Application Virtualization Central
What is Application Virtualization?
Microsoft Application Virtualization, called either "App-V" or "AppVirt" for short, is a set of technologies that allow standard off-the-shelf software applications
to be run on computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system without installation.
Use of application virtualization separates the application and operating system, isolates applications from each other,
and captures and contains changes users make in running applications.
This state separation is critical in solving application use and application conflict issues.
What is "State Separation"?
When you install an application into an operating system, you
change the state of the OS. Sometimes, you also change the state of
other applications. When users run an application, they also change
the state of the OS and the application itself.
With Application Virtualization, we use encapsulation and
virtualization to separate out these state changes. This prevents
conflicts and allows us to manage on an application or user basis.
Watch a short FLASH
video of Tim Mangan
explaining
"State Separation"
Watch a short SILVERLIGHT
video of Tim Mangan
explaining
"State Separation"
What Application Virtualization Products Exist?
Microsoft Application Virtualization, now known as "App-V" but
formerly known as "SoftGrid" from Softricity is the best known and
best featured application virtualization product on the market.
Citrix has a clone, formerly called AIE but is part of XenApp,
the new name for Presentation Server. Not to be outdone (but they
are in this case) VMware has purchased ThinStall and renamed this
product as
ThinApp.
But make no mistake about it, in terms of technical capabilities
App-V is the best product out there!
Does TMurgent sell App-V?
No. We provide training, consulting, and add-on software to
App-V. TMurgent goes way back with this product. Our founder, Tim
Mangan, is a
Microsoft MVP, and was the Vice President at Softricity when the
SoftGrid product was originally built. Together with Kevin Kaminski
of Big Hat Group Tim
created the
GridMasterTraining system that is the basis for TMurgent's
App-V Masters Level Training Program. We offer both public and
private on-site classes.
Do you do SCCM 2007 R2 as well?
Our App-V Masters Level Training
Program covers App-V from soup to nuts. This includes using the
dedicated streaming servers, SCCM, and stand-alone client. We train
using SCCM to deploy virtual applications via HTTP streaming and
BITS in addition to traditional install apps, but we cannot provide
full SCCM training in additionto App-V in a 5 day class.
What Applications Can Be Virtualized?
With App-V, most of them. It is easier to describe the ones you
can't. You can't fully virtualize apps that have drivers or other
kernel mode components (although if you extract out the driver you
can usually virtualize the rest). DCOM based apps are out as well.
And although you can virtualize many services, if the service must
truely start at boot time and cannot be manually restarted it will
not work also. Finally, there are some other applications that
nobody has found a way to get to work (yet). Sometimes this may be
because of non standard codeing techniques, but others -- who knows?
Figure that maybe 90% of applications can be virtualized with App-V
(but your milage may vary).