The Management Suite
profile migration feature adds device profile migration
capabilities to your network. Profile migration is used with other
OS deployment and provisioning features to streamline new device
provisioning and existing device migration, without requiring
additional end-user or IT interaction once the process starts.
NOTE: For information
on installing the OS deployment and profile migration component on
your core server, and configuring your OS deployment and profile
migration environment, refer to OS deployment
Profile migration complements OS deployment by offering a
complete user migration solution. With profile migration, you can
preserve customized user profiles, desktops, settings for
applications, network connections, printers, files, and folders, as
you implement upgrade or migration projects. Profile migration
supports in-place migrations of individual devices as well as
remote, large-scale migrations of multiple devices across your
network.
The User Migration Assistant (UMA) tool is used for migration
tasks: it runs on each managed device to capture profiles and
restore them on a new OS. When you schedule an OS deployment
script, the UMA is installed on the managed device after the first
time the "Capture profile" or "Restore profile" task is run on the
device. You can also run the UMA as a standalone tool on managed
devices after it has been installed (see Migrating user profiles).
Profile migration is a two-part process:
Capturing a source device's unique profile,
consisting of user accounts, desktop (PC) and application settings,
network settings, printers, and data files and folders.
Using profile migration, you can create separate capture and
restore scripts with the OS Deployment/Migration Tasks wizard. The
script can then be scheduled to run remotely on one or multiple
target devices on your network. The actual process of capturing and
restoring profiles is done by the User Migration Assistant (UMA),
an executable that is silently installed on the managed device as
the script is running.
What can be captured depends on the User Migration Assistant
command file source, an XML file with specific settings related to
profile migration. Each item in the file can be turned on or off by
setting it to True or False. For example, the setting
<mouse>true</mouse> means that the user's
mouse setting will be captured. A sample command file is provided
for your reference, located in the <core
server>\ldlogon\uma\commandxml folder.
For more information about the types of data that can be
migrated, see Defining profile content.
Prerequisites
To do a profile migration, devices must meet the following
prerequisites:
Devices must be scanned in the core database.
Devices must have the standard LANDesk agent, which includes the
inventory scanner, local scheduler, and software distribution
agents. (Profile migration uses the software distribution agent to
distribute files.)
Migration paths
Profile migration supports migrating across the following
Windows operating system versions:
Windows 2000 Professional
Windows XP Home
Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005
Windows XP Professional
Windows Vista Home Basic 32-bit
Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
Windows Vista Business 32-bit
Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit
Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Windows Vista Business 64-bit
Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit
Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit
Windows 7 Professional 32-bit
Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
NOTE: Work
environments from a 32-bit OS can be migrated to a 64-bit OS, but
you can't migrate from a 64-bit OS to a 32-bit OS.
NOTE: The source and
target devices must run the same language version of Windows.
For a detailed list of allowable migration scenarios, see "Using
profile migration in LANDesk Management Suite 9," which can be
downloaded from the LANDesk support community at
community.landesk.com.
Creating migration
scripts with the OS deployment wizard
The steps below outline the basic procedures for capturing and
restoring a device's profile using the OS deployment wizard. For
more information about each of these steps, click the Help
button located on each page of the script wizard.
To create a profile
capture script
Click Tools > Distribution > OS
Deployment.
If you have not yet done so, validate your operating
system preboot environment license. Click the Validate
licenses button on the toolbar and click Validate now
for DOS or Windows environments. (For more information about
validating licenses, see OS image guidelines).
In the Operating system deployment window,
right-click My OSD Group members or All OSD Scripts
and then select the PE configuration type you want to create. (Only
Windows and DOS PE configurations can capture profiles.)
Use My OSD Group members to create a private profile
migration script; use All OSD Scripts to create a
public profile migration script.
Select Capture profile, and then click
OK.
On the General page, enter a description for
the script. If you want the profile capture to continue even when
there are errors, select the Continue with file capture
errors check box. (If you select this, the file errors are
recorded in the log file.)
On the Storage UNC page, enter a UNC path and
authentication credentials for the location where you want to store
the profile data. Specify a filename to use for storing the profile
data.
On the UMA command file page, specify the name
and location of the command file to be used for profile migration.
Click Edit to create a new command file or edit an existing
command file.
In the Migration settings dialog box, select
an existing command file and click Edit, or click New
to create a new command file.
Click Desktop settings and select the check
box for each item you want to capture in the migration.
Click Application settings and select the
check box for each application that you want to capture in the
migration.
Click Network settings and select the check
box for each network, drive, and computer setting you want to
capture in the migration.
Click Save to save the settings to the command
file you have specified.
Click Save to create the profile capture
script.
To run a profile capture script
Click Tools > Distribution > OS
Deployment.
In the All OSD scripts folder, select the
capture script.
Click the Schedule button on the toolbar.
Using the Scheduled tasks tool, schedule the
script to run on one or more target devices on your network.
Storing profile data for multiple devices (and multiple
users)
Profile data is stored in System Migration Assistant (.sma)
files in a directory structure located under the UNC path you
specify. If you run a profile capture script on multiple devices,
each device's profile data is stored in a separate directory named
after its unique Windows computer name.
