Microsoft User Experience Virtualization Deployment Guidedocshare01.docshare.tips/files/26208/262089863.pdf · Microsoft User Experience Virtualization Deployment Guide ... Microsoft

Microsoft User

Experience

Virtualization

Deployment Guide

Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) is an enterprise-scalable user

state virtualization solution that can provide users a consistent Windows and

app experience across devices—no matter how you deliver Windows or apps.

It is part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP). This guide helps

you choose a deployment method for UE-V and provides step-by-step

instructions for each.

UE-V DEPLOYMENT GUIDE | INTRODUCTION 1

Introduction

People are using more devices, and this trend drives demand for IT departments to provide

consistent Windows and app experiences—physical or virtual—from different locations.

Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) addresses this need by offering users the ability

to change the device and keep their experience. UE-V is a new member of the Microsoft

Desktop Virtualization family of products, and it is part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization

Pack (MDOP).

UE-V focuses on three key areas:

Personal and Flexible. Users get consistent, personal Windows and app experiences

that match their unique workstyle.

Simple and Versatile. Deployment is easy. IT can provide users personal and flexible

experiences across many computers while maintaining just the right level of oversight.

Integrated and Scalable. UE-V integrates into your existing infrastructure and

management tools to provide a familiar management experience for all size businesses.

To learn more about taking advantage of UE-V in your business, see the Windows Enterprise

website.

This guide describes how to deploy UE-V. It first describes the UE-V components. Then it shows

you how to prepare for deployment and provides step-by-step instructions for deploying the

UE-V Agent by using the following tools and technologies:

Group Policy software installation

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012 (MDT)

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager

Scripted installation (e.g., Command Prompt)

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/enterprise/products-and-technologies/mdop/ue-v.aspx


UE-V DEPLOYMENT GUIDE | UE-V COMPONENTS 2

UE-V Components

Figure 1 illustrates a UE-V solution combined with Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V),

Offline Files, and Folder Redirection. App-V, Offline Files, and Folder Redirection are not required

for UE-V; but together they provide a more powerful user-state-virtualization solution.

Figure 1. UE-V combined with App-V, Offline Files, and Folder Redirection

The UE-V components that Figure 1 illustrates are:

Settings Storage Location. The settings storage location is where the UE-V Agent

stores users’ experiences. You can use home folders, defined in Active Directory Domain

Service (AD DS), as the settings storage location, or you can create a simple file share

with permissions that allow the UE-V Agent to create a subfolder for each user.

Settings Location Template. Settings location templates are XML files that define the

settings that the UE-V agent will synchronize with the settings storage location. UE-V

synchronizes only the settings locations that templates define. The concept is similar to

administrative templates in Group Policy or migration XML files in the User State

Migration Tool. UE-V includes settings location templates for some Microsoft apps and


Windows settings. You can create custom settings location templates using the UE-V

Generator. For example, you can create a custom settings location template for a line of

business applications that your business uses. Settings location templates do not contain

actual settings or files; they only define the locations of settings and files to roam.

Settings Template Catalog. The settings template catalog is a network share that

contains custom settings location templates. By default, the UE-V Agent downloads

settings location templates from the catalog once a day. The UE-V Agent registers

templates that you add to or update in this folder since the last update. The UE-V agent

deregisters templates that you remove from this folder. Creating a settings template

catalog is only required if you plan to distribute custom settings location templates.

UE-V Generator. You use the UE-V Generator to create custom settings location

templates. The UE-V Generator monitors an app when you open and close it to discover

the registry settings and files that it accesses. It is very easy to use. You can also use the

UE-V Generator to edit and validate existing templates.

UE-V Agent. You install the UE-V Agent on each computer to synchronize users’

experiences with the settings storage location. The UE-V Agent synchronizes the

Windows experience when users log onto or off of Windows, lock or unlock the screen,

or connect to or disconnect from a Remote Desktop session. It synchronizes app

experiences when they open or close apps that are defined in the registered settings

location templates.

Settings Package. A settings package contains a user’s experience based on the

information in the corresponding settings location template.

Offline Files. Offline Files makes shared network files available to users when they are

disconnected (e.g., traveling) or using a slow link (e.g., DirectAccess over mobile

broadband). Using Offline Files enables UE-V to provide continuous access to users’

experiences when they disconnect from the network. When the user once again connects

to the network, Offline Files will synchronize their experiences with the settings storage

location.


Using Offline Files for virtual desktops is not desirable because

they have a consistent network connection and Offline Files will

consume hard drive space unnecessarily. You can disable the

requirement for using Offline Files. For more information, see the

section titled “Enabling Offline Files” on page 10.

Folder Redirection. Folder Redirection changes the location of users’ folders (e.g.,

Documents, Pictures, Videos, Favorites, and so on) from the local user profile to a

network share. By combining Folder Redirection with UE-V, you can provide consistent

access to not only users’ experiences but also their documents.

Microsoft Application Virtualization. App-V transforms applications into centrally

managed services that are never installed and avoid conflict with other applications.

When users change their device, their virtual applications are available on demand. Like

Folder Redirection, combining UE-V with App-V can provide users a consistent

experience on each device they use.

UE-V DEPLOYMENT GUIDE | PREPARING FOR DEPLOYMENT 5

Preparing for Deployment

Deploying UE-V is a simple process: You install the UE-V Agent on each computer where you

want the agent to synchronize users’ experiences. However, prior to deploying the agent, you

must complete the following steps to prepare for deployment:

1. Create and share a folder for the settings storage location.

2. Prepare Group Policy to manage UE-V Agent configuration.

3. Configure the settings storage location for the UE-V Agent.

4. Ensure that Offline Files is enabled.

The following sections provide detailed information about each step. Afterward, you can deploy

the UE-V Agent as the section titled “Deploying the UE-V Agent” on page 12 describes.

Creating the Settings Storage Location

For the settings storage location, you can use home folders in AD DS to store each user’s

experiences. If you are using home folders, you can skip the remainder of this section. You do

not need to create and share a folder for the settings storage location because UE-V will store

settings packages in each user’s home folder. Otherwise, you can create and share a folder to

use as the settings storage location.

Microsoft recommends that you create a security group in AD DS to manage access to the UE-V

settings storage location. By doing so, you can centrally manage access to the settings storage

location. This deployment guide assumes that you create a group named UE-V Users in AD DS.

The settings storage location can contain users’ confidential information.

To protect it, ensure that the NTFS and share permissions are configured

as this section describes. The NTFS and share permissions in this section

allow the UE-V Agent to create settings storage locations for users at the

root of the network share, giving users full control of their own settings

storage locations while preventing access to them by other users.


To create and share the UE-V settings storage location

1. On SERVER, create SettingsStore. SERVER is the name of the server computer where you

want to create the UE-V settings storage location, and SettingsStore is the name of the

folder containing the store.

2. Configure the NTFS permissions for SettingsStore as Table 1 describes. Ensure that you

remove any user accounts not listed in Table 1. The administrator account or group

supporting UE-V must also have access to this folder. To configure NTFS permissions,

right-click the folder, click Properties, and then click Advanced on the Security tab.

Table 1—NTFS Permissions for the Settings Storage Location

Account Permissions Applies to

Administrators Full control This folder, subfolders, and

files

Creator Owner Full control Subfolders and files only

UE-V Users List folder/read data

Create folders/append data

This folder only


3. Share SettingsStore with the permissions that Table 2 describes. Ensure that you remove

from the permissions list any user accounts not listed in Table 2. The administrator

account or group supporting UE-V must also have access to this share. To configure the

share, right-click the folder, click Properties, and then click the Sharing tab.

Table 2—Share Permissions for the Settings Storage Location

Account Permissions

Administrators Full control

UE-V Users Full control

4. When SERVER is running a Windows Server operating system, you can optionally

configure the UE-V Agent to automatically verify that the built-in Administrators group

or the user account is the owner of the user’s settings storage location. Enable this

feature by setting the REG_DWORD value RepositoryOwnerCheckEnabled to 1 in the

registry key HKLM\Software\Microsoft\UEV\Agent\Configuration.

Installing the Administrative Templates

You can manage the UE-V Agent configuration by using Group Policy. Doing so provides a

central location for configuring the agent and allows you to easily configure unique settings for

different groups.

In preparation, download the Group Policy administrative template from the Microsoft

Download Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=252964. Install the template on any

computer from which you will configure the UE-V Agent by using Group Policy, including

domain controllers and administrator PCs running the Remote Server Administration Tools.

Optionally, install the template in the central store for ADMX files to make them available to all

administrators editing Group Policy.

