How It Works

The following steps describe how MetaProfiles-IT simulates the behavior of roaming profiles during user logon and logoff.

• User accounts are reconfigured to use a (small-size) mandatory profile. This mandatory profile is typically stored locally on each Terminal Server.
• One or more file servers are designated as “Storage Servers” for the purpose of storing user data sets (subset of HKCU and non-redirected shell folders.
• These file servers run a very low-overhead service dubbed the MetaProfiles-IT Storage Service.
• All Terminal Servers must run the MetaProfiles-IT Agent Service. A Terminal Server running the Agent Service is typically referred to as an Agent Server.
• Using the Provision Management Console (PMC), the administrator specifies all the relevant HKCU sub-keys and (non-redirected) special folders that must persist from one logon to the next. Additional properties are also set to specify whether a sub-key or folder is “global” (applies to any Terminal Server) or “group-specific” (specific to a server farm or server silo in the farm)
• When a user logs off, the MetaProfiles-IT Agent Service exports all the relevant sub-keys and folders specified by the administrator. The Agent
• Service then compresses the exported data and sends 1 or 2 compressed files (global, group-specific, or both) to the Storage Server.
• When a user logs on again, the Agent Service requests his/her previously exported data from the Storage Server. It then decompresses the data and merges the sub-keys and folders into the mandatory profile.
• Compressed files are stored on the Storage Server and named according to the user’s account SID.
• The entire process (import or export) typically completes within 1 or 2 seconds.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the logoff and logon processes.

Figure 1 – The logoff process: when a user logs off, the MetaProfiles-IT Agent Service exports all the relevant sub-keys and folders specified by the administrator. The Agent Service then compresses the exported data and sends 1 or 2 compressed files (global, group-specific, or both) to the Storage Server.

Figure 2 – Logon process: when a user logs on, the Agent Service requests his/her previously exported data from the Storage Server. It then decompresses the data and merges the sub-keys and folders into the mandatory profile

Next: Agent Server Groups