ControlUp for VDI Archives - ControlUp

FSLogix vs Citrix Profile Container – Citrix Profile Container AppX Optimization

Trentent Tye — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 09:39:39 +0000

Welcome to part 3, the last part of this continuing series of blog articles that explore the differences between Citrix Profile Containers and FSLogix. In part 1 I laid out my configuration and the environment I am testing in. Part 2 went over FSLogix and how its “AppX optimization” operates. In this article I’m going to explore how Citrix Profile Containers implement their “AppX optimization” and I’ll investigate how it works and the findings I’ll come across. To start my investigation, I’ll do the same initial set of steps I need to gather all the information around the logon process. I’m going to run a Process Monitor capture and follow along with their log files to try and provide some context for what each solution is doing — with a focus on Citrix Profile Containers in this article. Specifically, I want to explore the enhancements the solutions attempt to do to increase performance with AppX packages.

New Information
Getting Started
Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 2402LTSR – UWP App Roaming
Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 2402LTSR – End Result
Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 2507LTSR – UWP App Acceleration
What are Default Associations?
What’s causing it to run multiple times?
What if Default File Associations Policy is Disabled?
What is the final result?

New Information

I want to highlight something that came to my attention during the course of researching this information. I originally started this article with version 2402 LTSR of the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop’s product. In version 2402LTSR, the only ‘optimization’ available for Appx/UWP apps was an app-roaming feature.

How to configure Citrix UWP App Roaming

A VERY big change occurred on Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 2507 LTSR. Citrix released a feature called “Enable UWP app load acceleration”. This feature promises to make a difference in how long the AppX phase of a logon took. I’ll investigate this claim in this article alongside the prior version.

Enable UWP app load acceleration

Getting Started

To capture the logon information I’ll use the ControlUp script action “ProcMon – Trace System Activity”

To run the script action, right-click on the machine > System health > ProcMon – Trace System Activity

The parameters of the script action.

I defined the Duration to be 200 seconds to ensure that I’ll capture the entire logon process. Process Monitor (procmon.exe) needs to be stored in a folder readable by the machine. In my example, I have procmon.exe within the C:\swinst\sysinternals folder with the process monitor log stored in the D:\ProcMonLogs folder. It’s important to note that procmon, when run at the system level, captures about 1GB of information per minute (sometimes a bit more, sometimes less, but this seems to be the average). Once the Procmon script started, I logged into the machine. It’s important to note that I am using profiles that exist — that is I’ve logged into a machine previously that created these profiles. The reason why this is important is that a first logon where a profile container needs to be created does slow down the logon process as it has a series of steps required to get the profile container created and ready. Another note for this document is that procmon does increase logon duration but it tends to do so proportionally from a non-procmon monitored logon.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 2402LTSR – UWP App Roaming

Running the ControlUp Analyze Logon Duration action gave me the output to examine the logs for the timestamps that related to user profile management and the AppX phases:

The results of Analyze Logon Duration

In the output for the logon I can clearly see the Citrix Profile Container stage at the start of the process take 3.2 seconds… Not too bad. But the “AppX – Load Packages” phase still seems to take a very long time… about ~37 seconds. Does the Citrix Profile Management Log file say anything occurred? Examining the Citrix Profile log file (found in C:\Windows\System32\LogFiles\UserProfileManager), I can look to see if anything in the log occurred at the 8th minute, 42 second-ish phase:

Citrix Profile Management Log

There is nothing that occurred during that time, the log goes from 08:18.416 to 10:47.136. This might make some sense as the UWP App Roaming feature appears to ensure that pre-user AppX packages are able to roam. The packages that affect logon times tend to be system-level packages. Per-user packages can be mounted at any time after a user logs on so I would think the expectation of them processing anything during a logon would be very low. And this appears to be the case for me here. Using the Process Monitor log, I looked to see if anything was read regarding AppX or UWP.

