VMware ThinApp 4.6 User guide

ThinApp User’s Guide

ThinApp 4.6

This document supports the version of each product listed and

supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced

by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of this

document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.

EN-000400-00

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ThinApp User’s Guide

You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:

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VMware, Inc. 3

Contents

AboutThisBook 9

1 InstallingThinApp 11

ThinAppRequirements 11

OperatingSystems,Applications,andSystemsThatThinAppSupports 11

ApplicationsThatThinAppCannotVirtualize 12

RecommendationsforInstallingThinApp 12

UsingaCleanComputer 12

UsingtheEarliestOperatingSystemRequiredforUsers 13

InstallThinAppSoftware 13

CheckingThinAppInstallationFiles 13

2 CapturingApplications 15

PhasesoftheCaptureProcess 15

PreparingtoCaptureApplications 15

CapturingApplicationswiththeSetupCaptureWizard 16

CreateaSystemImageBeforetheApplicationInstallation 16

RescantheSystemwiththeInstalledApplication 16

DefiningEntryPointsasShortcutsintotheVirtualEnvironment 17

SetEntryPoints 17

SetUserGroups 18

DefiningIsolationModesforthePhysicalFileSystem 18

Set

FileSystemIsolationModes 20

StoringApplicationChangesintheSandbox 20

CustomizetheSandboxLocation 20

SendAnonymousStatisticstoVMware 20

CustomizeThinAppProjectSettings 21

DefiningPackageSettings 21

CustomizePackageSettings 22

OpeningProjectandParameterFiles 22

BuildVirtualApplications 23

AdvancedPackageConfiguration 23

ModifyingSettingsinthePackage.iniFile 23

ModifyingSettingsinthe##Attributes.iniFile 24

GuidelinesforPackagingMicrosoftOffice

2007 24

RequirementsforPackagingMicrosoftOffice2007 25

CapturingMicrosoftOffice2007 25

ConfigureMicrosoftOffice2007 27

CapturingInternetExplorer6onWindowsXP 28

RequirementsforCapturingInternetExplorer6onWindowsXP 28

CaptureInternetExplorer6onWindowsXPbyUsingtheSetupCaptureWizard 28

ExtractingandRegisteringThinDirect 29

CapturingMultipleApplicationInstallerswithThinApp

Converter 29

ThinAppConverterProcess 29

SystemRequirementsforRunningThinAppConverter 30

PreparingtheConfigurationFileforThinAppConverter 30

PredefinedEnvironmentVariables 37

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3 DeployingApplications 39

ThinAppDeploymentOptions 39

DeployingThinAppwithDeploymentTools 39

DeployingThinAppintheVMwareViewEnvironment 39

DeployingThinApponNetworkShares 40

DeployingThinAppUsingExecutableFiles 40

EstablishingFileTypeAssociationswiththethinreg.exeUtility 40

ApplicationSyncEffectonthethinreg.exeUtility 40

Runthethinreg.exeUtility 41

Optionalthinreg.exeParameters 41

BuildinganMSIDatabase 43

CustomizingMSIFileswithPackage.ini

Parameters 43

ModifythePackage.iniFiletoCreateMSIFiles 43

ControllingApplicationAccesswithActiveDirectory 45

Package.iniEntriesforActiveDirectoryAccessControl 45

StartingandStoppingVirtualServices 46

AutomaticStartupforVirtualServices 46

UsingThinAppPackagesStreamedfromtheNetwork 47

HowThinAppApplicationStreamingWorks 47

RequirementsandRecommendationsforStreamingPackages 48

StreamThinAppPackagesfromthe

Network 49

UsingCapturedApplicationswithOtherSystemComponents 49

PerformingPasteOperations 49

AccessingPrinters 49

AccessingDrivers 49

AccessingtheLocalDisk,theRemovableDisk,andNetworkShares 49

AccessingtheSystemRegistry 50

AccessingNetworkingandSockets 50

UsingSharedMemoryandNamedPipes 50

UsingCOM,DCOM,andOut‐of‐ProcessCOMComponents 50

StartingServices 50

UsingFileTypeAssociations 50

SampleIsolation

ModeConfigurationDependingonDeploymentContext 51

ViewofIsolationModeEffectontheWindowsRegistry 51

4 UpdatingandLinkingApplications 53

ApplicationUpdatesThattheEndUserTriggers 53

ApplicationSyncUpdates 53

ApplicationLinkUpdates 56

ApplicationUpdatesThattheAdministratorTriggers 60

ForcinganApplicationSyncUpdateonClientMachines 61

UpdatingApplicationswithRuntimeChanges 61

AutomaticApplicationUpdates 62

DynamicUpdatesWithoutAdministratorRights 63

UpgradingRunningApplicationsonaNetworkShare 63

FileLocks 63

UpgradeaRunningApplication 63

SandboxConsiderationsfor

UpgradedApplications 64

UpdatingtheThinAppVersionofPackages 64

relinkExamples 64

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Contents

5 ConfiguringPackageParameters 65

Package.iniFileStructure 66

ParametersThatApplytoPackage.inior##Attributes.iniFiles 66

ConfiguringtheThinAppRuntime 66

NetRelaunch 66

RuntimeEULA 67

VirtualComputerName 67

Wow64 68

QualityReportingEnabled 68

ConfiguringIsolation 68

DirectoryIsolationMode 68

RegistryIsolationMode 69

