Lab 03: Application capture using the GUI method: using the App Volumes Manager and Agent

Objective and Tasks

This lab will take you through the steps required to initiate an application package capture from the App Volumes Manager, to a packaging virtual machine, installed with the App Volumes Agent. This is followed by post-capture tasks of setting the CURRENT Marker and carrying out an Assignment.

  1. Prepare the packaging machine for capture
  2. Create a new Application and Package from the App Volumes Admin console
  3. Capture the application on the Packaging Machine
  4. Confirm and successfully close the app capture process
  5. Confirm success, carry out post capture configuration from the App Volumes admin console
  6. Validate application is assigned and accessible with a Horizon virtual desktop session
Expand or collapse content Task 1: Prepare the packaging machine for capture

Power ON the packaging machine by connecting to the vCenter-01 from the Chrome Browser, use the shortcut in the bookmark bar. Accept any notifications presented at the logon screen.

  1. Navigate to vCenter, identify, and Power ON the packaging machine
    • Log in to the ControlCenter VM
    • Username: administrator
    • Password: Pa$$w0rd
    • Open the Google Chrome browser from the desktop
    • Click on vCenter-01 link from the bookmark bar to connect to the vCenter https://vcenter01.omnissatraining.com
    • Login using the following credentials
    • Username: [email protected]
    • Password: Pa$$w0rd
  2. Log into the vCenter web console, identify, revert the App Volumes packaging virtual machine to the 'av_agent' snapshot and Power ON the VM
    • Navigate to vcenter01 > DC1 > Cluster1
    • Locate  the appvolprov-01a VM
    • Right-click on VM, select Snapshots and click on Manage snapshots
  3. Revert to the prepared App Volumes Agent snapshot
    • Snapshots tab select 'AV_Agent' snapshot
    • Click the 'REVERT' option from the toolbar above
    • Confirm by clicking on 'REVERT'
    • Confirmation message received in the 'Recent Tasks' section with Status: Completed
  4. Power ON the Appvolprov-01a VM
    • Right-click on the appvolprov-01a VM
    • Select Power Power On
    • In the center panel, click on the Summary tab

Once at the login screen (Do not log in to the VM, till the new App Volumes Application and Package have been created in the next task)

Expand or collapse content Task 2: Create a new Application and Package from the App Volumes Admin console

With the appvolprov-01a packaging machine powered ON, the next section will take you through creating an Application and a blank Package, assign it to the packaging machine to capture an application, initiated from the App Volumes Manager admin console.

  1. Log into the App Volumes Manager admin console
    • Open a second browser tab within Google Chrome
    • Select appvol-02a from the bookmark bar
    • Username: administrator
    • Password: Pa$$w0rd
    • Click login
  2. Validate that the packaging machine has been registered and is online within the admin console.
    • Click on DIRECTORY
    • Under the Computers tab, note the packaging machine APPVOLPROV-01A$ is listed and 'Status' reflects 'Enabled'
  3. Create an Application and a Package for the new app to captured.
    • Click on INVENTORY
    • Click on the CREATE button
    • Name: FileZilla
    • Click on the CREATE button
    • Click on the CREATE button to confirm
  4. Provide the required details at the Package level
    • Name: FileZilla_3.70.4
    • Accept the remaining default settings and click on the CREATE button
    • Click on the CREATE button to confirm
  5. Assign the packaging machine to the blank FileZilla package
    • Click on the INVENTORY > Packages tab
    • The first stage of a newly created Package. Wait for the Status tab to change to Unpackaged.
    • Expand the FileZilla_3.70.4 package
    • Click on the PACKAGE button
    • Type and search for APPVOLPROV-01A
    • Select the radio button next to the Status 'Available'
    • Click on the PACKAGE button
    • Confirm by clicking on START PACKAGING
    • The second stage of the Package is now shown under the Status tab > Packaging

Keep an eye out at the top right corner of the App Volumes Manager admin console screen. For App Volumes environments configured to use VHD In-Guest mode machine manager configuration, the Packaging VM will need an additional reboot after you click on START PACKAGING in the above step.

Expand or collapse content Task 3: Capture the application on the Packaging Machine

Next steps are to log in to the packaging VM, confirm the app capture has initialized, and is ready to capture. Initiate the application installation and capture the package.

  1. Connect to the Appvolprov-01a VM
    • Toggle to the vCenter browser tab
    • Go to the Summary tab of the 'Appvolprov-01a' vm
    • As the VM is already powered ON, click on the Launch Web Console button
  2. Initiate reboot of the Appvolprov-01a VM
    • Click on the Restart option from the bottom right corner of the logon screen to reboot the VM
  3. Once rebooted, log into the Appvolprov-01a VM and start the packaging process
    • Username: administrator
    • Password: Pa$$w0rd
    • Wait for the "Packaging..." notification to pop up on the bottom right of the screen.
  1. Install the FileZilla Application
    • Open the File Explorer
    • Navigate to the folder location \\Labfiler\resources\software\filezilla
    • Run the installer FileZilla_3.70.4_win64_sponsored2-setup.exe
  2. Installing FileZilla
    • Accept and continue with the installation
    • 'Decline' installing the optional Google Chrome Browser
    • Click Next
    • Always select the 'all users' option if prompted for any application installed
    • Click Next

To deliver an App Volumes Package using the Apps On-Demand method, the installed application should be configured with a 'Desktop Icon' or be listed in the 'Start Menu'

  1. Completing the FileZilla installation
    • Check the 'Desktop Icon' box
    • Click Next
    • Click Next on the application destination folder
    • Confirm that the 'Do not create shortcut' on the Start Menu, is unchecked
    • Click on Install
    • On completion, uncheck the 'Start FileZilla now'
    • Click on the Finish button to close the installer
    • Close the FileZilla application

If at the time of installing this application, there is a newer version of FileZilla, choose the 'Ignore/cancel' option to further upgrade the existing installation.

