5.0
Table Of Contents
- ThinApp User’s Guide
- Contents
- About This Book
- Installing ThinApp
- Capturing Applications
- Phases of the Capture Process
- Preparing to Capture Applications
- Capturing Applications with the Setup Capture Wizard
- Create a System Image Before the Application Installation
- Rescan the System with the Installed Application
- Defining Entry Points as Shortcuts into the Virtual Environment
- Set Entry Points
- Manage with VMware Horizon Application Manager
- Set User Groups
- Defining Isolation Modes for the Physical File System
- Set File System Isolation Modes
- Storing Application Changes in the Sandbox
- Customize the Sandbox Location
- Send Anonymous Statistics to VMware
- Customize ThinApp Project Settings
- Defining Package Settings
- Customize Package Settings
- Opening Project and Parameter Files
- Build Virtual Applications
- Advanced Package Configuration
- Capturing Internet Explorer on Windows XP
- Capturing Multiple Application Installers with ThinApp Converter
- Deploying Applications
- ThinApp Deployment Options
- Establishing File Type Associations with the thinreg.exe Utility
- Building an MSI Database
- Controlling Application Access with Active Directory
- Starting and Stopping Virtual Services
- Using ThinApp Packages Streamed from the Network
- Using Captured Applications with Other System Components
- Performing Paste Operations
- Accessing Printers
- Accessing Drivers
- Accessing the Local Disk, the Removable Disk, and Network Shares
- Accessing the System Registry
- Accessing Networking and Sockets
- Using Shared Memory and Named Pipes
- Using COM, DCOM, and Out-of-Process COM Components
- Starting Services
- Using File Type Associations
- Sample Isolation Mode Configuration Depending on Deployment Context
- Updating and Linking Applications
- Application Updates That the End User Triggers
- Application Sync Updates
- Using Application Sync in a Managed or Unmanaged Environment
- Update Firefox 2.0.0.3 to Firefox 3 with Application Sync
- Fix an Incorrect Update with Application Sync
- Application Sync Effect on Entry Point Executable Files
- Updating thinreg.exe Registrations with Application Sync
- Maintaining the Primary Data Container Name with Application Sync
- Completing the Application Sync Process When Applications Create Child Processes
- Application Link Updates
- View of the Application using Application Link
- Link a Base Application to the Microsoft .NET Framework
- Set Up Nested Links with Application Link
- Affecting Isolation Modes with Application Link
- PermittedGroups Effect on Linked Packages
- Sandbox Changes for Standalone and Linked Packages
- Import Order for Linked Packages
- File and Registry Collisions in Linked Packages
- VBScript Collisions in Linked Packages
- VBScript Function Order in Linked Packages
- Storing Multiple Versions of a Linked Application in the Same Directory
- Using Application Sync for a Base Application and Linked Packages
- Application Sync Updates
- Application Updates That the Administrator Triggers
- Automatic Application Updates
- Upgrading Running Applications on a Network Share
- Sandbox Considerations for Upgraded Applications
- Updating the ThinApp Version of Packages
- Application Updates That the End User Triggers
- Locating the ThinApp Sandbox
- Creating ThinApp Snapshots and Projects from the Command Line
- ThinApp File System Formats and Macros
- Creating ThinApp Scripts
- Callback Functions
- Implement Scripts in a ThinApp Environment
- API Functions
- Monitoring and Troubleshooting ThinApp
- Glossary
- Index
ThinApp User’s Guide
64 VMware, Inc.
3Iftheapplicationandsandboxoriginallyranfromanotherlocation,suchasacomputerlocalharddrive,
andyouneedthesamesandboxonaportabledevice,copytheThinstalldirectoryfrom%AppData%to
thedirectorywheretheexecutablefileresidesonthedevice.
ThinAppnolongerusesthesandboxin
theoriginallocation.
Sandbox Structure
ThinAppstoresthesandboxusingafilestructurealmostidenticaltothebuildprojectstructure.ThinAppuses
macronamesforshellfolderlocations,suchas%AppData%,insteadofhardcodedpaths.Thisstructureenables
thesandboxtomigratetodifferentcomputersdynamicallywhentheapplicationrunsfromnewlocations.
The
sandboxcontainsthefollowingregistryfiles:
Registry.rw.tvr–Containsallregistrymodificationsthattheapplicationmakes.
Registry.rw.lck–Preventsothercomputersfromsimultaneouslyusingaregistrylocatedonanetwork
share.
Registry.tvr.backup–Containsabackupofthe.tvrfilethatThinAppuseswhentheoriginal.tvr
fileiscorrupted.
Inadditiontotheseregistryfiles,thesandboxcontainsdirectoriesthatinclude%AppData%,
%ProgramFilesDir%,and%SystemRoot%.Eachofthesefolderscontainsmodificationstorespectivefolders
inthecapturedapplication.
Making Changes to the Sandbox
ThinAppstoresfilesysteminformationinthevirtualregistry.ThevirtualregistryenablesThinAppto
optimizefilesystemaccessinthevirtualenvironment.For example,whenanapplicationtriestoopenafile,
ThinAppdoesnothavetoconsulttherealfilesystemfortherealsystemlocationandagainforthe
sandbox
location.Instead,ThinAppcancheckfortheexistenceofthefilebyconsultingonlythevirtualregistry.This
abilityincreasestheThinAppruntimeperformance.
VMwaredoesnotsupportmodifyingoraddingfilesdirectlytothesandbox.Ifyoucopyfilestothesandbox
directory,thefilesarenotvisible
totheapplication.Ifthefilealreadyexistsinthesandbox,youcanoverwrite
andupdatethefile.VMwarerecommendsthatyouperformallmodificationsfromtheapplicationitself.
Listing Virtual Registry Contents with vregtool
Becausethesandboxcontainsthemodificationstotheregistry,youmightneedthevregtoolutilitytoview
modifiedvirtualregistrychanges.YoumusthaveaccesstothevregtoolutilityinC:\Program
Files\VMware\VMware ThinApp.
Asamplecommandtolistthecontentsofavirtualregistryfileisvregtool registry.rw.tvr printkeys.
Twonewoptionsareintroduced
invregtool.exe, PrintKeysandSysCompareas‐X86and‐X64.These
flagscanbeusedforviewingthemodifiedvirtualregistrychangesto32‐bitand64‐bitregistries.Ifnoneof
theseflagsareprovided,thecompleteregistryviewwillbedisplayed.
Sandbox Compatibility between ThinApp 4.x and 5.x
SandboxofApplicationsbuiltusingThinApp4.xareisnotcompatiblewithThinApp5.0Sandboxes.Ifthe
applicationruntimeisupgradedfromThinApp4.xtoThinApp5.0(byusingRelink,Rebuildingthepackageor
anyotherupgrademechanism),theoldsandboxneedstoberemovedbeforeusingtheupgradedapplication.
However,Iftheuserrequiresto
preservethesettingsmadetoexistingThinAppapplication,SBMerge.exetool
canbeutilizedtomergethesandboxtothepackageitself.ThispackagecanberebuiltusingThinApp5.0to
upgradetheApplicationRuntime.Forinformationaboutthesbmerge.exeutility,seeUpdatingApplications
withRuntimeChanges