Update a ThinApp Package Managed by Workspace ONE Access

Updating a ThinApp package that is already managed by Workspace ONE Access and in your organization's catalog involves multiple steps. The updated ThinApp package might be provided to you by another group in your organization. To ensure that Workspace ONE Access can automatically use the updated package in place of the existing one for the entitled users, you must ensure the updated package was created using the same AppID as the current package, has a VersionID value that is higher than the existing package's VersionID value, and is enabled for management by Workspace ONE Access.

Prerequisites

Verify that you have access to the location where your managed ThinApp packages reside and can create subfolders at that location.

Procedure

Obtain the AppID and VersionID values of a Managed ThinApp Package

To ensure that Workspace ONE Access automatically uses the updated ThinApp package in place of the current one, the updated ThinApp package must be created using the AppID of the currently managed ThinApp package and a higher VersionID value than the current version.

When the Setup Capture process is used to create an updated ThinApp package, the AppID value is automatically retrieved by the Setup Capture program from the existing ThinApp package's executables, and the VersionID value is automatically incremented. However, the person who is creating the updated ThinApp package might use a different method for creating the updated package. When the Setup Capture process is not used to create the updated ThinApp package, the person creating the package must obtain the AppID and VersionID values for the ThinApp package that is currently managed by Workspace ONE Access. The AppID and VersionID values are displayed on pages in the ThinApp package's resource page in the Workspace ONE Access console.

Procedure

In the Workspace ONE Access console, select Resources > Virtual Apps.
(Optional) Click the icon in the Type column heading and search for the package by name or select ThinApp Package to view all ThinApp packages.
Click the ThinApp package.
Make note of the following values.
- The Version value in the Definition section of the page.
- The AppID value listed in the GUID column in the ThinApp Package section.
  The value listed in the GUID column is the value that Workspace ONE Access uses to identify this ThinApp package.

What to do next

To create the updated ThinApp package, complete the steps in Create the Updated ThinApp Package.

Create the Updated ThinApp Package

After you obtain the AppID and VersionID values of a ThinApp package managed by Workspace ONE Access, create the updated ThinApp package following this procedure to ensure that Workspace ONE Access automatically uses the updated ThinApp package.

The AppID and VersionID values of the currently managed ThinApp package are used for creating the updated package. The updated package uses the same AppID value and a higher VersionID value.

Sometimes the updated ThinApp package is provided to you by another team in your organization. The person who creates the updated ThinApp package can use one of the described methods.

Prerequisites

Verify that you have the AppID and VersionID values of the current ThinApp package by completing the steps in Obtain the AppID and VersionID values of a Managed ThinApp Package.

Verify that you have a version of the ThinApp program that is compatible with your version of Workspace ONE Access. For information about specific ThinApp versions, see the VMware Product Interoperability Matrixes at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php.

Procedure

♦ Using a version of the ThinApp program that is supported by Workspace ONE Access, create the updated ThinApp package using one of the available methods.

Option Description

Recapture using Setup Capture.

