VMware ThinApp 4.0.4 User guide

ThinApp User’s Guide

ThinApp 4.0.4

EN-000117-04

VMware, Inc.

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Palo Alto, CA 94304

www.vmware.com

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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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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 13

LocatingThinAppInstallationFiles 13

2 CapturingApplications 15

ReviewingtheCaptureProcess 15

AssessingApplicationDependenciesBeforetheCaptureProcess 15

ClosingApplicationsBeforetheCaptureProcess 15

CaptureanApplicationwiththeSetupCaptureWizard 16

InitiatetheCaptureProcesswithPrescanandPostscanImages 16

SpecifyApplicationShortcutsandTrackingNames 16

SpecifyUserGroupsandSandboxDataLocations 18

SpecifyFileSystemAccess 18

SpecifyApplicationDeliverySettings 20

BuildVirtualApplications 21

AdvancedPackageConfiguration 22

ModifyingSettingsinthePackage.iniFile 22

ModifyingSettingsinthe##Attributes.iniFile 23

ModifyingIsolationModes 23

3 DeployingApplications 25

ThinAppDeploymentOptions 25

DeployingThinAppWithDeploymentTools 25

DeployingThinAppintheVMwareViewEnvironment 25

DeployingThinApponNetworkShares 26

DeployingThinAppUsingExecutableFiles 26

EstablishingFileTypeAssociationswiththethinreg.exeUtility 26

ApplicationSyncEffectonthethinreg.exeUtility 26

Runthethinreg.exeUtility 27

Optionalthinreg.exeParameters 27

BuildinganMSIDatabase 29

CustomizingMSIFileswithPackage.ini

Parameters 29

ModifythePackage.iniFiletoCreateMSIFiles 30

ControllingApplicationAccesswithActiveDirectory 31

Package.iniEntriesforActiveDirectoryAccessControl 31

UsingThinAppPackagesStreamedfromtheNetwork 32

HowThinAppApplicationStreamingWorks 32

RequirementsandRecommendationsforStreamingPackages 33

StreamThinAppPackagesfromtheNetwork 34

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UsingCapturedApplicationswithOtherSystemComponents 34

