Lab 06: Deliver an App Volumes package to a Physical Windows Endpoint

Objective and Tasks

This is the second of the two-part series in which the first lab required you to simulate a physical Windows endpoint and install the App Volumes Agent with the required parameters. In this lab you as the administrator will configure a computer-based assignment of an App Volumes application from the App Volumes admin console, targeting this physical Windows endpoint and validate a successful delivery of the package

  1. Configure a Computer assignment of an application
  2. Validate the delivery of the package to the physical Windows endpoint
  3. Optional Lab: Push a package update to the Windows Endpoint
Expand or collapse content Task 1: Configure a computer assignment of an application

Log into the App Volumes admin console and configure a Computer assignment

  1. Navigate to the browser tab where you have logged in to the App Volumes Manager admin console
  2. Add an additional assignment to the Notepad++ application
    • Click on Inventory > Applications tab
    • Expand the application Notepad++
    • Click on the ASSIGN button
    • Select Domain = OMNISSATRAINING
    • Search for the Active Directory Computer account 'Appvolprov-01a'
    • From the 'Entity' list, select Appvolprov-01a by clicking on the check-box on the right-hand side
    • Ensure Assignment Type=Marker
      • This will target the package that has been tagged with the CURRENT marker
    • Click on the ASSIGN button
    • Confirm the assignment
Expand or collapse content Task 2: Validate the delivery of the package to the physical Windows endpoint

Log into this Windows endpoint, and validate the delivery on the application.

  1. Navigate to vCenter from the vSphere browser tab that was open during the previous lab section
  2. Within the vCenter web console, connect to the newly configured snapshot for the appvolprov-01a VM
    • Goto the Snapshots tab select the 'Physical_Windows_Endpoint' 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
  3. 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
    • Under the Summary tab > click on the LAUNCH WEB CONSOLE button
  4. This opens up a new browser tab to the virtual machine, login and initiates the application installation
    • Username: Administrator
    • Password: Pa$$w0rd
  5. Observe the App Volumes Agent prompt notifying 1st time delivery of the package, acknowledge by clicking on OK
  6. Soon after the Notepad++ application desktop icon is made available on the Desktop

App Volumes Agent polls the App Volumes Manager for new or modified assignments and downloads corresponding packages for first time, upgrade (swap) or removal (uninstall) triggers.

There is a default polling interval, however for this lab, we have created a script on the desktop to trigger the polling to provide you with the sequence of events from the resultant polling, rising to Notification pop-ups informing the user of the change.

  1. Launch the Notepad++ application from the desktop
    • Double-click on the 'Notepad++' application icon
    • Application is available and opens locally on the endpoint
    • This confirms a successful delivery and launch of the application
  2. Validate the attachment from the App Volumes Admin console
    • Navigate to ACTIVITY > Activity Log
    • Confirm the 'Offline Device Sync' delivering the Notepad++ application to the target Appvolprov-01a$ Windows endpoint
Expand or collapse content Optional Lab: Rollback a package sent to the Windows Endpoint

Updating the App Volumes package on the Windows endpoint is as simple as changing the CURRENT Marker of the desired package to be delivered and reboot the Windows endpoint

  1. Confirm the current version of Notepad++ on the Windows endpoint
    • Launch Notepad++ and you will be prompted to upgrade
    • The current version launched is NotepadPP-8-9-7
  2. In the App Volumes Admin console change the CURRENT Marker for the Notepad++ package
    • Navigate to the Inventory > Packages tab
    • Expand Notepad++ (NotepadPP-8-9-6-2)
    • Click on SET CURRENT
    • Confirm SET CURRENT
  3. Return to the 'Appvolprov-01a' endpoint and trigger the version change of Notepad++
    • From the Desktop, run the 'AgentSync.bat' script
  4. Navigate the App Volumes Agent notification pop-up.
    • Observe the 'Downloading Application' pop-up notification, clicking on OK
  1. If the target application is open, the below sequence is observed, else the application is updated, and the desktop icon is refreshed.
    • With Notepad++ open, the user will receive the following 'Application Update' notification with the timer specified in the previous lab, that updated the four registry keys
    • Either wait out the 2 minutes timer, or to get instant application swap with the version that is now identified as CURRENT, clicking on 'Close Now'
    • The Notepad++ desktop icon swap is visible and happens in an instant
  1. Review the version of Notepad++ delivered to the Windows endpoint
    • Launch Notepad++ desktop icon
    • Once launched, within Notepad++ toolbar, click the last option '?'
    • Select the last option 'About Notepad++'
    • You will get a confirmation of the Notepad++ version as NotepadPP-8-9-6-2
  1. Validate the attachment from the App Volumes Admin console
    • Navigate to ACTIVITY > Activity Log
    • Confirm the 'Offline Device Sync' delivering the Notepad++ application to the target Appvolprov-01a$ Windows endpoint

When the App Volumes Agent is configured with 'Local Copy' mode, you cannot see attachment records for applications delivered to a computer in the Local Copy package access mode or to a user who is logged into such a computer in the Attachments tab. Reference documentation

This concludes the steps required to complete this lab.

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