Microsoft Application Virtualization
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| Basic data
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| developer | Microsoft Corporation |
| Current version | 5.1 (server) |
| operating system | Windows Server 2003 R2 , Windows Server 2008 , Windows Server 2008 R2 , Windows Server 2012 , Windows Server 2012 R2 , Windows Vista , Windows 7 , Windows 8 , Windows 8.1 , Windows 10 , Windows Server 2016 |
| category | System administration |
| License | MS - EULA |
| German speaking | No |
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Microsoft Application Virtualization ( App-V for short ) is a solution for application virtualization . The program was previously marketed under the name SoftGrid .
Overview
With App-V (formerly SoftGrid), applications are served through a data center or other network location and run on the client in a virtual environment. The virtualized applications run in sandboxes , which means they work independently of an installation and other applications on the local desktop. Integration with the Systems Management Server is possible. Because the programs are distributed during runtime, a local installation is no longer necessary and the administration effort on the clients is greatly reduced.
Put simply, with App-V, a server streams the software to the user's computer, similar to an online video. Shortly after the stream begins, the user can use the application while other program parts are being loaded in the background. The advantage is that no software other than the App-V client has to be installed on a user computer. With the appropriate installation, the user can sit on an almost software-free computer anywhere in the network and use the additional software, as this is streamed to the user by the App-V server as required. If the network connection to the server is interrupted for any reason, the application can continue to operate in offline mode. However, this assumes that the software has been completely streamed to the client beforehand.
Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) is part of the "Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack" (MDOP) and with version 4.2 of the desktop client, client compatibility with Windows Vista has been added. The App-V Client for Remote Desktop Services (previously known as "Terminal Services") enables installation on a Windows Server 2000 or Windows Server 2003 as well as Windows Server 2008.
With version 4.5, Dynamic Suiting Communication (DSC) was added. This technology allows communication between virtualized applications, although the original purpose of virtualization was to isolate the applications from one another.
App-V 5 was published at the end of 2012. In July 2015, mainstream support for App-V 4.6, based on an older architecture, ended. Companies have the option of automatically migrating old software packages from App-V 4.x to App-V 5.
With the appearance of Windows 10 Version 1607 and Windows Server 2016, App-V and also UE-V (Microsoft User Experience Virtualization) are an integral part of the Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2016 and can be accessed via PowerShell with the Enable-Appv or a group policy can be activated. The App-V Sequencer has been part of the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit ( Windows Automated Installation Kit ) since then .
architecture
The App-V system architecture consists of the following components:
- Microsoft Systems Center Virtual Application Server , also called App-V Application Server , which hosts the software packages and streams them to the client computer for local execution. The authentication of client requests is also checked and usage is logged. Applications are converted to virtualized packages with the App-V Sequencer .
- Microsoft Application Virtualization Client for Windows Desktops or Microsoft Application Virtualization Client for Remote Session Hosts , also called App-V Client , is responsible for the execution on the client side, which makes the requests for software packages, receives the streamed packages, the execution environment (runtime Environment) and ultimately executes the application.
- App-V Management Console , the administration tool for setting up, administering and managing the App-V Application Server. It can be used to define guidelines that govern the use of the applications. It can also be used to manage, update, and replicate virtualized application packages.
background
With the acquisition of Softricity in July 2006, Microsoft underscored the importance of application virtualization. Microsoft SoftGrid or Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) comes from this acquisition.