application virtualization overview - baycug
TRANSCRIPT
Denis GundarevEntisys Solutions
Application Streaming is dead, what are the options?
Agenda
• What is Application Streaming (Virtualization)?
• Application Virtualization internals
• Overview of available solutions
Application Isolation Environments
• Was introduced in MetaFrame Presentation Server 4.0 (2005)
• Virtualization layer that redirects system resources
• Virtualizes:– File system
– Registry
– Named objects (events, semaphores, etc)
• Transparent to the application
• Was a great compatibility aid for:
– Applications which are not multi user friendly
– Applications which have problems coexisting on the same server
– Applications that cannot have multiple instances running simultaneously
Launching initial process into AIE
File System Isolation
Isolation Environment Launcher (aierun.exe)
Registry and Object Isolation
Application
(eg winword.exe)
IMA
2. Launch application suspended
4. Resume process
File System Object Manager
Registry
5. Read rules from driver and start isolating
6. Application execution continues
3. Tell driver about AIE
being launched.
Pass down rules
File System redirection
Registryredirection
Named Objectredirection
File System calls
1.Retrieve AIE datafrom IMA
Isolation Environment Roots
• Specifies directories and registry locations
• User Profile Root
– Changes made by the user reside here
– Suitable for Multi-user
incompatible applications
• Installation Root
– Per Isolation environment location
– Enables conflicting applications
to coexist
Isolation Environment Rules
•Three types of Rules:• Ignore
• Redirect
• Isolate
Isolation Environment: IGNORE Rule
• Used to create “holes” in an isolation environment
• Virtual address is not modified by the virtualization
system
• Used to allow access outside of the isolation
environment
Isolation Environment: REDIRECT Rule
• Redirects an application request for a file or registry
key to a specified location
– If an application creates the file, c:\temp\data.txt, regardless
of the user, then it might be sensible to redirect those files
to c:\aietemp\%USERNAME%
– This means, if UserA ran the application isolated, then c:\
temp\data.txt is created in c:\aietemp\UserA\data.txt
Isolation Environment: ISOLATE Rule
• Per User:
– Ensure that each user gets his own copy of the
requested resource
• Per Isolation Environment:
– A single copy of the required system resource is
created in the installation root location and shared by
all users
Application Streaming
• Codenamed Project Tarpon
• Introduced in Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 (2007)
• Had 6 major releases before being deprecated
• Still available with XenApp 6.5 and XenDesktop 5.6
• Completely removed in XenDesktop 7
11
Tarpon Client
Extension of CPS Foundation
remote users
fire
wal
l
fire
wal
l
local users
AccessGateway Advanced
AccessControl
Web Servers ApplicationServers
IMA Service
PN Agent
Persistent Store
AIE
PN Agent
Access Management Console
Tarpon AppSubsystem
Tarpon Session Subsystem
Tarpon Client
Tarpon Profiler
License Server
WebInterface
AIE
AIE
Tarpon Client
AIE
PresentationServers
DatabasesFile Servers
New Apps
License
Presentation Server
DataCollector
12
Project Tarpon Infrastructure
Profiling Station
File Share / NASProject Tarpon Server Farm
Web Interface
Clients
SMB
SMB
HTTP/HTTPS
XML
SMB
License Server
27000
Application Virtualization Internals
How it works
• Two main components of Application Virtualization:– Isolation/Redirection
– Delivery mechanism
• Optional features:– File type associations and OS integration
– Rights Management and usage tracking
– Packaging
– Shareable sandboxes
File I/O Redirection options
• API Hooking – at USER or Kernel Level
• Hooking CreateFile, OpenFile, DeleteFile, NtCreateFile, NtOpenFile, NtDeleteFile etc
• Hooking into System Service Descriptor Table (SSDT)
–
• File System Filter Driver or Mini-Filter– Write file system driver to redirect virtualized file requests.
