Did our VRT wrap-up post wet your appetite for more? Looking to learn about virtualization as a application compatibility tool? No need to worry if you missed the live event as the is now available to stream or download here.

Windows 7 Application Compatibility Part 2: Virtualization

In part two of this Springboard Series Virtual Roundtable on Windows 7 Application Compatibility, you'll hear from Microsoft Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich and a panel of experts on how virtualization tools can help you with application compatibility concerns whether you're migrating from Windows Vista or Windows XP.

 
Here’s your chance to get powerful insight into how presentation virtualization, desktop virtualization and application virtualization can reduce testing times, expedite deployment, and ultimately help you streamline PC management. Also covered are the latest desktop virtualization technologies from Microsoft including Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V), Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V), and Windows XP Mode for Windows 7.

To see part one of this Virtual Roundtable or to view any of our previous roundtables, click here.

As always, visit the Springboard Series for the latest tools, walkthroughs, FAQs and information for IT pros around Windows 7 and visit our Talking About Windows Event Portal to see all the latest IT pro events worldwide on Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 in your area. More events are being added every day!

Are you looking to learn more about Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Exchange 2010 and other Microsoft products? Well the New Efficiency Virtual Launch Event is the perfect opportunity to do so.

What will you find there?

• Steve Ballmer’s Keynote Replay
• Over 100 sessions presented by Microsoft. Topics include:
  • Windows 7 Application Compatibility
  • Windows 7 Deployment Technologies
  • Windows XP Mode Overview
  • Saving WAN costs with BranchCache
  • Remote Desktop and Applications with WS08 R2
  • Microsoft Web Platform – What’s New in IIS 7.5
  • Voice Mail with Unified Messaging in Exchange 2010
  • Outlook Web App in Exchange 2010
  • Information Protection Solutions Overview
  • MDOP; Asset Inventory Services
  • and much much more
• Visit Virtual Partner Booths from:
  • Cisco, AMD, Dell, Citrix, Intel, plus many others
• Download full version trials of Windows 7 Enterprise, Server 2008 R2, Exchange Server 2010 and Microsoft Forefront.
• Virtual backpacks to you can download transcripts from every demo, documentation and more.
• Links to hundreds of additional Microsoft resources to help you
• Links to brand new Springboard Series Windows 7 content created just for the virtual launch experience.

The best part? All of this is available to you for free. Just visit www.thenewefficiency.com later today and see what happens when cost savings, productivity and innovation come together.

With the release of the XP Mode Release Candidate, there has been a lot of talk and confusion around when XP Mode is a ideal solution and when you should look at Med-V as a solution . I thought I would take a few minutes to clear up any confusion.

Well, let me start with actually talking a bit about [Windows] XP Mode. 

We introduced Windows Virtual PC in Windows 7 with new capabilities, such as support for USB (Universal Serial Bus) devices, and seamlessly integrating the Virtual PC applications into the Windows 7 desktop and making them available for the users from the start menu.  Windows XP Mode is just a preconfigured Windows XP virtual image and it is available for any user that has Windows 7 Pro [Professional] and above.  The whole Windows XP Mode is specifically designed to help small business users run Windows XP application on Windows 7 in case that the application would not run on a Windows 7 operating system. 

However, you ask why people need something beyond that, then with [Windows] XP Mode, users are required to setup their Windows XP applications themselves.  I mean each physical PC has its own virtual Windows XP environment and is controlled and managed by the end-user.  It is not designed for IT environments or centrally managed deployments.  And this is exactly where you need MED-V.  MED-V adds everything that is required to support the larger deployments of [Windows] XP Mode.  It includes the provisioning of an IT configured virtual machine, customizing the specific XP environments on the end-devices to connect to the [Microsoft] Active Directory® domain and to adjust the settings of the

Virtual PC to the specific parameters of the device.  So it adjusts them according to the network setting of the device, according to the amount of memory available, and other settings on the PC.  Finally, MED-V will also offer monitoring and troubleshooting for all those Virtual PC deployed in the environment.

So here are some breakdowns to answer common questions

What is Windows XP Mode, Windows Virtual PC and MED-V?

• Windows Virtual PC is a type II hypervisor in Windows 7 – i.e. it enables users to run multiple instances of Windows on a single device.
• Windows XP Mode leverages Windows Virtual PC and a preconfigured Windows XP image to create a virtual Windows XP environment
• MED-V is the management layer for IT professionals on top of Virtual PC.
• Windows XP Mode does not replace MED-V.

