Using FSLogix to prepare for Azure Virtual Desktop deployment
In previous posts we have been discussing the AVD selection process and the procedure through which the machines of the infrastructure are managed along with their updates but it is possible that doubts have arisen about these processes: If the master image is what we are going to update and modify in the deployment creating new machines, what happens with the information of the users that we had in the machines that we are going to eliminate? And how do we guarantee that the user has access to their profile information if we cannot guarantee in which machine they are going to log in? The answer to that question is FSLogix, Microsoft's suite of solutions for managing user profiles in virtual environments.
You will see many of these
FS Logix vs. mobile user profiles
FSLogix allows all the information associated with users to be hosted on storage external to the AVD machine. In addition, it applies a filter to mask the fact that the user profile is on a network drive (which ensures that for system purposes the user profile is treated as local and not as a mobile profile).
Typically this external storage comes in three different forms:
- File Servers
- Storage accounts (standard or premium)
- Azure NetApp
This is one of the great advantages of Azure Virtual Desktop: by having the user's information in a network location, it means that all your information can be mounted on demand when you log in and will be read as if it were a local drive (thus conserving space on the system disk).