ConfiguringFileandProtocolAssociations 70

FileTypes 70

Protocols 70

ConfiguringBuildOutput 70

ExcludePattern 70

Icon 71

OutDir 71

RetainAllIcons 72

ConfiguringPermissions 72

AccessDeniedMsg 72

AddPageExecutePermission 72

PermittedGroups 73

UACRequestedPrivilegesLevel 73

UACRequestedPrivilegesUIAccess 74

ConfiguringObjectsandDLLFiles 74

ExternalCOMObjects 74

ExternalDLLs 75

ForcedVirtualLoadPaths 75

IsolatedMemoryObjects 75

IsolatedSynchronizationObjects 76

NotificationDLLs 77

NotificationDLLSignature 77

ObjectTypes 77

SandboxCOMObjects 77

VirtualizeExternalOutOfProcessCOM 78

ConfiguringFileStorage 78

CachePath 78

UpgradePath 79

VirtualDrives 79

ConfiguringProcessesandServices 81

AllowExternalKernelModeServices 81

AllowExternalProcessModifications 81

AllowUnsupportedExternalChildProcesses 82

AutoShutdownServices 82

AutoStartServices 82

ChildProcessEnvironmentDefault 82

ChildProcessEnvironmentExceptions 83

ConfiguringSizes 83

BlockSize 83

CompressionType 83

MSICompressionType 84

OptimizeFor 85

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ConfiguringLogging 85

DisableTracing 85

LogPath 86

ConfiguringVersions 86

CapturedUsingVersion 86

StripVersionInfo 86

Version.XXXX 87

ConfiguringLocales 87

AnsiCodePage 87

LocaleIdentifier 87

LocaleName 87

ConfiguringIndividualApplications 88

CommandLine 88

Disabled 88

ReadOnlyData 88

ReserveExtraAddressSpace 89

Shortcut 89

Shortcuts 90

Source 90

WorkingDirectory 90

ConfiguringDependentApplicationswithApplicationLink 91

ApplicationLinkPathnameFormats 91

RequiredAppLinks 92

OptionalAppLinks 93

ConfiguringApplicationUpdateswithApplicationSync 93

AppSyncClearSandboxOnUpdate 93

AppSyncExpireMessage 94

AppSyncExpirePeriod 94

AppSyncURL 94

AppSyncUpdateFrequency 94

AppSyncUpdatedMessage 95

AppSyncWarningFrequency 95

AppSyncWarningMessage 95

AppSyncWarningPeriod 95

ConfiguringMSIFiles 96

MSIArpProductIcon 96

MSIDefaultInstallAllUsers 96

MSIFilename 97

MSIInstallDirectory 97

MSIManufacturer 97

MSIProductCode 98

MSIProductVersion 98

MSIRequireElevatedPrivileges 99

MSIUpgradeCode 99

MSIStreaming 99

ConfiguringSandboxStorageandInventoryNames 100

InventoryName 100

RemoveSandboxOnExit 100

SandboxName 101

SandboxNetworkDrives 101

SandboxPath 101

SandboxRemovableDisk 102

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Contents

6 LocatingtheThinAppSandbox 103

SearchOrderfortheSandbox 103

ControllingtheSandboxLocation 105

StoretheSandboxontheNetwork 105

StoretheSandboxonaPortableDevice 105

SandboxStructure 106

MakingChangestotheSandbox 106

ListingVirtualRegistryContentswithvregtool 106

7 CreatingThinAppSnapshotsandProjectsfromtheCommandLine 107

MethodsofUsingthesnapshot.exeUtility 107

CreatingSnapshotsofMachineStates 107

CreatingtheTemplatePackage.inifilefromTwoSnapshotFiles 108

CreatingtheThinAppProjectfromtheTemplatePackage.iniFile 108

DisplayingtheContentsofaSnapshotFile 109

Samplesnapshot.exeCommands 109

CreateaProjectWithouttheSetupCaptureWizard 109

Customizingthesnapshot.iniFile 110

8 ThinAppFileSystemFormatsandMacros 111

VirtualFileSystemFormats 111

ThinAppFolderMacros 111

ListofThinAppMacros 112

Processing%SystemRoot%inaTerminalServicesEnvironment 113

9 CreatingThinAppScripts 115

CallbackFunctions 115

ImplementScriptsinaThinAppEnvironment 116

.batExample 116

TimeoutExample 116

ModifytheVirtualRegistry 117

.regExample 117

StoppingaServiceExample 117

CopyingaFileExample 117

AddaValuetotheSystemRegistry 118

APIFunctions 119

AddForcedVirtualLoadPath 119

ExitProcess 119

ExpandPath 120

ExecuteExternalProcess 120

ExecuteVirtualProcess 121

GetBuildOption 121

GetFileVersionValue 121

GetCommandLine 122

GetCurrentProcessName 122

GetOSVersion 123

GetEnvironmentVariable 124

RemoveSandboxOnExit 124

SetEnvironmentVariable 124

SetfileSystemIsolation 125

SetRegistryIsolation 125

WaitForProcess 125

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10 MonitoringandTroubleshootingThinApp 127

ProvidingInformationtoTechnicalSupport 127

LogMonitorOperations 127

TroubleshootActivitywithLogMonitor 128

PerformAdvancedLogMonitorOperations 128

LogFormat 130

TroubleshootingSpecificApplications 134

TroubleshootRegistrySetupforMicrosoftOutlook 134

ViewingAttachmentsinMicrosoftOutlook 134

StartingExplorer.exeintheVirtualEnvironment 135

TroubleshootingJavaRuntimeEnvironmentVersionConflict 135

Glossary 137

Index 141

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TheThinAppUser’sGuideprovidesinformationabouthowtoinstallThinApp™,captureapplications,deploy

applications,andupgradeapplications.You canrefertothisguidetocustomizeparametersandperform

scripting.