PerformingPasteOperations 34

AccessingPrinters 34

AccessingDrivers 34

AccessingtheLocalDisk,theRemovableDisk,andNetworkShares 35

AccessingtheSystemRegistry 35

AccessingNetworkingandSockets 35

UsingSharedMemoryandNamedPipes 35

UsingCOM,DCOM,andOut‐of‐ProcessCOMComponents 35

StartingServices 35

UsingFileTypeAssociations 35

SampleIsolationMode

ConfigurationDependingonDeploymentContext 36

ViewofIsolationModeEffectontheWindowsRegistry 36

4 UpdatingApplications 39

ApplicationUpdatesThattheEndUserTriggers 39

ApplicationSyncUpdates 39

ApplicationLinkUpdates 41

ApplicationUpdatesThattheAdministratorTriggers 45

ForcinganApplicationSyncUpdateonClientMachines 45

UpdatingApplicationswithRuntimeChanges 45

AutomaticApplicationUpdates 47

DynamicUpdatesWithoutAdministratorRights 47

UpgradingRunningApplicationsonaNetworkShare 48

FileLocks 48

UpgradeaRunningApplication 48

SandboxConsiderationsfor

UpgradedApplications 49

5 MonitoringandTroubleshootingThinApp 51

ProvidingInformationtoTechnicalSupport 51

LogMonitorOperations 51

TroubleshootActivitywithLogMonitor 52

PerformAdvancedLogMonitorOperations 52

LogFormat 54

TroubleshootingSpecificApplications 58

TroubleshootRegistrySetupforMicrosoftOutlook 58

ViewingAttachmentsinMicrosoftOutlook 58

StartingExplorer.exeintheVirtualEnvironment 59

TroubleshootingJavaRuntimeEnvironmentVersionConflict 59

A ConfiguringPackageParameters 61

Package.iniFileStructure 62

Package.iniParameterPlacement 62

ParametersthatApplytoPackage.inior##Attributes.iniFiles 62

ConfiguringtheThinAppRuntime 62

NetRelaunch 62

RuntimeEULA 63

VirtualComputerName 63

Wow64 64

ConfiguringFileSystemandRegistryIsolation 64

DirectoryIsolationMode 64

RegistryIsolationMode 65

ConfiguringFileandProtocolAssociations 65

FileTypes 65

Protocols 65

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ConfiguringBuildOutput 66

OutDir 66

ExcludePattern 66

ConfiguringPermissionsandSecurity 66

AccessDeniedMsg 66

AddPageExecutePermission 67

PermittedGroups 67

UACRequestedPrivilegesLevel 68

UACRequestedPrivilegesUIAccess 68

ConfiguringObjectsandDLLFiles 69

ExternalCOMObjects 69

ExternalDLLs 69

IsolatedMemoryObjects 69

IsolatedSynchronizationObjects 70

ObjectTypes 70

SandboxCOMObjects 71

VirtualizeExternalOutOfProcessCOM 71

ConfiguringStorage 72

CachePath 72

UpgradePath 72

VirtualDrives 73

ConfiguringProcessesandServices 74

AllowExternalProcessModifications 74

AllowUnsupportedExternalChildProcesses 74

AutoShutdownServices 74

AutoStartServices 75

ChildProcessEnvironmentDefault 75

ChildProcessEnvironmentExceptions 75

ConfiguringFileandBlockSizes 76

BlockSize 76

CompressionType 76

ConfiguringIcons 77

Icon 77

RetainAllIcons 78

ConfiguringLogging 78

DisableTracing 78

LogPath 78

ConfiguringVersions 79

CapturedUsingVersion 79

StripVersionInfo 79

Version.XXXX 79

ConfiguringLocaleInformation 80

AnsiCodePage 80

LocaleIdentifier 80

LocaleName 80

ConfiguringIndividualApplications 80

CommandLine 80

Disabled 81

ReadOnlyData 81

ReserveExtraAddressSpace 82

Shortcut 82

Shortcuts 82

Source 83

WorkingDirectory 83

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ConfiguringDependentApplicationswithApplicationLink 84

ApplicationLinkPathNameFormats 84

RequiredAppLinks 84

OptionalAppLinks 85

ConfiguringApplicationUpdateswithApplicationSync 85

AppSyncClearSandboxOnUpdate 86

AppSyncExpireMessage 86

AppSyncExpirePeriod 86

AppSyncURL 87

AppSyncUpdateFrequency 87

AppSyncUpdatedMessage 87

AppSyncWarningFrequency 87

AppSyncWarningMessage 88

AppSyncWarningPeriod 88

ConfiguringMSIFiles 88

MSIArpProductIcon 88

MSIDefaultInstallAllUsers 88

MSIFilename 89

MSIInstallDirectory 89

MSIManufacturer 89

MSIProductCode 90

MSIProductVersion 90

MSIRequireElevatedPrivileges 90

MSIUpgradeCode 91

MSIUseCabs 91

ConfiguringSandboxStorageandInventoryNames 91

InventoryName 91

RemoveSandboxOnExit 92

SandboxName 92

SandboxNetworkDrives 93

SandboxPath 93

SandboxRemovableDisk 93

B ThinAppSandbox 95

SearchOrderfortheSandbox 95

ControllingtheSandboxLocation 97

StoretheSandboxontheNetwork 97

StoretheSandboxonaPortableDevice 97

SandboxStructure 98

MakingChangestotheSandbox 98

ListingVirtualRegistryContentswithvregtool 98

C SnapshotCommandsandCustomization 99

MethodsofUsingthesnapshot.exeUtility 99

CreatingSnapshotsofMachineStates 99

CreatingtheTemplatePackage.inifilefromTwoSnapshotFiles 100

CreatingtheThinAppProjectfromtheTemplatePackage.iniFile 100

DisplayingtheContentsofaSnapshotFile 101

Samplesnapshot.exeCommands 101

CreateaProjectWithouttheSetupCaptureWizard 101

Customizingthesnapshot.iniFile 102

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D ThinAppVirtualFileSystem 103

VirtualFileSystemFormats 103

MergedandVirtualViewsoftheFileSystem 103

UsingFolderMacros 104

ListofFolderMacros 104

Processing%SystemRoot% 105

E ThinAppScripts 107

CallbackFunctions 107

UseScriptsinaThinAppEnvironment 108

.batExample 108

TimeoutExample 108

ModifytheVirtualRegistry 109

.regExample 109

StoppingaServiceExample 109

CopyingaFileExample 109

AddaValuetotheSystemRegistry 110

APIFunctions 111

AddForcedVirtualLoadPath 111

ExitProcess 111

ExpandPath 112

ExecuteExternalProcess 112

ExecuteVirtualProcess 113

GetBuildOption 113

GetFileVersionValue 113

GetCommandLine 114

GetCurrentProcessName 114

GetOSVersion 115

GetEnvironmentVariable 116

RemoveSandboxOnExit 116

SetEnvironmentVariable 116

SetfileSystemIsolation 117

SetRegistryIsolation 117

WaitForProcess 117

Glossary 119

Index 123

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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.

