SVS for ignorant... or starters!
I just "discovered" SVS and took notice that this is the future!
I installed SVS 2.1 SP2, v 2.1.3062 (7,6 MB) in my desktop computer WINDOWS XP PRO SP3 100% fast and updated!
1. At once, my computer turned much slower.
2. I managed to work with SVS AGENT, I created a layer with a certain program, I worked with it successefully!
3. However, I had much dificulties to understand how to keep layers separated from original files, etc., and I am somewhat lost, even reading HELP (pdf) carefully.
4. Besides my computer turned extremelly slow (!), I should appreciate very much someone explains or indicate me some place where to learn, WHAT IS, IN PRATICAL WAY, THE REAL INTEREST AND UTILITY OF SVS, IN TERMS OF AN USUAL AND SIMPLE HOME USER WITH ITS ONLY COMPUTER.
Thanks.
I heart SVS
I have not experienced SVS slowing down my computer so I am not sure what is going on there. I do use SVS for personal and business purposes and I package installs into SVS layers (vsas). One thing I found at home that is great with SVS is virus prevention. If there is even the slightest chance a program (freeware) could be a virus, use SVS to install it. If it ends up being a virus it is installed, and stuck inside the layer. If it starts causing problems, reboot the system and the layer will be deactivated and it will be like the virus was never on the computer. This is assuming the virus is not highly distructive. Another thing about SVS is the ability to have multiple versions of the same application. This means you have have Adobe 6 - 9 installed on your computer in seperate layers. Now, I know having multiple versions of Adobe doesn't help you much but I am sure there are other applications where it would be nice to have more then one version. The best reason to use SVS and the main reason we implemented it in my business, is program fixing. If a program is having problems and a reinstall would fix it, all you need to do is reset the layer. It will only take a few seconds and it will be like the program was uninstalled and reinstalled saving tons of time. The one thing to be weary of is saving files into a layer. Now SVS does have some common sense built in, like if you save anything to your desktop or My Documents it is automatically saved outside the layer. The same thing holds true to saving on network or thumb drives. To prevent deleting files or saving them in the layer I suggest editing the layer properties (right click the deactivated layer, select Edit advanced layer properties...) and adding exclusions under the "exclude enteries" tab. I believe best practice is to exclude any file type that you might save to. IE for MS word exclude *.doc, *.txt, *.html... I would also suggest excluding saved game files so after a reset you will still have your saved games.
For the most part I would say SVS can be take advantage more in the business side, but I will still use it for personal use to keep my computer clean. (by clean I mean, if I want to uninstall a program that is a layer, deleting the layer is like the program was never installed).
SVS slows computer
One of the things you can do is add the following reg key.
It will make SVS faster:
Go to HKLM\System\Altiris\FSL
Add a Dword value named: UseFastIOQueryOpen
Give it the value of: 1
Just give it a try and see if it helps you
Regards
Erik
www.DinamiQs.com
Regards
Erik
www.DinamiQs.com
Dinamiqs is the home of VirtualStorm (www.virtualstorm.org)
Hi Erik Just saw this old
Hi Erik
Just saw this old post about this registry setting and was wondering if you had any further info about what it does. We're getting terrible problems with slow boot times and users seeing "Applying Computer Settings" message. I've read plenty of posts about not having more then 10 active SWV apps running (dependant on size) but that just seems like a major limitation.
I work at a school and we have dozens of apps we would like to install for students and staff.
Many thanks for any advice.
regards
Leonard
Just tried this reg key
Just tried this reg key myself and it made all the virtual apps start menu shortcuts disapear. When I set the value back to zero it was ok again. Guess it doesn't work with SWV 6.1 ?
FastIOQueryOpen
The FastIOQueryOpen was a interim fix for slowness with a security product we were using at my company call CSA. I couldn't explan to you all of the details but basically it was a method of the filter driver to become more efficient processing certain types of requests coming from the OS. As Erik said Randy showed this to us but that setting apparently did something completely different in Windows XP SP3 than it did in SP2 (I have no idea about Vista) because it did just like Leonard said it killed all virtual apps shortcuts and source files for us. I would not recommend telling anyone to turn this option on.