The AppX Roaming Actions

I can see that Citrix runs a Powershell command, and sure enough it’s to “RegUwpApps”. I did not have any per-user AppX packages loaded (my registry value, as highlighted in the screenshot, shows “NAME NOT FOUND”). This was the command:

PowerShell.exe -WindowStyle hidden -Command "(Get-Item HKCU:\Software\Citrix\UserProfileManager\RegUwpApps).Property|%{Get-ItemPropertyValue HKCU:\Software\Citrix\UserProfileManager\RegUwpApps -name $_}|%{Add-AppxPackage -Register $_ -DisableDevelopmentMode}"

When looking at the procmon logs, this powershell command ran past my process monitor capture (90 seconds later it was still running). This does mean that the Citrix User Profile log doesn’t appear to log when this action occurs and nothing is present in the event log. I suspect the long launch and operation of this powershell command is due to me using a Powershell profile which can take between 5 and 30 seconds to run and all the modules installed on my machine which are automatically loaded during the powershell startup. Citrix may benefit from starting the powershell process with -noprofile.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 2402LTSR – End Result

The end result of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD) 2402 and optimizing for logon duration with AppX packages is there is none. And enabling the UWP App Roaming (if it’s not needed) could add to logon times because Powershell can take CPU time away from other tasks.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 2507LTSR – UWP App Acceleration

Citrix has invested some time in optimizing logon times with CVAD 2507. This is claimed to be done by this feature, “Enable UWP app load acceleration”. In the first article in this series I enabled the UWP App Roaming for 2402, I’m going to continue here to describe what I did to enable UWP App Acceleration in CVAD 2507. To enable the UWP app load acceleration is set here:

Citrix – enable UWP app load acceleration setting

Items	Description
Enable AppX package load acceleration	PathToAppRepositoryContainerStore Reg_SZ \\mwss01.jupiterlab.com\fileshare\Profiles\CitrixAppXAcceleration

Simple enough, set this registry value to a path where a VHDX can be saved and read from. With this value set, I’m going to run process monitor and start tracing the machine and logon. After logon, I ran Analyze Logon Duration to breakdown the logon into phases:

What’s missing from this output? AppX Packages!

It looks like enabling this UWP App Acceleration removes AppX from being processed! This is huge! Typical time spent in AppX Packages ranges between 20-30 seconds in my environment. However, there appears to be a drawback that I can’t figure out. I had large gaps of time and when I investigated it was Default Associations being applied. I added when Default Associations are started and when they are ended to the Analyze Logon Duration script. The Default Associations is started asynchronously but if it doesn’t complete before other processing then it will block logons for the phase identified (Default Associations appears to apply at the User Profile and Group Policy phases). I wanted to see if a Azure Virtual Desktop machine was having the same thing with Default Associations applied multiple times — was this a Microsoft issue or is something else initiating multiple Default Associations applications?

What are Default Associations?

Default Associations are set via Group Policy:

Configuring Default File Associations

Configuring this allows you to setup file type associations, essentially what program should launch a particular file type or if it should be listed as an option to open it. How this policy works is it will read the XML file listed in the path. It turns out that parsing the XML and then applying each registry key in order is a bit slow. The process monitor capture I took earlier can show when it’s accessed. I setup a filter to match the file I was looking for:

Process Monitor Filters Configured to find when Default File Associations is processed

I can validate that the ALD script is accurate because each ‘ReadFile’ of the XML file is the start of the default association application loop and the last “CloseFile”.

Showing each time the default file type association file was read

Explorer.exe also processes the DefaultAppList.xml I have configured, but this is after the desktop is ready so it is not included in ALD but it is visible in process monitor. Sure enough, setting a RegSetValue filter on the Process ID (PID) what’s happening is it’s writing to the registry one entry at a time:

For sure, the Default Associations are being applied multiple times.

What’s causing it to run multiple times?

Is Citrix doing something here to trigger this behaviour or is it Microsoft? As a test I logged onto a Azure Virtual Desktop machine. When I logged onto a Azure Virtual Desktop published desktop resource, I did not see output for Default File Associations in Analyze Logon Duration:

Analyze Logon Duration – AVD

For launches to a published desktop in Azure Virtual Desktop, Microsoft expects Explorer.exe to apply the policy and Explorer.exe does so after the desktop is loaded so logons are not impeded. But a published resource doesn’t have explorer.exe to apply default associations, how does it operate?

AVD Published App Analyze Logon Duration

The published app for AVD showed lots of time spent in the Pre-shell phase, but almost no AppX – Load Packages and no Default Associations applied.

Procmon filter shows no output

Looking at the procmon log for the file type associations being applied and the list was blank! File associations are not set for Azure Virtual Desktop published applications. So it doesn’t seem to be a behaviour with Microsoft calling Default Associations to be applied during the Citrix logons. This strongly suggests this behaviour is being caused by Citrix as I don’t have any other options left.

What if Default File Associations Policy is Disabled?

With Default File Associations Policy disabled (or not configured) then Default File Associations are not processed at all for a Citrix logon:

ALD output with Default File Type Associations disabled

What is the final result?

