WH

ITE

PA

PE

R Automating Application Virtualization with AdminStudio® Suite from Flexera Software™

Automat ing Applicat ion Virtualizat ion wit h AdminStudio Suite from Flexera Software

2

Automating Applicat ion Virtualizat ion with AdminStudio® SuiteAs the industry moves from the tradit ional PC to user-centric computing, desktop virtualizat ion and cloud technologies are growing in popularity, based on the benefits of independent ly managing applicat ions, user environment, and operat ing system layers. Separat ing the layers ut ilizing desktop virtualizat ion technologies enables organizations to transit ion towards user-centric computing, enabling scenarios for users to work from anywhere and on any device. This transit ion requires organizations to evaluate and often change their current process to separate the desktop into independent layers of management. This whitepaper focuses on transit ioning applicat ions into the formats required for user-centric and cloud computing models.

Since organizations have hundreds to thousands of applicat ions, transit ioning the applicat ion catalog into one enabled for user-centric computing and desktop virtualizat ion technologies presents a large task. Applicat ion virtualizat ion provides a solut ion, however the resources and t ime needed to convert applicat ions into new formats prohibits many organizations. Applicat ion virtualizat ion technologies capture applicat ions into packages or resources for delivery to tradit ional desktops, VDI infrastructures, session, and cloud-based solut ions. However, each applicat ion virtualizat ion technology has unique tools for creat ing packages, requiring deep applicat ion-level knowledge and the ent ire applicat ion

catalog must be evaluated for applicat ion virtualizat ion and packaged into these new formats. This requires that packaging staff learn addit ional tools and often perform parallel processes of tradit ional and virtual packaging. Since a typical catalog sees changes of 30 percent per year, this duplicat ion of effort decreases product ivity crit ical to maintaining an applicat ion catalog. Organizations need a more effect ive way to transit ion to applicat ion virtualizat ion that decreases the t imeline and costs.

AdminStudio® Suite improves applicat ion lifecycle management with applicat ion virtualizat ion, enabling organizations to remove blockers and transit ion to user-centric and cloud computing faster and with more consistent results. Applicat ion virtualizat ion provides two features that improve applicat ion management across delivery systems. Virtualizat ion enables packaged applicat ions to run on a desktop, Citrix™ XenApp®, VDI desktop, or in the cloud without installat ion, and isolates applicat ions from each other thus removing conflicts. The result ing benefits of applicat ion virtualizat ion include but are not limited to, elimination of regression test ing, on-demand delivery, decreased support costs, and enabling mult iple versions of the same software to execute on the same system. These benefits translate into accelerated deployment t imes, reduct ion of support costs, and server consolidat ion for session-based solut ions like Remote Desktop Services or Citrix XenApp.

Automat ing Applicat ion Virtualizat ion wit h AdminStudio Suite from Flexera Software

3

Key Steps to Automating Applicat ion Virtualizat ion Automation is crucial for applicat ion virtualizat ion projects, enabling IT departments to convert their exist ing catalog into virtual packages in the shortest t ime with fewer costs. Automating the process of applicat ion virtualizat ion is ongoing and does not end with the init ial conversion. An organization that converts 2,000 applicat ions into a virtualizat ion format will see an average of 600 new or updated applicat ions each year. Organizations current ly struggle to complete applicat ion packaging due to the volume of new software and updates to exist ing software, even without the addit ion of IT projects and init iat ives that require new package formats and delivery endpoints for test ing. Today, packages have to work on tradit ional desktops, virtual desktops, and session-based solut ions (Remote Desktop

Services and Citrix) to support user access from any device.

AdminStudio® Virtualizat ion Pack (part of AdminStudio Suite) leverages an organization’s current applicat ion packaging resources, processes, and previous work and automates applicat ion packaging using one tool, with one process, into the appropriate format (Microsoft® App-V, VMware® ThinApp™, and Citrix® XenApp™). The Virtualizat ion Pack validates compatible applicat ions, repackages non-standard installat ions with the built-in Automated Applicat ion Convertor into MSI, and batch-converts applicat ions into virtual applicat ion packages. In addit ion, AdminStudio tests suitability for server-based applicat ions being converted into packages for Microsoft Server App-V.

