Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization 8.0 User Manual

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User Guide

ZENworks Application Virtualization

novdocx (en) 7 January 2010

AUTHORIZED DOCUMENTATION

8.0

April 12, 2010

ZENworks Application Virtualization User Guide

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2

Overview

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Thank you for using Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization!

This guide explains how to use Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization to create your own virtual applications

2.1

Overview

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This product will allow you to convert your Windows, .NET, Java, Flash, Shockwave, or other Windows­compatible application into a self-contained virtual application which runs instantly on end-user devices. Unlike
traditional deployment methods, virtual applications do not require separate setup steps for external components
and runtimes, reboots, or administrative privileges, and are isolated from other system applications, preventing
DLL conflicts and other deployment nightmares.

and begin enjoying the benefits of this superior next-generation deployment technology.

A

virtual application is a virtual machine image pre-configured with all of the files, registry data, settings,

2.2

What is a virtual application?

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components, runtimes, and other dependencies required for a specific application to execute immediately. Virtual
applications allow application publishers and IT administrators to significantly reduce the costs and complexity
associated with development, setup, configuration, deployment, and maintenance of software applications.

For example, a publisher of an application based on the Microsoft .NET Framework or Java runtime engine might
create a virtual application combining the application with the required runtime engine. Using this virtual
application, an end-user can run the application immediately, even if the user has not installed the required
runtime engine, or has an incompatible runtime engine installed. Note that this has both improved the user
experience and reduced test and support complexity associated with deploying the application.

Furthermore, because virtual applications are isolated execution environments, it is possible to concurrently
execute multiple applications which would otherwise interfere with one another. For example, applications which
overwrite system DLLs or require different runtime engine versions can all run simultaneously on a single host
device. As an additional advantage, virtual applications can provide access to internal virtualized copies of
privileged system resources, allowing unprivileged users to directly execute many applications without security
exceptions or irritating Vista UAC prompts.

Unlike other virtualization systems, ZENworks virtual application technology:

 Does not require any "player" software or separate installation: ZENworks virtual applications are executable

files that run immediately on the end-user machine, just like a native executable.

 Do not incur significant processing or filesystem overhead: ZENworks application virtualization technology

allows applications to run with essentially the same performance characteristics as when executed natively.

 Does not require any operating system to be installed onto the virtual application: ZENworks virtual

applications provide all required virtualized OS functionality within the internal virtual environment.

Use your new ZENworks virtual application to:

2.3

ZENworks virtual application usage scenarios

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 Deploy your application in a single executable that runs immediately: Improve the user download

and startup experience by packaging all application files, registry settings, runtimes, and components into a
single executable that runs immediately.

 Run Java and .NET without separate runtime installations: Your Java and/or .NET-based

application runs immediately, just like a native executable, with no separate installation steps or runtime
versioning conflicts. Execute multiple runtime versions concurrently with no conflicts.

 Improve desktop security: Execute your applications without granting administrative permissions to

end-users. Stabilize desktop images by deploying applications in sandboxed ZENworks virtual applications.

 Eliminate third-party setup dependencies: Integrate third-party components, COM/VB controls, and

content viewers such as Acrobat, Flash, and Shockwave, directly into your application.

 Eliminate Vista UAC prompts and compatibility: Deploying in a ZENworks virtual

application eliminates requirements for access to privileged system resources, relieving users of annoying
Vista UAC prompts.

 Leverage Terminal Services and Citrix investments: By isolating applications from global resource

areas, ZENworks virtual application technology allows non-compliant applications to function properly in
Terminal Server and Citrix environments.

 Deploy instantly on USB drives: Improve mobile worker productivity by placing your ZENworks virtual

application onto a USB flash-memory drive. Run your application immediately on remote PCs, with no
installation steps, administrative privileges or driver installations.

 Dramatically reduce test and support costs: At last, no more "DLL hell", "policy hell", versioning

and dependency conflicts, etc. Reduce test complexity and eliminate support requests associated with
dependency installation and inter-application resource conflicts.

No. Unlike some other virtualization solutions, application virtualization takes place entire in user-mode. No

2.4

Do ZENworks virtual applications require any device drivers?

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device drivers are installed or required.

Unlike hardware virtualization systems such as Microsoft Virtual PC and VMware, the application virtualization

Advantages of application virtualization over hardware virtualization include:

not necessary to purchase separate operating system licenses to use a ZENworks virtual application. hardware

mode software may require

You should carefully evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different virtualization approaches before

2.5

How is application virtualization different from hardware

virtualization?

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system works at the application level and virtualizes only those operating system features required for application
execution. This allows virtualized applications to operate extremely efficiently, with essentially the same
performance characteristics as native executables.

Extremely high performance: ZENworks virtual applications execute at essentially the same speed as applications
running natively against the host hardware, with only a small additional memory footprint. On the other hand,
applications running within hardware-virtualized environments experience significant slowdowns and impose a
large memory footprint because the virtual machine includes and virtualizes an entire host operating system.

 Dramatically reduced application size: ZENworks virtual applications only require a disk footprint

proportional to the size of the virtualized application, data, and included components. As a result, ZENworks
virtual applications are typically small enough to be conveniently and quickly downloaded by end­users. Because hardware virtualization requires inclusion of an entire host operating system image, including
many basic subsystems which will already present on the end-user device, hardware virtualization typically
requires gigabytes of storage per virtual machine.

 Ability to run dozens of virtualized applications: Because of its low-overhead characteristics, it is easily

possible to run dozens of concurrent ZENworks virtual environments per processor. Conversely, due to the
high overhead of hardware virtualization, it is generally possible only to run a very small number of hardware­virtualized environments per processor.

 Reduced licensing costs: Because ZENworks virtual applications do not contain a host operating system, it is

virtualization systems require a host operating system in order function, possibly imposing additional
licensing costs and restrictions.

However, hardware virtualization is appropriate in certain specialized scenarios:

 Non-Windows operating systems: ZENworks virtual applications execute only on the Windows operating

system. Hardware virtualization can execute any operating system compatible with the underlying virtualized
hardware, such as Linux.

 Kernel mode virtualization: The ZENworks application virtualization engine only virtualizes user-mode

operating system features, whereas hardware virtualization systems emulate the entire OS stack, including
kernel mode components. Applications requiring device drivers or other non-user­a hardware-virtualized environment to function properly.

deciding on a technology to adopt for your deployment scenario.

ZENworks Application Virtualization supports the following platforms for virtual application build, snapshotting,

based platforms.

2.6

What platforms are supported?

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and execution:

 Windows XP Professional

 Windows Embedded XP

 Windows 2000 Professional

 Windows 2000 Server

 Windows Server 2003 Standard and Enterprise editions

 Windows Vista Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions

 Windows Server 2008

ZENworks Application Virtualization supports these operating systems running within VMware and
Microsoft hardware virtualization and hypervisor environments.

ZENworks Application Virtualization also has limited support for the Windows Preinstallation
Environment (WinPE), though certain applications depending on operating system features unavailable in WinPE
may not function properly.

ZENworks Application Virtualization creates 32-bit executables, which can be run under 32-bit mode on x64-

application virtualization is related to application streaming systems such as Microsoft's SoftGrid in that

2.7

How is application virtualization different from application

streaming?

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virtualization takes place at the application level. However, unlike application streaming systems, application
virtualization:

 Does not require any specialized streaming servers: Streaming systems use specialized streaming servers to

deliver application blocks to clients. ZENworks virtual applications are designed to stream to clients using
standard SMB-based file shares, allowing them to be hosted on any Windows host, DFS share, or Linux
Samba server.

 Does not require any client installation or device drivers: Streaming systems require that specialized client

software be installed on each end-user device before clients can access hosted applications. Some streaming
systems further require installation of client device drivers before use. Because the ZENworks application
virtualization engine kernel is embedded and implemented entirely in user mode, ZENworks virtual
applications run immediately, with no client installation or device drivers.

 Works both offline and online: Many streaming systems require that clients be connected to the streaming

server to access applications. Because ZENworks virtual applications are standalone executables, virtual
applications can be copied to laptops, USB keys, and other mobile devices for execution both on and off the
network.

 Does not require any additional server systems: Most streaming solutions require that Active Directory or

other infrastructure services be deployed as a prerequisite to application deployment. Because ZENworks
virtual applications are standalone executables, no separate server systems need be purchased or deployed.
Note that ZENworks virtual applications can optionally be configured to take advantage of Active Directory
and SMS infrastructure, if these are present.

application virtualization can be used in concert with application streaming systems: Virtualized applications can
themselves be streamed, combining the network transport optimizations of the streaming solution with the
isolation, compatibility, and offline execution capabilities of application virtualization. This approach also allows
enterprises with a heterogeneous IT infrastructure to enjoy the advantages of application virtualization, even in
their non-Active Directory environments.

ZENworks Application Virtualization and the application virtualization engine supports most major Windows

Virtualization's user

2.8

What applications can be virtualized using ZENworks

Application Virtualization?

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desktop applications. In addition, the ZENworks Application Virtualization Compatibility Lab routinely tests and
validates popular applications for deployment using ZENworks Application Virtualization.

However, certain applications, by their nature, are unsuitable for virtualization using ZENworks Application

-mode virtualization technology. These include application features which contain or directly
depend on interaction with specialized kernel-mode device drivers or other kernel-mode extensions; operating
system components and extensions; anti-virus applications; and kernel event filtering, monitoring, and intrusion
detection applications.

ZENworks Application Virtualization applications are compatible with most major anti-virus, runtime, and
security packages currently available.

The ZENworks Application Virtualization authoring environment can be run on any of the supported client

A minimum screen resolution of 1024x768 is required to use the ZENworks Application Virtualization graphical

2.9

System requirements

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platforms.

The ZENworks Application Virtualization authoring environment requires a minimum of 512MB of memory. 1GB
of memory is recommended for optimal performance. More memory may be required to process unusually large
virtual application projects.

user interface.

3

Getting Started

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This section describes the system requirements for installing and running Novell ZENworks Application

Virtualization, gives an overview of the ZENworks Application Virtualization user interface, and walks you through

3.1

Getting Started

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the basic steps of creating a virtual application.

Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization requires the Windows XP, 2000 or higher operating system.

3.2

System requirements

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The ZENworks Application Virtualization graphical interface assumes a screen resolution of at least 800×600,
although a screen resolution of at least 1024×768 is highly recommended.

The ZENworks Application Virtualization control panel allows you to configure your virtual application filesystem

Important:

3.3

Control panel overview

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and registry, embed external runtimes and components, take snapshots of application, and create virtual
application executables. The primary interface consists of a ribbon bar and several panes grouped by functional
area.

The ribbon bar provides access to common ZENworks Application Virtualization features:

 The start menu button located in the circle on the top left of the window, allows virtual application

configurations to be opened, saved, and closed.

 The help bar provides access to the ZENworks Application Virtualization documentation and version

information.

 The Virtual Application ribbon provides access to the snapshot and build features, as well as output

configuration options such as the startup file, output directory, and diagnostic-mode selection.

 The Runtimes ribbon provides a selection of auto-configurable runtime engines which can be embedded

into your application with a single click. These include .NET Framework, Java, Flash, and Shockwave
runtimes.

The main panel consists of three functional groups, which are accessed by pressing an appropriate buttons along
the left of the interface:

 The Start panel displays the latest ZENworks Application Virtualization news, including updates, available

licenses, and usage suggestions.

 The Filesystem panel displays the application virtual filesystem, and allows adding and removing virtual

files and directories.

