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New VMware Application Virtualization Class

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ThinApp Class

Ok Folks, I’m finally back! I been kind a busy lately, and haven’t been able to get post some new material and for some time even the site was down due to some database issues. Now for those of you that are system administrators, application administrators, and/or solutions architects with interest in the VDI,  and application virtualization environments with VMware View, and ThinApp, VMware just release training to satisfy your hunger. The new class Application Virtualization with ThinApp is a one day instructor led training with over 60% of the class focus on hands on labs. The course is targeted for administrators with the skills to virtualize Windows applications with VMware ThinApp application.

The Course objectives are to get the attendees to understand the operations major components, and architecture of ThinApp. This will provide knowledge on how to modify Package.ini parameters to increase the variety and complexity of virtualized applications. Make use of the Application Link to dynamically link application components such as Microsoft.NET to multiple applications, and Application Sync to update applications deployed from centralized servers. The class is not targeted for total rookies as there is a certain level of knowledge required on VMware View, and ThinApp. Take a look at the VMware Education site for more detain information.

Application Virtualization with ThinApp Course Outline

VMware ThinApp Architecture

  • Architecture that supports a virtualized application
  • Relationships between the ThinApp runtime, the virtual file system and the virtual registry

Packaging Applications

  • Capturing and virtualizing an application

Modify Package.ini Parameters

  • entry point, access control, and isolation parameters
  • the sandbox folder and the sbmerge.exe utility

Building Applications with Application Link

  • Application Link features
  • Application Link parameters in the Package.ini file

Deploying and Updating Applications

  • EXE files versus MSI files for local application deployment
  • Streaming applications from servers
  • Using the versioning model to update applications
  • Using Application Sync to update applications

Performance and Troubleshooting

  • Performance considerations
  • Troubleshooting ThinApp packages

I can tell you all that there is a great deal of focus on VDI, and application virtualization and getting it done right will drive the use and stability of your deployments. If you use VMware View and ThinApp or were considering them as a possible or future solution,  one day of training on the material wont hurt.

VMware ThinApp 4.5 Released

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VMware ThinApp 4.5Today VMware released the new version of their application virtualization platform. The new version ThinApp 4.5  is said to speed up the migration process to Windows 7  as much as 40 % for customers who are planning upgrading to Microsoft latest desktop operating system.

The new version of ThinApp includes new technologies and features such as:

  • Support for new operating systems: Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2
  • New Relink utility for upgrading applications without the need to repackage or rebuilding them
  • Improve support for MSI packages larger than 2 GB
  • I/O performance improvement for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
  • Memory  sharing improvements for suites of applications and Terminal Server
  • Startup time improvements
  • Bandwidth consumption improvements
  • New packages.ini parameter: OptimizedFor
  • Support for capturing on partially non-clean PC
  • Quality Reporting 1.0
  • Journaling of Virtual file system meta data and virtual registry
  • Improved support for application white listing (AppLocker for Windows 7)
  • User interface improvements
  • Quality improvements & Wine test
  • ThinApp Community Portal for Applications

There is a great deal of information in regards to the features and improvements on the VMware ThinApp blog site so you should head there and get more details about them.

New VMware View 3.1 Released

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VMware View 3.1Hey Folks, for those of you that have VDI environments with VMware View or not, a new version was just released. VMware View 3.1 is now available for download at the VMware site. I have to say that this release is not the version that is 100 % compatible with the vSphere platform yet, that will be VMware View 4, but this release does pack a great deal of improvements that range from performance, USB, Multimedia Redirection, logging, and more. Here are is a brief list of enhancements, but visit the VMware View Manager 3.1 release notes site for more in depth details:

  • Performance Improvements – Login times are significantly improved and server utilization is reduced.
  • Automated LDAP Data and View Composer Database Backup – You can now configure automated backup of LDAP data and View Composer databases in View Administrator, enabling disaster recovery.
  • Client Information – Information about the client device that the end user is connecting from is now provided for the desktop session as registry settings. This enables customers to use third party tools or create custom scripts to map local printers to devices. The information available includes the device name, IP address, and MAC address.
  • Improved Logging – Debug logs are now enabled by default. Logging has been improved to provide more informational messages with minimal performance impact.
  • Edit Desktop Wizard Navigation – Improved wizard navigation enables you to quickly modify existing desktop pools.
  • USB Improvements – View 3.1 offers more reliable and broader device support with reduced bandwidth consumption. A separate TCP/IP stream is used.
  • Multimedia Redirection (MMR) for Windows Vista – MMR is now supported in Windows Vista environments. MMR technology delivers the multimedia stream directly to the client using an RDP virtual channel instead of decoding and rendering it with RDP. This enables full fidelity playback in View Client.
  • Adobe Flash Bandwidth Reduction – The Adobe Flash bandwidth reduction feature improves end-user productivity when browsing Adobe Flash content.
  • Multi-Protocol Support – View Client can now use HP Remote Graphics Software (RGS) as the display protocol when connecting to HP Blade PCs, HP Workstations, and HP Blade Workstations. The connection is brokered by View Manager. HP RGS is a display protocol from HP that allows a user to access the desktop of a remote computer over a standard network. VMware View 3.1 supports HP RGS Version 5.2.5. VMware does not bundle or license HP RGS with View 3.1. Please contact HP to license a copy of HP RGS software version 5.2.5 to use with View 3.1. This release does not support HP RGS connections to virtual machines.

The Gloves are OFF! Oracle Acquires Sun

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Oracle LogoUnless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve all heard about those highly publicized talks about IBM possibly acquiring Sun.  Well, the talks fell through, and in a move that would make Howie Mandel frown, IBM said “No Deal”.  Then came an unforeseen move from left field: Oracle, the database giant, could not let that glowing ball drop.  Sun was up for grabs, and Oracle made the catch.

My take on this is that Oracle is interested in Sun’s virtualization portfolio. Sun had been working on the development of several virtualization products:

  • xVM – Xen based hypervizor
  • Ops Center – Enterprise Management Solution
  • VDI – Connection Broker
  • VirtualBox – Desktop Virtualization

But let’s not forget what other technologies Oracles gets control of:

  • Java
  • Solaris
  • MySQL
  • OpenOffice

Oracle released its own virtualization platform in November 2007.  Their free Xen based hypervizor didn’t make much of an impact in the industry.  But now that Oracle owns Sun, it will probably combine its efforts with Sun’s existing products.  Does this spell competition for VMware’s market share?  Perhaps.  After all, Oracle was once a VMware partner, and they seem very serious about becoming a competitor in the field of virtualization.  In light of this acquisition, it seems that their gloves are off!

Check out the article posted by the New York Times for more information on the financial details of this acquisition.