Intended Audience

ThisbookisintendedforanyonewhoinstallsThinAppanddeployscapturedapplications.Typicalusersare

systemadministratorsresponsibleforthedistributionandmaintenanceofcorporatesoftwarepackages.

VMware ThinApp Documentation

ThecompletedocumentationsetforVMwareThinAppconsistsofthefollowingdocuments.

 ThinAppUser’sGuide.Conceptualandproceduralinformationtohelpyoucompleteatask.

 ThinApp4.6ReleaseNotes.Late‐breakingnewsanddescriptionsofknownissuesandworkarounds.

 MigratingApplicationswithThinAppDuringanUpgradefromMicrosoftWindowsXPtoWindows7.

ProceduralinformationforusingThinApptomigrateapplicationsfromWindowsXPtoWindows7.

Document Feedback

VMwarewelcomesyoursuggestionsforimprovingourdocumentation.Ifyouhavecomments,sendyour

feedbacktodocfeedback@vmware.com.

Technical Support and Education Resources

Thefollowingsectionsdescribethetechnicalsupportresourcesavailabletoyou.To accessthecurrentversion

ofthisbookandotherbooks,gotohttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.

Online and Telephone Support

Touseonlinesupporttosubmittechnicalsupportrequests,viewyourproductandcontractinformation,and

registeryourproducts,gotohttp://www.vmware.com/support.

Customerswithappropriatesupportcontractsshouldusetelephonesupportforthefastestresponseon

priority1issues.Gotohttp://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.

Support Offerings

TofindouthowVMw aresupportofferingscanhelpmeetyourbusinessneeds,goto

http://www.vmware.com/support/services.

About This Book

ThinApp User’s Guide

10 VMware, Inc.

VMware Professional Services

VMwareEducationServicescoursesofferextensivehands‐onlabs,casestudyexamples,andcoursematerials

designedtobeusedason‐the‐jobreferencetools.Coursesareavailableonsite,intheclassroom,andlive

online.Foronsitepilotprograms andimplementationbestpractices,VMwareConsultingServicesprovides

offeringsto helpyouassess,plan,

build,andmanageyourvirtualenvironment.To accessinformationabout

educationclasses,certificationprograms,andconsultingservices,gotohttp://www.vmware.com/services.

Legal Notice

ThinAppusestheregularexpressionlibraryoriginallywrittenbyHenrySpencer.

Copyright(c)1986,1993,1995byUniversityofToronto.

WrittenbyHenrySpencer.Notderivedfromlicensedsoftware.

Permissionisgrantedtoanyonetousethissoftwareforanypurposeonanycomputersystem,andto

redistributeitinanyway,

subjecttothefollowingrestrictions:

1Theauthorisnotresponsiblefortheconsequencesofuseofthissoftware,nomatterhowawful,evenif

theyarisefromdefectsinit.

2Theoriginofthissoftwaremustnotbemisrepresented,eitherbyexplicitclaimorbyomission.

3Alteredversionsmustbeplainlymarked

assuch,andmustnotbemisrepresented(byexplicitclaimor

omission)asbeingtheoriginalsoftware.

4Thisnoticemustnotberemovedoraltered.

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1

YoucaninstallThinApptoisolateapplications,simplifyapplicationcustomization,deployapplicationsto

differentoperatingsystems,andeliminateapplicationconflict.

Thisinformationincludesthefollowingtopics:

 “ThinAppRequirements”onpage 11

 “RecommendationsforInstallingThinApp”onpage 12

 “InstallThinAppSoftware”onpage 13

 “CheckingThinAppInstallationFiles”onpage 13

ThinApp Requirements

ReviewtherequirementsforoperatingsystemsandcapturedapplicationsbeforeinstallingThinApp.

Operating Systems, Applications, and Systems That ThinApp Supports

ThinAppsupportsvariousoperatingsystems,applications,andsystems.

 32‐bitplatformsincludeWindowsNT,Windows2000,Windows XP,WindowsXPE,Windows2003

Server,WindowsVista,WindowsServer2008,Windows7

 64‐bitplatformsincludeWindowsXP64bit,Windows200364bit,WindowsVista64 bit,

Windows Server 2008 64bit,Windows Server 2008 R2 64bit,Windows 7 64 bit

 16‐bitapplicationsrunningon32‐bitWindowsoperatingsystems

 32‐bitapplicationsrunningon32‐bitand64‐bitWindowsoperatingsystems

 TerminalServerandCitrixXenapp

ThinAppsupportsJapaneseapplicationscapturedandrunonJapaneseoperatingsystems.

CertainoperatingsystemsandapplicationsarenotsupportedbyThinApp.

