VMware App Volumes – Update an AppStack

In the final chapter of my story about AppStacks I will explain all the steps needed to update an AppStack. If you have packaging experience you’ll know that with every application update, you are the person who has to create a new package and repeat the same tricks to get it to work. This doesn’t really change with VMware App Volumes. Because AppStacks are read-only, user can’t update their applications with a simple mouse click. So you are still the person who has to update the AppStack.

The nice part about the updating of AppStacks is that you don’t have to create a new package or AppStack, but “simply” select the update function, provision the AppStack and update the application to the new version. In the steps below, I will guide you through the whole process of updating the AppStack I’ve created in the previous chapters, and update Notepad ++ version 6.9 to version 7.1.

 

How to: Update an AppStack

  1.  In de App Volumes Manager, select the AppStack and click Update.
  2.  Adjust the name and description as you like. In this case I’m going to name it Office_applications_v2.0. Click Create to continue.
  3.  Select Wait for Completion and click Update.
  4.  The new AppStack is created and is ready for provisioning, click Provision.
  5.  Select your provisioning machine and click Provision.
    (Note: If you didn’t revert the provisioning machine in the previous chapters, do it now.)
  6.  Click Start Provisioning.
  7.  Switch to your provisioning machine and do NOT click “OK“.
  8.  Open the setup of the new version and follow all steps to update the application.
  9.  After the setup is done, start the application and close the change.log as a first run task. Close the application.
  10.  Click OK.

  11.  Click Yes.

  12.  Click OK to reboot the provisioning machine.
  13.  When the machine is booted you’ll see the Provisioning succesful dialog box, click OK to complete the process.
  14.  In de App Volumes Manager, click Complete.
  15.  Click Complete provisioning to finalize the AppStack.
  16.  Click Assign, and select the active directory object you want. In this case I’ve selected my user account named User1.
  17.  Select Attach AppStack immediately and click Assign.
  18.  Switch to the client machine and notice that the Notepad ++ icon has returned to the desktop. Start the application.
  19.  In the application taskbar, click ? and select About Notepad ++

  20.  As you can see, the AppStack is updated with the new version of Notepad ++

This was the last part of my story about VMware App Volumes and AppStacks. I hope you enjoyed reading this and gained some extra knowledge about VMware App Volumes and AppStacks. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a comment or contact me in any other way.

VMware App Volumes and AppStacks:
– Chapter one: Create an AppStack
– Chapter two: Provision an AppStack
– Chapter three: Capture an application
– Chapter four: Edit an AppStack
– Chapter five: Assign an AppStack
– Chapter six: Unassign an AppStack
– Chapter seven: Update an AppStack