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=252964


For more information about configuring a central store for ADMX files,

see the article Scenario 2: Editing Domain-Based GPOs Using ADMX Files.

Even though this guidance was written for Windows Server 2008, it still

applies to Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012.

To install the Group Policy administrative template locally

1. Copy the ADMX file to %SystemRoot%\PolicyDefinitions on the local computer.

2. Copy the ADML file to %SystemRoot%\PolicyDefinitions\en-US on the local computer.

To install the Group Policy administrative template in the central store for ADMX files

1. Copy the AMDX file to %SystemRoot%\SYSVOL\domain\Policies\PolicyDefinitions on a

domain controller. Create the PolicyDefinitions folder if it does not already exist.

2. Copy the ADML file to %SystemRoot%\SYSVOL\domain\Policies\PolicyDefinitions\en-US

on a domain controller. Create the en-US folder if it does not already exist.

The UE-V Group Policy administrative templates are supported only on

Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems.

Configuring the Settings Storage Path

After you create and share the UE-V settings storage location, you need to configure the UE-V

Agent to use it. Table 3 describes each method for configuring the settings storage path in the

UE-V Agent and helps you choose the best method for your environment. The following

sections describe each option in more detail.

http://technet.microsoft.com/library/cc748955.aspx


Table 3—Configuring the Settings Storage Location

Method Use This Method When

Group

Policy

Home folders are not configured for user accounts.

You will manage the UE-V Agent by using Group Policy.

You want to store users’ settings packages in locations other

than their home folders.

Home

Folders

Home folders are already configured for user accounts.

You want to store users’ settings packages in the same

locations as their home folders.

Agent

Installation

Home folders are not already configured for user accounts.

You want to store users’ settings packages in locations other

than their home folders.

You are not planning to manage the UE-V configuration by

using Group Policy.

Using Group Policy

The UE-V Group Policy administrative template defines a policy setting for configuring the

settings storage path: Settings storage path. Enable the policy, and set the path to

\\SERVER\SettingsStore\%USERNAME%. The UE-V Agent will then create a settings storage

location based on the user’s name in the network share. For more information about configuring

the UE-V Agent by using Group Policy, see the section titled “Managing the UE-V Agent” on

page 38.

Using Home Folders

You can use home folders in AD DS as the settings storage location. After you assign home

folders to user accounts, the UE-V Agent automatically detects and uses the home folder as the


settings storage location. Other than setting a home folder for each user account in AD DS, no

other configuration steps are required.

During Agent Installation

The UE-V Agent installer provides numerous command-line options for configuring the agent

during installation. To configure the settings storage path during agent installation, use the

SettingsStoragePath command-line option. You can install the UE-V Agent by running the

AgentSetup.exe, AgentSetupx64.msi, or AgentSetupx86.msi files. Depending on how you run the

setup program, you need to specify environment variables differently. Table 19 in “Appendix C:

Environment Variables” on page 59 describes how to specify environment variables on the

command line for each installation method.

Enabling Offline Files

By default, the UE-V Agent requires that you enable the Offline Files feature (see the section

titled “UE-V Components” on page 2). Offline Files help ensure that users have continuous

access to their settings packages even when they disconnect from the network.

Offline Files is enabled by default in Windows 7 and disabled by default in Windows 8 and

Windows Server. You can enable Offline Files by using the methods that Table 4 describes.

Table 4—Enabling Offline Files

Method Description

Allow or Disallow

use of the Offline

Files feature Group

Policy setting

Enable this policy to turn on Offline Files for all computers within

the Group Policy Object’s (GPO’s) scope. This policy setting is in

Offline Files under Computer

Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Network.

Use this method when you use Group Policy to perform ongoing

management of UE-V. It is the easiest way to enable Offline Files

on all computers running the UE-V Agent.


Method Description

Service Controller

(sc.exe) command

Use the sc.exe tool to enable Offline Files from a command line.

To enable the Offline Files feature using the sc.exe command, run

the following from an elevated command prompt:

sc config CscService start=auto

Use this method when you are not using Group Policy to

configure the UE-V Agent and you want to enable the Offline Files

feature using MDT or Configuration Manager.

In Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environments or on computers that

have consistent connections to the corporate network, you can disable

the requirement for using Offline Files. Enable the Do Not Use Offline

Files Group Policy setting, which the UE-V Group Policy administrative

template defines, and add SyncMethod=None to the UE-V Agent

installation command line.

UE-V DEPLOYMENT GUIDE | DEPLOYING THE UE-V AGENT 12

Deploying the UE-V Agent

You must install the UE-V Agent on each computer where you want to synchronize user

experience. The agent installation files include the following:

AgentSetup.exe. This setup program automatically detects the operating system type

and installs the correct 32-bit or 64-bit Windows Installer package file. It will pass any

installer properties you use on its command line to the Windows Installer package file.

AgentSetupx64.msi. This Windows Installer package file contains the 64-bit version of

the UE-V Agent. You can install this package by using Msiexec.exe (bypassing

AgentSetup.exe) and you can specify installation properties on the command line.

AgentSetupx86.msi. This Windows Installer package file contains the 32-bit version of

the UE-V Agent. You can install this package by using Msiexec.exe (bypassing

AgentSetup.exe) and you can specify installation properties on the command line.

You can easily deploy the UE-V Agent by using almost any software or operating-system

deployment tool. Table 5 lists the deployment methods that this guide describes, and it offers

suggestions for when to use each method. You can also use a combination of these methods.

For example, you could use MDT to deploy the UE-V Agent during operating system

deployment and use Group Policy to deploy the UE-V Agent to existing computers.

To drive consistency across UE-V Agent installations, use highly

automated techniques to perform UE-V Agent deployments. For example,

if you choose command-line deployment, ensure that you automate

installation by using scripts (e.g., Windows PowerShell or batch scripts).


Table 5—Choosing a Deployment Method


Group Policy You already deploy software by using Group Policy.

You want to deploy the UE-V Agent to existing

computers.

You want to deploy the UE-V Agent after operating

system images are deployed.

You are configuring the UE-V Agent by using Group

Policy and not by using command-line options.

Computers have high-speed, persistent connections to

the network share containing the installation files.

Microsoft Deployment

Toolkit 2012

You use MDT for operating system deployment.

You want to deploy the UE-V Agent as part of the

operating system deployment.

System Center 2012

Configuration Manager

You already use Configuration Manager for application

and operating system deployment.

You want to use one deployment tool to deploy the UE-

V Agent to existing computers and during operating

system deployment.

Computers have high-speed, persistent connections to

the distribution points where the UE-V Agent installation

files are located.



Scripted Installation You want to script installation as part of operating

system installation and you are not using MDT or

Configuration Manager.

You want to deploy the UE-V Agent by using a third-

party electronic software distribution (ESD) system.

Computers might not have high-speed, persistent

connections to the enterprise network and installation

from local media might be required.

Group Policy Software Installation

You can install AgentSetupx86.msi or AgentSetupx64.msi by using Group Policy software

installation. (You cannot run AgentSetup.exe by using Group Policy.) You will create a network

share for the UE-V Agent installation files and then create a GPO that installs the appropriate

Windows Installer package file on each computer.

To target UE-V Agent installation, you can link the GPO to specific Organizational Units (OUs),

use security filtering, or use Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) filtering. For

example, you can filter the GPO to target computers in a particular security group or computers

that are running Windows 7 or Windows 8.


The following sections describe the steps to complete these tasks:

1. Create and share a folder containing the UE-V Agent installation files.

2. Create and edit a GPO to install the UE-V Agent.

3. Configure the GPO to target computers by using security and WMI filtering.

4. Link the GPO to the appropriate organizational units.

You cannot use command-line options when you deploy the UE-V Agent

by using Group Policy. In this scenario, the easiest way to configure the

UE-V Agent is by using the UE-V Group Policy administrative template.

Alternatively, you can create a transform for the UE-V Windows Installer

package files, and apply that transform when you create the GPO.

Share the Installation Files

You need to create a network share that contains the UE-V Agent setup files. This network share

must be accessible to all computers on which you want to install the UE-V Agent. You can give

read access to the Domain Computers group or to the Authenticated Users group.

To create and share a folder for the UE-V Agent installation files

1. On SERVER, create UE-V Setup. SERVER is the name of the file server and UE-V Setup is

the name of the folder you are creating to contain the UE-V Agent installation files.

2. Configure NTFS permissions for the folder UE-V Setup as Table 6 describes. To configure

NTFS permissions, right-click the folder, click Properties, and then click Advanced on

the Security tab.