 The Registry panel displays the application virtual registry, and allows adding and removing virtual registry

keys and data values.

 The Settings panel allows configuration of virtual application metadata, startup image, and process

configuration options.

 The Components panel allows layering of external virtual application components, such as toolbars and

optional features.

 The Setup panel allows configuration of MSI setup package and shell integration options.

 The Licensing panel allows configuration of virtual application licensing modes and options.

You are responsible for assuring compliance with licensing for any third-party redistributable

components included using virtualization.

ZENworks Application Virtualization offers three ways to create and configure virtualized applications. The best

This method is most often used by developers virtualizing internally

3.4

Creating virtual applications

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method in a given scenario depends on the nature of the application to be virtualized.

 Use an application template: ZENworks Application Virtualization includes templates for popular

applications which can be built and customized using a guided, step-by-step process. This method is
recommended for first-time users of ZENworks Application Virtualization. (This method is not available in

ZENworks Application Virtualization ISV Edition.)

 Snapshot an application installation: Snapshotting captures system state before and after an

application is installed and automatically configures virtual application settings based on observed system
changes. This method is ideal for virtualizing off-the-shelf applications.

 Manually configure an application:

developed applications. Manual configuration requires a high degree of technical knowledge but allows
extremely fine-grained control over virtual application settings.

Note that all methods allow additional configuration and customization to be performed once the initial virtual
application configuration has been constructed.

(This section does not apply to ZENworks Application Virtualization ISV Edition.)

After completing the wizard, the virtual application configuration will remain loaded in the ZENworks Application

Virtualization interface. This allows the configuration settings generated by the wizard to be inspected and

3.5

Creating your first virtual application

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ZENworks Application Virtualization includes automated virtual application configuration wizards for certain
popular software applications. It is strongly recommended that first-time users begin by building one of
these auto-configurable virtual applications using the ZENworks Application Virtualization Configuration Wizard.

To build an auto-configured application:

1. Open the ZENworks Application Virtualization Configuration Wizard. The wizard is displayed on
program startup, or can be opened by pressing the Configuration Wizard button on the Virtual
Application ribbon bar.

2. Press the button labeled Build a virtual application from a template.

3. Select an application to virtualize from the Application dropdown. Some applications may require
download of additional configuration information or source application media.

4. Follow the wizard steps to construct the virtual application.

additional customization to be performed.

This section provides a walkthrough of manual configuration for a simple virtual application based on the

folder and

11.

3.6

Manually configuring a simple virtual application

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Windows Notepad application. In general, manual configuration should only be performed by experienced
software developers virtualizing internally developed software applications.

1. Click on the Filesystem button.

2. Click on the Application Directory folder.

3. Click on Add Files....

4. Navigate to to the System32 folder under your Windows installation directory and double-click on
notepad.exe. This adds the Windows Notepad executable to the virtual application.

5. (Windows Vista only) Click on Add Folder and set the new folder name to en-us. Navigate into the en-us

folder and click Add Files.... Navigate to the System32\en-us folder under your Windows installation

directory and double-click on notepad.exe.mui. This file is required by the version of Notepad which
shipped with Windows Vista.

6. Using Notepad or other text editor (on your machine, not the virtual application), create a file called hello.txt
containing the text "Hello world" and save it to the Desktop folder.

7. Click on Add Files... again, navigate to your Desktop folder and select the hello.txt file that you just
created. The display on the right should now show both notepad.exe and hello.txt.

8. If it is not already visible, click on the Virtual Application tab on the ribbon bar to display the virtual
application settings.

9. In the Startup File dropdown, select notepad.exe. The startup file indicates which executable or file will
be executed when the virtual application is started by the user.

Click on the Browse... button next to the Output Directory textbox. Navigate to your Desktop
press OK.

Press the Build button. ZENworks Application Virtualization will now display a status dialog while it builds
your virtual application.

To use your new Notepad virtual application, navigate to your desktop in a shell window and double-click on
Notepad.exe. The Notepad application starts.

But how do we know we are inside a virtual application? In the shell, delete the hello.txt file from the desktop.
Now, inside the Notepad window, click File / Open..., and navigate to the Desktop folder. Notice that the
hello.txt file is still present! This is because the Notepad virtual application is using the virtual filesystem, which
includes the hello.txt file that we added in step 6. You can open and view hello.txt exactly as if it were a real file
in the physical filesystem.

Congratulations on building your first virtual application!

Many components and runtime systems consist of large, complex sets of filesystem entries and registry settings.

Important:

Important:

based on Java runtime, press the

dropdown; if

3.7

Adding runtimes and components

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To simplify configuration of the most common components, ZENworks Application Virtualization contains a
collection of pre-configured component settings which can be added to your virtual application with a single click.

To add a runtime or component, click on the Runtimes tab on the ribbon bar. Then, click on the appropriate
runtime or component to select it for inclusion. Selected components are indicated with a highlighted button. To
remove a component, click on the button again. This toggles the component inclusion state.

For example, if your application is a .NET Framework 2.0 application, then selecting the .NET Framework 2.0
component will allow your executable to run on machines without the .NET Framework installed.

Depending on the size of the component, selecting a component for inclusion can significantly
increase the size of the resulting executable. Therefore, you should only select components which are required for
proper execution of your application.

You are responsible for assuring compliance with licensing for any third-party redistributable
components included in your virtualized application.

Configuring the Java runtime

ZENworks Application Virtualization provides specialized support for the Java runtime. If your application is

Sun Java Runtime button on the Runtimes ribbon bar. This displays the

Java configuration menu.

Select the appropriate version of the Java runtime from the Java runtime version dropdown. If you are
deploying your application as a set of .class files, then select the Class option from the Startup type
you are deploying within a .jar file, select the Jar option. Enter the startup class name or Jar name in the
appropriate textbox, along with any additional Java runtime options.

Once you have configured your virtual application, you will likely want to save the configuration for future use or

Important:

3.8

Loading and saving configurations

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modification.

To save a configuration, click on the start button menu and select Save Configuration As.... Select a filename

and location and click Save. This saves the virtual application configuration file. By default, configuration files
use the extension .xappl.

Configuration files do not store the contents of virtual filesystem files. The configuration file
specifies only the source path for each virtual filesystem entry. The source file must exist at build time or the
virtual application will not build successfully.

ZENworks Application Virtualization automatically stores source file locations as paths relative to the location of
the saved .xappl file.

4

Configuring Virtual Applications

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Virtualization allows application deployment to be dramatically simplified by allowing files, registry settings,

components, and other application dependencies to be directly embedded into the application executable. Use of

4.1

Configuring virtual applications

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application virtualization reduces setup complexity, prevents DLL collisions, and allows applications to simulate
the use of privileged disk and registry resources without requiring administrative privileges on the host machine.

This section describes snapshotting and configuration of virtual applications for use in the ZENworks virtual
machine environment.

Most commercial applications require complex combinations of filesystem and registry entries in order to function

properly. In order to facilitate virtualization of these applications, ZENworks Application Virtualization can

(Optional) We recommend you save the "before" snapshot before continuing. This allows you to skip this step

Application Virtualization allows you to save the "before" snapshot image so that the snapshot does not need to be

Application

4.2

Snapshotting applications

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snapshot application installations and automatically configure itself based on modifications made to the host
system during application setup.

Snapshotting

Snapshotting uses "before and after" images of the host machine to determine the virtual application
configuration:

1. Prior to installing the application, a "before" snapshot is taken. This captures the state of the host device
without the target application installed.

2. After installing the application, an "after" snapshot is taken. This captures all changes to the host device
during application installation. ZENworks Application Virtualization then computes the changes, or delta,
between the before and after snapshots, and inserts these changes into the configuration.

To use the snapshot feature:

1. Prepare the host device by either removing the target application and all dependencies, or copying ZENworks
Application Virtualization onto a "clean" machine.

2. Click on the Virtual Application tab on the ribbon bar and click Capture Before. This captures the
"before" snapshot image. Snapshotting iterates through the filesystem and registry, and therefore may take
several minutes to complete.

3.
when snapshotting subsequent applications from the same clean machine image. To save the snapshot, click
on the down arrow underneath the Capture Before button and select Save Snapshot. Note that, while
ZENworks Application Virtualization automatically saves the last "before" snapshot that was captured, this
snapshot is reset once the Capture and Diff process is complete.

4. Install your application along with other files or settings you wish to be included in the virtual application. If
the application setup requests a reboot, be sure to save the "before" snapshot and then proceed with
the reboot.

5. On the Virtual Application tab on the ribbon bar, click Capture and Diff. This captures the "after"
snapshot, computes the delta between the two snapshots, and populates the virtual application with the delta
entries.

6. (Optional) Review the filesystem and registry entries, and remove any files or settings which are not required
for proper execution of your virtual application. Removing unused entries reduces virtual application size.
However, accidental removal of a required resource may cause your virtual application to no longer function
properly.

Saving snapshots

In many cases, the desired "before" snapshot remains fixed while many "after" snapshots are taken. ZENworks

re-captured each time. Because snapshotting may take several minutes, this significantly reduces the time
required to build virtual applications in this scenario.

To save the "before" snapshot, click on the down arrow underneath the Capture Before button on the Virtual

ribbon bar and select Save Snapshot. Select an appropriate filename and location and press
Save. Similarly, to load a saved snapshot, select the Load Snapshot menu item and navigate to the saved
snapshot file.

To clear the current "before" snapshot image, select the Clear Snapshot menu item.

Best practices for snapshotting

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The following practices are recommended for optimal use of the snapshotting feature:

 Perform snapshotting on a clean machine: Snapshotting on a clean machine assures that all dependencies

will be installed by the application setup. Installing on a machine with existing components may cause
dependencies to be inadvertently included in the "before" snapshot and therefore excluded from the final
virtual application output.

 Save your "before" snapshot: Saving the snapshot assures that you need only take the "before" snapshot a

single time.

 Use snapshotting in conjunction with whole-machine virtualization: Configuring a clean machine using a

whole-machine virtualization tool such as Microsoft Virtual PC and saving a "before" snapshot based on this
image allows many distinct virtual applications to be snapshotted in rapid succession by reverting the whole­machine virtual state.

 Cleanup your image: While ZENworks Application Virtualization automatically excludes many unnecessary

files and registry keys, snapshotting often picks up many unnecessary items. If you have adequate technical
understanding to do so, you may significantly reduce virtual application size by manually removing
unnecessary items from the snapshot delta.

 Snapshot on the earliest operating system variant you expect to target: Most applications can be successfully

configured by snapshotting on the earliest (least common denominator) base operating system to be
targetted. A small number of applications may require multi-platform snapshotting for successful
deployment across all operating system variants.

The virtual filesystem may contain a large number of executable files (such as .exe, .cmd, and .java) and viewable

Important:

4.3

Specifying a startup file

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file formats (such as .html and .swf). However, your virtual application is consolidated into a single executable. It
is therefore necessary for the virtual application designer to indicate a startup file, which is the executable or
viewable file which is opened when the user executes the virtual application.

To select the startup file, click on the Virtual Application tab on the ribbon bar. Then, click on the Startup
File dropdown list. This displays a list of all files in the virtual filesystem. Select the file to be used as the startup
file. Or, navigate to the desired startup file in the virtual filesystem display, right-click the file, and select Set as
Startup File.

