Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Obtaining the App-V installers 3
Configuring Active Directory 4
Configuring a distributed filesystem 8
Configuring Internet information services 13
Configuring SQL Server 21
Deploying a standalone Management and a Publishing server 24
Accessing the management console 28
Adding additional administrators 30
Deploying a second Publishing server 32
Introduction 37
Obtaining the App-V 5 SP3 prerequisites 38
Deploying client prerequisites through SCCM 2012 R2 39
Deploying the App-V client through Group Policy 44
Deploying the App-V client through SCCM 2012 R2 47
Deploying App-V client updates through Group Policy 50
Deploying App-V client updates through SCCM 2012 R2 53
Deploying the App-V client UI through SCCM 2012 56
Applying settings to the App-V client using Group Policy 58
Introduction 63
Setting up the sequencer 64
Sequencing the Audacity sound editor 68
Sequencing an Internet Explorer shortcut 72
Sequencing an application hosted on a network share 75
Dissecting an App-V 5 package 78
Scripting in App-V 5 81
Introduction 85
Publishing a package to a user group 86
Publishing a package to a group of machines 89
Managing shortcuts 91
Managing file type associations 93
Testing a package 96
Unpublishing and deleting a package 99
Creating a custom configuration for a security group 100
Deploying an App-V package via MSI 102
Introduction 105
Sequencing the Java Development Kit 106
Sequencing Greenfoot 108
Connecting the applications via a connection group 111
Testing the application 114
Introduction 117
Obtaining the Office 2013 App-V package 118
Enabling scripting and publishing in Office 2013 121
Customizing the Office 2013 App-V package 122
Sequencing an Office 2013 plugin 126
Introduction 131
Enabling the App-V shared content store mode 132
Publishing applications through Microsoft RemoteApp 135
Precaching applications in the local store 139
Publishing applications through Citrix® StoreFront 141
Configuration Manager 2012 R2 145
Introduction 145
Importing an App-V 5 package into SCCM 2012 R2 146
Creating machine and user collections 148
Targeting an App-V 5 package at a machine for deployment 151
Targeting an App-V 5 package at a user for deployment 153
Customizing the App-V package in SCCM 155
Testing the packages 157
Creating an App-V virtual environment 159
Introduction 163
Deploying the App-V 5 Reporting Server 163
Configuring client-side settings through Group Policy 172
Exporting reporting data into Excel 2013 174
Analyzing reporting data in Excel 2013 178
Introduction 183
Analyzing server-side logs 183
Analyzing client-side logs 186
Laptops that don't pick up new applications 188
Flushing the App-V client cache 191
Checking the list of publishing packages for the user 192
Index 193
Preface
Microsoft first entered the Application Virtualization world in 2006 with the purchase of Softricity. At its core, App-V allows administrators to easily deploy applications in the form of packages to users without having to use traditional deployment methods.
App-V 5 (originally launched in 2012) is a generational step up from the previous versions with the introduction of the .appv extension for packages and the removal of the need to specify a package root at the time of sequencing. Since then, Microsoft has continued to enhance App-V through service packs, the most recent of which has greatly improved the connections group feature, which allows virtual applications to share components with each other. In this book, you will discover a range of ways to utilize App-V to meet the particular needs of your deployment through step-by-step instructions.
What this book covers
Chapter 1, Deploying App-V 5 Services, covers the steps to get your backend App-V infrastructure up and running. Here, we cover everything from the installation of a SQL server and the creation of a redundant Publishing server to two options on how to store your APPV files.
Chapter 2, Deploying App-V 5 Clients and Updates, leverages your existing skills (or teaches you new ones!) in Group Policy software deployment and Microsoft System Centre Configuration Manager to deploy the App-V client prerequisites, client, and updates to your end users.
Chapter 3, Sequencing Applications, illustrates the steps to set up your sequencing PC and use a range of methods to capture applications in App-V packages.
Chapter 4, Managing Packages, covers deploying packages to your end users while managing file type associations and shortcut paths.
Chapter 5, Using Connection Groups, captures a middleware package (the Java Development Kit) and joins it with another virtual application to share application components.
Chapter 6, Sequencing Office 2013, utilizes the new scripted approach to obtaining a package for Office 2013 and reduces the time taken for deployment.
Chapter 7, Deploying App-V 5 in a Virtual Environment, covers how to take advantage of the Shared Content Store mode to further enhance your Remote Desktop Services or Citrix® XenDesktop® environment with App-V.
Chapter 8, Managing Packages in System Center Configuration Manager 2012 R2, covers extending your SCCM infrastructure to deploy App-V packages to your users without the need for any further App-V infrastructure.
Chapter 9, Reporting in App-V 5, covers helpful insights on the state of your App-V clients and lets you know which applications are being run using the App-V Reporting Server and Microsoft Office Excel.
Chapter 10, Troubleshooting, lets you know where to go when it all goes wrong. This demonstrates identifying the correct App-V logging and getting your users back up and running in no time.
What you need for this book
At its core, this book uses a number of machines running Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2, App-V 5 SP3, and management PCs running Windows 8.1. To take full advantage of later chapters as the book progresses, you also require access to System Centre Configuration Manager 2012 R2 and Citrix® XenDesktop® 7.6.
For the purposes of a test environment, the full infrastructure as described in this cookbook can be provisioned on any modern desktop PC with a VirtualBox (or Hyper-V client) instance, a quad-core processor, 32 GB of RAM, and a 500 GB hard drive.
Who this book is for
If you have some experience with App-V but are overwhelmed by the range of features on offer, then this book is for you. A basic understanding of App-V and common Windows server technologies (Active Directory/Group Policy/PowerShell) is necessary.
