In some cases, one-off captures of applications for dynamic layering to end users can be repetitive and time-consuming. This applies to any application layering or virtualization technology—call it capturing, recording, or sequencing—packages or layers must be created and tested prior to being deployed to production.
Some situations call for a more automated packaging process. Consider scenarios like migrating from another application deployment tool or method to FlexApp, compliance-mandated scheduled application updates, or even integrating FlexApp package creation as a component of a larger DevOps system to reduce time and intervention in getting new software builds deployed to end users.
To address requests of this nature, Liquidware has created the FlexApp Packaging Automation framework. FlexApp Packaging Automation (FPA), uses a Primary Packaging Manager to delegate packaging jobs to a network of Packaging Capture Agents that execute the silent install commands, capture the software being installed, and create FlexApp packages on a network share that are immediately ready to be assigned to end users.
Going deeper into these example scenarios:
- If an organization is using a tool like SCCM, Intune, etc. to push out silent installs to end users, then migrating your application deployments to FlexApp can be accelerated using FlexApp Packaging Automation by building packaging jobs using the installers and silent install commands already contained in your current software deployment tool.
- If an internal policy requires some or all your end user software applications to be updated on a recurring schedule, maybe for security or industry-compliance reasons, then FlexApp Packaging Automation can be used to accelerate the repetitive re-packaging of the new versions to shorten the time-to-live for version updates and reduce manual IT intervention.
- If an organization relies on an application that is developed in-house, FlexApp Packaging Automation can be called by the software build server as the last step of a DevOps process to create a FlexApp package from the resultant binaries or installer. After the process is complete, that package shows in the ProfileUnity Console ready to be assigned to end users.
