Windows 7 Application Virtualization 4.5 SP2 Released

Although customers can already download version 4.6 of Microsoft Application Virtualization, the Redmond-based company is now offering for download the second major upgrade to its predecessor. Application Virtualization (App-V) 4.5 Service Pack 2 (SP2) is now available through the Microsoft Download Center, bringing to the table the latest updates to App-V 4.5. The main changes highlighted by the software giant for the evolution of App-V 4.5 with the release of SP2 involve virtualization support of Office 2010 and of SQL Mirroring.

“This service pack provides the latest updates to Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5. Because Microsoft Application Virtualization service packs are cumulative, you do not have to install Service Pack 1 before you install Service Pack 2. Service Pack 2 includes all of the fixes that were included in Service Pack 1,” Microsoft revealed.

As was the case with previous App-V releases, Service Pack 2 for v4.5 is available immediately to Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) customers. App-V 4.5 SP2 can be downloaded through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Site (MVLS), but is also available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers. Of course, customers already running App-V 4.5 can simply deploy SP2 via Microsoft Update.

“Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) with Windows 7, Windows Server, and Office 2010 delivers a seamless user experience, streamlined application deployment and simplified application management. App-V helps transform applications into centrally managed virtual services to reduce the cost of application deployment, eliminate application conflicts and reboots, simplify your base image footprint to expedite PC provisioning, and increase user productivity,” noted a representative of the MDOP team.

The MDO team member highlighted some of the changes in Application Virtualization 4.5 SP2, including:

“•Enhanced failover protection or disaster recovery of your virtual application infrastructure: App-V data-store failover protection enables administrators to quickly recover from disasters and/or recycle servers for maintenance.
•Enable highly available application infrastructure: App-V 4.5 SP2 load balanced management servers can now leverage SQL server mirrored data-store to support high availability scenarios for line of business applications; with automatic failover protection not available with the previous versions of App-V.
•Data replication is now possible across geography: this enables organizations to recover from site wide failures faster.
•App-V 4.5 SP2 clients can now deploy Office 2010.”

Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) 4.5 Service Pack 2 (SP2) is available for download here.