Lab 03: Updating an existing App Volumes Package using the GUI method

Objective and Tasks

Upgrade an existing App Volumes application package, publish the new version, and validate delivery through Horizon.

  1. Prepare the packaging machine for package upgrade.
  2. Select the existing application and initiate a package upgrade.
  3. Upgrade the package on the packaging machine.
  4. Complete post-upgrade tasks, including setting the Current marker.
  5. Review App Volumes user feedback and management options.
  6. Validate application delivery in a Horizon virtual desktop session.
Expand or collapse content Task 1: Prepare the packaging machine for capture

As best practice, its advised to revert the Snapshot of the packaging virtual machine before a fresh application capture

  1. Navigate to vCenter from the vSphere browser tab that was open during the previous lab section
  2. Within the vCenter web console, identify and Power ON the App Volumes packaging virtual machine
    • Go back to the Summary tab
    • Select Power button and Power On the virtual machine

If you have not reverted this packaging virtual machine in the previous lab, go to the Summary tab, highlight the 'AV_Agent' snapshot and click on the REVERT button

  1. Click the 'LAUNCH WEB CONSOLE' button below the 'Guest OS' to open the powered ON virtual machine in a separate browser tab
    • Close out any previously open browser tabs for the same 'appvolprov-01a' virtual machine.
  • 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: Identify the Application and existing Package, initiate a Package upgrade

From the App Volumes admin console, look for Notepad++, identify the package version, initiate an upgrade of package. This creates a copy of the existing package, which can be attached to the packaging machine for upgrade.

  1. Log into the App Volumes Manager admin console from the already open browser tab
  2. Locate the current Notepad++ Package version from the admin console, and initiate a package upgrade
    • Navigate to the INVENTORY > Packages tab
    • From the list of packages, the Notepad++ package is listed as 'NotepadPP-8-9-6-2'
    • This CURRENT marker represents the current version of Notepad++ at ver.8.9.6.2.
  3. This lab will focus on upgrading the existing Notepad++ version 8.9.6.2 to 8.9.7.
    • Expand the package 'NotepadPP-8-9-6-2'
    • Select the UPDATE button
  4. Provide the details of the upgrade version
    • Change the Name to NotepadPP-8-9-7
    • Click on the UPDATE button
    • And provide confirmation by clicking on the UPDATE button

In real-world scenarios, a new version of the package will need to tested by UAT user groups and we are presented with the option 'Prompt for Feedback', which provided a feedback form to users assigned to the version of the package.

  1. At the INVENTORY Packages tab, refresh the list, by clicking the refresh icon next to the "Show 10" drop-down list.
    • Observe the NotepadPP-8-9-7 package change its Status from Creating to Unpackaged
    • Expand the package NotepadPP-8-9-7
    • 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: Packaging Machine: Upgrading the Package

Log into the packaging machine from the vCenter01, validate and upgrade the existing package

  1. Initiate reboot of the Appvolprov-01a VM
    • Navigate to the appvolprov-01a browser tab
    • Click on the Restart option from the bottom right corner of the logon screen to reboot the VM
  2. 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.
  3. Confirm older version of Notepad++ 8.9.6.2 is mounted before initiating the upgrade
    • Wait for the application to virtualize and the existing Notepad++ desktop icon to appear on the Desktop
      • Do not launch the old Notepad++ application from the desktop
  4. Install the new version of the Notepad++ Application
    • Open the File Explorer, navigate to the software repository '\\Labfiler\resources\software\N++'
    • Run the Notepad++ installer
    • Double click and launch the Notepad++ application  'np.8.9.7.Installer.x64.exe'
    • Accept all the default settings
    • Check the box to 'Create Shortcut on Desktop'

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. Before you click on the Install button, check the box to 'Create a Shortcut on the Desktop'
  2. Upon completing the Notepad++ 8.9.7 installation
    • Uncheck the RUN Notepad++, click on the Finish button

For this demo, we will manually disable the Notepad++ updater program.

In production, the application update should be controlled by the organization's App life-cycle process and not automatically initiated by the application updater.

