Packages Tab Properties

AdminStudio 2022 R2 SP1 | 24.01 | Automated Application Converter

The Packages tab includes the following categories of properties, most of which can be edited in the package list or in the Properties Window:

General
Package Information
Installation
Microsoft App-V Options (All Versions)
Microsoft App-V Options (Version 5.x)
Microsoft App-V Options (Version 4.x)
MSIX Signing Options
Packages Tab Buttons

General

The General category includes the following properties:

Packages Tab / General Category of Properties Window

Property

Description

Enabled

To select a package for conversion, click the check box in this column of the list.

Note:This column corresponds with the Enabled field under General in the Properties window, which can be set to either True or False.

Status

Displays an icon to indicate the status of the package when it is being repackaged or virtualized, that the process has completed, or that the Automated Application Converter encountered an error during the process. See Icons Used on the Packages Tab.

Transform Status

Indicates whether any transforms are associated with the listed Windows Installer package. Automated Application Converter automatically adds all of the .mst files located in the same directory as the selected .msi file.

If a transform is associated with the selected package, one of the following two icons are displayed in this column:

 One transform is being added with this package.
 Multiple transforms are being added with this package.

If multiple transforms are associated with this package, you should click the browse button in the Transform column (or the browse button in the Transform field in the Properties window) to open the MST dialog box and specify which transform files you want to add and the order that you want the transforms applied. For more information, see MST Dialog Box.

Virtualization Readiness

When you add a package to the Packages tab, the Automated Application Converter does a quick check to identify that package’s virtualization readiness status and assigns it one of the following icons:

Ready —Package is ready to virtualize; no repackaging is required.

If a Windows Installer package does not contain any custom actions, conditional components, or unsupported tables, repackaging prior to virtualization is not required. An example of an unsupported table is the IniFile table, which changes files on the target machine in ways that cannot be statically determined.

Requires repackaging —Package must be repackaged before it can be successfully virtualized.
Virtualization not supported —Automated Application Converter has determined that virtualization is not supported.
Virtualization not recommended —Automated Application Converter has determined that this package is not recommended for virtualization.
Unknown —The Automated Application Converter was unable to determine whether this package is ready to be virtualized directly or whether it requires repackaging.

Note:You can click on the icon in this column to override the Virtualization Readiness status that was automatically assigned to this package by the Automated Application Converter.

Packages with a status of Virtualization not supported will not be virtualized. In order to virtualize that package, you must first override the status and change it to Ready or Requires repackaging.

Virtualization Readiness Issues

This read-only setting lists the issues that were found for this package. This is used to make the virtualization readiness recommendation.

Package

Lists the name of the package, as determined by the value in the Product property under Package Information. This is used as part of the output path for repackaged or virtualized results. It is also used in reports to refer to this package.

If the package has been repackaged or converted to a virtual package, those output files are also listed below the source file in a tree structure, with an icon identifying the file type. See Icons Used on the Packages Tab.

Snapshot Name

Specify an override snapshot name to use instead of the snapshot that the machine is configured to use.

Package Information

The Package Information category includes the following properties:

Packages Tab / Package Information Category of Properties Window

Property

Description

Product

Name of the package as provided by the company who manufactured it.

Company

Name of the company who manufactured this package.

Version

Version of the package.

Virtualization Technology

Indicates the virtualization format of the virtual package. Options are:

Microsoft App-V
Citrix XenApp
VMware ThinApp
Windows Installer Package

Note:This property is only displayed when a virtual package or repackaged Windows Installer package is selected under its original package.

Installation

The Installation category includes the following properties:

Packages Tab / Installation Category of Properties Window

Property

Description

Path

When a parent package is selected, this property lists the location from where the package was selected locally or from where it was originally imported into the AdminStudio Application Catalog.

If a child virtual package is selected, this property lists the location of the virtual package.

Note:It is recommended that you use a UNC path when importing packages into the Application Catalog.

If you are adding packages from an AdminStudio Application Catalog installed on a machine other than the machine where the Automated Application Converter is installed, make sure that the package source path listed here is accessible to the Automated Application Converter machine. If it is also accessible to the virtual machines, repackaging can be performed more quickly.

Command Line

Editable field that lists the command line parameters that will be used to run this installation silently during repackaging.

Transform

This field can contain a semicolon-delimited list of transforms used to modify or install a Windows Installer package silently.

To add a transform to this list, click the Browse button to open the MST dialog box. For more information, see MST Dialog Box.

Note:If the transform file is located in the same directory as the .msi file, only the .mst file name is listed in the Transform field. If you have added a transform file from another directory, the full path is listed in this field.

