Enterprise use of SVS and WiseScript for Conflict Resolution and Speed to Production

When we certify an application, almost half of our time is spent on conflict resolution. With SVS we have been able to cut time for packaging an application almost in half by reducing the amount of time needed for conflict resolution and testing with conflicting applications. We have selected specific applications that we know causes us a lot of issues in conflict resolution or applications we feel will normally take a large amount of time to repackage.

We also feel that SVS will reduce helpdesk calls or at least speed up the time it takes to close a ticket. If a ticket is opened up with the helpdesk on an SVS application, the support teams are able to quickly evaluate the issue and if they feel the layer needs to be reset it can be done quickly with little downtime for the user. In some cases we are saving hours in reinstall time by simply resetting a layer.

During our certification process we do the following:

1. Our normal capture process starts by capturing a with a Single Program Capture. (We have had to use a global capture for a couple of application but this seems rare.)
2. When prompt for the application to run we run cmd.exe. (This has allowed us to run multiple application installs together in the same layer.)
3. We have created a process that generates our default folder excludes and also determines what file extension excludes are need and applies them as well.
4. At the point we clean up the layer. All unneed registry keys and files are removed.
5. We also set the AutoCloseApps key for every layer.

We also are using WiseScript to deploy our layers.

Setup Process:

1. Determine Prerequisites
2. Install Prerequisites
3. If a previous version of the application exists we remove the application or the layer already exist we Deactivate and Delete the layer.
4. Import .vsa
5. Activate SVS Layer
6. Set SVS Layer to Auto Start

Here are some of the applications that are currently certified in our environment. Photoshop_CS2, AutoCadLT_2007, SolidWorksOfficeProfessional2007_SP0, and VisualStudioProfessional_2005 (SP1).