Table 6—NTFS Permissions for the UE-V Setup Folder


Administrators Full control This folder, subfolders, and files

Authenticated Users Read and execute This folder, subfolders, and files

3. Share the folder UE-V Setup by using the permissions that Table 7 describes. To

configure share permissions, right-click the folder, click Properties, and then click the

Sharing tab.

Table 7—Share Permissions for the UE-V Setup Folder

Account Permissions

Authenticated Users Read

4. Copy the files AgentSetupx64.msi and AgentSetupx86.msi from the MDOP distribution

media to \\SERVER\UE-V Setup.

Create a GPO to Install the Agent

You create GPOs by using the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) on a server or on a

client running the Remote Server Administration Tools. You can create a GPO that only installs

the UE-V Agent. Alternatively, you can configure the UE-V Agent by using the same GPO to keep

all of your UE-V policies in one location. The steps in this section install both the x64 and x86

agent by using a single GPO, allowing Group Policy to determine the correct version to install.

To create and edit a GPO to deploy the x64 and x86 UE-V Agent

1. In the GPMC, create a new GPO for UE-V Agent installation (e.g., UE-V Agent Installation):

a. Right-click Group Policy Objects and click New. Group Policy Objects is under

Forest\Domains\Domain.


b. In the Name box, type UE-V Agent Installation, and click OK.

2. In the details pane, right-click UE-V Agent Installation, then click Edit.

3. In the Group Policy Management Editor, right-click Software Installation, click New,

and click Package. Software Installation is in Computer Configuration\Policies\Software

Settings.

4. In File name, type the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path and name of

AgentSetupx64.msi, and click Open. Make sure you open the file from the network share

you created earlier and not a local path.

5. In the Deploy Software dialog box, click Advanced, and click OK.

6. In the Name box on the General tab of the Microsoft User Experience Virtualization

Agent dialog box, append x64 to the end of the name, and click OK. This will help you to

later distinguish between the x86 and x64 versions.

7. In the Group Policy Management Editor, right-click Software Installation, click New,

and click Package. Software Installation is in Computer Configuration\Policies\Software

Settings.

8. In File name, type the UNC path and name of AgentSetupx32.msi, and click Open. Make

sure you open the file from the network share you created earlier and not a local path.

9. In the Deploy Software dialog box, click Advanced, and click OK.

10. On the Microsoft User Experience Virtualization Agent dialog box, complete the

following steps and click OK:

a. On the General tab, in the Name box, append x86 to the end of the name.

b. On the Deployment tab, click Advanced; then, clear the Make this 32-bit X86

application available to Win64 machines check box and click OK. Clearing this

check box prevents Group Policy from installing the 32-bit UE-V Agent on 64-bit

operating systems, ensuring that the correct version of the UE-V Agent is

installed for each system type.

11. Close the Group Policy Management Editor.


Optionally Target the GPO

When you link the UE-V Agent Installation GPO to an organizational unit (OU), Group Policy will

apply it to all computers in that OU, installing the UE-V Agent on them. In some cases, this

might not be desirable. You can target the deployment of the UE-V Agent to specific computers

within an OU by using security or WMI filtering. See Table 8 for more information.

Table 8—Filtering the UE-V Agent Installation GPO

Method Description

Security

Filtering

This filtering method allows you to target specific computers based on

membership in AD DS security groups. The members of the security group

can be computer objects or other security groups containing computer

objects. You control the deployment of the UE-V Agent to specific

computers by adding or removing them from the security group. For more

information about security filtering, see Filter Using Security Groups.

WMI

Filtering

This filtering method allows you to target specific computers based on a

WMI query. For example, you could use a WMI query to target the

operating system version on computers, and deploy the UE-V Agent only

if the operating system is Windows 7 or Windows 8.

You create a WMI filter separately and then link the WMI filter to the GPO

that you created to deploy the UE-V Agent. For more information about

WMI filtering and how to create a WMI filter, see Work with WMI Filters.

Link the GPO to Organizational Units

You must link the UE-V Agent Installation GPO to OUs to install the agent on the computers in

those OUs. You can link the GPO to individual OUs. If the computers you want to target for

installation are in multiple OUs, you can link the GPO to the domain and use security or WMI

filtering to limit installation to specific computers, types of computers, or Windows versions.

To link the GPO to an organizational unit

1. In the GPMC, right-click the OU to which you want to link the UE-V Agent Installation

GPO, and click Link an Existing GPO.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc752992.aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732796.aspx


2. In Group Policy objects list on the Select GPO dialog box, click UE-V Agent

Installation, and click OK.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012

By using MDT, you can deploy the UE-V Agent during operating-system deployment. You do

this as part of the Lite Touch Installation (LTI) process by adding the agent installation files as an

application and then adding an Install Application step for the agent to your existing operating-

system deployment task sequences.

By installing the UE-V Agent as part of the operating-system deployment task sequence, MDT

installs the agent automatically, requiring no input from the user. The agent will be ready for use

before end users log onto the computer for the first time.

The following sections describe the steps necessary to complete each of these tasks in the

Deployment Workbench:

1. Add the UE-V Agent to the Applications node of your deployment share.

2. Configure the UE-V Agent application to hide it from the user and restart the computer.

3. Add an Install Application step to your existing operating-system task sequences.

For more information about using MDT to install applications during

operating-system deployment, see the MDT documentation.

Add the Application

When you add an application to your MDT deployment share, you must specify the command

that installs it. Running AgentSetup.exe is the simplest way to start UE-V Agent installation with

MDT. It will automatically choose the x64 or x86 Windows Installer package file based on the

target computer’s system type.


The command you specify for UE-V Agent installation must include the following command-line

options (see the section titled “Appendix A: Command-Line Options” on page 54 for more

information):

/quiet. This command-line option runs AgentSetup.exe with no user interaction. Without

using this command-line option, the setup program will stall the deployment process to

wait for user interaction.

/norestart. By default, AgentSetup.exe restarts the computer after installation. You must

prevent the setup program from restarting the computer, allowing the task sequence to

maintain control of computer restarts. You can force the task sequence to restart the

computer after UE-V Agent installation by enabling the Reboot the computer after

installing this application check box on the Details tab of the application’s properties.

If you are not using Group Policy to configure the UE-V Agent, you can configure the agent by

using the Windows Installer properties that the section titled “Appendix B: Windows Installer

Properties” on page 55 describes. Simply add the properties you want to configure to the

installation command when you add the application to your deployment share.

With MDT, you must escape the percent signs (%) in any environment

variables that you use in the SettingsStoragePath property, as the section

titled “Appendix C: Environment Variables” on page 59 describes. In

particular, you must delay expansion of environment variables such as

%USERNAME% by using the format ^%USERNAME^%.

To add the UE-V Agent to your deployment share

1. In the Deployment Workbench, click Applications. It is under Deployment

Workbench\Deployment Shares\Deployment Share, in which Deployment Share is the

name of your deployment share.

2. In the Actions pane, click New Application.


3. Complete each page of the New Application Wizard:

Page Steps

Application Type 1. Click Application with source files.

2. Click Next.

You could click the Application without source files or elsewhere

on the network check box if you already have the installation files

on a network share. For more information, see the section titled

"Create a New Application That Is Deployed from Another Network

Share" in the MDT documentation.

Details 1. In the Application Name box, type UE-V Agent.

2. Click Next.

The remaining text boxes on this page are optional and

informational only. While they do not affect the deployment of the

UE-V Agent, completing the remaining text boxes can prove useful

later when you are maintaining the deployment share.

Source 1. In the Source directory box, type the path of the folder

containing the UE-V Agent installation files. The Source

directory box supports autocomplete, but you can click Browse

to locate the files.

2. Click Next.


Page Steps

Destination 1. In the Specify the name of the directory that should be

created box, optionally edit the name of the folder that the New

Application Wizard will create in the deployment share. The

wizard suggests a name based on the publisher, name, and

version that you provided on the Details page.

2. Click Next.

Command

Details

1. In the Command line box, type the command you want to run to

install the UE-V Agent. For example, type:

AgentSetup.exe /quiet /norestart

SettingsStoragePath=”\\SERVER\SettingsStore\^%USERNAME^%”

2. Click Next.

At a minimum, you must add the /quiet and /norestart command-

line options to the command. These options run AgentSetup.exe

with no user interaction and prevent the program from restarting the

computer. For information about Windows Installer properties that

you can use to configure the UE-V Agent during installation, see the

section titled “Appendix B: Windows Installer Properties” on page 55.

