The Official MDOP Blog

Where To Get Your MDOP News

AJ Smith — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:19:00 GMT

As you might have noticed we have been posting mostly product announcements to this blog and less technical content. Some of you might be wondering where the more technical info is being posted, so we thought it would be best to take a minute to layout...(read more)

Microsoft User Experience Virtualization and Microsoft Application Virtualization 5.0 Betas Now Available

AJ Smith — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:50:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce that the beta versions of Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) 5.0 and a new MDOP product Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) are now available for download from Microsoft Connect. UE-V is an enterprise...(read more)

Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) 8 Beta Released!

Craig Ashley — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:23:00 GMT

Today, we are happy to announce that the DaRT 8 beta has been released for public download. For more detailed information on this announcement, please read the recent Windows for Your Business Blog and Springboard Series Blog . This is a public...(read more)

New Features Added to the Microsoft Asset Inventory Service

AJ Smith — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:10:00 GMT

If you have been following this blog you know that about five months ago we announced version 2.0 of the Microsoft Asset Inventory Service (AIS). This version added a lot of new features and an improved user interface. I am pleased to announce that we...(read more)

MDOP 2011 R2 Generally Available, Get MBAM and DaRT 7.0 Today!

AJ Smith — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:54:00 GMT

I am happy to announce that the MDOP 2011 R2 is generally available today and can be downloaded from the Microsoft Volume Licensing website, MSDN and TechNet . This version of MDOP includes Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM) which...(read more)

New Version of Asset Inventory Service (AIS) Released

AJ Smith — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:50:00 GMT

If you have been following the MDOP blog for a while now, you have noticed that we have had a few beta releases of the Asset Inventory Service. Over these beta releases we got a lot of feedback on the product which has helped get us to today, where we...(read more)

Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) 7 Beta Released!

Brad McCabe _MS_ — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 01:02:38 GMT

Just over a week ago we announced the new version of the Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT), one of our most popular tools in MDOP. Today I’m happy to announce that the Beta has been released for public download . For an overview of the...(read more)

Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring Beta Now Available

AJ Smith — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 04:56:37 GMT

I just returned from Las Vegas, where, this morning I attended Brad Anderson’s keynote address at the Microsoft Management Summit (MMS) where he announced the beta release of Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM). It was great...(read more)

Announcing DaRT 7 - Sign up for the BETA today!

Brad McCabe _MS_ — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:34:00 GMT

Today at MMS, we annouced that we will release a new version of the Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT). DaRT 7 will be part of MDOP and will be released in Q3 of calendar year 2011. DaRT 7 is the next generation of this popular product that is...(read more)

App-V 4.6 SP1 and MED-V 2.0 are available as part of MDOP 2011!

Dave Trupkin [MSFT] — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 06:15:00 GMT

Hello, I’m Dave Trupkin, Senior Product Manager for App-V and MED-V, the two Desktop Virtualization products in MDOP. Today is a very special day for everyone on the MDOP team here at Microsoft, and especially those who work on App-V and MED-V....(read more)

Coming to MDOP: Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring

AJ Smith — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 21:55:00 GMT

This morning on the Windows for your Business blog , we announced a new product that will come to MDOP in a future release called Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM). MBAM will be available through the Microsoft Desktop Optimization...(read more)

Download MED-V 2.0 Beta Today!

karrial — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:57:00 GMT

Hi, I’m Dave Trupkin, Senior Product Manager for Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) and Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V), the two desktop virtualization components of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP). ...(read more)

New AGPM and DaRT Videos

Brad McCabe _MS_ — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:30:31 GMT

You can find a series of new step by step videos for both Advance Group Policy Management (AGPM) and the Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) on the MDOP video page . If your new to AGPM or DaRT, or just looking to get up to speed on a particular...(read more)

Next Round of the Asset Inventory Service (AIS) 2.0 Beta

karrial — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:32:41 GMT

Three months ago we posted about the open beta for the Asset Inventory Service (AIS) 2.0. To all of you who signed up, we want to say thanks for your help and participation. It was great to see to people interested in the improved user interface, the...(read more)

Are you ready to realize the value of App-V in your enterprise? Forrester's App-V TEI will show you how.

karrial — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:00:00 GMT

Forrester TEI Study of App-V June 29 @ 9am PST. Registration for the event is now available. Realize the business value of App-V for yourself.