Likewise, if multiple users are discovered and captured on the
same source device, each user's profile data is stored in a
separate subdirectory of the device's directory, and is named with
the user login name. In other words, every migrated device has its
own profile storage directory and contains a subdirectory for every
captured user account on that device.
To create a profile restore script
Click Tools > Distribution > OS
Deployment..
In the Operating system deployment window,
right-click All OSD Scripts and then select the PE
configuration type you want to create. Only Windows and DOS PE
configurations can restore profiles.
Select Restore profile, and then click
OK.
On the General page, enter a name and a
description for the script.
On the Profile storage page, enter a UNC path
and authentication credentials for the location where the profile
data is stored.
Click Save to create the profile restore
script.
To run a profile restore script
Click Tools > Distribution > OS
Deployment.
In the All OSD scripts folder, select the
restore script.
Click the Schedule button on the toolbar.
Using the Scheduled tasks tool, schedule the
script to run on one or more target devices on your network.
Profile migration log file
Profile migration creates a log file for every script you run.
Log files are saved on the core server in the <core
server>\ldlog folder. Log files are named
CJ-OSD-scriptname-date-time.log
Defining profile content
Profile migration lets you migrate the following content:
User accounts are migrated by default. Settings and files are
migrated according to user-defined rules in the UMA command file,
described in the following sections.
NOTE: You don't need
to edit the UMA command file directly; the OS deployment Capture
Profile wizard gives you the option to select settings as you are
creating a profile capture script. The wizard lets you change
settings for the desktop, applications, and network. However, if
you want to change other settings that are not in the wizard, the
following sections will help you modify the UMA command file.
Creating a command
file
The User Migration Assistant (UMA) stores information about the
profile content you want to migrate in an XML file called a
command file. To specify what options are stored when you
capture a profile, you edit the command file.
The easiest way to create a new command file is to create or
edit one when you create a profile capture script in the Operating
system deployment tool (see To create a profile
capture script). The command file you create here will have the
default settings plus any changes you have made to the desktop,
application, and network settings that are listed for you.
If you want to further customize the many settings in the
command file, you can create a new XML file with the settings you
want. A sample command file (sample_command_file.xml) is found on
the core server in the <core server>\ldlogon\uma\commandxml
folder. Copy this sample file to create custom files for different
profile migration tasks.
The following sections contain specific help for customizing a
command file by editing the XML document.
NOTE: If you delete a
command file from the core server, any migration script referencing
that command file will not run properly. You should also delete any
scripts that reference the file, or edit them to reference another
command file.
Migrating user
profiles
In a scripted profile migration, all discovered local and domain
user accounts on the source devices are captured by default,
except for the All Users and Default User accounts.
All captured user accounts will be restored to the target
devices. A user account that does not already exist on the target
device will be created as a new local user account and its settings
migrated. Before restoring user accounts, you can enter a default
password for these new local user accounts. If a duplicate user
account does already exist on the target device, the captured
(source) user account's settings will be migrated to the existing
user account, but the user's current password is preserved and
should be used to log in.
To specify which user profiles to migrate
In the UMA command file, include user names to migrate in the
<IncUsers> section. You can include all users
with the variable $(all) or specify individual names
enclosed in <UserName></UserName> tags. A
code sample is shown below.
<IncUsers>
<UserName>$(all)</UserName>
</IncUsers>
To specify which user profiles to exclude from migration
In the UMA command file, exclude user names to migrate in the
<ExcUsers> section. Specify individual names
enclosed in <UserName></UserName> tags. A
code sample is shown below.
<ExcUsers>
<UserName>ASPNET</UserName>
</ExcUsers>
Migrating desktop
settings
Many of the customized and optimized settings on your device
desktops can be migrated. These settings are defined in the
<Desktop> section in the command file. For each
item you want to include, specify true within the tags
(for example, <colors>true</colors> will
capture color settings). For items you do not want to include,
specify false within the tags. You can select from the
following settings:
Desktop settings: Desktop theme, color scheme,
visual effects
Accessibility: Accessibility settings such as
those for the keyboard, the sound, and the mouse (see Ease of
Access Center in the Windows Vista or Windows 7 Control Panel)
Active Desktop: The active state is only
supported in the Windows 2000 operating system
Colors: Desktop and window colors
Desktop icons: All desktop contents, including
folders, files, shortcuts, icons, and icon positions
Display: Desktop width, height, and color
depth
Icon Font: The font used for the desktop
icons
Keyboard: Keyboard repeat rate, cursor blink
rate, and delay
Mouse: Left or right-handed mouse settings,
speed, and double-click rate
Pattern: The pattern used for the desktop is
only supported in the Windows 2000 operating system
Screen Saver: Current screen saver
settings
Send To menu: Send To menu settings
Shell: View sort order, view type (large or
UMAll icon), status bar, and toolbar show/hide status
Sound: Sound settings
Start Menu: Start menu commands
Taskbar: Docking edge, size, always-on-top,
auto hide, show clock, show UMAll icons in the Start menu
Time zone: System time zone
Wallpaper: Desktop wallpaper
Window metrics: Spacing and arrangement of
minimized windows, dialog message font, menu size, and scroll bar
sizes
The following restrictions apply to desktop settings:
Active Desktop: To migrate the Active Desktop
including the wallpaper, you must select the wallpaper setting as
well.