Summary 1. In the Details area, review the information collected by the Add

New Application wizard.

2. Click Next.

Progress 1. Monitor the wizard’s progress as it adds the application to your

deployment share.

Confirmation 1. Review the results, and click Finish.


Configure the Application

After adding the application to your MDT deployment share, you will want to configure it to:

Hide the application from users so they cannot prevent installation during deployment.

Trigger the task sequence to restart the computer after installing the UE-V Agent. The

task sequence will continue running after the computer restarts.

To customize the UE-V Agent in your deployment share

1. In the Applications node of the deployment share, right-click the UE-V Agent application

that you previously added, and click Properties.

2. On the General tab of the Application Properties dialog box, select the Hide this

application in the Deployment Wizard check box.

3. On the Details tab of the Application Properties dialog box, select the Reboot the

computer after installing this application check box.

4. Click OK.

Edit Task Sequences

One of the best ways to install agent applications during operating-system deployment is by

adding them to task sequences. By adding the UE-V Agent to your existing task sequences, you

can install the agent automatically with no interaction from the user. This helps to ensure that

the UE-V Agent is available immediately, before end users log onto the computer.

To install the UE-V Agent in an LTI task sequence

1. In the Deployment Workbench, click Task Sequences. It is under Deployment

Workbench\Deployment Shares\Deployment Share, in which Deployment Share is the

name of your deployment share.

2. In the Details pane, right-click the task sequence to which you want to add the UE-V

Agent, and click Properties.

3. On the Task Sequence tab of the Task Sequence Properties dialog box, click the Install

Applications task sequence step. This step is in the State Restore group. The task

sequence editor will add the new task sequence step immediately after this step.

4. On the Add menu, click General, and click Install Application.


5. Click the new Install Application task sequence step that you just added, do the

following:

a. In the Name box, type Install the UE-V Agent.

b. Click Install a single application, click Browse, click the UE-V Agent application

in the Select An Item dialog box, and then click OK.

c. Optionally, on the Options tab, select the Continue on error check box. Select

this check only if you want the task sequence to continue running if the UE-V

Agent fails to install during operating-system deployment.

6. Click OK to close the Task Sequence Properties dialog box.

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager

You can deploy the UE-V Agent by using the application model in Configuration Manager. You

create applications in the Applications node of the Configuration Manager Console. By using

Configuration Manager, you can use a single deployment tool to install the UE-V Agent on

existing computer as well as during operating-system deployment:

Deployment to existing computers. This method deploys the UE-V Agent to targeted

computers that already exist or deploys the UE-V Agent immediately after operating-

system deployment completes. The advantage of this method is that it covers both

scenarios (existing computers and new computers).

Installation during operating-system deployment. This method installs the UE-V

Agent during operating-system deployment so that the agent is immediately available.

The process is similar to the process that the section titled “Microsoft Deployment

Toolkit 2012” on page 19 describes. After you create the application in the Configuration

Manager Console, you simply add an Install Application step to the operating-system

deployment task sequence.

The following sections describe the steps necessary to complete each of these tasks in the

Configuration Manager Console:

1. Create and share a content folder for the UE-V Agent installation files.

2. Create a Configuration Manager application for the UE-V Agent installation.


3. Distribute the Configuration Manager application to the distribution points.

4. Deploy the Configuration Manager application to the targeted computers.

5. Add an Install Application step to existing operating-system deployment task sequences.

For more information about using Configuration Manager to deploy

applications, see the article “System Center Technical Resources” on

TechNet.

Share the Installation Content

When you create a Configuration Manager application, you need to specify a source for the

application content. The source must be a network share that is accessible to Configuration

Manager, as it uses the contents of the source folder to create the application.

To create and share a folder for the UE-V Agent installation content



2. Configure NTFS permissions for the folder UE-V Setup as Table 9 describes. To configure

NTFS permissions, right-click the folder, click Properties, and then click Advanced on

the Security tab.




Site Server Account Read and execute This folder, subfolders, and files

http://technet.microsoft.com/systemcenter




Sharing tab.


Account Permissions


Site Server Account Full control

4. Copy the files AgentSetupx64.msi and AgentSetupx86.msi from the MDOP distribution

media to \\SERVER\UE-V Setup.

Create the UE-V Agent Application

When you create a Configuration Manager application, you must specify the command that

installs it. While you could run AgentSetup.exe to install the UE-V Agent, Microsoft recommends

that you instead install AgentSetupx64.msi or AgentSetupx86. Creating applications in

Configuration Manager based on MSI files:

Allows Configuration Manager to detect if the application is installed already.

Uses a well-known Configuration Manager deployment type.

Simplifies the ongoing management of the UE-V Agent by simplifying updates.

If you are not using Group Policy to configure the UE-V Agent, you can configure the agent by

using the Windows Installer properties that the section titled “Appendix B: Windows Installer


installation command when you edit the deployment type in Configuration Manager.


When deploying the UE-V Agent by using Configuration Manager, you

must escape the percent signs (%) in any environment variables that you

use in the SettingsStoragePath property, as the section titled “Appendix C:

Environment Variables” on page 59 describes. In particular, you must delay

expansion of environment variables such as %USERNAME% by using the

format ^%USERNAME^%.

To create the UE-V Agent application in Configuration Manager

1. In the Configuration Manager Console, click the Software Library workspace.

2. In the Software Library workspace, click Applications. Applications is in

Overview\Application Management.

3. In the Create group on the ribbon, click Create Application.

4. Complete each page of the Create Application Wizard:

Page Steps

General 1. Click Manually specify the application information.

2. Click Next.


Page Steps

General: General

Information

1. In the Name box, type UE-V Agent.

2. Select the Allow this application to be installed from the

Install Application task sequence action without being

deployed check box. Selecting this check box allows you to

use task sequence variables to install the UE-V Agent.

3. Click Next.

The remaining text boxes on this page are optional and

informational. While they do not affect the deployment of the

UE-V Agent, completing the remaining text boxes can prove

useful later when you are maintaining the deployment share.

General: Application

Catalog

1. Click Next.

The text boxes on this page are optional. They prompt for

information that you want to display in the application catalog.

However, this deployment guide recommends that you hide the

UE-V from the application catalog.

General:

Deployment Types

1. Click Add to add a deployment type for the x64 version of

the UE-V Agent (AgentSetupx64.msi).

2. On the General page of the Create Deployment Type

Wizard, click Browse, open AgentSetupx64.msi from the

location in which you shared the installation sources (e.g.,

\\SERVER\UE-V Setup), and click Next.

3. On the Import Information page of the Create Deployment

Type Wizard, click Next.

4. On the General Information page of the Create Deployment

Type Wizard, do the following:

a. In the Name box, append x64 to the end of the


Page Steps

name for easier identification later.

b. In the Installation program box, add /norestart to

the end of the command.

c. Click Next.

At a minimum, you must use the /quiet and /norestart

command-line options. These options run Msiexec.exe with no

user interaction and prevent it from restarting the computer. For

information about Windows Installer properties that you can use

to configure the UE-V Agent during installation, see the section

titled “Appendix B: Windows Installer Properties” on page 55.

5. On the Requirements page of the Create Deployment Type

Wizard, do the following:

a. Click Add.

b. Click Operating system in the Condition list.

c. In the operating-system list, select All Windows 7

(64-bit) and All Windows 8 (64-bit). (Select the 64-

bit operating systems that you want to support.)

d. Click OK.

e. Click Next.

6. On the Dependencies page of the Create Deployment Type

Wizard, click Next.

7. On the Summary page of the Create Deployment Type

Wizard, review the deployment-type details, and click Next.

8. On the Completion page of the Create Deployment Type

Wizard, click Close.

9. Repeat steps 1 through 8 on this page for the x86 version of

the UE-V Agent (AgentSetupx86.msi), and then click Next.


Page Steps

Summary 1. In the Details area, review the information that the Create

Application Wizard collected, and click Next.

Progress 1. Monitor the progress of the Create Application Wizard while

it creates the application.

Completion 1. Verify that the Create Application Wizard completed

successfully, and click Close.

Distribute the UE-V Agent Application

After creating the UE-V Agent application in Configuration Manager, you must distribute the

application content to your distribution points. Targeted computers will install the UE-V Agent

from them. You use the Distribute Content Wizard in the Configuration Manager Console to

distribute the UE-V Agent application.

To distribute the UE-V Agent Configuration Manager application

1. In the Details pane, click UE-V Agent.

2. In the Deployment group on the ribbon, click Distribute Content.

3. Complete each page of the Distribute Content Wizard:

Page Steps

General 1. Click Next.