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VMwaresupportofferingscanhelpmeetyourbusinessneeds,goto

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

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.

About This Book

ThinApp User’s Guide

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1

TheThinAppsoftwareisolatesandcontainsapplications,simplifiesapplicationcustomizationand

deploymenttodifferentoperatingsystems,andeliminatesapplicationconflict.

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

 “ThinAppRequirements”onpage 11

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

 “InstallThinApp”onpage 13

 “Locating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thefollowing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

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

Windows S er ver 2008 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.

ThinAppdoesnotsupporttheseoperatingsystemsandapplications:

 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

1

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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thefollowingtypesofapplications:

 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open,edit,andsavePDFfiles,butyoucannotseeorusethePDFprinter

driverthatallows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 DLLs

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

computer.Theadded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,keepinmindtherecommendationsandbestpractices.

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.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.

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allowsthecaptureprocesstoscanthecomputer

filesystemandregistryquickly.

Ifyouinst al lThinAppandcaptureanapplicationonacompute 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.

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Chapter 1 Installing ThinApp

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machine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doesnothave.

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

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

To 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,entertheserialnumber,andenteralicensedisplaynamethatappearswhenyoustart

applicationsthat

ThinAppcaptures.

5ClickInstall.

ThinAppisinstalled.

Locating ThinApp Installation Files

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

needtolocatefilesinthisdirectorytoviewlicenseinformationor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.

 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.

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14 VMware, Inc.

 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ThinAppdoesnotcapturecertainentrieswhencreatinganapplication

package.

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

Youcancustomizethistemplatetoensure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start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.

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2

YoucancaptureapplicationswiththeSetupCapturewizard.Thecaptureprocesspackagesanapplicationinto

avirtualenvironmentandsetsinitialapplicationparameters.Forinformationaboutcapturingapplications

fromthecommandline,seeAppendix C,“SnapshotCommandsandCustomization,”onpage 99.

ThisinformationusesMozillaFirefoxasakeyexamplefor

applicationcaptureandincludesthefollowing

topics:

 “ReviewingtheCaptureProcess”onpage 15

 “CaptureanApplicationwiththeSetupCaptureWizard”onpage 16

 “A d v a n ce d PackageConfiguration”onpage 22

Reviewing the Capture Process

Thecaptureprocessinvolvesthefollowingphases:

 Scanofabaselineimageofthecleanmachine.

 InstallationoftheapplicationthatThinAppneedstocapture.

 Configurationofsettingsspecifictotheapplication.

Forexample,settingFirefoxasadefaultbrowser,settingahomepage,andsettingdefaultsecurity

settings.

 Scanofthemachineaftertheapplicationinstallation.

ThinAppassessesthedifferencesbetweentheinitialbaselineimageandthisimage.

 ConfigurationofThinAppparameterstocustomizesuchareasasexecutablefilecompression,sandbox

location,anddomainuseraccesstoapplications.

 Buildofthevirtualapplicationpackagefordistribution.

Assessing Application Dependencies Before the Capture Process

Beforecapturinganapplication,assesswhethertheapplicationhasanydependenciesonotherapplications,

libraries,orframeworksandwhethertocapturethesedependencies.VMwarerecommendsusingthe

ApplicationLinkutilitytolinkseparatecomponentsatruntime.SeeChapter 4,“UpdatingApplications,”on

page 39.

Closing Applications Before the Capture Process

Toprotectthefilesystem,VMwarerecommendsshuttingdownapplications,suchasvirusscans,thatmight

changethefilesystemwhileThinApptakessnapshots.

Capturing Applications

2

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16 VMware, Inc.

Capture an Application with the Setup Capture Wizard

TheSetup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allows

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

Initiate the Capture Process with Prescan and Postscan Images

TheSetupCapturewizardstartsthecaptureprocessbytakingmultiplescansofthesystemtoassessthe

environmentbeforeandaftertheapplicationinstallation.

