Microsoft Softgrid App Virt 4 2 And 4 1 Sp1 Trial Guide
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Trial Guide
Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
Important Notice General Disclaimer The contents of this document are subject to change without notice; therefore, the information presented herein shall not be construed as a commitment or warranty. Microsoft shall not be liable for any technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages resulting from the performance, furnishing, reliance on, or use of this material.
Patents Certain software described in this document is protected by issued and pending U.S. and foreign patents. Microsoft, The SoftGrid Desktop, SoftGrid, SystemGuard, Virtual Application Services, Virtual Application Server, Application Management Lifecycle, Application Management for the Always-On Enterprise, and Take Control of Your Software are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other company, brand and product names are the property of their respective owners.
Copyright The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property. Copyright © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, Windows Server, Windows Vista, Active Directory, SoftGrid, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and SQL Server are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE .............................................................................................................................................. 2 INTRODUCTION TO THE TRIAL GUIDE .................................................................................................................... 4 TRIAL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................................................................. 6 INSTALLING SYSTEM CENTER VIRTUAL APPLICATION SERVER ................................................................................ 8 INSTALLING SOFTGRID CLIENT FOR WINDOWS DESKTOPS ................................................................................... 15 TESTING THE DEFAULT APPLICATION ................................................................................................................... 16 SOFTGRID CLIENT FOR TERMINAL SERVERS ......................................................................................................... 20 INSTALLING SOFTGRID SEQUENCER ..................................................................................................................... 21 SEQUENCER FILES ................................................................................................................................................ 23 SEQUENCING ADOBE ACROBAT READER.............................................................................................................. 24 SEQUENCING A SUN PLUG-IN FOR INTERNET EXPLORER ...................................................................................... 31 TROUBLESHOOTING............................................................................................................................................. 35 ACCESSING THE MICROSOFT SUPPORT KNOWLEDGE BASE .................................................................................. 36 CONTACTING MICROSOFT TRAINING ................................................................................................................... 36
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Introduction to the Trial Guide This Trial Guide is designed to help you quickly set up and evaluate a Microsoft® SoftGrid® Application Virtualization environment. This guide outlines steps necessary to install System Center Virtual Application Server components, install SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops and Terminal Servers, publish the shortcuts of sequenced applications, and then stream and run these virtual applications on SoftGrid clients. You will also be able to virtualize a select set of applications using SoftGrid Sequencer. To help this process flow as smoothly as possible we recommend that you read this guide before installing the SoftGrid platform.
Obtaining Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization For Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization for Desktops, please download the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance 2007. For Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization for Terminal Services, please download Microsoft SoftGrid 4.1 SP 1. Both are available at Microsoft Volume Licensing and are also currently available on MSDN. MDOP 2007 can be downloaded from MSDN under the Servers branch (Desktop Optimization Pack 2007). Microsoft SoftGrid for Terminal Services can also be downloaded from MSDN by searching the site for Microsoft SoftGrid 4.1 SP1.
Audience for This Guide This guide was written for Microsoft® Windows® system administrators. As an information technology (IT) professional, you should have sufficient knowledge and experience to accomplish the following tasks:
Set up operating systems and computers.
Add computers to domains.
Set up and work comfortably with Active Directory® directory service and Microsoft DNS.
Hardware and software requirements are documented in the section "Trial System Requirements" on page 7 of this guide.
Overview of the SoftGrid Application Virtualization Platform The SoftGrid platform lets you deploy, update, and support applications as services in real time, on an asneeded basis. When you use the SoftGrid platform, you transform individual applications from locally installed products into centrally managed services. Applications become available everywhere they need to be—no computer preconfiguration or changes to operating system settings are required. System Center Virtual Application Server System Center Virtual Application Server delivers SoftGrid-enabled applications on-demand to SoftGrid Client. One or more SoftGrid Virtual Applications servers can share a single SoftGrid SQL data store. The System Center Virtual Application Server authorizes and authenticates requests and provides the
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security, metering, monitoring, and data gathering that you need. The server uses Active Directory and supporting tools to manage users and applications. SoftGrid Management System The SoftGrid Management System includes SoftGrid Management Console and SoftGrid Management Web Service. Administrators use SoftGrid Management Console (a Microsoft Management Console, or MMC, snap-in) to configure System Center Virtual Application Servers. Using SoftGrid Management Console, administrators can add and remove applications, change File Type Associations (FTAs), and assign access permissions and licenses to users and groups. SoftGrid Management Web Service is the communication conduit between SoftGrid Management Console and the SoftGrid SQL data store. SoftGrid Client SoftGrid Client automatically sets up and manages virtual environments for SoftGrid-enabled applications, publishes the applications to the user's desktop, and manages connections to System Center Virtual Application Server. SoftGrid Client stores user-specific virtual application settings in each user's profile—for example, registry and file changes. SoftGrid Sequencer SoftGrid Sequencer is a wizard-based tool administrators use to create SoftGrid-enabled applications. The sequencer produces the application ―package,‖ which consists of several files. These files include a SoftGrid-enabled application (.sft) file, one or more Open Software Description (.osd) "link" files, one or more icon (.ico) files, and a SoftGrid project (.sprj) file. The .sft, .osd, and .ico files are stored on System Center Virtual Application Servers; these files are the keys that SoftGrid Client uses to access and run SoftGrid-enabled applications.
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Trial System Requirements For this evaluation, one computer will run Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), the SoftGrid Management Web Service, the SoftGrid Management Console, and System Center Virtual Application Server. A second computer will run SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops. You will need to set up a third computer as a Windows domain controller with Windows DNS. You will need two additional computers for testing SoftGrid Sequencer and SoftGrid Client for Terminal Servers. All of the computers must be members of the common domain (Figure 1). Note that you can use virtual machines on a single physical computer that meets the system requirements of this trial.
Figure 1. SoftGrid trial in an isolated network In this trial, we assume that you set up SoftGrid in a test lab, completely separate from your production network. The purpose of this evaluation is for you to acquire basic experience with the SoftGrid platform. You can address any questions relating to integration into your production environment, such as security concerns and enterprise-level design, later. Also, only basic platform functionality will be covered in this guide, to simplify and focus on proof of concept. The SoftGrid platform is covered in its entirety by Microsoft Training courses. The following sections list the basic software and hardware requirements for this trial evaluation.
System Center Virtual Application Server Hardware
Intel Pentium III 1 GHz or later CPU
512 MB or more RAM
10 GB or more available hard disk space
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Microsoft Windows® 2000 Server/Windows Advanced Server with Service Pack 4 (SP4) or later, or Windows Server® 2003 with SP1 or later
Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.7 or later
Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0 or later
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0
Note The computer host name of this server should not begin with a number.
SoftGrid Client for Window Desktops Hardware
Intel Pentium III 700 MHz or later CPU
128 MB or more RAM
4 GB or more available hard disk space (includes space for cache)
Software
Microsoft Windows 2000®; Windows® XP Pro; or Windows Vista® Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate (version 4.2 only) editions
Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 6 or later installed on the operating system
SoftGrid Sequencer Hardware & Software The hardware and software requirements for SoftGrid Sequencer are identical to those of SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops except that a real partition or Q drive needs to be available on the sequencer computer.
Windows Domain Controller Hardware
Meet or exceed the recommended Microsoft hardware requirements.
Software
Microsoft operating system providing a Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 domain with Microsoft DNS setup
Although SoftGrid supports Microsoft Windows NT® Server 4.0 domains, Windows NT Server hardware and software requirements, and related installation instructions are not included in this guide.
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Installing System Center Virtual Application Server The section guides you through the step-by-step process of installing System Center Virtual Application Server.
Before You Begin The following items must be present on the server computer before installing System Center Virtual Application Server:
Windows 2000 Server, Advanced Server with SP4 or later, or Windows Server 2003 with SP1 or later
IIS 5.0 or later (must be installed prior to installing MDAC and Microsoft® .NET Framework)
MDAC 2.7 or later
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or later
Specified Active Directory objects
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0 SoftGrid requires that MMC 3.0 be installed on the computer from which SoftGrid Management Console will be executed. You can download MMC 3.0 from Microsoft Help and Support. MDAC and Microsoft .NET If you are using the Windows 2000 operating system, install MDAC 2.7 or later. Windows 2003 does not need an updated, or current, version of MDAC installed to work with SoftGrid at this time. Make sure you have properly installed IIS 5.0 or later. After installing the required versions of MDAC and IIS, install Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or later on Windows 2000 Server computers. Windows 2003 Server computers will already have .NET Framework 1.1 installed; you will need to upgrade to Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. You can download the latest versions of these components from www.microsoft.com. After installing IIS, MDAC, and Microsoft .NET, restart your computer before proceeding. Do not "lockdown" these or any component of this server, or try to reuse your standard server image. The purpose of this limited trial is to evaluate SoftGrid in a test lab—not to determine whether SoftGrid will run in your production environment. Active Directory Before you install SoftGrid Application Virtualization Server, you must create the following objects in Active Directory:
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Organizational Unit (OU): Create an OU in Active Directory for SoftGrid-specific groups, and for the necessary SoftGrid domain account. We recommend that you name this OU "MicrosoftVirtualApps."