 16‐bitornonx86platformssuchasWindowsCE

 64‐bitapplicationsrunningon32‐bitor64‐bitWindowsoperatingsystems

 16‐bitapplicationsrunningon64‐bitWindowsoperatingsystems

Installing ThinApp

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12 VMware, Inc.

Applications That ThinApp Cannot Virtualize

ThinAppcannotconvertsomeapplicationsintovirtualapplicationsandmightblockcertainapplicationfunctions.

Youmustusetraditionalinstallationtechnologiestodeploysomeapplicationtypes.

 Applicationsthatdonotnativelysupportthedeploymentoperatingsystem.

Ifanoperatingsystemdoesnotsupportthenativeinstallationofanapplication,thatoperatingsystemis

notasupportedThinAppdeploymentplatformforthatapplication.

 Applicationsrequiringinstallationofkernel‐modedevicedrivers

ODBCdriversworkbecausetheyareusermodedrivers.

 Antivirusandpersonalfirewalls

 Scannerdriversandprinterdrivers

 SomeVPNclients

Device Drivers

ApplicationsthatrequiredevicedriversdonotworkwhenpackagedwithThinApp.Youmustinstallthose

devicedriversintheiroriginalformatonthehostcomputer.BecauseThinAppdoesnotsupportvirtualized

devicedrivers,youcannotuseThinApptovirtualizeantivirus,VPNclients,personalfirewalls,anddiskand

volumemounting‐related

utilities.

IfyoucaptureAdobeAcrobat,youcanmodifyandsavePDFfiles,butyoucannotusethePDFprinterdriver

thatenablesyoutosavedocumentstoPDFformat.

Shell Integration

SomeapplicationsthatprovideshellintegrationhavereducedfunctionswhentheyexistinaThinApp

package.Forexample,avirtualapplicationthatintegrateswithWindowsExplorercannotaddspecificentries

totheWindowsExplorercontextmenus.

DCOM Services that are Accessible on a Network

ThinAppisolatesCOMandDCOMservices.ApplicationsthatinstallDCOMservicesareaccessibleonthe

localcomputeronlybyothercapturedapplicationsrunninginthesameThinAppsandbox.ThinAppsupports

virtualDCOMandCOMonthesamecomputerbutdoesnotsupportnetworkDCOM.

Global Hook Dynamic Link Libraries

SomeapplicationsusetheSetWindowsHookExAPIfunctiontoaddaDLLfiletoallprocessesonthehost

computer.TheDLLinterceptsWindowsmessagestocapturekeyboardandmouseinputfromother

applications.ThinAppignoresrequestsfromapplicationsthatusetheSetWindowsHookExfunctiontotryto

installglobalhookDLLs.ThinApp

mightreducetheapplicationfunctions.

Recommendations for Installing ThinApp

WhenyouinstallThinApp,considertherecommendationsandbestpracticesforthesoftware.

Using a Clean Computer

VMwarerecommendsusingacleancomputertoinstallThinAppbecausetheenvironmentaffectsthe

applicationcaptureprocess.AcleancomputerisaphysicalorvirtualmachinewithonlyaWindowsoperating

systeminstalled.Inacorporateenvironmentwhereyouhaveabasedesktopimage,thebasedesktopimage

isyourclean

computer.Thedesktopcomputermightalreadyhavesomecomponentsandlibrariesinstalled.

VMware, Inc. 13

Chapter 1 Installing ThinApp

Applicationinstallersskipfilesthatalreadyexistonthecomputer.Iftheinstallerskipsfiles,theThinApp

packagedoesnotincludethemduringtheapplicationcaptureprocess.Theapplicationmightfailtorunon

othercomputerswherethefilesdonotexist.Acleancomputerenablesthecaptureprocesstoscan

the

computerfilesystemandregistryquickly.

Ifyouinst al lThinAppandcaptureanapplicationonacompu te r thathasMicrosoft.NET2.0alreadyinstalled,

.NET2.0isnotincludedintheThinApppackage.Thecapturedapplicationrunsonlyoncomputersthathave

.NET2.0alreadyinstalled.

Using Virtual Machines for Clean Computers

Theeasiestwaytosetupacleancomputeristocreateavirtualmachine.YoucaninstallWindowsonthe

virtualmachineandtakeasnapshotoftheentirevirtualmachineinitscleanstate.Afteryoucapturean

application,youcanrestorethesnapshotandrevertittoa

cleanvirtualmachinestatethatisreadyforthenext

applicationcapture.

YoucanuseVMwareWorkstationorotherVMwareproductstocreatevirtualmachines.Forinformation

aboutVMwareproducts,seetheVMwareWebsite.

Using the Earliest Operating System Required for Users

InstallThinApponacleancomputerwiththeearliestversionoftheoperatingsystemyouplantosupport.

In mostcases,theearliestplatformisWindows 2000orWindows XP.MostpackagescapturedonWindowsXP

workonWindows2000.In somecases,WindowsXPincludessomeDLLsthatWindows2000lacks.ThinApp

excludesthese

DLLSfromthecapturedapplicationpackageiftheapplicationtypicallyinstallstheseDLLs.

AfteryoucreateaThinAppapplicationpackage,youcanoverwritefilesinthepackagewithupdatedversions

andrebuildtheapplicationwithoutthecaptureprocess.

