Application Packaging Training

After finishing this Application Packaging Certification course you will be able to:

• Gain knowledge of Server application virtualization 
• Understand the App Architecture and its components 
• Process to use application sync for updating applications
• Using Application link to dynamically link application components. 
• Work with ThinApp packages to troubleshoot problems
• Learn the process to validate virtual packages, creating and testing multiple use cases. 
• Gain overall knowledge of compatibility testing. 

• The benefits arising out of using  Application Packages have made it as a widely deployed one. 
• Increased deployment rates of Application Packaging have created a good number of job opportunities. 
• According to Payscale, the average salary received by an Application Packaging professional is $68700.   

Following are the professionals who get benefited from learning this course:

• Testers
• Administrators
• IT Professionals
• Aspirants who wish to build their career in a prospective field. 

To enrol into this Application Packaging training one should have a knowledge of MSI packages, Windows registry, dynamic link libraries and Windows Operating System.

Yes, upon the successful completion of the Application Packaging training you will receive the course completion certificate from SK Trainings. This certificate is valid across all the top MNCs and simplifies your job search process.

• Introduction on Windows Installer
• Logical Structure of Windows Installer
• Guidelines for making components
• Installing Sequences
• Upgraded and Patches

• Classification
• What are Core tables?
• Feature Table
• Feature Component Table
• Condition Table
• Directory Table
• Publish Component table
• Component Table

• Creation of Transforms
• Secured Transform
• Unsecured Transform
• Embedded Transform
• Installation modes

• Active Setup
• Run and Run Once Keys
• Self Healing
• What happens when there is an advertised shortcut?
• When does an Active Setup Start?
• Implementing Active Setup
• Delivering Current user data
• Difference between Active Setup, Run and Run-Once Keys

• Property Types
• Order of Property Precedence
• Using Properties
• Restrictions on Property Names
• Initialization of Property Values
• Getting and Setting Properties
• Setting Public Property Values on the Command Line
• Clearing an Installer Property
• Using Properties in Conditional Statements
• Using a Directory Property in a Path

• Structure of Registry
• Registry Storage Space
• Predefined keys
• Registry Hives
• Categories of Data
• Editing the Registry
• Opening , Creating and Closing keys
• Registry Table

• What are services?
• How to view services?
• Operation on services

• why is file versioning required
• Default file versioning
• File Table
• What is cab file?
• Cabinets and Compressed Source

• Introduction to virtualisations
• App v Sequencing
• Deployment of applicaiton

• Introduction to vbscript
• Creation of install script and uninstall script

• Review the packaging requirements (User Requirement Review).
• Analyze the vendor package (Tech Review).
• Repackage the application (Setup capture).
• Customize the package (Scripting).
• Test the package (Testing & UAT).
• Release the package to end users (Deployment).

• Wise for Windows Installer.
• Wise Package Studio.
• Install Shield.
• SMS Installer.
• Marimba.
• WIX (It cannot be used for re-packaging).
• Sharpdevelop.
• Visual Studio.

• Radia
• CA DSM
• Altiris Client Management Suite
• Altiris Notification Server Console
• Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS)

• Advertising
• Installation on Demand
• Repair (Self-healing)
• Rollback (Transactional operations)
• Managed Shared Resources

MSI is “Microsoft Windows Installer”. It is an installation, in the form of a single file. It is actually a database that contains several tables (80+). Each of these tables contains instructions and set-up information.

A single, installed, working program (or set of programs) is a product. A product is identified by a unique GUID (the ProductCode property). A product is not the same as a package: a single MSI package might install multiple different products. For example, an MSI might install French and English versions of a program, each of which is a different product.

Components are collections of resources that are always installed or removed as a unit from a userSelf Heal and Repair are two different concepts in Windows Installer which people many times consider to be the same thing however there is difference in these two. Self Heal is triggered by advertised shortcuts, or other advertising information in the package which eventually Repairs the application. When the application is launched by advertised shortcut, it checks for all the key paths of the Current Feature, if any of the key paths is missing it will launch Repair.

Note that if there are multiple features then it will not check the missing key paths of the other features, but only the feature of which the advertised shortcut is launched. Repair of an MSI can be triggered by:

• Repair button in Add/Remove programs
• Giving the command line msiexec /f{other option} {MSI name}
• Self Heal by advertised shortcut or other advertising information
• Active setup

Shortcuts are the entry points to the applications installed on the system which is normally points to a file:

• Advertised (File should be Installed by the Application).
• Non Advertised (File that is not part of Installation. It is also called Command Line shortcuts).

A windows service is a background process which is loaded by the Service Control Manager of the OS.

• Win32 Service (Win32 services are the services which is running by the executable file installed by the Application).
• System or Kernel Services (Kernel services are the services which are used by the OS to communicate to the hardware devices).

• Service Install (Service Details)
• Service Control (Controlling the service during Installation & Un Installation)

The Windows operating system recognizes file types and associates them with programs based on their file extension. A file that carries no extension or no associated program is called Orphaned.

Properties are global variables that the Microsoft Windows Installer uses during an installation. Private: The installer can be use only internally (values can’t be changed during the run time). Manufacture, ProductCode, ProductID, ProductName, ProductVersion …… Public: The installer can be uses both internally & externally (values can be changed during the run time also). INSTALLLEVEL, …. Restricted Public: The user can’t change the value both internally & externally due to security purposes. ALLUSERS, REBOOT, REINSTALLMODE.

• ModuleSignature,
• ModuleComponents,
• ModuleDependency,
• ModuleExclusion,
• ModuleIgnore,
• ModuleSubstitution,
• ModuleAdminUISequence,
• ModuleAdminExecuteSequence,
• ModuleConfiguration,
• ModuleAdvtUISequence,
• ModuleAdvtExecuteSequence,
• ModuleInstallUISequence,
• ModuleInstallExecuteSequence.

In the MSI, we can give permissions through Lock Permission table. But using subinacl.exe custom action is the best way to set permissions.

msiexec /i ADDLOCAL=

It means that, the Availability of an application to users or others with out actually the full Installation. There are two types of Advertising Assigning : An Application appears (shortcuts, files & registries) to a user or others, when an Application is “assigned”. When the user tries to open, it is installed upon demand. Publishing : No Entry points appear to a user or others, when an Application “published” to the group. It is activated only if the group Application activates the published Application i.e. Installation on Demand.

When a user or application activates an advertised feature or product, the installer proceeds with installation of the needed components.

a) Embedded transform Embedded transforms are stored inside the .msi file of the package. b) Secured transform Secured transforms are stored locally on the users computer in a location where, on a secure file system, the user does not have write access. Such transforms are cached in this location during the installation or advertisement of the package. During subsequent installation-on-demand or maintenance installations of the package, the installer uses the cached transforms. c) Unsecured transform Transforms that have not been secured are called unsecured transforms. To apply an unsecured transform, pass the transform file names in the TRANSFORMS property or command line string during the installation.