ThinApp Deep Dive: Best Practices for Professional Services Offerings TECHDV0723

1. ThinApp Deep Dive: Best Practices for Professional Services Offerings TECHDV0723 Raymond Dusseault, VMware, Inc.

2. This session may contain product features that are currently under development. This session/overview of the new technology represents no commitment from VMware to deliver these features in any generally available product. Features are subject to change, and must not be included in contracts, purchase orders, or sales agreements of any kind. Technical feasibility and market demand will affect final delivery. Pricing and packaging for any new technologies or features discussed or presented have not been determined. Disclaimer “These features are representative of feature areas under development. Feature commitments are subject to change, and must not be included in contracts, purchase orders, or sales agreements of any kind. Technical feasibility and market demand will affect final delivery.”

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4. Agenda • Event Overview (60 minutes) • Content Overview (30 minutes) • ThinApp Overview • ThinApp POC Overview • Key feature demo’s • ThinApp Demos (20 minutes) • Q & A (10 minutes)

5. ThinApp 201 – Technical Deep Dive VMware ThinApp Overview Application Virtualization Overview Introduction to ThinApp Features & Limitations of ThinApp ThinApp Application Packaging

6. Application Management Challenges Pain points for Administrators • Migration to XP, Vista, and .NET • Support for legacy applications • Application conflicts • Business continuity and disaster recovery • New application delivery • Securing desktop environments • Break/Fix • Application patches and upgrades • Application removal or retirement • High infrastructure costs

7. What is Application Virtualization? • Application Virtualization • Encapsulates applications into a package and abstracts them from: • The host Operating System • Any traditionally installed applications running on the system • All other virtual applications running on the system • Applications are run in a virtual environment with minimal or zero impact on the underlying operating system • Virtual File System • Virtual Registry • Easily deployed, upgraded, managed, and retired

8. The Application Deployment Lifecycle

9. What is ThinApp? A client-less and agent-less application virtualization solution • Allows Windows applications to be packaged, distributed and executed as a single .exe or .msi file • Requires no pre-installed software on the end user machine • No back end server infrastructure required “ThinApp Bubble” App Operating System Program Files VREG Registry VFS Native App App Data VOS SandBox Decoupled from the host Operating system

10. Benefits of ThinApp • Helps manage and secure user environments • Deploy applications to users and not to machines / operating systems • Allows administrators to keep PCs locked-down without sacrificing functionality • Increases workstation stability • Eliminates application conflicts • Runs entirely in user-mode • Makes applications totally portable • Can be run from any device such as Desktop, Laptop, LAN, WAN, USB flash drive, CD-ROM, etc. • Allows for user customizations to virtualized apps

11. Features of ThinApp Features include: • Wide platform support • Run the same package on a wide range of platforms from NT to 64-bit Vista without repackaging • Infrastructure agnostic • Easy to deploy, stream or push .exe or .msi format • Application Linking • Ability to dynamically link ThinApp packages to one another • Application Synchronization • Update application packages from a secure Internet location • Embedded ThinApp 400K runtime in all packages • Virtual File system • Virtual Registry

12. Features of ThinApp (Cont.) • Sandbox environment for per user application customization • 100% user-mode execution of applications • Active Directory integration • Support for application services • Register virtualized applications in Add/Remove programs • Scripting • Streaming • Support for Virtual Side-by-Side (SxS) • Virtual COM • Runtime logging and diagnostics

13. Supported Operating Systems and Applications • End User OS Support Application Support • Supports most 16- and 32-bit Windows applications running on 32-bit versions of Windows, and most 32-bit apps on 64-bit Windows versions • ThinApp allows 32-bit applications to run on a 64-bit OS • NO support for 64-bit native applications   • Neither Windows nor ThinApp supports 16-bit applications running on 64-bit operating systems *ThinApp 4.0.4 has Tech Preview or Experimental Support for Windows 7 * ThinApp 4.5 will provide Full Support for Windows 7

14. Limitations of ThinApp • ThinApp does not support 100% of applications • 70% of applications packaged with ThinApp should work out of the box • 90-95% of applications will work after some remediation • The last 5 – 10 % does not necessarily mean the app cannot be virtualized • Is there a strong business case to invest the time needed to successfully complete the package? • Refer to ThinApp community forum for other users with applicable application experience (http://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/entdesk/thinapp)

15. Limitations of ThinApp (cont • Some known limitations are: • Device Drivers • VPN clients attempt to install proprietary network drivers • Windows Components • DHCP, DNS, IIS • Network visible DCOM services • DCOM is supported inside of the bubble but not DCOM hosted on network based resources • COM Plus • Legacy internal application calls are not supported

16. ThinApp and VMware Synergy • Breaking linkages: • Break dependencies between hardware, OS and applications • Manage OS and applications independently while using them as a single unit inside a VM • Applications are completely separate from the OS and can be provisioned directly to the desktop or simply accessed and run from the network By compiling applications into single, self contained executables, ThinApp has the ability to decouple the applications from the host OS ThinApp EXE Streamlined Base image VM saves on overall disk space ThinApp Distribution point via SAN storage ThinApp EXE’s running in View Client and View Portal sessions View Manager Thin Client connecting to published ThinApp EXE on Citrix Ability to control the deployment of ThinApp Shortcuts directly from View Manager (Future product release) View Composer