Install ThinApp Software

UsetheThinAppexecutablefiletoinstallThinApp.

Install ThinApp software

1 DownloadThinApptoacleanphysicalorvirtualWindowsmachine.

2Double‐clicktheThinAppexecutablefile.

3InthePatentListsdialogbox,clickNext.

4Acceptthelicense,typetheserialnumber,andtypealicensedisplaynamethatappearswhenyouopen

applicationsthat

ThinAppcaptures.

5ClickInstall.

ThinAppisinstalled.

Checking ThinApp Installation Files

TheThinAppinstallationgeneratestheVMwareThinAppdirectoryinC:\Program Files\VMware. Youmight

checkthefilesinthisdirectorytoperformoperationssuchasstartingtheLogMonitorutilitytoviewrecent

activity.

ThefollowingkeyfilesintheVMwareThinAppdirectoryaffectThinAppoperations:

 AppSync.exe–Keepscapturedapplicationsuptodatewiththelatestavailableversion.

 logging.dll–Generates.tracefiles.

 dll_dump.exe–Listsallcapturedapplicationsthatarecurrentlyrunningonasystem.

 log_monitor.exe–Displaystheexecutionhistoryanderrorsofanapplication.

 relink.exe–UpdatesexistingpackagestothelatestThinAppversioninstalledonthesystem.

ThinApp User’s Guide

14 VMware, Inc.

 sbmerge.exe–MergesruntimechangesrecordedintheapplicationsandboxwiththeThinAppproject

andupdatesthecapturedapplication.

 SetupCapture.exe–Capturesandconfiguresapplicationsthroughawizard.

 snapshot.exe–Comparesthepreinstallationenvironmentandpostinstallationenvironmentduringthe

applicationcaptureprocess.

ThinAppstartsthisutilityduringthesetupcaptureprocess.

 snapshot.ini–StoresentriesforthevirtualregistryandvirtualfilesystemthatThinAppignoresduring

theprocessofcapturinganapplication.

Thesnapshot.exefilereferencesthesnapshot.inifile.Advancedusersmightmodifythe

snapshot.inifiletoensurethatThinAppdoesnotcapturecertainentrieswhencreatinganapplication

package.

 template.msi–BuildstheMSIfiles.

Youcancustomizethistemplatetoensurethatthe.msifilesgeneratedbyThinAppadheretocompany

deploymentproceduresandstandards.Forexample,youcanaddregistrysettingsthatyouwant

ThinApptoaddtoclientcomputersaspartoftheinstallation.

 thinreg.exe–Registerscapturedapplicationsonacomputer.

ThisregistrationincludessettingupshortcutsandtheStartmenuandsettingupfiletypeassociations

thatallowyoutoopenapplications.

 tlink.exe–Linkskeymodulesduringthebuildprocessofthecapturedapplication.

 vftool.exe–Compilesthevirtualfilesystemduringthebuildprocessofthecapturedapplication.

 vregtool.exe–Compilesthevirtualregistryduringthebuildprocessofthecapturedapplication.

VMware, Inc. 15

2

Youcancaptureapplicationstopackageanapplicationintoavirtualenvironment.

TheSetupCapturewizardisthemainmethodtocaptureapplicationsandsetinitialapplicationparameters.

Advanceduserswhomustcaptureapplicationsfromthecommandlinecanusethesnapshot.exeutility

insteadoftheSetupCapturewizard.

Thissectionincludes

thefollowingtopics:

 “PhasesoftheCaptureProcess”onpage 15

 “PreparingtoCaptureApplications”onpage 15

 “CapturingApplicationswiththeSetupCaptureWizard”onpage 16

 “A d v a n c e d PackageConfiguration”onpage 23

 “GuidelinesforPackagingMicrosoftOffice2007”onpage 24

 “CapturingInternetExplorer6onWindowsXP”onpage 28

 “CapturingMultipleApplicationInstallerswithThinAppConverter”onpage 29

Phases of the Capture Process

Capturinganapplicationinvolvessystemscans,applicationconfiguration,packageconfiguration,and

generationofthevirtualapplicationfordistribution.

TheSetupCapturewizardsetsinitialparametersfortheapplication.Youcancustomizethefullsetof

parametersoutsideofthewizard.

Preparing to Capture Applications

Preparingforthecaptureprocessinvolvesunderstandingtheneedsanddependenciesoftheapplication.

Fortargetapplicationsthathavedependenciesonotherapplications,libraries,orframeworks,youcancapture

thedependenciesorusetheApplicationLinkutilitytolinkseparatevirtualapplicationsatruntime.For

informationabouttheApplicationLinkutility,

see“ApplicationLinkUpdates”onpage 56.

Fortargetapplicationsthatrequirelocaleformats,suchasaspecificdateformat,youcancapturetheminan

environmentwiththerequiredlocalesetting.ThinApprunsvirtualapplicationsaccordingtotheregionaland

languagesettingsonthecapturesystemratherthanthesettingson

thesystemthatrunstheapplication.

AlthoughyoucanmodifythedefaultlocalesettingbycommentingouttheLocaleIdentifierparameterin

thePackage.inifileandrebuildingtheapplication,youcanavoidcomplicationsinthecaptureenvironment.

ForinformationabouttheLocaleIdentifierparameter,see“LocaleIdentifier”onpage 87.

