Application Sequencing

Before an application can be streamed to users, App-V relies on administrators to configure and prepare the application for App-V use (called sequencing the application). For administrators who are familiar with Windows Installer packaging, the sequencing process will be familiar.

The administrator first runs an App-V sequencing tool to monitor and record all changes to the file system, the Registry, and the desktop (such as the Quick Launch bar) as a target application is installed on a computer (or in a virtual machine).

After installation has completed, the administrator launches the application and performs any post-installation or first-time configuration steps. Again, the sequencing application monitors all the changes to the file system, the Registry, and the desktop.

Finally, the administrator launches the installed application one more time to exercise the application’s features and ensure that the application can load all the required components that users might demand. This time, the sequencing application monitors the application to determine the order in which the application loads files, including COM dependencies. Then the sequencing application determines which files need to be placed in a package called Feature Block One, which is the first block of the application that will be streamed from the management server to the client. This is the first 20% to 40% of the application that gets streamed to the user at first launch. After first launch, the files remain in the computer’s cache and are loaded locally.