SoftGrid SMS Connector Discontinued

Posted on September 12th, 2007 by Anthony Clendenen.
Categories: Config Manager, ConfigMgr, Microsoft, News, Packaging, SCCM, SoftGrid, Softricity, Virtualization.

The SoftGrid connector will be deprecated in the near future and replaced with Windows Installer Application Virtualization Extension or WIAV. The reasons they are moving away from the SMS Connector is due to future plans and interoperability with old and new products.

What is it?

Yes, you in the back, you have a question? Ah, yes what is it he asked. It is essentially a tool to take your sequenced applications and turn them into Windows Installer packages (MSI’s). Another question? Go ahead. Her question was why? The reasons given are so that you can now distribute the package on a file share, a CD, a USB key, through ConfigMgr, Group Policy by leveraging the Windows Installer service. It will be loaded into the SoftGrid cache in stand alone mode, not requiring a connection to the the SoftGrid server itself. This essentially moves away from the model of SoftGrid apps being streamed down to the SoftGrid client as a video file and replaces it with a locally executed installer package.

New Features

Here are some of the new features reported to be in WIAV:

Installing on a single computer by targeting the computer
Deploying SoftGrid sequenced apps to computers without a user being logged in via ConfigMgr
Compatibility with SoftGrid 4.2+
Works with ConfigMgr
New distribution models

Two things to note, first this is due out by the end of 2007, the second is that this only applies to stand alone SoftGrid clients, for those that are connected to SoftGrid app server they will continue to use streaming for application delivery, WIAV is intended for application delivery to stand alone clients. Which is why you still end up with the normal three files after you sequence an app and then use a MSI packager utility.

Source here and here.

In other news…Over on the SoftGrid Blog they have just started a multi-part series of articles titled “Inside The Grid” that is a supplement to their training and has some very good, in depth, information in it. You can check out part one here.

Regards,
Anthony

Anthony Clendenen | Solutions Engineer | 1E Inc.