Files located on the host device (outside of the virtual filesystem) may also be used as startup files. To select a file
on the host device as the startup file, enter the full path to the desired startup file in the Startup File text box.
Remember to use well-known root folder variables such as @WINDIR@ and @PROGRAMFILES@ as the root
of the full path to ensure that the startup file can be properly located on all base operating systems.

While any file can be selected as the startup file, you should only select a file which is executable or

viewable. Selecting a file which cannot be opened will cause an error when the virtual application is started.

In some situations, a virtual application may want to expose multiple startup files. For example, if one is

line argument to the virtual application executable. For example,

Application

Important:

4.4

Specifying multiple startup files (Jukeboxing)

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virtualizing an office productivity suite, one may want to launch either the word processor, spreadsheet, or
presentation component of the suite, while still deploying a single executable file.

ZENworks Application Virtualization enables this scenario by allowing multiple entry points into the virtual
application to be triggered based on a command­in the office suite scenario described above, one might use the command line office word to trigger the word
processor and office spreadsheet to trigger the spreadsheet.

To specify multiple startup files, click the Multiple button next to the Startup File textbox on the Virtual

ribbon bar. This displays the Startup Files selection dialog. To add a new startup file:

1. Click on the File column on the first empty row in the startup file list and select the desired file from the
dropdown list. Files located on the host device (outside of the virtual filesystem) may also be used as startup
files. To select a file on the host device as the startup file, enter the full path to the desired startup file in the
Startup File text box.

2. Enter the desired command line arguments, if any, in the Command Line column.

3. Enter the desired command line trigger in the Trigger column. For example, in the command line office
word, the trigger would be word.

4. Check the Auto Start checkbox if you want the startup file always to be automatically launched on virtual
application startup.

When specifying a startup file located outside of the virtual filesystem, remember to use well-known
root folder variables such as @WINDIR@ and @PROGRAMFILES@ as the root of the full path to ensure that
the startup file can be properly located on all base operating systems.

Tip: The Auto Start flag can be specified for multiple startup files to automatically launch multiple applications
that are typically used together in a single session (also known as "shotgunning").

ZENworks Application Virtualization allows you to embed a virtual filesystem into your executable. Embedded

application executable, shared DLLs embedded in the virtual filesystem will not interfere with or be overwritten by

Virtualization window. Then, using the view on the right, add the files and folders you wish to embed in the

Virtualization Semantics

4.5

Editing the virtual filesystem

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files are accessible by your ZAV-processed application as if they were present in the real filesystem. Unlike actual
files on the host device, virtual files are not visible from and do not require changes to the host device. In
particular, the use of virtual files does not require any security privileges on the host device, even if the virtual files
reside in a privileged directory such as the Windows directory. Also, because virtual files are embedded in the

other applications on the host device.

To add virtual files, click on the Filesystem button located on the left side of the ZENworks Application

application executable. The Application Directory root folder represents the folder containing the virtual
application binary on the executing device; the other root folders represent the corresponding folders on the host
device.

In the event of a collision between a file in the virtual filesystem and a file physically present on the host device,
the file in the virtual filesystem takes precedence.

Folders may be virtualized in Full, Merge, or Write Copy mode:

 If a folder is virtualized in Full mode, only files in the virtual filesystem will be visible to the application, even

if a corresponding directory exists on the host device, and writes are redirected to the sandbox data area. Full
mode is generally used when a complete level of virtual application isolation is desired.

 If a folder is virtualized in Merge mode, files present in a virtual folder will be merged with files in the

corresponding directory on the host machine, if such a directory exists. Writes to host files are passed
through to the host device and writes to virtual files are redirected into the sandbox data area. Merge mode
is generally used when some level of interaction with the host device is desired. For example, Merge mode
might be used to allow the virtualized application to write to the host device's My Documents folder.

 If a folder is virtualized in Write Copy mode, files present on the host device are visible to the virtual

environment, but any modifications to folder contents are redirected to the sandbox data area. Write Copy
mode is generally used when a virtual application needs to read from files already be present on the host
device but isolation of the host device is still desired.

To apply the isolation mode to all subfolders, right-click on the folder, choose Isolation, click on the checkbox
for Apply to subfolders, and click OK.

File Attributes

Files and folders may optionally be hidden from shell browse dialogs and other applications enumerating virtual
directory contents. This is often used to prevent internal components and data files from being displayed to the
user. To hide a file or folder, click on the checkbox in the Hidden column next to the desired file or folder.

Enabling the hidden flag only prevents a file or folder from being displayed in browse dialogs or from directory
enumeration APIs. It does not prevent the application, and therefore potentially the end-user, from accessing
the folder or file contents by direct binding.

Files and folders may optionally be flagged as read-only. This prevents the application from modifying the file or
folder contents. To make a file or folder read-only, click on the checkbox in the Read Only column next to the
desired file or folder.

Filesystem Compression

To reduce executable size, ZENworks Application Virtualization automatically compresses virtual filesystem
contents. This typically reduces virtual application payload size by approximately 50%. Filesystem compression

can be disabled by unselecting the Compress Payload option in the Process Configuration area of the

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Settings panel.

Disabling payload compression may significantly increase the size of the virtual application binary.

ZENworks Application Virtualization allows you to embed a virtual registry into your executable. Embedded

privileges on the host device, even if the virtual registry entries reside in a privileged section of the registry, such as

Virtualization window. Then, using the view on the right, add the registry keys and values you wish to embed in

Virtualization Semantics

Virtual Application Studio can import registry hive (.reg) files into the virtual registry. To import a .reg file, click

4.6

Editing the virtual registry

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registry keys are accessible by your ZAV-processed application as if they were present in the real registry. Unlike
data present in the registry on the host device, virtual registry keys and values are not visible from and do not
require changes to the host device. In particular, the use of a virtual registry does not require any security

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. Also, because virtual registry entries are embedded in the application executable,
other applications are unable to disrupt application execution by inadvertent modification of registry entries
required by the application.

To add virtual registry data, click on the Registry button located on the left side of the ZENworks Application

the application executable. When adding blob data, enter the values in hexadecimal format. The Classes root,
Current user root, Local machine, and Users root folders correspond to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT,
HKEY_CURRENT_USER, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, and HKEY_USERS keys on the host machine.

Registry string values may include well-known root folder variables such as @PROGRAMFILES@ and
@WINDIR@.

In the event of a collision between a key or value in the virtual filesystem and data present on the host device
registry, information in the virtual registry takes precedence.

Keys may be virtualized in Full or Merge mode:

 If a key is virtualized in Merge mode, then values present in a virtual key will be merged with values in the

corresponding key on the host machine, if such a key exists. Writes to host keys are passed through to the
host registry and writes to virtual keys are redirected to the user registry area.

 If a key is virtualized in Full mode, only values in the virtual registry will be visible to the application, even if

a corresponding key exists on the host device, and writes are redirected to the user registry area.

To apply the isolation mode to all subkeys, right-click on the key, choose Isolation, click on the checkbox for

Apply to subkeys, and click OK.

Importing Registry Hive Files

the Import button in the Registry panel and select the registry hive file to be imported.

In some scenarios, multiple virtual applications may share a common set of virtual machine configuration

Application Virtualization

4.7

Creating and using shared virtual components

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options. For example, multiple applications often share a common set of components or runtime engines; or,
system administrators may want to share a common set of configuration options (browser bookmarks, application
settings, etc) across a department or enterprise. ZENworks Application Virtualization makes it easy to create,
share, and consume virtual machine settings across multiple ZENworks virtual applications using ZENworks

XLayer-format virtual components.

Creating and using shared virtual components

4.7.1 To create a shared virtual component:

To create a shared virtual component, configure the virtual application settings exactly as in the case of a standard
virtual application (ie using snapshotting, manual configuration, etc). On the Settings pane, select Component
from the Project type dropdown. Then, press the Build button.

In Component mode, the build process results in creation of an XLayer file instead of an executable file. An
XLayer contains the virtual application settings and data payload. XLayer files are similar to virtual executable
outputs, except that XLayer files do not contain the ZENworks virtual machine runtime engine. Therefore, an

XLayer can only be used when combined as part of some other virtual application.

4.7.2 To use a shared virtual component:

To use an existing shared virtual component, click on the Components button to navigate to the project
components pane. If the component does not already appear in the components table, click Import
Components..., select the XLayer file you wish to load into your project, and click OK. The XLayer is then
loaded into your project and the layer metadata is displayed in the Components list. Select the checkbox next to
the desired component.

Project virtualization settings take precedence over virtualization settings in any loaded shared components.

To remove a shared virtual component from the project, select the component and click the Remove
Component button.

5

Virtual Application Customization

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This section describes advanced virtual application customization options, such as executable metadata, startup

5.1

Virtual application customization

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images, command-line arguments, and process startup options.

ZENworks Application Virtualization supports two project types:

output mode is used to submit components into the ZENworks Application Virtualization Component Gallery.

5.2

Selecting a project type

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 Application: A virtual application project produces an executable file output (.exe file) that can be run

directly from the operating system. Application output mode is appropriate for most users and is the default
selection.

 Component: A component project produces an XLayer output (.xlayer file). XLayer is a ZENworks

Application Virtualization file format encoding all virtual application configuration and content in a single
binary file. XLayers cannot be executed directly from the operating system. XLayers are used to exchange
virtual application and component data between multiple virtual applications. For example, component

To set the project type, press the Settings button and select the appropriate option from the Project type
dropdown.

Executable metadata provides external applications such as the Windows shell with information regarding the

5.3

Customizing executable metadata

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application's identity, publisher, version, preferred display icon, and description. Metadata may be viewed and
edited by clicking on the Properties tab of the Settings pane.

Standard metadata

Standard metadata includes information such as the product title, publisher, description, icon, web site URL, and
version. By default, ZENworks Application Virtualization will apply metadata inherited from the virtual
application startup file to the output virtual application executable. However, in some instances, it may be
desirable to override the metadata. To manually override executable metadata, uncheck the Inherit
properties option and enter the desired metadata in the appropriate fields in the Properties area. To revert to
the default inheritance behavior, recheck the Inherit properties option.

Custom metadata

In addition to standard Windows shell metadata, ZENworks Application Virtualization allows introduction of
custom metadata into the output executable. Custom metadata may be used by specialized external executable
viewer applications, inventory scanners, and other asset and licensing management systems.

To add or modify custom metadata, press the Custom Metadata... button. This displays the Custom
Metadata dialog. Enter the custom metadata property names and values into the dialog. Only string-type
custom metadata values are supported.

For information on programmatically reading custom executable metadata, please consult the Microsoft Windows
Software Development Kit.

ZENworks Application Virtualization allows you to specify a startup "splash" image to be displayed during virtual

Adding a startup image

displays the transparency key selection dialog. Select the color which represents transparent regions in the startup

5.4

Adding a startup image

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application startup. Startup images improve application branding and are especially useful if your application
requires several seconds to initialize.

To add a startup image, click on the Startup Image tab of the Settings pane, and then click the Select... button
next to the Image textbox. Navigate to a BMP-format image to use as the startup graphic, and click OK.

If you wish to remove the current startup image, click the Reset button.

Transparency keying

Transparency keying allows the startup image to contain transparent regions. Transparencies can improve the
visual effectiveness of your startup image.

To select the transparency key color, click the Select... button next to the Transparency key label. This

image and click OK.

Previewing the startup image

To preview the startup image, press the Preview button. Previewing is particularly useful to assure that the
transparency key has been set properly.

ZENworks Application Virtualization provides several options that control the startup of the primary and child

Working directory

Application type

Important:

By default, child processes are created within the virtual application. To force child processes to be created outside

5.5

Process configuration options

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processes.

