AdminStudio: Features

AdminStudio has the tools that enable you to repackage both 32-bit and 64-bit applications and test for application compatibility with new Windows 7 tests.

Windows 7 migrations have significant impact on an IT organization in terms of time, budget and internal reputation. Ensuring application compatibility and deploying applications for optimal performance and functionality is an essential requirement. AdminStudio 9.5 includes support for Windows 7, including several enhancements to the AdminStudio Repackager: default Repackager exclusions list, updated process exclusions, improved functionality for capturing side-by-side assemblies, improved handling of user data, and the incorporation of the Build Engine from InstallShield 2010 Service Pack 1.

Find and resolve common Windows 7 deployment issues with 12 new Windows 7 compatibility tests. Test for Per User setups, AdminUser or Privileged Launch conditions, and Windows 7 Protected Files and Registry Keys, and more

Plus, AdminStudio itself runs on Windows 7, so you can follow best practices by performing MSI repackaging and testing on machines running the same Windows 7 OS as your target environment

Users of prior editions of AdminStudio Virtualization Pack and users of the native tools provided by application virtualization vendors have experienced challenges with preparing virtual formats of specific applications. Users highlight, for example, difficulty using the App-V Sequencer for Adobe Creative Suite products. AdminStudio 9.5 includes enhancements to the number of Windows Installer configurations included in the AdminStudio Batch Conversion tool to more easily create a .SFT file from an MSI of troublesome applications. AdminStudio Batch Conversion is available with the AdminStudio Enterprise Edition with AdminStudio Virtualization Pack.

InstallShield 2010 has the tools to support Windows 7, including the ability to create applications that meet Microsoft’s requirements for the “Compatible with Windows 7” logo.

InstallShield 2010 SP1 includes support for installing applications on Windows Server 2008 R2, including building conditions for features and components. Integrating Windows Installer 5 features, InstallShield 2010 SP1 allows users to take advantage of the cool new MSI 5 functionality, including: creating per-user applications and quicker installations for large packages.

Simultaneously create a 64-bit Windows Installer package (MSI) and a 64-bit Microsoft App-V package, saving time and effort. AdminStudio accelerates virtual deployments by reformatting applications into the App-V format natively, without the use of the multi-step App-V Sequencer tool. At this time, AdminStudio will be the only application readiness solution set that can natively support the App-V format, reducing costs and increasing reliability for App-V implementations.

For those more troublesome applications, AdminStudio can apply remediation to help ensure the software will function properly when virtualized. This special feature is only available on the desktop model of AdminStudio Enterprise Edition with Virtualization Pack.

Virtual applications cut IT costs by preventing software conflicts and eliminating the need for regression testing.

AdminStudio now gives you the ability to quickly convert applications into Microsoft® App-V™, VMware® ThinApp™* and Citrix® XenApp™ virtual packages. It’s the only packaging solution that lets you choose from multiple virtualization formats, so you can pick the format or formats that best fits different situations.

AdminStudio comes with Microsoft, VMware and Citrix Assistants that save you time and effort by walking you through the virtualization process in minutes, including the customizing of virtual packages. It gives you complete control over every aspect of virtual packages, from modifying registry settings to controlling isolation options at a granular level, quickly and easily.

It also provides pre-virtualization scanning functionality that quickly determines which MSIs in your environment are good candidates for virtualization. After establishing a list of good virtualization candidates, AdminStudio can automatically convert the MSIs to virtual applications for you in bulk**. For those more troublesome applications, AdminStudio can apply remediation to help ensure the software will function properly when virtualized.

The AdminStudio Virtualization Pack requires the purchase of a Bronze, Silver or Gold Maintenance Plan.

*Requires separate purchase of VMware ThinApp
** Speak to an account manager about purchasing batch conversion capabilities .

 

Windows 7 migrations have significant impact on an IT organization in terms of time, budget and internal reputation. Ensuring application compatibility and deploying applications for optimal performance and functionality is an essential requirement. AdminStudio 9.5 includes support for Windows 7, including several enhancements to the AdminStudio Repackager: default Repackager exclusions list, updated process exclusions, improved functionality for capturing side-by-side assemblies, improved handling of user data, and the incorporation of the Build Engine from InstallShield 2010 Service Pack 1.

Find and resolve common Windows 7 deployment issues with 12 new Windows 7 compatibility tests. Test for Per User setups, AdminUser or Privileged Launch conditions, and Windows 7 Protected Files and Registry Keys, and more.

Plus, AdminStudio itself runs on Windows 7, so you can follow best practices by performing MSI repackaging and testing on machines running the same Windows 7 OS as your target environment.

PackageExpert provides a comprehensive testing framework for testing and validating your software packages. It saves you time by letting you configure and run MSI validation and QA tests on your MSI packages and automatically fixes any errors for you. You can also create and run your own custom tests. With PackageExpert, you can:

• Run validation tests are to ensure packages conform to strict Windows 7 standards
• Find and resolve common Windows 7 deployment issues with 12 new Windows 7 compatibility tests. Test for Per User setups, AdminUser or Privileged Launch conditions, Windows 7 Protected Files and Registry Keys, and more 
• Automatically pre-test legacy packages that you wish to redeploy to new systems running Windows 7
• Select and configure specific tests, test groups, and test scenarios to run on your software packages
• Automatically run your test scenarios against part or all of your Application Catalog at will, checking for specific error conditions or conflicts
• Create custom tests that check for and correct conditions you have established within your own packaging standards

PackageExpert helps you establish and enforce packaging standards that ensure that your MSIs deploy smoothly and run properly on any Windows platform, including Windows 7.

 

At the core of AdminStudio is the Application Catalog. This centralized database is a comprehensive repository containing every application (including both MSI and virtual packages), patch, operating system, and related data in your enterprise.

Using AdminStudio's Web-based interface, you can run searches of the Application Catalog from anywhere to quickly locate applications, groups of packages, merge modules, patches, and more. You never again have to guess whether or not a package is in your environment — with the Application Catalog, you always know. Applications can be quickly located, checked out, edited, and re-imported as needed.

Packages in the catalog can be grouped to mirror your baseline systems or any user group and business unit in your environment, making it easier to test new packages before deployment and centrally manage installed applications.

For large organizations with packaging teams in multiple locations, AdminStudio can automatically synchronize all your Application Catalogs, making the most recent packages and packaging data available in each location.

CMDB Support for ITIL, MOF, or BDD Implementations
AdminStudio and Flexera Software’s Workflow Manager (sold separately) now share the same Application Catalog, so package-related data in AdminStudio and packaging process management data in Workflow Manager are linked and accessible via AdminStudio's Report Center and can be integrated into your CMDB. It provides a foundation for Definitive Software Library (DSL) support in your ITIL or Microsoft MOF and BDD implementations.

 

 

 

AdminStudio has comprehensive reporting functionality that enables you to generate reports from the data stored in the Application Catalog, making it easier for you and your team to centrally manage your environment.

Report Center enables you to generate detailed, customizable reports on packages with particular characteristics, including files, shortcuts, registry entries, and more. These reports not only improve the quality of the packaging process, they are invaluable in assisting with quickly diagnosing and repairing application problems.

Reports are accessible anywhere via the Web-based interface and can be exported into numerous file formats for easy sharing and archiving. Report Center has also been enhanced with a streamlined UI, links to important package data, and improved search features that make it even easier to find the data you need. Plus, you can enter custom SQL queries to generate reports on all data on a given package.

CMDB Support for ITIL, MOF, or BDD Implementations
AdminStudio and Workflow Manager (sold separately) now share the same Application Catalog, so package-related data in AdminStudio and packaging process management data in Workflow Manager are linked and accessible via Report Center and can feed into your CMDB. It provides a foundation for Definitive Software Library (DSL) support in your ITIL or Microsoft MOF and BDD implementations.

Every time you distribute applications and patches you run the risk of creating software conflicts that crash other applications and disrupt systems across your environment. AdminStudio gives systems administrators everything needed to prepare conflict-free, reliable software packages for deployment.

First, it gives you the ability to quickly convert applications into Microsoft®
App-V™, VMware® ThinApp™* and Citrix® XenApp™ virtual packages. Virtual packages prevent software conflicts by running in their own isolated environment.

Second, AdminStudio’s ConflictSolver lets you test your MSI packages and patches for conflicts against any application and operating system in your enterprise (including Windows Vista) before you deploy. Depending on the conflict, AdminStudio either instantly corrects it or helps you fix it according to your corporate standards.

ConflictSolver has a Process Assistant to guide you through the conflict detection and resolution process. Plus, the Web-based Job Manager helps speed up conflict testing by letting you schedule common tasks — such as package import, validation, and conflict resolution — to run automatically, day or night. No human intervention is required.

Finally, AdminStudio also has the Application Isolation Wizard that can automatically scan MSI packages to determine if they are fully isolated and using only local resources and DLLs. If there is a problem, the Application Isolation Wizard can partially or totally isolate an application before you deploy it, ensuring installed applications are unaffected by the rollout.

*Requires separate purchase of VMware ThinApp

 

 

It is essential to thoroughly test packages before deployment to ensure they will install successfully and behave reliably throughout their lifecycle.

AdminStudio's QualityMonitor is a complete quality assurance solution that automatically tests your packages to guarantee they will work– and continue to work – as expected once installed.

