VMware ThinApp
Encyclopedia
VMware ThinApp is an application virtualization
and portable application creator suite by VMware
that can package conventional applications so that they become portable application
s. According to VMware, the product has a success rate of about 90-95% in packaging applications.
on January 15, 2008. VMware later used the code name VMware Project North Star while the product was in beta. On June 10, 2008, VMware announced that the final name for the product was going to be VMware ThinApp. The trial version of Thinstall was initially available only to corporations, however VMware now offers a public trial version.
solution. ThinApp is able to execute applications without them being installed in the traditional sense by virtualizing resources such as environment variables, files and Windows Registry
keys. The virtual environment presented to the client is a merged view of the underlying physical and virtual resources, thereby allowing the virtualization layer to fool the application into thinking that it is running as if it were fully installed. ThinApp does not have any pre-installed components and does not require the installation of device drivers allowing applications to run from USB keys or network shares without ever requiring Administrator rights. ThinApp converts standard application installers such as .msi files into self-contained EXE files which includes everything required to run. Also it is able to scan a system before and after an applications installation and create a portable executable based upon changes made to the systems files and registry. Unlike self-extracting ZIP files, ThinApp does not extract files to disk or require system registry changes in order to run applications. ThinApp supports all released x86-based Windows systems from Windows NT4, 2000, XP (64/32), Vista (64/32), Server 2003, Server 2008 (64), Server 2008 R2 (64), and Windows 7 (64/32).
, while the most "advanced" version is "VMware ThinApp Enterprise Edition", which adds support for AppSync updating, Active Directory integration and allows usage by multiple users (both for the ThinApp Packager and ThinApp Client).
Application Virtualization
Application virtualization is an umbrella term that describes software technologies that improve portability, manageability and compatibility of applications by encapsulating them from the underlying operating system on which they are executed. A fully virtualized application is not installed in...
and portable application creator suite by VMware
VMware
VMware, Inc. is a company providing virtualization software founded in 1998 and based in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company was acquired by EMC Corporation in 2004, and operates as a separate software subsidiary ....
that can package conventional applications so that they become portable application
Portable application
A portable application , sometimes also called standalone, is a computer software program designed to run independently from an operating system...
s. According to VMware, the product has a success rate of about 90-95% in packaging applications.
History
ThinApp (previously known as Thinstall) was originally developed by Jitit Inc. and was acquired by VMwareVMware
VMware, Inc. is a company providing virtualization software founded in 1998 and based in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company was acquired by EMC Corporation in 2004, and operates as a separate software subsidiary ....
on January 15, 2008. VMware later used the code name VMware Project North Star while the product was in beta. On June 10, 2008, VMware announced that the final name for the product was going to be VMware ThinApp. The trial version of Thinstall was initially available only to corporations, however VMware now offers a public trial version.
Technology
VMware ThinApp is an application virtualizationApplication Virtualization
Application virtualization is an umbrella term that describes software technologies that improve portability, manageability and compatibility of applications by encapsulating them from the underlying operating system on which they are executed. A fully virtualized application is not installed in...
solution. ThinApp is able to execute applications without them being installed in the traditional sense by virtualizing resources such as environment variables, files and Windows Registry
Windows registry
The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel, device drivers, services, SAM, user...
keys. The virtual environment presented to the client is a merged view of the underlying physical and virtual resources, thereby allowing the virtualization layer to fool the application into thinking that it is running as if it were fully installed. ThinApp does not have any pre-installed components and does not require the installation of device drivers allowing applications to run from USB keys or network shares without ever requiring Administrator rights. ThinApp converts standard application installers such as .msi files into self-contained EXE files which includes everything required to run. Also it is able to scan a system before and after an applications installation and create a portable executable based upon changes made to the systems files and registry. Unlike self-extracting ZIP files, ThinApp does not extract files to disk or require system registry changes in order to run applications. ThinApp supports all released x86-based Windows systems from Windows NT4, 2000, XP (64/32), Vista (64/32), Server 2003, Server 2008 (64), Server 2008 R2 (64), and Windows 7 (64/32).
Editions
The most "basic" version of ThinApp is "VMware ThinApp Starter Edition", offered for free with any purchase of VMware WorkstationVMware Workstation
VMware Workstation is a virtual machine software suite for x86 and x86-64 computers from VMware, a division of EMC Corporation, which allows users to set up multiple x86 and x86-64 virtual machines and use one or more of these virtual machines simultaneously with the hosting operating system...
, while the most "advanced" version is "VMware ThinApp Enterprise Edition", which adds support for AppSync updating, Active Directory integration and allows usage by multiple users (both for the ThinApp Packager and ThinApp Client).
Software compatibility
Many Windows applications can be packaged and made portable with VMware ThinApp, with the following notable exceptions:- Any software that installs and requires a device driverDevice driverIn computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device....
to function. Applications that use pre-installed device drivers can function without issues. - Some software with copy protectionCopy protectionCopy protection, also known as content protection, copy obstruction, copy prevention and copy restriction, refer to techniques used for preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media, usually for copyright reasons.- Terminology :Media corporations have always used the term...
based on hardwareHardwareHardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
. ThinApp will virtualize some hardware properties such as harddrive serial numbers but applications that bind to things like ethernet MAC address or CPU-ID may not run when moved to another PC.
See also
- Application VirtualizationApplication VirtualizationApplication virtualization is an umbrella term that describes software technologies that improve portability, manageability and compatibility of applications by encapsulating them from the underlying operating system on which they are executed. A fully virtualized application is not installed in...
- Portable application creatorsPortable application creatorsPortable application creators allow the creation of portable applications . They usually use application virtualization.- Creators of independent portable applications :...
- Windows To GoWindows To GoWindows To Go is a feature in Windows 8 that allows the entire system to run from USB mass storage devices such as flash drives and external hard drives....
- Software applianceSoftware applianceA software appliance is a software application that might be combined with just enough operating system for it to run optimally on industry standard hardware or in a virtual machine....