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Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization
3.11
E
DITING THE VIRTUAL FILESYSTEM
ZENworks Application Virtualization allows you to embed a
virtual filesystem
into your
executable. Embedded files are accessible by your ZENworks Application Virtualization-
processed application as if they were present in the real filesystem. However, virtual files- unlike
actual files on the host device- are not visible from and do not require changes to the host device.
In particular, the use of virtual files does not require any security privileges on the host device,
even if the virtual files reside in a privileged directory such as the Windows directory. Also,
because virtual files are embedded in the application executable, shared DLLs embedded in the
virtual filesystem will not interfere with or be overwritten by other applications on the host device.
To add virtual files:
•
Click on the
Filesystem
button located on the left side of the ZENworks Application
Virtualization window.
•
Using the view on the right, add the files and folders you wish to embed in the
application executable. The
Application Directory
root folder represents the folder
containing the virtual application binary on the executing device; the other root folders
represent the corresponding folders on the host device.
3.11.1
Virtualization Semantics
In the event of a collision between a file in the virtual filesystem and a file physically present on
the host device, the file in the virtual filesystem takes precedence.
Folders may be virtualized in
Full
,
Merge
,
Write Copy
and
Hide
mode:
•
Full mode: Only files in the virtual filesystem will be visible to the application- even if a
corresponding directory exists on the host device- and writes are redirected to the
sandbox data area. Full mode is generally used when a complete level of virtual
application isolation is desired.
•
Merge mode: Files present in a virtual folder will be merged with files in the
corresponding directory on the host machine, if such a directory exists. Writes to host
files are passed through to the host device and writes to virtual files are redirected into the
sandbox data area. Merge mode is generally used when some level of interaction with the
host device is desired. For example, Merge mode might be used to allow the virtualized
application to write to the host device's
My Documents
folder.
•
Write Copy mode: Files present on the host device are visible to the virtual environment,
but any modifications to folder contents are redirected to the sandbox data area. Write
Copy mode is generally used when a virtual application needs to read from files already
present on the host device but isolation of the host device is still desired.
•
Hide mode: Files and folders with Hide isolation enabled will return a ‘File Not Found’
message to the application at runtime. This applies to both the virtual filesystem and the
host file system. Hide mode is generally used when a file on the host machine may
interfere with the application’s ability to run properly. By adding the file or folder to the
virtual package with Hide isolation enabled, the application will receive a ‘File Not
Found’ message, even if the file or folder exists on the host machine.
