Ever tried to automate your packaging with App Volumes?
Recently, VMware released App Volumes 4, version 2103 with a set of command-line tools that can be used for working with packages outside of the management console. In this article, I’m pleased to share the features that come with these tools, highlight some of the innovations from our partners and cover a few of the other new elements in version 2103.
App Volumes Tools
Starting with the App Volumes installer, alongside the “App Volumes Manager” and “App Volumes Agent,” system administrators will see “App Volumes Tools” as a new option.
The new App Volumes Tools gives admins the ability to manage app packages independently of App Volumes Manager. This comes with two command-line interface (CLI) options: appcapture.exe and PowerShell. You can use these new CLIs to do several things:
- Create a new package – producing both a VHD and VMDK at the same time
- Update an existing package
- Test a package
- Convert between VHD and VMDK
- Ready an MSIX app attach package for App Volumes
Refer to our documentation for more information on Using the App Volumes Application Capture Command-Line Program.
Partner Highlights
These new capabilities allow for increased automation and integration with other tools. For example, a few of our partners have already started integrating their solutions with App Volumes for packaging:
- Liquit brings customers a wealth of experience doing the hard work of sourcing installers, identifying the best install options and automating the creation of packages. Leveraging appcapture.exe, Liquit Release & Patch Management is able to bring that same value to App Volumes by automatically creating packages that are ready for import.
- Rimo3 is working to use appcapture.exe to enable admins to capture hundreds of apps at once without any user intervention, then carry out an in-situ validation to ensure the apps are smoke-tested against a windows image.
- appCURE demonstrates an App Capture GUI prototype they are working on and how packages created by appCURE Studio can be imported into App Volumes.
Package delivery to any operating system
Finally, to ensure customers can use the same package everywhere, VMware introduced a new advanced switch to disable the OS check used by App Volumes manager. Now App Volumes can deliver the same package to multiple operating systems, which means packages created on Windows 10 can be used across Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session and Windows Server operating systems. This, of course, requires the application to be supported on the specific operating system images you choose.
For those stubborn legacy cases when OS and app compatibility is a problem, you can always turn to VMware ThinApp. And best of all–ThinApp packages can also be delivered via App Volumes! With VMware’s native App Volumes app capture format, MSIX app attach support and ThinApp virtualization technology, rest assured you have a full suite of application package options for delivery across your hybrid-cloud deployments.
Learn more about app management and delivery with App Volumes:
- App Volumes Product Page
- End User Computing Blog: App Volumes
- Package Delivered: App Volumes 4
- Application Management in the Horizon Cloud Control Plane
Stay tuned for more developments on App Volumes as VMware continues to simplify app packaging and delivery.
Package once, delivery everywhere!