Doing this exercise has uncovered two new logon optimization opportunities. One of those opportunities is a bit frustrating though as it appears Citrix may leverage a feature of Windows (applying Default File Associations) too aggressively causing logon delays. The other appears to resolve AppX Package Load Times entirely. Getting both combined and setup could bring a fair amount of savings to your environment if they are affecting you. For the File Type Associations application, if you want your users to have file type associations applied to their logons and maintain optimal logon performance, you’ll need to look at applying the FTA’s via a script or some other mechanism. The only utility that I’m aware of to programmatically set FTA’s via command line is SetUserFTA.exe or through a tool like Citrix Workspace Environment Manager (I haven’t tested that to see when it applies though).

ControlUp Migrate for Windows 365

Adi Lahav — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 09:50:05 +0000

FSLogix Vs. Citrix Profile Container: FSLogix AppX Optimization – Part 2

Trentent Tye — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 07:22:14 +0000

In my previous article I went through the configuration and setup of the FSLogix profile container solution and the Citrix Profile Container solution. I enabled optimizations that are recommended by each and got ready to compare their performance. Before comparing performance, I first needed to understand how FSLogix and Citrix implement their AppX optimizations, as AppX package installation significantly slows down the logon process. (To learn more about troubleshooting these issues, I’ve included some additional resources at the end of this blog.) To satisfy this curiosity and technically validate the optimization features, I outlined a structured investigation process. Here are the steps I followed to trace the AppX package handling:

Setup a Process Monitor trace
Examine the logs to find timestamps
Explore other associated data
Find relevant events and actions
Exploring the results of enabling the optimization
New phase of Analyze Logon Duration
Summary of findings

Setup a Process Monitor trace

To understand the technical nuances of Citrix and FSLogix profile container solutions, I’m going to run a Process Monitor capture and go along with their log files to try and provide some context for what each solution is doing. Specifically, I want to explore the enhancements to increase performance with AppX packages. To capture the logon information, I’ll use the ControlUp script action “ProcMon – Trace System Activity.”

To run the script action, right-click on the machine > System health > ProcMon – Trace System Activity

The parameters of the script action.

I defined the Duration to be 200 seconds to ensure that I’ll capture the entire logon process. Process Monitor (procmon.exe) needs to be stored in a folder readable by the machine. In my example, I have procmon.exe within the C:\swinst\sysinternals folder with the process monitor log stored in the D:\ProcMonLogs folder. It’s important to note that procmon, when run at the system level, captures about 1GB of information per minute (sometimes a bit more, sometimes less, but this seems to be the average). Once the Procmon script started, I logged into the machine. It’s important to note that I am using profiles that exist, meaning that I’ve logged into a machine previously that created these profiles. The reason why this is important is that a first logon where a profile container needs to be created does slow down the logon process as it has a series of steps required to get the profile container created and ready. Another note for this document is that procmon does increase logon duration but it tends to do so proportionally from a non-procmon monitored logon.

Examine the Logs to Find Timestamps

Examining the FSLogix Profile log file, it time stamps when it finds the “InstallAppXPackages” registry value.

The FSLogix log file contents shows when it starts it’s “InstallAppXPackages” process

Using the Process Monitor log, I can examine from that timestamp on what FSlogix does after it reads its configuration.

Process Monitor screenshot showing a trace of FSLogix

FSLogix, after it reads the “InstallAppXPackages” registry value seems to initialize the Windows.Management.Deployment.PackageManager followed by reading the AppxPackages.xml file.

Explore Other Associated Data

I was curious what is in the contents of the AppXPackages.xml file.

FSLogix saves “previously installed” AppX Packages in this file

This file contains a list of AppXPackages that were “Previously Installed.”

Contents of the AppxPackages.xml file

Find Relevant Events and Actions

From there, FSLogix appears to call the RegisterPackageOptions. At this stage, the service manager has the AppX Service take over to do its initialization thing.

Process Monitor showing the FSLogix Service calling Package Management API

Once the AppX Service is started, FSLogix calls “OnDemandRegisterOperation” for each package listed in the “PreviouslyInstalled” list:

The event viewer showing the start of packages starting a on demand register operation

The Details view of the event shows that FSLogix is the caller of this process:

The Advanced Details of the Windows Event

Process Monitor showing a RegSetValue action

During this time the AppX Service goes through each package and sets a PackageStatus registry value to 2048

Exploring the Results of Enabling the Dptimization

The AppXDeployment event log does show the entire list of AppX packages that “will be installed.”