Apply Tranformsfor Windows 7 Compatibility

Automat icallyVirtualize

Repackage

ApplicationManagerApplication

CatalogDatabase

Network Share

Microsoft App-V

Applications

CitrixXenAppProfiles

Windows 7CompatibleRepackaged Applications

VMwareThinApp

Cit i

VM

Mi ft

SCCM

The AdminStudio Virtualizat ion Pack and Automated Applicat ion Convertor enable packaging departments to input applicat ions from a variety of sources and create consistent and supportable packages performing the following tasks:

• Input Sources

• Virtualizat ion Readiness Check

• Repackaging non-MSI setups

• Conversion to virtual packages

The AdminStudio workflow and process allows packaging departments to reduce errors during packaging by minimizing repet it ive tasks, reduce the efforts of conversion by validat ing applicat ions for applicat ion virtualizat ion readiness prior to performing conversion, and provides consistent packages for the deployment team. The following diagram provides a detailed view of the Virtualizat ion Pack and Automated Applicat ion Convertor workflow.

AdminStudio automates applicat ion packaging into mult iple formats using one tool, with one process.

Automat ing Applicat ion Virtualizat ion wit h AdminStudio Suite from Flexera Software

4

Input SourcesThe first step in convert ing is taking the exist ing applicat ion catalog and beginning the process. Since the benefits of applicat ion virtualizat ion increase as a greater percentage of applicat ions are virtualized, as many of the applicat ions in the current catalog should be evaluated for readiness and converted. AdminStudio supports input from an exist ing AdminStudio Catalog, direct ly from an exist ing Microsoft System Center Configurat ion Manager system, or from a specified directory or file. This accelerates the process as the applicat ion catalog can be entered into the conversion process from previously completed work.

Virtualizat ion Readiness CheckThe next step in automating applicat ion virtualizat ion is determining which applicat ions can be virtualized. The readiness check can determine the suitability for both desktop and server based applicat ions. Since not all applicat ions can be virtualized and others may require addit ional work, this step provides packaging departments with a roadmap of which applicat ions can or should be virtualized. First, AdminStudio ident ifies which server and desktop applicat ions cannot be virtualized, this may be due to restrict ions of the virtualizat ion format (e.g. COM+, device drivers), or because the installat ion cannot be evaluated due to an incompatible format. Applicat ions that present issues based on a restrict ion of the applicat ion

virtualizat ion format will need to be addressed with the ISV’s recommendation. Applicat ions that are not in a standard MSI format will require repackaging prior to evaluat ion for virtualizat ion readiness checking. This step great ly reduces effort, as packaging engineers do not waste t ime attempting to package incompatible applicat ions. The virtualizat ion readiness check also provides benefit for applicat ions that will work in applicat ion virtualizat ion but may require addit ional work after the conversion. In these scenarios AdminStudio provides packaging engineers with non-crit ical issues information, and where possible, prescript ive guidance for remediat ing these issues.

In addit ion, AdminStudio provides virtualizat ion readiness checking for companies migrat ing to Microsoft Server App-V. This suitability test ing will categorize server-based applicat ions into three categories; applicat ions ready for Server App-V, applicat ions that require some addit ional remediat ion, and applicat ions that are not suitable for Server App-V (e.g. J2EE, ant ivirus, and Exchange Server). AdminStudio Virtualizat ion Pack benefits organizations by providing Server App-V suitability information to administrators and reducing effort through proper target ing of efforts. The result is server-based applicat ions that are easy to deploy to private and public based cloud solut ions in the Microsoft Server App-V format.

RepackagedMSI

Citrix XenAppProfile

VMwareThinApp

Applicat ion

Microsoft App-VApplicat ion

OutputInput

Note: Packages must support silent install mode

Packages from AdminStudio

Applicat ion Catalog

AutomatedRepackaging onVirtual Images

Packages from Microsoft

Configurat ion Manager

VMware ESXi Server

Microsoft Hyper-V Server

Directory of Legacy(non-MSI) Packages

Directory of Windows Installer Packages

Ready

NotSuitableRequires

Repackaging

VM VM VM

VM VM VM

AdminStudio Automated Applicat ion Converter

Virtualizat ionReadiness?

