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Official Software | Microsoft Tools | 3rd Party Tools | App-V Sequencing How-to TemplateMicrosoft Application Virtualization Official Software
Microsoft App-V 4.6
App-V 4.6 is currently in a Release Candidate (RC) stage. Check out the announcement for the (older) Beta on the App-V Team Blog.
You can sign up for the RC using Microsoft Connect (http://connect.microsoft.com/). There you can download the RC Software and Documentation and provide Feedback to Microsoft.
App-V 4.6 has been announced for the first Half of 2010 and its main focus will be 64-Bit client support and Office (2010) integration.
Microsoft App-V 4.5
Please Note: Hotfixes for a certain release (Hotfix X for for App-V 4.5 CU1) always are cumulative towards CU1 - and therfore also include previously fixed patches. ServicePacks also include all previous fixes and additional feature.
| Name | Version | Description |
Source |
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4.5 SP1 HF 1 Hotfix 1 for ServicePack 1 |
January 2010 |
Announcement: German App-V Blog (German) |
This hotfix has been announced for End of January. Its KB article number would be 978480 |
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4.5 SP1 ServicePack 1 for 4.5 |
October 2009 |
NOTE: This Service Pack contains all previous Hotfixes (HF) except for CU1 HF6
Announcement: MDOP Team Blog |
Available through Volume Licensing Downloads, MSDN and TechNet. Searching for "MDOP" will return MDOP 2009 R2 as well as the TerminalServices / Remote Desktop Services downloads of App-V 4.5 SP1 Note that SP1 does not (yet) include HF6 for CU1. Also, this HF can not be applied after SP1. |
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4.5 CU1 HF6 Hotfix 6 for CU1 |
September 2009 |
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4.5 CU1 HF5 Hotfix 5 for CU1 |
August 2009 |
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4.5 CU1 HF4 Hotfix 4 for CU1 |
July 2009 |
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4.5 CU1 HF3 Hotfix 3 for CU1 |
June 2009 |
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4.5 CU1 HF2 Hotfix 2 for CU1 |
May 2009 |
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4.5 CU1 HF1 Hotfix 1 for CU1 |
March 2009 |
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4.5 CU1 Cumulative Update |
4.5.1.15580 March 29 |
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Licensing Subscription Download Site MSDN For Terminal Server: Server / SoftGrid Application Virtualization |
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4.5 HF 3 Hotfix 3 |
January 2009 |
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4.5 HF 2 Hotfix 2 |
December 2008 |
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| 4.5 HF 1 | (no info) | (no info) | (no info) |
| 4.5 RTM Ready to Manufacture | 4.5.0.1485 September 2008 | Licensing Subscription Download Site
MSDN For Terminal Server: Server / SoftGrid Application Virtualization |
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| App-V 4.5 RC Release Candidate |
4.5.0.1305 June 2008 |
Microsoft SoftGrid 4.1 and 4.2
| Name | Version | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.2 Updates |
For Desktop Client and Sequencer releases, refer to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941408/en-us For Server Components and Terminal Server releases, refer to SoftGrid 4.1 related information |
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| 4.2 Release | 4.2.0.310 |
SoftGrid 4.2 is very familiar to 4.1 SP1 except adding Vista support. |
All SoftGrid 4.2 related information and Software Sources can be found at: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941408/en-us MSDN: |
| Name | Version | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 SP1 HRP2
Hotfix Rollup Pack 2 for SP1 |
4.1.3.x .15, .16 |
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All SoftGrid 4.1 related information and Software sources can be found at: |
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4.1 SP1 HRP1 Hotfix Rollup Pack for SP1 |
4.1.2.x .20, .21 |
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All SoftGrid 4.1 related information and Software sources can be found at: |
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4.1 SP1 ServicePack 1 |
4.1.1.x .302, .303, .310 |
Improved Support for SxS assemblies |
All SoftGrid 4.1 related information and Software sources can be found at: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938497/en-us MSDN
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| 4.1 Release |
4.1.0.56 November 2006 |
Microsoft Tools for App-V
Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Resource Kit Tools
App-V resource Kit tools provide some feature enhancements that are not part of the major product feature map.