Domain Test User Account: This account will be the user test account for SoftGrid end-user functionality.
SoftGrid Administrative Group: SoftGrid requires you to select an Active Directory group to use as a SoftGrid Administrators group. You can use any existing group or you can create a new Active Directory SoftGrid Administrators group for controlling administrative access to SoftGrid Management Console. Add to this group every user who needs to access SoftGrid Management Console. You can choose any name for this group or you can choose a name from a list during installation. You cannot create this group directly from the SoftGrid installer. For the purposes of this guide, we will use the name "SoftGrid Administrators" for this group. Note For the purposes of this guide, only a single domain setup is supported in your test lab environment. If you create groups, create them as global groups. Multi-domain and multi-forest scenarios require a different setup and are covered in Microsoft Training courses.
SoftGrid Active Directory Browser User: You must create a user account set not to expire for the SoftGrid platform to use to browse Active Directory. The account user name and password cannot contain the # character, or the SoftGrid installer will fail. For the purposes of this guide, we will use the account name "sgbrowser."
SoftGrid Users Group: SoftGrid requires that all user accounts that access SoftGrid functions be a member of a provider policy associated with a single group for general platform access. You can use an existing group or create a new group (such as ―SoftGrid Users‖). For the purposes of this guide, we will use the Domain Users group.
Application Groups: SoftGrid associates the right to use an individual application with a group. For this guide, we will associate all test applications with the Domain Users group, even though many other options exist for production use.
Note It is essential that you add your domain test user account to each of the groups discussed in the previous list. If you do not, application shortcuts on the SoftGrid client will not display in your test user account. Verify Microsoft .NET Registration On a Windows 2003 Server computer, to ensure that Microsoft .NET is properly registered with IIS, perform the following steps: 1. From Administrative Tools click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. 2. Expand Internet Information Services | {server_name}, and then click Web Service Extensions.
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3. Right-click ASP.NET v.X.X.XXXX, and then click Allow, if necessary. If ASP.NET is not available, then Microsoft .NET is installed but ASP.NET has not been installed. Perform the following steps: a. In Control Panel, click Add or Remove Programs. b. Click Add/Remove Windows Components. c.
Select Application Server, and then click Details....
d. Select the ASP.NET check box, and then click OK. e. Click Next. f.
Click Finish.
On a Windows 2000 Server computer, to ensure Microsoft .NET is properly registered with IIS, perform the following steps: 1. Open a command-line tool. 2. Go to %SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\%VersionNumber%. 3. Type aspnet_reg /i.
Server Installation 1. Verify that the name of the computer does not start with a number. 2. Insert the MDOP 2007 CD. 3. On the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance page, click Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization. 4. Click Install the Microsoft System Center Virtual Application Server. 5. On the Welcome page, click Next. 6. Read and accept the license agreement, and then click Next. 7. Type a user name and organization in the corresponding boxes, and then click Next. 8. On the Setup Type page, click Typical install, and then click Next. 9. On the Required Web Service Extensions warning page, click Next. 10. On the Database Server page (Figure 2), leave the default Install MSDE, and then click Next.
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Figure 2. Database Server selection page 11. On the Database Password page (Figure 3), enter and confirm an Administrator Password for the Microsoft SQL Server™ Desktop Engine (MSDE) database. This password is for the database "SA" Administrator account. 12. Type and confirm a User Password for System Center Virtual Application Server. This password is used by System Center Virtual Application Server to access the database for the Microsoft account you created. You will need these passwords to update or modify the SoftGrid platform. Because you are installing SoftGrid on a completely isolated network, we recommend that you choose the default passwords "sa" and "Microsoft" for the database password and user password, respectively, because they are easy to remember for this trial. Note Do not use the # character in either of the passwords or anywhere else in the installation program. This will cause the SoftGrid installer to fail.
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Figure 3. Database Password page 13. Click Next. 14. On the Directory Server page (Figure 4), the installer will automatically populate the Domain Name box. 15. Enter the user name and password for the browser account that you created ("sgbrowser"), and then click Next.
Figure 4. Directory Server page
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16. On the Administrator Group page, type the name of the SoftGrid Administrators group, and then click Next. You can also type the first few letters and then click Next to select from a list of groups (Figure 5). Click the relevant group from the list, and then click Next. For simplicity, you can also choose the "Domain Users" group for this trial.
Figure 5. Select Administrator Group page with list of groups 17. On the Default Provider Group page, type the name of the SoftGrid Users group, and then click Next. This is the group to which all users must belong for access to SoftGrid-enabled applications. You can also type the first few letters of the group, and then click Next to display a list of groups. Click the relevant group from the list, and then click Next. For simplicity, you can also choose the "Domain Users" group for this trial. 18. On the Server Group page, accept the default, and then click Next. 19. On the Content Path page (Figure 6), accept the default location of the SoftGrid ―content‖ folder, and then click Next.
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Figure 6. Content Path page 20. The wizard now has all the information it needs to perform the installation. Click Install. The wizard will copy the necessary files, install services, and create a database as specified in the preceding steps. When the wizard finishes, the SoftGrid Management Console shortcut is displayed in the Administrative Tools group. 21. In Windows Explorer, go to C:\ProgramFiles\Softricity\SoftGrid Server\ and share the content folder. Ensure that Read access to this folder is given to Everyone. In this guide we will share the folder using Windows file-sharing settings; however, in a production environment you might chose a different means of sharing the folder. Note You must share the SoftGrid ―content‖ folder. You now have installed System Center Virtual Application Server. If you encountered any errors during the process, please refer to the ―Troubleshooting‖ section at the end of this guide.
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Installing SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops The section guides you through the step-by-step process of installing the Windows Desktops version of SoftGrid Application Virtualization Client. 1. Insert the MDOP 2007 CD. 2. On the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance page, click Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization. 3. Click Install Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization for Desktops. 4. On the Welcome page, click Next. 5. Read and accept the license agreement, and then click Next. 6. On the Destination Folder page, leave the default installation location, and then click Next. 7. On the Cache Settings page, leave the default data storage setting. Note that SoftGrid Client can handle a persistent application cache size up to 65,535 MB (65 GB). 8. Leave the Skip advanced data storage settings and accept defaults check box selected, and then click Next. 9. On the Desktop Configuration Server page (Figure 7), select Setup a Desktop Configuration Server now. 10. In the Display Name box and in the Host Name box type the host name of the SoftGrid server, and then click Next.
Figure 7. Desktop Configuration Server page 11. Click Install to begin the installation of SoftGrid Application Virtualization Client. 12. When the installation is complete, click Finish. 13. To complete the configuration, click Yes when prompted to restart the computer (required).
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Testing the Default Application You are now ready to test the basic functionality of the system by launching the Default SoftGrid Application on a SoftGrid client. The Default SoftGrid Application was automatically installed during SoftGrid platform installation. Perform the following on the SoftGrid Application Virtualization server that contains your test user account: 1. From Administrative Tools, click SoftGrid Management Console. SoftGrid Management Console is installed on the System Center Virtual Application Server by default. In a production environment, you can install SoftGrid Management Console on any system capable of running Microsoft Management Console (MMC). 2. In SoftGrid Management Console, in the Actions pane, click Connect to SoftGrid System (Figure 8). 3. In the Manage SoftGrid Systems dialog box, type localhost to connect to the SoftGrid Management Web Service, and then click OK.
Figure 8. Connect to SoftGrid System Note The account you are using to log on to the SoftGrid server computer must be a member of the SoftGrid Administrators Group in Active Directory, unless you chose to allow members of the Domain Users group or some other group to administer SoftGrid during this evaluation. Advanced options in the Connect dialog box require additional setup and are beyond the scope of this guide. 4. In the console tree, expand localhost, and then click Applications (Figure 9).
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Figure 9. SoftGrid Management Console 5. In the details pane, click Default SoftGrid Application and, in the Actions pane, click Properties. 6. In the OSD Path box, type the path to the ―content‖ share immediately before the .osd filename (\\[server name]\CONTENT\DefaultApp.osd). Type the same path immediately before the .ico filename directory in the Icon Path box. Make sure you specify network paths that are accessible to your SoftGrid client (Figure 10).
Figure 10. Default Application SoftGrid Properties page 7. Click the Access Permissions tab. You might want to add the Domain Users group if it is not already added. 8. Click the Shortcuts tab, and then select Publish to User’s Desktop. Page | 17
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9. Click OK to accept the changes for the default application. Perform the following on the SoftGrid client: 10. From Administrative Tools, click SoftGrid Client Management Console. 11. In the console tree, click Desktop Configuration Servers (Figure 11).
Figure 11. SoftGrid Client Management Console 12. In the details pane, right-click [server name], and then click Refresh Server. 13. On the desktop, double-click the Default SoftGrid Application shortcut. A status bar, displayed above the notification area, reports the application is being launched. If a "Launch Failed" message displays, click the message to see more information about the error. After a successful launch, the title screen for the Microsoft Default Application displays (Figure 12).
