The VFS versus MNT Install

You may think that Sequencing is an easy task, and most of the time it is - just start monitoring, install the application and stop monitoring and the Sequencer does the rest. But really there are several ways we can help the sequencer be more efficient. There are two ways to install applications using the SoftGrid Sequencer. A Virtual File System Installation or VFS is an installation where during sequencing the application is installed natively to the C:\ drive. A mount point installation or MNT is an installation where during sequencing you create a folder in the Q:\drive (SoftGrid Mount Point) and install the application. The differences between the two methods drill down to the basic principles of performance and organization.

Efficiency is improved with a MNT installation vs. a VFS installation. If you install directly to the C drive (VFS the install) then the sequencer has to scan the whole drive to find all the files that have been used. This may cause files to be included in the sequence that are not actually used, making the package bigger. Also in a VFS install the drive C must be present in the client for the package to operate properly. We know that some terminal applications such as Citrix can change the native C drive to another letter.

During an MNT installation all the files are located in a folder in the Q: drive making the Sequencer more efficient because everything is in one place. It also makes the task of troubleshooting or modifying an application easier because you know the location of the installed files.

The best practice is to use the MNT installation method (Best practices to use for sequencing in Microsoft SoftGrid https://support.microsoft.com/kb/932137/en-us). We do acknowledge that some applications don’t let you change the installation path and for these applications we use the VFS installation method instead.

- Alvin Morales