The AppXDeployment log showing a list of packages to be installed

And the AppReadiness log does show “32 tasks” which is all the install tasks.

AppReadiness log showing “32 tasks” it needs to complete

And for some AppX packages, they are processed regardless of them being in the list of previously installed packages. This is visible because the event shows the “install succeeded” and tells us how long it took to process the package.

Event showing the install of a AppX Package and it’s time spent processing

But for other packages we can see that the install task was removed.

Event ID 241 in the AppReadiness log showing a install task was removed for a AppXPackage

With the AppReadiness/Operational log also reporting that the install was cancelled for these packages.

AppReadiness event log showing a install task was cancelled

Unfortunately, still processing the 30-ish tasks still takes some time, even if only 7 were processed for installation. However, testing with the optimization disabled also shows the same cancelled events for the same packages.

New Phase to Analyze Logon Duration

With the new events I can add an FSLogix AppX Package Preparation phase to the Analyze Logon Duration.

Analyze Logon Duration Output with new phase — “FSLogix AppX Pacakge Preparation”

These were the packages processed with the optimization enabled or disabled.

List of AppX Packages that were processed

Summary of Findings

I tried to measure results on a Windows Server 2022 and Windows 11 24H2 multi-session machine and I was unable to see any time savings. However, I have done the “optimization” of removing as many AppX packages from both operating systems. I’m unsure if the FSLogix AppX optimizations apply only to the packages that I removed but I was unable to measure any improvement—and the FSLogix AppX Package preparation phase takes some time so it does add a little time to the logon! I’m presenting these findings for what I’ve discovered as they are. I was hopeful to see an improvement, but sadly I don’t. Microsoft doesn’t explain how this setting actually operates and how you could expect to see results. I’ve found other people who have attempted to validate the functionality of this feature but it appears they did not have much luck either. This Microsoft support article appears to have a PowerShell snippet that implies what FSLogix is doing during logon, but it’s effectiveness, I suppose, is questionable. Stay tuned to see if Citrix User Profile Container does better!

Additional Resources

Introducing Big Screen Dashboard—The Power of ControlUp’s API in Action

Chris Twiest — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 06:39:13 +0000

At ControlUp, we believe that data is only as powerful as your ability to access, understand, and act on it. That’s why we’re proud to unveil our Big Screen Dashboard — a fully functional, customer-ready dashboard powered entirely by the ControlUp API and built using Grafana.

Another Innovation Guild Creation — Ready for you to Explore and Customize

Developed by the ControlUp Innovation Guild, this dashboard is not intended to replace the ControlUp console. Instead, it serves as a “visual recipe book” — showcasing the depth, quality, and versatility of the real-time telemetry available across the ControlUp ONE platform, all visualized in a single pane of glass.

The Big Screen Dashboard was specifically designed for use by the IT helpdesk or operations centers. It is intended to be displayed on large screens (such as TVs), to provide continuous visibility into the state of your digital workspace environment. It brings together metrics and data from across the entire ControlUp platform into a single, unified view. This makes it ideal for proactive IT management! The layout is organized in rows and includes over 40 widgets, which users can freely drag, drop, and arrange to create a customized dashboard tailored to their needs, whether for monitoring, alerting, or performance visibility.

ControlUp Big Screen Dashboard showing a variety of different areas of ControlUp where you can pull information via API’s

ControlUp Big Screen Dashboard showing the different visualizations from the data

ControlUp Big Screen Dashboard showing more visualizations

Why Did We Create the Big Screen Dashboard?

Customers often ask us: What can I build with the ControlUp API? This dashboard is our answer. The Big Screen Dashboard brings together over 40 widgets organized by theme — from end-user experience and VDI performance to CPU load, memory usage, and even Citrix Netscaler metrics. Every widget is built on top of the same public API you can access today, proving just how rich and actionable your ControlUp data really is. Each widget comes with:

Clear descriptions of what you’re looking at
Direct links to the relevant views in your ControlUp environment
Fully editable JSON so you can reuse, remix, and embed insights in your own tools

What Can You Do with the Big Screen Dashboard? It’s a Blueprint!

Let’s be clear: this is not a new product or a new dashboard inside the ControlUp platform. Instead, think of it as a blueprint — a “reference implementation” that highlights what’s possible when you combine our powerful backend with your own reporting or visualization stack. So what can you do with the Big Screen Dashboard? You can take any of the widgets (or “recipes”) from this dashboard and:

Integrate them into your own Grafana or Power BI dashboards
Use them to generate automated reports
Share real-time insights with stakeholders outside the ControlUp console

We’re giving you not just the data, but the inspiration and building blocks to create exactly what your organization needs.

