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SWV Wow, What a Great Improvement!

erikw's picture
erikw
November 18th, 2008
Filed under: ,

In my beta portal I saw something new, and as curious as I always am, I wanted to check it out. So I did a cut and paste of the name and started Google. There I found an article with what it meant.

Altiris SVS is going to be renamed to Symantec Workspace Virtualization, and it jumps from version 2.1.3064 to 6.1.4015.

The original article can be found on:
http://altirisbe.blogspot.com/2008/11/beta-symante...

I picked out some quotes to explain you what it means and how it can improve your decisions.

Dependent Layers - Some applications, whether virtualized or not, depend on other applications such as a Java environment. SWV enables you to specify another layer as a dependent layer. This boosts the priority of the layer so that its contents are used instead of similar components that exist elsewhere in the system. When a layer is activated, SWV will automatically activate dependent layers. If an application needs functionality found in a dependent layer, SWV will automatically activate that layer if it is not activated. This feature can be used with isolation or independent of isolation. There are new user interface components in SWV Admin under File / Edit layer where there is a new tab labelled edit dependency where you can select and configure dependent layers.

This will make a lot of customers very happy. It means that we now can decide to create a virtual layer, and we can isolate it from the other layers and even can isolate it from the base. Also now we can give it dependencies so it will activate a different layer.
Best of all? We can even tell it to use a very specific version of the base or of a layer, totally ignoring other layers.

Application Isolation - Allows administrators to further isolate their applications by "turning-off" visibility between layers and/or the underlying operating system. SWV virtualizes what matters and reduces conflicts where they occur and increases productivity by leveraging SWV's inherent architectural advantages. In SWV, SWV's Isolation provides applications access to specific dependent components or dependent layers (such as a specific JVM or .NET version). SWV can isolate these dependent applications so that multiple versions can be used by any application that needs them. SWV provides easy to use administration that controls the isolation level of applications.

Again some very cool enhancements. You can actually virtualize software AND then isolate it from other layers and the base. The layer will be virtualized and will stay in a "bubble" if you wish. This will greatly improve the speed and functionality of software applications. What I like most is that it is a choice. Where competitive software isolates, SVS makes you able to choose if you wish to isolate. And you can switch it on and off as you wish.

Layer Patching - SWV provides enterprise-level patch capability by enabling customers to add/patch a layer in an incremental way without removing or replacing the original layer. This is accomplished by allowing administrators to deploy delta bits to the PC where the original layer or application reside. For those that package applications, this eliminates the need to repackage applications each time there is a change or update and also allows for the delivery of an original package, along with a number of delta packages or patches, to a machine where the software has not been deployed previously.

SWV introduces the .vpa (Virtual Patch Archive) format, where administrators can create .vpa's and push out through any number of methods to apply virtual patches. In SWV Admin there is a new option in the UI to apply a patch. Simply select the file menu then apply patch file. Users will be prompted to select the patch, which will automatically determine which layer the patch is applied to, and then select whether to add patch (in-place) to the layer, or create a new layer. Patching in place retains user settings and data.

Patching saves bandwidth, time, requires less file-system resources, plus enterprise-level patch capability.

Now you will be able to package a patch or update for a software layer and just distribute that one. It gives you the ability to deploy a Virtual package and to deploy the patch with the ability to select if you would like the patch - yes or no. In our current versions we have to deploy a complete package with the update in it. Now we will be able to deploy the package and a separate update and if something goes wrong we are able to stop the update.

SWV also address a number of prior issues with a new zip library that overcomes long pathname restrictions, supports Unicode characters in the pathname, and eliminates the restrictions on the number of files in an archive.

The only improvement I see here is the long file name limitation is provided. It will prevent lots of error 18 messages.

+6 (6 votes)
Robert Lundsten's picture
Robert Lundsten
1 year 17 weeks ago

I don't think this is the new SVS...

I think this is the new solution from nSuite.

Robert Lundsten

Asterio AB - System Management Solutions
http://www.asterio.se

Robert Lundsten
Senior Technical Advisor

Asterio | http://www.asterio.se
Symanji | http://www.symanji.se

0 votes
Jordan's picture
Jordan
1 year 17 weeks ago

No, it's SVS. To coincide

No, it's SVS.

To coincide with Alitirs releases we're moving to 6.1 (they just released 6) and all the Products are being renamed.

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0 votes
jgo's picture
jgo
1 year 17 weeks ago

SO...

If something was supposed to be in version 3.0, is it now in the product?

Surprise?
John Golembiewski
Midwest Practice Principal
ITS Partners
Jgo@itsdelivers

John Golembiewski
Midwest Practice Principal
ITS Partners
Jgo@itsdelivers

0 votes
Erik_Hughes's picture
Erik_Hughes
1 year 17 weeks ago

It is the new SVS

As Product Manager to SVS, here's my quick response to erikw's article.

https://www-secure.symantec.com/community/node/6375

0 votes
Swami's picture
Swami
1 year 17 weeks ago

Any Chance in Personel version ?

Is this Software Virtualization Solution applicable for Personel versions too ?
If so where is the download link ?

Thanks,
Swami

0 votes
Jordan's picture
Jordan
1 year 17 weeks ago

As far as I know there will

As far as I know there will be a personal version, but since we're not even in the beta stage it will be a bit before people can get a hold of this version.

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0 votes
Gary_L's picture
Gary_L
1 year 17 weeks ago

Fonts?

Do we know if the fonts issue will be fixed in this version?

0 votes
erikw's picture
erikw
1 year 17 weeks ago

Fonts not solved

As far as i tested the fonts issueis not solved in this version.
The fonts issue is solved in DVS and DVS4SBC.
DVS and DVS4SBc on terminal server solves fonts issues, registry issues, Memory leak problems inside applications and last but not least it is still the only version that remappes the user and registry variables into the correct usersid when computers are used by more than one user.

Regards
Erik
www.DinamiQs.com

Regards
Erik
www.DinamiQs.com
Dinamiqs is the home of VirtualStorm (www.virtualstorm.org)

0 votes
Jordan's picture
Jordan
1 year 17 weeks ago

We're still working on

We're still working on Fonts. It's actually quite a complicated issue and once we do have a solution people will know about it.

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0 votes
vijay_b's picture
vijay_b
1 year 2 weeks ago

how to download SVS 6.1

I have downloded Symantec workspace streaming 6.1 from beta portal and at same link SVS 6.1 was also available. Presently both the products download link is disappeared from beta portal.

so, When and where will be SVS 6.1 version will be available?

+1 (1 vote)