Compressed

Indicates the compressed status of the package:

False—Indicates that the source .msi or .exe file is uncompressed. If this package is repackaged, the Automated Application Converter will copy all of the files in the same folder as the installation file to the virtual machine.
True—Indicates that the source .msi or .exe file is compressed. If this package is repackaged, the Automated Application Converter will copy only this single installation file to the virtual machine.

Repackaging Method

Indicates the repackaging method that will be used to repackage this package:

Installation monitoring—Repackager monitors system changes as a package is installed, and that data is converted into a Windows Installer package.
Single-step snapshot—Repackager first takes an initial system snapshot, then runs the installation, and then takes a second snapshot to create the script file that can be converted into a Windows Installer package.

Soft Time-Out

Number of minutes allotted for the package to install before the user would be notified. After this time period elapses, the user will be notified, just in case there are pending dialogs for the user to dismiss or if some other user interaction is required. The default value is 20.

Hard Time-Out

Number of minutes allotted for the package to install before it is considered a failure. If this time period elapses, the Automated Application Converter would consider the installation a failure and would move to the next package. The default value is 40.

Pre-Installation Configuration

Indicate whether to allow manual configuration of the machine before beginning the capture process. This can be useful when a particular dependency, such as Java runtime, needs to be installed and should not be captured as part of the application capture process.

Available options are:

Disabled—Disable pre-installation configuration.
Enabled—Enable pre-installation configuration.

Post-Installation Configuration

Indicate whether you want to enable configuration of the application after it is installed on the virtual machine but before it is converted into the target formats. Available options are:

Default—Use the project-level behavior that is specified through the Post-Installation Configuration field on the Project Options dialog box. This is the default value.
Disabled—Disable post-installation configuration. The repackaging process does not pause after installing the product.
Enabled—Enable post-installation configuration. The repackaging process pauses after the installation of the product to allow you to launch the product and set up various application settings such as update settings and file associations. You can also perform other system configuration tasks. Once you are done with configuration, you can click a button to have the repackaging proceed with the capture and convert process.

Important:If you select the Enabled option, ensure that the value that you enter for the Hard Time-Out setting allows enough time to configure the application.

Note:This option is ignored when performing conversion to App-V 5.0 using the Microsoft App-V 5.0 Sequencer.

Manual Install

Indicate whether you want to manually perform the application installation tasks. Manual installation can be used for more complex installations. Available options are:

Disabled—Disable manual installation.
Enabled—Enable manual installation.

Important:This option is ignored during App-V 5.0 conversion using the Microsoft Sequencer.

Documentation Tool

Indicate whether you want to enable or disable the documentation tool during repackaging. Available options are:

Disabled—Disable the documentation tool. This is the default value.
Enabled—Enable the documentation tool.
Default—Use the project-level behavior that is specified through the Documentation Tools field on the Project Options dialog box. This is the default value.

Note:For more information on the documentation tool, see Documenting Repackaging Steps Using the Microsoft Step Recorder Tool.

Microsoft App-V Options (All Versions)

The Microsoft App-V Options (All Versions) category includes the following properties:

Packages Tab / Microsoft App-V Options (All Versions) Category of Properties Window

Property

Description

Name

Enter a name (a maximum of 64 characters) to override the name of the App-V package. By default, this matches the value of the Product property under Package Information.

Tip:If your virtual package contains multiple applications, you can specify the name that identifies the entire package. For example, Microsoft Office could be used to identify a package that contains Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel applications that run in the same virtual environment.

Comments

Enter a short description of the App-V package.

Note:This setting is optional.

Package Creation

Select one of the following options to identify an App-V conversion method:

Default—Use the method that is selected in the Package Creation field on the Project Options dialog box. This is the default value.
App-V 4.6 with AdminStudio—When converting this package to App-V format, use AdminStudio to convert it to an App-V 4.6 package.
App-V 5.x with AdminStudio—When converting this package to App-V format, use AdminStudio to convert it to an App-V 5.x package.
App-V 5.x with Sequencer—When converting this package to App-V format, use Microsoft Sequencer to convert it to an App-V 5.x package.

Primary Application Directory

Enter one of the following:

App-V 5.x conversions using the Sequencer—Specify the absolute folder path to the expected main installation location of the package to be converted. If no value is specified, then the App-V 5.0 package will be created with all files in the virtual file system (VFS) folder.
App-V 4.x or 5.x conversions using AdminStudio—Specify the main installation directory which will be used to set up the root/mount folder mapping.

For example, for Yahoo Messenger, AdminStudio automatically detects C:\Program Files\Yahoo! as the primary installation directory. However, you may prefer that the primary installation directory be C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Messenger, because this directory is more correct for Messenger.

In this case, you can enter this new path in the Primary Application Directory property field, and it will be honored by the AdminStudio converter as long as this path exists in the Windows Installer Package. If it does not exist, then AdminStudio will fall back to use the directory it found during automatic detection.

