Here is a short overview of what's new:

Full Support for Windows 7
ThinApp now supports Windows 7. You can now package legacy applications from older versions of Windows such as Windows XP and Windows Vista into ThinApp packages for deployment on Windows 7. Avoid costly recoding and regression testing and accelerate deployment of business applications to Windows 7 more quickly and securely.

Relink
If you’ve used previous versions of ThinApp to create application packages, these existing packages can be upgraded to the new ThinApp 4.5 format without the need of associated project files for the applications. This utility speeds up the upgrade process of existing ThinApp packages.

Performance Accelerator
Reduced page file usage for virtual applications and increased memory sharing between multiple instances of applications allows for quicker application invocation and improved application delivery to end users. This helps to improve user experience with ThinApp at the same time reduces network bandwidth consumption.

Registry Transaction Protection
Ensure the integrity of the registry file and eliminate potential data corruption due to crash or system failure by mapping to a backup registry file.

Enhanced Packaging Support Ecosystem
Customers can now elect to share application packaging results with VMware at the beginning of capture or contribute application packaging tips and recipes with a network of community users. By building out this ecosystem of support for users, we will have a better understanding of product usage to provide better product support.

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For more information on VMware ThinApp click here

As organizations deploy an increasing proportion of their custom applications across virtual and cloud infrastructures, the dynamic nature of virtualized application resources has placed new demands on application operators needing visibility into the performance of those applications. Hyperic 4.4’s VMware vCenter Server integration enables application operators to ensure application performance despite this increased pace of change.

SpringSource Hyperic, a key element of SpringSource’s software suite, supports applications running on both physical and virtual infrastructure, providing in-depth real-time performance data on more than 75 technologies used to develop modern web applications and enabling customers to ensure that applications meet their service level commitments through reduced application downtime and improved performance.

“For some time, Hyperic has provided us with excellent visibility into the performance of our custom applications,” said Eric Schwalbe, technical advisor infrastructure integration, InterContinental Hotels Group. “By enabling us to understand performance at any point between the application and its ESX host, Hyperic 4.4 will enable us to extend this visibility across our virtualized infrastructure.”

"Without virtualization there is no cloud computing," said Rachel Chalmers, research director for infrastructure, The 451 Group. "The trouble with virtualization is that with it, datacenters become increasingly dynamic - not to say chaotic! That makes it extremely hard for the IT operations team to make sure applications are up and performing. What's needed are management tools that understand the whole software stack, from VM through OS to application payload - tools like Hyperic™."

“Hyperic™ 4.4 delivers a completely new level of integration with VMware vCenter Server designed to streamline the task of managing virtualized applications,” said Javier Soltero, CTO of Management Products for the SpringSource division of VMware. “Hyperic now provides system administrators complete, automatic visibility of virtual infrastructure resources as well as a completely new user interface built to enable analysis and correlation of every metric and event from VMware vSphere hosts up to the application.”

Hyperic 4.4’s VMware vCenter Server integration increases the effectiveness of IT operations teams in a range of critical application performance management activities that stem from the constant change inherent in virtualized datacenters, including:

Rapid Diagnosis of Virtualized Application Performance Problems: IT operations teams can now use Hyperic to rapidly pinpoint the cause of performance issues of applications running on virtualized infrastructure, by providing them with visibility into all application infrastructure layers, enabling them to determine whether the root cause of issues lies within an application, its guest operating system, or its ESX host. System administrators can easily compare performance data between an application and its corresponding virtual machine and ESX host via a new Hyperic user interface. This UI enables system administrators to reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR) and increase mean time between failures (MTBF).

Automatic Maintenance of Application Infrastructure Inventory: Hyperic 4.4 automatically discovers ESX hosts, virtual machines, and guest operating systems within minutes of their launch, and presents them in a unified topology so users can see which application components are running on which ESX hosts. This eliminates reliance on chronically out-of-date configuration management databases (CMDBs). Additionally, Hyperic detects when virtual machines are moved from one ESX host to another using vMotion™, and adjusts topologies accordingly: no monitoring data is lost and there’s no need to recreate alerting workflows. This exceptional level of automation saves system administrators time and lets them manage more applications and servers than ever before.

