Deployment Solution

Hi

Currently in our enviornment, Atiris as deployment solution of Win OS, MSI packages and legacy setups. As Microsoft is already relased a new tool named  MSIX packaging tool to manage the automate installaton of application installers of format of exe, msi, appx (appv ) to new format MSIX.

Need to know Altiris deployment kit would support the MSIX format packages/installer to deploy in an enterprise level ? If not , does Symantec is going to release new version of Altiris deployment tool to support the msix format ?.

Thanks,

Naveen

I have not yet tried to deploy MSIX packages trough Altiris. But I know they install and behave much the same way as APPX and APPV files. 
I wrote an article how to deploy APPV files trough Altiris. APPX and MSIX files behave much the same way as a connection group, so at this point in time i don't think it's easy or maybe even possible to make detection rule script for machine deployment, i have read user scripts will be available for MSIX.

All MSIX packages are installed/extracted by the OS in the following folder:

%ProgramFiles%\WindowsApps

So looking for files is probably the easy way to create detection rules.

%ProgramFiles%\WindowsApps is a system location, inaccessible, by default, from Windows Explorer. 

Inside that folder, you will find subfolders for each app installed on the machine, including the OS built-in apps. All folders have their name following this pattern:

PublisherName.AppName_AppVersion_architecture_hash

Here’s an example of a folder name:

Microsoft.WindowsCalculator_10.1806.1821.0_x64_8wekyb3d8bbwe

Inside the folder lies the extracted MSIX package, just as you see it if you would extract it with 7-Zip or other similar tools.
I may create another article for MSIX deployment trough Altiris when we start using it, but that may take some time.

Sideloading

MSIX packages can be installed 4 different ways: from the Microsoft Store, SCCM, Intune or by launching the package directly (sideloading, i.e. manual or scripted installation) on the machine.

There are 2 major conditions that need to be met for a package to be successfully sideloaded:

1. Sideloading must be enabled on the machine, using an enterprise policy or through the Settings app.
2. The MSIX package must be digitally signed with a certificate recognized by the machine. As mentioned in the Digital Signatures section, the code-signing certificate can be self-generated or purchased from an authorized issuer.

Once these conditions are met, you can install the MSIX package. You can do that by either double-clicking the MSIX file or by using the PowerShell cmdlet Add-AppxPackage.

This feature means software vendors are not forced/locked to distribute their apps through the Microsoft Store. If they wish, they can publish the MSIX package directly for download on their website and the users can download and install it manually, as explained above.

The auto-updates support from the system for modern apps will still work even for sideloaded apps if the software vendors publish an update package on their servers. Read the Auto-updates section for more details.

Some of the best source for MSIX related articles is found at Advanced Installer.

Hope this was of some help.