Figure 12. Microsoft Default Application dialog box
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14. Click OK to close the dialog box. The SoftGrid system is now running. If you have encountered any errors performing these procedures, please refer to the ―Troubleshooting‖ section at the end of this guide.
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SoftGrid Client for Terminal Servers The installation and operation of SoftGrid Client for Terminal Servers is almost identical to that of SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops.
Installation Install the SoftGrid Terminal Server client (softgrid-ts-setup.msi) using the Add/Remove Programs wizard in Control Panel. Then, follow the remaining setup instructions for SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops.
Testing Applications You can log on to the Terminal Server multiple times using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and test the various applications simultaneously. For more information, follow the test instructions for the SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops.
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Installing SoftGrid Sequencer SoftGrid Sequencer packages the SoftGrid-enabled applications that are streamed to SoftGrid clients.
Before You Install SoftGrid Sequencer The sequencer computer must meet the same minimum requirements as SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops, but a fast workstation-class computer will significantly speed up the sequencing process. The workstation should be set up with one or more hard disk drives with ample disk space. There are two main methods for setting up the sequencer computer: Option 1: Virtual Machine Do a fresh install of a supported operating system to a virtual machine (VM). Do not use your "standard desktop image" or install any other applications on this image at this time. Then follow the product specific steps below. Microsoft Virtual Server product: Add a second dynamically expanding virtual hard disk. Within the virtual machine, set the drive letter to "Q." Enable Undo disks and commit the existing configuration. After each time you sequence an application, turn off the virtual machine and discard the undo disk to this VM to get back to a "clean" operating system. VMware product: Edit the virtual machine settings and add an independent persistent virtual disk. Within the virtual machine, set the drive letter to "Q." Create a snapshot of the VM. After each time you sequence an application, you will "revert" to this snapshot to get back to a "clean" operating system. Option 2: Local Image Create at least two partitions on the hard disk. Make the first partition at least 4 GB in size for the operating system. The second partition should consume the remainder of the hard disk space, preferably more than 10 GB in total size. Set the drive letter to "Q" for the second partition. Do a fresh install of a supported operating system to the first partition. Do not use your "standard desktop image" or install any other applications on this image at this time. Using a utility like Symantec Ghost, store a disk image of the first partition on the second partition. This method lets you rapidly restore the sequencing computer to a "clean" installation of your operating system, after each time you sequence an application.
Why a Q Drive? Why sequence to a Q drive? The purpose is for the core application installation path to remain constant across all computers in the enterprise, which might not have constant system drives; for example, drive M for terminal servers and drive C for desktop computers. This is accomplished by using a real drive or partition on the SoftGrid Sequencer computer and a virtual drive on SoftGrid clients. The virtual drive on SoftGrid clients is created by SystemGuard virtualization technology and not by a disk partitioning tool.
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The Q drive is the default drive letter and can be changed if needed in a production rollout. Microsoft has a method to handle applications that must be installed to a fixed drive; this is explained in Microsoft training courses.
Installing SoftGrid Sequencer Be sure that the sequencer computer is joined to the common domain. Note Do not install SoftGrid Sequencer on a computer that hosts SoftGrid Server or SoftGrid Client. 1. Insert the MDOP 2007 CD. 2. On the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance page, click Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization. 3. Click Install Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization for Sequencer. 4. On the Welcome page, click Next. 5. Read and accept the licensing agreement, and then click Next. 6. Accept the default installation path, and then click Next. 7. Click Install. 8. When the installation is complete, click Finish. SoftGrid Sequencer will start.
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Sequencer Files To enable a Windows application for SoftGrid, the sequencer produces the following files:
ICO
– The .ico (icon) file specifies the icon that appears on the SoftGrid client desktop. When you
double-click the icon, you are actually launching the shortcut to the corresponding .osd file, described below, that begins the data streaming and application launch process. From the user perspective, the experience of launching a SoftGrid-enabled application is identical to launching a locally stored application.
OSD – The .osd (Open Software Description) file provides the information necessary to locate the .sft file for the application and set up and launch the application. This information includes the application name, the name and path to the executable file, the name and path to the .sft file, the suite name, the supported operating systems, and general comments about the application.
SFT
– The .sft (SoftGrid) file contains the asset files that include one or more Windows applications.
SoftGrid Sequencer, without altering the source code, packages these asset files into chunks of data that can be streamed to the SoftGrid client. The file is divided into two distinct blocks. The first block, called Feature Block 1 (FB1), consists of the application’s most-used features. FB1 is streamed to the SoftGrid client the first time the user launches the application. The remainder of the application is in Feature Block 2 (FB2). FB2 is streamed to the SoftGrid client on demand. By default, the blocks are divided into 32 KB "chunks" of data.
SPRJ – The .sprj (Sequencer project) file is generated when a project is saved. The .sprj file contains a list of files, directories, and registry entries that are excluded by the sequencer. Load this file in the sequencer to add, change, delete, or upgrade any of the applications in the suite. A common example of when you might use the .sprj files is when you add service packs to an application.
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Sequencing Adobe Acrobat Reader This section walks through a simple sequencing. You can use Adobe Acrobat Reader as a test case that you can easily and quickly deploy using the SoftGrid platform. 1. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader 8 from www.adobe.com and copy the installer to a temporary directory on the sequencer computer. 2. Create a directory on the sequencer desktop called AdobeAcrobatReader8. In this directory you will save the output of the sequencer. 3. Click Start | All Programs | Softricity | SoftGrid Sequencer to open SoftGrid Sequencer (Figure 13).
Figure 13. SoftGrid Sequencer 4. Click File | New Package.... 5. When prompted for assistance, click Yes. The Package Configuration Wizard displays. 6. On the Welcome page, click Next. 7. On the Package Information page, enter the following information: a. Suite Name: Adobe Acrobat Reader 8. The suite name is a common label for all the applications in the software suite; for example, the suite Microsoft® Office 2000 includes Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint®, etc. b. Title: Acrobat Reader. This is the name of the application you are sequencing. c.
Comments: Use this field to specify information such as the person who sequenced the application. You can also include the name and location of the installation document.
d. Server URL:
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i. Host Name: Enter the host name of the SoftGrid server (SGSERVER). The host name defaults to an environment variable (%SFT_SOFTGRIDSERVER%). To use the variable, you must have previously set the variable on the SoftGrid client to the host name of the SoftGrid server. ii. Path: AdobeAcrobatReader8. In a production environment, you could further organize applications within additional subdirectories, such as EMEA and APAC.
Figure 14. Package Information page 8. Click Next. 9. On the Operating Systems page (Figure 15), click the operating systems on which you intend this package to run and use the right arrow to move the selected items to the right pane.
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Figure 15. Operating Systems page 10. Click Finish. 11. On the Welcome to the Installation Wizard page, click Next. 12. On the Sequencing Parameters page, click Next. 13. On the Monitor Installation page, click Begin Monitoring... (Figure 16). This action minimizes the sequencer so you can start the application installation process.
Figure 16. Monitor Installation page Note Open instances of Windows Explorer and command prompts will not be monitored. In the following steps you can install the application using Windows Explorer.
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14. Open a new instance of Windows Explorer, go to the Q drive, and create a new folder called acrd8.001. 15. Run the Adobe Acrobat Reader 8 installer and continue until the Destination Folder page (Figure 17) displays.
Figure 17. Adobe Reader Destination Folder page 16. Click Change Destination Folder. Replace the existing folder path to Q:\acrd8.001 and finish the installation. 17. If the installation wizard prompts you for a restart, click Yes. The sequencer will catch the restart request and prevent it. 18. Restore the minimized SoftGrid Sequencer, and then click Stop Monitoring. 19. In the Browse for Folder dialog box, go to Q:\acrd8.001 (the installation folder...), and then click OK. 20. SoftGrid Sequencer will scan the computer for changes. When monitoring is complete, click Next. For applications using Microsoft® Windows® Installer, include the current version of installer file libraries to eliminate version conflicts on client computers. 21. On the Additional Files to Map to the VFS page, click Finish.
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Figure 18. Additional Files to Map to the VFS page 22. On the Welcome to the Application Wizard page, click Next. The Application Wizard detects and lists shortcuts created by the application installer. SoftGrid Sequencer creates an .osd and .ico file for each shortcut. Using the Configure Applications page, you can edit, remove, or add shortcuts. 23. In the console tree, click Applications.
Figure 19. Configure Applications page 24. In the details pane, click Adobe Reader 8, and then click Edit. 25. In the Edit Application dialog box, set the following .osd file properties (Figure 20), and then click Save. a. Name: Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1. Page | 28
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b. Version: 1.0 c.
OSD Filename: Adobe_Acrobat_Reader_8.osd.
