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Application Streaming To App-V Conduit

Introduction

The AppStreamingToAppVConduit utility engages “dual mode” XenApp based execution for Microsoft App-V sequences.

The XenApp publishing system can publish Citrix Application Streaming based applications for both server side execution and client side execution. Application Streaming has always included the ability to run “dual mode”, or “fallback”, where the system attempts to run the application by streaming on the client, but if that cannot be accomplished, the execution can be configured to fallback to a server provided delivery, where the application can be locally installed on the XenApp server or streamed on-demand for server side execution.

Whether run on the client, or run on the server, the user gets the application. The criteria for triggering a fallback to server mode are varied; they include:

  • Machine is not a Windows machine so cannot be running the streaming client.
  • Machine Operating System is not supported by the profile.
  • Machine lacks a required local installation pre-requisite such as specific version of .NET or Java or a particular version of locally installed Internet Explorer.
  • Administrator defined pre-launch script triggers fallback. This case is used by the conduit and is described in the sections that follow.

 

App-V comes in two versions

Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) comes in two configurations:

  • Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V), the desktop version.
  • Microsoft Application Virtualization for Terminal Services (App-V for TS), the server version.

About this Whitepaper

This document and the conduit that it describes are primarily concerned with using App-V to deliver applications to end-user personal computers. The delivery occurs using XenApp based publishing and engaging “dual mode” fallback to XenApp servers for App-V based stream to client applications.

* This whitepaper applies to XenApp 6 for Windows Server 2008R2

Download Whitepaper – Application Streaming To App-V Conduit here

 

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2011

The new desktop optimization pack 2011 from Microsoft is here

Description:
The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) is a suite of technologies available as a subscription for Software Assurance customers. MDOP helps to improve compatibility and management (App-V/MED-V), reduce support costs (DEM/DaRT), improve asset management (AIS) and improve policy control (AGPM).

Features:

* Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.6 Service Pack 1 (App-V)
* Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V)
* Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM)
* Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT)
* Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM)
* Microsoft Asset Inventory Service (AIS)

MDOP Demos on Demo Showcase Suite
Show your customers the features and functionality of MDOP with newly available demos.

MDOP Customer Brochure
Provide an in-depth look at the six technologies that comprise this suite of management, deployment, and virtualization tools. Show your customers how, by working together, these innovative technologies make Windows desktop management easier.

The Optimized Desktop and Desktop Virtualization
Desktop virtualization is made up of a unique set of technologies that can help your customers decrease TCO, increase operational flexibility, and streamline IT management. Help your customers achieve the Microsoft optimized desktop vision by separating desktop resources from each other. And remove the tight dependencies between hardware, operating system, applications, and user data.

App-V Cost Reduction Study
Download this white paper to show your customers how App-V can help them realize annual cost savings of US$155 per PC (equal to 11.6 percent of its total cost of ownership), along with up to US$125 per PC in user productivity gains.

Download
At this point in time, MDOP 2011 is available for download to MSDN and TechNet subscribers.

In addition, volume customers can head over to the Microsoft Volume Licensing website and grab the release as well.

 

App-V 4.6 SP1 – what are the changes, Dave Trupkin, Microsoft.
App-V 4.6 SP1 brings to the table enhancements to sequencing, a process through which traditional applications are concerted to App-V virtual applications, revealed Dave Trupkin, Senior Product Manager for App-V and MED-V.

“In this release, we’ve redesigned the sequencing process to make it even easier for new users to get started quickly. We provide step-by-step guidance for common packaging tasks, like creating a new package, updating a package, or packaging add-ins or middleware,” Trupkin stated.

“We’ve also added diagnostics to help alert packagers to potential issues before they become problems. App-V 4.6 SP1 is our easiest to use release ever.”

MED-V 2.0 is designed to streamline the process of deploying and managing legacy virtual applications that were built for Windows XP and now need to run on Windows 7.

Essentially, MED-V 2.0 enables IT pros to integrate apps into Windows 7, even though they’re running in the XP compatibility workspaces. Something like Windows XP Mode, but not quite.

“MED-V expands on the capabilities in Windows XP Mode by adding enterprise features, such as the ability to use a custom Windows XP image, automating first time setup and controlling URL redirection for Internet Explorer,” Trupkin explained.

“With MED-V 2.0, there’s no dedicated infrastructure. MED-V workspaces are distributed and managed with existing systems, such as System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 or higher.”

VDI Smackdown! version 1.2

Ruben Spruijt (CTP) have updated his awesome whitepaper “VDI Smackdown to version 1.2

If you’re searching for an independent overview of the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) vendors and solutions or are curious about the different features and functions of each vendors, then this awesome paper is for you! In the current market there’s an increasing demand for unbiased information about Desktop Virtualization solutions. This white paper is focused on solutions that are anticipated to have an important role in VDI deployments. A complete overview of available features has been created to better understand each solution’s capability. The solutions included in the feature matrix are: Citrix XenDesktop 5, Microsoft VDI with RemoteFX, Quest vWorkspace 7.2 and VMware View 4.6; Compared to the previous VDI Smackdown, more than 100 new and updated features are included in this whitepaper.

