Mapping the next available drive letter is no longer supported (4276733)

Next available drive mapping via an * is not functioning properly using a Drive Element.

The following message appears in the sltrace.htm file:
Error: * is no longer supported as a drive letter 

The feature to map the next available drive through the GUI was removed in version 7.0 due to the introduction of drive optimization.  Formerly, the drives would process in order regardless of whether they existed or not and it took additional time to map drives that were being redundantly added or removed.  The current behavior uses drive optimization that places the drives in an array and only adds or removes drives that are ultimately necessary to add or remove.

Mapping to the next available drive letter can still be accomplished using DA (Desktop Authority) but it must be done through a post-engine custom Kixtart script. The syntax is as follows:

Use * \\Server\Share

Or

Use * "\\Server\Share$$" (to map to a hidden share.)

Note: One custom script should be applied for each next available drive letter setting that is desired. Apply the same validation logic to the custom script that was set on the drive mapping for the next available drive letter.

ADDITIONAL HISTORY:  

In version 7.0, the developers added some drive optimization routines that greatly enhanced the speed of the drive mapping process.  The old method was inefficient because it simply ran the list from the top to bottom and added and removed drive mappings that may or may not have already existed on the client machine.  The new optimized method first processes all of the desired drive mappings that are validated for and then puts them in an array temporarily.  The scripting engine then checks to see if any of the mappings already exist and compares the stored drive mappings to what is set on the client machine and then simply performs the differential activity (whether that encompasses addition, deletion or an alternate path).  This is a far more efficient method to process the drive mappings but the nature of this processing method does not allow for the next available drive letter to be mapped.  However, there is no prohibition on creating an element in a custom script.  The reason that a post-engine custom script is necessary is because the requested drive operations have already been processed at the time that the post-engine script runs.