QualityMonitor automatically verifies that all installation elements — such as file extensions and shortcuts — are configured correctly, and it also makes sure that no uninstallation problems exist and that the application has sufficient access rights to operate in a locked-down environment.

PackageExpert saves you time by running MSI validation and QA tests on your MSI packages and automatically fixing any errors. You can also create and run your own custom tests. It helps you ensure MSIs deploy smoothly and run properly on any Windows platform, including Vista.

The Rules Wizard gives you the ability to easily create your own custom business rules to identify applications that violate your corporate standards. These corporate validation rules can be set to automatically run against every package – and no programming is needed.

AdminStudio can also simulate the deployment of an application or patch without physically installing it on any machine. Not only will AdminStudio determine any issues with install conditions and access rights, it will also check for conflicts with other installed packages. Deployment results are reported back without risk to your environment, enabling you to make the necessary corrections before actual deployment.

Migrating software to the Windows Installer (MSI) format is the first step to ensuring its successful deployment, long-term reliability, and problem-free coexistence with the other applications installed in your environment.

Only AdminStudio has the ability to convert any setup into a pure MSI package. The enhanced Repackager does all the work for you quickly and accurately. No more waiting for snapshots or scrolling through file exclusion lists— all the system changes made by a setup — and only those changes — are automatically captured. You get the most accurate MSI possible, and you get it in far less time.

Convert Software to Windows Vista-Ready MSIs
AdminStudio helps ensure software runs reliably on Windows Vista™ (or any Windows OS) by automatically repackaging any setup to a fully compliant MSI package. AdminStudio itself runs on Windows Vista, so you can follow best practices by performing MSI repackaging and testing on machines running the same Windows Vista OS as your target environment.

Only Solution for Packaging InstallShield Setups
AdminStudio is the only tool that can see inside native InstallShield setups, automatically capture their information, and accurately convert them into MSIs. No matter if the original installation is 100% InstallScript™ or an InstallScript MSI mix, only AdminStudio can repackage it into a pure, accurate MSI.

AdminStudio can also automatically convert Microsoft® Configuration Manager(formerly SMS), Novell ZENworks®, WinINSTALL®, and Wise® WSE software packages directly into robust MSIs without repackaging.

Software packaging can be extremely time consuming and inaccurate if performed manually or with inferior tools. The results are often low-quality MSI packages with incomplete functionality that perform poorly once deployed.

AdminStudio has the timesaving tools you need to package your software quickly and correctly.  AdminStudio automated tools and intelligent wizards speed you through a structured software packaging process based on best practices that you can tailor to fit your company's standards. It recognizes issues and automatically recommends the best ways to correct them, enabling you to prepare reliable packages in far less time.

With AdminStudio, you can quickly customize MSI and virtual packages to meet the needs of every group in your enterprise.

The AdminStudio Editor enables you to directly edit any part of an MSI installation, such as adding or modifying files or registry entries, adding merge modules and Web services, modifying any user interface elements you choose to display, and changing shortcuts.

AdminStudio is now powered by the latest version of the world’s leading MSI authoring and editing tool, InstallShield® 2010 Service Pack 1, which includes the ability to natively create an App-V installation, support for MSI 5.0 and more

Plus, the AdminStudio Editor makes it easy to edit Microsoft® App-V™, VMware® ThinApp™ and Citrix® XenApp™ virtual packages, from modifying registry settings to controlling isolation options at a granular level, quickly and easily. (Please note: App-V, ThinApp and XenApp support requires the purchase of the AdminStudio Virtualization Pack.)

AdminStudio also provides a fast way to build Windows Installer transforms (MST files) for modifying MSI packages.

*Requires separate purchase of VMware ThinApp

AdminStudio makes it easy for you to release software packages to any software deployment solution — including Microsoft® System Center Configuration Manager, Novell ZENworks®, LANDesk®, BMC® Configuration Management, Citrix®, Tivoli®, and ManageSoft®.

Microsoft, Novell, and Citrix have even named AdminStudio their preferred packaging solution, recommending that their customers use it to prepare software for deployment.

Just tell the AdminStudio Distribution Wizard the deployment solution you wish to use, and the wizard automatically creates the system-specific files necessary to successfully deploy your package.

AdminStudio also has a Configuration Manager Web Console that simplifies and streamlines Configuration Manager distributions. All your Configuration Manager installation administration needs — including targeting, publishing, advertising, and uninstallation — are met from this Web-based interface.

For those organizations not using a third-party deployment solution, AdminStudio also facilitates distributing your packages via network destinations, FTP servers, administrative installations, and more.

 

 

 

At the core of AdminStudio is the Application Catalog. This centralized database is a comprehensive repository containing every application (including both MSI and virtual packages), patch, operating system, and related data in your enterprise.

Using AdminStudio's Web-based interface, you can run searches of the Application Catalog from anywhere to quickly locate applications, groups of packages, merge modules, patches, and more. You never again have to guess whether or not a package is in your environment — with the Application Catalog, you always know. Applications can be quickly located, checked out, edited, and re-imported as needed.

Packages in the catalog can be grouped to mirror your baseline systems or any user group and business unit in your environment, making it easier to test new packages before deployment and centrally manage installed applications.

For large organizations with packaging teams in multiple locations, AdminStudio can automatically synchronize all your Application Catalogs, making the most recent packages and packaging data available in each location.

CMDB Support for ITIL, MOF, or BDD Implementations
AdminStudio and Flexera Software’s Workflow Manager (sold separately) now share the same Application Catalog, so package-related data in AdminStudio and packaging process management data in Workflow Manager are linked and accessible via AdminStudio's Report Center and can be integrated into your CMDB. It provides a foundation for Definitive Software Library (DSL) support in your ITIL or Microsoft MOF and BDD implementations.

 

 

 

AdminStudio now provides unprecedented support for managing virtual applications, making it as easy as managing MSIs.

AdminStudio now stores virtual application files and related metadata in the same location as the binaries and information on your non-virtual packages. Now you can always know who is touching an application before and after deployment, who initially requested it, which groups was it requested for, what are its contents, and who tested it.

Packagers can also see at a glance which applications in their environment are MSIs and which ones are in virtual formats.

AdminStudio has comprehensive reporting functionality that enables you to generate reports from the data stored in the Application Catalog, making it easier for you and your team to centrally manage your environment.

Report Center enables you to generate detailed, customizable reports on packages with particular characteristics, including files, shortcuts, registry entries, and more. These reports not only improve the quality of the packaging process, they are invaluable in assisting with quickly diagnosing and repairing application problems.

Reports are accessible anywhere via the Web-based interface and can be exported into numerous file formats for easy sharing and archiving. Report Center has also been enhanced with a streamlined UI, links to important package data, and improved search features that make it even easier to find the data you need. Plus, you can enter custom SQL queries to generate reports on all data on a given package.

CMDB Support for ITIL, MOF, or BDD Implementations
AdminStudio and Workflow Manager (sold separately) now share the same Application Catalog, so package-related data in AdminStudio and packaging process management data in Workflow Manager are linked and accessible via Report Center and can feed into your CMDB. It provides a foundation for Definitive Software Library (DSL) support in your ITIL or Microsoft MOF and BDD implementations.

The Web-based Job Manager helps speed up conflict testing by letting you schedule common tasks — such as package import, validation, and conflict resolution — to run automatically.

These processes can be set to run at any time (day or night) or during predefined events (e.g., when system availability is highest or certain data is available), and no human intervention is required. It can also be applied to multiple packages sequentially. Plus, Job Manager is now integrated with Security Console, simplifying the management of user roles and permission for Job Manager-related tasks.

To help maintain the security of your enterprise's packaging process, the new Web-based Security Console makes it easy to define each user's access rights to AdminStudio, ensuring personnel never perform unauthorized tasks.

 You can assign rights to individuals on a feature-by-feature basis. You can also group users into different roles — such as administrator, packager, or guest — with specific access rights based on job function. Creating your own custom roles is easy. Plus, to further simplify the management of access rights, you can now use your LDAP database — such as Microsoft® Active Directory® and Novell® eDirectory® — to establish user privileges. Authentication is dynamic, so any changes made to the LDAP database are automatically reflected during AdminStudio login.

The Application Catalog now provides a single source not only for all the descriptive data about your applications, but also the binary files (MSI and supporting files) themselves, making data and actual packages easy to locate and access. This includes support for multiple versions of an application. It enables IT members to quickly locate and check out the latest version of a package, ensuring work isn't mistakenly performed on out-of-date versions.

AdminStudio and Workflow Manager (sold separately), the premier software packaging management solution, are fully integrated to help you streamline and standardize your packaging process.

AdminStudio and Workflow Manager now share the same Application Catalog, so package-related data in AdminStudio and packaging process management data in Workflow Manager are linked and accessible via AdminStudio's Report Center and can feed into your CMDB. It provides a foundation for Definitive Software Library (DSL) support in your ITIL or Microsoft MOF and BDD implementations.

Additional integration enhancements include:

• AdminStudio's Job Manager, Report Center, and SMS Web Console now share a tabbed interface with Workflow Manager, making it easy to jump back and forth from different functional areas.
• You can now associate an application request in Workflow Manager with a package from either the AdminStudio or Workflow Manager UI, so you can quickly move from an application request progress report to a report on how that package was prepared for deployment.
• All security settings (users, roles, and permissions) for AdminStudio and Workflow Manager are managed from the same UI.
• When defining a Workflow Manager workflow template, you can choose to define a workflow phase as an AdminStudio workflow project, and you will receive progress notification from AdminStudio as the project steps are completed.