Option	Description
Recapture using Setup Capture.	Use this method when the project folder for the existing ThinApp package managed by Workspace ONE Access is unavailable. To create an updated package with Setup Capture, you need only the following items: The application executables from the existing ThinApp package The application installer Setup Capture and the ThinApp program at a version supported by Workspace ONE Access. During the capture process, select to manage the package with Workspace ONE Access and that the package is an update of an existing base ThinApp package. Browse to the folder that contains the executables for the currently managed ThinApp package. Point to the folder, and not to specific executables. With this method, you do not need to obtain the AppID or VersionID values in advance of creating the updated package. After you designate the package as an update and point to the prior version in Setup Capture, the capture process reads the AppID of the prior package and reuses it for the updated package. The process also provides an incremented VersionID for the updated package, and assigns the same InventoryName.
Update the Package.ini file manually and then rebuild the package.	Use this method when you do not have the application installer for the recapture process, or when you need to update the package to a newer ThinApp version and want to update more than what the relink command would handle. Because rebuilding a package incorporates changes to the file system and registry which come in a new version of ThinApp, a rebuild would pick up those changes, such as when a new ThinApp version provides a new Package.ini parameter that you want to set. To mark the new package as an update, edit the following Workspace ONE Access parameters in the `[Build Options]` section of the Package.ini file: Set the AppID parameter to match the AppID value of the currently managed ThinApp application. You cannot reuse a value of genid for AppID, because then a new AppID value will be generated for the updated package and Workspace ONE Access will not recognize the new package as an update to the existing one. Increment the value of the VersionID parameter to a higher integer than the currently managed ThinApp package. If there is no VersionID parameter set for the currently managed package, its value is 1 by default, and you would add a line for the VersionID parameter to Package.ini and set it to a value of 2 (`VersionID = 2`). Make sure the InventoryName parameter value matches the InventoryName value of the currently managed package. The InventoryName values for the current package and the updated package must be identical.
Use the relink -h command with the AppID and VersionID options.	Use this method in one of the following situations: You do not have the project folder for the application. You have already captured, built, and tested the package outside of a Workspace ONE Access environment, and the only remaining steps are to enable the updated package for Workspace ONE Access and place it in the network share used by the Workspace ONE Access connector. You are updating the package only to update the ThinApp runtime for the package to incorporate bug fixes available in that new ThinApp version. For example, if you have changed the project directory, including the Package.ini file, for a virtual application, rebuilt the package, and tested the package, the test environment might not have been Workspace ONE Access. The final stage of updating the application is to enable it for Workspace ONE Access. At that point, the easiest route is to use the relink -h command, instead of recapturing or rebuilding. Note: The ThinApp runtime is always updated when you run the relink -h command on a ThinApp package. You can run the relink command from the ThinApp Program Files directory to get help on the command's syntax. When the existing ThinApp package is already enabled for use by Workspace ONE Access, you can run the following command to reuse the package's existing AppID and increment the VersionID: relink -h -VersionID + `executable-folder`/. Where `executable-folder` is a folder containing the executables of the ThinApp package you want to update. Important: When you use the relink command, you cannot point it directly to the folder of package executables on the network share used for the ThinApp packages in the Workspace ONE Access environment. The command converts the old executables to BAK files when it updates the ThinApp runtime, and it writes those BAK files, as well as the new files, to the folder. Because the network share typically does not allow writing to it, you must point relink to a copy of the folder of executables. Other use cases for the relink command, including enabling a ThinApp package for use in a Workspace ONE Access environment, are covered in the VMware knowledge base article at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2021928.

Use this method when the project folder for the existing ThinApp package managed by Workspace ONE Access is unavailable. To create an updated package with Setup Capture, you need only the following items:

The application executables from the existing ThinApp package
The application installer
Setup Capture and the ThinApp program at a version supported by Workspace ONE Access.

During the capture process, select to manage the package with Workspace ONE Access and that the package is an update of an existing base ThinApp package. Browse to the folder that contains the executables for the currently managed ThinApp package. Point to the folder, and not to specific executables.

With this method, you do not need to obtain the AppID or VersionID values in advance of creating the updated package. After you designate the package as an update and point to the prior version in Setup Capture, the capture process reads the AppID of the prior package and reuses it for the updated package. The process also provides an incremented VersionID for the updated package, and assigns the same InventoryName.

Update the Package.ini file manually and then rebuild the package.

Use this method when you do not have the application installer for the recapture process, or when you need to update the package to a newer ThinApp version and want to update more than what the relink command would handle. Because rebuilding a package incorporates changes to the file system and registry which come in a new version of ThinApp, a rebuild would pick up those changes, such as when a new ThinApp version provides a new Package.ini parameter that you want to set.

To mark the new package as an update, edit the following Workspace ONE Access parameters in the [Build Options] section of the Package.ini file:

Set the AppID parameter to match the AppID value of the currently managed ThinApp application. You cannot reuse a value of genid for AppID, because then a new AppID value will be generated for the updated package and Workspace ONE Access will not recognize the new package as an update to the existing one.
Increment the value of the VersionID parameter to a higher integer than the currently managed ThinApp package. If there is no VersionID parameter set for the currently managed package, its value is 1 by default, and you would add a line for the VersionID parameter to Package.ini and set it to a value of 2 (VersionID = 2).
Make sure the InventoryName parameter value matches the InventoryName value of the currently managed package. The InventoryName values for the current package and the updated package must be identical.