VMware Workstat ion

VM

CapturedInstallation Data

Directory of Legacy(non-MSI) Packages

Directory fof WindowsInstaller Packages

AdminStudio Automated Applicat ion Converter

Automat ing Applicat ion Virtualizat ion wit h AdminStudio Suite from Flexera Software

5

Repackaging non-MSI setupsNext, the installers for applicat ions that are in non-MSI installat ion formats must be repackaged into an MSI based setup for processing by the virtualizat ion readiness check and later in conversion. The Automated Applicat ion Convertor performs repackaging. The Automated Applicat ion Convertor provides efficiency in automating the process by managing one to many virtual machines. The Automated Applicat ion Convertor manages the virtual machines, fully automates the startup, the copy of applicat ion installat ion media, the repackaging process, copying results back to the AdminStudio packaging machine, creat ing standard MSI, and revert ing the virtual machine to a clean state to start the process again on the next applicat ion. The process results in applicat ions converted in less t ime ut ilizing common hypervisors available today from Microsoft and VMware.

Conversion to virtual packagesAfter the Automated Applicat ion Convertor repackages installers into MSIs and the virtualizat ion readiness check process has ident ified good candidates for virtualizat ion, the Automated Applicat ion Convertor can convert the resultant set of desktop applicat ions into mult iple virtualizat ion formats. Automating this process eliminates common mistakes and increases consistency of packages by ut ilizing common sett ings for conversion. The AdminStudio Virtualizat ion Pack presents packaging engineers with converted virtual applicat ions, converted applicat ions requiring addit ional effort with troubleshooting guidance, and applicat ions that cannot be virtualized. Packaging resources can focus on applicat ions that work with applicat ion virtualizat ion, but require addit ional configurat ion as typical or “easy” applicat ions have been automatically converted and eliminated from their workflow.

ConclusionAdminStudio Suite and it’s and Automated Applicat ion Converter ident ify, ready, and convert desktop applicat ions into virtual formats from beginning to end and ident ify server applicat ions that can be transit ioned into cloud resource with Microsoft Server App-V. This process enables packaging staff to accept any format of applicat ion, prepare and evaluate for applicat ion virtualizat ion compatibility, and produce consistent packages in any desired format from MSI to applicat ion virtualizat ion. Automating applicat ion virtualizat ion enables organizations to move towards complet ion of Windows 7 deployment projects, adopt VDI, session virtualizat ion, and cloud solut ions, delivering applicat ions to user-centric solut ions. The AdminStudio automated applicat ion virtualizat ion conversion reduces the required resources and t ime needed for convert ing and maintaining applicat ion catalogs in virtualizat ion formats.

About Flexera SoftwareFlexera Software is the leading provider of strategic solut ions for Applicat ion Usage Management; solut ions delivering cont inuous compliance, optimized usage and maximized value to applicat ion producers and their customers. Flexera Software is trusted by more than 80,000 customers that depend on our comprehensive solut ions- from installat ion and licensing, ent it lement and compliance management to applicat ion readiness and enterprise license optimization - to strategically manage applicat ion usage and achieve breakthrough results realized only through the systems-level approach we provide. For more information, please go to: www.flexerasoftware.com

WH

ITE

PA

PE

R

Flexera Software LLC1000 East Woodfield Road, Suite 400Schaumburg, IL 60173 USA

Schaumburg (Global Headquarters):+1 800-809-5659

United Kingdom (Europe, Middle East Headquarters):+44 870-871-1111+44 870-873-6300

Japan (Asia, Pacific Headquarters):+81 3-4360-8291

For more office locat ions visit:www.flexerasoftware.com

Copyright © 2012 Flexera Software LLC. All other brand and product names ment ioned herein may be the trademarks and registered trademarks of their respect ive owners. AS11_WP_AppV_Jan12