The breakdown

Windows XP Mode is specifically designed to help small businesses users to run their Windows XP applications on their Windows 7 desktop.

• Windows XP Mode is available as part of Windows 7 Professional , Ultimate and Enterprise.
• Windows Virtual PC will enable users to launch many older applications seamlessly in a virtual Windows XP environment from the Windows 7 start menu
• Windows Virtual PC includes support for USB devices and is based on a new core that includes multi-threading support
• Windows XP Mode is best experienced on new PCs from OEMs but will also be available for customers as a separate download.

Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) is designed for IT Professionals.

• MED-V enables Virtual PC deployment in larger organizations
• MED-V provides important centralized management, policy-based provisioning and virtual image delivery to reduce the cost of Virtual PC deployment.
• MED-V is part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP)
• MED-V v1 builds on Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 to help enterprises with their upgrade to Windows Vista when applications are not yet compatible.
• MED-V v2 will add support for Windows 7 and Windows Virtual PC.
• MED-V v2 beta will be available within 90 days of Windows 7 GA.

Which customers should use Windows XP Mode?

Windows XP Mode is suitable for small and medium business users, who are able to set their XP applications themselves or with the help of an IT professional.

Each device has its own virtual Windows XP environment, that is controlled and managed by the end user.

Windows XP Mode is not designed for large, centrally managed deployments, and is not suitable for organizations that have widely deployed business applications that require Windows XP.

How does MED-V adds management to Windows Virtual PC?

To provide a managed, scalable solution for running virtual Windows XP applications, MED-V addresses many of the IT challenges around deployment and management including:

• Deployment – deliver virtual Windows images and customize per user and device settings
  • Automate first-time virtual PC setup based on an IT customized script – including assignment of a unique computer name, joining to AD domain
    (for instance: assign the virtual PC a name that is derived from the physical device name or the username to simplify identification and management)
  • Adjust virtual PC memory allocation based on available RAM on host, so that the virtual PC does not take significant resources from the user
• Provisioning – define which applications and websites are available to different users
  • Assign virtual PC images according to users and groups
  • Define which Windows XP applications will be available to the user through the start menu
  • Define which websites (e.g. internal sites that requires a previous version of Internet Explorer) are redirected automatically to Windows XP
• Control – assign and expire usage permissions and Virtual PC settings
  • Control the network settings of the Virtual PC (e.g. whether it connects through NAT or DHCP, whether its DNS is synchronized with host)
  • Authenticate user before granting access to the Virtual PC
  • Set expiration date, after which the Virtual PC is not accessible to the end user
• Maintenance and Support - update images, monitor users and remotely troubleshoot
  • Update images using TrimTransfer network image delivery – update a master Virtual PC image, and MED-V will automatically distribute and apply the changes to all endpoints
  • Centralized database aggregates events from all users, and provides troubleshooting information on malfunctioning virtual PCs
  • Administrator diagnostics mode allows faster resolution of Virtual PC issues
  • Run on multiple platforms – MED-V will work on both Windows 7 and Windows Vista, and will not require processor-based virtualization support

How do I purchase MED-V?

MED-V is licensed as part of MDOP subscription that is available for purchase for Software Assurance customers.

What are the key features of new version of Windows Virtual PC?

Easy setup of Windows XP Mode – Once both the Windows Virtual PC and the virtual Windows XP environment are installed, Windows Virtual PC provides a simple wizard to setup the Windows XP Mode with just a few clicks. 

USB Support - Users can access USB devices attached to Windows 7 directly from Windows Virtual PC.  These devices include Printers and Scanners, Flash Memory/Sticks and External Hard Disks, Digital Cameras and more.

Seamless Applications – Publish and Launch applications installed on Windows Virtual PC directly from the Windows 7 desktop, as if they were installed on the Windows 7 itself.

Folder Integration between Windows 7 and Windows Virtual PC– Access your Windows 7 Known Folders:  My documents, Pictures, Desktop, Music, Video, from inside the virtual windows environment, such as Windows XP Mode

Clipboard Sharing – Cut and paste between your Windows 7 and Windows Virtual PC.

Printer Redirection – Print directly to your attached printer from your Windows Virtual PC applications either in application mode or desktop mode.

SPECIAL THANKS TO Ran Oelgiesser and Fei Lu for their help with this post.