Virtualization-Aware Alerting: Hyperic 4.4 can distinguish between when a guest operating system has shut down unintentionally, and when it has been intentionally powered down or suspended. This prevents false alarms and enables system administrators to elastically scale their application infrastructure without triggering alert storms.

Additional Virtualization Features of Hyperic:
Hyperic 4.4 continues Hyperic’s tradition of leadership in the management of applications running in virtualized environments. In 2006, Hyperic delivered the industry’s first application performance monitoring for VMware ESX and GSX, and has long provided system administrators with the following capabilities, which remain in version 4.4:

Application Virtualization Migration Assurance: For IT teams running pilot projects to virtualize custom application workloads, Hyperic enables users to definitively quantify virtualization’s impact on application performance by baselining critical performance metrics for both physical and virtual infrastructure.

Automated Problem Resolution: Hyperic can automate common responses to application problems -- such as reverting a virtual machine to a snapshot, restarting a virtual machine, and rebooting a guest operating system. These automated recovery actions help fulfill virtualization’s promise of greater operational efficiency, especially for companies with global customers who need to keep consumer-facing applications running 24/7.

Virtualized Environment Event & Log Monitoring: Hyperic’s event management features provide visibility into the log events reported for every virtual machine. Log events provide system awareness for performance data, configuration changes, and security action changes, such as when a virtual machine has been reverted to a snapshot. These events can be used to generate alerts, or simply to correlate errors reported in the VMware logs with performance and health indicators elsewhere in the environment.

Availability and Support
Hyperic 4.4 is available immediately and can be purchased August 4, 2010. Additional Hyperic 4.4 details are available at http://SpringSource.com/hyperic44.

Upcoming Hyperic Webinar
SpringSource will host a free webinar entitled “The 10 Pitfalls to Avoid When Monitoring a Virtualized Environment -- Learn How the New Hyperic 4.4 Helps You Manage the Constant Change Inherent in Virtualized Datacenters,” on Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 9 am PDT. To register, visit http://j.mp/hyperic44.

Updating a ThinApp can seem like a really tricky or difficult process, but in reality it is a very simple process (relatively speaking and, of course, dependent upon the application).

Updating an Application:

Regardless of ThinApp, with the nearly infinite number of Windows applications, there are literally just as many ways in which updates are performed upon those applications. Of all the ways application updates are accomplished, with regards to ThinApp, they can generally be boiled down into four types of updates.

1. Manually changing the application or reconfiguration of the application’s settings from within the app.
2. Copying in updates through Windows Explorer or manually entering in registry or config file modifications.
3. Run the update directly from within the application via it’s built in update feature.
4. Install a separate hotfix / update package to the application.
5. Any combination of the above.

Whichever way is chosen, these options can also be used to update a ThinApp packaged application as well.

Try It, You’ll Like It!

One of the easiest ways to ensure you get your ThinApp package updated correctly is test it in the native world. This may seem redundant on some levels, but you will gain experience with the application if you are somewhat unfamiliar with how it works and how it’s updates are applied. Additionally, this can be done on a clean Capture and Build (CnB) system – giving you the opportunity to capture the app with the upgrade separately to give you a baseline of what the updated project should be similar to.

ThinApp Project Updating – Capturing the App:

One of the first ways we can update a ThinApp project is to just capture a new one. While this isn’t traditionally seen as an actual “update”, it is definitely an option.

Additionally, one can also capture just the update – although this is not recommended as it can be a cumbersome and troublesome process. Plus, there are easier ways to achieve the same results.

ThinApp Project Updating – Manually Customizing the Project:

Another option for updating a ThinApp project is to directly modify the application’s files/registry settings within the ThinApp project. A minimally skilled application packager can easily accommodate simple modifications to a ThinApp project by simple file manipulation. As ThinApp has no need for an external editor GUI, this is easily accomplished via Windows Explorer and Notepad.

One can simply edit the files within the project just as they would on a natively installed version of the application. Simply replace the actual path with the variable path to find the files and folders you are looking for.

Virtual Registry Hive Mods - Beware!

One thing to beware of when modifying the virtual registry hive text files is to ensure the file is edited properly and spaces are left between each of the registry key sections.

ThinApp Project Updating - SBMERGE:

Aside from the above, the last way to update a ThinApp Project is to import the settings from within the Application’s Sandbox.

Remembering the sandbox to be a “Runtime Modification Storage Area”, this means if the application packager can install the update through the virtual bubble, the update is applied to the sandbox.