Built with Innovation in Mind

The Big Screen Dashboard is the latest release from the ControlUp Innovation Guild — our internal strike team of passionate technologists, customer advocates, and field-hardened IT pros who live and breathe scripting, solution design, and automation. Formed to deliver rapid, high-impact innovations based on real customer needs, the ControlUp Innovation Guild moves faster than the traditional product cycle allows. Our mission is to create practical, lightweight tools that expand the value of the ControlUp platform — and the Big Screen Dashboard is a perfect example. Whether it’s real-time storage monitoring, automated reporting frameworks, or now a fully API-powered dashboard to visualize your environment outside of the ControlUp console, the ControlUp Innovation Guild exists to bridge the gap between big ideas and real-world delivery. The ControlUp Innovation Guild’s work is driven by real needs from the field and inspired by you. Your feedback, challenges, and creativity help shape what we build next. And while some Guild-built tools may require a bit more setup or customization, they offer an early glimpse into what’s possible, with many eventually making their way into the core ControlUp platform. The Big Screen Dashboard is just the latest in a growing portfolio of innovations. We can’t wait to hear what you think — and to see what you build next. (Learn how our first release, Disk Monitor, improves IT efficiency.)

How to Get Started with Big Screen Dashboard

Getting started is simple and we’ve included everything you need:

You can access the Dashboard JSON in the ControlUp Download Center
Learn how to get started by reading the knowledge base article

Try it. Modify it. Extend it.

We can’t wait to see how you use the Big Screen Dashboard in your environment — and we’d love to hear your feedback. Which widgets are the most helpful? What’s missing? What would you love to see next? Let’s keep building together. Please get in touch with me at Chris.Twiest@ControlUp.com with any ideas for the Guild! You can also follow us on LinkedIn for the latest news.

Cut Through VDI Complexity and Simplify Everything Around It

Kendal Rodgers — Wed, 28 May 2025 12:33:05 +0000

How to reduce IT noise, resolve issues faster, and improve the digital employee experience across your workspace

Ever experience a workday where everything just flows? No slow logins, no application glitches, no sudden disconnects… just smooth, effortless productivity, regardless of how and where people work. That’s the ideal experience. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) promises greater flexibility and simplified IT management for the kind of workday just described. But in practice, it can often deliver something far less appealing: complexity. When performance tanks or logins lag, troubleshooting becomes a frustrating scavenger hunt. IT teams must dig through intricate network layers, storage systems, session hosts, and diverse devices to identify the root cause (let alone implement a fix). Without actionable VDI monitoring, full visibility into your tech stack, or the right tools for automated troubleshooting, delays pile up—and the consequences ripple beyond IT. Employee workflows are disrupted, ticket volumes surge, and time that could be better spent on strategic priorities gets consumed. Whether you’re a CTO focused on transformation, a VP of Infrastructure ensuring uptime, a Helpdesk Manager battling daily tickets, or an IT Admin on the front lines, VDI shouldn’t slow you down. Time is money, and IT resources are limited. So, the challenge is clear: how do you move beyond reacting to VDI performance problems and instead proactively ensure a smooth, efficient digital workspace?

The Limitations of Traditional VDI Monitoring & Management

Many IT teams find themselves in a constant reactive cycle:

An employee reports a slow logon, application crash, or lost connection
The team scrambles to triage and troubleshoot
Time is lost guessing at the root cause

Without comprehensive visibility across the entire VDI environment, root cause analysis becomes a time-consuming process of elimination. Is it the storage? Network latency? An overloaded session host? The deeper the issue, the more employee frustration grows and the more IT resources are drained. It’s easy to see how traditional VDI management falls short and why solutions enabling proactive IT support are taking the front seat in IT modernization strategies.

Meet ControlUp for VDI: Smarter, Faster, Friction-Free

Imagine a different reality… one where you’re not just monitoring VDI, but intelligently understanding it. ControlUp for VDI offers a powerful shift, moving beyond basic real-time metrics to provide actionable insights and tools for rapid troubleshooting, automated remediation, and proactive optimization across Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, Omnissa Horizon, and Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop environments. This is intelligent, proactive VDI performance monitoring built for hybrid work. With ControlUp, you don’t just detect problems; you prevent them. You don’t just react; you optimize.