General: Content 1. Click Next.


Page Steps

General: Content

Destination

1. Click Add, and click Distribution Point.

2. In the Add Distribution Points dialog box, select the

distribution points to which you want to distribute the UE-V

Agent installation content, and click OK.

3. Click Next.

Summary 1. In the Details area, review the information that the

Distribute Content Wizard collected, and click Next.

Progress 1. Monitor the progress of the Distribute Content Wizard while

it distributes the UE-V Agent installation content.

Completion 1. Verify that the Distribute Content Wizard completed


After completing the Distribute Content Wizard, you must verify successful distribution of the

installation content before continuing to deploy the UE-V Agent application. To do that, click

Refresh in the Application area of the ribbon. Click UE-V Agent in the Details pane, and you see

the distribution status on the Summary tab at the bottom. Once the content status shows that

content distribution is successful, you can deploy the UE-V Agent application.

Deploy the UE-V Agent Application

You can deploy the UE-V Agent application to users or devices. Because the agent is a

computer-centric agent, Microsoft recommends that you deploy it to computer collections—not

user collections. You use the Deploy Software Wizard in the Configuration Manager Console to

deploy the UE-V Agent application after you have successfully distributed it.

To deploy the UE-V Agent Configuration Manager application

1. In the Details pane, click UE-V Agent.


2. In the Deployment group on the ribbon, click Deploy.

3. Complete each page of the Deploy Software Wizard:

Page Steps

General 1. Click Browse next to the Collection box.

2. In the Select Collection dialog box, click Device Collections

on the left side; on the right side, click a device collection to

which you want to deploy the UE-V Agent; and click OK.

3. Click Next.

You can choose one of the built-in collections or your own

collection. For more information about creating collections in

Configuration Manager, see the article “How to Create

Collections in Configuration Manager” on TechNet.

Content 1. Click Next.

Deployment Settings 1. In the Purpose list, click Required.

2. Click Next.

Selecting Required in the Purpose list forces installation of the

UE-V Agent application on targeted computers. Configuration

Manager will also reinstall the agent if users remove it.

Scheduling 1. Click Next.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712295.aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712295.aspx


Page Steps

User Experience 1. In the User notifications list, click Hide in Software Center

and all notifications.

2. Click Next.

Selecting Hide in Software Center and all notifications

prevents Configuration Manager from notifying users about the

installation of the UE-V Agent. This recommended setting

prevents any user interaction or interference with deployment.

Alerts 1. Click Next.

Summary 1. In the Details area, review the information that the Deploy

Software Wizard collected, and click Next.

Progress 1. Monitor the progress of the Deploy Software Wizard while it

deploys the UE-V Agent application.

Completion 1. Verify that the Deploy Software Wizard completed


Edit Existing Task Sequences

As the section “Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012” on page 19 described, one of the best and

simplest ways to install agent applications during operating-system deployment is by adding

them to existing task sequences. By adding the UE-V Agent to your existing task sequences, you

can install the agent automatically with no interaction or interference from the user. This helps

to ensure that the UE-V Agent is available immediately, before end users log onto the computer.

To install the UE-V Agent in a Configuration Manager sequence

1. In the Configuration Manager Console, click the Software Library workspace.


2. In the Software Library workspace, click Task Sequences. Task Sequences is in

Overview\Operating Systems.

3. In the Details pane, right-click the task sequence to which you want to add the UE-V

Agent, and click Edit.

4. Click the Install Applications group, which is under the State Restore group. The task

sequence editor will add the new step in this group.

5. On the Add menu, click General, and click Install Application.

6. Click the new Install Application task sequence step that you just added, do the

following:

a. In the Name box, type Install the UE-V Agent.

b. Click New (i.e., the button that looks like a star), click the UE-V Agent application

in the Select The Application To Install dialog box, and then click OK.

c. Optionally, on the Options tab, select the Continue on error check box. Select

this check only if you want the task sequence to continue running if the UE-V

Agent fails to install during operating-system deployment.

7. Click OK to close the Task Sequence Editor dialog box.

Scripted Installation

If you do not use MDT or Configuration Manager to deploy applications in your environment,

and you do not want to use Group Policy software installation, you can script installation by

using batch scripts, Windows PowerShell scripts, and so on. With this technique, you are

essentially performing a command-line installation. You can use the same technique to install

the UE-V Agent by using any third-party Electronic Software Distribution (ESD) system.

The following sections describe the steps necessary to complete each of these tasks:

1. Create and share a folder containing the UE-V Agent installation files.

2. Run AgentSetup.exe from the network share containing the installation files.


Share the Installation Files

Create a network share that contains the UE-V Agent installation files. This network share must

be accessible to all computers on which you want to install the UE-V Agent. If users will run the

setup program in their own security context, give the UE-V Users group permissions to the

folder. The section “Creating the Settings Storage Location” on page 5 described the UE-V Users

group. Otherwise, configure the share’s NTFS and share permissions to permit access by the

accounts that will actually install the UE-V Agent.

To create and share a folder for the UE-V Agent installation files



2. Configure NTFS permissions for the folder UE-V Setup as Table 11 describes. To

configure NTFS permissions, right-click the folder, click Properties, and then click

Advanced on the Security tab.




UE-V Users Read and execute This folder, subfolders, and files



Sharing tab.


Account Permissions

UE-V Users Read


4. Copy the UE-V installation files (i.e., AgentSetup.exe, AgentSetupx64.msi,

AgentSetupx86.msi, etc.) from the MDOP distribution media to \\SERVER\UE-V Setup.

Running AgentSetup.exe

For a scripted installation, the command you use to install the UE-V Agent must include the

following command-line options (see the section titled “Appendix A: Command-Line Options”

on page 54 for more information):

/quiet. This command-line option runs AgentSetup.exe with no user interaction. Without

using this command-line option, the setup program will stall the deployment process to

wait for user interaction.

/norestart. By default, AgentSetup.exe restarts the computer after installation. You must

prevent the setup program from restarting the computer, allowing the script to maintain

Installing the UE-V Agent Remotely

You must install the UE-V Agent from an elevated Command Prompt.

Therefore, users with restricted accounts cannot run scripts that install

the UE-V Agent. A variety of tools and techniques are available to work

around this limitation. Examples include:

Use PowerShell Remoting to run the UE-V Agent setup program on a list of remote

computers. For more information about PowerShell Remoting, see the article

“Running Remote Commands” on TechNet.

Use the Sysinternals PsExec tool to run processes remotely with specific credentials.

For more information about PsExec, and the other amazing tools in the Sysinternals

toolset, see the article “PsTools” on TechNet.

Use Group Policy preferences to schedule a job in Task Scheduler that runs the UE-V

Agent on targeted computers with credentials that you specify in the task. For more

information about scheduling tasks by using Group Policy preferences, see the

article “Configure a Scheduled Task Item” on TechNet.

Additionally, a variety of third-party tools are available to script the installation of programs

that require elevated permissions. Many of them are free or have a nominal cost.

http://technet.microsoft.com/library/dd819505.aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/sysinternals/bb896649.aspx



control of computer restarts. You can restart the computer in your script by using the

Shutdown command. For more information, see the article “Shutdown” on TechNet.

If you are not using Group Policy to configure the UE-V Agent, you can also configure the agent

by using the Windows Installer properties that the section titled “Appendix B: Windows Installer


installation command in your script. For example, the following batch-script snippet installs the

UE-V Agent silently, prevents the setup program from restarting the computer, sets the settings

storage location to \\SERVER\SettingsStore\%USERNAME%, and disables the requirement for

using Offline Files (the second line is a continuation of the first line):

AgentSetup.exe /quiet /norestart SyncMethod=None

SettingsStoragePath=\\SERVER\SettingsStore\%%USERNAME%%

With scripted installations, you must escape the percent signs (%) in any

environment variables that you use in the SettingsStoragePath property, as

the section titled “Appendix C: Environment Variables” on page 59

describes. For batch scripts, delay expansion of environment variables such

as %USERNAME% by using the format %%USERNAME%%.


UE-V DEPLOYMENT GUIDE | MANAGING THE UE-V AGENT 38

Managing the UE-V Agent

You can manage and configure the UE-V Agent after its initial deployment. Table 13 describes

some of the options available. Depending on your organization’s requirements, you might use

multiple methods. For example, you could use Group Policy to manage the configuration of the

UE-V Agent and use Windows PowerShell to perform UE-V Agent troubleshooting.

