Using Software Delivery › Using the Software Package Library › Registering Virtual Applications › How Virtual Application Packaging Works

How Virtual Application Packaging Works

You can create a standard software delivery package from a virtual application image by using the Virtual Application Package Registration Wizard. The virtual application image must already be available before you use the Wizard to create the software delivery package. The image must be accessible from the computer where CA ITCM is running. This Wizard also allows you to create update packages for virtual applications that were previously converted to software delivery packages.

The process to create and import virtual application packages uses the following general steps:

1. The administrator opens the Virtual Application Package Registration Wizard and locates a virtual application image. Images must be available on or accessible to the computer running CA ITCM.
2. The administrator browses the virtual application image. This step allows the administrator to verify that the selected image is a valid virtual application image. The Wizard analyzes the virtual image and extracts the information needed to create the Software Delivery packages.

   Note: The package name is based on the virtual application name and is limited to 20 characters (for example, my_productname_is_20-TA-SG). If there is a duplicate product name, the administrator must modify the current package name to create the package.

3. (Optional) If the virtual application image represents an update to a virtual application, the administrator identifies the Staging package that was originally created for the virtual application.
4. The administrator reviews the summary of the virtual application package just created and finishes the Wizard.
5. The Virtual Application Package Registration Wizard creates three software packages for each virtual application image:

   Standalone

   This package is used to install and execute the virtual application locally on the target computer.

   Streaming

   This package is used to downstream the virtual application from a streaming server and execute it on the local computer.

   Staging

   This package provides access to the virtual application for both standalone and streaming modes of package delivery. This package contains the virtual application image.

   Note: For more information on the types of virtual application packages, see the description in the Virtual Application Packages section.

6. The Wizard begins the process of importing the virtual application packages into the Software Delivery Library by determining if the package names are already listed in the Library.
   1. If the package names are already in the Library, an error message appears stating that the package names are not unique. The packages are not imported.
   2. If the package names are not already in the Library, the Wizard imports the three packages: Staging, Standalone, and Streaming.
   3. If the packages are update packages, they are imported and registered with higher version numbers. Two packages only are created for updates: Staging and Standalone.
7. The administrator creates the definitions for the new virtual application packages. The descriptions of Virtual Application Discovery and Inventory provide more information about creating definitions for virtual application packages.

After a virtual application package is included in the Software Delivery Library, the administrator can then deploy it and manage it using standard Software Delivery methods.