologies help personalize the user experience, simplify application deployment and improve application compatibility with the Windows operating system, while its management technologies help to manage, monitor, deploy and repair key Windows features such as BitLocker and Group Policy. By using MDOP, IT departments are able to shift desktop repairs from reactive to proactive, save time and remove many challenges associated with troubleshooting and repairing system failures. And with 44 million licenses sold its clear businesses are finding value in the products…”

Source: http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/business/archive/2012/11/01/mdop-2012-now-available.aspx

Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) RC is now available !

The Release Candidate (RC) version of Microsoft’s User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) is now available on connect !

“…UE-V will reach general availability when the Microsoft Desktop Virtualization Pack (MDOP) 2012 becomes available in the fourth quarter of this calendar year…”

https://connect.microsoft.com/MDOPTAP/Downloads

Also, the Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) agent can npw be managed using existing Group Policy infrastructure. The UE-V ADMX template configures the synchronization settings for the UE-V agent and is also available on Connect.

For more info read these blog posts Karri Alexion-Tiernan and Stephen L Rose:

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/business/archive/2012/09/06/microsoft-desktop-virtualization-taking-another-step-forward-with-ue-v-and-vdi.aspx

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/springboard/archive/2012/09/06/microsoft-user-experience-virtualization-ue-v-release-candidate-now-available.aspx?utm_term=RESTweet&utm_content=REST+Corporation+TechUps&utm_source=twitterfeed@RC&utm_medium=twitter@RC