Table 13—Managing the UE-V Agent


Group Policy You have an Active Directory infrastructure.

You use Group Policy to manage other application and

operating-system configuration settings.

You want to centralize management of the UE-V Agent.

You want to store settings packages in a location other than

the users’ home directories defined in AD DS.

For more information about deploying the UE-V Agent by using

Group Policy, see the section titled “Group Policy Software

Installation” on page 14. For more information about configuring

the settings storage path by using Group Policy, see the section

titled “Configuring the Settings Storage Path” on page 8.



Windows

PowerShell

You want to automate common management tasks.

You want to perform management tasks that require decision

logic that you cannot perform by using other methods.

You want to troubleshoot or configure individual UE-V Agent

installations.

UE-V includes a number of Windows PowerShell cmdlets that you

can use to manage all aspects of UE-V. You can also use Windows

PowerShell to deploy the UE-V Agent and to configure the settings

storage path. To learn more about managing the UE-V Agent by

using Windows PowerShell, see the section titled “Windows

PowerShell” on page 40. For more information about deploying

the UE-V Agent by using PowerShell, see the section titled

“Scripted Installation” on page 34.

Compliance

Settings in

Configuration

Manager

You want to manage UE-V Agent settings as part of an

automated baseline configuration for your device standards.

You want to provide reporting on organization-wide device

compliance with UE-V Agent configuration standards.

You want to leverage an existing investment in Configuration

Manager.

See the article “Compliance Settings in Configuration Manager” on

TechNet for more information. You can also use Configuration

Manager to deploy the UE-V Agent and to configure the settings

storage path. For more information, see the section titled “System

Center 2012 Configuration Manager” on page 24.

http://technet.microsoft.com/library/gg681958.aspx


Group Policy

A Group Policy administrative template that defines policy settings for the UE-V Agent is

available. For more information about installing the Group Policy administrative template, see

the section titled “Installing the Administrative Templates” on page 7.

UE-V policy settings are in the Group Policy Management Editor at the following locations:

User Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Microsoft

User Experience Virtualization

Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows

Components\Microsoft User Experience Virtualization

Table 20 in the section titled “Appendix D: Group Policy Settings” on page 61 lists the UE-V

policy settings and provides a description of each, including whether the setting can be applied

to users, computers, or both.

Windows PowerShell

The UE-V Agent provides numerous Windows PowerShell cmdlets that you can use to manage

and configure the agent. These cmdlets are in the UE-V PowerShell module (UEV). After

installing the UE-V Agent, load the UE-V PowerShell module by running the following command

at a Windows PowerShell command prompt:

Import-Module UEV

You can list the UE-V PowerShell cmdlets by using running the following command:

Get-Command -Module UEV


You can view help for each UE-V cmdlet by using the Get-Help cmdlet.

For example, type Get-Help Restore-UevUserSetting -Full to see

detailed information about the Restore-UevUserSetting cmdlet. For more

information about using the Get-Help cmdlet, see the article “Using the

Get-Help Cmdlet” on TechNet.

You can use the UE-V PowerShell cmdlets to manage and configure all aspects of the UE-V

Agent. Even if you are using Group Policy to manage the UE-Agent, using Windows PowerShell

is still a great way to troubleshoot or configure agents in one-off scenarios. For example, to

restore a user’s experience for a specific application to its state when UE-V first synchronized it,

use the following Windows PowerShell command:

Restore-UevUserSetting -Application Calculator

For a complete list of the UE-V PowerShell cmdlets and examples of how to use each cmdlet,

see the section titled "Configure the UE-V Agent with WMI and PowerShell" in the Microsoft User

Experience Virtualization Administrator Guide.

Compliance Settings

Microsoft provides a configuration pack for use with the Compliance Settings feature in System

Center 2012 Configuration Manager to manage UE-V agent settings. You can download it from

the Microsoft Download Center. The configuration pack contains a baseline that you can use to

help maintain settings consistency across UE-V agent installations.

After installation, you must modify the following remediation scripts for your environment:

Is settings storage path configured. On the last line of the script, change “path” to the

SettingsStoragePath to assign, including the registry hive (HKCU or HKLM).

Is settings template catalog configured. On the last line of the script, change “path” to

the SettingsTemplateCatalogPath to set in the registry. If you are not using the settings

template catalog auto-import feature, you can remove this configuration item.

http://technet.microsoft.com/library/ee176848.aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/library/ee176848.aspx



Validate UE-V templates. By default, this script iterates over the installed templates and

versions, but does not enforce them. You can use this script as a starting point to verify

that specific settings templates and versions are installed. If you do not need template

validation, you can remove this configuration item.

To import the configuration pack into Configuration Manager

1. In the Configuration Manager Console, click the Assets and Compliance workspace.

2. In the Assets and Compliance workspace, right-click Configuration Baselines, and click

Import Configuration Data. Configuration Baselines is in Overview\Compliance

Settings.

3. Click Add, and open the file UE-V Baseline.cab. The default installation location for this

file is %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft User Experience Virtualization\ConfigPack.

4. Complete the remaining pages of the Import Configuration Data Wizard.

Order of Precedence

UE-V Agent settings are applied in a specific order. This order of precedence determines which

UE-V Agent settings are effective when you configure them in more than one place or by using

multiple methods. The UE-V Agent settings have the following order of precedence (highest

precedence first):

1. User settings managed by Group Policy. These configuration settings are stored in the

following registry path:

HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\UEV\Agent\Configuration

2. Computer settings managed by Group Policy. These configuration settings are stored

in the following registry path:

HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\UEV\Agent\Configuration

3. User settings configured by using PowerShell or WMI. These configuration settings

are stored in the following registry path:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\UEV\Agent\Configuration


4. Computer settings configured by using PowerShell or WMI. These configuration

settings are stored in the following registry path:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\UEV\Agent\Configuration

UE-V DEPLOYMENT GUIDE | CREATING SETTINGS LOCATION TEMPLATES 44

Creating Settings Location Templates

UE-V uses settings location templates to determine the locations of Windows and application

settings in the registry and on the file system. The concept is similar to administrative templates

in Group Policy and migration XML files in the User State Migration Tool.

UE-V provides a collection of settings location templates in-the-box for the following operating

systems and applications:

Windows 7 and Windows 8

Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 9, and Internet Explorer 10

Windows accessories, including Calculator, Notepad, and WordPad

Microsoft Office 2010 applications

You can also create custom settings location templates for other applications, such as third-

party and line-of-business (LOB). You use the UE-V Generator to create custom settings location

templates, and you store them in a settings template catalog, which is a simple network share.

You do not copy the built-in settings location templates to the settings template catalog.

The following sections describe the steps necessary to complete each of these tasks:

1. Install the UE-V Generator on a lab computer.

2. Create a settings location template catalog on a file server.

3. Configure the settings template catalog path for the UE-V Agent.

4. Create a custom settings location template by using the UE-V Generator.

5. Deploy the custom settings location template to the catalog.

Install the UE-V Generator

You use the UE-V Generator to create and edit custom settings location templates. The UE-V

Generator creates custom settings location templates by monitoring the behavior of an

application and recording the registry keys and files it accesses when you open and close it. You

save settings location templates in the settings template catalog.


You can install the UE-V Generator on a 32- or 64-bit virtual machine (VM) or physical computer.

However, installing the UE-V Generator on a VM can streamline the process of creating settings

location templates because you can quickly restore the VM to a known good state. Using the

UE-V Generator on a physical computer might require that you frequently re-image the

computer. Additionally, depending on your requirements, you might need to install the UE-V

Generator on multiple computers to support different system types.

The computer on which you install the UE-V Generator must meet the following requirements:

Windows 7 or Windows 8

Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.5 with Service Pack 1

or

Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.0

Any additional operating system roles or features that the applications for which you are

creating settings location templates require

Installing the UE-V Generator requires elevated permissions.

To install the UE-V Generator

1. Run ToolSetup.exe from the MDOP distribution media.

2. Complete each page of the UE-V Generator Setup Wizard:

Page Steps

Welcome to the

Microsoft User

Experience

Virtualization

Generator Setup

Wizard

1. Click Next.


Page Steps

End-User License

Agreement

1. Review the license terms.

2. Select the I accept the terms in the License Agreement

check box, and click Next.

Destination Folder 1. Click Next.

Ready to install

Microsoft User

Experience

Virtualization

Generator

1. Click Install.

Installing Microsoft

User Experience

Virtualization

Generator

1. Monitor installation progress as the wizard installs the UE-V

Generator on the computer.