To start the capture process with prescan and postscan images

1 Downloadtheapplicationstocapture.

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

working with.

2Fromthedesktop,selectStart>

Programs>VMware>ThinAppSetupCapture.

3 (Optional)InthePrescanSystemdialogbox,clickAdvancedscanlocationstoselectthedriv es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.

4ClickScantoestablishabaselinesystemimageoftheharddriveandregistryfiles.

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

5When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

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

6Make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.

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

SetupCapturewizard.

Ifyoudonotrespondtoany

promptsatthistime,eachuserwhousestheapplicationmustdosoduring

theinitialstart.

8Closetheapplication.

9 MaximizetheSetupCapturewizard,clickPostscantoproceedwithanotherscanofthemachine,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.

Specify Application Shortcuts and Tracking Names

Entrypointsaretheexecutablefilesthatstartandprovideaccessto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.

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Chapter 2 Capturing Applications

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end‐userdesktopspointto

theseentrypoints.

ThinAppprovidesthefollowingentrypointstotroubleshootordebugyourenvironment:

 cmd.exe–Startsacommandpromptinavirtualcontextthatallowsyoutoviewthevirtualfilesystem.

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

 iexplore.exe–Startsiexplore.exeinavirtualcontextthatallows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insteadusethe

DisabledparameterinthePackage.inifileatalatertimetoactivetheseentrypoints.See“Disabled”on

page 81.

Unlikeentrypoints,theprimarydatacontaineristheonlyfilethatcontainstheread‐onlyvirtualfilesystem

andvirtualregistry.Youcandeterminetheprimarydata

containerfilebyselectinganentrypointorby

enteringanameforthecontainer.ThisnameappearsinthePackage.inifilefollowedbyaReadOnlyData

parameterline.See“ReadOnlyData”onpage 81.

TheinventorynamefacilitatesinternaltrackingoftheapplicationinthePackage.inifile.

To specify application shortcuts and tracking names in the Setup Capture wizard

1IntheSelectApplicationAccessShortcuts

page,selectthecheckboxesforuser‐accessibleentrypoints.

ThewizardpopulatesthelistwithexecutablefilesthatThinAppinstalledduringthecaptureprocess,and

automaticallyselectstheexecutablefilesthatweredirectlyaccessiblethroughthedesktoporStartmenu

shortcuts.

2 (Optional)Ifyouwanttodebugyourenvironment,selectthe

Showentrypointsusedfordebugging

checkboxtoselecttheiexplore.exe,regedit.exe,andcmd.exeentrypointsinthelist.

3 Selecttheprimarydatacontainer,thefilethatstoresvirtualfilesandregistryinformation,fromthelist

basedontheselectedentrypoints.

 Ifthesizeoftheprimarycontainerissmallerthan200MB,ThinAppcreatesa.exefileastheprimary

container.ForasmallapplicationsuchasFirefox,any.exefilecanserveasthemaindatacontainer.

 Ifthesizeoftheprimarycontainerislargerthan200MB,ThinAppcreatesaseparate.datfileasthe

primarycontainerbecauseWindowsXPandWindows2000cannotshowshortcuticonsforlarge

.exefiles.Generatingseparatesmall.exefilesalongwiththe.datfilefixestheproblem.

 Ifthesizeoftheprimarycontainerisbetween200MBand1.5GB,ThinAppcreatesthedefault.dat

fileunlessyouselecta.exefiletooverridethedefault.datfile.

4Ifyouselecta.exefiletooverridethedefault.datfilewhensizeoftheprimarycontainerisbetween

200MB

and1.5GB,ignorethegeneratedwarning.

Selectinga.exefileallowsallapplicationstoworkproperlybutmightprev enttheproperdisplayoficons.

5Ifyoucannotselectaprimarydatacontainer,typeaprimarydatacontainername.

IfyouplantousetheApplicationSyncutilitytoupdateacapturedapplication,ThinAppusestheprimary

datacontainernameduringtheprocess.Youmustusethesamenameacrossmultipleversionsofthe

application.Youmightnotbeabletoselectthesameprimarydatacontainernamefromthelist.

For example,MicrosoftOffice2003andMicrosoftOffice2007donothavecommonentry

pointnames.

6 (Optional)ChangetheinventorynamethatThinAppusesforinternaltrackingoftheapplicationinthe

Package.inifile.

Usingthethinreg.exeutilityordeployingthecapturedapplicationasanMSIfilecausestheinventory

nametoappearintheAddorRemoveProgramsdialogboxforWindows.

