When you try to upgrade the SQL Server database role from Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) Management Server 4.1 to Application Virtualization Management Server 4.5, the upgrade may fail with the following error message:
Error 25119. The installation program could not upgrade the configuration data store. Please see the installation log file for more information.
The Knowledge Base article below contains a script that will resolve this issue:
KB976641 - Error message when you upgrade the SQL Server database role from Application Virtualization Management Server 4.1 to Application Virtualization Management Server 4.5: "Error 25119"
Enjoy!
J.C. Hornbeck | System Center Knowledge Engineer
This article describes a hotfix package for September 2009 that contains the latest hotfixes for Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Cumulative Update 1.
Note We recommend that you test hotfixes before you deploy them in a production environment. Because the builds are cumulative, each new hotfix release contains all the hotfixes and all the security fixes that were included with the previous update package. We recommend that you consider applying the most recent fix release that contains the most necessary hotfixes.
This hotfix package addresses the following issues:
- In some scenarios, an application may not start, and you receive a DLL error or a "File Not Found" error. This issue is most likely to occur on a multiprocessor computer.
- It takes significantly longer to stream a package over the RTSPS protocol than to stream a package over the RTSP protocol.
- When you use TrueCrypt for drive encryption, any tries to mount an encrypted volume may generate a 0xA stop error.
- The Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 client leaks paged pool memory. This problem occurs when you apply a disk quota to the profile directories of a user and when the disk quota is near the limit.
- A virtual application that calls the RegQueryMultipleValues function may experience unexpected errors or cannot start. For example, you receive error messages when you start or shutdown the Trapeze application. Then, the application does not work correctly.
- When an Application Virtualization 4.5 client tries to perform a publishing update procedure over HTTP or over HTTPS, the procedure is not completed successfully. Specifically, the procedure is not completed successfully if a package contains pathnames that have Japanese characters. This problem occurs when the Application Virtualization 4.5 client has Windows Internet Explorer 6 installed and runs a Japanese version of Windows XP.
- When it is run as a virtual application, Microsoft Office Access 97 generates an error message 1008 when Office Access 97 is moving temporary files.
- When an Application Virtualization 4.5 client tries to perform a publishing update procedure over HTTP or over HTTPS on an IPv6 network, the procedure is not completed successfully.
- When you expand a %APPDATA% environment variable to a universal naming conventions (UNC) path, application-specific failures occur when you start virtual applications.
- The Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 client cannot log on to a publishing server. This problem occurs in environments that have a trust relationship and a mapped user account between a Windows domain and an MIT Kerberos realm. Additionally, you receive an error message 8009030C.
For all the details and to download the hotfix package see the following Knowledge Base article:
KB974278 - Hotfix Package 6 for Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Cumulative Update 1: September 2009
J.C. Hornbeck | System Center Knowledge Engineer
This question has come up numerous times:
Do I need to re-sequence my applications when I move to a new OS?
There have been multiple statements published and circulated about this topic and the real answer is “it depends!" What’s really important is that you test your existing virtual applications on the new operating system to make sure they work correctly before deploying. You may find that they work fine, but if you encounter problems you may need to re-sequence on the new operating system.
Here’s the current support statement for App-V from the product group and this statement supersedes all others.
It is often possible to sequence on one OS and run the virtualized app on a different OS, however this scenario is both app and OS dependent and is not guaranteed to work for all app/OS combinations since App-V is not a general purpose OS compatibility solution. If problems are encountered, the customer may be required to sequence on the same OS environment as the App-V client is running in order to resolve those problems.
Note that whatever OS platform is used when sequencing, our “best practices” guidance requires customers to test the sequenced app on all delivery OS platforms prior to putting into production.
Hope this helps,
Peter Ballantyne | Technical Writer
Microsoft Application Virtualization does not support applications that use shell extension handlers implemented with a custom dynamic-link library (DLL). The reason that APP-V cannot support applications with custom shell extensions is that this would require providing Windows Explorer access to the virtual environment. Shell extensions are sometimes referred to as Shell integration.
Some applications allow disabling of their customer shell extensions. If the application you would like to sequence allows you to disable the shell extension it probably can be sequenced in App-V.
Shell extensions are in-process Component Object Model (COM) objects that extend the abilities of the Windows operating system.