17. View and ThinApp: Simplify Delivery and Costs • Reduce storage • Fewer templates • Reduce VM footprint by removing apps from guest OS • Simplify Software Delivery (no agents / infrastructure) • Multiple versions of same app installed on View image • Many ways to deliver shortcut • Plugs into existing App Mgmt tools w/o infrastructure • Streamline Patch Updates • Modify one package for entire environment • In place upgrades ThinApp Repository

18. How Does ThinApp Work? Packaging applications the ThinApp way • VMware ThinApp encapsulates the application, all the necessary components to run the application, and the application itself into a single self executing .exe or .msi • This file is known as an application “package” • The runtime state of a package is known as a “bubble” • Virtualized applications can accessOS resources both inside and outside the bubble bubbles • Any changes to the application after launch are directed into a Sandbox

19. Introduction to Application Packaging Steps for packaging an application with ThinApp: • The Setup Capture utility creates a baseline snapshot before the application is installed (pre-scan) • The application is traditionally installed • The Build phase of Setup Capture creates the virtualized applicationpackage (post-scan) • Set package “entry points” and package options • Finish by browsing and building the project

20. ThinApp Package Deployment Options Enterprise Deployment Solutions • Create ThinApp packages as .msi files to distribute them using most deployment solutions • Most 3rd party ESD solutions supported • Customers can leverage existing infrastructure for ThinApp deployments • Integrates with the major Application packaging suites • ThinApp management API integration OpenView Configuration Management

21. Useful ThinApp Resources On line manual http://pubs.vmware.com/thinapp4/help VMware Community Forum http://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/entdesk/thinapp Tech Topics—VMware ThinApp portal Http://www.vmware.com/products/thinapp/related-resources.html Tech Topics—VMware ThinApp Blog http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/

22. VMware ThinApp Components

23. Registry App Data Program Files Program Files App Data Registry ThinApp Virtualization Technology Overview The ThinApp Secure Compressed Container (package) • The Virtual Operating System (VOS) is the OS resource gatekeeper • The Virtual File System • The Virtual Registry • User configurable files and register keys are stored in an area known as the “Sandbox” App VREG VOS VFS Sand Box (runtime) Virtual App Changes Operating System

24. VOS Illustrated • The VOS in a ThinApp Package: • ThinApp build process links the Virtual Operating System (VOS) with a small embedded file system and registry • These are then packed with the application into a single .exe file

25. Isolation Modes—Overview • Isolation modes • File system and registry isolation capabilities that prevent applications from being affected by other software installed on the same system • Can be controlled on per-directory and per-registry subtree basis • By default, packages are configured for a locked-down desktop model • The user will typically have write permission only to their Desktop, "My Documents" folder, network shares and removable media • The default isolation mode for the project will be inherited by child objects unless explicitly overridden • Three modes: Merged, WriteCopy, and Full

26. App Data Registry Program Files Isolation Modes—Merged • System elements at this location will be visible to the application • If a system element and virtual element exist at the same location, the application will see the virtual element • Modifications to virtual elements go to the sandbox • Modifications to system elements go to the system • New elements will be created on the system Typical application behavior is allowed access to the Host OS If a legacy application hard codes a c:\MYDATA file storage location App VREG SandBox (defaults to users profile) VFS If an application stores files under the users My Documents folder VOS Operating System

27. App Data Registry Program Files MYDATA MY Docs Isolation Modes—WriteCopy • System elements at this location will be visible to the application • If a system element and virtual element exist at the same location, the application will see the virtual element • Modifications to virtual elements go to the sandbox • Modifications to system elements go to the sandbox • New elements will be created in the sandbox If Typical application behavior requires access to the Host OS, the action is redirected to a corresponding SandBox location If an application stores files under the users My Documents folder App SandBox (defaults to users profile) VREG VFS If a legacy application hard codes a c:\MYDATA file storage location VOS Operating System

28. MYDATA MY Docs Isolation Modes—Full • System elements at this location will not be visible to the application • Modifications to virtual elements go to the sand box • System elements cannot be read or modified • New elements will be created in the sandbox The Virtualized Application is restricted from access to the Host OS. Manual User access to Network, File and Print are still available App SandBox (defaults to users profile) VREG VFS VOS Operating System

29. Advanced Features of ThinApp 4 • ThinApp 4 introduced three significant features • Application Sync—automatically keep deployed virtual applications up to date • Application Link—allows administrators to dynamically link ThinApp packages to one another • In Place Update – mechanism to not only update packages deployed to end users but seamlessly rollback changes to the original state

30. Application Sync • If an update is available, ThinApp downloads only the block-level delta between the existing package and the new package to construct an updated version of the package Keep local ThinApp packages current with Application Sync • Application Sync (AppSync) enables you to automatically keep deployed virtual applications up to date • Upon launch AppSync will query a Web or file server for an updated version of the package