•
Registry Redirection Options
• API Hooking at USER Level– Hooking advapi32.dll - RegCreateKeyEx, RegDeleteKeyEx etc
– Hooking Ntdll.dll – NtCreateKey, NtDeleteKey etc
• API Hooking at Kernel Level– Hooking SSDT – NtCreateKey, NtDeleteKey etc
Players in App Virtualization
• Microsoft App-V
• VMware ThinApp
• CloudVolumes
• Symantec/Altiris SVS
• Spoon (Novell ZENworks)
• Numecent Jukebox
• FSLogix
• Sandboxie
• Microsoft Windows
Microsoft App-V
• Version 2.0 was released in 2002 by Softricity
• ~8 major and ~50 minor releases before App-V 5.0
• App-V 5.0 is completely rewritten and released in 2012
• Available as a part of MDOP under SA
• App-V 5.0 is only supported version for XenDesktop 7
App-V 5.0 Cons
• Requires SA
• Requires management servers
• Requires SQL
• User-level apps only
• Cannot virtualize drivers
• Cannot isolate applications that are a part of the OS
App-V Pros
• Tons of information on Internet
• Huge user community
• Integration with System Center
• Integration with XenDesktop
• Managed by PowerShell
VMware ThinApp
• Uses user-mode hooks
• Application packaging solution, just like PortableApps.com
• emulates the Windows COM and DCOM
• Supports Streaming Execution (SMB/CIFS) and Deployed Execution (i.e. USB)
• Does not support installed Apps
• No centralized management
• End of availability (“EOA”) of VMware ThinApp, effective on December 15, 2013. After that will be available only as a part of View or Horizon
CloudVolumes
• AppStack – basically a VHD or VMDK attached to a VM
• Web-based management console that communicates with hypervisor
• Full support for server software
• Available Now: VMware ESX 5.0, 5.1, Coming soon… HyperV, Azure, Amazon EC2
CloudVolumes
CloudVolumes
CloudVolumes pros
• Server software support
• No streaming or any other delivery mechanism
• Combination of file system minifilters and a service
• Text file-driven configuration
• Storage segregation on the hypervisor layer
• Per-machine or per-user assignments
• No packaging
CloudVolumes cons
• Works with virtual workloads only
• Came out of stealth mode in 2013
• Text file-driven configuration
• No integration with VDI brokers
Symantec/Altiris SVS
• Now called Symantec Workspace Virtualization
• Kernel-level hooks
• Umanaged computers support
• Application license management
• Best in class integration with OS
Spoon
• Formerly Xenocode
• Web portal for app access
• Desktop integration
• Works over HTTP/HTTPS
• License management
• Available as SaaS offering
• Server software support
• Auditing
• Support for installed applications
• Application snapshots
Numecent Jukebox
• HTTP-based streaming
• Encrypted cache
• Virtualized File System
• DRM and license control
• OPSWAT integration
• Kernel-level file system driver
• Web portal for user access
• Currently targeted for ISVs and MSP
• No publicly available demos or code
Numecent Jukebox
• Patents:
• Software streaming system and method
• Intelligent Network Streaming and Execution System for Conventionally Coded Applications
• Rule-based application access management
• Opportunistic block transmission with time constraints
• Deriving component statistics for a stream enabled application
FSLogix
• AIE:Ressurection
• Came out of stealth mode about in July 2013
• First release planned in Q3 2013
• No streaming, no packaging
• Combination of file system minifilter and user-level hooks
• Support changes in realtime
• Text-file based configs with a GUI editor
FSLogix
FSLogix
FSLogix
Sandboxie
• Isolated sandboxes for applications
• Virtualizes Files, Disk Devices, Registry Keys, Process and Thread objects, Driver objects, and objects used for Inter-process communication: Named Pipes and Mailbox Objects, Events, Mutexs (Mutants in NT speak), Semaphores, Sections and LPC Ports
• Not designed for VDI
• Not designed for Enterprise
• Developed by one person
Microsoft Windows
• UAC Virtualization is available out of the box
• Application compatibility toolkit can be used to manage folder and registry redirection
• No additional software needed
What Are Shims?
• Applied to specific apps– Configured with Compatibility Administrator in the App Compat Toolkit
– Deployable to enterprise
• Changes what the app thinks it sees
• Does not change what app is allowed to do
What Are Shims Good For?
• Great for many kinds of bugs:– Bad Windows version checks
– Writing to HKCR at runtime
– Unnecessary checks for “am I admin?”
– Writing to WRP-protected keys and files
– Windows thinks your app is an installer
– File/Registry redirections
Version Lie Shims
• Win95VersionLie
• WinNT4SP5VersionLie
• Win98VersionLie
• Win2000VersionLie
• Win2000SP1VersionLie
• Win2000SP2VersionLie
• Win2000SP3VersionLie
• WinXPVersionLie
• WinXPSP1VersionLie
• WinXPSP2VersionLie
• Win2K3RTMVersionLie
• Win2K3SP1VersionLie
• VistaRTMVersionLie
• VistaSP1VersionLie
• VistaSP2VersionLie
• Win7RTMVersionLie
Most Used Shims
• VirtualRegistry– Fixes the problem with reading/writing
registry value
– AddRedirect ( HKLM\Key ^ HKCU\Key ^ HKLM\Key2 ^ HKCU\Key2)
• CorrectFilePaths– Fixes the problem with reading/writing
a file
– c:\Program.ini=%AppData%\Program.ini
• WRPRegDeleteKey– Lie when app tries to delete protected
OS registry key
• ForceAdminAccess– Spoofs queries of administrator group
membership
• VirtualizeDeleteFile– Spoofs deletion of global file
• LocalMappedObject– Forces global section objects into
user’s namespace
• VirtualizeHKCRLite, VirtualizeRegisterTypeLib– Redirects global registration of COM
objects
Conclusion
• There are many vendors on the market
• If you care about App compatibility, take a look at simple solutions
• Consider using SaaS-based services
• Check the Application Virtualization Smackdown from Ruben Spruijt– http://www.pqr.com
– 61 pages cover major vendors on the market
Conclusion
