Tutorial: Configure Profile Container to redirect User Profiles

Profile Container is a full remote profile solution for non-persistent environments. Profile Container redirects the entire user profile to a remote location. Profile Container configuration defines how and where the profile is redirected.

Profile Container is inclusive of the benefits found in Office Container.

When using Profile Container, both applications and users see the profile as if it's located on the local drive.

In this tutorial, learn how to:

  • Configure Profile Container Registry Settings
  • Set up Include and Exclude User Groups

Prerequisites

Before configuring Profile Container:

Configure Profile Container Registry settings

These settings are required to enable Profile Container and to specify the location for the profile VHD to be stored. The minimum required settings to enable Profile Containers are:

Value Type Configured Value Description
Enabled (required setting) DWORD 1 0: Profile Containers disabled. 1: Profile Containers enabled
VHDLocations (required setting) MULTI_SZ or REG_SZ <Profile Path> A list of file system locations to search for the user's profile VHD(X) file. If one isn't found, one will be created in the first listed location. If the VHD path doesn't exist, it will be created before it checks if a VHD(X) exists in the path. These values can contain variables that will be resolved. Supported variables are %username%, %userdomain%, %sid%, %osmajor%, %osminor%, %osbuild%, %osservicepack%, %profileversion%, and any environment variable available at time of use. When specified as a REG_SZ value, multiple locations can be separated with a semi-colon.

Profile Containers Registry Configuration

VHDLocations may be replaced by CCDLocations when using Cloud Cache

These settings are often helpful when configuring Profile Container but are not required.

Value Type Configured Value Description
DeleteLocalProfileWhenVHDShouldApply DWORD 0 0: no deletion. 1: delete local profile if exists and matches the profile being loaded from VHD. NOTE: Use caution with this setting. When the FSLogix Profiles system determines a user should have a FSLogix profile, but a local profile exists, Profile Container permanently deletes the local profile. The user will then be signed in with an FSLogix profile.
FlipFlopProfileDirectoryName DWORD 0 When set to '1' the SID folder is created as "%username%%sid%" instead of the default "%sid%%username%". This setting has the same effect as setting SIDDirNamePattern = "%username%%sid%" and SIDDirNameMatch = "%username%%sid%".
PreventLoginWithFailure DWORD 0 If set to 1 Profile Container will load FRXShell if there's a failure attaching to, or using an existing profile VHD(X). The user will receive the FRXShell prompt - default prompt to call support, and the users only option will be to sign out.
PreventLoginWithTempProfile DWORD 0 If set to 1 Profile Container will load FRXShell if it's determined a temp profile has been created. The user will receive the FRXShell prompt - default prompt to call support, and the users only option will be to sign out.

Set up Include and Exclude User Groups

There are often users, such as local administrators, that have profiles that should remain local. During installation, four user groups are created to manage users who's profiles are included and excluded from Profile Container and Office Container redirection.

FSLogix Groups image

By default Everyone is added to the FSLogix Profile Include List group.

Profile Containers Include Image

Adding a user to the FSLogix Profile Exclude List group means that the FSLogix agent will not attach a FSLogix profile container for the user. In the case where a user is a member of both the exclude and include groups, exclude takes priority.

Profile Containers Exclude Image

Profile Containers is now configured and ready to be used. In order to verify that Profile Container is working, sign in as a user in the Included List group. Using File Manager, navigate to the location specified in VHDLocations. Verify that a folder, with the user name and SID has been created.

Profile Containers validation image

Next Steps