(reposted from our blog of May 26th)

After we announced Windows XP Mode, I sat down again with Jeremy Chapman at the Microsoft Management Summit in Las Vegas a few weeks ago to find out what he thought about Windows XP Mode as a solution for solving application compatibility issues.

Stephen Rose: Hi Jeremy, seems like I’m interviewing you a lot lately. So we’re at MMS here in Las Vegas and we just announced the Windows 7 Release Candidate and Windows XP Mode as a solution for allowing applications to run within a Windows XP session on a Windows 7 machine. What do you think about this technology? Will this solve everything for people having problems moving off Windows XP or Internet Explorer 6?

Jeremy Chapman: Windows XP Mode adds the seamless virtual desktop integration like we saw in Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MEDV), so you can see applications within the virtual operating system in the start menu:

And you can view applications within the physical operating system’s desktop without showing the entire virtual machine desktop.

It definitely makes the use of Virtual PC technologies much easier for the average user. As we’ve seen for the last decade or so, you can run legacy applications under the context of the legacy operating system. Initially that sounds like a good thing, as Virtual PC always has.

Stephen Rose: Explain what you mean by initially.

Jeremy Chapman: To the undiscerning eye, this looks like an easy fix and for many in sales and marketing roles, it might sound like a silver bullet for application compatibility. Despite the more intuitive user experience, the IT management issues with that are essentially the same as they have been for the last ten years or so with Virtual PC.

Stephen Rose: What do you see as the challenges with this technology then?

Jeremy Chapman: First, there are two operating systems to manage per userSecond, while we can automate and customize full operating system provisioning, it isn’t so easy to custom provision the virtual machine according to user roles and needs. Third, by default the virtual PC user account is a local administrator.

Stephen Rose: Ok, so is there anything that helps IT pros with any of these areas?

Jeremy Chapman: Definitely, MED-V (Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization) adds the control so you can sandbox the virtual PC environment from the physical environment. It also provides the administrative tools to provision within the virtual environment. There is granular control over how the two operating systems behave with one another and you can even pre-define which websites or web-based Line-of-Business applications need to be automatically invoked in the virtual machine’s web browser (Internet Explorer 6 by default). MED-V is also self adjusting as the virtual PC memory allocation based on available RAM on host, so that the virtual PC does not take significant resources from the user. Features like TrimTransfer update a master Virtual PC image, and MED-V will automatically distribute and apply the changes to all endpoints. Finally, MED-V will work on both Windows 7 and Windows Vista, and will not require processor-based virtualization support

Stephen Rose: That definitely sounds like the more manageable solution, but is running Virtual PC and MED-V the only recommended solution for Windows 7?

Jeremy Chapman: From the application compatibility perspective, the best thing to do is to get applications that run natively without any virtualization aids, recoding, compatibility fixes or compatibility modes needed. If you own the code and can recode the application, then do that. If you can’t recode a line-of-business application or are not dependent on support for a third party application, you can try compatibility fixes – or “shims” – to remediate the application. Finally, when all these options aren’t possible, then look into legacy operating system virtualization. If you have exhausted all other options for application remediation and intend on using Windows XP Mode, then I’d recommend following all the best practices in the Windows XP Security Compliance Management Toolkit to secure the virtual environment and manage configuration with Group Policy and desired configuration management in System Center Configuration Manager.

Stephen Rose: So who should be using Windows XP Mode then?

Jeremy Chapman: For individual users or smaller organizations where desktops are not managed, Windows XP Mode is a relatively easy solution to get working. You’ll need to find installation media for those older applications and manually install them, but it can get them working until you port everything over to the physical operating system.

Stephen Rose: So for a transitional period to the new OS, these legacy client virtualization tools can help people run their incompatible legacy applications. Is there anything else to remember with Virtual Windows XP?

Jeremy Chapman: We haven’t talked about hardware yet. So hardware needs to have hardware virtualization – Intel VT or AMDV – and have it enabled in the BIOS. Most business grade hardware produced in the last 2-3 years has that, but netbooks and older PCs often do not meet this requirement. The virtual machine also uses memory, so you’ll probably want to use PCs with 2 GB or more RAM.

Stephen Rose: Good advice. So where can people find more information on Windows XP Mode?

Jeremy Chapman: Check out Scott Woodgate’s blog post on the Windows Team Blog and Scott’s Q&A on PressPass. There is also a Virtual PC Tips and Tricks FAQ on Springboard located here

Stephen Rose: Thanks again for your time Jeremy.