Figure 20. Shortcut settings of Acrobat Reader 8.1 26. Click Save. 27. In the console tree, expand Adobe Acrobat Reader 8. 28. Click File Type Associations to view the File Type Associations (FTAs) the sequencer has recorded. 29. Click Shortcuts to view where the shortcuts for this application will be located on SoftGrid client desktop. 30. When you are done viewing this information, click Next. The Launch Applications page lets you launch the applications associated with the shortcuts SoftGrid created. This will determine Feature Block 1 (FB1), which contains the portion of the application required to launch the application on the SoftGrid client. 31. Click Adobe Acrobat Reader 8, and then click Launch. 32. Accept the license agreement, and then close the Beyond Adobe Reader page. 33. When the application opens, click Edit | Preferences. 34. In the resulting dialog box, under Application Startup, clear the Show splash screen check box, and then click OK. 35. Close the application; the status bar will show the procedure as complete. (If the status bar does not change for more than 30 seconds, you might need to click Stop, and then click Terminate.) 36. Click Next, and then click Finish. 37. You can now use SoftGrid Sequencer to view the results. Click each tab and review the following information:
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a. Properties: Provides basic information, such as Creation date, Max Block Size, Launch Size, Compression Algorithm, and Block Size. b. Files: Shows the files the application copied, modified, or created and where those files reside. c.
Virtual Registry: Displays every registry setting that was created or modified. You can view and change the settings, and manually create and delete new keys and values.
d. Virtual File System: Displays the hierarchical directory of the files that comprise the package in common system folders. e. Virtual Services: Displays information about any Windows NT services that were detected and that are included as part of the sequence. f.
OSD: Displays a hierarchical representation of the .xml descriptor file contents. You can modify the values to suit the application. By clicking the CODEBASE key in the left pane, the right pane displays the connection details.
38. Click File | Save, go to the folder AdobeAcrobatReader8 that you created on the desktop and save your work as acrd8.sprj. The files produced by SoftGrid Sequencer (.ico, .osd, .sft, and .sprj) must be in the shared "content" directory on the System Center Virtual Application Server (the default location is C:\Program Files\Microsoft\SoftGrid Server\content). 39. Copy the folder AdobeAcrobatReader8 to the "content" share on the application server. 40. Add the new application to SoftGrid Management Console, following the instructions provided with the presequenced application. 41. On the SoftGrid client, trigger a refresh of the virtual application and then launch the new sequence of Adobe Acrobat Reader 8. If needed, follow the instructions in the section "Testing the Default Application" earlier in this guide.
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Sequencing the Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for Internet Explorer This section walks you through a creating a virtual environment for Windows® Internet Explorer® with the Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) included. The Sun Java Console will not appear when a local copy of Internet Explorer is started; but only within the virtual copy. Note that Internet Explorer is part of the operating system, and therefore we will point to the local Internet Explorer executable file on each SoftGrid client, and apply the changes within the virtual environment on top of the local environment. 1. Download
the
Windows
XP/Vista/200/2003
Offline
Java
installer
from
http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp. 2. Copy the Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installer to a temporary directory on the sequencer computer. 3. Create a directory on the sequencer desktop called IEwithJava. You will save the output of the sequencer to this directory. 4. Click Start | All Programs | Softricity | SoftGrid Sequencer to open SoftGrid Sequencer. 5. Click File | New Package.... 6. When asked if you would like assistance, click Yes. The Package Configuration Wizard displays. 7. On the Welcome page, click Next. 8. On the Package Information page, provide the following information: a. Suite Name: IE with Java. The suite name is a common label for all the applications in the software suite. For example, the suite Microsoft Office 2000 comprises Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, etc. b. Title: IE with Java. This is the name of the application you are sequencing. c.
Comments: Use this field to specify information such as the person who sequenced the application.
d. Server URL: The host name of the SoftGrid server (SGSERVER). The host name defaults to an environment variable (%SFT_SOFTGRIDSERVER%). To use the variable, you must have previously set the variable on the SoftGrid client to the host name of the SoftGrid server. e. Path: IEwithJava. 9. Click Next. 10. On the Operating Systems page, click the operating systems on which you intend this package to run and use the right arrow to move the selected items to the right pane. 11. Click Finish. 12. On the Welcome to the Installation Wizard page, click Next. 13. On the Sequencing Parameters page, click Next. 14. On the Monitor Installation page, click Begin Monitoring.... This action minimizes the sequencer so you can start the application installation process. Page | 31
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Note Open instances of Windows Explorer and command prompts will not be monitored. In the following steps you can install the application using Windows Explorer. 15. In a new instance of Windows Explorer, go to the Q drive and create a new folder called IEjava.001. 16. Open the Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installer. 17. Select the Show advanced options panel check box, and then click Accept. 18. Click the Change button, type Q:\IEjava.001\Java\jre1.6.0_02\ for the installation directory, and then click OK.
Figure 21. Sun Java custom installation page 19. Click Next to complete the installation. 20. Restore the minimized SoftGrid Sequencer. 21. Click Stop Monitoring. 22. In the Browse For Folder dialog box, click the Q:\IEjava.001\ installation folder you specified in the setup wizard (note shorter path), and then click OK. 23. SoftGrid Sequencer will scan the computer for file and registry changes. Click Next to continue. For applications using Windows Installer, include the current version of installer file libraries to eliminate version conflicts on client computers. 24. On the Additional Files to Map to the VFS page, click Finish. 25. On the Welcome to the Application Wizard page, click Next. The Application Wizard detects and lists shortcuts created by the application installer. SoftGrid Sequencer creates an .osd and .ico file for each shortcut. Using the Select Shortcuts page, you can edit, remove, or add shortcuts. Page | 32
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26. In the console tree, click Applications, and then click Add. 27. Fill in the following information (Figure 22): a. Application Path: “C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE” b. Name: IE with Java c.
Version: 1.0
d. OSD File Name: IEwithJava.osd
Figure 22. Shortcut settings for Internet Explorer 28. Click Add. 29. In the details pane, click Java(TM) 2 Platform Standard Edition binary, click Remove, and then click OK. 30. In the details pane, click Java(TM) Web Start Launcher, click Remove, and then click OK. 31. Click Next. Using the Launch Shortcuts page you can start the applications associated with the shortcuts created. This will determine Feature Block 1 (FB1), which contains the portion of the application required to start the application on the SoftGrid client. 32. Click IE with Java, and then click Launch. 33. Press the ALT key to display the menu bar, and click Tools | Sun Java Console so the sequencer can properly populate FB1. 34. In the Java console click Close, and then close Internet Explorer. (You might need to click Stop, and then click Terminate.) 35. Click Next. 36. When the sequencer is finished, click Finish.
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37. Click File | Save and save your work as IEwthJava.sprj in the IEwithJava folder on the desktop. The files produced by SoftGrid Sequencer (.ico, .osd, .sft, and .sprj) must be located in the shared "content" directory on the System Center Virtual Application Server (the default location is C:\Program Files\Microsoft\SoftGrid Server\content). 38. Copy the folder IEwithJava to the "content" directory on the application server. 39. Add the new application to SoftGrid Management Console, following instructions provided with the presequenced application. Use ―IEwithJava" as the Active Directory group. 40. On the SoftGrid client, refresh of the virtual application and then start the new sequence. If needed, follow the instructions in the section "Testing the Default Application" earlier in this guide.
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Troubleshooting This section addresses some of the most common pitfalls that you might encounter when you install, configure, and test the SoftGrid platform. If you need additional help, search either the Microsoft Knowledge Base or the SoftGrid TechCenter.
Common Errors on SoftGrid Client The following sections list the most common errors encountered with SoftGrid Client and the most common solutions to those errors.
When you attempt to refresh the server you get an error that says, "The SoftGrid Client failed to download..." and "The server could not authorize you to access the requested data..."
The application shortcut is not on the SoftGrid Client desktop.
The application did not stream to SoftGrid Client. If the application fails to stream you see the "Launch Failed" error message above the notification area.
Possible Causes
The user account used to log on to the SoftGrid client is not a member of the SoftGrid Users Group or is not a domain user account.
The .sft, .ico, and/or .osd files are not in the SoftGrid Server ―content‖ folder. Copy these file to C:\Program Files\Microsoft\SoftGrid Server\content.
Mistyped .osd and .ico paths in the application record in SoftGrid Management Console.
The SoftGrid client cannot access the ―content‖ directory on the SoftGrid server.
The SoftGrid client cannot access the SoftGrid server. Check network settings and cabling.
―Content: folder on the SoftGrid server is not set to share or to be shared with everyone who has read access.
The SoftGrid client is not a member of the domain.
The user lacks necessary permissions to access the application. Reread and follow the procedure regarding importing .osd files, paying close attention to setting the access group.
The operating system of the SoftGrid client computer is not listed in the .osd file of the application.
If none of the above appears to be the cause of the problem, check SoftGrid Client log Sftlog.txt in C:\Program Files\Microsoft\ SoftGrid for Windows Desktop for errors.
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Accessing the Microsoft Support Knowledge Base To access the Microsoft Support knowledge base and search for answers to the most frequently asked questions, go to Microsoft Support.
Contacting Microsoft Training To register for training courses, to obtain course descriptions, and to get information about Microsoft certifications, go to Microsoft Training & Events.