As you use AdminStudio to complete tasks, the percentage of work completed for each step is indicated by Workflow Manager. In addition, rollback of a workflow with an AdminStudio step is reflected in the associated Workflow Manager project.

 

Application Manager provides a single, user-friendly view into all the data and packages in the Application Catalog. It includes a summary dashboard showing high-level statistics, a list of recently modified packages, and recent catalog management activity.

You can also run searches of the Application Catalog from anywhere to quickly locate applications, groups of packages, merge modules, patches, and more, so you never have to guess whether or not a package is in your environment.

Packages in the catalog can be grouped using the Web-based interface to mirror your baseline systems or any user group and business unit in your environment, making it easier to test new packages before deployment and manage installed applications.

For large organizations with packaging teams in multiple locations, AdminStudio can automatically synchronize all your Application Catalogs, making the most recent packages and packaging data available in each location. (Applies to Microsoft SQL Server 2005 databases only.)

 

To help IT monitor and manage license usage, AdminStudiohas FLEXwrap technology that you can use to inject license tracking capabilities into applications before deployment, making those programs visible to Flexera Software's license management solution, FlexNetManager (sold separately).

You can then use FlexNet Manager’s Web-based console to centrally track and report on the usage of all your FLEXwrapped software licenses.

Using AdminStudio, FLEXwrapping applications becomes a natural part of the software packaging process your IT team already follows to prepare Windows Installer (MSI) packages for deployment. AdminStudio has a FLEXwrap Assistant that automates the FLEXwrap process and does the work for you.

AdminStudio has the tools that enable you to repackage both 32-bit and 64-bit applications and test for application compatibility with new Windows 7 tests.

Windows 7 migrations have significant impact on an IT organization in terms of time, budget and internal reputation. Ensuring application compatibility and deploying applications for optimal performance and functionality is an essential requirement. AdminStudio 9.5 includes support for Windows 7, including several enhancements to the AdminStudio Repackager: default Repackager exclusions list, updated process exclusions, improved functionality for capturing side-by-side assemblies, improved handling of user data, and the incorporation of the Build Engine from InstallShield 2010 Service Pack 1.

Find and resolve common Windows 7 deployment issues with 12 new Windows 7 compatibility tests. Test for Per User setups, AdminUser or Privileged Launch conditions, and Windows 7 Protected Files and Registry Keys, and more

Plus, AdminStudio itself runs on Windows 7, so you can follow best practices by performing MSI repackaging and testing on machines running the same Windows 7 OS as your target environment

Users of prior editions of AdminStudio Virtualization Pack and users of the native tools provided by application virtualization vendors have experienced challenges with preparing virtual formats of specific applications. Users highlight, for example, difficulty using the App-V Sequencer for Adobe Creative Suite products. AdminStudio 9.5 includes enhancements to the number of Windows Installer configurations included in the AdminStudio Batch Conversion tool to more easily create a .SFT file from an MSI of troublesome applications. AdminStudio Batch Conversion is available with the AdminStudio Enterprise Edition with AdminStudio Virtualization Pack.

For those more troublesome applications, AdminStudio can apply remediation to help ensure the software will function properly when virtualized. This special feature is only available on the desktop model of AdminStudio Enterprise Edition with Virtualization Pack.

Virtual applications cut IT costs by preventing software conflicts and eliminating the need for regression testing.

AdminStudio now gives you the ability to quickly convert applications into Microsoft® App-V™, VMware® ThinApp™* and Citrix® XenApp™ virtual packages. It’s the only packaging solution that lets you choose from multiple virtualization formats, so you can pick the format or formats that best fits different situations.

AdminStudio comes with Microsoft, VMware and Citrix Assistants that save you time and effort by walking you through the virtualization process in minutes, including the customizing of virtual packages. It gives you complete control over every aspect of virtual packages, from modifying registry settings to controlling isolation options at a granular level, quickly and easily.

It also provides pre-virtualization scanning functionality that quickly determines which MSIs in your environment are good candidates for virtualization. After establishing a list of good virtualization candidates, AdminStudio can automatically convert the MSIs to virtual applications for you in bulk**. For those more troublesome applications, AdminStudio can apply remediation to help ensure the software will function properly when virtualized.

The AdminStudio Virtualization Pack requires the purchase of a Bronze, Silver or Gold Maintenance Plan.

*Requires separate purchase of VMware ThinApp
** Speak to an account manager about purchasing batch conversion capabilities .

 

Simultaneously create a 64-bit Windows Installer package (MSI) and a 64-bit Microsoft App-V package, saving time and effort. AdminStudio accelerates virtual deployments by reformatting applications into the App-V format natively, without the use of the multi-step App-V Sequencer tool. At this time, AdminStudio will be the only application readiness solution set that can natively support the App-V format, reducing costs and increasing reliability for App-V implementations.

Leverage the work that your organization has already done around application preparation. Quickly scan your existing application portfolio of MSI packages to determine which ones are good candidates for virtualization using AdminStudio automated scanning capabilities.

Based on Flexera Software-developed application virtualization best practices, the scanning capabilities intelligently read an MSI package to see if it meets the application virtualization best practices. You can also create your own rules and share them with other IT teams in your organization.

AdminStudio can now suite several applications together in a single virtual container, enabling them to work together properly.

Now, for example, if your organization is virtualizing Microsoft^® Outlook^®, you can also virtualize Adobe^® Reader^® in the same container so that those two applications can “talk” to each other and function seamlessly without any interoperability issues.

Although limited communication capabilities are now becoming more available from the leading virtualization vendors, this feature addresses the concern of many organizations who are implementing application virtualization projects – the ability to place several applications in a single container (location) to ensure that they are able to function properly within their end user’s environments.

With virtual application suiting, AdminStudio solves the isolated “interoperability” issue that organizations had been experiencing. It addresses one of the most prevalent hurdles that had been slowing the adoption of application virtualization, regardless of the vendor technology.

Windows 7 migrations have significant impact on an IT organization in terms of time, budget and internal reputation. Ensuring application compatibility and deploying applications for optimal performance and functionality is an essential requirement. AdminStudio 9.5 includes support for Windows 7, including several enhancements to the AdminStudio Repackager: default Repackager exclusions list, updated process exclusions, improved functionality for capturing side-by-side assemblies, improved handling of user data, and the incorporation of the Build Engine from InstallShield 2010 Service Pack 1.

Find and resolve common Windows 7 deployment issues with 12 new Windows 7 compatibility tests. Test for Per User setups, AdminUser or Privileged Launch conditions, and Windows 7 Protected Files and Registry Keys, and more.

Plus, AdminStudio itself runs on Windows 7, so you can follow best practices by performing MSI repackaging and testing on machines running the same Windows 7 OS as your target environment.

Applications with setups that combine InstallScript™ and Windows Installer can be a headache to manage. Only AdminStudio automatically converts your InstallScript MSI setups into 100% pure MSI installations, making them easier for you to handle.

AdminStudio automatically preserves the Windows Installer database portion of the InstallScript MSI setup and merges it with the properties of the InstallScript code. The end result is a pure, industry-standard MSI package that provides all the reliability and timesaving benefits of the Windows Installer service.

Migrating software to the Windows Installer (MSI) format is the first step to ensuring its successful deployment, long-term reliability, and problem-free coexistence with the other applications installed in your environment.

Only AdminStudio has the ability to convert any setup into a pure MSI package. The enhanced Repackager does all the work for you quickly and accurately. No more waiting for snapshots or scrolling through file exclusion lists— all the system changes made by a setup — and only those changes — are automatically captured. You get the most accurate MSI possible, and you get it in far less time.

Convert Software to Windows Vista-Ready MSIs
AdminStudio helps ensure software runs reliably on Windows Vista™ (or any Windows OS) by automatically repackaging any setup to a fully compliant MSI package. AdminStudio itself runs on Windows Vista, so you can follow best practices by performing MSI repackaging and testing on machines running the same Windows Vista OS as your target environment.

Only Solution for Packaging InstallShield Setups
AdminStudio is the only tool that can see inside native InstallShield setups, automatically capture their information, and accurately convert them into MSIs. No matter if the original installation is 100% InstallScript™ or an InstallScript MSI mix, only AdminStudio can repackage it into a pure, accurate MSI.

AdminStudio can also automatically convert Microsoft® Configuration Manager(formerly SMS), Novell ZENworks®, WinINSTALL®, and Wise® WSE software packages directly into robust MSIs without repackaging.

AdminStudio’s Repackager now captures context data during the MSI repackaging process, so you can better understand the consequences and complications surrounding a package.

With this update, AdminStudio provides you with complete information for decision making and makes it easier for you to repackage applications that had been previously challenging, such as Microsoft Office^® and Adobe Reader^®, for both traditional deployments and application virtualization projects.

One of the biggest reasons you use a software packaging solution is to quickly and accurately convert legacy setups to reliable MSI packages — and nothing does it better or faster than AdminStudio.

AdminStudio's Repackager now has enhanced installation monitoring technology that provides dramatic performance improvements in converting setup executables into Windows Installer packages.

