About App-V 5.1
Use this article to review information about significant changes that apply to Application Virtualization (App-V) 5.1.
App-V 5.1 software prerequisites and supported configurations
See the following links for the App-V 5.1 software prerequisites and supported configurations.
- App-V 5.1 Prerequisites: Prerequisite software that you must install before starting the App-V 5.1 installation.
- App-V 5.1 Supported Configurations: Supported operating systems and hardware requirements for the App-V Server, Sequencer, and Client components.
App-V 5.1 supports System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager SP1. for information about integrating your App-V environment with Configuration Manager, see Planning for App-V Integration with Configuration Manager.
Migrating to App-V 5.1
Use the following information to upgrade to App-V 5.1 from earlier versions. For more information, see Migrating to App-V 5.1 from a Previous Version.
Before you start the upgrade
Review the following information before you start the upgrade:
| Items to review before upgrading | Description |
|---|---|
| Components to upgrade, in any order | - App-V Server - Sequencer - App-V Client or App-V Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Client Note: Prior to App-V 5.0 SP2, the Client Management User Interface (UI) was provided with the App-V Client installation. |
| Upgrading from App-V 4.x | You must first upgrade to App-V 5.0. You cannot upgrade directly from App-V 4.x to App-V 5.1. For more information, see: - "Differences between App-V 4.6 and App-V 5.0" in About App-V 5.0 - Planning for Migrating from a Previous Version of App-V |
| Upgrading from App-V 5.0 or later | You can upgrade to App-V 5.1 directly from any of the following versions: - App-V 5.0 - App-V 5.0 SP1 - App-V 5.0 SP2 - App-V 5.0 SP3 To upgrade to App-V 5.1, follow the steps in the remaining sections of this topic. Packages and connection groups will continue to work with App-V 5.1 as they currently do. |
Steps to upgrade the App-V infrastructure
Complete the following steps to upgrade each component of the App-V infrastructure to App-V 5.1. The following order is only a suggestion; you may upgrade components in any order.
Step 1: Upgrade the App-V Server
Note
If you aren't using the App-V Server, skip this step and go to the next step.
Do one of the following actions, depending on the method you are using to upgrade the Management database and/or Reporting database:
Windows Installer: Skip this step and go to step 2, "If you are upgrading the App-V Server..."
SQL scripts: Follow the steps in How to Deploy the App-V Databases by Using SQL Scripts
If you're upgrading the App-V Server from App-V 5.0 SP1 Hotfix Package 3 or later, complete the steps in section Check registry keys before installing App-V 5.x Server.
Follow the steps in How to deploy the App-V 5.1 server
Step 2: Upgrade the App-V Sequencer
For more information, see Learn to Install the Sequencer.
Step 3: Upgrade the App-V Client or App-V RDS Client
For more information, see How to deploy the App-V client.
Converting packages created using a prior version of App-V
Use the package converter utility to upgrade virtual application packages created using versions of App-V prior to App-V 5.0. The package converter uses PowerShell to convert packages and can help automate the process if you have many packages that require conversion.
Note
App-V 5.1 packages are exactly the same as App-V 5.0 packages. There has been no change in the package format between the versions and so there is no need to convert App-V 5.0 packages to App-V 5.1 packages.
What's New in App-V 5.1
These sections are for users who are already familiar with App-V and want to know what has changed in App-V 5.1. If you are not already familiar with App-V, you should start with the App-V 5.1 planning checklist.
App-V support for Windows 10
The following table lists the Windows 10 support for App-V. Windows 10 is not supported in versions of App-V prior to App-V 5.1.
| Component | App-V 5.1 | App-V 5.0 |
|---|---|---|
| App-V Client | Yes | No |
| App-V RDS Client | Yes | No |
| App-V Sequencer | Yes | No |
App-V Management Console Changes
This section compares the App-V Management Console's current and previous functionality.
Silverlight is no longer required
The Management Console UI no longer requires Silverlight. The 5.1 Management Console is built on HTML5 and Javascript.
Notifications and messages are displayed individually in a dialog box
App-V Management Console Changes
This section compares the App-V Management Console's current and previous functionality.
Silverlight is no longer required
The Management Console UI no longer requires Silverlight. The 5.1 Management Console is built on HTML5 and Javascript.
Notifications and messages are displayed individually in a dialog box
| New in App-V 5.1 | Prior to App-V 5.1 |
|---|---|
| Number of messages indicator: On the title bar of the App-V Management Console, a number is now displayed next to a flag icon to indicate the number of messages that are waiting to be read. | You could see only one message or error at a time, and you were unable to determine how many messages there were. |
Message appearance:
|
You could see only one message or error at a time. |
| Dismissing messages: Use the Dismiss All link to dismiss all messages and errors at one time, or dismiss them one at a time. | You could dismiss messages and errors only one at a time. |
Console pages are now separate URLs
| New in App-V 5.1 | Prior to App-V 5.1 |
|---|---|
| Each page in the console has a different URL, which enables you to bookmark specific pages for quick access in the future. The number that appears in some URLs indicates the specific package. These numbers are unique. | All console pages are accessed through the same URL. |
New, separate CONNECTION GROUPS page and menu option
| New in App-V 5.1 | Prior to App-V 5.1 |
|---|---|
| The CONNECTION GROUPS page is now part of the main menu, at the same level as the PACKAGES page. | To open the CONNECTION GROUPS page, you navigate through the PACKAGES page. |
Menu options for packages have changed
| New in App-V 5.1 | Prior to App-V 5.1 |
|---|---|
The following options are now buttons that appear at the bottom of the PACKAGES page:
|
The Add or Upgrade option was a button at the top right of the PACKAGES page. The Publish, Unpublish, and Delete options were available only if you right-clicked a package name in the packages list. |
The following package operations are now buttons on the package details page for each package:
|
These package options were available only if you right-clicked a package name in the packages list. |
Icons in left pane have new colors and text
The colors of the icons in the left pane have been changed, and text added, to make the icons consistent with other Microsoft products.
Overview page has been removed
In the left pane of the Management Console, the OVERVIEW menu option and its associated OVERVIEW page have been removed.
Sequencer Improvements
The following improvements have been made to the package editor in the App-V 5.1 Sequencer.
Import and export the manifest file
You can import and export the AppxManifest.xml file. To export the manifest file, select the Advanced tab and in the Manifest File box, click Export.... You can make changes to the manifest file, such as removing shell extensions or editing file type associations.
After you make your changes, click Import... and select the file you edited. After you successfully import it back in, the manifest file is immediately updated within the package editor.
Caution
When you import the file, your changes are validated against the XML schema. If the file is not valid, you will receive an error. Be aware that it is possible to import a file that is validated against the XML schema, but that might still fail to run for other reasons.
Addition of Windows 10 to operating systems list
In the Deployment tab, Windows 10 32-bit and Windows 10-64 bit have been added to the list of operating systems for which you can sequence a package. If you select Any Operating System, Windows 10 is automatically included among the operating systems that the sequenced package will support.
Current path displays at bottom of virtual registry editor
In the Virtual Registry tab, the path now displays at the bottom of the virtual registry editor, which enables you to determine the currently selected key. Previously, you had to scroll through the registry tree to find the currently selected key.
Combined "find and replace" dialog box and shortcut keys added in virtual registry editor
In the virtual registry editor, shortcut keys have been added for the Find option (Ctrl+F), and a dialog box that combines the "find" and "replace" tasks has been added to enable you to find and replace values and data. To access this combined dialog box, select a key and do one of the following:
Press Ctrl+H
Right-click a key and select Replace.
Select View > Virtual Registry > Replace.
Previously, the "Replace" dialog box did not exist, and you had to make changes manually.
Rename registry keys and package files successfully
You can rename virtual registry keys and files without experiencing Sequencer issues. Previously, the Sequencer stopped working if you tried to rename a key.
Import and export virtual registry keys
You can import and export virtual registry keys. To import a key, right-click the node under which to import the key, navigate to the key you want to import, and then click Import. To export a key, right-click the key and select Export.
Import a directory into the virtual file system
You can import a directory into the VFS. To import a directory, click the Package Files tab, and then click View > Virtual File System > Import Directory. If you try to import a directory that contains files that are already in the VFS, the import fails, and an explanatory message is displayed. Prior to App-V 5.1, you could not import directories.
Import or export a VFS file without having to delete and then add it back to the package
You can import files to or export files from the VFS without having to delete the file and then add it back to the package. For example, you might use this feature to export a change log to a local drive, edit the file using an external editor, and then re-import the file into the VFS.
To export a file, select the Package Files tab, right-click the file in the VFS, click Export, and choose an export location from which you can make your edits.
To import a file, select the Package Files tab and right-click the file that you had exported. Browse to the file that you edited, and then click Import. The imported file will overwrite the existing file.
After you import a file, you must save the package by clicking File > Save.
Menu for adding a package file has moved
The menu option for adding a package file has been moved. To find the Add option, select the Package Files tab, then click View > Virtual File System > Add File. Previously, you right-clicked a folder under the VFS node, and chose Add File.
Virtual registry node expands MACHINE and USER hives by default
When you open the virtual registry, the MACHINE and USER hives are shown below the top-level REGISTRY node. Previously, you had to expand the REGISTRY node to show the hives beneath.
Enable or disable Browser Helper Objects
You can enable or disable Browser Helper Objects by selecting a new check box, Enable Browser Helper Objects, on the Advanced tab of the Sequencer user interface. If Browser Helper Objects:
Exist in the package and are enabled, the check box is selected by default.
Exist in the package and are disabled, the check box is clear by default.
Exist in the package, with one or more enabled and one or more disabled, the check box is set to indeterminate by default.
Do not exist in the package, the check box is disabled.
Improvements to Package Converter
You can now use the package converter to convert App-V 4.6 packages that contain scripts, and registry information and scripts from source .osd files are now included in package converter output.
For more information including examples, see Migrating to App-V 5.1 from a Previous Version.
Support for multiple scripts on a single event trigger
App-V 5.1 supports the use of multiple scripts on a single event trigger for App-V packages, including packages that you are converting from App-V 4.6 to App-V 5.0 or later. To enable the use of multiple scripts, App-V 5.1 uses a script launcher application, named ScriptRunner.exe, which is installed as part of the App-V client installation.
For more information, including a list of event triggers and the context under which scripts can be run, see the Scripts section in About App-V 5.1 Dynamic Configuration.
Hardcoded path to installation folder is redirected to virtual file system root
When you convert packages from App-V 4.6 to 5.1, the App-V 5.1 package can access the hardcoded drive that you were required to use when you created 4.6 packages. The drive letter will be the drive you selected as the installation drive on the 4.6 sequencing machine. (The default drive letter is Q:\.)
Previously, the 4.6 root folder was not recognized and could not be accessed by App-V 5.0 packages. App-V 5.1 packages can access hardcoded files by their full path or can programmatically enumerate files under the App-V 4.6 installation root.
Technical Details: The App-V 5.1 package converter will save the App-V 4.6 installation root folder and short folder names in the FilesystemMetadata.xml file in the Filesystem element. When the App-V 5.1 client creates the virtual process, it will map requests from the App-V 4.6 installation root to the virtual file system root.