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Important Notice General Disclaimer The contents of this document are subject to change without notice; therefore, the information presented herein shall not be construed as a commitment or warranty. Microsoft shall not be liable for any technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages resulting from the performance, furnishing, reliance on, or use of this material.
Patents Certain software described in this document is protected by issued and pending U.S. and foreign patents. Microsoft, The SoftGrid Desktop, SoftGrid, SystemGuard, Virtual Application Services, Virtual Application Server, Application Management Lifecycle, Application Management for the Always-On Enterprise, and Take Control of Your Software are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other company, brand and product names are the property of their respective owners.
Copyright The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property. Copyright © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, Windows Server, Windows Vista, Active Directory, SoftGrid, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and SQL Server are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE .............................................................................................................................................. 2 INTRODUCTION TO THE TRIAL GUIDE .................................................................................................................... 4 TRIAL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................................................................. 6 INSTALLING SYSTEM CENTER VIRTUAL APPLICATION SERVER ................................................................................ 8 INSTALLING SOFTGRID CLIENT FOR WINDOWS DESKTOPS ................................................................................... 15 TESTING THE DEFAULT APPLICATION ................................................................................................................... 16 SOFTGRID CLIENT FOR TERMINAL SERVERS ......................................................................................................... 20 INSTALLING SOFTGRID SEQUENCER ..................................................................................................................... 21 SEQUENCER FILES ................................................................................................................................................ 23 SEQUENCING ADOBE ACROBAT READER.............................................................................................................. 24 SEQUENCING A SUN PLUG-IN FOR INTERNET EXPLORER ...................................................................................... 31 TROUBLESHOOTING............................................................................................................................................. 35 ACCESSING THE MICROSOFT SUPPORT KNOWLEDGE BASE .................................................................................. 36 CONTACTING MICROSOFT TRAINING ................................................................................................................... 36
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Introduction to the Trial Guide This Trial Guide is designed to help you quickly set up and evaluate a Microsoft® SoftGrid® Application Virtualization environment. This guide outlines steps necessary to install System Center Virtual Application Server components, install SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops and Terminal Servers, publish the shortcuts of sequenced applications, and then stream and run these virtual applications on SoftGrid clients. You will also be able to virtualize a select set of applications using SoftGrid Sequencer. To help this process flow as smoothly as possible we recommend that you read this guide before installing the SoftGrid platform.
Obtaining Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization For Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization for Desktops, please download the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance 2007. For Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization for Terminal Services, please download Microsoft SoftGrid 4.1 SP 1. Both are available at Microsoft Volume Licensing and are also currently available on MSDN. MDOP 2007 can be downloaded from MSDN under the Servers branch (Desktop Optimization Pack 2007). Microsoft SoftGrid for Terminal Services can also be downloaded from MSDN by searching the site for Microsoft SoftGrid 4.1 SP1.
Audience for This Guide This guide was written for Microsoft® Windows® system administrators. As an information technology (IT) professional, you should have sufficient knowledge and experience to accomplish the following tasks:
Set up operating systems and computers.
Add computers to domains.
Set up and work comfortably with Active Directory® directory service and Microsoft DNS.
Hardware and software requirements are documented in the section "Trial System Requirements" on page 7 of this guide.
Overview of the SoftGrid Application Virtualization Platform The SoftGrid platform lets you deploy, update, and support applications as services in real time, on an asneeded basis. When you use the SoftGrid platform, you transform individual applications from locally installed products into centrally managed services. Applications become available everywhere they need to be—no computer preconfiguration or changes to operating system settings are required. System Center Virtual Application Server System Center Virtual Application Server delivers SoftGrid-enabled applications on-demand to SoftGrid Client. One or more SoftGrid Virtual Applications servers can share a single SoftGrid SQL data store. The System Center Virtual Application Server authorizes and authenticates requests and provides the
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security, metering, monitoring, and data gathering that you need. The server uses Active Directory and supporting tools to manage users and applications. SoftGrid Management System The SoftGrid Management System includes SoftGrid Management Console and SoftGrid Management Web Service. Administrators use SoftGrid Management Console (a Microsoft Management Console, or MMC, snap-in) to configure System Center Virtual Application Servers. Using SoftGrid Management Console, administrators can add and remove applications, change File Type Associations (FTAs), and assign access permissions and licenses to users and groups. SoftGrid Management Web Service is the communication conduit between SoftGrid Management Console and the SoftGrid SQL data store. SoftGrid Client SoftGrid Client automatically sets up and manages virtual environments for SoftGrid-enabled applications, publishes the applications to the user's desktop, and manages connections to System Center Virtual Application Server. SoftGrid Client stores user-specific virtual application settings in each user's profile—for example, registry and file changes. SoftGrid Sequencer SoftGrid Sequencer is a wizard-based tool administrators use to create SoftGrid-enabled applications. The sequencer produces the application ―package,‖ which consists of several files. These files include a SoftGrid-enabled application (.sft) file, one or more Open Software Description (.osd) "link" files, one or more icon (.ico) files, and a SoftGrid project (.sprj) file. The .sft, .osd, and .ico files are stored on System Center Virtual Application Servers; these files are the keys that SoftGrid Client uses to access and run SoftGrid-enabled applications.
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Trial System Requirements For this evaluation, one computer will run Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), the SoftGrid Management Web Service, the SoftGrid Management Console, and System Center Virtual Application Server. A second computer will run SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops. You will need to set up a third computer as a Windows domain controller with Windows DNS. You will need two additional computers for testing SoftGrid Sequencer and SoftGrid Client for Terminal Servers. All of the computers must be members of the common domain (Figure 1). Note that you can use virtual machines on a single physical computer that meets the system requirements of this trial.
Figure 1. SoftGrid trial in an isolated network In this trial, we assume that you set up SoftGrid in a test lab, completely separate from your production network. The purpose of this evaluation is for you to acquire basic experience with the SoftGrid platform. You can address any questions relating to integration into your production environment, such as security concerns and enterprise-level design, later. Also, only basic platform functionality will be covered in this guide, to simplify and focus on proof of concept. The SoftGrid platform is covered in its entirety by Microsoft Training courses. The following sections list the basic software and hardware requirements for this trial evaluation.
System Center Virtual Application Server Hardware
Intel Pentium III 1 GHz or later CPU
512 MB or more RAM
10 GB or more available hard disk space
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Microsoft Windows® 2000 Server/Windows Advanced Server with Service Pack 4 (SP4) or later, or Windows Server® 2003 with SP1 or later
Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.7 or later
Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0 or later
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0
Note The computer host name of this server should not begin with a number.
SoftGrid Client for Window Desktops Hardware
Intel Pentium III 700 MHz or later CPU
128 MB or more RAM
4 GB or more available hard disk space (includes space for cache)
Software
Microsoft Windows 2000®; Windows® XP Pro; or Windows Vista® Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate (version 4.2 only) editions
Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 6 or later installed on the operating system
SoftGrid Sequencer Hardware & Software The hardware and software requirements for SoftGrid Sequencer are identical to those of SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops except that a real partition or Q drive needs to be available on the sequencer computer.
Windows Domain Controller Hardware
Meet or exceed the recommended Microsoft hardware requirements.
Software
Microsoft operating system providing a Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 domain with Microsoft DNS setup
Although SoftGrid supports Microsoft Windows NT® Server 4.0 domains, Windows NT Server hardware and software requirements, and related installation instructions are not included in this guide.
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Installing System Center Virtual Application Server The section guides you through the step-by-step process of installing System Center Virtual Application Server.
Before You Begin The following items must be present on the server computer before installing System Center Virtual Application Server:
Windows 2000 Server, Advanced Server with SP4 or later, or Windows Server 2003 with SP1 or later
IIS 5.0 or later (must be installed prior to installing MDAC and Microsoft® .NET Framework)
MDAC 2.7 or later
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or later
Specified Active Directory objects
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0 SoftGrid requires that MMC 3.0 be installed on the computer from which SoftGrid Management Console will be executed. You can download MMC 3.0 from Microsoft Help and Support. MDAC and Microsoft .NET If you are using the Windows 2000 operating system, install MDAC 2.7 or later. Windows 2003 does not need an updated, or current, version of MDAC installed to work with SoftGrid at this time. Make sure you have properly installed IIS 5.0 or later. After installing the required versions of MDAC and IIS, install Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or later on Windows 2000 Server computers. Windows 2003 Server computers will already have .NET Framework 1.1 installed; you will need to upgrade to Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. You can download the latest versions of these components from www.microsoft.com. After installing IIS, MDAC, and Microsoft .NET, restart your computer before proceeding. Do not "lockdown" these or any component of this server, or try to reuse your standard server image. The purpose of this limited trial is to evaluate SoftGrid in a test lab—not to determine whether SoftGrid will run in your production environment. Active Directory Before you install SoftGrid Application Virtualization Server, you must create the following objects in Active Directory:
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Organizational Unit (OU): Create an OU in Active Directory for SoftGrid-specific groups, and for the necessary SoftGrid domain account. We recommend that you name this OU "MicrosoftVirtualApps."