Conquer VDI Complexity with Key Capabilities

Full-Stack Visibility
Stop operating in the dark. See every layer of your VDI stack in real time—from sessions to storage, network, and user devices—in one unified view.
Intelligent Troubleshooting
Eliminate the guesswork. Real-time alerts and live session metrics help you pinpoint the true source of the problem. Combine that with automated troubleshooting and built-in remediation to resolve issues in record time and ultimately minimize downtime.
Proactive Optimization
Spot trends, identify bottlenecks, and optimize resource allocation. Continuous VDI performance monitoring flags concerns as they arise, and historical data fuels better resource allocation. Ensure a consistently excellent digital employee experience (DEX) all around.
Automated Remediation
Take action without manual intervention. Automate common fixes using community-sourced scripts and prebuilt workflows to swiftly address recurring issues, or define your own automations to suit your environment’s unique needs.
Historical Data for Strategic Planning
Access up to a year of performance history to uncover recurring patterns, forecast usage, and make more informed decisions about your VDI infrastructure.
Proactive Synthetic Monitoring
Don’t wait for problems to become help desk tickets. Continuously test the availability and responsiveness of your virtual desktops. Proactive alerts on application responsiveness and system health let you fix issues before employees find them.

Digital Employee Experience Software Built for Real-World IT

Your environment isn’t one-size-fits-all. That’s why ControlUp is designed to integrate seamlessly with your existing tools and workflows—the technologies your team already trusts and uses—without adding more complexity. And it doesn’t stop at VDI. As your IT maturity evolves, ControlUp evolves with you. ControlUp for VDI is a core component of ControlUp ONE, a unified digital employee experience platform built to monitor, optimize, and secure your entire IT landscape—from endpoints to applications and everything in between.

What It Means for You

Fix problems before they spiral. ControlUp gives you the power to move fast, automate where it counts, and free your team from reactive loops.
Deliver an experience that keeps employees productive. When the digital workspace just works, your workforce stays focused and your business moves forward.
Make IT effortless and workdays frictionless. ControlUp empowers IT to stay ahead of problems, reduce tickets, and create seamless DEX across any device or environment.

Ready to Take Control of VDI?

Don’t let VDI complexity dictate your team’s workload and disrupt employees. With ControlUp, you can reduce the noise, resolve issues before users even notice, and reclaim time for strategic work. Fewer tickets, faster fixes, and frictionless workdays—no matter where people work.

ControlUp for VDI: Identify Performance Issues

Adi Lahav — Sun, 18 May 2025 11:25:12 +0000

ControlUp for VDI: Shadow Sessions

Adi Lahav — Sun, 18 May 2025 11:20:34 +0000

ControlUp for VDI: Troubleshooting Remote Workers

Adi Lahav — Sun, 18 May 2025 10:46:37 +0000

ControlUp for VDI 9.1: Expanded Support, New Features, and Better Performance

Trentent Tye — Thu, 15 May 2025 10:38:52 +0000

ControlUp for VDI 9.1 marks an evolution in how IT teams monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize digital workspaces. Whether you’re managing a single enterprise or multiple tenants as an MSP, this release brings the tools you need to streamline operations and stay ahead of end user experience issues. From customizing EUC synchronization to granular site assignment for Azure and Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) environments and when combined with our new enhanced disk activity monitoring, ControlUp 9.1 offers both exciting new capabilities. Improved performance for querying data within ControlUp makes it easier than ever to scale your visibility and control across environments. Let’s explore what’s new—and how these updates make your job easier, faster, and more precise.

Customize EUC Synchronization

ControlUp has always treated EUC technologies as first-class citizens and true to its roots, ControlUp expands on its capabilities for EUC customers. Previously, synchronization between EUC environments, such as Citrix or Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) meant that any additions, subtractions or changes to your EUC environment were stored in the ControlUp logical folder structure under “Cloud Connection Sync” or “EUC Environments Sync”. This is now configurable using the new “Folder mappings” feature in the synchronization editor. This new capability gives you the ability to map specific machines to specific folders, synchronize your EUC environment folder structure to a different path, have machines with different names but in the same hostpool or delivery groups placed into different folders within ControlUp and more! With this customization you can set up your environment exactly as you want it.

