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DEMdev
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

Dynamic Environment Manager 9.10 has been released

We're happy to announce that Dynamic Environment Manager 9.10 has been released, with the following new features:

  • Support for Windows 10 Version 1909
  • Improved roaming of default applications (FTAs and protocols)
    There's a new Windows Common Setting to roam default application configuration:
    pastedImage_0.png
    With this new setting, you no longer need additional scripts and third-party tools to correctly this information.
  • Horizon Smart Policy computer environment settings
    DEM can now apply certain computer policy settings for Horizon:
    pastedImage_5.png
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32 Replies
burgerking68
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Hi DEMdev,

Can you briefly describe how you can set the standard browser with DEM 9.10?

Thanks

VMWare 8.4, DEM 2106
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DEMdev
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

Hi burgerking68,

It won't be brief, exactly, as it's a bit involved:

  • Create a Flex config file with the new Default applications Windows Common Setting (or use the item from the 9.10 Easy Start.)
  • Log on with a test user, use Settings > Apps > Default apps in Windows to select your browser, and log off.
  • Extract the Registry\Default Applications.xml file from the test user's profile archive.
  • Edit that file by removing all <item/> elements apart from the ones with name=".htm" and name=".html" in <fileExts> and name="http" and name="https" in <urlAssociations>.
    You should end up with something like
    pastedImage_10.png
    or
    pastedImage_11.png
    (depending on your browser choice, of course.)
  • You can now use this edited Default Applications.xml file as part of a predefined setting or a Files and Folders setting; just drop it into the Registry folder. In the case of Files and Folders you need to first create that Registry folder (and I agree that it's a bit strange to use Files and Folders when we have Registry Settings user environment settings, but the UI for that is limited to .REG files...)

Misc notes:

  • You can configure multiple settings for different browsers, and use conditions to decide which should be applied (just like everywhere else in the product.)
  • If you use predefined settings, you can provide a default browser, or enforce the browser via the predefined setting's Type.
  • Somewhat dependent on how you set up your base image, you will probably also need to roam all of the user's default application settings (using the new Windows Common Setting), so make sure that your browser-specific settings are applied after the user's preferences.
    If you use Files and Folders settings to set the user's browser, that will work just fine as long as you don't change the default Apply settings after profile archive import setting to before Smiley Happy.
    If you use predefined settings, you will need to carefully pick the folder and file name of your browser-specific settings so that it comes later (in alphabetical order) than the config file with the user's default application settings.

burgerking68
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Hi DEMdev​,

unfortunately I am unable to make sense of the process marked in yellow. Is the block "[DefaultApplications]" new in DEM 9.10? (I've never seen it before, but I can't add it manually either.). And: what is the function auf the "Process" in the next line?

Due to the fact that these default applications are also not "caught" in the DEM in the procedure you describe, no .xml file is generated.

Or did I miss something else?

Thank you for the answer:

pastedImage_0.png

VMWare 8.4, DEM 2106
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DEMdev
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

Hi burgerking68,

"[DefaultApplications]" and "Process" are indeed new in DEM 9.10. They trigger the internal logic for managing default application settings. (You're not supposed to add them manually, which is why they don't show up in the menus or Intellisense Smiley Happy.)

Your StandardBrowser_FTAs Flex config file should result in a StandardBrowser_FTAs.zip profile archive when your test user logs off. That zip should contain a Registry folder with a .REG file (which is irrelevant for now) and that Default Applications.xml file.

If that's not the case, can you share a FlexEngine log file, at log level DEBUG, covering the logoff of your test user?

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dbrutus
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

DEM 9.10 is only supported with Horizon 9.11 or can I use it with horizon 9.10?

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sjesse
Leadership
Leadership

I suggest going by

VMware Product Interoperability Matrices

as GSS will. currently it says only 7.11 is compatible

pastedImage_2.png

dbrutus
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Yup, I saw that but thought it could have been left out by mistake. I just upgraded to 7.10 last week along with DEM 9.9

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sjesse
Leadership
Leadership

Yeah me as well, I'm about to go to production, so I'll probably wait. Need to beat that windows 7 eos. There are good updates in 7.11. and 9.10 but they aren't earthshattering.

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dbrutus
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Are you upgrading Appvol as well and if so which version are you currently using and which one are you going to?

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sjesse
Leadership
Leadership

going from 2.13 to 2.18, we have generally did new environments for upgrades, so I really only do upgrades when we get new hardware.

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DEMdev
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

dbrutus​, sjesse,

Thank you for pointing out that the interop matrix between DEM 9.10 and Horizon is rather empty... I've informed the powers that be.

You can definitely use DEM 9.10 on Horizon 7.10.

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dbrutus
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Thank you very much. I thought that was really weird that everything besides 7.11 was empty.

mrahe_74
Contributor
Contributor

Hello DemDev,

We have set the default File Type Associations as described in the article.

Everything works fine so far, but when a user logs in for the first time (No DEM Profile available yet) this Pop Up shows up:

pastedImage_0.png

We can't find any way to suppress this. Do you have any idea.

There is a way to suppress this for every app like this for example:

KEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\Repository\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Photos_16.122.14020.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\App\Capabilities\FileAssociations

But that's not an update save to resolve this issue.

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SummaCollege
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

Hi mrahe_74

Most of the time the issue is that the .xml with Default Associations that is used is missing entries.

To test this you could reset all default app associations to default. Then export the list to .XML using the following command in powershell:

Dism /Online /Export-DefaultAppAssociations:"c:\temp\temp.xml"

For more info see: Export or Import Default Application Associations | Microsoft Docs

After that compare the exported .xml with the file you use in DEM. Make sure that all the entries in the exported .XML are present in the .XML you use in DEM.

Always check this when switching/upgrading the client OS to a newer version as in almost every new build there are new built-in apps added that might need an entry in that .XML

One other possible cause could be that the .XML you are using is not valid (typos for example).

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DEMdev
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

Hi mrahe_74,

Would you mind starting a new topic for this, rather than piggybacking on the 9.10 announcement, and describe what exactly you have configured in DEM? Also, what "article" do you refer to in "as described in the article."?

burgerking68
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Hi mrahe_74​, perhaps this topic from pim helps (GPO Policy!):

Managing Windows 10 with VMware Dynamic Environment Manager | VMware

Good luck  - viel Glück;-)

VMWare 8.4, DEM 2106
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Shreyskar
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

Hi mrahe_74

Has this been resolved Or still happening? Have you started a new thread for this issue?

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sjwood
Contributor
Contributor

Hi DEMdev

I'm trying to follow your steps but I get stuck here: Extract the Registry\Default Applications.xml file from the test user's profile archive.

I don't see an XML file here, only a "Flex Profiles" registry key. How am I supposed to find this .xml file?

Thank you,

Steve

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DEMdev
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

Hi sjwood,

Was that profile archive exported based on a config file that is using the Default applications template from DEM 9.10 or later?

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