Command line arguments

By default, command line arguments specified by the user upon virtual application execution are passed to the
virtual application startup executable. However, it is possible to override this behavior and specify a fixed set of
command line arguments to be passed to the startup executable. For example, one can use this option to specify
Java virtual machine behavior.

To specify an explicit command-line, click on the Settings button and enter the command-line arguments in the
Command line textbox. Note that these arguments override any arguments that might be specified by the end-
user.

The working directory setting determines the active directory at the time the virtual application process is
launched.

 The Use startup file directory option sets the working directory to the directory of the virtual application

startup file. In the case of a jukeboxed application, the working directory is set to the directory of the startup
file specified on the jukebox command line.

 The Use current directory option sets the working directory to the directory from which the virtual

application is launched.

 The Use specified path option allows an explicit working directory to be specified. The working directory

specification can include environment and well-known root folder variables.

By default, the working directory is set to the directory of the startup file.

Windows applications may execute in either the GUI- or console-mode subsystems. If you have selected an
executable startup file, ZENworks Application Virtualization will automatically configure the virtual application to
execute in the same subsystem as the startup file. However, if you have selected a non-executable startup file, it
may be necessary for you to manually override the application type. Most applications execute in the GUI
subsystem.

To override the application type, select the appropriate mode from the Application type dropdown in the
Process Startup Options section of the Settings panel. The Inherit mode sets the application type based on
the type of the startup file, if possible.

Child processes

Some applications spawn new child processes during the course of their execution. Depending on the virtual
application context, it may be preferable for such child processes to be created within the virtual application or
outside of the virtual application in the host operating system.

Child processes include processes spawned to service COM local server requests.

Child processes created outside of the virtual application will not have access to virtualized
filesystem or registry contents. However, these processes will be able to access or modify host operating system
contents, even if this would otherwise be forbidden by the virtual application configuration.

of the virtual application, uncheck the Spawn child process within virtualized environment option. COM
local servers can optionally be created within the virtual application context. To force COM local servers to be
created outside of the virtual application, uncheck the Spawn COM servers with virtualized environment

option.

virtualized environment

Child

Automatic sandbox reset

Window class isolation

Window class isolation prevents the virtualized application from viewing window classes that have been registered

by external processes. For example, this option may be used to prevent interaction between virtualized and non

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Exceptions to the child process virtualization behavior specified by the Spawn child process within

and Spawn COM servers within virtualized environment flags can be
enumerated in the child process exception list. Process names listed in the child process exception list behave
opposite to the master child process virtualization setting. To edit the child process exception list, press the

Process Exception List button. Process names may or may not include the process filename extension.

Environment variables

Some applications may depend on the presence of certain Windows environment variables in order to function
properly. ZENworks Application Virtualization allows virtualization of environment variables to support such
applications.

To add or modify virtual environment variables, press the Environment Variables... button. This displays the
Environment Variables dialog. Enter environment variable names and values into the environment variable
list.

Most virtual environment variables overwrite any environment variables defined in the host environment.
However, the special PATH and PATHEXT environment variables are always merged with the corresponding
host environment variables.

Environment variables are automatically captured and merged during the snapshotting delta process. Therefore,
it is generally unnecessary to manually configure environment variable settings.

The sandbox can optionally be configured to be reset automatically on application shutdown. For example, this
allows an application publisher to assure that any changes made to an application's settings are reverted when the
application closes.

To enable the automatic sandbox reset feature, select the Delete sandbox on application shutdown option.

Read-only virtual environments

In some scenarios, it may be desirable to prevent the user from making any modifications to the virtual
environment, including the virtual filesystem and registry. To block all modifications to the virtual environment,
select the Virtual environment is read-only option.

Startup executable optimization

The startup executable optimization option attempts to launch the startup executable within the initial virtual
machine process. This prevents the creation of a separate application process but may be incompatible with some
applications.

ZAV command-line arguments

ZENworks Application Virtualization supports command-line arguments of the form /x[arg] which modify
virtual application behavior at run-time. In rare instances, these arguments may collide with command-line
arguments designed for use by the virtualized application. To disable processing of these arguments, unselect the
Enable ZAV command-line arguments option.

-

virtualized versions of the same application when the application checks for existing class registrations.

Depending on the configured isolation settings, certain edit and write operations may be redirected by the

permissions, allowing sandbox contents to be accessed and modified by the end user without any authentication or

folder, where the

5.6

Configuring the sandbox location

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application virtualization engine into an application sandbox, a filesystem folder where isolated modifications are
persisted. Typically, the sandbox is located in a folder or network share where the user has full read and write

UAC prompts.

Sandbox placement considerations

Please note the following recommended practices when configuring the sandbox location:

 By default, the sandbox is placed in the

@APPDATALOCAL@\Zav\XSandbox\@TITLE@\@VERSION@\@BUILDTIME@
@APPDATALOCAL@ token represents the local Application Data folder, and @TITLE@,
@VERSION@, and @BUILDTIME@ represent the application title, version, and build time, respectively.

The application title and version are configured in the Properties area. This location is the recommended
default location for sandbox contents, as end users have full permissions to this location on standard
Windows configurations. Note that distinct builds of the same virtual application use distinct sandbox
locations by default; you may want to modify this behavior if persisted user settings should be preserved
between virtual application updates.

 When publishing new versions of a virtual application, direct the sandbox to the same location as the older

version if you want user settings and data to be retained in the new version. Direct the sandbox to a different
location (typically, by rolling the subdirectory version number forward) if you want user settings and data to
be reset.

 If deploying the virtual application on a USB device, place the sandbox in a subfolder of the @APPDIR@

directory, which represents the location of the virtual application executable. This will have the effect of
directing writes to the USB device. The recommended sandbox location for USB deployment is
@APPDIR@\Zav\XSandbox\@TITLE@\@VERSION@\@BUILDTIME@.

 If deploying the virtual application on an intranet file share, place the sandbox in a user-accessible subfolder

on a shared network drive. The recommended sandbox location for intranet deployment is

\\ServerName\ShareName\%USERNAME%
\Zav\XSandbox\@TITLE@\@VERSION@\@BUILDTIME@.

 Generally, you should not place the sandbox under any privileged folders, such as @WINDIR@ or

@PROGRAMFILES@. The virtual application may fail to execute properly if the ZENworks Application

Virtualization engine is unable to write to the sandbox location at runtime.

 Environment variables may be referenced within the sandbox location by enclosing the variable between

percent signs, ie %VARIABLE%.

Sandbox location variables

In addition to the standard root folder variables, the sandbox location can contain the following token variables.
These variables are based on the values specified in the Properties area of the Settings pane.

 @TITLE@: Product title

 @PUBLISHER@: Product publisher

 @VERSION@: Full version string, in dotted quad format

 @WEBSITE@: Publisher web site

 @BUILDTIME@: Virtual application build time, in a format similar to 2008.02.01T08.00.

Windows services are specialized applications that execute in the background and are typically responsible for

5.7

Virtual services

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providing system services such as database services, network traffic handling, web request processing, and other
server functionality. Many applications install and require specific services in order to function properly.

ZENworks Application Virtualization fully supports virtualization of Windows services. To view or modify virtual
service settings, press the Virtual Services... button. This displays the Virtual Services dialog.

 The Name field specifies the internal name of the virtual service. For example, the Windows web server

would use the name w3svc.

 The Friendly Name field specifies the full display name of the service displayed to end users. For example,

the Windows web server friendly name is World Wide Web Publishing Service.

 The Command Line field specifies the full command line (including the service executable name and any

parameters) used to launch the service.

 The Auto Start flag indicates whether a virtual service automatically starts during virtual application

startup, or whether the service must be launched manually or by the virtualized service control manager.

 The Keep Alive flag indicates whether the virtual service process is automatically terminated when the

primary application executable terminates, or whether the service (and, therefore, the host virtual application
executable) continues to run until the service terminates itself.

Service installation and settings are automatically captured during the snapshotting process. Therefore, it is
generally unnecessary to manually configure virtual service settings. The primary exception is the case of
virtualized applications intended to run as background worker services (for example, virtualized web servers); in
this case, it is often required to explicitly enable the Keep Alive option.

Due to its integration with certain shell features, specialized virtual machine support is required to properly

Important:

5.8

Internet Explorer 6 emulation mode

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virtualize Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 web browser. The application virtualization engine provides emulation
of such shell functionality via a special Internet Explorer 6 emulation mode. This mode must be enabled when
virtualizing the Internet Explorer 6 web browser for use on the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system and
later operating systems.

To enable Internet Explorer 6 emulation mode, check the Enable Internet Explorer 6 emulation mode
checkbox on the Settings pane.

Due to the complexity of properly configuring Internet Explorer 6 virtualization settings, it is
strongly recommended that the ZENworks Application Virtualization Configuration Wizard be used to configure
Internet Explorer 6 virtual applications. The Internet Explorer 6 virtual application wizard can be started by
selecting the Build an auto-configured virtual application option from the wizard start page and then
selecting Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 from the Application dropdown.

Sandbox merge allows sandbox content and settings generated during virtual application execution to be applied

5.9

Sandbox merge

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to a ZENworks Application Virtualization configuration. Sandbox merge is an alternative to manual registry or
filesystem configuration, and is particularly useful for applying additional customizations to existing virtual
application configurations or configurations generated from a virtual application template.

To merge an existing sandbox into the active configuration:

1. Click the Sandbox Merge button in the Tools section of the Virtual Application toolbar.

2. Enter the path of the sandbox to be merged into the current configuration.

3. Press OK.

For example, to customize the home page of the Firefox virtual application template:

1. Use the Configuration Wizard to create a Firefox virtual application. (The wizard allows customization of the
home page, but we will later use the sandbox merge feature to override the setting specified in the wizard.)

2. Press Build and Run to launch the virtualized Firefox application.

3. Using the Firefox interface, specify a new browser home page.

4. Exit the Firefox virtual application.

5. Press Sandbox Merge to display the sandbox merge dialog. The sandbox path will be pre-populated with
the location of the Firefox virtual sandbox.

6. Press OK.

7. The virtual application settings are updated with the configuration changes made during Firefox execution,
including the updated browser home page.

6

Building MSI Setup Packages

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ZENworks Application Virtualization includes the ability to generate Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) setup

6.1

Building MSI setup packages

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packages to facilitate deployment of virtualized applications. In addition to deploying the virtual application
executable file to the host filesystem, ZENworks Application Virtualization-generated MSI packages also allow
creation of desktop and Start Menu shortcuts, creation of shell file extension associations to virtualized
applications, and Control Panel uninstallers for application cleanup.

This section describes configuration and build processes for MSI setup packages.

This section describes global MSI package configuration options. These options are located on the MSI root tree

Important:

Product

Important:

Applications may be installed either for the current user or for all users of the target device. To install the

Important:

Important:

option enabled causes

6.2

Configuring package information

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node of the Setup settings pane.

Setting the MSI package location

The MSI package generated by ZENworks Application Virtualization will be written to the file specified in the
Output Location textbox. This textbox should contain the fully qualified name of the desired output file,
including the output path and MSI file name.

By default, MSI packages are not automatically generated or updated when the virtual application is rebuilt. To
automatically update MSI packages after the virtual application is rebuilt, enable the Automatically generate
MSI after successful application build option.

Note that regenerating MSIs may significantly increase the time required to complete the build process.
Therefore, it is recommended that this option be disabled during the virtual application development process.