Important:When you use the App-V 5.x with Sequencer option, it is highly recommended that you enter a value for the Primary Application Directory property. If you do not, then all of the converted files will end up in the virtual file system (VFS) folder.

Note:When using the App-V 4.x/5.x with AdminStudio package creation options, this field is optional.

Supported OS

Use to specify the operating systems that the App-V package will support:

To accept default values—To accept the default values for Supported OS that are set on the Project Options dialog box, set Default to True. When you make this selection, all operating systems and OS Independent will automatically switch to False, and the word [Default] will be listed next to Supported OS.
If the App-V package is operating-system-dependent (meaning that it only supports some of the listed operating systems), select True next to the supported operating systems. If any of the listed operating systems are set to True, the value for Default and for Supported OS will automatically switch to False, and the selected operating systems will be listed in brackets next to Supported OS.
If the App-V package is operating-system-independent (meaning that it supports all listed operating systems), set OS Independent to True. When you make this selection, all operating systems and Default will automatically switch to False, and [OS Independent] will be listed next to Supported OS.

Important:When setting the Supported OS property for App-V 5.0 packages, keep in mind that the packages are limited to the supported operating systems of the App-V 5.0 client:

Windows 7 and later
Windows Server 2008 R2 and later

Package Optimization

Specify how to optimize the package:

Default—Use the method that is selected in the Package Optimization field on the Project Options dialog box. This is the default value.
Offline—When the package is optimized for offline use, the entire package is included in feature block 1 and will be streamed to the client at start up in one file before the application launches. After that, no more streaming is done. All files are stored in the App-V cache, which means that the application is available for use even when the machine is not connected to the App-V server. Select this option if you want to enable users to use the App-V package when not connected to the App-V server and if you want to eliminate network traffic when the App-V package is being used.
Stream—When the package is optimized for streaming use, only the shortcut targets which are included in feature block 1 are streamed to the client at start up. Feature block 2 can contain additional functionality of the App-V package that is not necessary to launch the application. While the App-V package is being used, the files in feature block 2 are streamed in small packets on an as-needed basis. This option provides a relatively quick launch time while limiting network traffic during application use.

Note:When application files are streamed to a client either at launch or during application use, they are saved in the App-V cache and do not need to be streamed again during subsequent application use.

Append Version

Specify the default App-V versioning value. Available options are:

Enabled—Append the package version to the SFT file name.
Disabled—Leave the package version off of the SFT file name.
Default—Use the setting that is defined on the Project Options dialog box.

Launcher Tool

Set this option to Enabled to include the App-V Application Launcher when you build an App-V package. You can use the App-V Application Launcher to test a newly built App-V package before moving it to a deployment server.

Note:The default for the Launcher Tool property is set on the Project Options dialog box.

Upgrade Package

If this package is an upgrade package that should update an earlier version of the application, click the ellipsis button (...) in this setting and browse to the earlier version.

All Files in VFS

Specify whether the files should exist in Windows retargetable folders within the virtual file system (VFS) folder of the App-V package. Available options are:

Disabled—All of the files that correspond with the main installation directory of the application will be put in the root folder of the App-V package’s file system. This method adheres to Microsoft App-V best practices. This is the default setting.
Enabled—All of the files in the package will be put into Windows retargetable folders within the VFS (virtual file system) folder of the App-V package. This option overrides the effect of specifying a value for Primary Application Directory.

Note:The Enabled option is generally not recommended, but there may be applications for which it is necessary. For example, if a virtualized application does not work as expected, and if it is possible that the application cannot find one of its files because it is searching in a hard-coded path, you may want to select the Enabled option.

Microsoft App-V Options (Version 5.x)

The Microsoft App-V Options (Version 5.x) category includes the following properties:

Packages Tab / Microsoft App-V Options (Version 5.x) Category of Properties Window

Property

Description

Expand App-V Package

Use this option to expand an existing App-V 5.x package on the system before performing the sequencing. This is useful for specifying middleware and dependency App-V packages such as Java runtime.

Click the browse button and select the App-V package to expand.

Named Objects Interaction

Specify Enabled to enable all named objects to interact with the local system. The default setting is Disabled to keep these objects isolated from the local system. Named objects include application’s events and mutexes among other things.

This is an advanced setting that typically does not need to be changed from the default. It is only compatible with the App-V 5.x with AdminStudio approach for package creation.

COM Objects Interaction

Specify Enabled to allow programs on the local system to interact with all COM objects present in the virtual package. The default setting is Disabled in order to isolate all COM objects of the virtual package.

This is an advanced setting that typically does not need to be changed from the default. It is only compatible with the App-V 5.x with AdminStudio approach for package creation.

Full VFS Write Mode

Set this option to Enabled to give the virtual application full write permissions to its VFS (virtual file system) files and folders.

