MMS 2015 unplugged: Unable to publish application globally if targeted user-based within Configmgr workaround

If you have been to our session called App-V standalone compared to CM12 Integrated: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly at MMS 2015 , we have showed you that some things by default cannot be done in Configmgr .

We showed a strong business case around the Application model in CM12 SP1 and using App-V 5.0 to do user-based software targeting. As most people are doing App-V integration in Configuration Manager and exploring the possibilities , they ran into some challenges I believe are critical and needs to be solved in a certain way . What the correct way is , I leave that up to the smart engineering guy’s in Redmond .

One of the great promises of application virtualization is dynamic delivery of software to end-users; however delivering plug-ins or add-ons to installed (i.e. not virtualized) software has thus far been a stumbling block. Internet Explorer has been particularly challenging due to the inability to separate the browser from the OS in a supported manner. So using App-V to deploy plug-ins like Flash or Java has meant changing the user experience with virtualization or falling back to standard install methods. Since App-V 5.0 SP2 this is very good news though, with the ability to seamlessly run an installed application inside a specified virtual environment. This means that the Flash plug-in can be delivered as a virtual package and made available to Internet Explorer without resorting to hacks or changing the user experience by providing a special shortcut.

The only requirement for specific Virtual Extensions (like the flash add-in) is that the package needs to be published Globally… only it doesn’t work great when deploying all your virtualized apps to users with System Center Configuration Manager and App-V 5.x. The table below will explain in what cases you will have to use Global publishing.

We can overcome that hurdle with a sort of workaround that we are not going to explain in absolute detail as every customer has specific needs. See the steps below as a guide to think outside the box.

Workaround :

1. We are going to create a scheduled task which triggers on a eventID action 1003 from the eventlog “Microsoft-AppV-Client/Operational”

The script to create the scheduled task :

param(
    [Parameter(ParameterSetName='Register')] 
    [switch]$Register,
    [Parameter(ParameterSetName='UnRegister')] 
    [switch]$UnRegister
)
switch($PsCmdlet.ParameterSetName){
    "Register"{
        $Xml = Get-Content (Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "ScheduledTaskTemplate_Publish.xml")
        $hReplace = @{
            _Date_=(Get-Date -Format s)
            _Author_="Publish_User2Global_1.0_EN"
            _WorkingDirectory_=$PSScriptRoot
        }
        foreach($key in $hReplace.Keys) { $Xml = $Xml -creplace $key, $hReplace.$key }
        Register-ScheduledTask -Xml ($Xml | Out-String) -TaskName "1_user_Publish_User2Global" -TaskPath "Microsoft\AppV\Publishing" -Force | Out-Null
        
        $Xml = Get-Content (Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "ScheduledTaskTemplate_UnPublish.xml")
        $hReplace = @{
            _Date_=(Get-Date -Format s)
            _Author_="UnPublish_User2Global_1.0_EN"
            _WorkingDirectory_=$PSScriptRoot
        }
        foreach($key in $hReplace.Keys) { $Xml = $Xml -creplace $key, $hReplace.$key }
        #Register-ScheduledTask -Xml ($Xml | Out-String) -TaskName "1_user_UnPublish_User2Global" -TaskPath "Microsoft\AppV\Publishing" -Force | Out-Null
    }
    "UnRegister"{
        Get-ScheduledTask  -TaskPath  "\Microsoft\AppV\Publishing\" -TaskName "1_user_Publish_User2Global" | Unregister-ScheduledTask -Confirm:$False | Out-Null
        #Get-ScheduledTask  -TaskPath  "\Microsoft\AppV\Publishing\" -TaskName "1_user_UnPublish_User2Global" | Unregister-ScheduledTask -Confirm:$False | Out-Null
    }
}

The script is based on the following templates :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16"?>
<Task version="1.4" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/windows/2004/02/mit/task">
  <RegistrationInfo>
    <Date>_Date_</Date>
    <Author>_Author_</Author>
    <URI>\Microsoft\AppV\Publishing\1_user_Publish_User2Global</URI>
  </RegistrationInfo>
  <Triggers>
    <EventTrigger>
      <Enabled>true</Enabled>
      <Subscription>&lt;QueryList&gt;&lt;Query Id="0" Path="Microsoft-AppV-Client/Operational"&gt;&lt;Select Path="Microsoft-AppV-Client/Operational"&gt;*[System[Provider[@Name='Microsoft-AppV-Client'] and EventID=1003]]&lt;/Select&gt;&lt;/Query&gt;&lt;/QueryList&gt;</Subscription>
            <ValueQueries>            
                <Value name="ThePackageId">Event/EventData/Data[@Name='Package']</Value>            
                <Value name="TheVersionId">Event/EventData/Data[@Name='Version']</Value>            
                <Value name="UserSid">Event/System/Security/@UserID</Value>
            </ValueQueries>    
    </EventTrigger>
  </Triggers>
  <Principals>
    <Principal id="Author">
      <GroupId>S-1-5-18</GroupId>
      <RunLevel>LeastPrivilege</RunLevel>
    </Principal>
  </Principals>
  <Settings>
    <MultipleInstancesPolicy>IgnoreNew</MultipleInstancesPolicy>
    <DisallowStartIfOnBatteries>false</DisallowStartIfOnBatteries>
    <StopIfGoingOnBatteries>false</StopIfGoingOnBatteries>
    <AllowHardTerminate>true</AllowHardTerminate>
    <StartWhenAvailable>false</StartWhenAvailable>
    <RunOnlyIfNetworkAvailable>false</RunOnlyIfNetworkAvailable>
    <IdleSettings>
      <StopOnIdleEnd>true</StopOnIdleEnd>
      <RestartOnIdle>false</RestartOnIdle>
    </IdleSettings>
    <AllowStartOnDemand>false</AllowStartOnDemand>
    <Enabled>true</Enabled>
    <Hidden>true</Hidden>
    <RunOnlyIfIdle>false</RunOnlyIfIdle>
    <DisallowStartOnRemoteAppSession>false</DisallowStartOnRemoteAppSession>
    <UseUnifiedSchedulingEngine>true</UseUnifiedSchedulingEngine>
    <WakeToRun>false</WakeToRun>
    <ExecutionTimeLimit>P3D</ExecutionTimeLimit>
    <Priority>7</Priority>
    <RestartOnFailure>
      <Interval>PT1M</Interval>
      <Count>3</Count>
    </RestartOnFailure>
  </Settings>
  <Actions Context="Author">
    <Exec>
      <Command>powershell.exe</Command>
      <Arguments>-NonInteractive -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -WindowStyle Hidden -File User2Global.ps1 -Publish -PackageId $(ThePackageId) -VersionId $(TheVersionId) -UserSid $(UserSid)</Arguments>
      <WorkingDirectory>_WorkingDirectory_</WorkingDirectory>
    </Exec>
  </Actions>
</Task>

