Just learned about these SuperFlows, although some of them were already released a while ago, for some reason I missed that one, well you can’t keep up with everything. Just installed 3 of them, really cool stuff. If you’re dealing with SCCM or App-V, give it a try.

The SuperFlow interactive content model provides a structured and interactive interface for viewing documentation. Read more (SCCM) here and (App-V) here

Available SuperFlows
System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Software Updates Synchronization SuperFlow
Software Updates Synchronization SuperFlow
Software Update Deployment SuperFlow
SuperFlow for Operating System Deployment via PXE
Application Virtualization Sequencing SuperFlow

During the Installation of the App-V Management Server on a Windows Server 2008 with SQL Server 2008 Express installed I ran into an problem specifying the database server and got an error as shown in the picture below.

The installation program could not connect to the configuration data store. Please see the installation log file for more information.

I solved the problem by opening the SQL Server Configuration Manager and enabled TCP/IP in the SQL Server Network Configuration options.

Within the Properties specify Port 1433 as shown in the picture below.

Finally restart the SQL Server Service. Once the SQL Service has restarted the App-V Management Server installation Wizard should find the SQL Server Instance.

Update: May, 2010, although I managed to get this running with SQL 2008, i recommend using SQL 2005 as that to my knowledge is the official supported SQL Database. Any inputs welcome.

Often people think that App-V is is an Application Compatibility Solution, it’s not. Chris Jackson has written an excellent article where he explains this in detail. Read the entire article here

Just found a nice Visio Stencil for App-V on Kirx.org. Well done ! Get the stencil from kirx.org

If you’re planning on deploying App-V, but still busy with thinking of how you will get the virtualized applications to your end users I strongly recommend that you read the whitepaper “Choosing the right App-V Delivery Model” from Ment van der Plas.

The document provides an excellent overview of the different App-V delivery scenarios and their pros and cons.

If you plan to use the Microsoft App-V Stand-Alone Mode some Registry Settings are required for the Application Virtualization Client as described in detail on this App-V site here. But instead of setting these registry keys manually or through a custom script, you can also manage these settings through Group Policy.

First download the Microsoft Application Virtualization Administrative Template (ADM Template). The ADM Template provides configuration options for the App-V 4.5/4.6 Client settings such as Client Permissions, Client Interface behavior and Client Communication Settings.

Once you have added the ADM Template to your GPO object you can find them under the “Classic Administrative Templates (ADM)” branch as shown in the picture below.

Then configure the Group Policy Settings as shown below.   

Once the GPO is enabled run the command  gpupdate /force on the client to ensure that all GPO settings get applied. Then open the Registry Editor and validate that all settings are configured as described here

Now install your previously sequenced application through the generated MSI installation package. If all goes well, you should be able to launch your Virtual Application in Stand-Alone mode now.

Additional Resources:
Microsoft App-V 4.5 Client in Stand Alone Mode Whitepaper by Tim Mangan
App-V 4.6 Release Q & A
TechNet Virtual Lab: Learning to Configure App-V for Standalone Client Mode

Learn how to configure App-V; create, publish, and update virtual applications; and create and manage policies for virtual applicationss. The videos can be downloaded from here

The term App-V is often being brought in conjunction with Application Compatibility as some might believe that App-V is the general purpose OS compatibility solution. The App-V team clarifies this here

I’m just about to expand my knowledge a bit around App-V. I haven’t done any hands-on yet, because I usually first focus on gathering all the useful resources available on the net, and then start reading these. By doing so, I found these fantastic videos on The Blogcast Repository.

Deployment Scenarios with App-V 4.5
Planning Considerations before Implementing App-V 4.5
The App-V Client (part 1)
The App-V Client Part 2- Deep Dive

By the way, if you are not familiar with The Blogcast Repository but like video based trainings, have a look at the Repository, there is lots of other Microsoft related Technology training material there.