Book Image

Getting Started with Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.6

By : Augusto Alvarez
Book Image

Getting Started with Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.6

By: Augusto Alvarez

Overview of this book

<p>Organizations often spend more money than they should on maintaining applications and the operating system life cycles. Supporting end-users' problems as well as maintaining different operating system baselines can also get really expensive. Microsoft App-V saves resources and increases productivity by virtualizing applications and providing centralized management for your organization's application infrastructure. However, application virtualization is not as simple as it sounds and can require expert guidance for successful implementations in an organization. <br /><br />With this book in hand, you will learn how to easily implement a centralized management for your applications with Microsoft App-V. It provides all the necessary guidance for preparing your App-V environment, as well as sequencing (capturing) and delivering simple and complex applications. It will demonstrate how you can save a lot of time and effort by eliminating the common issues faced in application deployment and maintenance. <br /><br />This Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.6 Implementation Guide will show you, in a step-by-step manner, how to set up the environment for installing your company&rsquo;s applications, defining all the requirements and configurations one time only, and then delivering the same baseline to all the users you want. Microsoft App-V removes the constraints we usually have with applications, their dependencies and the issues involved, providing a centralized management of those applications. With this book, you will first review the basics of App-V architecture and the components involved and then start working directly with the platform by installing the App-V server and client components. As the book progresses, you will learn to sequence and publish simple as well as complex applications. Using this guide, applications' transitions, such as moving up from Microsoft Office 2007 to Office 2010, can be achieved transparently for all users. It will also guide you through advanced topics such as integrating App-V with Microsoft&rsquo;s Configuration Manager, securing communications, and publishing applications through Remote Desktop Services.</p> <p>By the end of this book, you will be geared up to plan and implement the virtualization of your application infrastructure with Microsoft App-V.</p>
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
Getting Started with Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.6
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

App-V versus RemoteApp


As mentioned earlier Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services includes the possibility of a centralized deployment of applications, called RemoteApp.

RemoteApp programs are applications installed on a RDS server, from which you can publish them to clients. Users can also access these applications from their computers, seemingly as locally installed applications. RemoteApp is integrated directly into the user's desktop, running in a local window and with its own entry in the taskbar.

As for App-V, RemoteApp applications can run with other applications on the client's machine with no conflicts or incompatibilities. You can access RemoteApp applications from the Start menu (already published by an administrator), from an MSI file, or using .rdp (Remote Desktop Protocol) files, also created and distributed by an administrator.

What do you need to use RemoteApp?

Using RemoteApp doesn't need much expertise or a large hardware installation. RemoteApp is included, obviously, in the Remote Desktop Services role in Windows Server 2008 R2.

To install this role, all you need to do is add it from the Server Manager console.

If you are using a simple configuration for RDS, all you need is the Remote Desktop Session Host service which will be in charge of handling client desktops and published applications.

Additionally, you can use the Remote Desktop Web Access service (also requires IIS) to facilitate users' access to their resources from a web browser. This could be really useful if you want a Citrix-like remote access environment.

Similar to the App-V Full Infrastructure model, you can configure the users and user groups to be granted access to the resources that will be published.

Adding and configuring simple applications can be done from the RemoteApp Manager console, which does not support complex configurations. And user's access can be via an .rdp or MSI file, or through using a web browser.

This example accesses PowerShell via a web browser.

For a complete guide to using RemoteApp, have a look at the Deploying RemoteApp Programs to the Start Menu by Using RemoteApp and Desktop Connection Step-by-Step Guide article at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd772639(WS.10).aspx.

Differences between RemoteApp and App-V

After reading this quick overview about RemoteApp, it sounds like it has all the features that we can find in virtualized applications using App-V, so what are the differences?

RemoteApp

App-V

Installed on RDS server, published to clients

Sequenced on a similar desktop machine, delivered to clients

Using remote resources (memory, processor, and so on)

Using local resources

Requires a server hosting the application

Does not require any server, just the package you want to deliver

No possibility of using offline applications as you need an active connection to a server

Can be used for offline deployments

You need two servers if you want to publish incompatible applications using RDS (that is, Office 2007 and Office 2010)

You don't need any servers, just the sequenced applications

Published applications do not need compatibility with the client operating system

Applications should be captured and deployed in the same type of operating system

Without a question both technologies, RemoteApp and App-V, can save a lot of time and money. But before deciding on either of these two you should evaluate, plan, and design the best approach for your environment, considering that you can combine App-V with RDS and RemoteApp.