2. When the scheduled task is triggered by event-ID action 1003 from the eventlog “Microsoft-AppV-Client/Operational” , we kick-off the following Powershell script (see below). It will unpublished the package from the user and will publish the package globally instead.

param(
    [Parameter(ParameterSetName='Publish')] 
    [switch]$Publish,
    [Parameter(ParameterSetName='UnPublish')] 
    [switch]$UnPublish,
    [guid]$PackageId,
    [guid]$VersionId,
    [string]$UserSid
)
Function New-BurntToastNotification{ 
    <#
        This function will show a BurnToastNotification
    #>
    [CmdletBinding(SupportsShouldProcess = $True)]
    Param
    (
        [Parameter(Mandatory=$True)]
        $Text,   
        [Parameter(Mandatory=$True)]
        $Title
    )
    
    # create toast template TO xml
    [Windows.UI.Notifications.ToastNotificationManager, Windows.UI.Notifications, ContentType = WindowsRuntime] > $null
    $toastXml =  ([Windows.UI.Notifications.ToastNotificationManager]::GetTemplateContent([Windows.UI.Notifications.ToastTemplateType]::ToastImageAndText02)).GetXml()

    # message to show on toast
    $stringElements = $toastXml.GetElementsByTagName("text") | select -First 1
    $stringElements.AppendChild($toastXml.CreateTextNode($Title)) > $null
    $stringElements = $toastXml.GetElementsByTagName("text") | select -Last 1
    $stringElements.AppendChild($toastXml.CreateTextNode($Text)) > $null

    # image
    $imageElements = $toastXml.GetElementsByTagName("image")
    $imageElements[0].src = "file:///" + "$PSScriptRoot\appv.png"

    # convert from System.Xml.XmlDocument to Windows.Data.Xml.Dom.XmlDocument
    $windowsXml = New-Object Windows.Data.Xml.Dom.XmlDocument
    $windowsXml.LoadXml($toastXml.OuterXml)

    # send toast notification
    $toast = New-Object Windows.UI.Notifications.ToastNotification ($windowsXml)
    [Windows.UI.Notifications.ToastNotificationManager]::CreateToastNotifier("App-V").Show($toast)
} 

Import-Module "$env:ProgramFiles\Microsoft Application Virtualization\Client\AppvClient\AppvClient.psd1"
$package = Get-AppVClientPackage -PackageId $PackageId -VersionId $VersionId -All

switch($PsCmdlet.ParameterSetName)
{
    "Publish"
    {
        try
        {
            Unpublish-AppvClientPackage $package -UserSID $UserSid
            if (! $package.IsPublishedGlobally)
            {
                Publish-AppVClientPackage $package -Global
                New-BurntToastNotification -Text "$($package.name)`nSuccesfully Published Globally." -Title "App-V User2Global"
            }
        }
        catch
        {
                New-BurntToastNotification -Text "Something went wrong while Publishing: `n$($package.name)." -Title "App-V User2Global"
        }
    }

    "UnPublish"
    {
        try
        {
            if (($package = Get-AppVClientPackage -PackageId $PackageId -VersionId $VersionId -All).IsPublishedGlobally)
            {
                $package | stop-AppVClientPackage -Global -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Unpublish-AppvClientPackage -Global
                New-BurntToastNotification -Text "$($package.name)`nSuccesfully UnPublished Globally." -Title "App-V User2Global"
            }
        }
        catch
        {
                New-BurntToastNotification -Text "Something went wrong while unpublishing: `n$($package.name)." -Title "App-V User2Global"
        }
    }
}

You can choose how to deploy the script. You can create an App-V bubble or simply deploy this with Configmgr or GPO ….

Disclaimer : The script are delivered AS-IS and are not the complete solution to this story. It is an example on how to think outside the box and make a potential solution that will fit your specific company issue.

Hope it Helps ,

Kenny Buntinx & Roy Essers .

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