Using installation monitoring technology, Repackager automatically monitors a system for any processes that are created during an installation and identifies any files, shell links, registry entries, and other items that are added, modified, or removed by the legacy installation.

No more waiting for snapshots or scrolling through file exclusion lists — all the system changes made by a setup — and only those changes — are automatically captured. Repackager can then convert this data into a reliable MSI package — it's that easy. You get the most accurate MSI possible, and you get it in far less time.

Unsure how to begin preparing a new application for enterprise use? Let the new Process Assistant speed you through the entire process, from packaging and feature customization to testing and deployment handoff.

The Process Assistant takes all the complexity out of preparing applications for deployment. It decreases the time required for new AdminStudio users to prepare software packages for deployment, while also enabling veteran systems administrators to efficiently jumpstart a new packaging project.

90% of the world's software installations are created using InstallShield technology. AdminStudio is the only tool that can see inside native InstallShield setups, automatically capture their information, and accurately convert them into MSIs. No matter if the original installation is 100% InstallScript™ or an InstallScript MSI mix, only AdminStudio can repackage it into a pure, accurate MSI.

AdminStudio comes with automated SmartScan technology that automatically extracts information that other packaging tools miss. It scans the InstallShield Setup.exe for any missing files, registry items, and shortcuts not captured by the Repackager (such as OS-dependent files and language-dependent files) and adds them to the project in a color-coded format, so you always know why they were added. You also have the option to include or exclude this additional information in the MSI packages you build.

SmartScan also accurately preserves the original feature organization of your InstallShield scripted setups, so you can modify a single package countless ways without having to waste valuable time repackaging again and again.

The Setup Intent Wizard's timesaving functionality makes packaging even easier, and is especially valuable to large enterprises that require the services of dozens of packagers.

Available in AdminStudio's Repackager interface, the Setup Intent Wizard scans your source project files for any missing DLLs or dependencies that were not captured by the Repackager and automatically prompts you to add them to your MSI project. This enables you to capture installation logic even when it is not reflected in changes to the system.

AdminStudio makes it easy for systems administrators to convert Microsoft® System Center Configuration Manager(formerly SMS), Novell ZENworks®, WinINSTALL®, and Wise® WSE software packages directly into robust MSIs without having to waste time packaging.

AdminStudio's automated Converter rapidly copies all file and registry data from those legacy setups into a new AdminStudio project, so you can bypass repackaging and automatically convert the installations directly into reliable MSIs, saving you time and improving the quality of your packages.

To ensure undesirable files are never included in your MSI packages, AdminStudio offers the Global Exclusions Editor. Simply tell the Global Exclusions Editor what files you never wish to deploy with any package, and they will be automatically blocked from the MSIs you create. Items can be added or removed from the list at any time.

Software packaging can be extremely time consuming and inaccurate if performed manually or with inferior tools. The results are often low-quality MSI packages with incomplete functionality that perform poorly once deployed.

AdminStudio has the timesaving tools you need to package your software quickly and correctly.  AdminStudio automated tools and intelligent wizards speed you through a structured software packaging process based on best practices that you can tailor to fit your company's standards. It recognizes issues and automatically recommends the best ways to correct them, enabling you to prepare reliable packages in far less time.

InstallShield 2010 has the tools to support Windows 7, including the ability to create applications that meet Microsoft’s requirements for the “Compatible with Windows 7” logo.

InstallShield 2010 SP1 includes support for installing applications on Windows Server 2008 R2, including building conditions for features and components. Integrating Windows Installer 5 features, InstallShield 2010 SP1 allows users to take advantage of the cool new MSI 5 functionality, including: creating per-user applications and quicker installations for large packages.

AdminStudio gives you complete control over Microsoft® App-V™, VMware® ThinApp™* and Citrix® XenApp™ virtual packages, from modifying registry settings to controlling isolation options at a granular level, quickly and easily.

The separate AdminStudio App-V, ThinApp and XenApp Assistants walk you through the entire virtual package customization process. No matter which system you use, AdminStudio makes it easy for those unfamiliar with the application virtualization technologies to edit packages for virtualization.

With AdminStudio, you have the power to:

*Requires separate purchase of VMware ThinApp

For those packages you wish to deploy with a user interface, new multilingual support lets you localize the UI into as many as 33 runtime languages, eliminating hours of installation dialog and message box translation effort.

Supported languages

Chinese (Simplified)	Greek
Chinese (Traditional)	Hungarian
English	Italian
Basque	Norwegian
Bulgarian	Polish
Catalan	Russian
Croatian	Thai
Czech	Turkish
Danish	Portuguese (Brazil)
Dutch	Portuguese (Portugal)
Finnish	Romanian
Indonesian	Serbian
Japanese	Slovak
Korean	Slovenian
French (Canada)	Spanish
French (France)	Swedish
German

With AdminStudio, you can quickly customize MSI and virtual packages to meet the needs of every group in your enterprise.

The AdminStudio Editor enables you to directly edit any part of an MSI installation, such as adding or modifying files or registry entries, adding merge modules and Web services, modifying any user interface elements you choose to display, and changing shortcuts.

AdminStudio is now powered by the latest version of the world’s leading MSI authoring and editing tool, InstallShield® 2010 Service Pack 1, which includes the ability to natively create an App-V installation, support for MSI 5.0 and more

Plus, the AdminStudio Editor makes it easy to edit Microsoft® App-V™, VMware® ThinApp™ and Citrix® XenApp™ virtual packages, from modifying registry settings to controlling isolation options at a granular level, quickly and easily. (Please note: App-V, ThinApp and XenApp support requires the purchase of the AdminStudio Virtualization Pack.)

AdminStudio also provides a fast way to build Windows Installer transforms (MST files) for modifying MSI packages.

*Requires separate purchase of VMware ThinApp

AdminStudio gives you tremendous flexibility in your package build formats, helping ensure the packages you deploy fit your company's specific standards and processes.

It now includes the new ability to build installations with a single external CAB file, which enables you to keep your MSIs smaller while making rebuilding and deploying the MSI less time consuming.

AdminStudio Editor is now powered by InstallShield 12, the world's standard in MSI authoring and editing. Editor makes it easy to author your own MSI installations (including Windows Vista-compatible setups), upgrades, patches, and transforms.

Editor has unparalleled Windows Installer support, giving you complete control over your MSI installations. Use Editor's powerful wizards, task-based views, and a full Direct Table Editor to easily enable your installs to leverage Windows Installer service benefits (such as install-on-demand, auto-repair, and installation rollback).

With Editor you can easily create or edit an MSI file directly using rich views and create or edit a transform based on an existing MSI file. Plus Editor gives you enhanced control and error management capabilities with the MSI Debugger, MSI differencing tools, and instant access to Error Central.

Editor offers you maximum power and flexibility by enabling any level of install customization. Source code control integration makes MSI project versioning possible, while the automation interface dramatically increases the number of ways in which projects can be updated. Editor's simplified patch and upgrade creation, clean build system support, debugging, and build report tools also assist in your product lifecycle management.

AdminStudio provides the fastest way to build Windows Installer transforms (MST files) for adding files, changing registry settings, adding license keys, removing registration wizards, or making other modifications to your MSI package without modifying the base MSI file.

AdminStudio's Response Transform Wizard enables the creation of a transform by simply running through the installation process. All of the selections you make are automatically captured in a transform. You can also easily edit transform files using the same tool and user interface you use for authoring and editing your MSI installations.

Validate your MSI packages to ensure they conform to Microsoft guidelines—including the Microsoft Windows Vista Quality program—using built-in QA tools like Microsoft ICEs and the MSI Debugger.

In addition, AdminStudio's automated dependency scanning guarantees that you've included all the necessary files within your package.

To maintain the security of your network, IT is under tremendous pressure to quickly obtain and deploy new patches. But deploying patches without testing their impact can have unintended, and potentially catastrophic, results.

AdminStudio speeds up patch testing by identifying — without deploying the patch — the applications in your environment that will be impacted by its rollout, so you can focus user testing solely on those impacted programs. The end result — you can test and deploys patches quickly without risking your environment.

AdminStudio analyzes the full impact of patches on the runtime file dependencies of your enterprise's applications. It compares the system files used by your applications at runtime with the files being replaced by a patch, and overlaps are identified and presented for review. It also automatically detects potential conflicts between a new patch and the applications and operating systems of every machine it targets, helping you avoid "DLL Hell".

AdminStudio has an enhanced wizard for the easy import of new patches from Microsoft (including Windows Vista patches) into the AdminStudio catalog for conflict testing using the ConflictSolver tool.

It saves you the trouble of manually testing new Microsoft patches. AdminStudio continues to field patches from multiple vendors, helping to troubleshoot the impact of a vendor patch before it is deployed throughout the organization.

Every time you distribute applications and patches you run the risk of creating software conflicts that crash other applications and disrupt systems across your environment. AdminStudio gives systems administrators everything needed to prepare conflict-free, reliable software packages for deployment.

First, it gives you the ability to quickly convert applications into Microsoft®
App-V™, VMware® ThinApp™* and Citrix® XenApp™ virtual packages. Virtual packages prevent software conflicts by running in their own isolated environment.

Second, AdminStudio’s ConflictSolver lets you test your MSI packages and patches for conflicts against any application and operating system in your enterprise (including Windows Vista) before you deploy. Depending on the conflict, AdminStudio either instantly corrects it or helps you fix it according to your corporate standards.

