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In part 10 we cover the provision of applications to the new desktops.
Part 10 of 11
Windows XP Migration: A practical
guide to making the transition
Table of Contents
1
Managing the Applications ... 3
1.1 Windows Compatibility settings ... 3
1.2 Windows DLL’s ... 3
1.3 Runtimes and Frameworks ... 3
1.4 Recompiling and rebuilding ... 4
1.5 Windows Server 2003 ... 4
1.6 VMware ThinApp ... 4
1.7 Microsoft App-V ... 4
1.8 Citrix XenApp... 4
Windows XP Migration: A practical guide to making the transition Part 10: Applications 3
1
Managing the Applications
Although we have talked about the operating system migration for most of this guide, the truth of the matter is that users and businesses work with applications, not operating systems.
In most cases the only concern about the operating system is if the applications that the business requires are supported on it, or cable of running on it with some tweaking.
If your older applications don’t seem to work on a newer operating system the first time you try to test them, here are some options that you can try to coax them into life.
1.1
Windows Compatibility settings
The simplest and most often overlooked options are the built-in “Windows Compatibility Settings”. These can be accessed by right-clicking an application files and selecting Properties and then the compatibility tab.
For more options you can also try using the “Program Compatibility Trouble-shooter”:
CONTROL PANEL > TROUBLESHOOTING > RUN PROGRAMS MADE FOR A PREVIOUS VERSION OF WINDOWS
1.2
Windows DLL’s
Sometimes applications will not run because DLL files are either missing, or the wrong version has been found on the system. If a DLL file is missing you may need to extract or copy that DLL files from another system, or the installation media and register it with the operating system.
Sometimes just changing dropping the DLL in the same directory as the application that requires is enough to fix an application.
More information about registering DLLS can be found here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490985.aspx
More information about the search path Windows uses for finding DLLs can be found here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms682586%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
1.3
Runtimes and Frameworks
If an application depends on a particular “runtime” or “framework” simply installing an application on a new operating system may not be enough to make it work.
For example many early .Net applications were written for .Net version 1.x and Windows 7 ships with .Net 3.5. Version 1.0 of .Net is not supported on Windows 7 but .Net version 1.1 is, but you may have to uninstall any later versions before the installer will work.
If your applications complain about missing files or DLL’s that begin with “MSVB” you could be missing the “Microsoft Visual Basic Runtimes” that the application was originally developed for. Visual Basic runtimes can either be downloaded from the Microsoft website or may be found on the original installation disks for the application.
ODBC, ADO, DAO and DSN’s
If your application requires database connectivity and make any references to:
ODBC
ADO
DAO
MDAC
User DSN’s
System DSN’s
You may need to configure ODBC data sources Under “Control Panel” or “Administrator Tools”
1.4
Recompiling and rebuilding
If you have the original source code for an application, or the Visual Basic “project Files” for an application, sometimes just opening up the application again and either re-compiling or re-creating the installation media again from a recently patched machine running the development tools.
It’s not impossible to get an application developed in the 1990’s to be recompiled on a programming tool from the 2000’s and get it up and running and installed on a modern desktop in 2014, however this would always be a last resort where every other option had been ruled out.
1.5
Windows Server 2003
As discussed in previous sections, Windows Server 2003 and 2003 R2 shares a common code base with Windows XP, but is supported until 2015. Businesses can leverage this in a few different ways.
Citrix XenApp 6.5 running XP applications on Server 2003 / 2003 R2
Microsoft Terminal Services running XP applications on Server 2003 / 2003 R2
Later versions of XenApp and Terminal Services / Remote Desktop Services can also be used however only solutions based on Server 2003 share the “common codebase”.
1.6
VMware ThinApp
VMware ThinApp can be used to take an application that would usually be installed directly onto a computer and “package it” into a single file that can be run on other computers or other versions of the operating system without requiring any form of installation.
A ThinApp package could be copied to the network, copied to another desktop, copied to another server or copied to a USB stick and the application inside the package can be launched with a double-click without any prior installation being required.
Whilst this is obviously very clever, the main benefit of “packaged” applications is that they can be packaged on one operating system (Windows XP for example), and run natively on another operating system (Windows 7 for example). This is a tried-and-tested method for running applications on operating systems that they are not otherwise supported on. One interesting thing about “packaging” applications, is that most vendors suggest packaging the application on the oldest version of an operating system that is supported by the application, which is just what most people will need to do during a Windows XP migration.
1.7
Microsoft App-V
Microsoft App-V is a very similar product to VMware ThinApp from a functionality perspective, although it works in a slightly different manner “under the hood”. Although App-V and ThinApp have constantly leap-frogged each other on features for the past few years, bit App-V and ThinApp now support standalone applications (no management servers required), support for 64-bit applications, and support for applications that install Windows services and drivers. App-V is provided as part of MDOP, the Microsoft Desktop Optimisation Pack which is only available to organisations with a “Microsoft Software Assurance Subscription”.
1.8
Citrix XenApp
Citrix XenApp, which has also been known through the ages as “WinFrame”, “Metaframe” and “Presentation Server” and sometimes just “Citrix” has become synonymous since the 1980’s with “Remote Access to applications”. Citrix pretty much invented the remote application market we have today and has developed the product over the years. Citrix XenApp has always been able to present a “full desktop” to remote users, but XenDesktop was designed from the ground-up to be a remote desktop solution that could be used as a compete replacement desktop, not just something used occasionally for specific tasks. As discussed earlier in this guide, Citrix XenApp can dovetail into existing components such as Web Interface, CAG and Netscaler.
Since Citrix XenDesktop version 7, XenApp and XenDesktop have been combined into a single product that now includes App DNA which can also be used to help organisations plan a Windows XP migration.
Windows XP Migration: A practical guide to making the transition Part 10: Applications 5
1.9
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, formerly known as “Terminal Services” is often used to provide a “full desktop” but it can also be used to publish an individual application in something known as a “seamless window”. An even lesser known feature is the “Remote App” functionality introduced in Windows 7 and Windows 8. Remote app is able to automatically display applications available through RDS in the standard users “Start Menu”, so that launching a local application, and a remote application is done in exactly the same way for end users.