It is also possible to manually force the MSI package to be regenerated. To manually build the MSI package, press
the Build MSI button.

You must build the virtual application executable before the MSI package may be generated. The

Build MSI button will be disabled if the virtual application executable has not yet been built.

Specifying package metadata

MSI setup packages contain a package manifest describing the product's name, version (can only be numbers and
periods), and manufacturer. To configure the MSI package metadata, enter the appropriate values in the
Info area.

The metadata published on the MSI package is distinct from the metadata published on the virtual

application executable itself. To modify executable shell metadata, specify the appropriate metadata on the

Settings pane.

Installation parameters

The Installation parameters area allows installation options such as install location and permissions
parameters to be configured.

application for all users, enable the Install applications for All Users option.

Installing applications for all users requires privileged access to the host device. Do not enable this

option if the MSI package is designed for use by end users with standard user permissions.

The Application Folder specifies the location where the application executable will be installed. This usually
has the form [Publisher Name]\[Application Name].

In the event that a user runs the setup package on a device which already has a version of the application installed,
the MSI package may designed to update the existing application version or side-by-side install with the existing
application version. To automatically update existing versions, select the Automatically upgrade earlier

application versions option; to use side-by-side installation, select the Allow side-by-side versions of the
same application option.

Building with the Allow side-by-side versions of the same application
a new setup package GUID to be generated. Once a build is completed with this option enabled, previous
installations will no longer be upgraded in place, even if you revert to Automatically upgrade earlier

application versions mode.

Extended properties

MSI setup packages may also contain extended metadata, such as keywords, product author, product description,

and publisher URL. To configure MSI package extended properties, click on the Extended Properties

tree node

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in the MSI pane and enter the desired values.

Desktop and Start Menu shortcuts allow the end user to launch the application directly from the Windows shell.

6.3

Creating desktop and Start Menu shortcuts

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To add a desktop shortcut, click on the Desktop node under the Shortcuts node in the MSI tree view. This
displays the desktop shortcut list. To add a shortcut, click the Add Shortcut button and select the desired
shortcut name, target, and options. The Target dropdown is populated with the startup file list, allowing
shortcuts to be quickly connected to jukebox entry points.

To install additional folders and subfolders on the desktop, click the Add Folder button and specify the folder
name.

The same procedure is used to add shortcuts and folders to the Programs section of the Windows Start bar,
except that start bar items are configured under the Programs Menu of the Shortcuts node in the MSI tree
view. Note that Start Menu items are installed either to the current user's Start Menu or All User's start menu
depending on the Install application for All Users setting in the MSI installation parameters section.

File associations allow the appropriate viewer or editor application for a given file type to be automatically

6.4

Creating file associations

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launched when the user double-clicks on a document in the Windows shell. For example, the .doc file extension
might automatically launch a virtualized word processing application.

To create a file association:

1. Click on the ProgIds node and click Add ProgId.

2. Enter a ProgId and Description in the Create ProgId dialog. File associations naming generally follows
the convention [Company Name].[Application Name].[Version].

3. In the new ProgId, click Add Extension and enter an Extension and an optional MIME Type.

4. In the new file extension, click Add Verb and enter a Verb, Command, and choose the Inherit behavior
and Default. Some common verbs are open, edit, print, and view. The Verb that is entered will be the text
that is displayed when the user right-clicks on the file. When Inherit is checked, the behavior of the Verb
will be controlled by the setup information in the virtual environment. When Inherit is unchecked, a Target
Startup File and Arguments will need to be entered manually. The Arguments field should contain "%1"
which is the full path to the file. When Default is checked, the Verb will be automatically executed when the
file is double-clicked.

File association properties may be modified or deleted by selecting the appropriate ProgId in the Setup tree view
and modifying the settings as appropriate.

7

Deploying Virtual Applications

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This section explains how to use the XReg deployment tool via the Windows shell or command-line script

After virtualizing an application with ZENworks Application Virtualization, it is often desirable to make the

7.1

Registering virtual applications in the Windows shell

AppSpec

An AppSpec is a path (relative or fully qualified) to a virtual executable or layer built with ZENworks

Application Virtualization

A SandboxSpec is the name or path of a virtual sandbox

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to register and manage virtual applications built using ZENworks Application Virtualization.

Introduction to the XReg registration tool

XReg is a tool that provides a simple command-line interface for deploying virtual applications and managing the
virtual desktop environment. Users and administrators can use XReg to register virtual applications for a single
user or, in the case of administrators, a group of users or devices. XReg can be used to deploy and manage virtual
applications and layers built using ZENworks Application Virtualization.

application Start Menu icons, shortcuts, and file associations available on the users' desktop. XReg allows you to
register virtual applications created with ZENworks Application Virtualization in the shell, creating all of the shell
associations that would generally be created during a standard install process. Unlike performing an installation,
however, registration and un-registration can be performed almost instantaneously.

XReg also provides the ability to create, reset, and remove application sandboxes, virtual environment "bubbles"
where the virtualized applications reside. Sandbox management provides fine-grained control over application
linking and intercommunication.

Registering virtual applications using XReg

XReg provides a simple command-line interface for managing the virtual desktop environment. This
sections describes basic XReg command-line syntax, including steps for registering, updating, and unregistering
virtual applications.

Command-line syntax

The following naming conventions are used in this section:

Parameter Description

SandboxSpec

Registering a virtual application

To register an application, use the command:

XReg.exe AppSpec

This command creates all Start Menu items, desktop shortcuts, and file associations associated with the virtual
application executable.

By default, registration will create a local cached copy of the virtual application executable and use the user's local
profile as the sandbox location.

The sandbox location specified during virtual application build is ignored when registering applications using
the XReg tool.

7.1.1 Advanced registration options

Command-line parameters can be used to control the caching behavior and sandbox where the virtual application
should be registered:

XReg.exe [Options] AppSpec[@SandboxSpec]

Options

flag will perform an update only if the cached and source

Application registration settings can be changed by re

Parameter Behavior

This parameter refers to the name and path to an existing sandbox. If this parameter is specified and a

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/nocache

The virtual application executable will not be copied to the client machine. All shortcuts and file
associations will point to the full path as given by AppSpec.

SandboxSpec

sandbox with that name exists, the application will be registered into that sandbox. For more
information on sandboxes, see the Sandbox management section in this document.

Updating a virtual application

To force an application executable to be updated, use the command:

XReg.exe /update AppSpec[@SandboxSpec]

Running the registration command without the /update
versions of the application are different.

Updating registration settings

-executing the registration command with the desired

options:

XReg.exe [Option] AppSpec[@SandboxSpec]

Parameter Behavior
/nocache Disable caching of the specified application (reverses the /cache setting)
/cache Enable caching of the specified application (reverses the /nocache setting)

Unregistering a virtual application

Unregistering a virtual application reverses the registration process, removing the virtual application, Start Menu
icons, shortcuts, and file associations.

To unregister a virtual application, use the following command:

XReg.exe /unregister AppSpec[@SandboxSpec]

It is also possible to unregister all applications with the single command:

XReg.exe /unregisterall

The XReg tool allows creation and management of one or more virtual environment sandboxes.

A

the user. This restores all applications registered to the sandbox to their default state. To reset a sandbox, use one

You can use XReg to move the sandbox location to a given path. To move a sandbox, use the following command:

7.2

Sandbox management

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sandbox contains all of a virtual application's isolated data and settings as determined by the virtual
application's isolation configuration settings. Applications registered to the same sandbox can view and modify
each others' virtualized data and settings.

By default, all applications are registered into a single default sandbox named Default. In some cases, it may be
desirable to group related applications into a sandbox that can be treated as a single management unit. For
example, when a sandbox is reset, all of the application content and data stored in that sandbox is purged and
reverted back to the default state.

Creating a sandbox

If no sandbox is specified during registration, the application will be registered to the default sandbox (Default).
To create an additional sandbox, use one of the following commands:

XReg.exe [Profile] /create SandboxName [SandboxPath]
XReg.exe [Profile] /c SandboxName [SandboxPath]

If no path is provided, a default path is created under the AppData folder under the specified profile.

Resetting a sandbox

Resetting a sandbox reverts all changes made to the sandbox, including any changes to data or settings made by

of the following commands:

XReg.exe [Profile] /reset [SandboxSpec]
XReg.exe [Profile] /r [SandboxSpec]

If a SandboxSpec is not supplied, the default sandbox is reset.

Deleting a sandbox

Deleting a sandbox removes all applications, data, and settings from the sandbox. To delete a sandbox, use one of
the following commands:

XReg.exe [Profile] /delete [SandboxSpec]
XReg.exe [Profile] /d [SandboxSpec]

If a SandboxSpec is not supplied, the default sandbox will be reset (the default sandbox cannot be deleted). Any
applications registered to the deleted sandbox will be moved to the default sandbox.

Moving a sandbox

XReg.exe [Profile] /move SandboxSpec SandboxPath

This section describes how an organization using Microsoft’

s Active Directory can leverage that infrastructure with

Active Directory

Active Directory allows the network administrator to manage users and groups within an organization. Many

Active Directory offers many ways to manage network services for an organization. Here we are going to look at

7.3

Deploying in Active Directory environments

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the XReg tool to deploy ZENworks virtual applications to their users.

organizations use Active Directory to manage their network services. By combining Active Directory with XReg,
administrators can deploy virtual applications easily and reliably to one or more users in their organization.

XReg

XReg is the tool for managing the virtual desktop environment for a given user by registering and unregistering
virtual applications. A typical XReg command to register an application such as Firefox would be:

\\VirtualAppServer\Tools\XReg.exe \\VitualAppServer\Apps\Firefox.exe

This represents the basic functionality of XReg which would copy the virtual application executable, create Start
Menu items and desktop shortcuts and setup file associations. For additional functionality dealing with
sandboxes, caching and automatic updates, refer to Deploying using ZENworks Application Virtualization
Virtual Desktop.

Using XReg with Active Directory

In an organization, it is generally more desirable to manage a group of users rather than one at a time. By
combining Active Directory with XReg you can manage the virtual environment for a user, group, or
Organizational Unit.

In order to manage virtual applications using Active Directory, the users must have access to a shared network
drive where the virtual application executable files exist. This can be specified by a full UNC path, or by using a
mapped network drive.

Linking an organizational unit (OU) to a group policy object (GPO)

how we can use an OU in combination with a GPO to manage the virtual application environment for a set of
users.

7.3.1 Organizational unit (OU)

In Active Directory, OUs are containers where you can place users, groups and other OUs. Using these containers
the administrator can create a structure that models the hierarchical or logical structures within the organization.
By setting up the OUs we can isolate the different groups of users that will receive their own set of virtual
applications. Some examples would be Accounting, Sales, Marketing, etc.

7.3.2 Group policy object (GPO)

GPOs are a way of applying a set of rules and features to a targeted set of users. Typically GPOs handle security,
application installation, logon/logoff scripts, Internet Explorer settings and more. A GPO generally gets applied
when a user logs on to a given domain and based on their profile various GPOs will be applied.

