Packaging Applications With Server Application Virtualization

Updated: May 13, 2016

Applies To: System Center 2012 SP1 - Virtual Machine Manager, System Center 2012 R2 Virtual Machine Manager, System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager

Sequencing is the process of creating a virtual application package. The following information provides an overview of creating and configuring virtual application package using Microsoft Server Application Virtualization (Server App-V). You can copy virtual application packages to computers that are running the Server App-V Agent. Virtual application packages are images of applications that can be copied to a computer and started without requiring a local installation but will run similarly to a locally installed application.

After you have successfully installed the Sequencer, you must create a virtual application package. The Sequencer creates applications that run in a virtual environment. The Server App-V Sequencer monitors the installation and setup process for an application, and records the information that is necessary for the application to run in a virtual environment. A sequenced application is separated from the operating system and is run in a virtual environment. This separation makes it easier than a standard application to deploy, manage, move, and remove a virtual application package.

For computers running Windows Server 2008 or later, before you sequence an application, you should understand the Windows Server Roles and Features that are required for the application to run. All the required Roles and Features should be enabled before you sequence the application. Additionally, the required Roles and Features must also be enabled on all computers that will run the virtual application package.

For information about how to sequence an application, see How to Sequence a New Server Application.

You can also use the command line to sequence an application. For more information about using PowerShell to automate sequencing an application, see How to install the Server Application Virtualization PowerShell Cmdlets, or review the associated help using the PowerShell console.

After you have created a virtual application package, for information about the sequencing process you can review Reports.xml file which is located in the directory specified on the Create Package page of the Create New Package wizard.

If you plan to sequence an application that creates a database on a Microsoft SQL Server, the following the following prerequisites must be installed. The following components are part of the Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Feature Pack.

1. Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Data-Tier Application Framework

2. Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Transact-SQL Language Service

3. Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Shared Management Objects

4. Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Transact-SQL ScriptDom

5. Microsoft® System CLR Types for Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012

After you have sequenced an application, you can customize how the virtual application package will run by configuring the associated deployment configuration items. These settings are applied to the virtual application package at run time and the information is saved in the associated deployment configuration file. The deployment configuration file is an .xml file, and you can assign a unique deployment configuration file to multiple instances of the same package running on different computers. The deployment configuration items are displayed on the Deployment Configuration Items tab in the Server App-V Sequencer.

For more information about configuring virtual application packages, see How to Perform Post-Sequencing Configuration.

After you configure the package you must save the package. For more information about saving a package, see How to Save a Server Virtual Application Package.

Use the following information to deploy a server virtual application package to a computer that is running the Server App-V Agent. The deployment is done by using the Server App-V PowerShell Cmdlets. These prerequisites must be available before you perform the procedure to deploy the application package:

• A computer that is running the Server App-V Agent.

• An installed server virtual application package.

• A computer that is running PowerShell 2.0 and the Server App-V Cmdlets.

The computer that is running the Server App-V Agent can be the same as the computer that has the Server App-V Cmdlets installed, although it is not required. If you use different computers, they must be able to contact one another over the network. The user account performing the deployment must be a member of the Local Administrators local security group on both computers. The virtual application package must be copied locally to the computer that is running the Server App-V Agent. The deployment process will occur completely on the computer that is running the Server App-V Cmdlets.

For information about deploying a package for testing, see How to Deploy a Virtual Application Package for Testing. For a list of the cmdlets that are available with Server App-V, see Server Application Virtualization Cmdlets.

If you have a previously created virtual application package, you can use update or edit a package. For information about either procedure see How to Update an Existing Virtual Application Package and How to Edit an Existing Virtual Application Package.

Microsoft Server Application Virtualization
Server Application Virtualization Overview
Installing Server Application Virtualization
Server Application Virtualization Sequencer Technical Reference
Troubleshooting Server Application Virtualization