Capturing Applications

2

ThinApp User’s Guide

16 VMware, Inc.

Capturing Applications with the Setup Capture Wizard

Thecaptureprocesspackagesanapplicationandsetsinitialapplicationparameters.Ifyouuseavirtual

machine,considertakingasnapshotbeforeyourunthewizard.Asnapshotoftheoriginalcleanstateenables

youtoreverttothesnapshotwhenyouwanttocaptureanotherapplication.

ThisinformationusesMozilla

Firefoxasakeyexampleforapplicationcapture.Forinformationabout

MicrosoftOffice2007thatextendsbeyondthebasiccaptureprocess,see“GuidelinesforPackagingMicrosoft

Office2007”onpage 24.

Create a System Image Before the Application Installation

TheSetupCapturewizardstartsthecaptureprocessbyscanningthesystemtoassesstheenvironmentand

createabaselinesystemimage.

Create a system image before the application installation

1 Downloadtheapplicationstocapture.

Forexample,downloadFirefoxSetup2.0.0.3.exeandcopyittothecleancomputeryouareworking

with.

2Closeanyapplications,suchasvirusscans,that

mightchangethefilesystemduringthecaptureprocess.

3Fromthedesktop,selectStart>Programs>VMware>ThinAppSetupCapture.

4 (Optional)IntheReadytoPrescandialogbox,clickAdvancedScanLocationstoselectthedrivesand

registryhivestoscan.

Youmightwanttoscanaparticularlocation

otherthantheC:\driveifyouinstallapplicationstoa

differentdriv e.Inrarecases,youmightwanttoavoidscanningaregistryhiveifyouknowthatthe

applicationinstallerdoesnotmodifytheregistry.

5ClickPrescantoestablishabaselinesystemimageoftheharddriveandregistry

files.

Thescanningprocesstakesabout10secondsforWindowsXP.

Rescan the System with the Installed Application

YoucaninstalltheapplicationtovirtualizebeforetheSetupCapturewizardrescansthesystemandassess

changesfromtheinitialsystemimage.

Install the application and rescan the system

1WhentheInstallApplicationpageappears,minimizetheSetupCapturewizardandinstallthe

applicationstocapture.

Forexample,double‐clickFirefoxSetup2.0.0.3.exe to installFirefox.Iftheapplication

needsto

restartaftertheinstallation,restartthesystem.TheprocessrestartstheSetupCapturewizard.

2 (Optional)IfyouarecapturingInternetExplorer,intheInstallApplicationpage,clickInternetExplorer,

tocompleteadditionalstepsbeforeinstallingthebrowser.

IfyouarecapturingInternetExplorer6onWindowsXP,see“Capturing

InternetExplorer6onWindows

XP”onpage 28.

Formoreinformationaboutentrypoints,see“DefiningEntryPointsasShortcutsintotheVirtual

Environment”onpage 17.

3 (Optional)Makeanynecessaryconfigurationchangestocomplywithyourcompanypolicies,suchas

usingspecificsecuritysettingsoraparticularhomepage.

Ifyou

donotmakeconfigurationchangesatthistime,eachusermustmakechanges.

VMware, Inc. 17

Chapter 2 Capturing Applications

4 (Optional)Starttheapplicationandrespondtoanymessagesforinformationbeforeyoucontinuewith

theSetupCapturewizard.

Ifyoudonotrespondtoanymessagesatthistime,eachuserwhousestheapplicationmustdosoduring

theinitialstart.

5Closetheapplication.

6 MaximizetheSetupCapturewizard,click

Postscantoproceedwithanotherscanofthecomputer,and

clickOKtoconfirmthepostscanoperation.

ThinAppstoresthedifferencesbetweenthefirstbaselineimageandthisimageinavirtualfilesystemand

virtualregistry.

Defining Entry Points as Shortcuts into the Virtual Environment

Entrypointsaretheexecutablefilesthatactasshortcutsintothevirtualenvironmentandstartthevirtual

application.Theentrypointsyoucanchoosefromdependontheexecutablefilesthatyourcaptured

applicationcreatesduringinstallation.

Forexample,ifyouinstallMicrosoftOffice,youcanselectentrypointsfor

MicrosoftWord,MicrosoftExcel,

andotherapplicationsthatareinstalledduringaMicrosoftOfficeinstallation.IfyouinstallFirefox,youmight

selectMozilla Firefox.exeandMozilla Firefox (SafeMode).exeifusersrequiresafemodeaccess.

DuringthebuildprocessthatoccursattheendoftheSetupCapturewizard,ThinAppgeneratesone

executablefilefor

eachselectedentrypoint.IfyoudeploytheapplicationasanMSIfileorusethe

thinreg.exeutility,thedesktopandStartmenushortcutscreatedonuserdesktopspointtotheseentry

points.

Entry Points for Troubleshooting

ThinAppprovidesentrypointstotroubleshootyourenvironment.

Debugginganapplicationmightinvolvethefollowingentrypoints:

 cmd.exe–Startsacommandpromptinavirtualcontextthatenablesyoutoviewthevirtualfilesystem.

 regedit.exe–Startstheregistryeditorinavirtualcontextthatenablesyoutoviewthevirtualregistry.

 iexplore.exe–Startsiexplore.exeinavirtualcontextthatenablesyoutotestvirtualized

ActiveX controls.