...(read more)

Great MDOP Resources

Brad McCabe _MS_ — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:55:09 GMT

In my last several blog posts, I’ve used a lot of words to tell you why I think the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) is a great way to optimize Windows 7 deployment. I’ve provided links along the way, of course, but I really haven’t...(read more)

Easing the Move to Windows 7 with MDOP

Brad McCabe _MS_ — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:54:36 GMT

This blog post wraps up my series of entries on how the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) can help make the move to Windows 7 a bit easier. Just to recap, I described the MDOP products that you can use during the Planning, Deployment, and Operating...(read more)

Accelerate Windows 7 using MDOP's Desktop Virtualization: App-V and MED-V

karrial — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 06:05:00 GMT

Attachmate delivers in Reflection in App-V Format, App-V Recipe CommUnity now live for knwoledge shareing, MED-V v2 Beta coming soon!

...(read more)

App-V 4.5 SP2 now available

karrial — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:51:00 GMT

Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) with Windows 7, Windows Server, and Office 2010 delivers a seamless user experience, streamlined application deployment and simplified application management. App-V helps transform applications into centrally managed virtual services to reduce the cost of application deployment, eliminate application conflicts and reboots, simplify your base image footprint to expedite PC provisioning, and increase user productivity.

App-V 4.5 Service Pack 2 provides the latest updates to Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 code line. This is the first time the team has delivered via Windwows Update App-V 4.5 SP2 introduces:

Enhanced failover protection or disaster recovery of your virtual application infrastructure: App-V data-store failover protection enables administrators to quickly recover from disasters and/or recycle servers for maintenance.
Enable highly available application infrastructure: App-V 4.5 SP2 load balanced management servers can now leverage SQL server mirrored data-store to support high availability scenarios for line of business applications; with automatic failover protection not available with the previous versions of App-V.
Data replication is now possible across geography: this enables organizations to recover from site wide failures faster.
App-V 4.5 SP2 clients can now deploy Office 2010.

To learn more about this release please view the App-V 4.5 SP2 release notes and FAQ.

App-V 4.5 SP2 can be deployed immediately to production and is available via Microsoft Update to MDOP customers and through Microsoft Volume Licensing Site (MVLS). If you want to evaluate MDOP, the MDOP software is available at MSDN and TechNet.

To learn more about App-V you can visit the MDOP homepage and App-V TechCenter.

Windows Management with MDOP

Brad McCabe _MS_ — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:10:00 GMT

Previously in this blog, I’ve described how Microsoft® Application Virtualization (App-V) and Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) can not only help streamline the deployment of the Windows® 7 operating system but also help simplify the maintenance of the desktop environment after deployment. These are definitely big products, and they offer a huge potential to save you time and money. These are also the products that first pop in to many people’s minds when they think about the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP).

MDOP is more than just App-V and MED-V, however. Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM) and the Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT)—also part of MDOP—are no slouches. In fact, considering how little time and effort it takes to deploy both of these products, and how easy they are to use, they offer a pretty big bang for the buck. Put another way: Their return on investment is huge.

Advanced Group Policy Management

In terms of the Windows 7 deployment lifecycle, AGPM fits neatly into the maintenance phase—or Operate phase, in Microsoft Operations Framework parlance—of the deployment project. Most likely, you’ll be working with Group Policy after deploying Windows 7. Why not use the opportunity to take control of your organization’s GPOs by using AGPM?

All IT pros are aware of Group Policy, but if you’re moving from Windows XP to Windows 7, you might not know how far along it’s come and how great a tool it can be for managing your environment. By using Group Policy, you can define settings for Windows to enforce. For example, you can configure and deploy power-management settings to the computers in your organization, preventing users from changing those settings. Of course, most IT pros think of security settings when they think of Group Policy, and Group Policy certainly gives you a lot of flexibility and control of those settings, too.