Domain Test User Account: This account will be the user test account for SoftGrid end-user functionality.
SoftGrid Administrative Group: SoftGrid requires you to select an Active Directory group to use as a SoftGrid Administrators group. You can use any existing group or you can create a new Active Directory SoftGrid Administrators group for controlling administrative access to SoftGrid Management Console. Add to this group every user who needs to access SoftGrid Management Console. You can choose any name for this group or you can choose a name from a list during installation. You cannot create this group directly from the SoftGrid installer. For the purposes of this guide, we will use the name "SoftGrid Administrators" for this group. Note For the purposes of this guide, only a single domain setup is supported in your test lab environment. If you create groups, create them as global groups. Multi-domain and multi-forest scenarios require a different setup and are covered in Microsoft Training courses.
SoftGrid Active Directory Browser User: You must create a user account set not to expire for the SoftGrid platform to use to browse Active Directory. The account user name and password cannot contain the # character, or the SoftGrid installer will fail. For the purposes of this guide, we will use the account name "sgbrowser."
SoftGrid Users Group: SoftGrid requires that all user accounts that access SoftGrid functions be a member of a provider policy associated with a single group for general platform access. You can use an existing group or create a new group (such as ―SoftGrid Users‖). For the purposes of this guide, we will use the Domain Users group.
Application Groups: SoftGrid associates the right to use an individual application with a group. For this guide, we will associate all test applications with the Domain Users group, even though many other options exist for production use.
Note It is essential that you add your domain test user account to each of the groups discussed in the previous list. If you do not, application shortcuts on the SoftGrid client will not display in your test user account. Verify Microsoft .NET Registration On a Windows 2003 Server computer, to ensure that Microsoft .NET is properly registered with IIS, perform the following steps: 1. From Administrative Tools click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. 2. Expand Internet Information Services | {server_name}, and then click Web Service Extensions.
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3. Right-click ASP.NET v.X.X.XXXX, and then click Allow, if necessary. If ASP.NET is not available, then Microsoft .NET is installed but ASP.NET has not been installed. Perform the following steps: a. In Control Panel, click Add or Remove Programs. b. Click Add/Remove Windows Components. c.
Select Application Server, and then click Details....
d. Select the ASP.NET check box, and then click OK. e. Click Next. f.
Click Finish.
On a Windows 2000 Server computer, to ensure Microsoft .NET is properly registered with IIS, perform the following steps: 1. Open a command-line tool. 2. Go to %SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\%VersionNumber%. 3. Type aspnet_reg /i.
Server Installation 1. Verify that the name of the computer does not start with a number. 2. Insert the MDOP 2007 CD. 3. On the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance page, click Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization. 4. Click Install the Microsoft System Center Virtual Application Server. 5. On the Welcome page, click Next. 6. Read and accept the license agreement, and then click Next. 7. Type a user name and organization in the corresponding boxes, and then click Next. 8. On the Setup Type page, click Typical install, and then click Next. 9. On the Required Web Service Extensions warning page, click Next. 10. On the Database Server page (Figure 2), leave the default Install MSDE, and then click Next.
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Figure 2. Database Server selection page 11. On the Database Password page (Figure 3), enter and confirm an Administrator Password for the Microsoft SQL Server™ Desktop Engine (MSDE) database. This password is for the database "SA" Administrator account. 12. Type and confirm a User Password for System Center Virtual Application Server. This password is used by System Center Virtual Application Server to access the database for the Microsoft account you created. You will need these passwords to update or modify the SoftGrid platform. Because you are installing SoftGrid on a completely isolated network, we recommend that you choose the default passwords "sa" and "Microsoft" for the database password and user password, respectively, because they are easy to remember for this trial. Note Do not use the # character in either of the passwords or anywhere else in the installation program. This will cause the SoftGrid installer to fail.
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Figure 3. Database Password page 13. Click Next. 14. On the Directory Server page (Figure 4), the installer will automatically populate the Domain Name box. 15. Enter the user name and password for the browser account that you created ("sgbrowser"), and then click Next.
Figure 4. Directory Server page
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16. On the Administrator Group page, type the name of the SoftGrid Administrators group, and then click Next. You can also type the first few letters and then click Next to select from a list of groups (Figure 5). Click the relevant group from the list, and then click Next. For simplicity, you can also choose the "Domain Users" group for this trial.
Figure 5. Select Administrator Group page with list of groups 17. On the Default Provider Group page, type the name of the SoftGrid Users group, and then click Next. This is the group to which all users must belong for access to SoftGrid-enabled applications. You can also type the first few letters of the group, and then click Next to display a list of groups. Click the relevant group from the list, and then click Next. For simplicity, you can also choose the "Domain Users" group for this trial. 18. On the Server Group page, accept the default, and then click Next. 19. On the Content Path page (Figure 6), accept the default location of the SoftGrid ―content‖ folder, and then click Next.
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Figure 6. Content Path page 20. The wizard now has all the information it needs to perform the installation. Click Install. The wizard will copy the necessary files, install services, and create a database as specified in the preceding steps. When the wizard finishes, the SoftGrid Management Console shortcut is displayed in the Administrative Tools group. 21. In Windows Explorer, go to C:\ProgramFiles\Softricity\SoftGrid Server\ and share the content folder. Ensure that Read access to this folder is given to Everyone. In this guide we will share the folder using Windows file-sharing settings; however, in a production environment you might chose a different means of sharing the folder. Note You must share the SoftGrid ―content‖ folder. You now have installed System Center Virtual Application Server. If you encountered any errors during the process, please refer to the ―Troubleshooting‖ section at the end of this guide.
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Installing SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops The section guides you through the step-by-step process of installing the Windows Desktops version of SoftGrid Application Virtualization Client. 1. Insert the MDOP 2007 CD. 2. On the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance page, click Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization. 3. Click Install Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization for Desktops. 4. On the Welcome page, click Next. 5. Read and accept the license agreement, and then click Next. 6. On the Destination Folder page, leave the default installation location, and then click Next. 7. On the Cache Settings page, leave the default data storage setting. Note that SoftGrid Client can handle a persistent application cache size up to 65,535 MB (65 GB). 8. Leave the Skip advanced data storage settings and accept defaults check box selected, and then click Next. 9. On the Desktop Configuration Server page (Figure 7), select Setup a Desktop Configuration Server now. 10. In the Display Name box and in the Host Name box type the host name of the SoftGrid server, and then click Next.
Figure 7. Desktop Configuration Server page 11. Click Install to begin the installation of SoftGrid Application Virtualization Client. 12. When the installation is complete, click Finish. 13. To complete the configuration, click Yes when prompted to restart the computer (required).
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Testing the Default Application You are now ready to test the basic functionality of the system by launching the Default SoftGrid Application on a SoftGrid client. The Default SoftGrid Application was automatically installed during SoftGrid platform installation. Perform the following on the SoftGrid Application Virtualization server that contains your test user account: 1. From Administrative Tools, click SoftGrid Management Console. SoftGrid Management Console is installed on the System Center Virtual Application Server by default. In a production environment, you can install SoftGrid Management Console on any system capable of running Microsoft Management Console (MMC). 2. In SoftGrid Management Console, in the Actions pane, click Connect to SoftGrid System (Figure 8). 3. In the Manage SoftGrid Systems dialog box, type localhost to connect to the SoftGrid Management Web Service, and then click OK.
Figure 8. Connect to SoftGrid System Note The account you are using to log on to the SoftGrid server computer must be a member of the SoftGrid Administrators Group in Active Directory, unless you chose to allow members of the Domain Users group or some other group to administer SoftGrid during this evaluation. Advanced options in the Connect dialog box require additional setup and are beyond the scope of this guide. 4. In the console tree, expand localhost, and then click Applications (Figure 9).
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Figure 9. SoftGrid Management Console 5. In the details pane, click Default SoftGrid Application and, in the Actions pane, click Properties. 6. In the OSD Path box, type the path to the ―content‖ share immediately before the .osd filename (\\[server name]\CONTENT\DefaultApp.osd). Type the same path immediately before the .ico filename directory in the Icon Path box. Make sure you specify network paths that are accessible to your SoftGrid client (Figure 10).
Figure 10. Default Application SoftGrid Properties page 7. Click the Access Permissions tab. You might want to add the Domain Users group if it is not already added. 8. Click the Shortcuts tab, and then select Publish to User’s Desktop. Page | 17
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9. Click OK to accept the changes for the default application. Perform the following on the SoftGrid client: 10. From Administrative Tools, click SoftGrid Client Management Console. 11. In the console tree, click Desktop Configuration Servers (Figure 11).
Figure 11. SoftGrid Client Management Console 12. In the details pane, right-click [server name], and then click Refresh Server. 13. On the desktop, double-click the Default SoftGrid Application shortcut. A status bar, displayed above the notification area, reports the application is being launched. If a "Launch Failed" message displays, click the message to see more information about the error. After a successful launch, the title screen for the Microsoft Default Application displays (Figure 12).