For more information about Shell Extension Handlers check out this MSDN article.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc144067(VS.85).aspx
You can use the sysinternals tool Autoruns to view installed Explorer shell extensions.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx
You may also enjoy reading the case study about Sequencing Applications for Deployment at Microsoft.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd871278.aspx.
Jim Truchon | Senior Escalation Engineer
When you upgrade a Microsoft Application Virtualization (also known as App-V) client from Windows Vista to Windows 7, you receive the following error message:
Program Compatibility Report
The program is blocked due to compatibility issues.
Report the problem to see if a solution is available. Windows will automatically display a website with more information about compatibility problems.
Microsoft Application Virtualization is incompatible with this version of Windows. For more information, contact Microsoft.
For the details of the issue and the resolution see the following Knowledge Base article:
KB976248 - Error message when you upgrade an Application Virtualization client from Windows Vista to Windows 7: "Program Compatibility Report"
Enjoy!
J.C. Hornbeck | System Center Knowledge Engineer
First of all, we are excited to announce the availability of App-V 4.6 RC! In August we announced the App-V 4.6 Beta. Since then we have taken in lots of customer feedback and continue to refine the App-V 4.6 release so that we can deliver a great product! We invite you to check out the RC release by registering and downloading the App-V 4.6 RC release via Microsoft Connect, where you can also submit feedback directly to the team.
We’re not done though, in addition we’d like to share some great news and also announce our integration with Office 2010 Beta:
Microsoft Office 2010 Beta, Ready to be Sequenced With the Microsoft Office 2010 Beta Deployment Kit for App-V
As you know the Office team just completed a major milestone Microsoft Office 2010 Beta, congrats to the team! Throughout the process of building Office 2010 the App-V and Office teams have been working very closely to make sequencing Office 2010 Beta possible with App-V 4.6 RC! We have taken the feedback and requests from post-Office 2007 and App-V 4.5 releases, and have been hard at work implementing a solid integration experience for Office when App-V 4.6 releases in H1 2010.
So what’s Different when using Microsoft Office 2010 Beta and App-V 4.6 RC together?
Office 2010 has introduced a new piracy protection initiative, the Software Protection Platform (SPP) service. This service uses a machine’s hardware characteristics and product key to activate the installation, which is performed during the first Office application launch.
Since the Office 2010 product activation is linked to the hardware on which Office is originally installed, customers who wish to deploy Office 2010 using App-V must physically install the SPP service on the sequencer machine before beginning the sequencing process – and on any client machines that will stream and run Office 2010.
Our engineering teams have collaborated to address the top customer issues that people were running into when virtualizing past versions of Office. As a result, Office 2010 has a much more integrated user experience. The Office 2010 integration delivers key productivity enhancements and a seamless user experience by enabling the following::
· Microsoft SharePoint Integration - You can open, edit, and save Microsoft Office documents using Microsoft SharePoint.
· Microsoft Outlook Fast Search - You can use Microsoft Windows Desktop Search to find specific messages in your inbox.
· MAPI Proxy - You can connect to your inbox using Microsoft Outlook Send To functionality.
· Microsoft Office Document Indexing - You can index your documents so that you can use Microsoft Windows Search to locate files.
· Virtual Mail Control Panel icon - You can use the Email icon in Control Panel to perform advance mail configuration.
· URL protocol handler - You can configure links in the browser and specify the appropriate associated Microsoft Office application.
· Send to Microsoft OneNote Printer driver - You can print documents to Microsoft OneNote.
To help customers facilitate this process, we have created the Microsoft Office 2010 Deployment Kit for App-V (Beta). The Deployment Kit contains both the required SPP licensing component and Office 2010 integration features.
And what’s even more exciting, you can get your hands on it now.
How Do I Sequence Microsoft Office 2010 Beta for App-V 4.6 RC?
1. Download Office 2010 Beta here
2. Download the Microsoft Office 2010 Deployment Kit for App-V (Beta)
3. Download App-V 4.6 RC on Microsoft Connect
4. Read the App-V recipe for sequencing Office 2010 Beta on Microsoft Connect.
For detailed information on whether your environment meets the requirements of Office 2010 and App-V 4.6 RC, please refer to the App-V recipe.
Please note: We are providing a recipe to support the sequencing and testing of these pre-release products on Microsoft Connect. Please provide feedback via Microsoft Connect, by choosing FEEDBACK once logged into the App-V 4.6 Program.
We look forward to hearing about your App-V 4.6 RC and Office 2010 experience!
Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Service Pack 1 (App-V 4.5 SP1) is now available. This service pack provides the latest updates to Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5. Additionally, it contains the following improvements:
Support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2
App-V 4.5 SP1 provides support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. This includes support for Windows 7 taskbar, for AppLocker, for BranchCache, and for BitLockerToGo. Windows Server 2008 R2 is supported for only the Application Virtualization Server.
Support for third-party Kerberos realms
App-V 4.5 SP1 provides support for environments that have a trust relationship and mapped user accounts between a Windows Domain and an MIT Kerberos realm. For more information about how to enable this support, visit the following Microsoft TechNet Web site:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=166004
Improved support for application publishing and streaming over the HTTP and HTTPS protocols
App-V 4.5 SP1 provides support for application publishing and streaming over the HTTP and HTTPS protocols for the following operating system editions:
- Windows XP Home Edition
- Windows Vista Home Basic
- Windows Vista Home Premium
- Windows 7 Home Basic
- Windows 7 Home Premium
Customer feedback and hotfix rollup
App-V 4.5 SP1 also includes a rollup of fixes to address issues that have been found since the App-V 4.5 Cumulative Update 1 release. This rollup addresses known issues and feedback from partners and customers who are using App-V 4.5.
In addition to some stability improvements, this service pack addresses the following issues:
- When a virtual application tries to delete a file on drive C, a "file not found" error occurs even though the file is deleted successfully.
- When you create an MSI package by using the App-V Sequencer, third-party tools may be unable to validate the resulting MSI package.
This service pack also includes a hotfix that was previously released. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
973873 Hotfix Package 5 for Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Cumulative Update 1: August 2009
-----
For all the details see KB976338 - Description of Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Service Pack 1
Enjoy!
J.C. Hornbeck | Manageability Knowledge Engineer
The following table lists the supported OS VALUE element options and the minimum supported client versions for Microsoft SoftGrid and Microsoft Application Virtualization. This element defines the required operating system. If there are more than one OS element in a particular IMPLEMENTATION tag, it is implied that the software package works with each. If none are present then it is assumed to run on all operating systems:
Steve Thomas | Senior Support Escalation Engineer
We are proud to announce the availability of the white paper “Application Virtualization 4.5 for Terminal Services.” This white paper discusses the benefits, configurations, and considerations when planning a Terminal Services (TS) solution with Microsoft Application Virtualization for TS (App-V for TS). Many customers want to find out the best way to configure and/or deploy App-V for TS on terminal servers. This paper includes topics ranging from choosing an App-V for TS application delivery method to configuring RemoteApp and App-V for TS to work together. We hope you find this document a valuable read if you are implementing App-V for TS.
You can download the white paper here.
If using a virtualized instance of Visual Studio (sequenced according to the instructions at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/appvirtualization/dd334515.aspx), when users build a C++ project in Visual Studio 2008 with debugging enabled the compiled program may not run and produce an error in the console window and/or the interface:
ERROR in Visual Studio Interface:
"Unable to start program 'path_to_program\program_name.exe'."
"This application has failed to start because the application configuration is incorrect. Review the manifest file for possible errors. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem. For more details, please see the application event log."
ERROR in console window:
"The system cannot execute the specified program."
This problem does not occur when the project is set to release mode.
This is caused by the debug run-time modules not being captured inside the virtual application package because of how the Application Virtualization side-by-side process works during sequencing. The debug runtimes are not used, so they are left out.
In order to work around this, the user needs to install the debug runtimes on the local machine. They can be built out of Visual Studio 2008 as follows:
1. From Visual Studio, navigate to "File" - "New" - "Project."
2. Select and expand "Other Project Types," then "Setup and Deployment."
3. In the Visual Studio Templates area, select "Setup Project." Click "OK."
4. In the Project window, Right-click "Setup1" and select "Add" - "Merge Module."
5. Select all debug runtimes desired from the list.
6. Click Open
7. Right-click Setup1 and select "Build."
8. Execute the project. It will install the modules you selected.
Hope this helps,
Steve Thomas | Senior Support Escalation Engineer
How can an integrated virtualization strategy that brings server, desktop, and application virtualization together provide significant benefits to your business? Join this webcast to learn about the Microsoft end-to-end virtualization strategy, which uses flexible solutions and common management tools to deliver unique value and savings. We discuss the new features of Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2. Other topics we cover include simplifying deployment and compatibility testing with Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) and delivering scalable desktop virtualization scenarios via Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V), and Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032426071&EventCategory=4&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US
J.C. Hornbeck | Manageability Knowledge Engineer
We just released the hotfix package for August 2009 that contains the latest hotfixes for Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Cumulative Update 1. This hotfix package addresses the following issues:
- It takes significantly longer to stream a package over the RTSPS protocol than to stream a package over the RTSP protocol.