Granular Site Assignment

Prior to ControlUp for VDI v9.1, multiple disparate physical locations were monitored using the ControlUp Monitor cluster, with one of the monitors being the Master Monitor, coordinating activities for the cluster. For multiple locations this could be challenging to ensure line of sight between monitors and the master monitor. With ControlUp 9.1, this architecture has been expanded so that sites can operate independently with each cluster having their own Master Monitor. This enhancement significantly improves query performance for each site, security, stability, and fault tolerance.

Windows Server 2025 Support

We are now excited to announce that ControlUp now supports Windows Server 2025 for monitoring with the ControlUp agent and as a server to host the ControlUp Monitor-–ensuring your environment remains fully compatible and future-ready.

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD): Native Integration with the Latest API Endpoints

For AVD environments, we now natively support the latest Azure Virtual Desktop API endpoints. This means deeper integration, faster data retrieval, and a more accurate representation of session and host health. By aligning with Microsoft’s most current AVD architecture, our solution ensures you get maximum insight into your virtual desktop estate with minimal overhead and maximum compatibility as Microsoft evolves the platform.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (CVAD): Support for oData v3 and v4 Endpoints

For organizations running CVAD, we’ve enhanced our compatibility with Citrix Monitor oData APIs, supporting both v3 and v4 endpoints. This enhancement ensures compatibility with Citrix’s newest features moving forward and ensures if you are on the Citrix Current Release version your data will be presented in ControlUp.

Disk Activity Monitoring

Have you ever wondered why the Citrix Provisioning Services (PVS) Write Cache is so large? What disk activity is being written that causes it to grow? ControlUp has the answer with its newly released ControlUp Disk Monitor. This amazing new feature from ControlUp is a lightweight service that will monitor writes to the storage device and provide a clear, concise report of the largest files that were written to the disk. It improves IT efficiency by giving you data to proactively detect and diagnose disk-related issues — whether on a persistent desktop, a non-persistent VDI session, or a laptop in the field.

Coming Soon: Support for Citrix Global App Configuration Service

The ControlUp for Remote Clients extension (formerly known as Remote DX) can now be configured to be included in your Citrix Workspace App deployment configured through the Citrix Global App Configuration Service.

Ready to Experience the Power of ControlUp for VDI v9.1?

ControlUp for VDI v9.1 introduces important enhancements to VDI monitoring and management. When combined with the newly released ControlUp Disk Monitor, and new capabilities like customizable EUC folder synchronization, and granular site architecture for distributed environments, this release is designed to support the needs of modern IT teams. Whether managing a single enterprise or delivering services at MSP scale, ControlUp for VDI v9.1 helps improves monitoring, troubleshooting, and IT efficiency to transform how you manage your digital workplace. With full support for Windows Server 2025, native AVD API integration, and deep compatibility with Citrix oData v3 and v4, ControlUp is ready for what’s next—and designed to keep your environments optimized, secure, and seamless. Schedule a demo or download ControlUp today and see how fast, flexible, and insightful your VDI management can be.

Supercharge Azure Virtual Desktops with ControlUp and Nerdio

Jeff Johnson — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 06:09:40 +0000

The needs for end-user computing are constantly changing. With distributed employees, remote work, and BYOPC (Bring Your Own PC) becoming the norm, organizations must adapt to ensure seamless and secure operations. This is where Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) comes into play, offering a cloud VDI platform that delivers hosted desktops and apps with maximum flexibility and control.

The Challenges of Modern End-User Computing

Organizations face several challenges when migrating from on-premises VDI to AVD. One major challenge is managing a distributed workforce, as employees are now working from various locations, including home offices, field roles, and branch locations. Ensuring compliance with industry standards, government regulations, and IP security is another critical concern. Additionally, companies must manage an elastic workforce, which includes managing short-term and seasonal workers, contractors, and partner access. Furthermore, distinct roles within the organization require specialized workloads, such as line-of-business (LOB) applications, customer service tools, software development environments, and design workstations. Addressing these challenges is essential for a successful migration to AVD.

Azure Virtual Desktops: An Attractive, Flexible Solution for Modern End-User Computing

Migrating from an on-premises VDI to AVD offers numerous advantages. AVD provides exceptional flexibility by supporting Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server multi-session or personal desktops, and offers full control over configuration and management, including remote app streaming. Cost efficiency is another significant benefit, as AVD operates on a consumption-based model, ensuring you only pay for what you use.

