Using AppStream to Deploy Packages on Demand for Your Offsite Users, Part 2

In this second article of our installation and deployment of SVS Pro we are going to build and configure an SVS Pro Streaming Composer. The Streaming Composer is actually the server that you install to rebuild VSA so they can be streamed into the client.

The Streaming Composer is located on the inside of our network. In my configuration I place it on the same server that is my back end. It will never be used to deploy software. It is only in use for demonstration purposes. In your own situation you have to see what is best. If you have over 1000 clients, I suggest you use a different machine. So first we are going to install it.

We start the AppStream 5.2.2 launcher again on our desired machine, and then we select Install Streaming Composer.

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The installshield wizard will configure the machine and then starts the installer.

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Accept the license conditions by selecting Yes.

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Select the folder you wish to use. I usualy just pick the default folder.

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Now you have to select the license file. Click next to continue.

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Just click Finish, and your Composer is ready.

Now we are going to compose several packages. I downloaded several for this article from www.svsdownloads.com.

Download OpenOffice and Abiword. In this tutorial I use these two to show how it works, and I'm going to publish these to my users.

Let's get this to work.

Go to Start, Programs, Altiris and select streaming Composer.

The streaming composer will now start. If you imported the wrong license file, it will not tell you during install. Copy the correct license file to: c:\ Program Files\ Altiris\ Streaming Composer.

Now it will start and you will see the following screen:

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Now you can select what you want to do. In this tutorial we are going to build new package with the packager, and we are going to import the downloaded packages.

When you look at the console, you think you have to select Open Existing to compose a existing VSA, but that is not true. It is a bit more difficult.

You first select Virtual Software Package (VSA). Then you click on the button next to Package path. Select the folder where you have stored your VSA's.

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Logically you would think that you are able to select the package, but you can do this when you click OK.

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Now you are able to select the correct VSA by selecting the VSA file. After you have selected the correct VSA, you can import it clicking the Import button.

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Now the VSA is completely imported, and we can start building the streamlets. In this process the VDA is chopped into 4KB pieces. Together all these pieces are forming the VSA. This makes it possible to stream only a part of the application before it starts. The process sees what streamlets are necessary first. This is a learning process that starts after publishing the application to the users.

Click on Run to build the streamlets.

Click to view.

When the streamlets are ready, you can do two things to get it to the Streaming server. The first option is to create the zip file and import it on the streaming server. The second one is to use the button C&M. I first click on the button C&M, because we have to configure some settings.

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Now you get an error. There are no preferences defined, so the application does not know where the control and management server is located.

So we click on Tools and then select preferences.

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Give a path to a repository, and the path to the streaming server. This is the same path as you use in your browser to open the admin console.

Now click on the button create.

The zip file is created in the same location where you selected the VSA.

Click on the button C&M to import the package.

The web browser opens, and you have to login on the console as a administrator. Click on Provisioning and then on packages.

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Now we have to add the first package. Click on add. A java screen starts.

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Click add again to start importing the first package.

Select the zip file, and click on import. The application is now imported into the management console.

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Click Exit to close the screen.

Do the same steps again for the second package, and make sure it is imported also. Make sure you copied the VSA to a separate folder. This will prevent you from making errors. You will notice that it will take some time depending on the package size.

Click to view.

When you have imported Abiword and OpenOffice, then you will have the screen looking like above. You will see that the streaming composer sees that there are several programs inside the layer OpenOffice, and it will show them all.

Cool isn't it?

Next step is to create usergroups.

Open Active directory by selecting Start \Programs \Administrative tools \Users and computers, or click Start Run, give in MMC and press enter. In the MMC you have to add Users and Computers to see active directory.

Create a user group Abiword and a user group OpenOffice. Select the users that you wish to be a member of the group. Now we are going to make sure that a member of the usergroup gets the application in the client.

Click on User group in the console, and type Abiword or the name you gave the group in the look for and press Find Now. Check mark it, and click add.

Click to view.

Be careful now. Give in the group name the same as in the Active Directory. In the Description you have to add the version number. If you don't? Ok, but when you are in a production environment it will help you very much because you will have several of the same apps configured here, but with different version numbers. To keep things simple just add the version number here.

Now you have to add users. I only added the administrator. In your case you have to add every user that needs the application. I hear you think why? This is because our users are offsite and they will not have access to the active directory from there.

Now our packages are built, streamed and ready. The users are connected.

Next step will be the client. The client is installed on the computer that you wish to receive the packages. Because we are going to use this over the internet you have to make sure your streaming server has two IP addresses. The first IP address is the inside address, where the second IP address is the outside or internet address. In the previous parts of this guide we only used the inside IP address.

How to configure a server that only has one IP address, and that works by a small firewall or router, you have to create a rule on the router that connects the outside address to the inside address. So if a user types the IP address over the internet, the router transfers it to the IP address of the server. This is out of the scope for this tutorial, but if anyone needs assistance I'd be glad to support. But first you have to ask yourself if you are the correct person to do that task if you need support with that.

Startup a client, and install the AppStream SVS Pro client on the computer.

The software is in the folder Client, and you start it by double clicking Setup.exe.

First the windows installer prepares the machine for installation.

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Click Next to continue:

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Select the default paths, or change them as you like:

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In the above screen you have to fill in the outside IP address of the server, the port number is default and already given. You should only change it if you also changed it on the server side. You can change it to 80, but then you have to reconfigure your router to change port 80 into port 9823.

Give in the username of the user that uses the client. This also can be left blank. In the Altiris Portal URL you can fill in http://ipaddress:9842 or you can create a A record in DNS that resolves it like in this tutorial. (Don't browse to the given path. This is only used for my demo's, and is only enabled when I want it to.)

Click Next, and again Next and the installation will start.

Click Finish when the installation is finished, and reboot the client to load the driver properly.

After reboot, logon to the client and you will see an icon in the system tray to let you know that the streaming agent is loaded correctly.

Why do you not see the applications? Because we still have to do one thing.

When you go back to the console, you can go to packages, and you click on one of the packages. Then you have to prepopulate the icon or the application.

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Select prepopulate the icon and save it. Do the same for the second application.

Now you will see the icons on your client, and by clicking on one of them the applications is getting streamed inside your client.

In part three we going to see how to manage licenses, configure client settings and how to remote install the client form the console.

Also we are going to take a look in the various reporting that is included.