Figure 12. Microsoft Default Application dialog box
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14. Click OK to close the dialog box. The SoftGrid system is now running. If you have encountered any errors performing these procedures, please refer to the ―Troubleshooting‖ section at the end of this guide.
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SoftGrid Client for Terminal Servers The installation and operation of SoftGrid Client for Terminal Servers is almost identical to that of SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops.
Installation Install the SoftGrid Terminal Server client (softgrid-ts-setup.msi) using the Add/Remove Programs wizard in Control Panel. Then, follow the remaining setup instructions for SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops.
Testing Applications You can log on to the Terminal Server multiple times using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and test the various applications simultaneously. For more information, follow the test instructions for the SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops.
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Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
Installing SoftGrid Sequencer SoftGrid Sequencer packages the SoftGrid-enabled applications that are streamed to SoftGrid clients.
Before You Install SoftGrid Sequencer The sequencer computer must meet the same minimum requirements as SoftGrid Client for Windows Desktops, but a fast workstation-class computer will significantly speed up the sequencing process. The workstation should be set up with one or more hard disk drives with ample disk space. There are two main methods for setting up the sequencer computer: Option 1: Virtual Machine Do a fresh install of a supported operating system to a virtual machine (VM). Do not use your "standard desktop image" or install any other applications on this image at this time. Then follow the product specific steps below. Microsoft Virtual Server product: Add a second dynamically expanding virtual hard disk. Within the virtual machine, set the drive letter to "Q." Enable Undo disks and commit the existing configuration. After each time you sequence an application, turn off the virtual machine and discard the undo disk to this VM to get back to a "clean" operating system. VMware product: Edit the virtual machine settings and add an independent persistent virtual disk. Within the virtual machine, set the drive letter to "Q." Create a snapshot of the VM. After each time you sequence an application, you will "revert" to this snapshot to get back to a "clean" operating system. Option 2: Local Image Create at least two partitions on the hard disk. Make the first partition at least 4 GB in size for the operating system. The second partition should consume the remainder of the hard disk space, preferably more than 10 GB in total size. Set the drive letter to "Q" for the second partition. Do a fresh install of a supported operating system to the first partition. Do not use your "standard desktop image" or install any other applications on this image at this time. Using a utility like Symantec Ghost, store a disk image of the first partition on the second partition. This method lets you rapidly restore the sequencing computer to a "clean" installation of your operating system, after each time you sequence an application.
Why a Q Drive? Why sequence to a Q drive? The purpose is for the core application installation path to remain constant across all computers in the enterprise, which might not have constant system drives; for example, drive M for terminal servers and drive C for desktop computers. This is accomplished by using a real drive or partition on the SoftGrid Sequencer computer and a virtual drive on SoftGrid clients. The virtual drive on SoftGrid clients is created by SystemGuard virtualization technology and not by a disk partitioning tool.
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Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
The Q drive is the default drive letter and can be changed if needed in a production rollout. Microsoft has a method to handle applications that must be installed to a fixed drive; this is explained in Microsoft training courses.
Installing SoftGrid Sequencer Be sure that the sequencer computer is joined to the common domain. Note Do not install SoftGrid Sequencer on a computer that hosts SoftGrid Server or SoftGrid Client. 1. Insert the MDOP 2007 CD. 2. On the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance page, click Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization. 3. Click Install Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization for Sequencer. 4. On the Welcome page, click Next. 5. Read and accept the licensing agreement, and then click Next. 6. Accept the default installation path, and then click Next. 7. Click Install. 8. When the installation is complete, click Finish. SoftGrid Sequencer will start.
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Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
Sequencer Files To enable a Windows application for SoftGrid, the sequencer produces the following files:
ICO
– The .ico (icon) file specifies the icon that appears on the SoftGrid client desktop. When you
double-click the icon, you are actually launching the shortcut to the corresponding .osd file, described below, that begins the data streaming and application launch process. From the user perspective, the experience of launching a SoftGrid-enabled application is identical to launching a locally stored application.
OSD – The .osd (Open Software Description) file provides the information necessary to locate the .sft file for the application and set up and launch the application. This information includes the application name, the name and path to the executable file, the name and path to the .sft file, the suite name, the supported operating systems, and general comments about the application.
SFT
– The .sft (SoftGrid) file contains the asset files that include one or more Windows applications.
SoftGrid Sequencer, without altering the source code, packages these asset files into chunks of data that can be streamed to the SoftGrid client. The file is divided into two distinct blocks. The first block, called Feature Block 1 (FB1), consists of the application’s most-used features. FB1 is streamed to the SoftGrid client the first time the user launches the application. The remainder of the application is in Feature Block 2 (FB2). FB2 is streamed to the SoftGrid client on demand. By default, the blocks are divided into 32 KB "chunks" of data.
SPRJ – The .sprj (Sequencer project) file is generated when a project is saved. The .sprj file contains a list of files, directories, and registry entries that are excluded by the sequencer. Load this file in the sequencer to add, change, delete, or upgrade any of the applications in the suite. A common example of when you might use the .sprj files is when you add service packs to an application.
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Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
Sequencing Adobe Acrobat Reader This section walks through a simple sequencing. You can use Adobe Acrobat Reader as a test case that you can easily and quickly deploy using the SoftGrid platform. 1. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader 8 from www.adobe.com and copy the installer to a temporary directory on the sequencer computer. 2. Create a directory on the sequencer desktop called AdobeAcrobatReader8. In this directory you will save the output of the sequencer. 3. Click Start | All Programs | Softricity | SoftGrid Sequencer to open SoftGrid Sequencer (Figure 13).
Figure 13. SoftGrid Sequencer 4. Click File | New Package.... 5. When prompted for assistance, click Yes. The Package Configuration Wizard displays. 6. On the Welcome page, click Next. 7. On the Package Information page, enter the following information: a. Suite Name: Adobe Acrobat Reader 8. The suite name is a common label for all the applications in the software suite; for example, the suite Microsoft® Office 2000 includes Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint®, etc. b. Title: Acrobat Reader. This is the name of the application you are sequencing. c.
Comments: Use this field to specify information such as the person who sequenced the application. You can also include the name and location of the installation document.
d. Server URL:
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Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
i. Host Name: Enter the host name of the SoftGrid server (SGSERVER). The host name defaults to an environment variable (%SFT_SOFTGRIDSERVER%). To use the variable, you must have previously set the variable on the SoftGrid client to the host name of the SoftGrid server. ii. Path: AdobeAcrobatReader8. In a production environment, you could further organize applications within additional subdirectories, such as EMEA and APAC.
Figure 14. Package Information page 8. Click Next. 9. On the Operating Systems page (Figure 15), click the operating systems on which you intend this package to run and use the right arrow to move the selected items to the right pane.
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Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
Figure 15. Operating Systems page 10. Click Finish. 11. On the Welcome to the Installation Wizard page, click Next. 12. On the Sequencing Parameters page, click Next. 13. On the Monitor Installation page, click Begin Monitoring... (Figure 16). This action minimizes the sequencer so you can start the application installation process.
Figure 16. Monitor Installation page Note Open instances of Windows Explorer and command prompts will not be monitored. In the following steps you can install the application using Windows Explorer.
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Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
14. Open a new instance of Windows Explorer, go to the Q drive, and create a new folder called acrd8.001. 15. Run the Adobe Acrobat Reader 8 installer and continue until the Destination Folder page (Figure 17) displays.
Figure 17. Adobe Reader Destination Folder page 16. Click Change Destination Folder. Replace the existing folder path to Q:\acrd8.001 and finish the installation. 17. If the installation wizard prompts you for a restart, click Yes. The sequencer will catch the restart request and prevent it. 18. Restore the minimized SoftGrid Sequencer, and then click Stop Monitoring. 19. In the Browse for Folder dialog box, go to Q:\acrd8.001 (the installation folder...), and then click OK. 20. SoftGrid Sequencer will scan the computer for changes. When monitoring is complete, click Next. For applications using Microsoft® Windows® Installer, include the current version of installer file libraries to eliminate version conflicts on client computers. 21. On the Additional Files to Map to the VFS page, click Finish.
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Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
Figure 18. Additional Files to Map to the VFS page 22. On the Welcome to the Application Wizard page, click Next. The Application Wizard detects and lists shortcuts created by the application installer. SoftGrid Sequencer creates an .osd and .ico file for each shortcut. Using the Configure Applications page, you can edit, remove, or add shortcuts. 23. In the console tree, click Applications.
Figure 19. Configure Applications page 24. In the details pane, click Adobe Reader 8, and then click Edit. 25. In the Edit Application dialog box, set the following .osd file properties (Figure 20), and then click Save. a. Name: Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1. Page | 28
Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
b. Version: 1.0 c.
OSD Filename: Adobe_Acrobat_Reader_8.osd.