Entrypointsstartnativeexecutablefilesinavirtualcontext.Entrypointsdonotcreatevirtualpackagesof

cmd.exe,regedit.exe,oriexplore.exe.

Ifyoucannotpredicttheneedfordebuggingortroubleshootingtheenvironment,you

canusetheDisabled

parameterinthePackage.inifileatalatertimetoactivatetheseentrypoints.

Set Entry Points

Youcandesignatetheexecutablefilesthatmakeupthelistofentrypoints.ThinAppinstallstheexecutable

filesduringthecaptureprocess.

Set entry points in the Setup Capture wizard

1OntheEntryPointspage,selectthecheckboxesforuser‐accessibleentrypoints.

Thewizarddisplaystheexecutablefilesthatweredirectlyaccessiblethroughthedesktop

orStartmenu

shortcuts.

2 (Optional)Todebugyourenvironment,selecttheShowentrypointsusedfordebuggingcheckboxto

displaytheiexplore.exe,regedit.exe,andcmd.exetroubleshootingoptions.

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18 VMware, Inc.

Set User Groups

ThinAppcanuseActiveDirectorygroupstoauthorizeaccesstothevirtualapplication.Youcanrestrictaccess

toanapplicationtoensurethatusersdonotpassittounauthorizedusers.

ActiveDirectoryDomainServicesdefinesecuritygroupsanddistributiongroups.ThinAppcanonlysupport

nestedsecuritygroups.

Set user groups in the Setup Capture wizard

1OntheGroups

page,limittheuseraccesstotheapplication.

a SelectOnlythefollowingActiveDirectorygroups.

bClickAddtospecifyActiveDirectoryobjectandlocationinformation.

2 (Optional)ChangethemessagethatappearsforusersthatThinAppcannotauthorize.

Defining Isolation Modes for the Physical File System

Isolationmodesdeterminethelevelofreadandwriteaccesstothenativefilesystemoutsideofthevirtual

environment.Youmightadjustisolationmodesettingsdependingontheapplicationandtherequirementsto

protectthephysicalsystemfromchanges.

Theselectionofisolationmodesinthecaptureprocessdeterminesthe

valueoftheDirectoryIsolationMode

parameterinthePackage.inifile.Thisparametercontrolsthedefaultisolationmodeforthefilescreatedby

thevirtualapplicationexceptwhenyouspecifyadifferentisolationmodeinthe##Attributes.inifilefor

anindividualdirectory.

Theselectionofadirectoryisolationmodedoesnotaffectthe

followingareas:

 ThinApptreatswriteoperationstonetworkdrivesaccordingtotheSandboxNetworkDrivesparameter

inthePackage.inifile.Thisparameterhasadefaultvaluethatdirectswriteoperationstothephysical

drive.ThinApptreatswriteoperationstoremovabledisksaccordingtotheSandboxRemovableDisk

parameterinthePackage.inifile.Thisparameterhasadefault

valuethatdirectswriteoperationstothe

physicaldrive.

 IfyousavedocumentstothedesktoporMy Documentsfolder,ThinAppsavesthedocumentstothe

physicalsystem.ThinAppsetstheisolationmodeinthe##Attributes.inifilesin%Personal%and

%Desktop%toMergedevenwhenyouselectWriteCopyisolationmode.

Applying Merged Isolation Mode for Modifications Outside the Package

WithMergedisolationmode,applicationscanreadandmodifyelementsonthephysicalfilesystemoutside

ofthevirtualpackage.SomeapplicationsrelyonreadingDLLsandregistryinformationinthelocalsystem

image.

TheadvantageofusingMergedmodeisthatdocumentsthatuserssaveappearonthephysicalsystem

inthe

locationthatusersexpect,insteadofinthesandbox.Thedisadvantageisthatthismodemightclutterthe

systemimage.Anexampleofthecluttermightbefirst‐executionmarkersbysharewareapplicationswritten

torandomcomputerlocationsaspartofthelicensingprocess.

Option Description

ObjectTypes Specifiesobjects.

Locations Specifiesalocationintheforest.

CheckNames Verifyobjectnames.

Advanced LocatesusernamesintheActiveDirectoryforest.

CommonQueries(underAdvanced)Searchesforgroupsaccordingtonames,descriptions,disabledaccounts,

passwords,anddayssincelastlogin.

VMware, Inc. 19

Chapter 2 Capturing Applications

WhenyouselectMergedisolation,ThinAppcompletesthefollowingoperations:

 SetstheDirectoryIsolationModeparameterinthePackage.inifiletoMerged.

 SetsupexceptionsthatapplyWriteCopyisolationtothefollowingdirectoriesandtheirsubdirectories:

 %AppData%

 %Common AppData%

 %Local AppData%

 %Program Files Common%

 %ProgramFilesDir%

 %SystemRoot%

 %SystemSystem%

ThinAppretainsMergedisolationmodeforthe%SystemSytem%\spoolsubdirectorybycreatingan

exceptiontothe%SystemSystem%parentdirectoryisolationmode.

 Betweentheprescanandpostscancaptureoperations,assignsFullisolationmodetoanydirectoriesthat

theapplicationcreatesduringtheinstallation.Thisprocessisunrelatedtotheisolationmodeofanynew

directoriesthattherunningvirtualapplicationcreates.