Expand or collapse content Task 4: Confirm and close the app capture process
  1. Close the App Volumes capture process walking through the instructions provided by the App Volumes Agent notification screen.
    • Click on OK, to the 'Omnissa App Volumes - Packaging in progress' pop-up window in the bottom right corner
    • Click on OK
    • Click on Yes
    • Confirm the version listing: 3.70.4

The 'View Package Report' provided an HTML version of the files/folders/registry entries captured during the packaging process. This can be exported before closing the capture process.

  • Click on the Finalize button
  • Click OK to restart the machine
  1. On reboot, log into the packaging machine with the same user/password
    • Username: administrator
    • Password: Pa$$w0rd
    • Wait for the workflow process to confirm the package creation process success
    • With the confirmation of 'Packaging successful', click on OK
    • Shutdown the virtual machine from within the OS, clicking on Start Button > Power button > Shutdown
  2. Go to the vCenter tab and revert the snapshot to 'av_agent'
    • On the vCenter
    • Click on the appvolprov-01a vm
    • Go to the Snapshots tab
    • Select the 'av_agent' snapshot
    • Click on the REVERT button
    • Confirm REVERT
    • The confirmation is displayed at the bottom of the browser screen, under 'Recent Tasks.'
Expand or collapse content Task 5: Confirm success, carry out post capture configuration

In this section, confirm the successful package created, carry out CURRENT marker and assignment tasks

  1. Log into the App Volumes Manager admin console and configure the Package CURRENT marker
    • From the Google Chrome browser bookmark bar, launch appvol-02a
    • Log into the App Volumes Manager admin console
    • Username: administrator
    • Password: Pa$$w0rd
  2. Check for the Package under INVENTORY > Packages
    • Confirm, FileZilla_3.70.4 exists, Status=Enabled
      • Expand the FileZilla_3.70.4 package
      • Click the SET CURRENT button on the right pane
      • Confirm the set current setting
  3. Configure a User ASSIGNMENT to the capture application
    • Navigate to INVENTORY > Applications
    • Expand the application: FileZilla
    • Click on the ASSIGN button
    • Search for 'Horizon-Students' AD Group
    • Select the checkbox next to the 'Horizon-Students' entry
    • Ensure Assignment Type = Marker
    • Click on the ASSIGN button
    • Confirm ASSIGN
Expand or collapse content Task 6: Log in to a Horizon virtual desktop and validate the delivery of the App Volumes Package

This section we will have you log into Horizon, via the Horizon Client from the ControlCenter VM. Launch an assigned virtual desktop and validate that FileZilla has been delivered successfully to the user's session.

  1. Connect to a Horizon 8 virtual desktop (installed with the App Volumes Agent in the previous lab)
    • Minimize the browser and any applications open within the ControlCenter VM
    • From the Desktop, double-click and launch the Omnissa Horizon Client
  2. The Horizon Client is already configured to connect to Horizon 8
    • Double-click on the horizon-02a.omnissatraining.com connection icon within the Horizon Client
    • Authenticate using username: Student1
    • Password: Pa$$w0rd
    • Click Login
    • You should be connected and have the virtual desktop pool: Win11-Site2 and NotepadS2 application listed
  3. Connect to the virtual desktop and launch the FileZilla application, and confirm the App Volumes package has been attached
    • Double-click on the Win11-Site2 icon
    • Wait for the desktop session to log you in
  4. Once logged in, you will see the FileZilla application icon on the desktop
    • Double-click and launch the FileZilla application
    • Notice the App Volumes Agent mount information box pop-up in the bottom-right corner of the desktop
    • Followed by the launching of the FileZilla application
    • Minimize the Horizon Client virtual desktop session from the Horizon Client toolbar at the top of the screen
    • Proceed to the validation steps shown below
  5. Finally, validate the Package Attachment in the App Volume admin console
    • From the ControlCenter, log back into the App Volumes Admin console
    • Navigate to the Inventory > Attachments tab
    • Validate that the Package/Volume 'FileZilla_3.70.4' corresponding to Application ' FileZilla' is reporting as attached to the target Windows 11 virtual desktop.

In the Attachments tab, you will see two entries to FileZilla, one to the Windows 11 desktop session and another to an RDS session. This is beause the Horizon 8 environment is configured with an RDS application, set with 'Pre-Launch' setting enabled.

This concludes this lab to capture an application initiated from the App Volumes Manager admin console using the GUI method, to a target packaging machine, installed with the App Volumes Agent. Captured an application, validated success and carried out post capture configuration tasks.

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