Try adding Lsass to the
Try adding Lsass to the program ignore list, that should resolve really slow log-in times.
I'm working on a blog post to explain this since it's something we've changed for SP1.
If a forum post solves your problem please flag is as the solution
I you like an article, blog post or download vote it up
UseFastIOQueryOpen question
HI
i Erik,
Do you have some reference about UseFastIOQueryOpen regkey ?
I didn't find any documentation about it, also in the Knowledgebase... ok maybe I have to looking for better ....
Thanks!
Paolo
No reference
Paolo,
Randy Cook gave me the tip, and yes it worked out fine.
Regards
Erik
www.DinamiQs.com
Regards
Erik
www.DinamiQs.com
Dinamiqs is the home of VirtualStorm (www.virtualstorm.org)
SVS for ignorant... or starters!
I must thank you very much for all your explanations and advices. In fact, your words started SVS to make some sense for me, I mean, in a pratical way.
I don't want to border you much more, but I still would ask you about another point which is confusing me after a few experiences and tests I made. Ok?
Let us assume that I have a certain program with which I use to work. Usualy I open it from shortcut in desktop.
Let us assume that I install the same program, from new, into a Layer. Automaticaly, another shortcut appears in my desktop, ok?
This way, I have 2 shortcuts in desktop, one for the real program, the other for the virtual one, ok?
Assuming that I don't open SOFTWARE VIRTUALIZATION AGENT (from its shortcut in desktop), my question is: clicking "virtual" shortcut (the second I mentioned) am I into the Layer, I mean, into my virtual program? And so, am I working into the Layer? This way, to save files produced into the Layer, must I exclude them, when I finish and close the program? But, in such case, where are such files saved?
At last: can I assume that in SVS, each Layer is for a sole program? I mean, LAYER 01 for ADOBE PHOTOSHOP, LAYER 02 for EXCEL, LAYER 03 for WORD, etc.?
Kind regards, and thanks, as well, for your tip to put computer faster.
when
Where to start
If you open a program that has been virtualized then you are working in the layer. Any settings or changes you make to the program itself is saved as part of the layer. Any files you create are only saved in the layer if you are not saving them in an excluded section, unless you added more exclutions only the desktop and My Documents is excluded by default. If you save a file to one of these locations, it is not saved in the layer. Any file created in a layer will exist as long as that layer is activated and until it is reset or deleted. So if you never reset or delete the layer, the files will always be on your computer.
To exclude a folder or file type deactivate the layer, right click the layer and select Edit advanced layer properties. Then go to the Exclude enteries tab. By default the SVS admin tool does not exclude any extra file types or folders. You will want to exclude any file type that the program in the layer can save as. IE office can save to doc, html, xml, xlt, ppt.. and so on. It took me a good part of an hour to find all the excluded file types that office uses. I believe there is a tool out there that may be able to do this for you.
For the most part each layer is for a sole program but Office is one program. Meaning, Excel and Word would be in one layer with other MS Office products. Basically when you create a layer you should really only be installing one full program into the layer. Create a layer named Office_2007 and do an Office install the way you normally would, installing Word, Excel, Outlook, and so on as one program into a layer. You don't need to purposly exclude programs that would normally install together.
SVS for ignorant... or starters / Installation language
Thanks again!
I don't know why, although I am in Portugal, the SVS installation language is Portuguese, which I don't like at all because, as usual, it is a very bad transllation from English. But I don't remember passing through a "choose language option". Could you let me know how can I choose English language for installation?
SVS language settings
The language settings for the SVS are based on the regional settings. A workaround could be to rename the language folder , located in C:\Programs\Altiris\Software Virtualization Agent\10XX , in something else. ( ie. for Italian is the 1040 folder , renamed in 1040xx ).
In this way when SVS admin starts , it loads the English dll's in place of the missing ( renamed ) Dll's stored in the regional language folder.
The result is the SVS admin console UI in English .
Regards
Paolo
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