App-V 5 and sequencing platform

Microsoft best practice states that you should match your sequencing platform to your target platform. App-V has always given us an extremely well working platform to avoid that and still does. However, we have a game changer; Extension Points

What are extension points? More integration into the operating system to allow users to use their virtual applications in a manner they expect that it should simply work.

Did you just pop-in a music CD (not really ?) and had the default media player virtualized?

In App-V 4.X that would cause an issue due to the fact that the operating system had no awareness that you had a media player. Autoplay was not a supported extension point within App-V 4.

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As you can see there are several possible choices in the above list on what todo when an Audio CD is inserted. If the application is virtualized – in an App-V 4.X environment it would not be visible in the above list.

App-V 5 changed the game and extended the list to support this scenario and much more. However, there is a new found reason of actually doing what Microsoft has been telling us todo all along.

Your sequencing platform should match your target platform.

For Windows 7 64-bit, you should sequence on Windows 7 64-bit.

In App-V 5 this is even more valid as several extension points are not following along if you attempt to sequence on a 32-bit platform and deploy to a 64-bit platform.

2 thoughts on “App-V 5 and sequencing platform

  1. arthurc604 Reply

    Thanks for blogging about all the App-V 5 tips over the last year. Its been very helpful.

    A few Microsoft docs now include this guidance:

    “Always sequence 32-bit applications on a 32-bit sequencing OS. This includes sequencing 32-bit applications for delivery to 64-bit clients. When sequencing 64-bit applications, they must be sequenced on a 64-bit sequencing OS and can only be delivered to 64-bit clients.”

    To me, Microsoft is saying that the sequencing platform should always match the application (32-bit/64-bit) which conflicts a bit with your advice to always match the sequencing platform with the target platform.

    Any thoughts on this?

    • nickekallen Post authorReply

      Hello,
      My advice is based on applications that require certain of the new extension points. If your application doesn’t require any of those – the above statements can be followed as you like.

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