Coming from the days of implementing Softgrid versions pre-4.5, there were complications to setting up Softgrid in a large scale environment. The infamous ability in Softgrid to allow roaming users in all parts of the globe to receive their assigned applications instantly on any computer at login was an big sale among many organizations. But when deploying it, there was much work entailed to accomplish it. How do you control all these applications from streaming across your WAN links? How do I lock it down to pull from local server resources? Let me explain the progression of the versions here:
Pre- Softgrid 4.5:
In versions 4.x, Softgrid was great in centralized environments with high bandwidth availability. But in most large environments, there are branch sites you need to plan for. So where does the client stream the SFT file from? If the client is in Site A and moves to Site B, does it pull the package from Site A still? These are all sore questions to answer during your planning stage. There are different techniques to use to pull locally.
DNS- In DNS, there is a setting called Netmask ordering. It allows clients on a local subnet to pull from a local resource by giving the client the nearest IP for that subnet. So with multiple DNS host entries named "SGserver" pointing to each of the branch VAS IP's, a client when looking for SGserver would receive an answer for it's local subnet IP. This works great but their are some gotchas with clients caching the last subnet after it has moved though.
DFS- Using DFS, you can also get around where clients pulled their content from local DFS locations. Using this method, you need to have all of your AD sites and services Subnets defined. Plus you need to have separate AD sites and services setup if multiple domains. (with one domain and using windows 2003 global catologs, there really is no need for all the setup anyway's)
Softgrid 4.5:
Now we have some scalability choices that we did not have before. Here's some of these new changes:
ASR- Application source root is a big addition to the 4.5 version that allows direct manipulation on where a client streams the SFT from. It's a registry key that can instantly override the HREF path specified in the OSD. So for this, use the provided administrative template (w/RTM) to set the ASR in a GPO at the site level. So when a computer moves around and starts up, it'll receive an ASR path through the GPO to the local content location. Love this flexibility.
OSR/ISR- Like the ASR, these can be set for the ICO/OSD files as well. During EACH DC refresh, the client pulls all the ICO/OSD files down which could very well be from across the WAN. So if a user clicks the reload/refresh button 10 times and he has 20 virtual apps assigned, it can add up against your traffic. So now you can also control where those ICO/OSD files are brought down from.
ConfigMgr R2- With this new integration, Softgrid works off the backbone of ConfigMgr's enhanced scalability features. This has really become a solid solution for folks wanting Softgrid and have ConfigMgr in place.
- When a user clicks an icon file to stream a virtual application, the v-launcher or interceptor talks to the Advanced client which from it's management point, receive the location of the closest virtual enabled distribution point with that SFT and streams it from there.
- Since ConfigMgr now included 'Branch office' distribution points, a windows client can become a Softgrid storage point when no servers are available. Thus, clients at these serverless locations can also pull virtual applications within their own subnets.
- Lastly, with ConfigMgr's ability to deploy applications via the internet when in it's Native Mode (PKI certificates), this also includes virtual applications. The streaming delivery would not be able to work in this scenario, but a download and execute local delivery would allow these virtual applications to deploy, even if the user is connected at a Starbucks.
So as you can see, there are new options that help make this product more enterprise ready. I'm looking forward to implementing 4.5 with these new scalable enhancements to achieve a more dynamic solution.
Troy
Ok, in the first part of this series, we looked at how these virtual applications are delivered from ConfigMgr R2, next we should look at how to actually deliver them and what is happening in the background while the magic is happening. Now the complete visual in "How To", I plan on doing a blogcast and posting up. Much easier to demonstrate by video and more effective for the visual style learners like myself out there. So let's look at the high level steps.
Streaming:
Before the application is delivered, the virtual application content is staged to the selected distribution points. After these DP's are updated, next comes package registration.
The ConfigMgr R2 client evaluates the advertisement (policy) and discovers that the virtual application is being deployed for streaming. The ConfigMgr client then registers the virtual application package with the Softgrid client (yes, you have 2 individual clients here, ConfigMgr R2 & Softgrid). Once registered, the icons show up on the desktop, start menu Quick launch where ever configure for the user, but the application is not physically there anywhere on the system yet. Only the shortcuts are added to the client computer.
Next, the end-user launches the application through a shortcut. This creates a connection to the streaming DP and then the application is served up, on demand, to the user.
User clicks a shortcut to launch an application.
Shortcut calls the SCCM launcher
Launcher talks to the Advanced client.
Advanced client talks to the MP and performs a location request.
Once the DP location is established, the Advanced client sets the source URL for the package. This part is slick in that it dynamically changes the location no matter what the HREF path specifies.
Adv Client hands off to the Softgrid client for Vapp streaming. From there the normal Softgrid actions to stream take over.
Local Delivery:
When advertised, the virtual application package and its contents are moved across the wire using BITS from the distrubution point to the client computer.
Next the ConfigMgr R2 client evaluates the advertisement and discovers it is a download and execute policy. On policy activation, the content for the package is downloaded to the clients local ConfigMgr cache. Then the ConfigMgr client registers the virtual application package with the Softgrid client referring to the local copy of the package(not a copy on any streaming server). Once registered, the icons show up where they were configure to. At this point the package is local on the system and can be used immediately without any connections required.