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18 VMware, Inc.

Specify User Groups and Sandbox Data Locations

ThinAppcanuseActiveDirectorygroupstoauthorizeaccesstotheapplicationandsandboxlocation.

For example,youmightrestrictaccesstoanapplicationtoensureusersdonotpassittounauthorizedusers.

ThinAppdoesnotsupportnestedActiveDirectorygroups.Forexample,ifauserisamemberofgroup

A,and

groupAisamemberofgroupB,ThinAppcanonlydetecttheuserasamemberofgroupAratherthan

group AandgroupB.

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

youlaunch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.Formoreinformationabout

thesandbox,see

Appendix B,“ThinAppSandbox,”onpage 95.

To specify user groups and sandbox locations in the Setup Capture wizard

1 (Optional)IntheSetUpUserGroupsandSandboxLocationpage,clickAddtospecifyActiveDirectory

information.

2 SelecttheThinAppsandboxlocation.

Youcandeployittoalocalusermachine,carryitonamobileUSBstick,orstoreitinanetworklocation.

If

youdeploythesandboxtoalocalmachine,usetheuser’sprofile.Ifyoustorethesandboxinanetwork

drive,entertheabsolutepathtothelocationwhereyouwantthesandboxcreated.Asamplepathis

\\thinapp\sandbox\Firefox.Youcanselectanetworklocationevenifanapplicationis

installedona

localmachine.

Specify File System Access

Isolationmodeshelpdeterminethechangesthataffectthevirtualenvironmentandthephysicalenvironment.

Duringthecaptureprocess,youcansetMergedandWriteCopyisolationmodestodeterminedifferentlev els

ofwriteaccesstothephysicalfilesystem.ThewizarddoesnotprovidetheFullisolationmodeoption.

For informationabout

theFullisolationmodethatisavailableoutsideofthewizard,see“ModifyingIsolation

Modes”onpage 23.

ThekeyeffectoftheselectionofMergedandWriteCopyisolationmodeswithintheSetupCapturewizardis

onthevalueoftheDirectoryIsolationModeparameterinthePackage.inifile.Thisparametercontrolsthe

default

isolationmodeforthefilescreatedbythecaptureprocessexceptwhenadifferentisolationmodeexists

inthe##Attributes.inifileforanindividualdirectory.Forinformationaboutthe

DirectoryIsolationModeparameter,see“DirectoryIsolationMode”onpage 64.

Mergedisolationmodeallowstheapplicationtomodifyelementsonthephysicalfilesystemoutsideof

the

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

image.TheadvantageofusingMergedmodeisthatdocumentssavedbyusersenduponthephysicalsystem

inthelocationexpectedbyusers,insteadofinthesandbox.Thedisadvantageisthat

thismodemightclutter

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

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

Option Action

ObjectTypes Specifiesobjects.

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

Objectnames(manuallyenter) Searchesfor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theMergedisolationmodeintheSetupCapturewizard,ThinAppcompletesthefollowing

operations:

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

 ThinAppassignstheMergedisolationmodetothefollowingdirectories:

 %Personal%

 %Desktop%

 %SystemSystem%\spool

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

physicalsystemregardlessoftheMergedmodeselectionbecauseMergedmodeaffectsdocumentssaved

togloballocationssuchasC:\myfiles.

 ThinAppexcludessomelocationsfromtheMergedisolationmodeandassignstheWriteCopyisolation

modetothefollowingdirectoriesandtheirsubdirectories:

 %AppData%

 %Common AppData%

 %Local AppData%

 %Program Files Common%

 %ProgramFilesDir%

 %SystemRoot%

 %SystemSystem%

 ThinAppassignstheFullisolationmodetoanynewdirectoriesthattheapplicationcreatesduringthe

installation.

TheMergedoptionintheSetupCapturewizardhasthesameeffectastheMergedmodesettinginthe

Package.inifile,butthedirectoryexceptionsthatuseWriteCopyisolationmodeapplyonlytothe

wizard

option.Thewizardconfiguresthedirectoryexceptionsforyouandadds##Attributes.inifileswithinthe

directories.Toachievethesameresultoutsideofthewizard,youmustconfigurethesedirectoryexceptions

manually.

WriteCopyisolationmodeallowsThinApptointerceptwriteoperationsandredirectthemtothesandbox.

