The D-Spot (The Deployment Spot)

Once in a while you need to patch Office 2010 sequences with the latest security fixes from Microsoft. I needed to patch a package which contained Excel 2010 and an Excel Addin.

I prepared my sequence machine with:

• Windows patches, dummy printer, dummy odbc connections
• App-V Sequencer 4.6
• Placed new addin sources and the sequence to upgrade on the desktop
• Made a snapshot

Started the Sequencer, opened the package for upgrade. Enabled “Show Advanced Monitoring Options”, and select “Allow Microsoft Update to run during monitoring”. So far so good, but after downloading & installing the patches all of them failed to install!

All patches failed with error code 0×80070643.

What went wrong?

I forgot to install the OSPP (Office Software Protection Platform) service on my sequence machine! (AKA Office 2010 Deployment Kit for App-V).

After installing the prerequisite all security fixes installed successful:

I just had an issue with an App-V shortcut not picked up by the client. In the SFTLOG.TXT file the following errors exist:

[xx/xx/2011 xx:24:42:784 OMGR ERR] {tid=C10:usr=xxx}

The Application Virtualization Client cannot use the OSD file specified because the GUID attribute for the CODEBASE element changed (rc xxxxxx04-00001004).

[xx/xx/2011 xx:24:42:799 SWAP WRN] {tid=C10:usr=xxx}

Could not load OSD file \\xxx\xxx\xxx.003\xxx.osd

[xx/xx/2011 xx:24:42:799 AMGR INF] {tid=C10:usr=xxx}

The app manager could not create an application from ‘\\xxx\xxx\xxx.003\xxx.osd’ (rc xxxxxx44-00001004).

According to the last log file entries this is a typical issue where the OS VALUE tag in the OSD file is missing. But this wasn’t the case because I cleared all OS VALUE’s from the OSD file.

My second thought was a legacy OSD file floating around the Softgrid cache. But after setting the State key to zero and rebooting the machine the issue still exists. But I kept walking this path, because the first log entry was about GUID attributes that has been changed (04-00001004). But especially because the issue started after performing an Active Upgrade of the sequence.

So I decided to clear all caches using these methods:

• Removed the App-V user cache (%appdata%\SoftGrid Client)
• Cleared the system cache again with the State key
• Removed the registry folder from Microsoft\SoftGrid\4.5\Client\Applications\<ApplicationName>

Rebooted the machine and BAM, I got my long awaited shortcut!  Probably a previous OSD version was floating around in the AppV User Cache.

Today Microsoft announced the release of MDOP 2011, which includes App-V 4.6 SP1.

What is changed and improved in this Service Pack?

• Package Accelerators: This is the biggest improvement in SP1. Instead of creating sequencing recipes using Word, Microsoft is introducing an easier method called Package Accelerator. Microsoft is also contributing, what we used to call, Recipes. A package accelerator for MS Project 2010 is currently available. In April a package accelerator for Office 2010 will see the daylight! And last but not least, Microsoft is working with Adobe to release package accelerators for Adobe products!
• Read only cache (for remote desktop services & VDI).
• The sequence process is redesigned, easier to use.
• Licensing for cloud applications.

Looking forward to play with this new version!

While browsing Microsoft Technet, and especially Technet Edge, I stumbled upon some new App-V learning material.

Apart from the basics, if I may believe the titles of these tutorials, also some advanced topics are mentioned.

Ideal for a rainy sunday afternoon: Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) Virtual Labs.

We had serious performance issues with our virtualized Office 2010. First launch could take up to 6 minutes, while Feature Block 1 was only about 100MB!

Because only Office 2010 was having this slow first start (and autoload), we blame our sequence, the App-V infrastructure or the application itself. But neither of these were the cause of the problem.

What got our attention was the Network utilization, it only reaches 2%. While this wasn’t an issue at all with other App-V applications. Streaming other applications goes fast and uses up to 95% of the available network bandwidth. But Office 2010 was sequenced with the 4.6 RTM version of the Application Virtualization Sequencer. Most other applications were sequenced with App-V sequencer 4.5.

Since version 4.6 the blocksize is fixed at 64KB, there is no way to change this with the GUI sequencer.

I managed to change the blocksize with the trail version of SFT Encoder. Once the blocksize was changed from 64 to 32K, Office 2010 launches ten times faster! However this isn’t a permanent solution for the slow launch. We don’t want to convert all newly sequenced packages with SFT Encoder!

So the reason why only Office 2010 suffered form this slow first start was because it was the only large package sequenced with version 4.6. Other packages made with sequencer 4.6 where to small to notice the slow launch.

A colleague of mine changed the network card speed from 1GBit/Full Duplex to 100Mbit/Full Duplex. With this setting changed, packages created with sequencer 4.6 are streaming fast like it should.

Maybe it’s a networking issue (switches?), maybe a network card setting misconfiguration (teaming?) .. to be investigated. But at least our 4.6 sequences are streaming fast again!

Thanks to Madelinde Walraven for the help with this issue!

To be continued!

A couple of weeks ago I created an AppV Tutorial for a customer. This tutorial is focused on the creation of a package with the AppV Sequencer 4.6, the import of a package in the AppV Management Console and the use of the package at the client side with the AppV Client.

AppV Tutorial

Cheers!