Next, the end-user launches the application through the shortcut which creates a connection to the local copy of the package (File://<path>)
Package Upgrade:
The Softgrid package is revised with a new update to the virtual app package
Next update the source content in the ConfigMgr console and then update all DP's that it is currently begin distributed to. Cool part is next.
ConfigMgr now uses Binary Delta Replication(BDR) for both a 'site to site' transfer and a 'site to DP' transfer to update these packages. So just like a WIM file, the smallest binary changes inside the SFT file are all that is copied over.
The advertisement gets re-run.
Now with streaming delivery, the next time the end-user launches the application, the server will deliver the updated virtual application.
For Local delivery, changes are downloaded via BITS and BDR to the local ConfigMgr cache and then applied to the Softgrid FSD cache when they are completely downloaded.
Virtual MSI's (Standalone):
Well, what can I say for this delivery method. This basically requires you to treat the package as a new MSI package to be delivered through normal distribution methods.
Hope this was informative on how the delivery of these two great products melded together to form something no less than incredible. Taking the backbone infrastructure of ConfigMgr and combining it with such dynamic optimization like Softgrid, better together at last!
Next I'll talk a little about the extended scalability that Softgrid 4.5 will bring us outside of that in ConfigMgr R2.
After spending many hours in my virtual labs testing and learning the new changes and integration of Softgrid (*cough..Microsoft Application Virtualization) with System Center Configuration Manager R2, I'm finding there are essentially 3 ways of delivering virtual applications. So I'll go over and cover the processes I've taken to successfully deliver them. The 3 are Streaming, Local delivery and MSI.
Streaming:
When the app is advertised to stream to the client, the client uses the Application Virtualization Server (lightweight component installed on the Distribution Points). Then the Applications shortcuts invoke a connection to the server in order for the app to be delivered and used. This delivery is great for your desktop systems that are highly connected clients. One of the best benefits I find using this method is, when the application is upgraded, it's applied to these Virtual enabled DP's and the clients connect to the new version on the server fast and seamlessly.
Local delivery:
In working with SMS/ConfigMgr, this method is best known as the download and execute with BITS. The client receives the virtual application package content locally. Unlike the traditional method of stream from a server, the application shortcuts refer to a local copy of the Virtual app. This is great for your laptop systems that are frequently offline or for slow/unreliable networks. It does use BITS which is good in case a partial download has been delivered and it also uses Remote Differential Compression to send only the binary deltas when the virtual application content is changed or upgraded.
MSI (virtual):
These are essential MSI's we all know and love and work well with any type of ESD solution. Using either the MSI Utility (which creates 4.2 version MSI's) or the 4.5 sequencer, you generate an MSI based virtual application that can then be imported into SMS 2003, ConfigMgr RTM using the package by definition package. Then it is advertised to a collection. The disadvantage to using this is the inability to have the dynamic upgrades. Yes there still is the original files and the SFT is loaded into the Softgrid cache 100%. If an upgrade is needed, you must re-create the MSI, update the DP's and re-advertise it back to those same systems. Much like is it today. You where's the advantage with that? Well, the app is still virtualized, thus defeating the compatibility issues with some apps and it's much cleaner on the system since file and registry changes are not made. I will write more on this method (standalone) in another blog since there is a lot more to this.
In part 2 I will cover the actual steps I used to perform these deliveries and go into a little more detail in what actually takes place on the server and client.
There's a new technology verb in town. Google's has 'Google it'. Now I can see the term 'Mesh it' or 'Go to my Mesh'.
Microsoft has really raised the bar with this new technology that I can see exploding for all users with multiple computers or always on the go. Cloud storage has been out for a bit and has been convenient at times, but not really something that changes my everyday interaction in computing.
Live Mesh does just that! Part of the Live family, it has a client that you install on all your devices that you want and by doing this, it enables you to connect to any of those machines through web browser anywhere you go, even behind firewalls. I know you have others that do this too, but it doesn't stop there. It adds a context menu item so that any file you want to synch into the cloud, it's a simple click. Immediately it synchs to all your devices for availability. You also get a Live desktop which is somewhat like a virtual PC in the cloud(well, very limited at least). Then there's the MS Office Groove like features where you can share certain folders so that when any of those connected family or friends add files, your Messenger like applet displays the change.
This is something by Live that I see going places. Unfortunately it is still in beta and limited to storage at the time, so on Microsoft connect, it is a submit and wait for invite to be able to use. For more info on it including some must watch videos, check it out here:
https://www.mesh.com/Welcome/LearnMore.aspx - Learn more about it in the "See it in action links"
http://on10.net/blogs/nic/Hands-on-with-Live-Mesh/ - Live team show's it in a real world example
http://blogs.msdn.com/livemesh/archive/2008/04/21/live-mesh-as-a-platform.aspx - From a developer view as a platform which shows it has potential
http://www.mesh.com/Welcome/TourDeveloper.aspx - And lastly, for a deeper look from behind the curtain.
Is this Ray Ozzie's new Groove? I think so!
http://scobleizer.com/2008/04/22/ray-ozzie-delivers-with-live-mesh/
Troy