VMwarerecommendsWriteCopy

modeforlegacyoruntrustedapplications.Althoughthismodemightmake

itdifficulttolocateuserdatafilesthatresideinthesandboxinsteadoftheactualsystem,thismodeisuseful

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

registryfiles.

WhenyouselecttheWriteCopyisolationmodeintheSetupCapturewizard,ThinAppcompletesthe

followingoperations:

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

 ThinAppassignstheWriteCopyisolationmodetothefollowingdirectories:

 %AppData%

 %Common AppData%

 %Local AppData%

 %Program Files Common%

 %ProgramFilesDir%

 %SystemRoot%

 %SystemSystem%

ThinApp User’s Guide

20 VMware, Inc.

 ThinAppassignstheMergedisolationmodetothefollowingdirectories:

 %Personal%

 %Desktop%

 %SystemSystem%\spool

 ThinAppassignstheFullisolationmodetoanynewdirectoriesthattheapplicationcreatesduringthe

installation.

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

settinginthePackage.inifile,butthedirectoryexceptionsapplyonlytothewizardoption.Thewizard

configuresthedirectoryexceptionsforyouandadds##Attributes.inifileswithinthedirectories.

To achievethesameresultoutsideofthewizard,youmustconfigurethesedirectoryexceptionsmanually.

Regardlessoftheselectedisolationmode,ThinApptreatswriteoperationstonetworkdrivesaccordingtothe

SandboxNetworkDrivesparameterinthePackage.inifile.This

parameterhasadefaultvalueof0that

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

totheSandboxRemovableDrivesparameterinthePackage.ini.Thisparameterhasadefaultvalueof0that

directswriteoperationstothephysicaldrive.

Allruntimemodificationstovirtual

elementsinthecapturedapplicationarestoredinthesandbox,regardless

oftheisolationmodesetting.Atruntime,virtualandphysicalregistryelementsareindistinguishabletoan

application,butvirtualregistryelementsalwayssupersedephysicalregistryelementswhenbothexistinthe

samelocation.Ifvirtualandphysicalentriesexist

atthesamelocation,isolationmodesdonotaffectaccessto

theseentriesbecausetheapplicationalwaysinteractswithvirtualelements.Ifexternalgrouppolicyupdates

occurseparatelyfromthepackagethroughthephysicalregistry,youmightneedtoremovevirtualregistry

elementsfromapackageandverifythattheparent

elementofthesevirtualregistryelementsdoesnotuseFull

isolation.Becausechildelementsinheritisolationmodesfromparentelements,Fullisolationinaparent

elementcanblockthevisibilityofphysicalchildelementstoanapplication.

To specify file system access in the Setup Capture wizard

IntheSpecifyFileSystemAccesspage,selecttheisolationmodetodetermine

whichfilesandregistrykeys

arevisibleandwrittenbythevirtualapplicationyoucreate.

Specify Application Delivery Settings

Youcanspecifythefileformatofanapplication,thesizeofthepackage,andthelocationofaThinAppproject.

Theprojectisthedatacreatedbythecaptureprocess.Youcannotrunordeploythecapturedapplicationuntil

youbuildapackagefromtheprojectfiles.Thepackageis

theexecutablefileorMSIfilewithexecutablefiles

thatyouusetorunordeployacapturedapplication.

AtypicalFirefoxapplicationdoesnotrequireanMSIinstallation.Butotherapplications,suchasMicrosoft

Office,thatintegratewithapplicationdeliverytools,workwellasanMSIpackage.MSIgenerationrequires



youtoinstalltheMSIonthetargetdevicebeforeyoucanusetheapplicationpackage.

MSIpackagesautomatetheprocessofregisteringfile‐typeassociations,registeringdesktopandStartmenu

shortcut,anddisplayingcontrolpanelextensions.IfyouplantodeployThinAppexecutablesdirectlyoneach

machine,youcanaccomplish

thesameregistrationusingthethinreg.exeutility.

FormoreinformationaboutMSIfiles,see“BuildinganMSIDatabase”onpage 29.

Option Action

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

WriteCopy Allowstheapplicationtoreadresourcesonthelocalmachineandrestrictmostmodificationstothesandbox.

ThinAppcopiesphysicalfilesystemchangestothesandboxtoensureThinApponlymodifiescopiesof

filesinsteadoftheactual

files.

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VMware ThinApp 4.0.4 User guide

VMware ThinApp 4.0.4 User guide

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