The reference machine for app layer capture should have a standard installation of the required operating system. Other advance preparation is not required. Certain guidelines apply for special circumstances.

Prerequisites

Verify that the following conditions exist for special circumstances:

  • A virtual machine is created for capturing all except hardware-specific app layers.

  • The reference machine has a standard installation of the required OS, for example, Windows XP, Windows 7 32-bit or Windows 7 64-bit, Windows 8.1 32-bit or Windows 8.1 64-bit, or Windows 10 (64-bit).

  • App layers are deployed to compatible OS versions. You must capture app layers separately for Windows XP, Windows 7 32-bit, Windows 7 64-bit, Windows 8.1 32-bit, Windows 8.1 64-bit, Windows 10 (64-bit). An app layer captured on Windows 7 cannot be deployed on a Windows 8.1 (32-bit or 64-bit) machine, and the reverse. An app layer captured on Windows 8.1 32-bit cannot be deployed to Windows 8.1 64-bit, and the reverse.

  • Avoid software in the standard state of the reference machine that have the following characteristics:

    • Can cause changes to be made to the machine while you are installing the applications.

    • Is auto-updating. If you cannot avoid auto-updating software, try to disable the auto-update feature of any pre-existing software. For example, turn off automatic Windows Update installation and automatic anti-virus definition updates.

  • If you plan to capture a .NET-based application that uses a version of .NET not included in the standard Windows OS you installed, install the required .NET Framework in the clean reference machine before you start the capture and install your application. Deliver the .NET Framework itself through the base layer, if possible.

  • Verify that the standard reference machine is similar in content to the base layers used throughout the organization, for example, with the same Windows service pack version and .NET Framework version as the base layer.

  • Disable automatic updates of Windows Store Applications and the Windows operating system on reference machines. If automatic updates of Windows Store Applications are enabled on reference machines, base layers or app layers might be captured in the middle of an update.

  • If automatic updates of Windows Store Applications are enabled on reference machines, partially installed Windows updates might be recorded as part of the base layers or the app layers capture process, which lead to unexpected behavior on the endpoints.

Procedure

  1. Install the Mirage client on the reference machine.

    The virtual machine device state is Pending Assignment in the Mirage Management console.

  2. Restart the reference machine.

    Restarting assures best scan performance when you are capturing app layers.

What to do next

Continue to capture the pre-install state of the machine. See Start an App Layer Capture.