7.3.3 XReg and the GPO

For the purposes of virtual application deployment we can configure the GPO to run the necessary XReg
commands to register a given set of virtual applications. You can create and edit GPOs using the Group Policy
Object Editor. This comes as an add on to Microsoft’s Active Directory. The simplest way to deal with the
virtual application management is by creating a logon script that registers the virtual applications for a particular
group in the organization. You would do this under User Configuration > Windows Settings > Scripts in

the Group Policy Object Editor. You might add the following logon script for the accounting group:

After they are linked, any users that are put into that OU will have the linked GPOs applied when they logon. All of

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\\VirtualAppServer\Tools\XReg.exe \\VirtualAppServer\AllVirtualApps\Excel.exe
\\VirtualAppServer\Tools\XReg.exe \\VirtualAppServer\AllVirtualApps\Firefox.exe
\\VirtualAppServer\Tools\XReg.exe
\\VirtualAppServer\AllVirtualApps\AcrobatReader.exe

Whereas you might add the following for the graphic design group:

\\VirtualAppServer\Tools\XReg.exe
\\VirtualAppServer\AllVirtualApps\AdobeIllustrator.exe
\\VirtualAppServer\Tools\XReg.exe \\VirtualAppServer\AllVirtualApps\Firefox.exe
\\VirtualAppServer\Tools\XReg.exe
\\VirtualAppServer\AllVirtualApps\AcrobatReader.exe

7.3.4 Linking the GPO to the OU

Once you have set up the OU and the GPO, you simply have to link them through the Group Policy Object Editor.

their virtual applications will appear when they logon to any machine on the domain where the GPO applies.

Remember that even though we generally talk about registering virtual applications there are a lot of other
capabilities of XReg that can be applied in the GPO logon script, such as unregistering the applications or
registering the applications to a specific sandbox.

ZENworks Application Virtualization allows virtual applications and components to be deployed using legacy MSI

Virtual application and component shell integration settings are shared between MSI

7.4

Deploying virtual applications using MSI setup packages

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setup package technology.

Create MSI setup packages directly within ZENworks Application Virtualization

Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization can be used to create standalone MSI packages directly within the
ZENworks Application Virtualization environment. Generated MSI setup packages can include Start Menu items,
desktop shortcuts, file associations, and other custom shell integration behaviors.

Deployment using generated MSI packages is appropriate in situations where existing MSI package deployment
mechanisms are in place or for deploying applications with shell integration without the XReg Virtual Desktop
client tool.

- and Virtual Desktop-based

deployment, enabling easy migration between deployment models.

Deploy virtual applications into legacy MSI setup packages

ZENworks Application Virtualization also supports deployment of virtual application executables into legacy MSI
setup packages.

For additional information on MSI-based deployment, please consult the ZENworks Application Virtualization
User Guide.

Import legacy MSI setup packages

Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization also supports one-click import of legacy MSI setup packages into the
ZENworks Application Virtualization environment. Following import, the application can be customized and
deployed as a ZENworks Application Virtualization-based virtual application or XLayer.

This section describes how to deploy ZENworks virtual applications using Microsoft Windows 2008 Terminal

, enter in the

7.5

Deploying virtual applications using Microsoft TS RemoteApp

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Services RemoteApp server.

Terminal Services RemoteApp

Terminal Services RemoteApp is a server-side program that provides end-users remote access to applications on a
terminal server. Applications configured with TS RemoteApp appear as though they are running locally on the
user's machine. End-user's can run RemoteApps side-by-side with local programs or other RemoteApps.

Follow the steps below to utilize virtual applications created with ZENworks Application Virtualization with
Microsoft TS RemoteApp:

1. On the TS RemoteApp server, open the TS RemoteApp Manager and choose Add RemoteApp
Programs by right-clicking inside the RemoteApp Programs list or through the Action drop down
menu.

2. Click Next in the RemoteApp Wizard.

3. Click Browse and select the virtual application executable.

4. After the virtual application is added to the list, select it and click Properties.

5. If the virtual application has multiple Startup Files, configure the RemoteApp Program Name and
Alias. If this is not done the TS RemoteApp server will not distinguish between the separate applications in
the suite.

6. Still in the Properties window, select Always use the following command-line argument
Trigger for the Startup File that is to be executed, and click OK.

7. In the RemoteApp Programs list, right-click the program that you added and choose Create .rdp File.

8. There are no special requirements for the .rdp files.

9. If there are multiple Startup Files, repeat these steps for the other applications in the suite and deploy the
shortcuts on the host systems.

This section describes ZENworks Application Virtualization Startup and Bundle Publishing features. All options

Agent to be installed on the host device executing the virtual application. By default, virtual applications built

is the location on the host system where the bundle will

Additional options:

7.6

Deploying virtual applications to ZENworks Configuration

Management

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described in this section can be found in the ZENworks panel.

ZENworks Startup

ZENworks Application Virtualization can be configured to require the ZENworks Configuration Management

with ZENworks Application Virtualization do not require the ZENworks Configuration Management Agent.

To require the ZENworks Configuration Management Agent to be installed on the host system, select Require

ZENworks Configuration Management Agent to be installed on workstation executing the virtual
application from the ZENworks panel.

When virtual applications built with ZENworks Application Virtualization require the ZENworks Configuration
Management Agent to be installed, they can also be limited to only allow execution in a specific ZENworks
Configuration Management Zone.

To only allow execution in a specific ZENworks Configuration Management Zone, select Only allow devices
registered in specific zone to execute the application from the ZENworks panel. When prompted, enter
the ZENworks Server Address, click Connect, enter the appropriate Username and Password, and click

OK.

When specifying the ZENworks Server Address, it may be necessary to use the secure HTTP prefix
(https://) to connect to a secure ZENworks Configuration Management Server.

When specifying the ZENworks Server Address, it may be necessary to use a port number suffix (:81) if the
ZENworks Configuration Management Server has been configured to use a custom port number.

ZENworks Bundle Publishing

ZENworks Application Virtualization can publish virtual applications directly to a ZENworks Configuration
Management Zone Bundle.

To publish a virtual application directly to a ZENworks Configuration Management Zone Bundle,

1. Select MSI or Executable for the Project Type. The MSI or Executable will need to be built before
publication.

2. Click Select Zone under the ZENworks Bundle Publishing pane.

3. When prompted, enter the ZENworks Server Address and click Connect.

4. Log in to the ZENworks Server with the appropriate Username and Password and click OK.

5. Assign a Bundle Name.

6. Assign a Bundle Folder. The Bundle Folder is the location in the bundle hierarchy where the bundle will
be published.

7. Assign a Destination Path. The Destination Path
be installed and must be resolvable by the host system. This option will only be available if the Project Type
is Executable.

8. Click Publish Now to publish the bundle to the ZENworks Configuration Management Zone.

 To change the credentials used to publish the bundle, click the Change Credentials button and enter

the new credentials.

 To store the credentials in the .xappl configuration file, select Store Zone credentials in .xappl file.

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Using this option eliminates the credentials prompt when publishing the bundle. This is a potential
security risk as it will store the ZENworks credentials in the .xappl configuration file as plain text.

 To automatically publish the virtual application to a ZENworks bundle after a successful build, select

Automatically publish application as ZENworks bundle after successful build.

This section describes how to deploy virtual applications to USB storage devices using the Publish to USB

7.7

Deploying using the Publish to USB feature

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feature.

Publishing virtual applications to USB storage devices

The Publish to USB feature publishes virtual applications to USB storage devices. When the USB storage
device is attached to a host system, the virtual application automatically registers the Setup information to the
host shell environment. This information is automatically unregistered when the USB device is removed from
the host system.

Follow the steps below to deploy virtual applications on USB devices:

1. Open an existing virtual application configuration.

2. Attach a USB storage device to the host system.

3. Click Publish to USB, select the USB storage device, and click Publish.

4. After the virtual application is published to the USB storage device, click OK.

Using virtual applications from USB storage devices

Follow the steps below to virtual applications that are published to USB storage devices:

1. Attach the USB storage device to the host system.

2. (If prompted by AutoPlay, choose the XUsb.exe option. XUsb will then register the file associations and
shortcuts associated with the virtual application.)

3. Remove the USB storage device to unregister the virtual applications from the host system.

If AutoPlay is disabled on the host system, open the USB storage device's contents and manually run
XUsb.exe.

8

Advanced Topics

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This section describes ZENworks Application Virtualization interface customization options. All options described

in this section can be found under the Options menu item.

Automatically detect associated runtimes and components

8.1

Customizing the ZENworks Application Virtualization

interface

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Proxy settings...

ZENworks Application Virtualization uses the Internet to check for product updates and download update
packages. If your computer is located behind a firewall, it may be necessary for Internet access to take place
through a proxy server. By default, ZENworks Application Virtualization will use the default Internet settings
configured on the machine. In some circumstances, however, it may be necessary for you to manually configure
the proxy server settings.

To manually configure proxy settings, select the Proxy settings... option from the Options menu. Please
contact your network administrator if you need assistance configuring the proxy settings.

By default, ZENworks Application Virtualization will scan the virtual filesystem at build time and verify that the
current configuration includes all available runtimes and components associated with file types contained in the
virtual filesystem. This behavior is recommended to assure maximum virtual application reliability.

If you wish to disable this check, unselect the Automatically detect associated runtimes and components
option in the Options menu.

Play sound on build completion

By default, ZENworks Application Virtualization plays a short sound to notify the user of virtual application build
completion.

If you wish to disable this sound, unselect the Play sound on build completion option in the Options menu.

By default, ZENworks Application Virtualization uses a "quick" snapshotting algorithm that attempts to minimize

the amount of time spent scanning the host system device state during snapshotting. In very rare cases, use of this

be performed using the quick snapshot mode, as this is compatible with the vast majority of applications.

be consistent with the algorithm used during the saved snapshot capture.

8.2

Quick snapshot mode

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mode may result in an improperly configured virtual application. Use of quick snapshot mode may also slightly
increase the size of the virtual application configuration contents. It is strongly recommended that snapshotting

Disabling quick snapshot mode significantly increases the amount of time required to complete the virtual
application configuration process.

To disable quick snapshot mode, unselect the Quick snapshot mode item from the Options menu.

Note that "before" and "after" snapshots must be taken using the same snapshotting algorithm. Loading a saved
snapshot image causes ZENworks Application Virtualization to automatically configure the snapshotting mode to

The ZENworks Application Virtualization engine dynamically remaps well-known root folders such as My

The folder that serves as a common repository for the current user's document templates

8.3

Well

-

known root folder variables

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Documents and Program Files to the appropriate location based on the host operating system at runtime.
This assures, for example, that the virtualized My Documents folder will be mapped to

\User\Bob\Documents when running on Windows Vista or \Documents and Settings\Bob\My
Documents when running on Windows 2000.

Most of the time, configurations are constructed using snapshotting or in the graphical user interface. However, if
manually modifying the .xappl file, the following well-known root folder variables may be used to configure virtual
filesystem locations. Root folder variables are case sensitive.