ConflictSolver has a Process Assistant to guide you through the conflict detection and resolution process. Plus, the Web-based Job Manager helps speed up conflict testing by letting you schedule common tasks — such as package import, validation, and conflict resolution — to run automatically, day or night. No human intervention is required.

Finally, AdminStudio also has the Application Isolation Wizard that can automatically scan MSI packages to determine if they are fully isolated and using only local resources and DLLs. If there is a problem, the Application Isolation Wizard can partially or totally isolate an application before you deploy it, ensuring installed applications are unaffected by the rollout.

*Requires separate purchase of VMware ThinApp

 

 

Whenever you deploy an application, you risk plunging your desktops into "DLL Hell". DLL Hell occurs when new applications installed on a system inadvertently delete a DLL or overwrite it with an obsolete version, causing the other applications sharing that DLL to malfunction. IT can spend days trying to correctly diagnose and fix the problem, which can potentially cost the organization millions in lost productivity and help desk expenses.

AdminStudio's Application Isolation Wizard gives systems administrators an easy way to avoid these component versioning conflicts. It automatically scans MSI packages to determine if they are fully isolated and using only local resources and DLLs. If there is a problem, the Application Isolation Wizard easily enables you to partially or totally isolate an application before you deploy it, ensuring installed applications are unaffected by the rollout.

The wizard places a copy of critical files in a local folder, making them only accessible to that MSI. Other applications needing those files would use different copies of the files and would therefore not impact the first application. The enhanced Application Isolation Wizard now automates the isolation of the most appropriate files in a package. It can also be launched directly at the end of the repackaging process.

PackageExpert provides a comprehensive testing framework for testing and validating your software packages. It saves you time by letting you configure and run MSI validation and QA tests on your MSI packages and automatically fixes any errors for you. You can also create and run your own custom tests. With PackageExpert, you can:

• Run validation tests are to ensure packages conform to strict Windows 7 standards
• Find and resolve common Windows 7 deployment issues with 12 new Windows 7 compatibility tests. Test for Per User setups, AdminUser or Privileged Launch conditions, Windows 7 Protected Files and Registry Keys, and more 
• Automatically pre-test legacy packages that you wish to redeploy to new systems running Windows 7
• Select and configure specific tests, test groups, and test scenarios to run on your software packages
• Automatically run your test scenarios against part or all of your Application Catalog at will, checking for specific error conditions or conflicts
• Create custom tests that check for and correct conditions you have established within your own packaging standards

PackageExpert helps you establish and enforce packaging standards that ensure that your MSIs deploy smoothly and run properly on any Windows platform, including Windows 7.

It is essential to thoroughly test packages before deployment to ensure they will install successfully and behave reliably throughout their lifecycle.

AdminStudio's QualityMonitor is a complete quality assurance solution that automatically tests your packages to guarantee they will work– and continue to work – as expected once installed.

QualityMonitor automatically verifies that all installation elements — such as file extensions and shortcuts — are configured correctly, and it also makes sure that no uninstallation problems exist and that the application has sufficient access rights to operate in a locked-down environment.

PackageExpert saves you time by running MSI validation and QA tests on your MSI packages and automatically fixing any errors. You can also create and run your own custom tests. It helps you ensure MSIs deploy smoothly and run properly on any Windows platform, including Vista.

The Rules Wizard gives you the ability to easily create your own custom business rules to identify applications that violate your corporate standards. These corporate validation rules can be set to automatically run against every package – and no programming is needed.

AdminStudio can also simulate the deployment of an application or patch without physically installing it on any machine. Not only will AdminStudio determine any issues with install conditions and access rights, it will also check for conflicts with other installed packages. Deployment results are reported back without risk to your environment, enabling you to make the necessary corrections before actual deployment.

QualityMonitor runs configuration testing to automatically verify before deployment that all installation elements—such as file extensions and shortcuts—are configured correctly and that all key functionality will work in the intended environment.

For example, all of the application shortcuts are automatically listed. Each one can be selected and run.  If the shortcut launches the application as expected, a positive comment can be logged and the configuration testing will be marked as successful. QualityMonitor also makes sure that no uninstallation problems will arise down the road.

AdminStudio automatically verifies that a package has sufficient access rights to operate in a locked-down environment before you deploy it.

One of the main executables in the application is selected for testing. Then the appropriate user credentials are inserted. Locked-down tests are generally executed under a different login account, ensuring your application runs reliably for users with lower levels of security permissions.

AdminStudio's automated quality assurance tools do more than ensure the predeployment health and reliability of your applications. They also help monitor your live, deployed software to ensure it continues to function properly.

AdminStudio's MSI Doctor lets you determine if an installed software package needs repair, what repair is needed, and why. MSI Doctor shows you the "insides" of the installed application and lets you easily identify and fix previously difficult-to-diagnose problems.

Establishing corporate standards for the way your software is configured gives you a more consistent and manageable infrastructure and lets IT solve post-deployment application problems faster. AdminStudio's Rules Wizard gives you the ability to easily create your own custom business rules that automatically identify and correct applications that violate your corporate standards.

You can easily create corporate validation rules that run against every application to ensure your guidelines are always followed — and no programming is needed. AdminStudio offers an intuitive, easy-to-use, wizard-driven approach to creating custom rules that detect missing or incorrect package data in any MSI table in the Application Catalog.

Once created, your custom rules can be shared and used anytime by other members of your desktop management team, making your collaborative projects even more efficient. The custom rules work exactly like AdminStudio's predefined conflict-checking rules and integrate throughout the system in all user interfaces and reports.

Want to know the results of a package's deployment without actually deploying it? AdminStudio enables you to simulate the real deployment of an application or patch without physically installing it on any target machine.

Not only will AdminStudio determine any issues with install conditions and access rights, it will also check for conflicts with other MSI packages already on each system. Deployment results are reported back to you without risking real installation failure or end-user system downtime, enabling you to make the necessary corrections before actual deployment.

Prepare, publish, and distribute applications through your Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007system without ever touching the SCCM console. AdminStudio provides a Web-based SCCM interface that simplifies your SCCM management requirements and cuts down software rollout times.

All your SCCM administration needs — including targeting, publishing, advertising, and uninstallation — are met from this interface.

 

AdminStudio makes it easy for you to release software packages to any software deployment solution — including Microsoft® System Center Configuration Manager, Novell ZENworks®, LANDesk®, BMC® Configuration Management, Citrix®, Tivoli®, and ManageSoft®.

Microsoft, Novell, and Citrix have even named AdminStudio their preferred packaging solution, recommending that their customers use it to prepare software for deployment.

Just tell the AdminStudio Distribution Wizard the deployment solution you wish to use, and the wizard automatically creates the system-specific files necessary to successfully deploy your package.

AdminStudio also has a Configuration Manager Web Console that simplifies and streamlines Configuration Manager distributions. All your Configuration Manager installation administration needs — including targeting, publishing, advertising, and uninstallation — are met from this Web-based interface.

For those organizations not using a third-party deployment solution, AdminStudio also facilitates distributing your packages via network destinations, FTP servers, administrative installations, and more.

 

 

AdminStudio has the tools that enable you to repackage both 32-bit and 64-bit applications and test for application compatibility with new Windows 7 tests.

Windows 7 migrations have significant impact on an IT organization in terms of time, budget and internal reputation. Ensuring application compatibility and deploying applications for optimal performance and functionality is an essential requirement. AdminStudio 9.5 includes support for Windows 7, including several enhancements to the AdminStudio Repackager: default Repackager exclusions list, updated process exclusions, improved functionality for capturing side-by-side assemblies, improved handling of user data, and the incorporation of the Build Engine from InstallShield 2010 Service Pack 1.

Find and resolve common Windows 7 deployment issues with 12 new Windows 7 compatibility tests. Test for Per User setups, AdminUser or Privileged Launch conditions, and Windows 7 Protected Files and Registry Keys, and more

Plus, AdminStudio itself runs on Windows 7, so you can follow best practices by performing MSI repackaging and testing on machines running the same Windows 7 OS as your target environment

Users of prior editions of AdminStudio Virtualization Pack and users of the native tools provided by application virtualization vendors have experienced challenges with preparing virtual formats of specific applications. Users highlight, for example, difficulty using the App-V Sequencer for Adobe Creative Suite products. AdminStudio 9.5 includes enhancements to the number of Windows Installer configurations included in the AdminStudio Batch Conversion tool to more easily create a .SFT file from an MSI of troublesome applications. AdminStudio Batch Conversion is available with the AdminStudio Enterprise Edition with AdminStudio Virtualization Pack.

InstallShield 2010 has the tools to support Windows 7, including the ability to create applications that meet Microsoft’s requirements for the “Compatible with Windows 7” logo.

InstallShield 2010 SP1 includes support for installing applications on Windows Server 2008 R2, including building conditions for features and components. Integrating Windows Installer 5 features, InstallShield 2010 SP1 allows users to take advantage of the cool new MSI 5 functionality, including: creating per-user applications and quicker installations for large packages.

Simultaneously create a 64-bit Windows Installer package (MSI) and a 64-bit Microsoft App-V package, saving time and effort. AdminStudio accelerates virtual deployments by reformatting applications into the App-V format natively, without the use of the multi-step App-V Sequencer tool. At this time, AdminStudio will be the only application readiness solution set that can natively support the App-V format, reducing costs and increasing reliability for App-V implementations.