Completed the

Microsoft User

Experience

Virtualization

Generator Setup

Wizard

1. Click Finish.

Create a Settings Template Catalog

The settings template catalog is a network share in which you store custom settings location

templates. You do not need to copy the built-in settings location templates to the catalog.


The scheduled task that checks the settings template catalog daily runs as SYSTEM. Therefore,

you must at least give read permission to the Domain Computers group. Additionally, give Full

Control to administrators who will manage the settings template catalog.

To create and share the UE-V settings template catalog

1. On SERVER, create SettingsCatalog. SERVER is the name of the server computer in which

you want to create the UE-V settings template catalog, and SettingsCatalog is the name

of the folder containing the catalog.

2. Configure the NTFS permissions for SettingsCatalog as Table 14 describes. Ensure that

you remove any user accounts not listed in Table 14. To configure NTFS permissions,

right-click the folder, click Properties, and then click Advanced on the Security tab.

Table 14—NTFS Permissions for the Settings Template Catalog



Creator Owner Full control This folder, subfolders, and files

Domain Computers Read and execute This folder, subfolders, and files

3. Share SettingsCatalog with the permissions that Table 15 describes. Ensure that you

remove from the permissions list any user accounts not listed in Table 15. To configure

the share, right-click the folder, click Properties, and then click the Sharing tab.


Table 15—Share Permissions for the Settings Template Catalog

Account Permissions


Domain Computers Read

Configure the Settings Template Catalog Path

After you create and share the UE-V settings template catalog, you need to configure the UE-V

Agent to use it as the source for custom settings location templates. Configuring the settings

template catalog path in the UE-V Agent is similar to configuring the settings storage path.

The Group Policy administrative template for UE-V defines a policy setting for configuring the

settings template catalog path: Settings template catalog path. Enable the policy, and set the

path to \\SERVER\SettingsCatalog. For more information about configuring the UE-V Agent by

using Group Policy, see the section titled “Managing the UE-V Agent” on page 38.

You can also configure the settings template catalog path by using the Windows Installer

property SettingsTemplateCatalogPath during installation. You can use this property whether

you install the UE-V Agent by running the AgentSetup.exe, AgentSetupx64.msi, or

AgentSetupx86.msi files. Table 19 in “Appendix C: Environment Variables” on page 59 describes

how to specify environment variables on the command line for each installation method.

After configuring the settings template catalog path, the UE-V Agent will check that location

daily for new, updated, and deleted settings location templates. It will register any new or

updated settings location templates and deregister any deleted settings location templates.

Create a Custom Settings Location Template

You create custom settings location templates by using the UE-V Generator. The section titled

“Install the UE-V Generator” on page 44 described how to install the tool. The UE-V Generator

discovers the registry settings and files that an application accesses when you open and close it.


You should not have to exercise the application, open any Options or Preferences dialog boxes,

and so on. You simply start the application from within the UE-V Generator, and close it.

After you run the application, and the UE-V Generator discovers its settings, you can customize

the settings location template by adding or remove settings, including registry settings and files.

Table 16 describes how the UE-V Generator categorizes settings.

Table 16—Settings Categories in the UE-V Generator

Category Description

Standard Registry Registry values in HKEY_CURRENT_USER.

Nonstandard Registry Registry values in locations other than HKEY_CURRENT_USER.

Standard File Files in %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming.

Nonstandard File Files in folders other than %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming.

To create a custom settings location template by using the UE-V Generator

1. Install the application on the lab computer containing the UE-V Generator.

2. Start the UE-V Generator. On the Start menu in Windows 7 or Start screen in Windows 8,

type user experience, and click Microsoft User Experience Virtualization Generator.

3. On the Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) Generator window, click Create a

settings location template to start the Create a Settings location Template Wizard.


4. Complete each page of the Create a Settings Location Template Wizard:

Page Steps

Specify Application 1. In the File path box, type the path and name of the

program file you want to monitor, or type the path and file

name of a shortcut to the program.

2. Click Next.

3. In the User Account Control dialog box, click Yes.

The Create a Settings Location Template Wizard starts the

application and moves on to the next page.

Discover Locations 1. Once the application has finished loading, simply close it.

You can monitor the computer’s disk activity to determine if

the application has finished loading.

2. On the Discover Locations page, click Next.

Review Locations 1. On the Registry tab, do the following:

a. On the Standard tab, deselect the registry locations

that the wizard discovered in standard locations that

you do not want to include in the settings location

template.

b. On the Nonstandard tab, select the registry locations

that the wizard discovered in nonstandard locations

that you want to include in the settings location

template.

2. On the Files tab, do the following:

a. On the Standard tab, deselect the file locations that

the wizard discovered in standard locations that you

do not want to include in the settings location


Page Steps

template.

b. On the Nonstandard tab, select the file locations that

the wizard discovered in nonstandard locations that

you want to include in the settings location template.

3. Click Next.

Edit Template 1. On the Properties tab, edit the application properties. The

wizard reads most of these properties from the program file.

Optionally, type your name in the Template author name

box and your email alias in the Template author email box.

2. On the Registry tab, add, remove, or edit the registry

locations to include in the settings location template.

3. On the Files tab, add, remove, or edit the file locations to

include in the settings location template.

4. After reviewing the registry and file locations that wizard will

include in the settings location template, click Create.

5. In the Save As dialog box, type a path and file name for the

settings location template, and click Save.

Finish 1. Click Close.

Deploy the Custom Settings Location Template

To deploy the custom settings location template, simply copy it to the settings template catalog

(i.e., \\SERVER\SettingsCatalog) on the file server. The UE-V Agent checks the catalog daily.

You can force the UE-V Agent to apply custom settings location templates from the catalog

immediately by running ApplySettingsTemplateCatalog.exe. This tool is in the UE-V Agent

installation folder in %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft User Experience Virtualization\Agent\Type,


where Type is either x64 or x86, depending on the system type of the computer. You must run

ApplySettingsTemplateCatalog.exe with elevated permissions.

UE-V DEPLOYMENT GUIDE | CONCLUSION 53

Conclusion

UE-V offers users consistent, personal Windows and app experiences that match users’

increasingly mobile workstyles. Combining UE-V with App-V, Folder Redirection, and Offline

Files enables users to change their device but keep their experiences.

UE-V is also simple to deploy. Create and share the settings storage location, install the UE-V

Agent on each computer where you want users to have a roaming experience, and configure the

settings storage location path in the UE-V Agent.

But as you’ve seen in this deployment guide, UE-V can also integrate and scale with your

existing deployment and management infrastructure. You can use your existing ESD system to

deploy the UE-V Agent, for example, and you can configure UE-V settings by using Group Policy,

Windows PowerShell, or other configuration management tools.

You can evaluate UE-V today as part of MDOP, and MDOP is available to TechNet subscribers

and MSDN subscribers. MDOP is available for purchase if you have Software Assurance on

Windows client (including Windows Intune subscribers).

For more information about UE-V, see:

The Windows Enterprise website to learn more about its business benefits.

The User Experience Virtualization webpage on TechNet for technical information, including

videos that provide an overview and demonstrate how to set up and configure UE-V.


http://technet.microsoft.com/windows/hh943107

UE-V DEPLOYMENT GUIDE | COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS 54

Appendix A: Command-Line Options

Table 17 lists command-line options that you can use to control the behavior of AgentSetup.exe

and Msiexec.exe during installation. AgentSetup.exe passes these command-line options directly

to Msiexec.exe when it runs Msiexec.exe to install AgentSetupx64.msi or AgentSetupx86.msi.

In addition to the command-line options that Table 17 describes, you can

use the Windows Installer properties that the section “Appendix B:

Windows Installer Properties” on page 55 describes how to configure the

UE-V Agent during installation.

Table 17—Command-Line Options

Option Description

/help Displays the usage dialog box.

/norestart Prevents the computer from restarting after installation completes.

/quiet Installs the UE-V Agent with no user interface or interaction.

UE-V DEPLOYMENT GUIDE | WINDOWS INSTALLER PROPERTIES 55

Appendix B: Windows Installer Properties

Table 18 lists the Windows Installer properties that you can use to configure UE-V during

installation. They do not begin with forward slash (/) or dash (-) characters. You can specify these

properties on the AgentSetup.exe command line or when installing the Windows Installer

package files (AgentSetupx86.msi and AgentSetupx64.msi) directly by using msiexex.exe. You

can also configure these properties in a Windows Installer transform and apply the transform

during installation or when deploying the Windows Installer package files by using Group Policy.