To do this…

1. Start with a clean sandbox – otherwise one runs the risk of contaminating the application with additional modifications or settings which might be undesirable.
   
   
2. If the application has a built in update feature, just launch the application and run the update feature. If the application update is via a separate hotfix / update, run the update.
   NOTE: The person who is the application packager may have to reconfigure the PACKAGE.INI in order to allow access to the virtual CMD or other tools to view the virtual file system and launch the hotfix / update. Typically this is a simple modification to the Entry Point for those items within PACKAGE.INI – setting the “Disabled=1” value to “Disabled=0” or remarking it out with a semicolon. This modification requires a rebiuld of the ThinApp package before applying the upate to the app sandbox and executing the sandbox merge into the project via SBMERGE.EXE. Then, once the updated sandbox is merged, resetting the “Disabled=0” value to it’s original state and rebuilding will remove access to the ThinApp via that specific Entry Point (i.e. CMD, etc.).
3. Once the update is in the app and everything has been tested to work, use SBMERGE to merge the sandbox back into the project.

Simple SBMERGE Process:

Here is my simple SBMERGE procedure which works flawlessly every time:

1. Make a copy of the original ThinApp Project WITH the BIN folder and it's contents (EXEs/Data Container).
2. Clear the SANDBOX within the %APPDATA%\THINSTALL folder.
3. Run the primary app in the project to be updated.
4. Update the app with plugins, settings, updates, modifications. Close the app.
5. Relaunch the app and test the updates exist and work.
6. Close the app.
7. Open CMD natively.
8. Change Directories (CD) into the project to be updated.
9. Type "SBMERGE APPLY"
   NOTE: If successful, the ThinApp Sandbox for this packaged app will have been removed from %APPDATA%\Thinstall.
10. Execute BUILD.BAT within the project just updated by SBMERGE.
11. Run new version of ThinApp packaged app to test updates/mods.
12. Deploy via AppSync, Side-by-Side, MSI (via ESD), etc.

This was previously documented here on the ThinApp Blogs.

To learn more click here

"We're excited to deliver the fastest and most reliable Windows on Mac experience available with VMware Fusion 3.1," said Pat Lee, director, personal desktop products VMware. "While we continued to deliver rock-solid reliability and ease of use with VMware Fusion 3, customers asked for even better graphics performance and more speed for their Windows applications. With VMware Fusion 3.1, we incorporated their feedback to deliver significant performance gains without disrupting the reliability they've come to expect from VMware." With more than 20 new features, key highlights of VMware Fusion 3.1 include: Faster: With faster application launching, more seamless scrolling, quicker resume from suspend, and better overall disk performance, VMware Fusion 3.1 delivers 35% better end-to-end performance compared to its predecessor, VMware Fusion 3.0.

Better 3D Graphics Performance: Greatly improved Windows Aero performance and OpenGL 2.1 support for Windows Vista and Windows 7 delivers up to 5X better 3D graphics performance. VMware Fusion 3.1 is also supported and recommended by Autodesk for AutoCAD 2011.

Switch to Mac with Ease: The fastest and least expensive way to bring a customer's entire PC to a Mac, VMware Fusion 3.1 includes all of the software tools needed to migrate over a standard Ethernet cable, FireWire cable or even wireless network -- saving customers from purchasing special cables that will only be used once.

USB EasyConnect: Makes it easier than ever to assign a USB device to a virtual machine or a Mac and remembers preferred choice.

Unity: Exclusive support for Mac OS X Snow Leopard's Dock Exposé makes it even more seamless to use Windows apps like Mac apps.

Support for Larger Virtual Machines: With added support for 8-way SMP and an increased virtual hard disk size from 950 GB to 2TB, advanced users get more power and punch out of the Mac Pro and Xserve from Apple.

"VMware Fusion 3.1 has made my Windows PC obsolete. With VMware Fusion 3.1, it's faster to start and use Windows on my MacBook Pro than it is to use my physical PC," said Tony Arnold, Founder of The Cocoabots. "The great leap in graphics performance makes Windows Aero sing, allowing me to play games I could never play before on my MacBook Pro." Availability and Pricing: VMware Fusion 3 users can automatically download the free update to VMware Fusion 3.1 via the built-in software update feature. Users who wish to upgrade from previous versions of VMware Fusion may do so online at vmware.com/fusion for $39.99 (USD). For new users, VMware Fusion is available at vmware.com/fusion, the Apple Online Store® (apple.com), Apple retail stores, Amazon.com, and other authorized resellers. The suggested retail price of $79.99 (USD) includes all of the software needed to switch from a PC to a Mac.