Group Policy isn’t just a terrific way to enforce configurations, though. Because it enables you to configure user and computer settings automatically, it’s also a great way to get closer to the dream of replaceable PCs. Group Policy preferences bring you even closer to that dream, letting you manage settings, files, printers, and much more. You can even choose whether to enforce those settings or allow users to change them after you’ve configured them (hence the name preferences).

On its own, Group Policy is an excellent infrastructure for managing your environment, but Group Policy doesn’t provide many features for managing itself. It doesn’t provide a role-based workflow. That is, Group Policy doesn’t have a formal, built-in edit, review, approval, and deployment process.

AGPM adds the missing role-based delegation to Group Policy. You can delegate reviewer, editor, and approver roles per domain or per GPO. Additionally, AGPM gives you a workflow to manage the creation, editing, and deployment of GPOs in production. You can even edit and test GPOs offline, in a test lab, then easily move those GPOs into production and deploy them. Of course, AGPM provides version control for GPOs. Not only does version control let you audit changes, it also lets you quickly roll back changes that fail in production.

Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset

DaRT fits as well in the deployment phase as it does in the maintenance phase of a Windows 7 deployment project. Throughout the development of Windows 7, Microsoft focused closely on the fundamentals. As a result, Windows 7 is a very stable and reliable operating system, but even the most stable operating systems have issues from time to time. During deployment, you can use DaRT to troubleshoot computers that won’t start. After deployment, you can use DaRT for additional troubleshooting, as necessary.

DaRT is very easy to set up. It doesn’t even leave a footprint on your infrastructure. You install DaRT on your desktop computer, create boot media, then use that boot media to start computers that you’re troubleshooting. For example, if a computer fails to start because of a faulty device driver, you can start the computer with DaRT (leaving the installed Windows operating system offline), use the Crash Analyzer tool to find the faulty device driver, and use Computer Management to disable the device driver. Then, you can start the installed Windows operating system on the computer.

And troubleshooting computers that fail to start isn’t DaRT’s only capability. DaRt includes a number of tools that are useful when you want to work offline. For example, you can use DaRT to scan a computer for malware, recover deleted files, or disable unwanted services. Suppose a user has forgotten the password for a local account. You can use DaRT to reset that password.

Getting started with both AGPM and DaRT is simple. In fact, I encourage you to give both a try in a test environment. You can easily evaluate both products by using virtual machines. Existing MDOP customers can download AGPM and DaRT as part of MDOP at the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC), MSDN®, and TechNet. You could be up and running with each in under an hour.

The Windows 7 Migration Continues....

Brad McCabe _MS_ — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:08:00 GMT

Whew! The Microsoft® Management Summit is behind me and I can start looking forward to our 10-city bus tour. On a similar tour through Europe last year, we had a great time telling everyone we met about the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) and how it can make your life much easier (and make you a hero in your organization). The tour starts in May; I’ll definitely tell you more about it as the date gets a bit closer.

In the meantime, I wanted to pick up where I left off in my last blog post. Previously, I described how Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) can help streamline the deployment process. Sequencing for App-V—a process that’s similar to packaging applications such as .msi files—is straightforward. Deploying sequenced applications can be as simple as assigning them to users. Certainly, using App-V to deploy applications is far more efficient and less painful than using traditional repackaging techniques and including them in an image or using a distribution system.

The story doesn’t end there, however. App-V continues to add value even after your deployment has been stabilized and moving to a maintenance phase. App-V can help you better manage the application inventory. For example, imagine that you need to recall an application after deployment. Without automation, you must manually remove applications from each computer. Even with automation, you can never be sure that applications were completely removed; they leave footprints on the computer.

In contrast, App-V applications have no footprint. They are virtualized, so completely removing an application is as easy as removing the assignment. Afterward, the application is no longer available to the user—as if the application was never installed in the first place.

Because virtualized applications don’t have footprints, they’re also easy to update: Simply sequence the new version, and add it. App-V seamlessly updates the application, without affecting users, requiring downtime, or demanding a reboot. From users’ perspectives, the new version appears automatically the next time they launch the application. Compare this scenario to the process of updating applications in images (time-consuming) or deploying new versions of applications by using a software distribution system (disruptive).