When working with AppV I encountered a problem today when refreshing the AppV Client Management Console (sftcmc.msc). The virtual application was visible in the list of Applications but when launching it I received this error:

Error code: xxxxxx-xxxxxx39-0000010B

Solution:

• Open the .osd file of the package.
• Go to the following line <WORKINGDIR>%your_personal_input_here%</WORKINGDIR> (in my case: <WORKINGDIR>%CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES%\ARIVOT~1\WFLASH~1\</WORKINGDIR>)
• Edit this line to: <WORKINGDIR/>

Microsoft’s application virtualization solution has reached version 4.6 some weeks ago. The most important thing about version 4.6 is support for 64 bit. The Server parts could run on x64 operating systems, but it was impossible to install the AppV client on x64 operating systems. Time to upgrade!

As the client needs to be updated first, I will cover the client upgrade process only. (Client first, server next, sequencer last). Good to know that only the client and the sequencer are updated to version 4.6. No need to update your Management server as version 4.5.2.17140 is still the latest and greatest.

AppV has some Prerequisites, I will install them first. Then I will install the AppV client itself, using some command line parameters and a registry file import for applying custom settings.

Prerequisites

Application error reporting

msiexec /I SOURCE_PATH\dw20shared.msi /QN APPGUID={4C1CE627-6B28-436E-BD12-3A881065FB20} REBOOT=REALLYSUPPRESS ALLUSERS=1

Visual C++ 2005 runtime

SOURCE_PATH\vcredist2005_x86.exe /Q:A /c:”VCREDI~3.exe /Q:A /C:”"MSIEXEC /I VCREDIST.MSI /QN “”"

Visual C++ 2008 runtime

msiexec /i SOURCE_PATH\vc2008\vc_red.msi /qn /l*v “LOGFILE_PATH\vc2008runtime.log”

AppV 4.6 Client with command line parameters

Because storage is expensive, we have a different cache policy for virtual machines. Cache size on virtual systems don’t have to be as enormous as on physical machines. Not only the cache size is reduced in virtual machines, also the AutoLoad features are disabled via the MSI command line parameters.

To identify virtual machines I query on the computer name. As we use specific names for our VM’s, this should be a piece of cake!

We do an architecture check in a batch file. So I have two code blocks, one for x64 and another for x86 operating systems. Only the paths are different, so I will post only one.

AppV Client Installation

Echo install AppV x64 Client

rem Virtual Machine check
Echo %computername% | findstr /i “ISOPC99 VPC” >NUL && (
    Echo Installing AppV x64 client for Virtual Machines
    msiexec /i “SOURCE_PATH\x64\setup.msi” SWICACHESIZE=”4096″ autoloadTriggers=0 AutoLoadTarget=0 AutoLoadonLaunch=0 AutoLoadonRefresh=0 AutoLoadonLogin=0 SWIDCSDISPLAY=”Company Streaming Server” SWIDCSTYPE=”RTSP” SWIDCSHOST=”appvserver.domain.local” SWIDCSPORT=”554″ SWIDCSREFRESH=”on” SWIGLOBALDATA=”C:\Program Files\Microsoft Application Virtualization Client\GLOBAL\” SWISOFTGRIDDRIVE=”Q” /q REBOOT=REALLYSUPPRESS /l*v “LOGFILE_PATH\appv46.log”
    ) || ( 
   Echo Installing AppV x64 client for Physical Machines
    msiexec /i “SOURCE_PATH\Source\x64\setup.msi” MinFreeSpaceMB=”6000″ SWIDCSDISPLAY=”Company Streaming Server” SWIDCSTYPE=”RTSP” SWIDCSHOST=”appvserver.domain.local” SWIDCSPORT=”554″ SWIDCSREFRESH=”on” SWIGLOBALDATA=”C:\Program Files\Microsoft Application Virtualization Client\GLOBAL\” SWISOFTGRIDDRIVE=”Q” /q REBOOT=REALLYSUPPRESS /l*v “LOGFILE_PATH\appv46.log”
    )

Echo Import Regkeys
regedit /s SOURCE_PATH\appv64_v2.reg

The registry file that is imported in the last line specify the sftlog.txt log file location, and some other tweaks, have a look:

Registry import (x86)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SoftGrid\4.5\Client\Configuration]
“SystemEventLogLevel”=dword:00000004
“LogFileName”=”C:\\PATH_OF_YOUR_CHOICE\\sftlog.txt”
“UserDataDirectory”=”%APPDATA%”
“ApplicationSourceRoot”=”RTSP://server.domain.local:554″
“LaunchRecordMask”=dword:005a0000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SoftGrid\4.5\Client\DC Servers\Company Streaming Server]
“Period”=dword:000002d0
“Refresh”=dword:00000001
“Reporting”=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SoftGrid\4.5\Client\AppFS]
“UnloadLeastRecentlyUsed”=dword:00000001
“MinPackageAge”=dword:00000001

Registry import (x64)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\SoftGrid\4.5\Client\Configuration]
“SystemEventLogLevel”=dword:00000004
“LogFileName”=”C:\\PATH_OF_YOUR_CHOICE\\sftlog.txt”
“UserDataDirectory”=”%APPDATA%”
“ApplicationSourceRoot”=”RTSP://server.domain.local:554″
“LaunchRecordMask”=dword:005a0000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\SoftGrid\4.5\Client\DC Servers\Company Streaming Server]
“Period”=dword:000002d0
“Refresh”=dword:00000001
“Reporting”=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\SoftGrid\4.5\Client\AppFS]
“UnloadLeastRecentlyUsed”=dword:00000001
“MinPackageAge”=dword:00000001

That’s it.