Virtual applications cut IT costs by preventing software conflicts and eliminating the need for regression testing.

AdminStudio now gives you the ability to quickly convert applications into Microsoft® App-V™, VMware® ThinApp™* and Citrix® XenApp™ virtual packages. It’s the only packaging solution that lets you choose from multiple virtualization formats, so you can pick the format or formats that best fits different situations.

AdminStudio comes with Microsoft, VMware and Citrix Assistants that save you time and effort by walking you through the virtualization process in minutes, including the customizing of virtual packages. It gives you complete control over every aspect of virtual packages, from modifying registry settings to controlling isolation options at a granular level, quickly and easily.

It also provides pre-virtualization scanning functionality that quickly determines which MSIs in your environment are good candidates for virtualization. After establishing a list of good virtualization candidates, AdminStudio can automatically convert the MSIs to virtual applications for you in bulk**. For those more troublesome applications, AdminStudio can apply remediation to help ensure the software will function properly when virtualized.

The AdminStudio Virtualization Pack requires the purchase of a Bronze, Silver or Gold Maintenance Plan.

*Requires separate purchase of VMware ThinApp
** Speak to an account manager about purchasing batch conversion capabilities .

 

For those more troublesome applications, AdminStudio can apply remediation to help ensure the software will function properly when virtualized. This special feature is only available on the desktop model of AdminStudio Enterprise Edition with Virtualization Pack.

Leverage the work that your organization has already done around application preparation. Quickly scan your existing application portfolio of MSI packages to determine which ones are good candidates for virtualization using AdminStudio automated scanning capabilities.

Based on Flexera Software-developed application virtualization best practices, the scanning capabilities intelligently read an MSI package to see if it meets the application virtualization best practices. You can also create your own rules and share them with other IT teams in your organization.

AdminStudio now provides unprecedented support for managing virtual applications, making it as easy as managing MSIs.

AdminStudio now stores virtual application files and related metadata in the same location as the binaries and information on your non-virtual packages. Now you can always know who is touching an application before and after deployment, who initially requested it, which groups was it requested for, what are its contents, and who tested it.

Packagers can also see at a glance which applications in their environment are MSIs and which ones are in virtual formats.

AdminStudio can now suite several applications together in a single virtual container, enabling them to work together properly.

Now, for example, if your organization is virtualizing Microsoft^® Outlook^®, you can also virtualize Adobe^® Reader^® in the same container so that those two applications can “talk” to each other and function seamlessly without any interoperability issues.

Although limited communication capabilities are now becoming more available from the leading virtualization vendors, this feature addresses the concern of many organizations who are implementing application virtualization projects – the ability to place several applications in a single container (location) to ensure that they are able to function properly within their end user’s environments.

With virtual application suiting, AdminStudio solves the isolated “interoperability” issue that organizations had been experiencing. It addresses one of the most prevalent hurdles that had been slowing the adoption of application virtualization, regardless of the vendor technology.

AdminStudio has an enhanced wizard for the easy import of new patches from Microsoft (including Windows Vista patches) into the AdminStudio catalog for conflict testing using the ConflictSolver tool.

It saves you the trouble of manually testing new Microsoft patches. AdminStudio continues to field patches from multiple vendors, helping to troubleshoot the impact of a vendor patch before it is deployed throughout the organization.

AdminStudio is now powered by the latest version of the world’s leading MSI authoring and editing tool, InstallShield® 2009.

New enhancements include support for Windows Installer 4.5, Visual Studio® 2008, installation chaining, and Arabic and Hebrew setup text. It also has four new graphical InstallShield MSI tools that make it far easier to troubleshoot MSIs.

AdminStudio’s Repackager now captures context data during the MSI repackaging process, so you can better understand the consequences and complications surrounding a package.

With this update, AdminStudio provides you with complete information for decision making and makes it easier for you to repackage applications that had been previously challenging, such as Microsoft Office^® and Adobe Reader^®, for both traditional deployments and application virtualization projects.

Virtual applications cut IT costs by eliminating the possibility of conflicts with other applications and the base OS.

AdminStudio now gives you the power to quickly create, edit, and test Thinstall* virtual applications. Thinstalled applications require no client-side agents or server infrastructure, making them ideal for many environments.

AdminStudio can automatically convert MSIs directly to Thinstall virtual packages with a few simple mouse clicks. It comes with a Thinstall Assistant that saves you time and effort by walking you through the virtualization process.

*Requires separate purchase of Thinstall Virtualization Suite 3.2 from Thinstall

AdminStudio gives you complete control over every aspect of Thinstall virtual packages, from modifying registry settings to controlling isolation options at a granular level, quickly and easily.

AdminStudio's Thinstall Assistant walks you through the entire virtual package customization process, making it easy for those unfamiliar with Thinstall to edit packages.

With AdminStudio, you have the power to:

• Specify the profile name, description, and version
• Include diagnostic tools with a Thinstall package
• Specify the OS and language requirements for client workstations
• Add files and folders to a Thinstall package
• Control the display of predefined folders
• Specify hard coded destination directories
• Set isolation options
• Create, delete, include, exclude, or rename profile shortcuts

*Requires separate purchase of Thinstall Virtualization Suite 3.2 from Thinstall

For large organizations with packaging teams in multiple locations, AdminStudio can automatically synchronize all your Application Catalogs, making the most recent packages and packaging data available in each location. (Applies to Microsoft SQL Server 2005 databases only.)

For Citrix Presentation Server customers, AdminStudio now gives you the power to quickly create, edit, and test Citrix virtual profiles for application streaming.

AdminStudio automatically converts MSIs to Citrix virtual profiles for streaming with a few simple mouse clicks. It has a Citrix Assistant that saves you time and effort by guiding you through the entire virtualization process.

AdminStudio can also repackage your legacy EXEs into Citrix virtual profiles without wasting time on snapshots.

Plus, AdminStudio’s Editor makes it easy to customize every aspect of Citrix virtual profiles, from modifying registry settings to controlling isolation options at a granular level, quickly and easily.

AdminStudio gives you complete control over every aspect of Thinstall and Citrix virtual packages, from modifying registry settings to controlling isolation options at a granular level, quickly and easily.

The separate AdminStudio Thinstall and Citrix Assistants walk you through the entire virtual package customization process. No matter which system you use, AdminStudio makes it easy for those unfamiliar with Thinstall or Citrix technologies to edit packages for virtualization.

With AdminStudio, you have the power to:

With AdminStudio, you can quickly customize MSI and virtual packages to meet the needs of every group in your enterprise.

The AdminStudio Editor enables you to directly edit any part of an MSI installation, such as adding or modifying files or registry entries, adding merge modules and Web services, modifying any user interface elements you choose to display, and changing shortcuts.

AdminStudio is now powered by the latest version of the world’s leading MSI authoring and editing tool, InstallShield® 2010 Service Pack 1, which includes the ability to natively create an App-V installation, support for MSI 5.0 and more

Plus, the AdminStudio Editor makes it easy to edit Microsoft® App-V™, VMware® ThinApp™ and Citrix® XenApp™ virtual packages, from modifying registry settings to controlling isolation options at a granular level, quickly and easily. (Please note: App-V, ThinApp and XenApp support requires the purchase of the AdminStudio Virtualization Pack.)

AdminStudio also provides a fast way to build Windows Installer transforms (MST files) for modifying MSI packages.

*Requires separate purchase of VMware ThinApp

AdminStudio and Workflow Manager (sold separately), the premier software packaging management solution, are fully integrated to help you streamline and standardize your packaging process.

AdminStudio and Workflow Manager now share the same Application Catalog, so package-related data in AdminStudio and packaging process management data in Workflow Manager are linked and accessible via AdminStudio's Report Center and can feed into your CMDB. It provides a foundation for Definitive Software Library (DSL) support in your ITIL or Microsoft MOF and BDD implementations.

Additional integration enhancements include:

• AdminStudio's Job Manager, Report Center, and SMS Web Console now share a tabbed interface with Workflow Manager, making it easy to jump back and forth from different functional areas.
• You can now associate an application request in Workflow Manager with a package from either the AdminStudio or Workflow Manager UI, so you can quickly move from an application request progress report to a report on how that package was prepared for deployment.
• All security settings (users, roles, and permissions) for AdminStudio and Workflow Manager are managed from the same UI.
• When defining a Workflow Manager workflow template, you can choose to define a workflow phase as an AdminStudio workflow project, and you will receive progress notification from AdminStudio as the project steps are completed.

As you use AdminStudio to complete tasks, the percentage of work completed for each step is indicated by Workflow Manager. In addition, rollback of a workflow with an AdminStudio step is reflected in the associated Workflow Manager project.

 

AdminStudio Editor is now powered by InstallShield 12, the world's standard in MSI authoring and editing. Editor makes it easy to author your own MSI installations (including Windows Vista-compatible setups), upgrades, patches, and transforms.

Editor has unparalleled Windows Installer support, giving you complete control over your MSI installations. Use Editor's powerful wizards, task-based views, and a full Direct Table Editor to easily enable your installs to leverage Windows Installer service benefits (such as install-on-demand, auto-repair, and installation rollback).

