Deploying Ion Configurations

Since Ion is a client-side solution, getting the configuration settings to the client is critical for proper operation. Configuration management is extremely flexible and can be tailored to meet the design and requirements of your environment.

Ion’s project files are standard XML documents, allowing you to take full advantage of this versatile and very compact format. Configurations are easy to update by simply replacing the project file on end user systems, network share, or web server.

By design, Ion will not look in any specific location for a project file — you must configure where each client system will look for the configuration. This only needs to be done once, no matter how often the project file is updated — provided the file name and file location do not change. The following steps provide guidance to specify where Ion should look for the project file.

Browsium Controller cannot detect a new project file unless the Controller is already running — and it only runs continuously if a project is detected when the Controller starts (or if you have Proton or Catalyst deployed as all three modules share the single Browsium Controller). Therefore, initial project deployment requires a Controller restart, typically via a system reboot or user logoff/logon.

There are two options for deploying the Ion project file — on each client system or hosted on a file share or web server. Browsium recommends the hosted method for deploying configurations. Ion Client makes the network calls needed to retrieve the configuration from the hosted project file, which is then cached locally, so no additional packaging or user login configuration steps are needed when using the hosted option.

When using a project file loaded from a client system, administrators must use some other software distribution solution (SMS, SCCM, login script, file copy, etc.) to deploy the project file to the client file system.

Project File Deployment Option A: Network Share or Web Server Location

In this section you will learn how to instruct Ion to load the configuration from a network share or web server location. To do this, you must edit the system registry manually (for local testing) or via a script or Group Policy (for remote deployment) to create the LoadFromFileName registry value and data at the appropriate location. Browsium recommends using the registry preference extension for Group Policy or the Browsium ADM and ADMX templates as the most efficient way to streamline deployment of this registry value.

The Ion project file (.bcx) must be stored in a client-system-readable location on the network share or web server. For network share locations, Browsium recommends client systems have only read access permissions to ensure the file is not accidently removed or modified. For both network share and web server locations, organizations must ensure client systems have both security credentials for, and network access to, the resource.

Security credentials must be established for the client system, not the end user as required by Catalyst, as the Ion project file is accessed directly by the Browsium Service, which runs with System privileges. This can be accomplished on an Active Directory domain by giving all machine accounts read access to the project file or by simply setting read permission for Everyone.

Remote/mobile users will need to have VPN access if the file or web server hosting the Ion configuration file is not publicly accessible and the user’s system has not cached the configuration from a prior connection.

If the network share or web server is unavailable when Browsium Controller starts, and no configuration is found in Ion’s cache from a previous connection, the Controller will not start (provided neither Proton nor Catalyst are configured on the client system). As long as the client system successfully connects to the server once during Controller startup, the project file (configuration) will be cached indefinitely.

The following registry keys and associated values must be created, depending on the system and user accounts being targeted:

For per-user settings on 32-bit or 64-bit Windows systems, find or create:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Browsium\Ion

For per-machine settings on 32-bit Windows systems, find or create:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Browsium\Ion

For per-machine settings on 64-bit Windows systems, find or create:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Policies\Browsium\Ion

Then create or populate the following String Value in the Ion key:

LoadFromFileName (REG_SZ) = \\Server\Share\Ion\… [the path to your Ion project file]

This setting will direct Ion to the project file the next time Browsium Controller is started.

Slashes in the file path must be escaped with a slash when invoking Regedit.exe via a .reg file. So \\Server\Share becomes \\\\Server\\Share. http://server/file remains http://server/file.

In this example, LoadFromFileName has been configured to use the Ion project file “Ion test.bcx” in the \\server\share directory on a 64-bit Windows system. These entries can be scripted and delivered to the Registry on remote clients via the following text in a .reg file.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Browsium\Ion]

“LoadFromFileName”=“\\\\server\\share\\Ion test.bcx”

Project File Deployment Option B: Client File System Location

In this section you will learn how to instruct Ion to load the configuration file from a local file system location. To do this, you must edit the system registry manually (for local testing) or via a script or Group Policy (for remote deployment) to create the LoadFromFileName registry value and data at the appropriate location. Browsium recommends using the registry preference extension for Group Policy or the Browsium ADM and ADMX templates as the most efficient way to streamline deployment of this registry value.

The Ion project file (.bcx) must be stored in a user-readable location on the client PC. If not already on the client PC, administrators must have a distribution plan and process for ensuring the project file is copied to the client PC prior to starting the Browsium Controller. If the Controller is unable to find the project file in the defined location, and none exists in the cache from a previous configuration, the Controller will not start. For more information on Ion project file caching behaviors see the Ion Project File Caching Behavior section.

The following registry keys and associated values must be created, depending on the system and user accounts being targeted:

For per-user settings on 32-bit or 64-bit Windows systems, find or create:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Browsium\Ion\

For per-machine settings on 32-bit Windows systems, find or create:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Browsium\Ion\

For per-machine settings on 64-bit Windows systems, find or create:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Policies\Browsium\Ion\

Then create or populate the following String Value in the key:

LoadFromFileName (REG_SZ) = C:\directory\… [the path to your Ion project file]

This setting will direct the Ion software to the project file the next time the Controller is started.

Slashes in the file path must be escaped with a slash when invoking Regedit.exe via a .reg file. So C:\directory becomes C:\\directory in the registry value.

In this example, LoadFromFileName has been configured to use the file “Ion test.bcx” in the C:\Browsium directory on a 64-bit Windows system. These entries can be scripted and delivered to the Registry on remote clients via the following text in a .reg file.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Browsium\Ion]

“LoadFromFileName”=“C:\\Browsium\\Ion test.bcx”