About VMware: VMware delivers solutions for business infrastructure virtualization that enable IT organizations to energize businesses of all sizes. With the industry leading virtualization platform -- VMware vSphere? -- customers rely on VMware to reduce capital and operating expenses, improve agility, ensure business continuity, strengthen security and go green. With 2009 revenues of $2 billion, more than 170,000 customers and 25,000 partners, VMware is the leader in virtualization which consistently ranks as a top priority among CIOs. VMware is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the world and can be found online at www.vmware.com.

VMware and VMware Fusion are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. The use of the word "partner" or "partnership" does not imply a legal partnership relationship between VMware and any other company.

Here is a quick overview of what's new in ThinApp 4.5:

The 4.5 release adds the following features to improve usability, performance, and updates:

• Support for Windows Server 2008 R2, 32-bit Windows 7, and 64-bit Windows 7 operating systems.
• ThinApp version updates to incorporate the latest features or support enhancements without rebuilding packages. The relink.exe utility updates existing packages.
• Compression of MSI packages that uses the MSICompressionType parameter to improve the ThinApp SDK performance.
• Reduced memory consumption and page file usage to improve startup performance. The OptimizeFor parameter works with the CompressionType parameter to customize memory performance and startup time.
• Anonymous collection of statistics to expand the support for applications. You can use the Setup Capture wizard or the QualityReportingEnabled parameter to help VMware build support for applications and help you migrate more native applications to a virtual environment.
• Loading of DLL files as virtual DLL files without using API functions. The ForcedVirtualLoadPaths parameter loads external system DLL files that depend on DLL files inside the package.
• Product interface updates to improve usability and link to video and documentation information. German and Japanese versions of the ThinApp User's Guide are available.

Click here to download VMware ThinApp 4.5

• OpenGL 2.1 support for Windows 7 and Vista guests: The addition of hardware accelerated OpenGL 2.1 support to the WDDM driver enables many more graphics applications to run inside of your virtual machines.
• Improved graphics performance: Significant enhancements have been made to the VMware WDDM driver that have produced benchmark results that are up to 80% faster. The updated driver also produces smoother video playback and addresses many reported rendering issues. Of course games run better as well!
• 8-way SMP support plus virtual disks up to 2TB in size: The virtual hardware continues to become more powerful to meet the needs of Workstation customers who are running server class applications.
• OVF 1.0 support: Including the OVF Tool with this release enables users to easily import or export virtual machines and vApps and move them to vSphere or up into the cloud.
• Direct Launch: Blur the distinction between running native and virtual applications by launching an application installed in a virtual machine directly from the start menu or taskbar of the host system.
• Automatic software updates: These VMware applications can now detect when a new version is released and are able to update at the click of a button.
• Fedora 12 virtual machines: We are excited about finally offering support for running one of the most popular Linux distributions on the planet!

Click here to download and read more

Building on the previous announcement and demo at VMworld 2009, these test results confirm that organizations can securely migrate live, virtualized web applications - and their associated storage - between data centers thousands of miles apart without downtime or user disruption using F5^® and VMware products available today.

The integrated solution enables organizations to rapidly respond to changing application and business requirements by seamlessly migrating live applications across geographically dispersed data centers.

Details

VMware VMotion^™ is deployed in production by a significant number of VMware customers to migrate virtual machines and data. The joint F5 and VMware solution helps solve latency, bandwidth, and packet-loss issues, which historically have prevented customers from performing live migrations between data centers. Long distance virtual machine migration across distributed data centers typically required the operator to halt online sessions, suspend the image, migrate the image to the new data center, and then bring the virtual machine back online at the new data center. This process could require significant downtime. Moreover, once the virtual machine was back online at the new data center, clients with previously established sessions would still be unable to access the migrated application until they received an updated DNS record aligning with the new location. This new solution mitigates the impact of migrating virtual machines across long distances - allowing live migration and automatic redirection of sessions - thus making the experience seamless to users.