  1. Manually disable the Notepad++ updater program (GUP.exe)
    • Go to the folder location 'C:\Program Files\Notepad++\updater'
    • Rename the file 'GUP.exe' to 'GUP.exe.old', confirm the file rename, and close the file explorer
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 to the next prompt
    • Click on Yes
    • Confirm the version listing: 8.9.7

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
    • Await the workflow process to confirm the package creation process success
    • On confirmation, click on OK
    • Shutdown the virtual machine from within the OS, clicking on Start Button > Power button > Shutdown
    • Close the 'appvolprov-01a' browser tab
  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.'
  3. Confirm a second package of Notepad++ with version 8.9.7 has been created
    • Navigate to the browser tab that has the App Volumes Manager admin UI open
    • Click on Inventory > Packages
    • We can confirm the existence of two Notepad++ packages
Expand or collapse content Optional Task 5: Providing feedback - Operations tasks

As this is a newer version of the Notepad++ package, let's assign this package to the App Volumes UAT user group and have them provide feedback on usage of the newer version of Notepad++.

  1. From the App Volumes Manager admin console, validate the new Notepad++ package, assign the newer version to the 'Appvol_UAT_users' AD Group and configure the Package 'Prompt for Feedback' option.
  2. Confirm current user ASSIGNMENT to the Notepad++ application
    • Navigate to INVENTORY > Applications
    • Expand the Notepad++ application: Notepad++
    • Confirm '2 Packages' listed
    • And confirm '1 Assignments' present
    • Confirm the assignment 'AppVol_PRODUCTION_Users' has the CURRENT marker set to Notepad++ version. 8.9.6.2
  1. Navigate to the Packages under INVENTORY > Packages
    • Confirm, Notepad++ has two packages listed, NotepadPP-8-9-6-2 and the newly updated NotepadPP-8-9-7 packages both exist, and their Status=Enabled
  2. Enable the App Volumes Package feedback mechanism to get feedback from the UAT testing group of users.
    • Click on the 'EDIT' button to expand the package 'NotepadPP-8-9-7'
    • Enable the 'Prompt for Feedback' with the default settings
    • Click on the SAVE button
  3. Assign the UAT users to test and provide feedback on the new Package 'NotepadPP-8-9-7'
    • Navigate to INVENTORY > Applications
    • Expand the application 'Notepad++', click on the 'ASSIGN' button
    • Search and select the AD Group 'AppVol_UAT_Users' using the 'Search Directory Service' field.
    • Select the 'Assignment Type' = 'Package'
    • Select the radio button next to the package = 'NotepadPP-8-9-7'
    • Click on the ASSIGN button
    • And confirm assignment
Expand or collapse content Optional Task 6: Providing feedback - User Acceptance Testing

This section we will have you log into Horizon, via the Horizon Client from the ControlCenter VM. Login as a UAT user, launch an assigned virtual desktop and validate that Notepad++ 8.9.7 is working and provide a feedback.

Students (6,7 and 8) are part of the Active Directory group AppVol_UAT_users

  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: Student6
    • Password: Pa$$w0rd
    • Click Login
    • You should be connected and have the virtual desktop pool: Win11-Site2 listed
  3. Connect to the virtual desktop and launch the Notepad++ 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 Notepad++ application icon on the desktop
    • Launch the Notepad++ application
    • Now close the Notepad++ application to get the below feedback prompt
    • Select your desired feedback and provide a comment as shown below
    • Click on 'Submit' to provide feedback to the App Volumes Administrator
  1. Submit the feedback
  2. Log out of the virtual desktop and close the Horizon Client application
  3. Now check the Package feedback status
    • Open the App Volumes Manager admin UI browser tab
    • Navigate to INVENTORY > Packages
    • Click on the package 'NotepadPP-8-9-7'
    • Scroll down to 'Feedback' section to see the comment, UAT user account and endpoint details.
Expand or collapse content Task 7: Update App Volumes Package CURRENT Marker

On confirmation of  successful UAT testing of the newly updated package, validate the change in CURRENT marker to the newer version of the package logging in with Production Users

Students (1 to 5) are part of the Active Directory group AppVol_PRODUCTION_users

  1. With successful test results, change the CURRENT marker from the package NotepadPP-8-9-6-2 to the newly updated NotepadPP-8-9-7
    • Scroll up the NotepadPP-8-9-7 package properties page
    • Click the SET CURRENT button on the right pane
    • Confirm SET CURRENT
    • Validate the change of the CURRENT marker from NotepadPP-8-9-6-2 to the new NotepadPP-8-9-7
    • Click on Inventory > Packages to see the change

As the Notepad++ Application already has an AD Group assigned to receive the CURRENT package version of the application, the 'AppVol_PRODUCTION_Users' AD Group will also receive the new package when logging into a virtual desktop

This concludes this section of the lab to upgrade an application by updating the existing package, resulting in a second package with a newer version of the application. Followed by validating a successful package capture (upgrade) and carried out post capture configuration tasks.

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