Writable Volumes and Patching

[jackblackattack]

So what happens if a user has a writable volume and he installs applications that have plugins or .net version..etc and then I assign him an Appstack with the same apps,plugins etc.

I know the last appstack wins if there is an app conflict, but how do I patch Apps in writable volumes etc when there are duplicates?

Thanks!

[solgaeDK]

Writable Volumes are always attached last, so it will take priority over appstacks. So if you have any patches installed in the Writable Volume for the app that appears on both appstack and writable volumes, then the writable volumes patch will take precedence. But do test this scenario to make sure it behaves as expected.

[HenryLe0311 · Accepted solution]

Different for different apps. In any case the writeable volumes are always attached last, and take priority, over what is in the base image.

But .NET is special. I have have found that having a .NET app in writable volume and .NET apps in the gold image or another app volume has been problematic for me. In a support call I was told to have the .NET apps all in the same app stack when I had issues with some apps in an app stack not working.

Other apps that some of the test users have, like various browsers, are updated in the writable volume. Like a downloaded firefox that autoupdates for the user. But if I then try to put firefox in an app stack or OS layer the VM "doesn't" really see it since the writable volume "wins". Or I have two versions of firefox, my new one, and an older version in the writable volume.  They need to get a feature like Unidesk has that can override the writable volume and fix the conflicts so an App Stack can "win" and IT can override what the user has done. But I am not sure that is as simple as it sounds.

[Ray_handels]

Just as an extra reference  (because Henry is spot on).

It gets even worse if a user uninstalls the application you assigned using an appstack or the golden image.

I've talked about this before but what happens is that an item is marked as #DELETED# in the snapvol.dat and this masks the application/folder you've assigned though appstack/golden image so even the user didn't install the application himself, you as an admin still cannot assign it anymore.

The only way to then assign the application to the user is to actually remove the #DELETED# reference in the writable volume. Otherwise you cannot get the application back to the user anymore.