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VMware ThinApp Release Candidate (RC) is shipping!

VMware is pleased to announce the RC revision of ThinApp. This release includes Application Link and Application Sync, as well as many additional improvements to the user interface and the core virtualization engine. We believe that ThinApp represents technology that, when released in final form at General Availability (GA), will provide customers a fundamentally better way to package applications.

With ThinApp technology, IT innovators can prepare their company to better address key application challenges including operating system migrations (to Windows XP, Vista, and others) while reducing application conflicts, deployment costs, and empowering a mobile workforce. ThinApp creates portable applications that can be leveraged across a variety of operating systems (Windows NT, XP, Vista, 2000) and plug into a variety of deployment infrastructures (SMS, LANDesk, Citrix, BMC, and others).


Key Features and Enhancements

The following enhancements were added for RC (Build 3.396):

  • The default isolation mode was changed from WriteCopy to Merged.
  • Application Sync makes fewer web server round-trip queries after bandwidth optimizations were made.
  • User interface enhancements:
    • Added a screen to allow selection of the default file system isolation mode.
    • Removed advanced and less frequently used screens such as Application Sync.
  • To handle larger packages, VMware created a separate .dat data container when the estimated size of a data container is over 200MB. This resolves an issue in which Internet Explorer might not show icons for large executable files.
  • Added the package.ini option, VirtualComputerName. When enabled, this option provides an application with a fixed computer name. This setting is required for some configurations of SQL Server.
  • Added support for the SQL Server SQLWriter service.
  • ThinApp MSIs for package and build tools now install per-machine by default.
  • Added support for the following new file macros: %Temp%, %PrintHood%, %Internet Cache%, %Cookies%, %History%, %Program Files Common%, %Common Templates%, %Common Documents%, %Common AdminTools%, %AdminTools%, %Resources%, %Resources Localized%, %CDBurn Area%, %Profiles%. To prevent any backward compatibility issues, these macros are only available to applications captured using ThinApp 3.393 or higher. You can modify the CapturedUsingVersion parameter in your package.ini file for older captured packages to enable them to use newer macros.

The following new key features and enhancements were added for Beta 2 (Build 3.386):

  • Application Sync - This feature enables you to deploy ThinApp application updates. Application Sync automatically checks for and installs updates to your packaged applications. Updates might include changes such as a new version, service pack updates, or configuration changes in the package.ini file.
  • Application Link - Application Link enables you to establish a link between applications without having to encapsulate them into the same executable package. For example, you can establish a relationship between a deployed instance of Microsoft Office 2003 and a new Microsoft Office plug-in.
  • Support for VMware serial numbers.
  • Added logging support in the runtime environment to assist with troubleshooting.
Check out more here!
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