How to publish App-V package in XenApp 6 : {XenApp 6 –App-V integration}

Purpose:
To publish application sequenced package created using Microsoft App-V 4.6 SP1 into Citrix XenApp 6. I have used the sequenced package for WinZip as a publish candidate for this article.
Pre-requisite:
Following are the prerequisites for publishing application sequenced package created using Microsoft App-V 4.6 SP1 into Citrix XenApp 6:

1. App-V client for remote desktop services SP1 {included in the download “Application Virtualization 4.6 for Remote Desktop Services Service Pack 1 (x86) – CD (Multiple Languages)” from MSDN site http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/downloads/default.aspx}
2. Sequenced package for WinZip created using Microsoft App-V 4.6 SP1 sequencer in some shared location.
3. Citrix App-V Integration Kit. (Download: http://citrix.com/English/ss/downloads/details.asp?downloadId=2310183&productId=1689163&ntref=clientcenter#top ) Save the unzipped contents locally and use them to deliver the App-V sequences to users. Create a folder “AppVConduit” in the shared location where App-V packages will be copied. Save the unzipped contents to this “AppVConduit” folder. The folder contains a pre-created AppStreamingToAppVConduit.profile file, as well as the required support files for the profile. This single profile can be used to publish an unlimited number of App-V sequences.

Solution:
First step is to install pre-requisite 1 {App-V client for remote desktop services SP1} in XenApp 6 environment.

Copy the sequenced package to some pre-defined share location if it is not already copied there. After copying the sequenced package, open the OSD file to edit it. Edit the following line in the OSD file for the parameter HREF: {Do this step if you are using shared location to stream the application. If you are using streaming server or App-V infrastructure, modify OSD file accordingly.}

<CODEBASE HREF=”\\ServerName\WinZip\Winzip.sft” GUID=”D81A77E4-9134-4607-B900-224AA5286D16″ PARAMETERS=”" FILENAME=”WinZip\WINZIP32.EXE” SYSGUARDFILE=”WinZip\osguard.cp” SIZE=”40241038″/>
Keep the default value of other parameters.

Next step is to publish it in XenApp 6 environment. Below are the steps:

1. Welcome screen: Click Next

2. Enter the text “Winzip” to the Display name and application description textbox. Click Next.

3. Select the radio button for “Application” and application type as “Streamed if possible, otherwise accessed from a server”. From Server application type dropdown list, select “installed application”. Click Next


4.Browse to the App-V integration kit {AppStreamingToAppVConduit.profile}. It will select the “AppStreamingToAppVConduit” application in the dropdown for Application to launch. Put the location of OSD file in the textbox for “extra command line parameter”. Click Next.

5. Keep the default option and click Next.


6.Location screen: Input the following information:            Command line: “C:\\Program Files\Microsoft Application Virtualization Client\sfttray.exe” “\\AppVServer\AppVPackages\WinZip\WinZip 25.0.9468.0.osd”.  Working directory: “C:\\Program Files\Microsoft Application Virtualization Client”. Click Next

7. Server screen: Add the list of server/s, where you need to run the publish application.
8. Users screen: Add the list of users who will have rights on the published application.
9. Shortcut presentation screen: You need to select the application icon manually. Click on “Change icon…” button. Following screen will appear: Select the radio button for “Choose an icon from a locally browsed file and browse the icon file.


10. Select the icon file and click Open.


11. Following screen will appear. Select the required icon. Click Ok.
12. Enter Client application Folder. Click Next


13. Published immediately screen: Click finish to finish the publishing of App-V sequenced package.

Quick Test:
Open the command window in XenApp and write the command
“c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Application Virtualization Client\sfttray.
exe” “\\server\AppVPackages\WinZip\WinZip.sft”

Note: Path of sfttray.exe will depend on the 64 bit or 32 bit OS.
It should launch the application successfully.

Logic in Conduit utility (profiled application) provided by Citrix:
It checks if the user device does supports application streaming by checking if it has App-V client installed. If App-V client is installed, XenApp streams virtualized application to the users device. If it is not able to find the App-V client installed like in MAC, then it streams it to XenApp server and then deliver it to users as normal XenApp published application. In anyway, user will be able to get the required virtualized application. It is shown in the below diagram:

Citrix has provided source code of Conduit utility so if we need to modify it for our needs, we can do it.