A flexible Application Delivery Network is the fundamental component required to extend live migration capabilities beyond a single data center. There are two key ADN components to the new solution:

• BIG-IP^® WAN Optimization Module^™ (WOM^™) secures and accelerates VMware VMotion^™ and VMware Storage VMotion traffic up to 10x when compared to attempting long distance live migration without the solution—even over links that are subject to bandwidth, latency, or packet-loss issues. BIG-IP WOM encrypts and compresses data between BIG-IP devices, extending the effective distances of migrations and decreasing replication time for offline transfers.
• BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager^™ (LTM^™) and BIG-IP Global Traffic Manager^™ (GTM^™) enable local and global redirection of established and new web application sessions before and after the migration. This overcomes many of the networking hurdles that previously prevented organizations from migrating live applications between data centers.

Supporting Quotes

“VMware VMotion^™ and Storage VMotion capabilities are significant differentiators for VMware vSphere^™,” said Parag Patel, Vice President, Alliances at VMware. “F5’s technology complements VMware solutions, making it possible to execute live workload migrations over greater distances. Combining VMware vSphere with BIG-IP^® solutions expands the many use cases possible, and adds to the value we’re able to offer customers.”

“According to recent ESG research, increasing server virtualization usage is the top overall IT priority facing organizations over the next 12 to 18 months,” said Mark Bowker, Senior Analyst with Enterprise Strategy Group. “The mobility of virtual machines now provided by F5 and VMware will help companies distribute workloads across data centers, relocate applications closer to the end-user, and perform live data center migrations.”

“F5 and VMware are working closely to integrate Application Delivery Networking and virtualization with the goal of making our customers’ application infrastructures more resilient and responsive to business needs,” said Jim Ritchings, VP of Business Development at F5. “This joint solution frees applications from infrastructure constraints for maximum flexibility and business agility. We look forward to continued collaboration and innovation with VMware to address the growing demand for flexible virtualization solutions.”

Availability

F5’s step-by-step solution deployment guide for long distance live migrations performed with VMware VMotion^™ can be downloaded from f5.com. This resource includes general guidelines on expected performance gains and the types of applications best suited to long distance live migrations with VMware VMotion.

All products integrated within the joint solution are available today from F5 and VMware, respectively.

To learn more about how F5 and VMware solutions help customers virtualize their infrastructures and improve IT agility, please visit www.f5.com/solutions/applications/vmware/virtualization/

PALO ALTO, Calif.,– January 13, 2009 – VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop through the datacenter and to the cloud, today announced the availability of VMware Go™, a web-based service that allows small or medium businesses (SMBs) to virtualize servers and create running virtual machines with just a few clicks of a mouse. VMware Go™ provides SMBs with an easy on-ramp to virtualizing their applications by automating the installation and configuration of the industry-leading hypervisor, VMware ESXi.

“With VMware Go™, we are eliminating the skill barrier for getting started with virtualization, so companies who are concerned about not having the IT resources or expertise, especially SMBs,  can now more quickly and easily enjoy the many benefits of virtualization,” said Dan Chu, Vice President of Emerging Products and Markets, VMware. “Both VMware Go™ and VMware ESXi are free offerings that can provide instant cost-savings with improved server utilization, reduced energy use and centralized management of the datacenter so IT can focus more on innovation and less on maintenance.”

One of the major barriers of SMB adoption of virtualization has always been a lack of confidence that the implementation process will work right the first time," said Tim Cox, Principal at Cox Technical Services. "As such, I welcome VMware Go because it opens virtualization to a large market of SMBs who didn't think they had the knowledge to virtualize their servers. It is an awesome tool to introduce people to virtualization or reintroduce them if they've been away from it for awhile."

VMware Go™ has already successfully created over three-thousand virtual machines for over one-thousand beta testers. VMware Go™ together with VMware ESXi provides companies with a quick way to reduce overhead and simplify business operations by running multiple operating systems and applications on a single server – spending less money on hardware, power and cooling, and server administration.

“As I talk to IT Admins in the SMB market, what I have learned is that as their business grows, IT  maintenance and the need for more servers grows even faster,” said David Davis, vExpert, VCP, and VMware video training author at computer training provider Train Signal. “With VMware Go and VMware ESXi, these same SMB IT centers can handle large influxes of server growth or perform virtual consolidation while saving time, money and resources in the process.”