Note:The Full VFS Write Mode feature was introduced in App-V 5.0 SP2 HotFix 4.

Microsoft App-V Options (Version 4.x)

The Microsoft App-V Options (Version 4.x) category includes the following properties:

Packages Tab / Microsoft App-V Options (Version 4.x) Category of Properties Window

Properties

Description

Server Host

Specify the host—the virtual application server or the load balancer in front of a group of virtual application servers that stream the App-V package to the Application Virtualization Client. You can either specify a static host name or IP address, or you can enter %SFT_SOFTGRIDSERVER% to indicate an environment variable.

Note:If you enter %SFT_SOFTGRIDSERVER%, you must set up the SFT_SOFTGRIDSERVER system environment variable on each Application Virtualization Client. The value of this environment variable should be the name or IP address of the host.

When you assign the variable on a client system, any Application Virtualization Client session that is running on the system must be closed and reopened; otherwise, the session is not aware of the new application source.

Server Port

Specify the port on which the virtual application server or the load balancer listens for Application Virtualization Client requests for the package. The default port is 554.

Server Path

Specify the relative path on the virtual application server where the software package is stored and from which it will be streamed.

Note:This information is required to create a package if the .sft file will be stored in a subdirectory of CONTENT; otherwise, this information is not required.

Server Protocol

Select the protocol that you want to use to stream the sequenced application package from the virtual application server to an Application Virtualization Client. Available options are:

RTSP—The real-time streaming protocol streams the App-V package. This is the default option.
RTSPS—The real-time streaming protocol with transport layer security streams the App-V package.
FILE—The App-V package are streamed from a file share.
HTTP—The hypertext transport protocol streams the App-V package.
HTTPS—The secure hypertext transport protocol streams the App-V package.

Root Folder Name

Specify the root folder of the App-V package’s file system. During run time, the Application Virtualization Client mounts the package’s file system to the App-V virtual drive; the Q drive is the default. The long and short names of the root folder must be unique because two packages with the same root folder name cannot be deployed simultaneously.

Dynamic Suites

Enter a semicolon-delimited list of OSD or SFT files to be dynamically suited with this package, or click the ellipsis button (...) and select the OSD or SFT files to be suited. If a file must be present for this package to work properly, append the following to the file name:

:MANDATORY

Compression

Specify whether to compress this App-V package by selecting one of the following options:

Compressed—Compress the App-V package.
Uncompressed—Do not compress the App-V package.
Default—Use the Compression property option that is selected on the Project Options dialog box.

Runtime Drive

Enter the App-V client runtime drive. If you do not enter a value, one of the following values will be used:

If a value is set on the Project Options dialog box, that value will be used.
If no value is set on the Project Options dialog box, the default value of Q:\ will be used.

File System Diagnostic

Set this property to Enabled if you want to include the Windows Command Prompt application when you build an App-V package so that you can browse the virtual file system at runtime from within the virtual environment.

If this property is set to Enabled, a file named Virtual File System.osd will be created in the App-V Package folder, which can be used to display the files and folders within the virtual environment. You can use Virtual File System.osd to view the existing files and folders on the computer plus the files and folders for the virtual package.

Note:The default value for the File System Diagnostic property is set on the Project Options dialog box.

Registry System Diagnostic

Set this property to Enabled if you want to include the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) when you build an App-V package so that you can browse the registry at runtime from within the virtual environment.

If this property is set to Enabled, a file named Virtual Registry.osd will be created in the App-V Package folder, which can be used to display the registry within the virtual environment. You can use Virtual Registry.osd to view the existing registry on the computer plus the registry for the virtual package.

Note:The default value for the Registry System Diagnostic property is set on the Project Options dialog box.

MSIX Signing Options

The MSIX Signing Options category includes the following properties:

Packages Tab / MSIX Signing Options Category of Properties Window

Property

Description

Select Certificate for Signing

Use to specify the signing option:

Certificate File (.pfx) Specify a path and password to a valid PFX certificate file.
Certificate Store Specify the following certificate store details:

Note:If you select the Certificate Store option, make sure that the Certificate has been imported. For more details on importing the certificate, see Import Certificate.

Certificate Store Location Select either User or Machine.
Certificate Store Name Select the store name from the drop-down list.
Certificate Subject Specify the subject of the certificate.

Note:Certificate Subject populates with respect to the selected certificate.

Packages Tab Buttons

The Packages tab includes the following buttons:

Packages Tab Buttons

Property

Description

Add Packages

Click this button to launch the Package Import Wizard, which you can use to add packages to the Packages tab.

Remove Selected

Click this button to remove the selected package from this list. You can also click the Delete key.

Note:A package is selected for removal when you click on it and it becomes highlighted, not by selecting the package’s check box. Use the Ctrl key to select multiple packages.