As if streamlining application management wasn’t enough, App-V can have a more-direct impact to your organization’s bottom line. By using metering rules in App-V, you can better understand the licenses used versus the total number of licenses purchased. Metering rules can help organizations that want to ensure compliance with their vendors avoid over-purchasing licenses.

If you haven’t looked at App-V in a while, now’s the time to do so—especially if you’re already engaged in a Windows® 7 deployment project. Microsoft recently released App-V 4.6, which has several improvements, including:

· Support for true 64-bit applications

· Support for desktops and servers running 64-bit Windows

· Integration with Windows 7 AppLocker™, BitLocker® Drive Encryption, and BranchCache™

· Thirteen new languages to support global businesses

App-V and Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) are big products, and sometimes they cast a big shadow over smaller MDOP features such as Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM) and the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT). Both AGPM and DaRT can help make your job as an IT pro easier, though. AGPM provides a role-based workflow to Group Policy management. DaRT provides a powerful set of troubleshooting tools that can help you diagnose and fix problems with Windows 7 offline. Both products are incredible easy to deploy and use. I’ll provide more details about them in my next post.

Continuing our Move to Windows 7

Brad McCabe _MS_ — Mon, 03 May 2010 23:46:00 GMT

After recently spending a week in Nashville and Dallas, talking to folks about desktop virtualization, I’m getting back from the Microsoft® Management Summit in Las Vegas. It seems like a terrible shame to spend a week in Las Vegas locked up in a conference room, giving demos and presentations , but the blue guys had to wait. For now, I want to continue talking about the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), and how it can help make the move to the Windows® 7 operating system a bit easier.

In my last blog post, I described how MDOP can help you plan for Windows 7. For example, you can build an inventory to help you choose which applications you want to leave behind, making the transition less cluttered. You can build this inventory by using the Microsoft Asset Inventory Service (AIS). You can also use Microsoft System Center Desktop Error Monitoring (DEM) to help monitor the impact of your Windows 7 migration.

After the planning phase, a Windows 7 deployment project moves to the development phase. Whether or not that phase is formal in your organization, MDOP can help make it easier.

Managing application compatibility is one of the most painful and time-consuming parts of desktop deployment. Using AIS to build an inventory, and then rationalizing the inventory to reduce its size, is the first step in reducing the pain. But most organizations still go through the tedious process of testing each application and mitigating issues.

MDOP provides a different option. Instead of testing and mitigating each application on Windows 7, you can use Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (Med-V) to deploy unverified applications. After you’ve rolled out Windows 7 and caught your breath, you can revisit those applications: testing their compatibility with Windows 7, mitigating any issues you find, and deploying them natively. By using this strategy, you can move to Windows 7 more quickly, skipping much of the pain associated with application compatibility.

Application packaging and deployment is another chore. For a large-scale deployment project, you need to automate the deployment and configuration of many—too many—applications. First, you repackage applications so that they install and configure themselves silently. After testing them, you must decide how to deploy them: by including them in your image or by using products such as Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007. How you package and deploy these applications also has a significant impact on the maintenance experience later. (I’ll discuss this topic more deeply in my next blog post.)

MDOP has a feature to help improve this aspect of deployment, too: Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V). Our customers say that packaging applications for use with App-V (a process called sequencing) is easier and quicker than packaging the applications for native deployment. It isn’t uncommon to sequence a large application in less than an hour. However, the big win for App-V is deployment. Using App-V to deploy applications can be far easier than other deployment methods. For example, after sequencing an application, deploying it is as simple as assigning the application to a user or group. Recalling the application is just as easy, and App-V enables you to update applications without interrupting users.

Microsoft provides numerous free, powerful deployment tools for Windows 7. The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 is the most notable example. For our Software Assurance customers that already license MDOP, I encourage you to dust it off and consider the value that it can add to these tools. In my next blog post, I’ll describe MDOP features that can help you better manage your organization’s desktop computers after Windows 7 deployment. For more information about how MDOP fits into the desktop deployment process, see Optimizing Windows 7 Deployment with MDOP.

