Microsoft App-V 5.0 Beta overview

28Apr/120

As you probably know, Microsoft recently released App-V 5.0. This article best describes what is new.

With this release, there are some new features, which include.

Flexible virtualization choices let virtual applications work more like traditionally installed applications, allowing local and virtual applications to communicate and enabling control of which virtual applications can share environments.
There’s no dedicated drive letter required, and no 4 gigabyte maximum package size. It’s easy for IT to work with and take action on App-V diagnostic information because App-V logs Windows events instead of separate log files.
Easy and efficient to use in VDI environments, allowing IT to make the best use of expensive disk resources without changing the way they get their jobs done.
Web-based management makes it easy for busy IT professionals to get their work done while away from their desk.

Now in human language

The management/streaming server is still there!
RTSP is gone. SMB and HTTP(s) streaming only. Which is fine by me. I liked HTTP streaming more anyway.
New management console for management server, no longer MMC snap-in. Now purely based on Silverlight.
No more “Q:” drive, you will be able to just see the files on disk from the outside.
Completely revamped client (Metro style), programmable using PowerShell.
The Sequencer is pretty much the same as 4.6 SP1
And last but not least the package format SFT is gone, and so are the OSD and ICO files. Everything will be stored in a new .APPV file format.

The .APPV file is actually a much more open format then the “old” .SFT file.