Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Golden VM images are good, but have you considered MSIX app attach?

Traditionally, a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environment requires you to maintain multiple Virtual Machine (VM) images with different applications for your VDI users.

In this webinar, we will discuss a new application layering solution for Windows Virtual Desktop called MSIX app attach. This solution allows you to dynamically attach an application that is an MSIX package to a user session, which eliminates the need to maintain golden virtual machine images and simplifies IT management.

Join to learn about:

• MSIX and how MSIX app attach technologies.
• Benefits and considerations when using MSIX app attach.
• Steps and best practices to successfully use MSIX app attach in Windows Virtual Desktop.

Register for the webinar here:

• Windows Virtual Desktop Webinar: “Manage Apps in Windows Virtual Desktop with MSIX App Attach”
  https://info.microsoft.com/ww-ondemand-manage-apps-in-windows-virtual-desktop-with-msix-app-attach.html?lcid=en-us

For more on setting up MSIX App Attach, visit:

• Set up MSIX app attach with the Azure portal
  https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-desktop/app-attach-azure-portal

FAQs:

• What are the expectations of the availability dates for the non-commercial clouds like US GOV?
  TBD
• Where would I look for logs about this process?
  There is the WVD telemetry and there is https://github.com/stgeorgi/msixappattach/tree/master/event_viewer_filter
• Are any MS apps available pre-packaged as MSIX?
  Any app from the MS Store, there are also apps coming from vendors (Intunes, Slack, PowerBI) that are MSIX
• Do you have to start with an MSI file to make an MSIX package?
  no its only one of the paths
• Can MSIX be used when plug-ins are used? For example, I have several plug-ins for Microsoft Word. Is there a way to get those plug-in to load in an MSIX delivered version of Word?
  Generally yes, but it depends on how the plugins are written, with what tech, and how they communicate with the app
• Can the successfully converted MSI or App-V format be used on different device platforms, i.e.. iOS, Android and Windows 10 and Kubernates containers?
  The MSIX format can be used on iOS but the apps inside cannot be windows and expect them to run on IOS.
• MSIX app attach is strictly WVD or will it work on Azure VDI persistent sessions?
  The management plane that we are going to demo later is strictly WVD, but we have partners that can manage MSIX app attach in VDI on prem
• Can you use MSIX with PS scripts
  Yes https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-desktop/app-attach
• Where is the Presentation deck? https://on24static.akamaized.net/event/30/78/00/1/rt/1/documents/resourceList1618508411260/manageappsinwindowsvirtualdesktopwithmsixappattach1618508410015.pdf