The Get On The Bus tour is coming and we’re bringing some free SWAG!

Brad McCabe _MS_ — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:40:00 GMT

The Get On The Bus tour is coming and we’re bringing some free SWAG!

We are giving away 50 copies of Windows 7 Ultimate for the first 50 Get On the Bus event attendees through the door at EVERY STOP! Don’t miss your chance to win a copy of Microsoft’s newest software offering plus some chances at some other great swag so hurry and register today at www.thebustour.com.

What is the “Get On The Bus Tour”? Well, it’s where Microsoft comes to you. We are coming to the East Coast May 21-June 4! Come spend some time with us as we travel the East Coast for a deep dive into Windows 7 and Office 2010, along with a specific path on how to get certified. Learn why Windows 7 has received rave reviews from IT organizations and why so many IT Pros are excited about Office 2010. We will show you best practices for deploying Windows 7 and how to keep it running efficiently after deployment. We will also take a tour through all of the Office 2010 features from an IT Professional’s point of view. Registration is free but limited at http://thebustour.com .

For the latest updates follow us on Twitter @thebustour

Disclaimer:

To receive your free copy of Windows 7 Ultimate, be one of the first 50 people who are US residents (includes D of C) or Canada 18+ to arrive at a Microsoft Get On the Bus Tour afternoon event. 50 copies of the software title are available. Limit one gift per person. This offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer. This offer ends on June 4, 2010 while supplies last, and is not redeemable for cash. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient. There is no shipment of your gift – all gifts will be distributed onsite.

Asset Inventory Service (AIS) 2.0 Open Beta

Brad McCabe _MS_ — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:06:00 GMT

In November 2009 we ran a small scale beta of the 2.0 version of the Asset Inventory Service (AIS) and got a lot of feedback on the product which has helped us get to feature complete. We are interested in getting even more input from the community, so today we are announcing an open beta for anyone (current MDOP customer or not) who is interested in trying out the service.

Some of the key changes in AIS 2.0:

· Improved user interface

· Title normalization and version aggregation in software reporting

· Virtual machine and App-V package support in software reporting

· Improved Microsoft licensing reports

· Better hardware reporting and the ability to view the hardware properties of a computer

This open beta is feature complete and localized in English only (additional languages will be made available in a future beta tests). We ask participants to please submit their feedback to us on their experiences with the service and will consider this input for the RTW version. Please be aware that all inventory data that you upload will be deleted once the beta is completed at the end of June 2010.

To sign up for the beta, please go to – https://connect.microsoft.com/site310/SelfNomination.aspx?ProgramID=3615&pageType=1

You will need to have a Microsoft Live ID to join. Once you have signed up and accepted the AIS pre-release online services agreement, we will begin process of provisioning your AIS account and send you an email within seven days with the account details.

MDOP 2010, Windows 7, and Office 2010 - Coming to a City Near You!

Brad McCabe _MS_ — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:15:00 GMT

“Get On the Bus” is back in North America!

www.thebustour.com

The Get On the Bus Tour is back home and we’re kicking off our new tour with a visit to Canada! Montreal marks our first location on a 10-city North American road show en route to TechEd in New Orleans, June 7. Come spend some time with us as we tour the East Coast for a deep dive into MDOP 2010, Windows 7 and Office 2010, along with a specific path on how to get certified. Learn why Windows 7 has received rave reviews from IT organizations and is setting records as the fastest selling operating system in history. Find out why so many IT Pros are eagerly awaiting the release of Office 2010. We will show you both the best practices for deploying Windows 7 and MDOP 2010 and how to keep it running efficiently after deployment. We will also take a tour through all of the features of Office 2010 from an IT Professional’s point of view. It’s time to join us at a stop nearest you for technical training, professional networking, hands-on experiences, and real world guidance from industry experts sent to you from Redmond. Don’t miss your chance to “Get On the Bus!”

REGISTER

For your local event today!

Get your Bus Tour updates first! Follow us on Twitter @thebustour