- When you use TrueCrypt for drive encryption, any attempts to mount an encrypted volume may generate a 0xA stop error.
- The Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 client leaks paged pool memory. This problem occurs when you apply a disk quota to the profile directories of a user and when the disk quota is near the limit. .
- A virtual application that calls the RegQueryMultipleValues function may experience unexpected errors or fail to start. For example, you receive error messages when you start or shutdown the Trapeze application. Then, the application does not work correctly.
- When an Application Virtualization 4.5 client tries to perform a publishing refresh procedure over HTTP or over HTTPS, the procedure is not completed successfully. Specifically, the procedure is not completed successfully if a package contains pathnames that have Japanese characters. This problem occurs when the Application Virtualization 4.5 client has Windows Internet Explorer 6 installed and runs a Japanese version of Windows XP.
- When it is run as a virtual application, Microsoft Office Access 97 generates an error message 1008 when Office Access 97 is moving temporary files.
- When an Application Virtualization 4.5 client tries to perform a publishing refresh procedure over HTTP or over HTTPS on an IPv6 network, the procedure is not completed successfully.
- When you expand a %APPDATA% environment variable to a universal naming conventions (UNC) path, application-specific failures occur when you start virtual applications.
- The Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 client cannot log on to a publishing server. This problem occurs in environments that have a trust relationship and a mapped user account between a Windows domain and an MIT Kerberos realm. Additionally, you receive an error message 8009030C.
Note You can resolve this problem by creating a UseMITKerberos registry value.
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ ) How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
- Start Registry Editor.
- Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SoftGrid\4.5\Client\Network
- On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
- Type UseMITKerberos, and then press ENTER.
- On the Edit menu, click Modify.
- Type 1, and then click OK.
- Exit Registry Editor.
Important - Consider the following scenario. You add or remove a user from an Active Directory security group that is used to control access to an application. Then you enable this hotfix. In this scenario, Application Virtualization 4.5 does not correctly publish the application after a publishing refresh procedure. The user must log off and then log back on to see the changes.
- This hotfix does not support Application Virtualization 4.5 in environments that have a trust relationship and a mapped user account between a Windows domain and an MIT Kerberos realm. In some environments, this configuration may work if you install this hotfix. However, this configuration will not be supported in these environments until a future version of Application Virtualization 4.5 is released.
For all the details and to download the package see:
KB973873 - Hotfix Package 5 for Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Cumulative Update 1: August 2009
J.C. Hornbeck | Manageability Knowledge Engineer
This recently came across one of our App-V email DLs here and since I didn’t see this documented anywhere I thought I’d go ahead and post it here. Below are the command line options that the 4.5 Management Server Installer accepts:
The following sample command line installs the Management Server using all the command line options mentioned above:
msiexec /i "setup.msi" /qn /l*vx %temp%\serverinstall.txt OPTIN="true" USERNAME="Krush" COMPANYNAME="MSFT" ADDLOCAL="Release_SoftGrid_Server,Release_AppVirt_Vss_Writer,Release_SoftGrid_Management_Console,Release_SoftGrid_Mgmt_Web_Service" DB_HOST="XRAYHWS" DB_SERVICE="APPVIRT3" DB_PORT="1433" SWICERTHASH="1A7E958464C90D8E8E492372538A83624600E276" SWISERVERRTSPPORT="322" SWIDOMAINNAME="sgl2k3.selfhost.corp.microsoft.com" SWIADMINGROUP="Domain Admins" SWIUSERGROUP="Domain Users" SWICONTENTDIR="c:\program files\Microsoft System Center App Virt Management Server\App Virt Management Server\content\" INSTALLDIR="C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center App Virt Management Server\"
Hope this helps,
Krush Chavan | App-V Software Development Engineer
In case you missed it over on the MDOP blog, they just announced that Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2009 R2 will be released in late October 2009 and will add Windows 7 support for all components except for MED-V. Server and management components will also support Windows 2008 R2. They go on to say:
“With its virtualization technologies and manageability components, MDOP 2009 R2 is an essential part of your Windows 7 planning and deployment strategy.