Use the relink -h command with the AppID and VersionID options.

Use this method in one of the following situations:

You do not have the project folder for the application.
You have already captured, built, and tested the package outside of a Workspace ONE Access environment, and the only remaining steps are to enable the updated package for Workspace ONE Access and place it in the network share used by the Workspace ONE Access connector.
You are updating the package only to update the ThinApp runtime for the package to incorporate bug fixes available in that new ThinApp version.

For example, if you have changed the project directory, including the Package.ini file, for a virtual application, rebuilt the package, and tested the package, the test environment might not have been Workspace ONE Access. The final stage of updating the application is to enable it for Workspace ONE Access. At that point, the easiest route is to use the relink -h command, instead of recapturing or rebuilding.

Note: The ThinApp runtime is always updated when you run the relink -h command on a ThinApp package.

You can run the relink command from the ThinApp Program Files directory to get help on the command's syntax.

When the existing ThinApp package is already enabled for use by Workspace ONE Access, you can run the following command to reuse the package's existing AppID and increment the VersionID:

relink -h -VersionID + executable-folder/*.*

Where executable-folder is a folder containing the executables of the ThinApp package you want to update.

Important: When you use the relink command, you cannot point it directly to the folder of package executables on the network share used for the ThinApp packages in the Workspace ONE Access environment. The command converts the old executables to BAK files when it updates the ThinApp runtime, and it writes those BAK files, as well as the new files, to the folder. Because the network share typically does not allow writing to it, you must point relink to a copy of the folder of executables.

Other use cases for the relink command, including enabling a ThinApp package for use in a Workspace ONE Access environment, are covered in the VMware knowledge base article at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2021928.

Results

You have a set of files (EXE files, and optionally DAT files) for the updated ThinApp package.

What to do next

Copy the files to a new subfolder on the network share, by completing the steps in Copy an Updated ThinApp Package to the Network Share.

Copy an Updated ThinApp Package to the Network Share

After you create the updated ThinApp package, you copy the appropriate files to a new subfolder at the same level as the existing subfolder on the network share to ensure that Workspace ONE Access automatically uses the updated ThinApp package.

Prerequisites

Verify that you have the files for the updated ThinApp package, as a result of completing the steps in Create the Updated ThinApp Package and incrementing the VersionID value.

Verify that you have access to the network share and can make subfolders and copy files to it.

Procedure

In the network share folder, create a new subfolder for the updated ThinApp package.
Retain the existing subfolder for the ThinApp package that you are updating, and do not alter its contents.
After the next scheduled sync, Workspace ONE Access ignores the older package, when it recognizes the new package has the same AppID value and a higher VersionID value.

Typically, you name the subfolder to match the name of the ThinApp application, or indicate what application is in the folder. For example, if the network share is named appshare on a host named server, and the application is called abceditor, the subfolder for the ThinApp package is \\server\appshare\abceditor.

Note: Do not use non-ASCII characters when you create your network share subfolder names for ThinApp packages to distribute by using Workspace ONE Access. Non-ASCII characters are not supported.
Copy the EXE and DAT files for the updated ThinApp package into that new subfolder.
(Optional) If you do not want to wait for the next scheduled sync time, you can manually sync Workspace ONE Access with the network share from the Packaged Apps - ThinApp page of the Workspace ONE Access console.

When the Workspace ONE Access connector performs the scheduled sync with the network share folder and it encounters an application that has the same AppID as another application, it compares the VersionID values. The ThinApp package with the highest VersionID is used as the most recent update. Workspace ONE Access automatically incorporates the previous user entitlements to the ThinApp package with the highest VersionID, and shortcuts on the users' systems are synced to point to the updated package.

What to do next

Your Workspace ONE Access catalog displays the new version of the updated ThinApp package after the next ThinApp package sync. If you want to see the new version reflected in the ThinApp package's resources page, you can sync the virtual app collection manually from the ThinApp virtual apps collection page in the Workspace ONE Access console.