Microsoft’s Support Engineer Steve Bucci recently posted this great video that shows you how to collect the logs and information from your App-V environment. With almost any App-V support call we will ask you for this information but knowing where to find these logs will prove invaluable when troubleshooting any issue you might run into.
We also have some additional information on the App-V log files here:
AppPlus has just announced a beta program. It is designed to allow the App-V community to trial the functionality of OSD+, offer feedback and make feature requests, before the first fully available version is released to the public.
There are some really handy features in this tool;
No App-V infrastructure required for application testing
File streaming capabilities into App-V client
Launch Application from inside the GUI
Launch troubleshooting tools inside the application’s virtual environment
Create manifest files for SCCM and 3rd party delivery software integration
Edit OSD files safely
Create “dynamic suite compositions” with the click of a button
Import registry files into the OSD file
Restore OSD files to previous save points
App-V 4.6 support
I have been using it for some time. And there are some cool items such as osd restore points for the times when you played with the OSD a little bit too much.
The SuperFlow interactive content model provides a structured and interactive interface for viewing documentation. Each SuperFlow includes comprehensive information about a specific dataflow, workflow, or process. Depending on the focus of the SuperFlow, you will find overview information, steps that include detailed information, procedures, sample log entries, best practices, real-world scenarios, troubleshooting information, security information, animations, or other information. Each SuperFlow also includes links to relevant resources, such as Web sites or local files that are copied to your computer when you install the SuperFlow. This SuperFlow provides detailed information about the Application Virtualization Sequencing process.
I think it’s really good to see that Microsoft is putting a lot of effort in making the Sequencing process more easy. And this is a step in the right direction. But there is still a lot they can and probably will improve in this area…
A bit off-topic, but might be useful for some of you. Immidio also has some freeware tools available from the Immidio website. Recently two were added:
ActiveApp Scanner – Monitor which applications are actually used during a user’s Windows session and collect information about the user environment, like keyboard, regional settings, network mappings and connected printers.
Virtual Battery Indicator – Displays the battery level of your local laptop battery inside a Remote Desktop session, and provides a warning when the level drops below a certain value.
Farm Commander for looks a lot like ‘Norton Commander’ and ‘Total Commander’ but the functionality is very different. With Total Commander both the left and right panel are file systems. With Farm Commander the left Panel is a file system, where you can select files and directories. In the right panel are the Windows 2000/XP/Citrix/Terminal/Domain workstations/servers listed. First you select files in the left panel, and then you select the servers in the right panel. Then you choose your action, copy, move or delete. Farm Commander then copies, deletes, and/or moves the selected files to/from the selected server. Especially in Citrix/Terminal Server environments you need to copy files from or to several servers at once. So time is gained here, Farm Commander also features a detailed report of each action. As administrator you must know if there were failures in the taken actions. (Read only/not enough rights)
In version 1.1 the following new features where added and/or addressed:
Event viewer searcher added
Bug fixes when searching AD
Faster folder searching
No longer crashes when current device is removed
Proper windows vista/7 support
Better detection of absence of Citrix
Farm Commander remains free for 2010, only registration is required.
Many driver problems in the Terminal Services environment revolve around poor multi-threaded performance, which in turn can cause Print Spooler instability. Problematic multi-threaded performance is usually exposed when multiple users connect to a Terminal Server simultaneously using the same print driver. Symptoms include the failure to autocreate client printers, increased thread count of the Printer Spooler and/or Citrix Print Manager services, and possibly the unresponsiveness and/or unexpected termination of these services (crashes).
This tool can be used to simulate multiple sessions autocreating printers using the same print driver.
It can also be used to compare the following among various drivers:
CPU load incurred while creating a printer using a particular driver
Time required to successfully create a printer using a particular driver
Note: The current version of the tool does not test concurrent printer capabilities, settings, or actual printing calls, which are also possible causes of printing crashes. Therefore, good stress results do not mean that printers are actually working or certified.
Go to the Citrix Support site for more information and download. CTX109374
ACDC makes it possible for administrators or users to troubleshoot virtual applications and the environment they run in:
Launch predefined and custom commands within the virtual environment of each application.
See the impact of the App-V Client and the available virtual applications on your system by calculating package size, cache size, user delta file size, log file size etc.
Diagnose problems with App-V applications by parsing the App-V Client log file (in real time) and search any message online.
Configure settings that are not visible in the App-V Client GUI, such as “Predictive Streaming”, “Allow Stream from File”, “Max Package Age” and many more.
Give an overview of application and package information by merging important WMI, registry and OSD information in one single window.
ACDC can be run both as an Administrator and as a Limited User. Running as a limited user will limit the functionality of the tool due to the fact that it has less permission on the system.
Requirements
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
Microsoft Application Virtualization Client 4.5 or
Microsoft Application Virtualization Terminal Services Client 4.5
Login Consultants today released the App-V USB Tool 1.0 which you can download here.
The App-V USB Tool is an add-on to the App-V 4.5 Client. It makes it possible to automatically, or by request, import and register App-V enabled (sequenced) applications into the App-V Client from any USB storage device. Note: This will only work with applications that are sequenced with App-V 4.5 sequencer or above.
When the App-V USB tool is running it displays an icon in the system tray.
As soon as you insert a USB storage device, the App-V USB tool detects this and shows the following options.
When you select “Scan and Auto-Import all Virtual Applications” it will scan the complete USB storage device for App-V 4.5 sequences and import these automatically.
When you select “Scan and show list of found Virtual Applications” it will show a list of these applications. You can then select which applications you would like to import.
Once the tool is installed, there is also an option to right-click on any folder (local or USB storage) that contains App-V 4.5 sequences, and Auto Import.
After my post about the Citrix Mobile Console for Windows Mobile, I received a comment from one of the employees of Extentrix. He told me that there is also a version of the console availible for the iPhone. Here you can read the comment.
Here you can find the productpage from Extentrix about Extentrix Mobile Console for iPhone.
Extentrix released a mobile management console for Citrix. Admins can now do maintenance on a Citrix Farm through their PDA. In case of Service Levels it can be a useful tool to solve problems as soon as possible. I’m going to install the client in a few days and will post my experiences during installation and use of the software. Feel free to add a comment to share your experiences.
Take a look at the product page from the Citrix Mobile Console:
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