Please explain side-by-side updating in detail

[cookieme]

I've been experimenting with side-by-side updating of a ThinApp after reading one of the VMware blog posts about different update mechanisms.

I have a ThinApp located on a file server (vm) and then a winxp pro (vm) that has the ThinApp registered with Thinreg. I would like some more detail on how the side-by-side updating works.

If the ThinApp is called MyApp.exe and the user is using the program. Then I create a new ThinApp with the same inventory name etc (everything same except version) and rename this new program MyApp.1. I then place it in the same location as MyApp.exe.

How does this affect the user currently using MyApp.exe?

What happens when user2 on winxp vm2 now starts the ThinApp from the shortcut pointing to the original MyApp.exe? Does this user start using MyApp.1?

Does it work the same if I rollback say remove MyApp.1?

Thanks

[admin · Accepted solution]

How does this affect the user currently using MyApp.exe?

It doesn't. A user that's currently using MyApp.exe will continue to use that version.

What happens when user2 on winxp vm2 now starts the ThinApp from the shortcut pointing to the original MyApp.exe?

user2 will be invisibly redirected to MyApp.1. It doesn't really matter how a user starts MyApp.exe when MyApp.1 is present, whether from a command prompt, Windows Explorer or using a shortcut, whenever MyApp.exe is started MyApp.1 is used instead.

Does it work the same if I rollback say remove MyApp.1?

Users that start MyApp.exe after you remove MyApp.1 will use MyApp.exe.

[cookieme]

Thank you for clarifying!