 @APPDIR@: Folder where the executing virtual application executable resides

 @WINDIR@: The operating system install location root

 @SYSDRIVE@: The root folder of the drive containing the operating system installation

 @PROGRAMFILES@: The Program Files folder

 @PROGRAMFILESCOMMON@: The Program Files\Common Files folder

 @SYSTEM@: The Windows System32 folder

 @APPDATALOCAL@: The folder that serves as a common repository for application-specific data that is

used by the current, non-roaming user

 @APPDATA@: The folder that serves as a common repository for application-specific data for the current

roaming user

 @STARTUP@: The folder containing the current user's startup items

 @PROGRAMS@: The folder that contains the user's program groups

 @STARTMENU@: The folder containing the user's Start Menu contents

 @DESKTOP@: The current user's Desktop folder

 @TEMPLATES@:

 @FAVORITES@: The current user's Favorites folder

 @DOCUMENTS@: The current user's My Documents folder

 @MUSIC@: The current user's My Music folder

 @PICTURES@: The current user's My Pictures folder

 @PROFILE@: The folder that stores the current user's profile data

 @APPDATACOMMON@: The folder that serves as a common repository for application-specific data that

is used by all users

 @STARTUPCOMMON@: The folder containing startup items for All Users

 @PROGRAMSCOMMON@: The folder for components that are shared across applications

 @STARTMENUCOMMON@: The folder containing the Start Menu contents for All Users

 @DESKTOPCOMMON@: The shared Desktop folder

 @TEMPLATESCOMMON@: The folder that serves as a common repository for shared document

templates

 @FAVORITESCOMMON@: The shared Favorites folder

 @DOCUMENTSCOMMON@: The shared Documents folder

 @MUSICCOMMON@: The shared Music folder

 @PICTURESCOMMON@: The shared Pictures folder

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 @PROFILECOMMON@: The folder that stores the shared profile data

ZENworks Application Virtualization can optionally be executed from the command line. This is particularly

and can be found in the

8.4

Building from the command line

Path

snapshot folder. If no snapshot folder is specified, the default snapshot folder is

Performs an after snapshot using the optionally specified before snapshot path. If

output configuration and snapshot files are saved to the optionally specified output

path. If no output path is specified, the output configuration and snapshot files are

Forces the output type to component. This mode causes a .xlayer format file to be

Applies the specified license file.

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useful for building virtual applications as part of an automated build process.

The command line version of ZENworks Application Virtualization is called XStudio.exe
ZENworks Application Virtualization installation directory. To build a virtual application from the command line,
execute XStudio Configuration.xappl from the command prompt, where Configuration.xappl is the name
of the ZENworks Application Virtualization project created using the graphical interface.

Options specified in the configuration file may be overridden with the command-line flags given in the following
table.

Option Description

/before [/beforepath Snapshot

]

Performs a before snapshot and saves the snapshot to the optionally specified

used.

/after [/beforepath Snapshot Path]
[/o Output Path]

/component or /layer

/d Forces a diagnostic-mode output to be generated.
/l License file
/deletesandbox Forces the virtual application to delete the sandbox on application shutdown.

Snapshots generated from the command-line using the /after flag will not have an output path and specified.
When using programmatic snapshotting, it is strongly recommended that additional scripting be performed to
apply necessary additional configuration to the generated xappl file.

no before snapshot path is specified, the default snapshot folder is used. The

saved to the current user's desktop.

generated.

ZENworks Application Virtualization allows configurations from certain external application virtualization tools to

be automatically converted into ZENworks Application Virtualization configurations.

To import a configuration from an external tool, select the application control menu (click the program icon in the

8.5

Importing configurations from external tools

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top left of the main application window or press Alt-F) and select Import Configuration. This displays the
configuration import wizard. Follow the step-by-step wizard instructions to convert your existing virtual
application configuration into a Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization configuration.

ZENworks Application Virtualization currently supports import of configurations from Thinstall Virtualization
Suite.

The Merge Platforms feature allows virtual application configurations snapshotted on multiple operating

8.6

Platform Merge

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system variants (Windows XP, Vista, etc) to be combined into a single configuration. At runtime, the
virtualization engine dynamically applies the configuration options appropriate for the operating system variant
used for execution.

The most common platform merge scenario is a merge of snapshots taken on Windows XP and Windows
Vista. This is because some newer applications use operating system features specific to Windows Vista.

To merge configurations from multiple platforms:

1. From the Advanced tab, click the Merge Platforms button.

2. Click Browse and open the appropriate configuration for each applicable operating system variant.

3. For operating systems without a configuration, choose which configuration it should use by using the Inherit
option.

4. When all configurations have been selected or set to Inherit, click Browse in the Merge Settings area,
choose where to save the merged configuration, and click Merge.

To display or edit a specific operating system from a merged configuration:

1. Open the merged configuration.

2. From the Advanced tab, click on the Display drop down menu.

3. Select the operating system that you want to display or edit. The filesystem and registry panels will only
display settings specific to the selected operating system. Note that you cannot edit configurations which are
inherited from other platforms; to edit inherited configurations, you must select and edit the master
configuration.

To change the inheritance of a operating system in a merged configuration:

1. Open a merged configuration.

2. From the Advanced tab, click the Display drop down menu.

3. Select the operating system that you want to modify.

4. Select the platform from which to inherit using the Inherits drop down menu.

ZENworks Application Virtualization allows the virtual application configuration to be applied to the host system.

Applying the virtual application configuration to the host system is helpful when creating XLayer updates for

8.7

Applying the virtual application configuration to the host

device

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virtual applications.

To apply the virtual application configuration to the host system:

1. Click the Apply Configuration button in the start menu of the Virtual Application Studio application.

2. Enter the path of the sandbox to be merged into the current configuration.

3. Click Yes to acknowledge that the Apply Configuration process cannot be undone.

The Apply Configuration feature is not intended for use as an installation process for virtual applications.

For example, to create an XLayer update of the Firefox virtual application template:

1. Use the Configuration Wizard to create a Firefox virtual application.

2. With the Firefox configuration loaded, run the Apply Configuration process as above.

3. Open a new virtual application configuration.

4. Capture a before snapshot.

5. Open Firefox, select Help>Check for Updates, and apply any updates.

6. Capture an after snapshot.

7. Build the captured updates as an XLayer.

8. Execute the built XLayer on top of the original virtual Firefox browser and notice that the updates have
been applied.

Overview

A .xappl file is an XML representation of all the virtual application configuration settings.

All paths in the .xappl file are relative to where the .xappl file resides. For example, the

Application Virtualization will not load the file.

bold

All sub

8.8

XAppl file format

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source attribute of a File
element will begin with ".\Files\". The ".\" directory is the path where the .xappl file should reside in order for
ZENworks Application Virtualization to locate the physical source files during the build process.

The .xappl file must adhere to all XML syntax rules. If there are syntax errors in the .xappl file, ZENworks

In this document, attribute values are shown in parenthesis after their description and default values are shown in

.

XAppl Configuration Elements and Attributes

OutputLocation

The value attribute is the path to the folder where the virtual application executable will be created. This can be a
local path, a UNC path, or a mapped drive.

OutputFile

The value attribute is the file name of the virtual application executable.

Project Type

The value attribute denotes whether this configuration is for a virtual application (Application) or an xlayer
component (Component).

Licensing

The licensing attribute contains information about the license that was used to build the virtual application.

Output

The diagnosticMode attribute denotes when the application output should log diagnostic information (True) or
not (False). If true, the virtual application will create diagnostic logs in the directory where it was executed from.

The sourcePackage attribute is not used.

MSI

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the MSI setup file.

The outputMsiPath attribute indicates the location where the setup MSI will be built.

The title attribute indicates the value of the MSI title property.

The subject attribute indicates the value of the MSI subject property.

The keywords attribute indicates the value of the MSI keywords property.

The productName attribute indicates the value of the MSI product name property.

The productVersion attribute indicates the value of the MSI product version property.

The manufacturer attribute indicates the value of the MSI manufacturer property.

The productLanguage attribute indicates the value of the MSI product language property.

The author attribute indicates the value of the MSI author property.

All sub

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The description attribute indicates the value of the MSI description property.

The manufacturerUrl attribute indicates the value of the MSI manufacturer URL property.

The autoBuild attribute denotes whether the MSI should build when the virtual application build completes
successfully (True) or not (False).

The isolatePerUser attribute denotes whether the MSI setup should be installed on a per-user basis (True) or
installed for all users (False). When installing per-user, the install root path is Application Data. When installing
for all users, the install root path is Program Files.

The applicationFolder attribute indicates the subfolders into which the virtual application should be installed
(Company Name\Product Name).

The upgradePreviousVersion attribute denotes whether the setup should maintain the same Upgrade code
when it builds (True) or change the Upgrade code for each build (False). This allows the setup to upgrade previous
versions when it is installed, or to exist side by side.

The productCode attribute indicates the value of MSI product code property.

The upgradeCode attribute indicates the value of MSI upgrade code property.

The componentId attribute indicates the value of the MSI component id property.

Packages

8.8.1 Clr

The .NET Clr runtime element and all sub-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the
virtual .NET Framework runtime.

8.8.2 DirectX

The DirectX element and all sub-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the virtual DirectX
runtime.

8.8.3 Java

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the virtual java runtime.

RunTime

The name attribute indicates the name of the java runtime (Java).

The platform attribute indicates the platform that the java runtime is designed for (x86).

The version attribute indicates the version of the java runtime. The available versions are Java 5 (1.5.0.140) and
Java 6 (1.6.0.30).

Settings

The startupType attribute denotes whether to use the jar file (JAR) or class path (Class) command line
parameters for java.exe to launch the application.

The startup attribute indicates the jar file path or class name depending on the StartupType.

The classpath attribute indicates the path to the class files of the Java runtime.

The options attribute denotes any additional command line parameter.

Package

The name attribute indicates the name of the component or runtime.

The platform

attribute indicates the platforms that the component or runtime is supported on. The following are

VirtualizationSettings

All sub

), or not displayed (True)

)

All sub

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the only available values:

 Any platform (Any)

 x86 platform (x86)

The version attribute indicates the version of the component or runtime.

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the virtual operating system.

The suppressBranding attribute controls the branding pop-up that is displayed (False
in the lower right-hand corner during application startup.

The isolateWindowClasses attribute is used to isolate windows classes, as registered via the
Windows ::RegisterClass or ::RegisterClassEx APIs. For example, this allows a virtualized Firefox instance to run
while a non-virtualized instance is running.

The readOnlyVirtualization attribute denotes whether the virtual application has the ability to modify virtual
files and registry settings (False) or not (True). Setting this attribute to True will prevent modification to the
virtual filesystem and virtual registry.

The disableZENworks Application VirtualizationCommandLine attribute controls the ability to execute
(False) any file from within the virtual filesystem.

The subsystem attribute indicates the application output type. It can be inherited from the startup file (Inherit
or set explicitly to be a Windows application (GUI) or console application (Console). If Inherit is set, but the
startup file is either not in the virtual filesystem or not an executable, then the output will be a Windows
application.

The ie6Emulation attribute denotes a special mode required for the Internet Explorer 6 template (True). For all
other apps, this should be disabled (False).

The sandboxLocation attribute indicates the base path of the application sandbox
(@APPDATALOCAL@\Zav\Sandbox\@TITLE@\@VERSION@\@BUILDTIME@).

The workingDirectory attribute defines what directory the application will run in.

The compressPayload attribute controls whether the output executable will be compressed (True) or not
(False).

ChildProcessVirtualization

The spawnExternalComServers attribute is controls whether the virtual application launches ComServers in
the virtual environment (False) or the external environment (True).

The spawnVm attribute denotes whether the spawned external applications are spawned inside the virtual
environment (True) or outside the virtual environment (False).

ChildProcessException

The name attribute indicates the name of the executable file (extension included) to except from the effects of the
spawnVm attribute.

CustomMetadata

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the individual custom metadata items.

8.8.4 CustomMetadataItem

The property attribute indicates the name of the custom metadata item.

The value attribute indicates the value of the custom metadata item.

All sub

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StandardMetadata

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the individual standard metadata items.

StandardMetadataItem

The property attribute indicates the name of the standard metadata item. The following are the available
standard metadata:

 Product Title(Title)

 Publisher (Publisher)

 Description (Description)

 Website (Website)

 Product Version (Version)

SplashImage

The path attribute indicates the source path to the splash image displayed at application startup.