MergedisolationmodeintheSetupCapturewizardhasthesameeffect

asMergedisolationmodeinthe

Package.inifile,includingthedirectoryexceptionsthatspecifyWriteCopyisolationmode.TheSetup

Capturewizardandmanualcaptureprocesswiththesnapshot.exe utilityconfigurethedirectory

exceptionsforyouwiththe##Attributes.inifileswithinthedirectories.

Applying WriteCopy Isolation Mode to Prevent Modifications Outside of the Package

WithWriteCopyisolationmode,ThinAppcaninterceptwriteoperationsandredirectthemtothesandbox.

YoucanuseWriteCopyisolationmodeforlegacyoruntrustedapplications.Althoughthismodemightmake

itdifficulttofinduserdatafilesthatresideinthesandboxinsteadofthephysicalsystem,thismodeis

useful

forlockeddowndesktopswhereyouwanttopreventusersfromaffectingthelocalfilesystem.

WhenyouselectWriteCopyisolationintheSetupCapturewizard,ThinAppcompletesanumberof

operations.

 SetstheDirectoryIsolationModeparameterinthePackage.inifiletoWriteCopy.

 SetsupexceptionsthatapplyMergedisolationtothesedirectories

 %Personal%

 %Desktop%

 %SystemSystem%\spool

 Betweentheprescanandpostscancaptureoperations,assignsFullisolationmodetoanydirectoriesthat

theapplicationcreatesduringtheinstallation.Thisprocessisunrelatedtotheisolationmodeofanynew

directoriesthattherunningvirtualapplicationcreates.

WriteCopyisolationmodeintheSetupCapturewizardhasthesameeffect

asWriteCopyisolationmodeinthe

Package.inifile,includingthedirectoryexceptionsthatspecifyMergedisolationmode.TheSetupCapture

wizardandsnapshot.exeutilityconfigurethedirectoryexceptionsforyouwiththe##Attributes.inifiles

withinthedirectories.

ThinApp User’s Guide

20 VMware, Inc.

Set File System Isolation Modes

Thecaptureprocesssetsthelevelofreadandwriteaccesstothephysicalfilesystemtodeterminewhich

directoriesarevisibleandwritablebythevirtualapplication.

For informationaboutFullisolationandregistryisolationthatareavailableonlyoutsideoftheSetupCapture

wizard,see“DirectoryIsolationMode”onpage 68and“RegistryIsolationMode”

onpage 69.

Set file system isolation modes in the Setup Capture wizard

OntheIsolationpage,selecttheisolationmodeforthephysicalfilesystem.

Storing Application Changes in the Sandbox

Thesandboxisthedirectorywhereallchangesthatthecapturedapplicationmakesarestored.Thesandbox

isruntimemodificationstorageandisnotacache.Thenexttimeyouopentheapplication,thosechangesare

incorporatedfromthesandbox.

Whenyoudeletethesandboxdirectory,theapplicationrevertstoits

capturedstate.Youmightdeletea

sandboxwhenanapplicationhasaproblemandyouwanttoreverttheapplicationbacktotheworking

originalstate.

Customize the Sandbox Location

Youcandeploythesandboxtoalocalusermachine,carryitonamobileUSBdevice,orstoreitinanetwork

location.

Ifyoudeploythesandboxtoalocalmachine,usetheuser’sprofileasthesandboxlocation.Thedefault

locationofthesandboxforFirefoxmightbe

%AppData%\Thinstall\Mozilla Firefox 3.0.Thetypical

%AppData%locationisC:\Documents and Settings\<user_name>\Application Data.Theuser’sprofile

isthedefaultlocationbecauseofthewriteaccess.

Anetworklocationisusefulforbackingupthesandboxandforuserswhologintoanycomputerandkeep

theirapplicationsettings.Usetheabsolutepathtothelocation,

suchas\\thinapp\sandbox\Firefox.You

canselectanetworklocationevenifanapplicationisinstalledonalocalmachine.

Aportabledevicelocationisusefultokeepthesandboxdataonthedevicewheretheapplicationresides.

Customize the sandbox location in the Setup Capture wizard

OntheSandboxpage,selecttheuser’sprofile,applicationdirectory,orcustomlocationfor

thesandbox.

Send Anonymous Statistics to VMware

ToimproveThinAppsupportforapplications,VMwareusesthecaptureprocesstoconfirmwhethertocollect

anonymousdataaboutdeployedThinApppackages.Thedataincludestheapplicationstarttime,total

runningtime,andnumberofrunsfortheapplication.

Send anonymous statistics to VMware

OntheUsageStatisticspage,clicktheYes‐Sendanonymoususagestatistics

toVMwareoptionbuttonto

confirmthedatacollectionstatus.

Option Description

Fullwriteaccesstononsystemdirectories

(Mergedisolationmode)

Allowstheapplicationtoreadresourcesonandwritetothelocalmachine.

Restrictedwriteaccess(WriteCopy

isolationmode)

Allowstheapplicationtoreadresourcesonthelocalmachineandto

restrictmostmodificationstothesandbox.

ThinAppcopiesfilesystemchanges

tothesandboxtoensurethat

ThinApponlymodifiescopiesoffilesinsteadoftheactualphysicalfiles.

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VMware ThinApp 4.6 User guide

VMware ThinApp 4.6 User guide

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