App-V Volume Format Specification Released!
Today fellow App-V MVP Ruben Spruijt has posted online the Microsoft App-V volume format specification over on his site for download by the public. Thanks to Microsoft and reviewer (another App-V MVP) Tim Mangan the details around the black box known as the App-V volume can be properly understood.
For those of you who really want to know what all these strange file types such as the .fsd .fsg .pkg and .tmp files are used for you can probably find more than you wanted to know. The real purpose here is to help the App-V ecosystem by enabling 3rd party developers to design new tools for use with App-V. MVPs Tim Mangan and Kalle Saunamäki have already released tools to read the package volumes. Both tools below allow you to view the changes made to the virtual application environment and in the case of Kalle’s Application Virtualization Explorer you can modify the user’s virtual environment. In case you weren’t aware of these tools here are some links to get you started.
Overview of Application Virtualization Explorer (Commercial)
http://www.gridmetric.com/products/ave.html
Overview of PkgView (Free)
http://www.tmurgent.com/TmBlog/?p=166
You might be wondering what other tools we may expect on the horizon. Gene Ferioli over at Microsoft suggested that Antivirus vendors can finally develop the capability to scan and repair infections inside the virtual environment without the virtual application running. Other vendors may decide to develop troubleshooting tools that go beyond what is currently available today. Maybe some vendors will develop tools to inventory the contents of a virtual environment and provide better software inventory capabilities to your systems management solution.
Microsoft will have the documentation up on their site soon but if you are curious here’s your chance for a sneak peek. Just download, execute the EXE in the folder you wish to unpack it in and agree to the EULA.
http://virtuall.eu/download-document/microsoft-application-virtualization-volume-format-specification