Personalization Group Settings

In this section:

• About Personalization Group Settings
• Application Personalization Settings
• Windows Personalization Sync Options
• Local Cache

About Personalization Group Settings

Each personalization group includes settings to define behavior regarding Application Personalization, Windows Personalization and Local Cache settings for users in the personalization group.

In the User Personalization navigation tree, select Personalization Groups, choose a Personalization Group and select the Settings tab.

Application Personalization Settings

Settings for discovering applications and application data.

Auto-discover user applications

This option enables monitoring of managed endpoints to detect the applications which are being used within an organization. The executable name, version and operating system are captured for every applications launched.

The collected data can be viewed through Personalization Analysis reports where applications can be added to the list of managed applications available to Personalization Groups.

Enable Application Data Collection

This option enables registry and folder usage data to be passively collected from endpoints as users run applications.

Caution: Enabling this option causes a significant increase in system utilization on managed endpoints. It is recommended that Application Data Collection is disabled when no longer required.

This data can be used when adding new applications to the Personalization configuration.

Windows Personalization Sync Options

Select when you want Windows Personalization settings to be saved to the database:

• On Log Off
• On Session Lock
• On Session Disconnect

Any combination of the above settings can be applied.

Scriptable Sync

Windows Personalization settings can be synchronized on demand using a PowerShell cmdlet, installed with the Environment Manager Agent.

Before using the command, import the EmCmdlet.dll - open Windows PowerShell and enter the following:

import-module 'C:\Program Files\AppSense\Environment Manager\Agent\EmCmdlet.dll'

If you have changed the default install location, amend the file path accordingly.

Enter Test-EmUserOperations to verify that the cmdlet is able to communicate with the server. The response should be True.

To synchronize Windows Personalization settings, enter: Sync-DesktopSettings

The Windows Settings for that endpoint are synchronized with the database.

The default timeout for the cmdlet is 30 seconds. However, this can be changed using the -Timeout argument. For example, Sync-DesktopSettings -Timeout 60

Other standard PowerShell arguments can be used in conjunction with the cmdlet. For example, -verbose.

Local Cache

The Local Cache settings manage personalization behavior for users when they are not connected to the corporate network. When Local Cache is enabled, a copy of a user’s virtual cache, containing their personalization settings, is retained on the managed endpoint when they log off. When the user subsequently logs on whilst disconnected from the network, their personalization settings are available. The next time the user logs on to the corporate network, any changes to managed applications made offline are synchronized with the database.

For the virtual cache to exist for an application offline, that application must have been opened and closed on the specific endpoint, prior to going offline. If a virtual cache does not exist for an application on the endpoint, personalization settings are not applied and the application opens with its default settings. Not having cache at application start means any changes made are not synchronized to the database and are lost.

It is only necessary to enable local caching for physical devices which may have intermittent connectivity to the corporate network, for example, laptops which are taken home.  This ensures that Personalization settings are still available on the endpoint when there is no connection to the Personalization Server.  It is generally not required for virtual machines.

There are three Local Cache settings:

• Disabled - The virtual cache is deleted when users log off from the corporate network. Any changes a user makes to managed applications whilst offline are lost when they next connect to the network.
• Always enabled - Each time a user logs off, a copy of their virtual cache is saved on their endpoint. Whilst working offline, their personalization data is updated locally as changes to managed applications are made and synchronized to the database when online.
• Enabled if the following conditions are true - A set of conditions govern the circumstances under which the virtual cache is saved at logoff.

Two further Local Cache options can be selected in addition to the settings above:

• Enable Pre-cache - All application personalization data is downloaded to the local cache at logon rather than when each application is run. This option is only available when Local Cache is enabled.

  The availability of the Pre-Cache option is dependent on local cache being enabled and any specified conditions being met. If the conditions are not met, pre-caching on the client will not take place.

• Save caches on failed logoff sync - If communication between a managed endpoint and the database is interrupted or lost, synchronization of personalization data from the endpoint to the database is retried at regular intervals until communication is re-established. When the connection is restored, personalization data is synchronized to the database.

  If communication is not restored and the user logs off, personalization data for that session or application is lost. However, if Local Cache is enabled the personalization data is saved on the endpoint and is synchronized following successful connection with the database.

Configure Local Cache Conditions

1. Select a personalization group In the User Personalization navigation tree.
2. Select the Settings tab.

3. In the Local Cache section of the work area, select, Enabled if the following conditions are true. The Conditions ribbon is displayed.

   For a user to be subject to Local Cache rules they must first be a member of the selected personalization group; offline rules are only considered once group membership has been established.

4. Select a condition from the Conditions ribbon.

   The dialog for the selected condition displays.

5. Configure the condition and click OK.

   The new condition displays under the Membership Rules tab.

6. To further define group membership for the personalization group, add more conditions. More complex conditions can be configured using AND and OR statements:
   • AND Rule - Right-click on an existing condition, select Insert Condition and configure the condition as required.

   • OR Rule - Right-click in the work area and select Add Condition Group and configure the condition as required.

   Condition groups can be edited and deleted by selecting Edit Condition or Delete Condition from the shortcut menu.

Local Cache Conditions

The table below lists the conditions available for the Enabled if the following conditions are true option is selected for a Personalization Group.

Type	Condition
User	User Name User Group Is Administrator
Computer	Is Laptop Computer Name Computer Domain Computer NETBIOS Name Computer Group Computer IP Address Operating System Is VDI
Directory Membership	User OU Membership Computer OU Membership Site Membership
Session and Client	Client Connection Protocol

Related Topics

Personalization Groups