Creating Package Accelerators with the App-V 4.6 SP1 Sequencer (Part 3)

GrayAndYellowGearsLast week we published a couple posts that covered creating Package Accelerators and how to create them with the GUI interface, and today we’re going to build on that by showing you how to do the same thing using the Command Line Interface (CLI). 

Package Accelerators are vehicles for sharing within the App-V community. Users can share and discover Package Accelerators on the App-V community site. When an expert user (most likely an MVP or ISV) sequences an application, they will be able to generate a Package Accelerator for that application. The Package Accelerator can be shared with the rest of the App-V community.

In these walkthroughs, the Command Line Interface (CLI) Sequencer is used to create the Package Accelerators. Part 2 of this series covered creating Package Accelerators with the GUI interface.

AUTOMATION: Rapidly create multiple Package Accelerators with the CLI. Copy the installation media or install all the applications that correspond to the packages copied to the Sequencer. Create a batch file with the appropriate CLI commands and just run the batch!

It is important to note the following information and disclaimer that the Package Accelerator creation wizard displays in the GUI sequencer. It does not display in the CLI Sequencer, but still applies to creating any Package Accelerator.

Important: App-V Package Accelerators can contain user or computer specific information.

Disclaimer: Application Virtualization Sequencer does not give you any license right to the software application you are using to create a Package Accelerator. You must abide by all end user license terms for such application. It is your responsibility to make sure the software application’s license terms allow you to create a Package Accelerator using Application Virtualization Sequencer.

NOTE: The only way to test if a Package Accelerator was created successfully is to create a package from the Package Accelerator and then test the resulting package. Please test your Package Accelerator before sharing publicly or with your customers.

Walkthrough: Creating a Package Accelerator with Installation Media (CLI)

In this walkthrough, we will create a Package Accelerator for Deep Zoom Composer. A Package Accelerator can be created immediately after Sequencing, but the steps below assume the workflow for a previously sequenced package.

Requirements:

· A previously sequenced Deep Zoom Composer package.

o Download and Sequence Deep Zoom Composer, if necessary.

· Installation Media for Deep Zoom Composer

· App-V 4.6 SP1 Sequencer

Steps:

1. Revert your Sequencer to the original, clean snapshot.

2. Create a "Packages" folder and an "Installers" folder on C:\.

3. Copy the Deep Zoom Composer package to the "Packages" folder.

4. Copy the "Deep Zoom Composer.msi" installation media to the "Installers" folder.

5. From the Start Menu search field, type "CMD". Right click on the CMD icon and "Run As Administrator."

6. Change the directory to "C:\program files\microsoft application virtualization sequencer"

7. For help, type "sftsequencer /?"

8. The correct command to use:

a. SFTSEQUENCER /INPUTFILE:SprjFile /INSTALLMEDIAPATH:InstallMediaPath /PACKAGEACCELERATORFILE:PackageAcceleratorCabFile [/REMOVEMISSINGFILES]

9. Correct command with correct information:

a. SFTSEQUENCER /INPUTFILE:"C:\packages\deep zoom composer\deep zoom composer.sprj /INSTALLMEDIAPATH:"C:\ installers\deep zoom composer"/PACKAGEACCELERATORFILE:"C:\packages\deep zoom composer\deep zoom composer.cab" /REMOVEMISSINGFILES

10. Verify the .CAB file was created.

11. Copy the entire "Deep Zoom Composer" folder back to the content share, or just the "Deep Zoom Composer.cab" to the package's location on the Management Server's content share.

 

Walkthrough: Creating a Package Accelerator Using a Local Installation (CLI)

In this walkthrough, we will create a Package Accelerator for Deep Zoom Composer. A Package Accelerator can be created immediately after Sequencing, but the steps below assume the workflow for a previously sequenced package.

The option to use a locally installed application greatly increases the number of applications that can have Package Accelerators successfully created.

Requirements:

· A previously sequenced Deep Zoom Composer package.

o Download and Sequence Deep Zoom Composer, if necessary.

· Deep Zoom Composer installed to the default location on the App-V Sequencer machine.

· App-V 4.6 SP1 Sequencer

Steps:

1. Revert your Sequencer to the original, clean snapshot.

2.Create a "Packages" on C:\.

3. Copy the Deep Zoom Composer package to the "Packages" folder.

4. From the Start Menu search field, type "CMD". Right click on the CMD icon and "Run As Administrator."

5. Change the directory to "C:\program files\microsoft application virtualization sequencer"

6. For help, type "sftsequencer /?"

7. The correct command to use:

a. SFTSEQUENCER /INPUTFILE:SprjFile /LOCALINSTALLPATH:InstallMediaPath /PACKAGEACCELERATORFILE:PackageAcceleratorCabFile [/REMOVEMISSINGFILES]

8. Correct command with correct information:

a. SFTSEQUENCER /INPUTFILE:"C:\packages\deep zoom composer\deep zoom composer.sprj" /LOCALINSTALLPATH:"C:\program files\microsoft expression\deep zoom composer" /PACKAGEACCELERATORFILE:"C:\packages\deep zoom composer\deep zoom composer.cab" /REMOVEMISSINGFILES

9. Verify the .CAB file was created.

10. Copy the entire "Deep Zoom Composer" folder back to the content share, or just the "Deep Zoom Composer.cab" to the package's location on the Management Server's content share.

Hope this helps,

Steve Bucci | Support Escalation Engineer

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