Icons: 1) The vertical and horizontal spacings
between desktop icons do not migrate precisely. 2) Only the icons
that are in the current user's desktop directory are migrated.
Shell: To migrate the Windows Explorer shell
settings, you must migrate both your shell desktop settings and
your Microsoft Internet Explorer application settings. If the
target computer uses Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP, Windows
Vista, or Windows 7, the folder view settings (such as large icons,
tiles, and details) do not migrate.
Sound: UMA migrates the active sound scheme
from the source computer to the target computer. The sound scheme
is set in the Sounds and Multimedia Properties window of the
Windows control panel. If the sound scheme in the source computer
is set to No Sounds, sounds will not be migrated to the target
computer. If the source computer uses custom sounds, you must
migrate the sound files along with the sound scheme.
Wallpaper: If the wallpaper that you want to
migrate is a JPEG file, you also must capture the Active desktop
setting. It is not necessary to capture the Active desktop setting
when you migrate wallpaper that is a BMP file.
A code sample of desktop settings is shown below.
<Desktop>
<desktop_settings>true</desktop_settings>
<accessibility>true</accessibility>
<active_desktop>true</active_desktop>
<colors>true</colors>
<desktop_icons>true</desktop_icons>
<display>false</display>
<icon_metrics>false</icon_metrics>
<keyboard>true</keyboard>
<mouse>true</mouse>
<pattern>false</pattern>
<screen_saver>true</screen_saver>
<sendto_menu>false</sendto_menu>
<shell>false</shell>
<sound>true</sound>
<start_menu>false</start_menu>
<taskbar>false</taskbar>
<time_zone>true</time_zone>
<wallpaper>true</wallpaper>
<window_metrics>false</window_metrics>
</Desktop>
Migrating application
settings and associated files
Persistent application settings and associated files can be
migrated as part of a device's profile. Application programs
themselves are not migrated during profile migration
(however, they can be part of an OS image deployment).
Individual applications are specified for migration in the
<Applications> section of the command file. You
can specify that all application settings are migrated by using the
variable $(all).
UMA can capture the user's settings and customizations. For
Lotus Notes and Microsoft Outlook, the settings might be the
address book and any locally stored e-mail. For Internet Explorer
and Netscape Navigator, the customizations might include bookmarks,
cookies, and preferences.
For more information about the restrictions that apply to
migrating specific applications, see "Using profile migration in
LANDesk Management Suite 9," which can be downloaded from the
LANDesk support community at community.landesk.com.
A code sample of application settings is shown below.
Printer settings to migrate are specified in the
<Printers> section of the command file. You can specify
individual printer settings by enclosing the printer name within
<Printer></Printer> tags, or you can migrate all
settings by using the variable $(all).
NOTE: You can only
migrate printer settings for printers that have built-in printer
definitions in the operating system you are using.
Virtual printers settings (for example, settings for an XPS
printer) can't be migrated from a source computer to a target
computer.
A code sample of printer settings is shown below.
<Printers>
<Printer>$(all)</Printer>
</Printers>
Migrating network
settings
You can migrate settings for network connections and
configurations, computer identification, and mapped drives. These
settings are defined in the <Network> section in
the command file. For each item you want to include, specify
true within the tags (for example,
<computer_name>true</computer_name> will
capture the computer name). For items you do not want to include,
specify false within the tags. You can select from the
following settings:
TCP / IP configuration
IP / Subnet / Gateway
DNS configuration
WINS configuration
Network identification
Computer name
Computer description
Domain / Workgroup name
Other
Mapped drives
Dial-up networking
Shared folders / Drives
ODBC data sources
The following restrictions apply to network settings:
Domain/Workgroup: If the source computer is a
member of a domain and you want the target computer to be a member
of the same domain, create an account for the target computer on
the domain controller. If the domain controller is running
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, select the Allow pre-Windows 2000
computers to use this account option.
DNS Configuration: The DNS settings do not
migrate when you perform a PC-to-PC migration.
You can migrate individual or multiple files determined by
directory location and filename. File and folder settings are
enabled in the <FilesAndFolders> section of the
command file. You can specify individual folders and files in the
<Inclusions> and <Exclusions>
sections of the document to specify which files you do and don't
want to include.
Input the files that you want to migrate. The Files / Folders
page lists the files on the source computer, sorted by location.
You can select all the files in a location, or you can expand the
tree and select individual files.
Consider where you want the selected files to be placed on the
target computer. If the hard disks on the source and target
computers are configured differently, you must select alternative
destinations for files and directories.
NOTE: Be careful when
changing the locations of files. Batch and configuration files
might contain fully qualified path names. If you change the
locations of the files and directories to which the batch and
configuration files refer, the programs or tasks will not run
successfully.
A code sample of file and folder settings is shown below.