VMware Go™ Dramatically Simplifies and Accelerates Virtualization In Three Simple Steps
1. Initial ESXi server setup

• Unique web-browser interface and intuitive wizard guides and accelerates installation and setup process
• Built in hardware compatibility check automates the process of selecting physical server environments

2. Virtual machine creation

• Leverage existing physical server configuration, install a prebuilt virtual appliance, or start with a new, clean virtual machine.

3. Manage ESXi servers and virtual machines

• Centralized management interface simplifies changes to a virtual environment.
• Monitor virtual machines for basic performance and resource utilization.
• Scan and update virtual machines from a central console.

Cost-conscious businesses looking to move to the cloud might consider WMware's "Go" virtualization offering.

Virtualization specialist VMware announced the release of of VMware Go, a Web-based service that helps small to medium-size businesses to virtualize servers and create running virtual machines simply and efficiently. The company positions Go as an on-ramp for SMBs virtualizing their applications by automating the installation and configuration of the hypervisor VMware ESXi, which allows midmarket companies to run multiple operating systems on a single server and reduce hardware costs.

VMware said Go has already created more than 3,000 virtual machines for more than 1,000 beta testers and together with VMware ESXi provides companies with a faster way to reduce overhead and simplify business operations by running multiple operating systems and applications on a single server, resulting in spending less money on hardware, power and cooling, and server administration.

"With VMware Go, we are eliminating the skill barrier for getting started with virtualization, so companies who are concerned about not having the IT resources or expertise, especially SMBs, can now more quickly and easily enjoy the many benefits of virtualization," said Dan Chu, vice president of emerging products and markets for VMware. "Both VMware Go and VMware ESXi are free offerings that can provide instant cost-savings with improved server utilization, reduced energy use and centralized management of the datacenter so IT can focus more on innovation and less on maintenance."

Chu said Go simplifies and accelerates virtualization in three steps: Initial ESXi server setup, through a Web-browser interface and intuitive wizard guides that accelerates installation and setup process and built in hardware compatibility check that automates the process of selecting physical server environments, virtual machine creation that helps SMBs leverage existing physical server configuration, install a prebuilt virtual appliance, or start with a new, clean virtual machine, and lastly, manage ESXi servers and virtual machines with a centralized management interface that simplifies changes to a virtual environment, the ability to monitor virtual machines for basic performance and resource utilization and scan and update virtual machines from a central console.

"As I talk to IT admins in the SMB market, what I have learned is that as their business grows, IT maintenance and the need for more servers grows even faster," said David Davis, vExpert, VCP, and VMware video training author at computer training provider Train Signal. "With VMware Go and VMware ESXi, these same SMB IT centers can handle large influxes of server growth or perform virtual consolidation while saving time, money and resources in the process."

For further information about VMware Go™, please visit http://www.vmwarego.com/

With this Beta release, there have been some substantial changes that we need to account for. I will summarize these the best I can.

• MS has added a Software Protection Service to the product. This service is meant to prevent piracy of Office and forces the application to check for a valid license. This new service is administered via a couple of methods we will describe shortly.
• In connection with bullet #1, MS has eliminated the VLK key that we always told ThinApp users to use when packaging Office 2003/2007. As such, there are now only 2 licenses available. The MAK (Multiple Activation Key) which needs to call home to the mothership to activate and 2) the KMS (Key Management Server) key which requires the Key Management service on the network. In either case, the use of the VMAT (Volume Activation Management Tool) to install the licenses is the preferred method. So, this means there is no longer a key that can be used without the need to activate against some server or service.

So, where does this leave us? Well, Microsoft just released notes and software around a Deployment Kit for Office 2010 that places the majority of the files and services locally on the workstation in order for Office to be licensed and work properly. This new process is both good and bad. The bad is that you will have to have an additional piece of software installed on your local workstation to support Office 2010 in a licensed environment and to ensure certain functions work correctly. The good is that we have a process that you can use to test Office 2010 with in an “unofficially licensed mode”. Of course, we always recommend that you install and run in the licensed mode to ensure compliance with your purchases. However, we would be remiss in not explaining the options available to configuring both modes with ThinApp.

