Profile Management

Install Profile Management

Profile Management is an optional component of the VDA installer. You can install it along with the VDA or separately. This article provides guidance on how to install Profile Management using its own installer.

For more information about installing Profile Management along with VDAs, see Install VDAs in the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops document.

Overview

You must install Profile Management on each computer whose user profiles you want to manage. Typically, you run its MSI installer on computers using a distribution tool, an imaging solution, or a streaming technology. You can also install it directly on any computer. Unattended installations are supported.

The general installation procedure is as follows:

  1. Run the MSI installer.

  2. To configure Profile Management using Group Policy, add ADMX template files to Group Policy.

Note:

We recommend installing the same version of Profile Management on all user computers. Also, add the same version of ADMX template files to Group Policy. This approach prevents corruption of profile data that might occur when different user store structures (from different versions) exist.

Run the MSI installer

This procedure installs Profile Management on a single computer:

  1. Log on to the computer as an administrator.
  2. Run the MSI installer in the root folder of the installation package. The installation wizard appears.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.
  4. Restart the computer.

In addition to DLLs and other files, the installer creates these files in the installation location (by default, C:\Program Files\Citrix\User Profile Manager).

File Name Description
UPMPolicyDefaults_all.ini Profile Management .ini file
UserProfileManager.exe Windows service carrying out functions on computers managed by Profile Management

Run the MSI installer from the command line

Running the MSI installer from the command line lets you complete the installation without user interaction.

The command line installation also provides the following installation options:

  • Suppress the restart using the /norestart option.

    Depending on the operating system, Profile Management might not function until the computer has restarted. For example, you do not need to restart Windows 7 workstations.

  • Specify INSTALLDIR if needed.

  • Set INSTALLPOLICYINIFILES to no to prevent the installation of the Profile Management .ini file.

    If you have used the .ini file with a previous version and want to use the previous settings in this version, after installation, transfer each setting manually to the equivalent Profile Management policy in the Group Policy Editor.

  • Use the OVERWRITEINIFILES=yes option for upgrade. For more information, see Upgrade Profile Management.

The following example installs Profile Management without displaying a user interface and a restart. If UAC is enabled, run the msiexec command with elevated privileges. For example, from an elevated command prompt.

pre codeblock msiexec /i <path to the MSI file> /quiet [/norestart] [INSTALLDIR=<installation directory>] [OVERWRITEINIFILES=yes] [INSTALLPOLICYINIFILES=no] <!--NeedCopy-->

Uninstall Profile Management

This procedure uninstalls Profile Management from a single computer. Before you start, make sure that you’re the computer administrator.

  1. To avoid data loss, make sure that all users are logged off.
  2. From the list of installed programs in Programs and Features, select Profile Management and click Uninstall.
  3. Click Yes.
  4. Restart the computer.

You can also uninstall Profile Management in unattended mode.

Add ADMX template files to Group Policy

Depending on how you configure Profile Management using Group Policy, add ADMX template files to domain controllers or computers:

  • To centrally configure Profile Management for computers in an OU, add the ADMX template files to all domain controllers.
  • To configure Profile Management individually for each computer, add the ADMX template files to the computer.

Copy the following files from the installation package and paste them to the locations on the domain controllers or computers. See the following table for detailed instructions.

File Names From (installation package) To (domain controller or computer)
CitrixBase.adml \Group Policy Templates\CitrixBase C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\<language> (Example: C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\en-US)
CitrixBase.admx \Group Policy Templates\CitrixBase C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions
ctxprofile.adml \Group Policy Templates\<language> (Example: \Group Policy Templates\en) C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\<language> (Example: C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\en-US)
ctxprofile.admx \Group Policy Templates\<language> (Example: \Group Policy Templates\en) C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions

For more information about ADMX template files, see this Microsoft article.

Configure Profile Management policies with GPOs

After you add ADMX files to domain controllers, follow these steps to view and configure Profile Management policies:

  1. On a domain controller, open Active Directory Users and Computers. Identify OUs containing the computers where Profile Management is installed.
  2. Open Group Policy Management, right-click an OU, select Create a GPO in this domain, and link it here, and then create a GPO.

    Note:

    If you apply security filtering to the GPO, do so using either the Authenticated Users group or a computer group. Don’t use a security group that contains only individual users.

  3. From Group Policy Objects, right-click the newly created GPO, and then select Edit. The Group Policy Management Editor window appears.
  4. Select Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates… > Citrix Components > Profile Management. You can see all Profile Management policies.
  5. Configure Profile Management as needed.
Install Profile Management