With Editor you can easily create or edit an MSI file directly using rich views and create or edit a transform based on an existing MSI file. Plus Editor gives you enhanced control and error management capabilities with the MSI Debugger, MSI differencing tools, and instant access to Error Central.

Editor offers you maximum power and flexibility by enabling any level of install customization. Source code control integration makes MSI project versioning possible, while the automation interface dramatically increases the number of ways in which projects can be updated. Editor's simplified patch and upgrade creation, clean build system support, debugging, and build report tools also assist in your product lifecycle management.

PackageExpert provides a comprehensive testing framework for testing and validating your software packages. It saves you time by letting you configure and run MSI validation and QA tests on your MSI packages and automatically fixes any errors for you. You can also create and run your own custom tests. With PackageExpert, you can:

• Run validation tests are to ensure packages conform to strict Windows 7 standards
• Find and resolve common Windows 7 deployment issues with 12 new Windows 7 compatibility tests. Test for Per User setups, AdminUser or Privileged Launch conditions, Windows 7 Protected Files and Registry Keys, and more 
• Automatically pre-test legacy packages that you wish to redeploy to new systems running Windows 7
• Select and configure specific tests, test groups, and test scenarios to run on your software packages
• Automatically run your test scenarios against part or all of your Application Catalog at will, checking for specific error conditions or conflicts
• Create custom tests that check for and correct conditions you have established within your own packaging standards

PackageExpert helps you establish and enforce packaging standards that ensure that your MSIs deploy smoothly and run properly on any Windows platform, including Windows 7.

 

At the core of AdminStudio is the Application Catalog. This centralized database is a comprehensive repository containing every application (including both MSI and virtual packages), patch, operating system, and related data in your enterprise.

Using AdminStudio's Web-based interface, you can run searches of the Application Catalog from anywhere to quickly locate applications, groups of packages, merge modules, patches, and more. You never again have to guess whether or not a package is in your environment — with the Application Catalog, you always know. Applications can be quickly located, checked out, edited, and re-imported as needed.

Packages in the catalog can be grouped to mirror your baseline systems or any user group and business unit in your environment, making it easier to test new packages before deployment and centrally manage installed applications.

For large organizations with packaging teams in multiple locations, AdminStudio can automatically synchronize all your Application Catalogs, making the most recent packages and packaging data available in each location.

CMDB Support for ITIL, MOF, or BDD Implementations
AdminStudio and Flexera Software’s Workflow Manager (sold separately) now share the same Application Catalog, so package-related data in AdminStudio and packaging process management data in Workflow Manager are linked and accessible via AdminStudio's Report Center and can be integrated into your CMDB. It provides a foundation for Definitive Software Library (DSL) support in your ITIL or Microsoft MOF and BDD implementations.

 

 

 

The Web-based Job Manager helps speed up conflict testing by letting you schedule common tasks — such as package import, validation, and conflict resolution — to run automatically.

These processes can be set to run at any time (day or night) or during predefined events (e.g., when system availability is highest or certain data is available), and no human intervention is required. It can also be applied to multiple packages sequentially. Plus, Job Manager is now integrated with Security Console, simplifying the management of user roles and permission for Job Manager-related tasks.

AdminStudio has comprehensive reporting functionality that enables you to generate reports from the data stored in the Application Catalog, making it easier for you and your team to centrally manage your environment.

Report Center enables you to generate detailed, customizable reports on packages with particular characteristics, including files, shortcuts, registry entries, and more. These reports not only improve the quality of the packaging process, they are invaluable in assisting with quickly diagnosing and repairing application problems.

Reports are accessible anywhere via the Web-based interface and can be exported into numerous file formats for easy sharing and archiving. Report Center has also been enhanced with a streamlined UI, links to important package data, and improved search features that make it even easier to find the data you need. Plus, you can enter custom SQL queries to generate reports on all data on a given package.

CMDB Support for ITIL, MOF, or BDD Implementations
AdminStudio and Workflow Manager (sold separately) now share the same Application Catalog, so package-related data in AdminStudio and packaging process management data in Workflow Manager are linked and accessible via Report Center and can feed into your CMDB. It provides a foundation for Definitive Software Library (DSL) support in your ITIL or Microsoft MOF and BDD implementations.

To help maintain the security of your enterprise's packaging process, the new Web-based Security Console makes it easy to define each user's access rights to AdminStudio, ensuring personnel never perform unauthorized tasks.

 You can assign rights to individuals on a feature-by-feature basis. You can also group users into different roles — such as administrator, packager, or guest — with specific access rights based on job function. Creating your own custom roles is easy. Plus, to further simplify the management of access rights, you can now use your LDAP database — such as Microsoft® Active Directory® and Novell® eDirectory® — to establish user privileges. Authentication is dynamic, so any changes made to the LDAP database are automatically reflected during AdminStudio login.

Application Manager provides a single, user-friendly view into all the data and packages in the Application Catalog. It includes a summary dashboard showing high-level statistics, a list of recently modified packages, and recent catalog management activity.

You can also run searches of the Application Catalog from anywhere to quickly locate applications, groups of packages, merge modules, patches, and more, so you never have to guess whether or not a package is in your environment.

Packages in the catalog can be grouped using the Web-based interface to mirror your baseline systems or any user group and business unit in your environment, making it easier to test new packages before deployment and manage installed applications.

 

To help IT monitor and manage license usage, AdminStudiohas FLEXwrap technology that you can use to inject license tracking capabilities into applications before deployment, making those programs visible to Flexera Software's license management solution, FlexNetManager (sold separately).

You can then use FlexNet Manager’s Web-based console to centrally track and report on the usage of all your FLEXwrapped software licenses.

Using AdminStudio, FLEXwrapping applications becomes a natural part of the software packaging process your IT team already follows to prepare Windows Installer (MSI) packages for deployment. AdminStudio has a FLEXwrap Assistant that automates the FLEXwrap process and does the work for you.

One of the biggest reasons you use a software packaging solution is to quickly and accurately convert legacy setups to reliable MSI packages — and nothing does it better or faster than AdminStudio.

AdminStudio's Repackager now has enhanced installation monitoring technology that provides dramatic performance improvements in converting setup executables into Windows Installer packages.

Using installation monitoring technology, Repackager automatically monitors a system for any processes that are created during an installation and identifies any files, shell links, registry entries, and other items that are added, modified, or removed by the legacy installation.

No more waiting for snapshots or scrolling through file exclusion lists — all the system changes made by a setup — and only those changes — are automatically captured. Repackager can then convert this data into a reliable MSI package — it's that easy. You get the most accurate MSI possible, and you get it in far less time.

Applications with setups that combine InstallScript™ and Windows Installer can be a headache to manage. Only AdminStudio automatically converts your InstallScript MSI setups into 100% pure MSI installations, making them easier for you to handle.

AdminStudio automatically preserves the Windows Installer database portion of the InstallScript MSI setup and merges it with the properties of the InstallScript code. The end result is a pure, industry-standard MSI package that provides all the reliability and timesaving benefits of the Windows Installer service.

Unsure how to begin preparing a new application for enterprise use? Let the new Process Assistant speed you through the entire process, from packaging and feature customization to testing and deployment handoff.

The Process Assistant takes all the complexity out of preparing applications for deployment. It decreases the time required for new AdminStudio users to prepare software packages for deployment, while also enabling veteran systems administrators to efficiently jumpstart a new packaging project.

90% of the world's software installations are created using InstallShield technology. AdminStudio is the only tool that can see inside native InstallShield setups, automatically capture their information, and accurately convert them into MSIs. No matter if the original installation is 100% InstallScript™ or an InstallScript MSI mix, only AdminStudio can repackage it into a pure, accurate MSI.

AdminStudio comes with automated SmartScan technology that automatically extracts information that other packaging tools miss. It scans the InstallShield Setup.exe for any missing files, registry items, and shortcuts not captured by the Repackager (such as OS-dependent files and language-dependent files) and adds them to the project in a color-coded format, so you always know why they were added. You also have the option to include or exclude this additional information in the MSI packages you build.

SmartScan also accurately preserves the original feature organization of your InstallShield scripted setups, so you can modify a single package countless ways without having to waste valuable time repackaging again and again.

The Setup Intent Wizard's timesaving functionality makes packaging even easier, and is especially valuable to large enterprises that require the services of dozens of packagers.

Available in AdminStudio's Repackager interface, the Setup Intent Wizard scans your source project files for any missing DLLs or dependencies that were not captured by the Repackager and automatically prompts you to add them to your MSI project. This enables you to capture installation logic even when it is not reflected in changes to the system.

AdminStudio makes it easy for systems administrators to convert Microsoft® System Center Configuration Manager(formerly SMS), Novell ZENworks®, WinINSTALL®, and Wise® WSE software packages directly into robust MSIs without having to waste time packaging.

AdminStudio's automated Converter rapidly copies all file and registry data from those legacy setups into a new AdminStudio project, so you can bypass repackaging and automatically convert the installations directly into reliable MSIs, saving you time and improving the quality of your packages.

To ensure undesirable files are never included in your MSI packages, AdminStudio offers the Global Exclusions Editor. Simply tell the Global Exclusions Editor what files you never wish to deploy with any package, and they will be automatically blocked from the MSIs you create. Items can be added or removed from the list at any time.