Considerations for Migrating to Azure Virtual Desktops

When considering a move from on-premises VDI to AVD, it is crucial to address several key questions to ensure a smooth transition:

Evaluate current logon times to understand the efficiency of the existing environment.
Identify the applications that employees are currently using and assess their workstyles to ensure the new setup meets their needs.
Check VDI utilization and determine what types of devices employees are connecting.
Conduct a cost analysis to estimate the expenses involved in moving to AVD and identify the appropriate machine sizes required.
Pinpoint resource-hungry applications and gather feedback on how employees feel about the new workspace.

Continuous optimization of AVD is essential to maintain performance and ensure a positive user experience. This involves regularly monitoring and adjusting the environment to meet evolving needs. Ensuring that employees experience better-than-on-premises performance is a key goal, by leveraging tools like ControlUp and Nerdio for enhanced monitoring and management. By addressing these questions and focusing on continuous improvement, organizations can make informed decisions and create a more efficient, flexible, and satisfying virtual desktop environment for their employees.

Nerdio and ControlUp Make the Migration to AVD Easy and Less Risky

Migrating to AVD involves several stages, each with its own set of considerations and best practices.

Pre-Migration

Before transitioning to Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), it’s crucial to address any issues with your current VDI setup. Identifying problems like slow logins and app crashes, along with providing cost-based recommendations, can make a substantial difference. Predicting AVD costs and finding savings can also help ensure a smoother and more cost-effective transition.

Identify employee experience issues such as slow logon times, poorly performing apps, and app crashes.
Understand machine metrics, compare them to actual usage, gather sizing recommendations, and connect to Azure for cost-based recommendations.

Nerdio helps customers analyze the current VDI environment to predict AVD costs by:

Understanding the cost benefits and additional optimization of moving to AVD.
Utilizing ControlUp telemetry to understand additional savings through the Nerdio Modeler and advisor.

The Migration

Transitioning to Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) can be seamless with the right support. Effective tools can help set up and manage the AVD environment, control costs, and enhance user experience. Additionally, monitoring and troubleshooting during the migration process ensures everything operates smoothly from the beginning. Nerdio assists customers moving to AVD by:

Deploying the AVD environment with the necessary configurations.
Managing Azure costs, AVD machines, and connecting devices.
Optimizing by identifying and addressing employee experience issues early on, gathering user sentiment through surveys, and ensuring continuous optimization.
Deploying ControlUp agents to monitor the new AVD environment.

ControlUp helps troubleshoot and remediate issues during the migration by:

Identifying employee experience issues during the migration.
Monitoring Azure costs and AVD machines.
Seeing connecting devices and locations.
Identifying issues early and gathering user sentiment with employee surveys.

Post-Migration

Managing Azure Virtual Desktop can be challenging, but the right tools can simplify the process. Automated updates and streamlined setup can ease the burden, while real-time security and troubleshooting ensure everything runs smoothly. These tools also help reduce costs and facilitate a seamless transition from older systems to Azure Virtual Desktop.

Improve Azure Virtual Desktop Security

Patching Azure Virtual Desktop images takes time away from senior administrators to do other important tasks.

Nerdio automatically patches and updates Azure Virtual Desktop images.
ControlUp provides real-time detection and remediation of vulnerabilities.

Remove Azure Virtual Desktop Complexity

Azure Virtual Desktop takes expertise to configure, troubleshoot and maintain.

Nerdio reduces Azure Virtual Desktop complexity by automating deployments, configurations, and management tasks.
ControlUp provides real-time end-to-end visibility with actionable insights, and automated troubleshooting.

Cost Optimization

Businesses are worried about Azure Virtual Desktop cost overruns.

Nerdio continuously optimizes Azure Virtual Desktop costs by using auto-scaling and resource allocation strategies.
ControlUp optimizes Azure Virtual Desktop costs by reducing session timers, logging off idle users, and managing deallocated VMs.

Transition to Azure Virtual Desktop

Transition from legacy VDI to Azure Virtual Desktop takes time and expertise.

Nerdio facilitates the transition from legacy VDI solutions to Azure Virtual Desktop by automating onboarding and enhancing the Azure admin experience.
ControlUp supports Azure Virtual Desktop with real-time monitoring, troubleshooting, and automation, ensuring a seamless transition and peak performance.

Adapting to modern technologies like Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) is essential. Moving from traditional VDI to AVD can be challenging, but with the right approach, it becomes manageable. Addressing current issues, predicting costs, and continuously optimizing the environment are key steps. By focusing on these areas, organizations can ensure a smooth transition and provide better experience for employees. Learn more about ControlUp and Nerdio

Schedule a ControlUp and Nerdio Azure Virtual Desktop demo today!