This is a great opportunity to highlight the key innovations of MDOP 2009 R2 and talk about how MDOP can help you rapidly migrate to Windows 7, deploy applications with greater ease, resolve application incompatibility, and reduce desktop management costs.
Optimize Windows 7 Application Deployment Using App-V
With Application Virtualization (App-V) you can transform applications into centrally-managed virtual services:
- Reduce the costs of application deployment and increase user productivity - deliver most applications without actually installing them. Updates are made easier, application conflicts are minimized, and IT can spend less time in regression testing. For users, once they are granted access, the application is delivered and available instantly, following the user to enable easy roaming between corporate PCs.
- Reduce your base image footprint and new PC provisioning time - separate your applications from the base image, and minimize the number of applications installed after the image is deployed.
Windows upgrade is the best time to adopt App-V - as part of Windows 7 deployment all applications are tested and re-deployed. This is a great time to take a look at your application delivery strategy and adopt Application Virtualization with minimum overhead and cost.
You can read more in the App-V Cost Reduction Study - savings of $156/PC/Yr in direct costs (11.6% of PC TCO) plus $125/PC/YR in user productivity gains. The sources of direct savings generated by App-V are across automated deployment, patching/updates, non-standard applications, image management, PC provisioning and replacement, and installation risk, as well as user productivity gains.
App-V 4.5 SP1 also offers new capabilities and unique integration with Windows 7:
- Maintain user productivity regardless of application format - integration with the Windows 7 UI maintains the user experience and productivity as virtual applications behave just as regularly installed applications. Users are able to pin applications to the taskbar and leverage jumplists to navigate between applications.
- Increased IT control with AppLocker integration - enforcing compliance of virtual applications with AppLocker policies, and providing consistent policy management for all application types.
- Make users productive anywhere and save on IT infrastructure using BranchCache - virtual applications traverse the WAN only once and are available to users faster through local BranchCache points, eliminating the need for an IIS Server in every branch.
- Secure application delivery with BitLocker ToGo - IT administrators can confidently deliver virtual applications on a secured USB drive, as the associated applications are protected against unauthorized use. Only authorized users have access to the applications, including remote users who may not have connectivity to corporate network.
- Integrate with third-party LDAP directories - reduce administrative overhead for customers who maintain their user accounts in a third-party LDAP directory, and enable Kerberos via Active Directory trust.
Once available, App-V 4.5 SP1 can be deployed immediately to production environments running XP, Vista, Windows7, and Windows Server 32-bit platforms. For customers preparing to run App-V on 64-bit Windows Client and Server platforms they can download App-V 4.6 Beta at Microsoft Connect. App-V 4.6 will be available in H1 2010…”
To read more about all the new features coming with MDOP 2009 R2 see http://blogs.technet.com/mdop/archive/2009/09/14/mdop-2009-r2-what-s-new-in-mdop-for-windows-7.aspx
J.C. Hornbeck | Manageability Knowledge Engineer
Based on the all the feedback we’ve heard from YOU, our customers, we’ve made some major changes to the Sequencer user interface in our 4.6 release which vastly improves the sequencing experience. Here are a few things that you will notice right away:
Welcome page : We now have a convenient page to get you started with your most commonly used tasks like package creation, edit and upgrade. After you create your packages, use the Edit option to make changes to the package like adding new OSs, creating MSIes, compressing package, etc. Upgrade option works well for applying security updates or upgrading the package. In 4.6, the Sequencer will automatically open the wizard to get you started with your upgrade!
Monitoring page redesigned : We have made the page more intuitive to use. The Sequencer will guide you through 3 steps of monitoring – Begin to start up the virtual environment, Install Application and Stop to collect as system changes. The progress bars represents waiting time as well as indicates that the Sequencer is alive while you install your application.
Window minimizing is gone : Based on studies, we found that most users were confused by the abrupt window minimizing during monitoring. Hence we have removed this feature.
Block size is gone : Through extensive testing, we found that 64kb blocks are most optimal for a variety of network bandwidths. Hence to have you make one less decision, we decided to make it simple set the block size to 64kb internally. You will not see the option to set the block size anymore.
You can find the Beta Sequencer at https://connect.microsoft.com/AppV46/Downloads
Happy sequencing!
Nidhi Doshi | App-V 4.6 Sequencer Program Manager