AdminStudio gives you tremendous flexibility in your package build formats, helping ensure the packages you deploy fit your company's specific standards and processes.

It now includes the new ability to build installations with a single external CAB file, which enables you to keep your MSIs smaller while making rebuilding and deploying the MSI less time consuming.

The Application Catalog now provides a single source not only for all the descriptive data about your applications, but also the binary files (MSI and supporting files) themselves, making data and actual packages easy to locate and access. This includes support for multiple versions of an application. It enables IT members to quickly locate and check out the latest version of a package, ensuring work isn't mistakenly performed on out-of-date versions.

For those packages you wish to deploy with a user interface, new multilingual support lets you localize the UI into as many as 33 runtime languages, eliminating hours of installation dialog and message box translation effort.

Supported languages

Chinese (Simplified)	Greek
Chinese (Traditional)	Hungarian
English	Italian
Basque	Norwegian
Bulgarian	Polish
Catalan	Russian
Croatian	Thai
Czech	Turkish
Danish	Portuguese (Brazil)
Dutch	Portuguese (Portugal)
Finnish	Romanian
Indonesian	Serbian
Japanese	Slovak
Korean	Slovenian
French (Canada)	Spanish
French (France)	Swedish
German

AdminStudio provides the fastest way to build Windows Installer transforms (MST files) for adding files, changing registry settings, adding license keys, removing registration wizards, or making other modifications to your MSI package without modifying the base MSI file.

AdminStudio's Response Transform Wizard enables the creation of a transform by simply running through the installation process. All of the selections you make are automatically captured in a transform. You can also easily edit transform files using the same tool and user interface you use for authoring and editing your MSI installations.

Validate your MSI packages to ensure they conform to Microsoft guidelines—including the Microsoft Windows Vista Quality program—using built-in QA tools like Microsoft ICEs and the MSI Debugger.

In addition, AdminStudio's automated dependency scanning guarantees that you've included all the necessary files within your package.

Every time you distribute applications and patches you run the risk of creating software conflicts that crash other applications and disrupt systems across your environment. AdminStudio gives systems administrators everything needed to prepare conflict-free, reliable software packages for deployment.

First, it gives you the ability to quickly convert applications into Microsoft®
App-V™, VMware® ThinApp™* and Citrix® XenApp™ virtual packages. Virtual packages prevent software conflicts by running in their own isolated environment.

Second, AdminStudio’s ConflictSolver lets you test your MSI packages and patches for conflicts against any application and operating system in your enterprise (including Windows Vista) before you deploy. Depending on the conflict, AdminStudio either instantly corrects it or helps you fix it according to your corporate standards.

ConflictSolver has a Process Assistant to guide you through the conflict detection and resolution process. Plus, the Web-based Job Manager helps speed up conflict testing by letting you schedule common tasks — such as package import, validation, and conflict resolution — to run automatically, day or night. No human intervention is required.

Finally, AdminStudio also has the Application Isolation Wizard that can automatically scan MSI packages to determine if they are fully isolated and using only local resources and DLLs. If there is a problem, the Application Isolation Wizard can partially or totally isolate an application before you deploy it, ensuring installed applications are unaffected by the rollout.

*Requires separate purchase of VMware ThinApp

 

 

To maintain the security of your network, IT is under tremendous pressure to quickly obtain and deploy new patches. But deploying patches without testing their impact can have unintended, and potentially catastrophic, results.

AdminStudio speeds up patch testing by identifying — without deploying the patch — the applications in your environment that will be impacted by its rollout, so you can focus user testing solely on those impacted programs. The end result — you can test and deploys patches quickly without risking your environment.

AdminStudio analyzes the full impact of patches on the runtime file dependencies of your enterprise's applications. It compares the system files used by your applications at runtime with the files being replaced by a patch, and overlaps are identified and presented for review. It also automatically detects potential conflicts between a new patch and the applications and operating systems of every machine it targets, helping you avoid "DLL Hell".

Whenever you deploy an application, you risk plunging your desktops into "DLL Hell". DLL Hell occurs when new applications installed on a system inadvertently delete a DLL or overwrite it with an obsolete version, causing the other applications sharing that DLL to malfunction. IT can spend days trying to correctly diagnose and fix the problem, which can potentially cost the organization millions in lost productivity and help desk expenses.

AdminStudio's Application Isolation Wizard gives systems administrators an easy way to avoid these component versioning conflicts. It automatically scans MSI packages to determine if they are fully isolated and using only local resources and DLLs. If there is a problem, the Application Isolation Wizard easily enables you to partially or totally isolate an application before you deploy it, ensuring installed applications are unaffected by the rollout.

The wizard places a copy of critical files in a local folder, making them only accessible to that MSI. Other applications needing those files would use different copies of the files and would therefore not impact the first application. The enhanced Application Isolation Wizard now automates the isolation of the most appropriate files in a package. It can also be launched directly at the end of the repackaging process.

It is essential to thoroughly test packages before deployment to ensure they will install successfully and behave reliably throughout their lifecycle.

AdminStudio's QualityMonitor is a complete quality assurance solution that automatically tests your packages to guarantee they will work– and continue to work – as expected once installed.

QualityMonitor automatically verifies that all installation elements — such as file extensions and shortcuts — are configured correctly, and it also makes sure that no uninstallation problems exist and that the application has sufficient access rights to operate in a locked-down environment.

PackageExpert saves you time by running MSI validation and QA tests on your MSI packages and automatically fixing any errors. You can also create and run your own custom tests. It helps you ensure MSIs deploy smoothly and run properly on any Windows platform, including Vista.

The Rules Wizard gives you the ability to easily create your own custom business rules to identify applications that violate your corporate standards. These corporate validation rules can be set to automatically run against every package – and no programming is needed.

AdminStudio can also simulate the deployment of an application or patch without physically installing it on any machine. Not only will AdminStudio determine any issues with install conditions and access rights, it will also check for conflicts with other installed packages. Deployment results are reported back without risk to your environment, enabling you to make the necessary corrections before actual deployment.

QualityMonitor runs configuration testing to automatically verify before deployment that all installation elements—such as file extensions and shortcuts—are configured correctly and that all key functionality will work in the intended environment.

For example, all of the application shortcuts are automatically listed. Each one can be selected and run.  If the shortcut launches the application as expected, a positive comment can be logged and the configuration testing will be marked as successful. QualityMonitor also makes sure that no uninstallation problems will arise down the road.

AdminStudio automatically verifies that a package has sufficient access rights to operate in a locked-down environment before you deploy it.

One of the main executables in the application is selected for testing. Then the appropriate user credentials are inserted. Locked-down tests are generally executed under a different login account, ensuring your application runs reliably for users with lower levels of security permissions.

AdminStudio's automated quality assurance tools do more than ensure the predeployment health and reliability of your applications. They also help monitor your live, deployed software to ensure it continues to function properly.

AdminStudio's MSI Doctor lets you determine if an installed software package needs repair, what repair is needed, and why. MSI Doctor shows you the "insides" of the installed application and lets you easily identify and fix previously difficult-to-diagnose problems.

Establishing corporate standards for the way your software is configured gives you a more consistent and manageable infrastructure and lets IT solve post-deployment application problems faster. AdminStudio's Rules Wizard gives you the ability to easily create your own custom business rules that automatically identify and correct applications that violate your corporate standards.

You can easily create corporate validation rules that run against every application to ensure your guidelines are always followed — and no programming is needed. AdminStudio offers an intuitive, easy-to-use, wizard-driven approach to creating custom rules that detect missing or incorrect package data in any MSI table in the Application Catalog.

Once created, your custom rules can be shared and used anytime by other members of your desktop management team, making your collaborative projects even more efficient. The custom rules work exactly like AdminStudio's predefined conflict-checking rules and integrate throughout the system in all user interfaces and reports.

Want to know the results of a package's deployment without actually deploying it? AdminStudio enables you to simulate the real deployment of an application or patch without physically installing it on any target machine.

Not only will AdminStudio determine any issues with install conditions and access rights, it will also check for conflicts with other MSI packages already on each system. Deployment results are reported back to you without risking real installation failure or end-user system downtime, enabling you to make the necessary corrections before actual deployment.

Prepare, publish, and distribute applications through your Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007system without ever touching the SCCM console. AdminStudio provides a Web-based SCCM interface that simplifies your SCCM management requirements and cuts down software rollout times.

All your SCCM administration needs — including targeting, publishing, advertising, and uninstallation — are met from this interface.

 

AdminStudio makes it easy for you to release software packages to any software deployment solution — including Microsoft® System Center Configuration Manager, Novell ZENworks®, LANDesk®, BMC® Configuration Management, Citrix®, Tivoli®, and ManageSoft®.

Microsoft, Novell, and Citrix have even named AdminStudio their preferred packaging solution, recommending that their customers use it to prepare software for deployment.

Just tell the AdminStudio Distribution Wizard the deployment solution you wish to use, and the wizard automatically creates the system-specific files necessary to successfully deploy your package.

AdminStudio also has a Configuration Manager Web Console that simplifies and streamlines Configuration Manager distributions. All your Configuration Manager installation administration needs — including targeting, publishing, advertising, and uninstallation — are met from this Web-based interface.

For those organizations not using a third-party deployment solution, AdminStudio also facilitates distributing your packages via network destinations, FTP servers, administrative installations, and more.