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I recently had a customer ask me about ThinApp deployment options. I figured that it would make a worthwhile blog post, so here we go.
There’s really three main ways to deploy a ThinApp package (with differences within each category). Let me see how well I can explain them.
|
Package location |
Description |
Execution Type |
App Registration |
Update approach |
Sandbox location |
Portability |
|
Network share
|
Packages stored on central file server
|
Streaming
|
ThinReg utility (usually login script based), pre-configured
shortcuts, or direct execution of package
|
Package replacement or side-by-side updates
|
%AppData% (stored locally, or on network w/roaming profiles or
folder redirection)
|
Online, internal only. Sandbox
changes tied to OS unless redirecting to network.
|
|
Network (predefined network location)
|
Online, internal only. Sandbox
changes move with user.
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USB
|
Take the packages and copy them to a set of thumb drives,
then distribute the thumb drives to the individual users |
Deployed |
Direct execution of package or autorun ThinReg script
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AppSync, manual download or CD/USB distribution
|
%AppData% (stored locally, or on network w/roaming profiles or
folder redirection)
|
Users can take their applications with them to any computer. Sandbox changes will not follow.
|
|
USB (same location as package)
|
Users can take their applications with them to any computer
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Network (predefined network location)
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Users can take their applications with them to any computer
(sandbox only accessible internally)
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Local
|
MSI package delivery to hard drive of machine
|
Deployed
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MSI package automatically registers ThinApp package
|
AppSync, manual download or CD/USB distribution
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%AppData%
|
Apps available offline with mobile machine.
|
More details can be found in the ThinApp Users Guide and the ThinApp Deployment Guide
Make sense? Leave me comments to let me know whether or not this is clear or useful.