The overall goal of the white paper is share information about:

  • Application and Desktop Delivery Solutions overview
  • Explain the different Desktop Virtualization concepts
  • Explain the pros and cons of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
  • Clarify the essential VDI strategic questions
  • Describe the different Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) vendors and solutions
  • Compare the features of Citrix XenDesktop, Microsoft VDI/RemoteFX, Quest vWorkspace and VMware View

Making applications available to the end-user, regardless of the technology being used, is the ultimate strategic objective of an Advanced IT infrastructure. The Virtual Desktop (vDesktop) is an essential component in the range of application and desktop delivery solutions and in essence, provides the following functions:

  • Flexibility: Detach the vDesktop from the endpoint; Several vDesktops next to one another
  • Access: vDesktop works independently of location, endpoint and network; Uniform workstation
  • Security: Server Hosted – VDI; data in the computing center
  • Freedom: Every user has their own desktop with administrator access when needed;
  • Management: Hardware-independent ‘image’
  • Legacy: It is simple to offer legacy applications on a state-of-the-art platform
  • Sustainability: Power Management, handling the necessary resources in an efficient manner

The growing reality of the transition to a dynamic datacenter is causing many IT organizations to reevaluate traditional IT operations, support, and management methods. Virtualizing the desktop is a reasonable piece to support growing numbers of unmanaged desktops, external users, and other use-case scenarios. It’s important to have a vision and strategy around application and desktop delivery. Designing, building, managing and maintaining the vDesktop infrastructure using the right technologies, corresponding vendors and products is an important last step.

We see a lot of organizations primarily focusing on products and vendors and lacking a clear and profound vision and strategy. This approach isn’t good or bad, it just depends on what the goal of the organization is. When the organization needs a point solution, the various vendors and corresponding products can help to solve this issue and fill-in the demands.  When the organization is investigating possibilities, advantages, use cases and functionality of the vNext “optimized desktop”, a profound vision and strategy should be in place.

The following themes should be part of the vDesktop strategy:

  • What are the use-cases? And does the use-case require virtualization?
  • VD-why, what do I want to achieve?, lowering TCO?, business enabler, overall cost of ownership and cost reducer?
  • What is the business-case?
  • What’s the user experience using multimedia, NextGen, video/voice, 2D/3D applications? What do users expect from the vDesktop?
  • What endpoints do we support and facilitate and what is the role of these devices in the end-user experience?
  • Secure access and secure networking (http://bit.ly/fGgOHz), how do users, with a variety of endpoints (rich, thin, zero-clients and mobile devices) connect to the vDesktop?!
  • What is the impact of secure access and secure networking solutions on mobile devices while connecting to the vDesktop? What is the user experience with these solutions?
  • Do we need to manage the endpoints?
  • How is the vDesktop managed? OS deployment, application distribution, patch management etc… Isclient management mandatory?
  • Do we need image management?
  • How are Windows applications delivered within the vDesktop? Unattended or manual installation,application virtualization or are the applications part of the (golden) image? What is the strategy?
  • Are User Installed Applications inside the vDesktop needed?
  • What is the performance and storage impact of application virtualization?
  • What is VDI’s impact on storage and how does it effect the business-case?
  • Do you need local or centralized storage?
  • Do we focus on stateless (pooled, shared) and/or stateful (assigned, private) images? What is, for example, the impact on storage, manageability, security, legal and business-case?
  • What is the impact of client management solutions in a stateless VDI scenario?
  • How do we design, build and maintain the (golden) image(s)?
  • Windows 7 or Windows XP as core vDesktop OS platform? x64 or x86?
  • How does the solution scale? What do we need from a scalability point of view?
  • How do we size the vDesktop and corresponding infrastructure and what are the best-practices for optimizing the vDesktop?  http://www.virtualrealitycheck.net/
  • What is the performance and bandwidth impact on the network infrastructure; LAN, WAN, wLAN
  • How do we design, build and maintain the user’s profile and their ‘workspace’?
  • Licensing; operating system, client access licenses and (business) applications
  • Do we need to backup (and restore) the vDesktops?
  • Is Anti-Virus needed? Inside the VM or as service module on the hypervisor? What is the performanceimpact of antivirus?
  • Is the IT organization mature enough to support and maintain the complete technology stack? What is the knowledge and skill-set of the IT-department?
  • Is separation of operating system, application, and user preferences inside and outside the vDesktop part of the overall strategy?

Bottom Line: What’s your current Desktop strategy?!

Get a head start! Download our complete, in-depth, and independent whitepaper “Head-to-head analysis of Citrix XenDesktop 5, Microsoft VDI with RemoteFX, Quest vWorkspace 7.2 and VMware View 4.6.”

Application Virtualization Smackdown v3

Ruben Spruijt have updated the Application Virtualization Smackdown document to version 3. get it here

Are you looking for an independent overview of the Application Streaming and Virtualization solutions and curious about the different features- and functions each Application Virtualization vendor is offering!? This is the whitepaper you definitely must read!
In the current market there is an increasing demand for unbiased information about Application Virtualization solutions. This white paper is focused on solutions that are anticipated to have an important role in Application Virtualization deployments. An overview of available features of each solution is created to better understand each solutions capability.

OBJECTIVES

  • Application- and Desktop Delivery Solutions overview;
  • Explain the pros and cons of Application Virtualization;
  • Describe the different Application Virtualization vendors and solutions;

 

 

The overall goal of this whitepaper is to share information about: