MDOP 2011 released! App-V 4.6 SP1 and Med-V 2.0 Resources #sysctr

9th of March the MDOP team announced new releases of App-V and MED-V, the two Desktop Virtualization products in MDOP which are general available right now! You can access App-V 4.6 Service Pack1 and MED-V 2.0 as part of MDOP 2011 through the Microsoft Volume Licensing website, MSDN or TechNet.

Just getting started? Check out the App-V 4.6 SP1 Trial Guide or the MED-V 2.0 Trial Guide. Need more information about App-V sequencing? Download the App-V 4.6 SP1 Sequencing Guide. You’ll also want to check out the new App-V videos that walk you through some of the new features, and the new MED-V 2.0 video series. For information about all of Microsoft’s Desktop Virtualization solutions, visit the Springboard Desktop Virtualization Zone.

Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) 4.6 SP1 provides the following enhancements and new features:

• Improved App-V sequencer – the App-V 4.6 SP1 sequencer has been updated to help improve the sequencing process. The enhancements include a more predictable packaging experience, and help at each step of the sequencing process. Click any of the following links for more information about the new version of the App-V sequencer.
  
  • App-V Package Accelerators can be used to automatically sequence large, complex applications. Additionally, when you apply an App-V Package Accelerator, you are not always required to manually install an application to create the virtual application package. For more information about App-V package accelerators, see About App-V Package Accelerators (App-V 4.6 SP1).
    
  • Enhanced support for sequencing different types of applications. For more information about the different types of applications, see How to Determine Which Type of Application to Sequence (App-V 4.6 SP1).
    
  • Enhanced support for using App-V project templates. For more information about App-V project templates, see How to Create an App-V Project Template (App-V 4.6 SP1).
    
  • Step-by-step help during sequencing. For an example of the new step-by-step see Type of Application Page (Learn More).
    
  • Enhanced reporting to help identify sequencing issues. For an example of the new reporting, see Files Excluded Page Dialog Box (App-V 4.6 SP1).
    
• Support for using a read-only cache on RDS – App-V 4.6 SP1 now supports using a shared, read-only cache in both VDI and RDS environments. For more information about sharing a read-only cache on RDS, see How to Configure a Read-only Cache on the App-V Client (RDS).
  
• Support for sequencing the Microsoft .NET Framework 4 – App-V 4.6 SP1 now supports sequencing the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.
  
• Customer Feedback and Hotfix Rollup – App-V 4.6 SP1 also includes a rollup up of fixes to address issues found since the App-V 4.6 release.
  

Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) 2.0 provides the following enhancements and new features:

• MED-V Workspace Creation. The virtual hard disk used for the MED-V workspace is now created in Windows Virtual PC. The methods that are used to create the MED-V workspace include installing Windows XP SP3, updating the operating system, and preparing it to be managed through software management infrastructure.
  

  The offline management and trim transfer functionality were removed, in addition to the proprietary MED-V workspace encryption and compression functionality. When you create a MED-V workspace, an administrator should prepare and configure appropriate applications and management tools in the image instead of using the virtual machine preparation tool that is provided in MED-V 1.0.
  

  Running Sysprep on the MED-V image is now required and validated during the packaging of the MED-V workspace. The MED-V Workspace Packager provides a graphical user interface (GUI) that guides the administrator through the packaging process. The console from MED-V 1.0 was removed together with the functionality of managing images, managing MED-V workspace profiles, and the requirement to stage and encrypt MED-V workspaces.
  

• MED-V Workspace Deployment. To deploy a MED-V workspace, an administrator is now able to take advantage of their electronic software distribution tools. The client-pull method available in MED-V 1.0 was removed and the MED-V workspace is now delivered by using methods outside MED-V. Administrators can treat MED-V workspaces as they would any other application package and can schedule deployments and installations of MED-V by using their existing tools and processes. MED-V installations can be deployed silently and can easily be managed inside an existing software distribution infrastructure.
  
• MED-V Workspace Management. The MED-V workspace in MED-V 2.0 is based on a Windows Virtual PC virtual hard disk. MED-V has extended the capabilities that Windows Virtual PC provides by improving the seamless experience without requiring encryption or special tools to access the MED-V workspace.
  
• MED-V Workspace Packaging. Windows PowerShell is the foundation of the MED-V Workspace Packager. This functionality replaces some former console abilities and functionality that managed centralized functions of MED-V. The MED-V Workspace Packager merely packages the virtual hard disk with the appropriate settings and image so that it can be easily deployed by administrators. Advanced features are provided by using Windows PowerShell.
  
• MED-V Workspace Distribution. Dedicated server infrastructure is no longer required for MED-V 2.0 and the client pull method to deploy MED-V workspaces was removed. MED-V workspaces are now deployed using your electronic software distribution infrastructure and can be stored on common shares that are used for other installation packages.
  

• First Time Setup. The first time setup process is now integrated with the standard imaging convention of Sysprep. The MED-V workspace first time setup process can dynamically apply settings specified in the MED-V Workspace Packager to the image as it begins Mini-Setup. The scripting tool in the console was removed and the first time setup process is now based on options that are configured in the MED-V Workspace Packager by the administrator.
  

• Application Publishing. Administrators can install applications on the MED-V image either before packaging, after the MED-V workspace is deployed, or by using a combination of both. MED-V no longer examines MED-V workspace policy to publish applications, but instead refers to what is actually installed on the guest. As applications are installed on the guest, they are automatically detected and published to the host Start menu and are ready to be started by the end user.
  

   

• URL Redirection. MED-V 2.0 provides seamless host-to-guest web address redirection based on the policies configured and managed by the administrator. After a URL is redirected to the guest browser, the default experience is to attempt to limit the user to that redirected site. This minimizes the browsing activities that a user can perform that are not intended by the administrator. Guest-to-host browser redirection was removed.
  

   

• Troubleshooting. MED-V now takes advantage of standard host-based processes for troubleshooting. Because the MED-V workspace is no longer encrypted, it can be opened in full-screen mode within the Windows Virtual PC console, where it can be viewed and worked with as a standard workstation. In addition, the logs are no longer encrypted locally and logged centrally. MED-V now makes extensive use of the local event logs, and the logging level of the output, from informational to debug levels, can be easily configured. Finally, a troubleshooting toolkit is now provided so administrators and helpdesk personnel can have a graphical, aggregated view of all the troubleshooting options, and they can effortlessly select the activities that most suit their needs.
  

• MED-V is no longer run as a system service. Instead, it is run as user-owned processes, and it only runs when a user is logged on. Functionality that was formerly provided by the system-owned service is now provided in the user-side processes.
  

Resources:

About Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.6 SP1

Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization 2.0

The Official MDOP Blog