Figure 20. Shortcut settings of Acrobat Reader 8.1 26. Click Save. 27. In the console tree, expand Adobe Acrobat Reader 8. 28. Click File Type Associations to view the File Type Associations (FTAs) the sequencer has recorded. 29. Click Shortcuts to view where the shortcuts for this application will be located on SoftGrid client desktop. 30. When you are done viewing this information, click Next. The Launch Applications page lets you launch the applications associated with the shortcuts SoftGrid created. This will determine Feature Block 1 (FB1), which contains the portion of the application required to launch the application on the SoftGrid client. 31. Click Adobe Acrobat Reader 8, and then click Launch. 32. Accept the license agreement, and then close the Beyond Adobe Reader page. 33. When the application opens, click Edit | Preferences. 34. In the resulting dialog box, under Application Startup, clear the Show splash screen check box, and then click OK. 35. Close the application; the status bar will show the procedure as complete. (If the status bar does not change for more than 30 seconds, you might need to click Stop, and then click Terminate.) 36. Click Next, and then click Finish. 37. You can now use SoftGrid Sequencer to view the results. Click each tab and review the following information:
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Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
a. Properties: Provides basic information, such as Creation date, Max Block Size, Launch Size, Compression Algorithm, and Block Size. b. Files: Shows the files the application copied, modified, or created and where those files reside. c.
Virtual Registry: Displays every registry setting that was created or modified. You can view and change the settings, and manually create and delete new keys and values.
d. Virtual File System: Displays the hierarchical directory of the files that comprise the package in common system folders. e. Virtual Services: Displays information about any Windows NT services that were detected and that are included as part of the sequence. f.
OSD: Displays a hierarchical representation of the .xml descriptor file contents. You can modify the values to suit the application. By clicking the CODEBASE key in the left pane, the right pane displays the connection details.
38. Click File | Save, go to the folder AdobeAcrobatReader8 that you created on the desktop and save your work as acrd8.sprj. The files produced by SoftGrid Sequencer (.ico, .osd, .sft, and .sprj) must be in the shared "content" directory on the System Center Virtual Application Server (the default location is C:\Program Files\Microsoft\SoftGrid Server\content). 39. Copy the folder AdobeAcrobatReader8 to the "content" share on the application server. 40. Add the new application to SoftGrid Management Console, following the instructions provided with the presequenced application. 41. On the SoftGrid client, trigger a refresh of the virtual application and then launch the new sequence of Adobe Acrobat Reader 8. If needed, follow the instructions in the section "Testing the Default Application" earlier in this guide.
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Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
Sequencing the Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for Internet Explorer This section walks you through a creating a virtual environment for Windows® Internet Explorer® with the Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) included. The Sun Java Console will not appear when a local copy of Internet Explorer is started; but only within the virtual copy. Note that Internet Explorer is part of the operating system, and therefore we will point to the local Internet Explorer executable file on each SoftGrid client, and apply the changes within the virtual environment on top of the local environment. 1. Download
the
Windows
XP/Vista/200/2003
Offline
Java
installer
from
http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp. 2. Copy the Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installer to a temporary directory on the sequencer computer. 3. Create a directory on the sequencer desktop called IEwithJava. You will save the output of the sequencer to this directory. 4. Click Start | All Programs | Softricity | SoftGrid Sequencer to open SoftGrid Sequencer. 5. Click File | New Package.... 6. When asked if you would like assistance, click Yes. The Package Configuration Wizard displays. 7. On the Welcome page, click Next. 8. On the Package Information page, provide the following information: a. Suite Name: IE with Java. The suite name is a common label for all the applications in the software suite. For example, the suite Microsoft Office 2000 comprises Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, etc. b. Title: IE with Java. This is the name of the application you are sequencing. c.
Comments: Use this field to specify information such as the person who sequenced the application.
d. Server URL: The host name of the SoftGrid server (SGSERVER). The host name defaults to an environment variable (%SFT_SOFTGRIDSERVER%). To use the variable, you must have previously set the variable on the SoftGrid client to the host name of the SoftGrid server. e. Path: IEwithJava. 9. Click Next. 10. On the Operating Systems page, click the operating systems on which you intend this package to run and use the right arrow to move the selected items to the right pane. 11. Click Finish. 12. On the Welcome to the Installation Wizard page, click Next. 13. On the Sequencing Parameters page, click Next. 14. On the Monitor Installation page, click Begin Monitoring.... This action minimizes the sequencer so you can start the application installation process. Page | 31
Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
Note Open instances of Windows Explorer and command prompts will not be monitored. In the following steps you can install the application using Windows Explorer. 15. In a new instance of Windows Explorer, go to the Q drive and create a new folder called IEjava.001. 16. Open the Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installer. 17. Select the Show advanced options panel check box, and then click Accept. 18. Click the Change button, type Q:\IEjava.001\Java\jre1.6.0_02\ for the installation directory, and then click OK.
Figure 21. Sun Java custom installation page 19. Click Next to complete the installation. 20. Restore the minimized SoftGrid Sequencer. 21. Click Stop Monitoring. 22. In the Browse For Folder dialog box, click the Q:\IEjava.001\ installation folder you specified in the setup wizard (note shorter path), and then click OK. 23. SoftGrid Sequencer will scan the computer for file and registry changes. Click Next to continue. For applications using Windows Installer, include the current version of installer file libraries to eliminate version conflicts on client computers. 24. On the Additional Files to Map to the VFS page, click Finish. 25. On the Welcome to the Application Wizard page, click Next. The Application Wizard detects and lists shortcuts created by the application installer. SoftGrid Sequencer creates an .osd and .ico file for each shortcut. Using the Select Shortcuts page, you can edit, remove, or add shortcuts. Page | 32
Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
26. In the console tree, click Applications, and then click Add. 27. Fill in the following information (Figure 22): a. Application Path: “C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE” b. Name: IE with Java c.
Version: 1.0
d. OSD File Name: IEwithJava.osd
Figure 22. Shortcut settings for Internet Explorer 28. Click Add. 29. In the details pane, click Java(TM) 2 Platform Standard Edition binary, click Remove, and then click OK. 30. In the details pane, click Java(TM) Web Start Launcher, click Remove, and then click OK. 31. Click Next. Using the Launch Shortcuts page you can start the applications associated with the shortcuts created. This will determine Feature Block 1 (FB1), which contains the portion of the application required to start the application on the SoftGrid client. 32. Click IE with Java, and then click Launch. 33. Press the ALT key to display the menu bar, and click Tools | Sun Java Console so the sequencer can properly populate FB1. 34. In the Java console click Close, and then close Internet Explorer. (You might need to click Stop, and then click Terminate.) 35. Click Next. 36. When the sequencer is finished, click Finish.
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Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
37. Click File | Save and save your work as IEwthJava.sprj in the IEwithJava folder on the desktop. The files produced by SoftGrid Sequencer (.ico, .osd, .sft, and .sprj) must be located in the shared "content" directory on the System Center Virtual Application Server (the default location is C:\Program Files\Microsoft\SoftGrid Server\content). 38. Copy the folder IEwithJava to the "content" directory on the application server. 39. Add the new application to SoftGrid Management Console, following instructions provided with the presequenced application. Use ―IEwithJava" as the Active Directory group. 40. On the SoftGrid client, refresh of the virtual application and then start the new sequence. If needed, follow the instructions in the section "Testing the Default Application" earlier in this guide.
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Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
Troubleshooting This section addresses some of the most common pitfalls that you might encounter when you install, configure, and test the SoftGrid platform. If you need additional help, search either the Microsoft Knowledge Base or the SoftGrid TechCenter.
Common Errors on SoftGrid Client The following sections list the most common errors encountered with SoftGrid Client and the most common solutions to those errors.
When you attempt to refresh the server you get an error that says, "The SoftGrid Client failed to download..." and "The server could not authorize you to access the requested data..."
The application shortcut is not on the SoftGrid Client desktop.
The application did not stream to SoftGrid Client. If the application fails to stream you see the "Launch Failed" error message above the notification area.
Possible Causes
The user account used to log on to the SoftGrid client is not a member of the SoftGrid Users Group or is not a domain user account.
The .sft, .ico, and/or .osd files are not in the SoftGrid Server ―content‖ folder. Copy these file to C:\Program Files\Microsoft\SoftGrid Server\content.
Mistyped .osd and .ico paths in the application record in SoftGrid Management Console.
The SoftGrid client cannot access the ―content‖ directory on the SoftGrid server.
The SoftGrid client cannot access the SoftGrid server. Check network settings and cabling.
―Content: folder on the SoftGrid server is not set to share or to be shared with everyone who has read access.
The SoftGrid client is not a member of the domain.
The user lacks necessary permissions to access the application. Reread and follow the procedure regarding importing .osd files, paying close attention to setting the access group.
The operating system of the SoftGrid client computer is not listed in the .osd file of the application.
If none of the above appears to be the cause of the problem, check SoftGrid Client log Sftlog.txt in C:\Program Files\Microsoft\ SoftGrid for Windows Desktop for errors.
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Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Trial Guide
Accessing the Microsoft Support Knowledge Base To access the Microsoft Support knowledge base and search for answers to the most frequently asked questions, go to Microsoft Support.
Contacting Microsoft Training To register for training courses, to obtain course descriptions, and to get information about Microsoft certifications, go to Microsoft Training & Events.
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