The transparency attribute indicates the color in the splash image that should be made transparent when the
image is displayed (Magenta).

StartupFiles

-elements contain configuration pertaining to the individual startup files.

8.8.5 StartupFile

The node attribute indicates the path of the startup file.

The tag attribute indicates the command line trigger used to specify this entry as the startup to use.

The commandLine attribute indicates the command line arguments to pass to the startup file.

The default attribute denotes whether this entry is executed automatically when no tag is specified (True) or not
(False).

StartupShim

The startup shim is a virtualized binary that is invoked prior to the startup file. Startup shims are used to perform
customized licensing checks or other initialization tasks.

The useShim attribute indicates whether to use the startup shim.

The shimDllPath attribute indicates the path to the virtual shim DLL implementation.

The paramOnInitialize attribute indicates a string to be passed to the shim OnInitialize function.

The startup shim signature is typedef BOOL (__stdcall *FnOnInititialize) LPCWSTR

pwcsInitilizationToken). The return value indicates whether virtual machine execution should proceed.

Layers

-elements are individual virtual layers.

8.8.6 Layer

The Layer element and all sub­operating system.

The name attribute indicates the name of the layer. The default layer (Default) is the only layer for whom the

attribute indicates the host system setting that will be evaluated. The operating system version (OS)

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name matters. All other layer names are purely informational.

Condition

The variable
is the only available option.

The operator attribute indicates the Boolean operation that will be used to evaluate the host system. The
available Boolean operations are:

 greater than or equal to (GREATEREQUAL)

 greater than (GREATER)

 equal to (EQUAL)

 not equal to (NOTEQUAL)

 less than (LESS)

 less than or equal to (LESSEQUAL)

The value attribute indicates the value against which the host system will be evaluated, using the Boolean
operation. The available values in ascending order are:

 Windows 2000 (Win2k)

 Windows XP (WinXP)

 Windows 2003 (Win2k3)

 Windows Vista (Vista)

Filesystem

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the virtual filesystem.

Directory

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of this directory of the virtual filesystem.

The rootType attribute indicates the root system folder that this virtual folder is mapped to on the host
filesystem. Directory elements with the rootType attribute are always directly beneath the Filesystem
The following are the available rootType values:

 Application Directory (Application)

 Windows\System32 (System)

 Windows (OS)

 System Drive Root Directory (SysDrive)

 Program Files\Common (AllProgramsCommon)

 Program Files (AllPrograms)

 Current User - Start Menu (StartMenu)

 Current User - Start Menu\Programs (Programs)

 Current User - Start Menu\Programs\Startup (Startup)

 Current User - Application Data (AppData)

 Current User - LocalSetting\Application Data (AppDataLocal)

 Current User - Desktop (Desktop)

 Current User - Templates (Templates)

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 Current User - Favorites (Favorites)

 Current User - Music (Music)

 Current User - Pictures (Pictures)

 Current User - My Documents (Documents)

 %PROFILE% (Profile)

 All Users - Start Menu (StartMenuCommon)

 All Users - Start Menu\Programs (ProgramsCommon)

 All Users - Start Menu\Programs\Startup (StartupCommon)

 All Users - Application Data (AppDataCommon)

 All Users - Desktop (DesktopCommon)

 All Users - Templates (TemplatesCommon)

 All Users - Favorites (FavoritesCommon)

 All Users - Music (MusicCommon)

 All Users - Pictures (PicturesCommon)

 All Users - My Documents (DocumentsCommon)

 %ALLUSERSPROFILE% (ProfileCommon)

The isolation attribute indicates the isolation setting of the virtual folder. The available values are:

 Full isolation (Full)

 WriteCopy isolation (WriteCopy)

 Merge isolation (Merge)

The name attribute indicates the name of the virtual directory.

The hide attribute denotes whether the directory is marked as hidden (True) or visible (False).

File

The name attribute indicates the name of the file.

The hide attribute denotes whether the file is marked as hidden (True) or visible (False).

The source attribute indicates the source path to the file.

Registry

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the virtual registry.

Key

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of this key of the virtual filesystem.

The rootType attribute indicates the root system folder that this virtual folder is mapped to on the host
filesystem. Key elements with the rootType attribute are always directly beneath the Registry element. The
following are the available rootType values:

 HKEY_CLASSES (ClassesRoot)

 HKEY_CURRENT_USER (CurrentUser)

 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (CurrentUser)

 HKEY_USERS (Users)

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The name attribute indicates the name of the key.

The namePathInformationTuples indicates that there is a path in the name or value of the registry item.
There are 3 comma delimited integers for each path found in the name/value.

1. Flags that indicate the state of the path (valid combinations: 0x0, 0x1, 0x2, 0x4 0x5 0x6)

 0x1 – All Uppercase

 0x2 – All Lowercase

 0x4 – Uses Short Path Names

2. Start index of the path

3. Length of the path

The isolation attribute indicates the isolation setting of the virtual folder. The available values are:

 Full isolation (Full)

 Merge isolation (Merge)

The name attribute indicates the name of the value.

The type attribute indicates the type of the value. The available values are:

 REG_SZ and REG_EXPAND_SZ (String)

 REG_DWORD (DWORD)

 REG_QWORD (QWORD)

 REB_BINARY (Binary)

 REG_MULTI_STRING (StringArray)

The namePathInformationTuples indicates that there is a path in the name or value of the registry item.
There are 3 comma delimited integers for each path found in the name/value.

1. Flags that indicate the state of the path (valid combinations: 0x0, 0x1, 0x2, 0x4 0x5 0x6)

 0x1 – All Uppercase

 0x2 – All Lowercase

 0x4 – Uses Short Path Names

2. Start index of the path

3. Length of the path

The value attribute indicates the value of the value. This is true for all types, except StringArray, which contains
the String sub-element.

Environment Variables

The name attribute indicates the name of the environment variable.

The value attribute indicates the value of the environment variable.

Services

The name attribute indicates the name of the windows service.

The autoStart attribute denotes whether the windows service starts when the virtual application starts (True) or

not (False).

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The commandLine attribute indicates the startup command line of the windows service.

The friendlyName attribute indicates the friendly name of the windows service.

The description attribute indicates the description of the windows service.

The objectName attribute indicates the account under which the windows service ran when not virtualized.

The keepAlive attribute denotes whether the windows service should continue running after the startup
application has closed (True) or not (False).

The start attribute indicates the value of the Start DWORD value in the Windows Services registry key.

The type attribute indicates the value of the Type DWORD value in the Windows Services registry key.

The errorControl attribute indicates the value of the ErrorControl DWORD value in the Services registry key.

8.8.7 Shortcuts

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the MSI shortcuts.

Folder

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the MSI shortcuts in this folder.

The name attribute indicates the name of the folder. The two top level folders represent the Desktop (Desktop)
and the Programs menu on the Start menu (Programs Menu).

Shortcut

The name attribute indicates the name of the shortcut.

The targetPath attribute indicates the path of the StartupFile that is the target of the shortcut.

The targetParameter attribute indicates the Trigger or Tag of the StartupFile that is the target of the shortcut.

The arguments attribute indicates the arguments passed to the target of the shortcut at runtime.

The showCmd attribute denotes whether the application should start in a maximized(3), minimized(7) or regular
(1) window state.

The description attribute indicates the description of the shortcut.

IconResource

The IconResource sub-element contains an identifier of the icon that is used for the Shortcut.

8.8.8 ProgIds

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the ProgId.

The name attribute indicates the name of the ProgId.

The description attribute indicates the description of the ProgId.

IconResource

The IconResource sub-element contains an identifier of the icon that is used for the file association.

Extension

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the file extensions for the ProgId.

The extension attribute indicates the file extension that is associated with the ProgId.

The mimeType attribute indicates the mime type of all files with the extension.

Verb

All sub

-elements contain settings pertaining to the configuration of the Verb for the file extension.

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The title attribute indicates the title of the verb.

The verb attribute indicates the verb value.

The arguments attribute indicates the arguments passed to the target of the verb at runtime.

The default attribute denotes whether this verb is the default verb (True) or not (False).

This section describes the Expiration feature. With the Expiration feature, virtual applications can be set to

Web

8.9

Application Expiration

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expire after a certain number of days or after a certain date.

To set a virtual application to expire after a specific number of days:

1. Open on the Expiration panel.

2. Check the Disallow execution after number of days checkbox.

3. Select the number of days after the application is first executed on a system before it will expire.

4. Choose the Time Source the virtual application will use to validate the date.

To set a virtual application to expire after a certain date:

1. Open on the Expiration panel.

2. Check the Disallow execution after date checkbox.

3. Select the date the virtual application will expire.

4. Choose the Time Source the virtual application will use to validate the date.

For all expiration modes, the System clock setting will use the host system's clock to validate the date. The

server clock setting will validate the date against an HTTPS-based web server. Check the Disallow execution
if web server is unreachable checkbox to prevent the application from being executed offline.

The Web server clock setting is more secure than the System clock setting since it prevents the expiration
mechanism from being circumvented by modifying the system clock. However, this setting will prevent
applications from executing on devices which cannot connect to the time server source.

Optionally, an Expiration Warning can be set to warn the user when the virtual application is about to expire.
The message will be displayed each time the virtual application is executed when it is within the specified
threshold.

9

Troubleshooting

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This section describes the most common configuration errors which occur when using ZENworks Application

Virtualization.

9.1

Troubleshooting

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If you encounter a problem with a virtual application, please carefully read this section before using other support
options. It is very likely that the issue you have encountered is addressed in this section.

Several ZENworks Application Virtualization features require access to Internet-based resources in order to

9.2

Problems accessing Internet

-

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function properly. These features may be unavailable if ZENworks Application Virtualization is unable to connect
to the Internet.

In many corporate environments, access to the Internet is filtered through a firewall or proxy server. In these
cases, ZENworks Application Virtualization will attempt to automatically configure itself for Internet access based
on the system Internet settings. In some cases, however, it may be necessary to manually configure the proxy
server settings.

To configure proxy server settings, click the Proxy Settings... option on the Options menu. This displays the
Proxy Settings dialog. Enter appropriate proxy server settings in the dialog. It may be necessary for you to
consult your system administrator to obtain your organization's proxy server settings.

Occasionally, errors during virtual application configuration result in an executable which fails to run properly;

mode executables generate logging data during execution that can assist

Important:

9.3

Generating diagnostic

-

mode virtual applications

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that is, to emulate exactly the behavior of the original source application. Usually this is a result of an error in the
virtualization configuration, such as a missing file or registry entry.

To assist in diagnosis of these problems, ZENworks Application Virtualization offers the option of creating
diagnostic-mode executables. Diagnostic­in diagnosis of problems related to virtualization.

To generate a diagnostic-mode executable, select the Generate diagnostic-mode executable option on the
Settings section of the Virtual Application ribbon bar. Then click to generate the instrumented executable.

Execution of the instrumented executable will generate a xclog_<id>.txt file in the application startup
directory that contains detailed diagnostic data gathered during execution. Inspection of this file, particularly of
entries labeled WARNING or ERROR, often allows diagnosis of virtualization errors. If you require assistance
from Code Systems technical support to resolve your problem, we strongly encourage you to submit this
information with along with your support request to facilitate resolution of your issue.

Because diagnostic-mode executables run significantly slower than standard executables and

generate very large log files, diagnostic-mode executables should not be distributed to your end-users.