Rest assured, we will be looking at how to bring these local services into the virtual environment in order to achieve a single, uniform and reproducible .exe that doesn’t require local software of any kind. Remember, this is a Microsoft thing right now, so we just want to ensure you can use Office 2010 in the manner they expect it to function. Also, these procedures are for use with the VMware ThinApp 4.0.4 version to ensure that your final package can run on both Windows XP and Windows 7.

So, here we go. The first process I am going to give you is the one that will allow you to capture and run Office 2010 in an “unlicensed mode”. The key for doing this is to allow you to test during the beta of Office around features and functionality (given the absence of a license doesn’t prevent this) so as to avoid handling many activation requests. The second is the process by which you will use the deployment kit in both the capture and production environments. The idea is that by placing the kit on the capture system, we will exclude the services that Microsoft wants present on the deployment workstation so that it may interact with the licensing requirements.

Process #1: Unlicensed and fully virtual

1. On a Windows XP SP3 environment, ensure that you have .NET 3.0 locally installed. But since MS only support SP3 on XP the odds are that you are already patched to .NET 3.5 SP1 so no worries there.
2. Next, using ThinApp 4.0.4, make a capture of Office 2010 with any components you like. Be sure to follow the guideline of choosing items to either be installed or not installed. Never leave anything for Run on First Use.
3. When complete, save your project out and copy in this script [Download Office2010] to the root of the project. The script will take care of the items necessary to make Office 2010 work.
4. Build using 4.0.4 and run on Windows XP and Win7!!!

Process #2: Licensed using Deployment Kit

1. On a Windows XP SP3 environment, ensure that you have .NET 3.0 locally installed. But since MS only support SP3 on XP the odds are that you are already patched to .NET 3.5 SP1 so no worries there.
2. Now you need to install the Microsoft Office 2010 Deployment Kit. I used the following command against the .msi for my testing.
3. 1. msiexec /i OffVirt.msi PROFESSIONALPLUS=1
4. Next, install and capture Office 2010 with any components you like. Be sure to follow the guideline of choosing items to either be installed or not installed. Never leave anything for Run on First Use.
5. 1. TIP: The Windows Live ID service is something I left off. I didn’t need it and it adds a few additional seconds to my start-up time since it is a service launched when I invoke any of the applications. There are ways to keep that from happening later, but for now, I just dropped it.
6. Now, add the following values to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search\Preferences registry key:
7. • {4154494E-BFF9-01B8-00AA-0037D96E0000}={REG_DWORD}1
   • {C0A19454-7F29-1B10-A587-08002B2A2517}={REG_DWORD}1
   • {70fab278-f7af-cd11-9bc8-00aa002fc45a}={REG_DWORD}1
   • {c34f5c97-eb05-bb4b-b199-2a7570ec7cf9}={REG_DWORD}1
   • {0077B49E-E474-CE11-8C5E-00AA004254E2}={REG_DWORD}1
8. When complete, perform your post scan, save your project out and build.

Process #2a: Running on a Workstation with the Deployment Kit

Now that you have a copy of Office 2010 captured for use with the Deployment Kit, you can test on a workstation. The following are the steps required to pre-set your workstation using the Office Deployment Kit from Microsoft.

1. On a Windows XP SP3 environment, ensure that you have .NET 3.0 locally installed. But since MS only support SP3 on XP the odds are that you are already patched to .NET 3.5 SP1 so no worries there.
2. Now you need to install the Microsoft Office 2010 Deployment Kit. I used the following commands against the .msi for my testing.
3. • msiexec /i OffVirt.msi PROFESSIONALPLUS=1
   • msiexec /i OffVirt.msi PIDKEYS=xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
   • TIP: You can use the VMAT tool against the workstation to install the product code as well, I just found using the PIDKEYS= value a bit easier for testing. I would assume you would want to use the VMAT for large-scale deployments for either MAK or KMS keys.
4. Now you just have to run your ThinApp copy of Office 2010. The activation dialog will appear and allow you to activate the key you inputted.

Pretty simple stuff! This is VMware's first pass at this so your results may vary based on your configuration and need but they are confident that the above recipe will help guide you through your testing.  As information comes available and/or the product changes in RC, we will keep you posted on any changes we discover or recommendations we have on how to package and run Office 2010.

Happy ThinApping!

Since understanding what the Isolation Modes will do to your package and the differences between them is essentials to be successful with ThinApp I put together a whiteboard video. I hope you find it useful.