Table 18—Windows Installer Properties

Property Description

MaxPackageSizeInBytes Specifies a threshold in bytes for the size of the settings

package file, past which the UE-V records an event in the

event log.

Property usage:

MaxPackageSizeInBytes=threshold

Default value:

None

Equivalent Group Policy setting:

Package size warning threshold



RegisterMSTemplates Specifies whether to register the default Microsoft

settings location templates during installation.

Property usage:

RegisterMSTemplates=[True | False]

True Register the default templates.

False Do not register the default templates.

Default value:

True


None

SettingsStoragePath Specifies the UNC path of the settings storage location.

You can use environment variables (e.g., %USERNAME%)

with this property. However, you must escape the

percent signs (%) to delay the expansion of environment

variables. (see the section titled “Appendix C:

Environment Variables“ on page 59 for more

information.)

Property usage:

SettingsStoragePath=\\Server\Share

Default value:

The user account’s home folder defined in AD DS.


Settings storage path



SettingsTemplateCatalogPath Specifies the UNC path of the settings template catalog.

Using a settings template catalog is optional.

Property usage:

SettingsTemplateCatalogPath=\\Server\Share


Settings template catalog path

SyncEnabled Specifies whether UE-V synchronization is enabled or

disabled.

Property usage:

SyncEnabled=[True | False]

True Synchronization is enabled.

False Synchronization is not enabled.

Default value:

False


Use User Experience Virtualization (UE-V)



SyncMethod Specifies whether to use Offline Files or not.

Property usage:

SyncMethod=[OfflineFiles | None]

None Do not require or use Offline Files.

OfflineFiles Require and use Offline Files.

Default value:

OfflineFiles


Do not use Offline Files

SyncTimeoutInMilliseconds Specifies the number of milliseconds that the UE-V

Agent waits before timing out when synchronizing with

the settings storage location.

Property usage:

SyncTimeoutInMilliseconds =Milliseconds

Default value:

2000


Synchronization timeout

UE-V DEPLOYMENT GUIDE | ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES 59

Appendix C: Environment Variables

During UE-V Agent installation, you can specify the settings storage location by using the

SettingsStoragePath property. (An alternative is to define the settings storage location by using

Group Policy or by assigning a home folder to each user account.) To create separate settings

storage locations for each user, you can use the %USERNAME% environment variable in the

path. The following example creates a folder based on each user’s account name in the network

share \\SERVER\SettingsStore.

AgentSetup.exe SettingsStoragePath=\\SERVER\SettingsStore\%USERNAME%

When using environment variables with a command parser—at the command prompt, in a

batch script, in Windows PowerShell scripts, or with most ESD systems—you must delay the

expansion of environment variables to ensure correct operation. Otherwise, the command parser

will expand the environment variable immediately, and store the results in the registry. For

example, without delayed expansion, if a user named Mark runs the previous command, the

command parse will expand %USERNAME% and AgentSetup.exe will store

\\SERVER\SettingsStore\Mark in the registry. All users who share the computer would use the

same settings storage location.

On the other hand, if you escape the settings storage path, the command parser will not expand

the environment variable, and AgentSetup.exe will store \\SERVER\SettingsStore\%USERNAME%

in the registry, which is the desired result. The challenge is that you cannot use the same escape

characters for every command parser or system, as they have unique requirements. Table 19

describes how to escape environment variables for the deployment tools this guide describes.

UE-V DEPLOYMENT GUIDE | ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES 60

Table 19—Escaping Environment Variables for AgentSetup.exe

Parser Format

Command Prompt %^VARIABLE%

Example:

SettingsStoragePath=\\SERVER\SettingsStore\%^USERNAME%

Batch Script %%VARIABLE%%

Example:

SettingsStoragePath="\\SERVER\SettingsStore\%%USERNAME%%"

Windows

PowerShell

%VARIABLE%

Example:

SettingsStoragePath="\\SERVER\SettingsStore\%USERNAME%"

ESD Systems

(e.g., MDT or

Configuration

Manager)

^%VARIABLE^%

Example:

SettingsStoragePath="\\SERVER\SettingsStore\^%USERNAME^%"

UE-V DEPLOYMENT GUIDE | GROUP POLICY SETTINGS 61

Appendix D: Group Policy Settings

Table 20 describes the policy settings that the UE-V Agent supports. To edit these policy

settings, you must download and install the UE-V Group Policy administrative template from the

Microsoft Download Center. For more information about installing the administrative template,

see the section titled “Installing the Administrative Templates” on page 7.

Table 20—UE-V Group Policy Settings

Policy Setting Description

Applications

(Users Only)

Determines whether application experiences based on built-in

settings location templates in UE-V roam or not. Applications is a

subfolder in the Group Policy Management Editor that contains a

policy setting for each application that has a built-in settings

location template in UE-V. You use these policy settings to control

whether UE-V roams the settings defined in each built-in settings

location template.

Behavior:

Enabled Roaming is enabled for the application.

Disabled Roaming is disabled for the application.

Not configured Roaming is enabled for the application.

Equivalent Windows Installer property:

None




Do not use Offline

Files

(Computers and

Users)

Configures whether the UE-V Agent will use the Offline Files

feature. You can also choose whether the user sees notifications

when the import of user settings is delayed. For more information

about how the UE-V Agent works with the Offline Files feature, see

the section titled ““Enabling Offline Files” on page 10.

Behavior:

Enabled The UE-V Agent will not use Offline Files. If you

select the Enable notification check box, UE-V will alert the

user when settings import is delayed. You must also specify

a notification delay (seconds) in the Notification delay box.

Disabled The UE-V Agent will use Offline Files.

Not configured The UE-V Agent will use Offline Files.


SyncMethod



Roam Windows

settings

(Users Only)

Determines whether Windows experiences in the built-in settings

location templates roam or not. These include:

Desktop settings

Ease of access

Themes

Behavior:

Enabled UE-V roams the Windows experiences that you

select. It does not roam unselected Windows experiences.

Disabled UE-V does not roam Windows experiences

defined by the built-in settings location templates.

Not configured UE-V roams Themes but does not roam

Desktop settings or Ease of access.


None



Settings package

size warning

threshold

(Computers or

Users)

Defines a size in bytes at which the UE-V Agent records in the

event log that a settings package file has reached its threshold.

Behavior:

Enabled UE-V records an event in the event log if a

settings package file reaches the threshold that you specify

in the Package size threshold box.

Disabled UE-V does not monitor settings package file

sizes and does not record events in the event log.

Not configured UE-V does not monitor settings package

file sizes and does not record events in the event log.


MaxPackageSizeInBytes



Settings storage

path

(Computers or

Users)

Specifies the UNC path to the settings storage location. You can

use environment variables in this policy setting, and you do not

have to escape or format them in a special way.

Behavior:

Enabled UE-V stores users’ experiences in the UNC path

that you specify in the Settings storage path box.

Disabled UE-V stores users’ experiences in their home

folder, specified in AD DS, or the location specified during

UE-V Agent installation.

Not configured UE-V stores users’ experiences in their

home folder, specified in AD DS, or the location specified

during UE-V Agent installation.


SettingsStoragePath



Settings template

catalog path

(Computer Only)

Specifies the UNC path to the settings template catalog. You can

also choose to replace the built-in settings location templates with

the templates in the settings location catalog.

Behavior:

Enabled UE-V registers settings location templates in the

UNC path that you specify in the Settings template

catalog path box. If you select the Replace the default

Microsoft templates check box, UE-V will replace the built-

in settings location templates with the catalog.

Disabled UE-V registers the settings location templates in

the catalog specified during UE-V Agent installation.

Not configured UE-V registers the settings location

templates in the catalog specified during UE-V Agent

installation.

If you disable this policy setting after enabling it and select the

Replace the default Microsoft templates check box, UE-V will not

restore the built-in settings location templates.


SettingsTemplateCatalogPath



Synchronization

timeout

(Computers or

Users)

Specifies the number of milliseconds that the UE-V Agent waits

when importing settings from the settings storage location.

Behavior:

Enabled Uses the timeout period that you specify in the

Synchronization timeout box.

Disabled Uses the default timeout period (2000ms)

Not configured Uses the default timeout period

(2000ms)


SyncTimeoutInMilliseconds

Use User

Experience

Virtualization (UE-

V)

(Computers or

Users)

Enables or disables the UE-V Agent on the target computer.

Behavior:

Enabled UE-V roams user settings.

Disabled UE-V does not roam user settings.

Not configured UE-V roams user settings.


SyncEnabled