31. Application Link • Dynamically linking ThinApp packages together • Create separate packages for interdependent components (such as Java or .NET) and use them across multiple ThinApp packages • Decouple core applications from the Host OS • Centralized AppLink package repository • AppLink capabilities will follow a “Chain” through other Thinapp packages AppLink connections flow dynamically through other ThinApp packages. The Office 2007 and IE 7.0 packages are directly connected via AppLink and the .Net package Office 2007 IE 7.0 .NET

32. In Place Update • Upgrade a deployed or running application • You can copy a new version of an application into an existing deployment directory with a higher filename extension, such as .1 or .2 • ThinApp always uses the filename that has a higher version number • If you must roll back to an earlier version, simply delete the .1 or .2 files Deployed App User Shortcut Adobe Reader 7.0 Adobe Reader 9.0 Adobe Reader 7.0

33. Deploying ThinApp Applications • ThinApp EXE’s can be launched from a USB key • ThinApp packages can be deployed to physical client workstations • ThinApp .MSI files can be distributed over most Third Party ESD Solutions • ThinApp EXE’s can be deployed to VMware View Desktop sessions • ThinApp EXE’s can be deployed to Thin Clients via a connection broker ThinApp Executable

34. Using ThinApp Applications—Streaming • In addition to running apps locally, ThinApp packages can be streamed from a standard Windows fileserver or network share • No client, specialized servers or infrastructure changes required • Very small (400k) client built into each EXE package • Users double-click icon on UNC path or shortcut to launch the application • Packages load directly into memory; No disk I/O required

35. Using ThinApp Applications—Streaming (Cont.) • Application delivery is optimized for fastest launch • Allows large packages to launch from shared LAN resources in seconds • Additional code is streamed as functionality is required by the user

36. Scripting • Scripting allows you to execute custom code before starting a packaged app or after an application exits • VB scripts added to the root of the project folder • Pre and Post Launch scripts • Callback functions specify when blocks of code will execute • OnFirstSandboxOwner • OnFirstParentStart • OnFirstParentExit • OnLastProcessExit • API functions execute ThinApp-specific functions and interact with the ThinApp runtime

37. Best Practices Tips and Tricks Know Thy App

38. Best Practices • Tips and Tricks • Use application volume license keys when possible • Avoid per machine application network activation • Avoid binding applications to a specific host or device • Avoid hard coding information to the ThinApp applications • Save application capture project directories for future changes • VMware Workstation for CnB environment • Launch capture utilities from outside the CnB workstation

39. Best Practices (Cont.) • ThinApp Manifesto • Know thy app! • We expose bad programming. • Ethics doesn’t ship with the code. • Every setting is customizable • Virtually anything can be scripted • Best practices are in the eye of the beholder • ThinApp does not turn Word into WordPerfect.

40. Wrap Up • POC Key Points • Top 10 Questions from Enterprise ThinApp POC’s • Q & A

41. POC Key Points • What are some key points to consider during a POC? • Focus on customer pain points when discussing application virtualization. If you can demonstrate a potential solution to a few major pain points, then the chances of a successful POC increase dramatically. • Try to involve the key stake holders in the initial conversations. Understanding the pain points of all parties involved is critical. • You may ultimately encounter internal customer political battles. Try to remain neutral, but provide potential solutions that work for all parties involved. • You may ultimately encounter hostility towards application virtualization from groups threatened by its efficiencies. Maintain the position that ThinApp integrates with existing solutions and does not try to circumvent existing processes. Let the customer decide which existing processes or resources will ultimately be phased out.

42. Sample POC Agenda • Day 1 • Sections 1- 4 of the ThinApp Jumpstart • Time Permits – AppLink Demo end of day • Day 2 • Sections 5 – 11 of the ThinApp Jumpstart • Time Permits – AppSync, In Place Update and ThinReg demos • Day 3 • Any remaining demos • Package 1 – 2 customer applications • Day 4 (Optional) • Capture additional customer applications • Day 5 (Optional) • Capture additional customer applications

43. Delivering Consultant Onsite Requirements • Laptop with the ability to run VMware workstation • 2 – 4 GB of ram minimum • Generic Windows XP pro Capture VM (primary Capture Workstation) • Generic Windows 2000 pro Capture VM (optional, varies per customer) • Test launch packages • Generic Windows 7 32bit Capture VM (optional, varies per customer) • Test launch packages • USB external hard drive • 250 – 500 GB • Store additional VM’s • Run the ThinApp Capture utilities from the USB drive • Emulates running the utilities from a network share • Deploy ThinApp packages to the Test VM’s via ThinReg or MSI from the USB drive

44. Powerful POC ThinApp Use Cases • Legacy Windows 2000 application, packaged and launched successfully on a current OS • Customer applications that typically cannot be installed on Windows 7, packaged successfully on Windows XP and test launched on Windows 7. • Applications that have a lengthy or difficult installation procedure. Once successfully packaged, “You mean I never have to install this again ????” • Applications that have heavy helpdesk support implications • Applications that call for different versions of JAVA to be installed on the same system • Core applications that reduce the size of the corporate desktop image in preparation for a View deployment

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46. Any Questions?