Enable native Outlook search experience 编辑

The Enable search index roaming for Outlook feature provides native Outlook search experience. With this feature, the Offline Outlook Data File (.ost) and the search database specific to a user are roamed along with the user profile.

Prerequisites

This feature is available for machines that meet the following requirements:

• Operating system:
  • Microsoft Windows 10 1709 or later
  • Windows Server 2016 or later
• Microsoft Outlook 2019, 2016, or 2103, or Microsoft Office 365

For the feature to take effect, make sure that machines have the Microsoft Windows Search Service enabled. By default, it is enabled on Windows desktops and disabled on Windows servers. For more information about how to enable the service on Windows servers, see this Microsoft article. The following versions have been tested and are supported:

• 7.0.20348.380, 7.0.20348.138,7.0.20344.1

• 7.0.21286.1000, 7.0.21343.1000

• 7.0.17134.376, 7.0.17134.285, 7.0.17134.228, 7.0.17134.1

• 7.0.16299.402, 7.0.16299.248, 7.0.16299.15

• 7.0.15063.413

• 7.0.14393.2457, 7.0.14393.2430, 7.0.14393.2368, 7.0.14393.2312, 7.0.14393.2273, 7.0.14393.2248, 7.0.14393.1884, 7.0.1493.1593

• 7.0.1393.2125, 7.0.1393.1884, 7.0.1393.1770

• 7.0.10240.17443

• 7.0.9600.18722

Note:

This feature is expected to support the future versions of the Microsoft Windows Search Service. If you find that the feature does not support specific future versions of the Microsoft Windows Search Service, contact Citrix Technical Support.

How it works

The VHDX (Virtual Hard Disk) is a disk file format that is used to provision virtual and logical disk storage space for virtual machines. The Enable search index roaming for Outlook feature relies on VHDX files to work.

VHDX files are created for each user that uses the feature. VHDX files store a user-specific profile on a separate virtual disk that is dedicated to that user’s profile. Profile Management mounts VHDX files on logon and unmounts them on logoff. There are two VHDX files:

• OutlookOST.vhdx file, containing the Offline Outlook Data File (.ost)
• OutlookSearchIndex.vhdx file, containing the search index database for the offline folder file stored in the OutlookOST.vhdx file

Note:

By default, Profile Management automatically reattaches VHDX files that are detached during a session. For more information, see Automatically reattach detached VHDX disks in sessions.

Profile Management provides a default VHDX capacity of 30 GB. Plan your storage quota accordingly. If the actual usage of your VHDX exceeds the quota you configured earlier, your VHDX file is unmounted.

Quick creation of VHDX files

As an enhancement to the Enable search index roaming for Outlook feature, Profile Management accelerates the creation of user-specific VHDX files. It does so by generating user-specific VHDX files as copies of the template VHDX file (UpmParentVhd.vhdx). The template VHDX file is created automatically when the first user logs on.

For example, if the Enable search index roaming for Outlook feature is enabled, the following VHDX folder files are available after logon:

• A folder UpmVhd in the user store. This folder is located in the root folder of the user store. For example, if the user store is configured as \\Fileshare\UpmStore$\%USERNAME%.%USERDOMAIN%\!CTX_OSNAME!_!CTX_OSBITNESS!, the UpmVhd folder is created at \\Fileshare\UpmStore$\.
• A file UpmParentVhd.vhdx in the UpmVhd folder.

When other users log on, Profile Management generates the VHDX files specific to those users’ profiles as copies of the template VHDX file.

Support for concurrent sessions

With the Enable concurrent session support for Outlook search data roaming feature, Profile Management provides the native Outlook search experience in concurrent sessions of the same user.

The feature assigns a copy of the Outlook OST file to each concurrent session of a user. By default, Profile Management provides two VHDX disks to store Outlook OST files (one file per disk). If the user starts more sessions, the additional Outlook OST files are stored in the local profile.

If you have storage capacity available, you can increase the default number of the VHDX disks. For example, set the number to 3. As a result, Profile Management stores the OST files for the first three sessions on VHDX disks and those OST files for any subsequent sessions in the local profile.

Automatic backup and restore of Outlook search index database

Profile Management can automatically save a backup of the last known good copy of the search index database and revert to the copy if corruption occurs. To achieve this purpose, enable search index roaming for Outlook and then enable the Outlook search index database – backup and restore policy. For more information, see Automatic backup and restore of Outlook search index database.

Enable the feature

To provide native Outlook search experience, enable the Enable search index roaming for Outlook feature and enable its enhancements if needed. Detailed steps are as follows.

1. Open the Group Policy Management Editor.
2. Access Policies > Administrative Templates: Policy definitions (ADMX files) > Citrix Components > Profile Management > Advanced settings.
3. Enable the feature using the following steps:
   1. Double-click the Enable search index roaming for Outlook policy.
   2. Select Enabled.
   3. Click OK.
4. To support the feature in concurrent sessions of the same user, follow these steps:
   1. Double-click the Enable concurrent session support for Outlook search data roaming policy.
   2. Select Enabled.
   3. If you have storage capacity available, increase the number of the default VHDX disks in the Maximum number of VHDX disks for storing Outlook OST files field. For more information about this field, see Support for concurrent sessions.
   4. Click OK.
5. To provide a high level of stability for the feature, follow these steps:
   1. Double-click the Outlook search index database-backup and restore policy.
   2. Select Enabled.
   3. Click OK.
6. To provide a high level of availability for the feature, follow these steps:
   1. Double-click the Automatically reattach VHDX disks in sessions policy.
   2. Select Enabled.
   3. Click OK.

For your changes to take effect, run the gpupdate /force command from the command prompt, log off from all sessions, and then log on again. For details, see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/gpupdate.

Note:

To let the search index roaming feature work on Microsoft Windows 10 1809 and later, and on Windows Server 2019 and later, add a DWORD value EnablePerUserCatalog = 0 under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search. Restart the VDA to make your registry setting take effect.