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Resource Kit |
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| Resource Kit entry point |
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/appvirtualization/dd277292.aspx |
| The resource kit contains the following tools. Please refer to the entry point site for detailed information |
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Microsft ADM Template for App-V
Control App-V Client settings with Group Policy Objects (GPOs)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=67CDF9D2-7E8E-4D76-A552-FD82DBBFF9BC
Microsoft Assesment and Planning Toolkit for App-V
Inventory, Assesment and Reporting tool to evaluate an environment against present and future App-V implementation
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/solutionaccelerators/dd632928.aspx
3rd Party Tools for App-V and SoftGrid
There are quite some Community Tools provided by individuals or organizations to help you managing your virtual applications
OSD Modifications SFT file operations and and Sequencing
Tim Managn's OSD Illustrated is a comprehensive description of the XML attributes, parameters and data that make up an OSD file. This sample OSD file demonstrates the structure and capabilities of an OSD file including detailes about attribute's usage. Listing some attributes that are not used any longerr it demonstartes Tim's long-time experience with App-V and its predecessor SoftGrid. http://www.tmurgent.com/OSD_Illustrated.aspx
Login Consultant's OSD Editor should be the toosl of your choice for safe OSD modifications without the fear to destroy its XML structure. Its GUI offers feature like Dynamic Suite Composition (DCS), OSD Script integration and other sitches that sometimes are mentioned as "tweaks" for certain scenarios. If you want to focus on App-V switches and not on XML specifications, use it (free registration required). http://www.loginconsultants.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_details&gid=27&Itemid=149
Kalle Saunamäki's SFT Explorer allows you to open and inspect SFT files without needing a Sequencer. You easily may export contained Files and Registry settings to your machine. It allows for "Virtualized System View" - so how would a virtual application "see" the local resources overlayed by the App-V package. It also supports Dynamic Suite compostion views. Works for SoftGrid and App-V Packages http://www.virtualapp.net/sft-explorer.html
Kalle Saunamäki's SFT Encoder Express is a tool that allows you to easily create an App-V or SoftGrid Package containg files from a certain folder without needing the Sequencer. It can be used to "zip" applications that do not need a Virtual Registry to an SFT file. Probably the fasted way to create a Virtual Application. http://www.virtualapp.net/sft-encoder.html
Login Consultant's App-V Migration Tools uses the Sequencer's command line capabilities to allow you easy conversion of installations (like silent MSIs) into App-V Packages - without the need of walking through all the Sequencing Wizard Steps and their wrap-up (free registration required). http://www.loginconsultants.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_details&gid=28&Itemid=149
App-V Management
Login Consultant's Client ADM Add-on is a supplement for Microsoft's ADM template that adds control of settings beyond Microsoft's offering. Highlights are the definition of Publishing Servers, granular auto-load and network connection settings and other. (free registration required). http://www.loginconsultants.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_details&gid=33&Itemid=149
Immidio AppScriber Express Edition is a web based self-service provisioning solution for App-V or any Application Deployment Solution that authorizes application access based on Active Directroy Group Memberships. Users easily can "subscribe" for applications using a web based front end (free registration required). http://www.immidio.com/appscriber
Client Management
Greg Brownstein's SoftBar is a tool that allows you to run debug applications (like Explorer or Regedit) inside a Virtual Envoronment. It also allows to launch an application from a specified server. Of course it also allows to launch applications directly from its GUI - and from a command line. http://www.jagtechnical.com/softbar/
Login Consultant's App-V Client Diagnostics and Configuration tool allows to launch Virtual Applications from within the GUI, launch debug programs (some predefined and customized) from within a Virtual Environment, watch the log in real time and manipulate cache Settings. Login's ACDC requires free registration. http://www.loginconsultants.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_details&gid=34&Itemid=149
Both solutions sound comparable? Well, read what Aaron Parker thinks about that: http://blog.stealthpuppy.com/virtualisation/acdc-vs-softbar-fight
Commercial break ;-)
The reason for listing all that Login Consultants tools is not because I work for that company - I have choosen to work for Login because of their contribution to SoftGrid and App-V...
App-V Sequencing How-to Template
Documenting sequencing processes is a very important - but often neglected - task for a sequencing engineer. Creating a sequencing how-to for an application package allows to reproduce sequencing steps later on and to find possible issues.
The "Sequencing How-to Template" collects lots of the information that might be important to re use an application package or to create a new App-V package based on an older how-to guide. It contains fields for each value that normaly has to be entered or modified during sequencing with space to make notes about unexpected tasks.
The original idea came from the old "SoftGrid Sequencing Recipe Template" that was provided by Softricity in the past and never seemed to be updated and published by Microsoft.
You may use, re use, modify and deploy this template and modified (filled in) copies of this template. However, you are obligue to mention this website (www.kirx.org) or me (Falko Gräfe) as the original source.
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Microsoft Office 2007/2010 version (Note: If the browser is saving a ".zip" file, rename it to ".docx" afterwards |
App-V_Sequencing_Recipe_template.docx |
| The above document saved as Office 2003 file | App-V_Sequencing_Recipe_Template.doc |
| The above document saved as Open Office ODT file | App-V_Sequencing_Recipe_Template.odt |
| A PDF printout of the document: If you can't use any of the verisions above | App-V_Sequencing_Recipe_Template.pdf |