Novell Application Launcher 2.0

Winning the Application Battle

Sandy Stevens

If managing your company's applications is consuming all of your time and energy, you need Novell Application Launcher (NAL) 2.0. By taking advantage of Novell Directory Services (NDS), NAL 2.0 allows you to centrally distribute, upgrade, and manage applications across your company's network. When new applications become available, NAL 2.0 allows you to update these applications on Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 3.x workstations. You can also modify Windows registry or .INI settings and provide fault tolerance and load balancing for applications--all without leaving your own workstation.

Sound too good to be true? It gets better: NAL 2.0 is available free on Novell's World-Wide Web site (http://www.novell.com/novellsw/brands.html).

This article takes an in-depth look at NAL 2.0, explaining the following:

HOW NAL 2.0 WORKS

With NAL 2.0, you can define applications as objects in the NDS tree and associate particular users with each application. If a user is associated with an application, NAL 2.0 automatically displays that application's icon on the user's desktop. Then when a user launches the application, NAL 2.0 performs all of the tasks necessary for the application to run: NAL 2.0 dynamically connects to the required network resources (such as network drives and printers), "pushes" any necessary components to the workstation, and updates Windows registry and .INI settings. Because applications are delivered through NDS, each user sees the same application icons regardless of which workstation he or she uses to log in to the network.

To define applications in the NDS tree, you use Application objects, which contain information such as the directory path to the application's executable file and the appropriate Windows registry settings for the workstation. You can associate User objects, Group objects, or container objects with each Application object.

Applications defined in NDS are dynamically delivered to users' desktops. If you change the way an application is defined in NDS or if you install a new application, these changes will appear on the appropriate users' desktops al-most immediately.

Because you create Application objects in NDS, you no longer need to walk to each user's workstation simply to install and configure an application. You can create Application objects to do the following:

This list shows only a few ways you can use NAL 2.0 to distribute software from a server to a workstation and to manage applications. Future releases of NAL will allow you to distribute software from one server to another, using NDS to automate the entire process. Novell has also announced plans to enable NAL to run on other platforms that natively support NDS, including UNIX and Windows NT Server. This cross-platform support, coupled with Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) support, could provide directory-enabled distribution of software and data across the Internet.

NAL 2.0 COMPONENTS

NAL 2.0 consists of two management components, which allow you to create and manage Application objects, and two user components, which enable users to access applications. These components are described below.

INSTALLING NAL 2.0

Before you install NAL 2.0, you should ensure that your network meets the following minimum requirements: The server must be running NetWare 4.1 or higher, and workstations must be running one of the following versions of Novell client software:

You can download these versions of Novell client software from Novell's web site (http://www.novell.com/novellsw/brands.html).

To manage NAL 2.0, you need a Windows NT or Windows 95 workstation running version 4.11 of the NWADMIN utility for Windows NT or Windows 95. You can download the NWADMIN utility from Novell's web site (http://www.novell.com/text/intranetware/ntint/download.html).

The next sections explain how to install the server components and the workstation components of NAL 2.0.

Installing the Server Components

To install the server components of NAL 2.0, you must be logged in to the NDS tree as the ADMIN user or as a user with equivalent rights to the NDS tree. Before you begin the installation process, you should close all of the applications on your workstation. You must then complete the following steps to install the NAL snap-in module for the NWADMIN utility and the NAL snAppShot:

1. Run the SETUPNAL.EXE file to begin the installation process.

2. After you respond to the prompts on the Setup screen and the Software License Agreement screen, the Choose Destination Location screen appears.

3. You must specify the directory in which you want to install the server components of NAL 2.0. The default destination directory is SYS:\PUBLIC.

Note: Novell strongly recommends that you accept the default destination directory because NAL 2.0 requires files that are stored in the SYS:\PUBLIC directory and its language subdirectories. If you install the server components of NAL 2.0 in a different directory, you must copy the necessary files to this directory before NAL 2.0 will work.

After you specify the appropriate directory and click the Next button, the setup program copies the NAL 2.0 program files to this directory.

4. After the setup program copies the NAL 2.0 program files to the server, a screen appears, asking if you want to extend the NDS schema. You can extend the NDS schema now, or you can extend the NDS schema the first time you run the NWADMIN utility after you install NAL 2.0. If you extend the NDS schema now, the setup program can create sample Application objects in the NDS tree. Click the Yes button to extend the NDS schema.

5. Another screen appears, asking if you want the setup program to create sample Application objects in the NDS tree. Click the Yes button.

The setup program creates Application objects for the following:

6. The Setup Complete screen appears. If you want to view the README file now, select the appropriate option on this screen. Then click the Finish button to exit the setup program.

Installing the Workstation Components

Installing the workstation components of NAL 2.0 is simple: To install the NAL Window, you must locate the NAL.EXE file in the SYS:\PUBLIC directory of the server on which you installed the server components of NAL 2.0. You then run the NAL.EXE file from your workstation.

The NAL.EXE file automatically loads the correct executable file for the version of Windows running on the workstation. The NAL.EXE file also copies itself onto the workstation and updates the appropriate files.

The easiest way to install the NAL Window is to run the NAL.EXE file from a user, profile, or container login script. For example, you could include a command similar to the following in the login script:

IF OS = "WINDOWS" OR OS = "WIN95" OR OS = "WINNT" THEN
\\FILESERVER\SYS\PUBLIC\NAL END

After you install the NAL Window, you must install the NAL Explorer by running the NALEXPLD.EXE file, which is also located in the server's SYS:\PUBLIC directory. The first time you run this file from your workstation, the file copies itself onto the workstation. In addition, the NALEXPLD.EXE file automatically updates the Windows registry.

Again, the easiest way to install the NALEXPLD.EXE file is from a user, profile, or container login script. For example, you could include a command similar to the following in the login script:

IF OS = "WINNT" OR OS = "WIN95" THEN\\FILESERVER\SYS\PUBLIC\ NALEXPLD/S

CREATING APPLICATION OBJECTS

After you install NAL 2.0, you use the NWADMIN utility for Windows 95 or for Windows NT to create Application objects and define which users will have access to each Application object. As mentioned earlier, when you associate a user with an Application object, the application's icon appears on the user's desktop almost immediately if the user is logged in to the network. The application's icon also appears on the user's desktop each time the user logs in to the network. In addition, you can create Application objects for a workstation application and install or upgrade this application on many workstations across the network.

You can create an Application object in one of two ways: manually or using an Application object template.

Typically, you would create an Application object manually if you wanted to make an existing network application available to users. NAL 2.0 would then display this application's icon on the appropriate users' desktops. You would also create an Application object manually if you needed to perform simple workstation installations or upgrades.

To create an Application object manually, you must complete the following steps:

1. Launch the NWADMIN utility, and select the Create option from the Object menu. The New Object screen appears.

2. Select the Application option, and click the OK button. The Application Creation Wizard screen appears. (See Figure 2.)

3. Define the Application object by specifying its name and the directory path to the appropriate executable file. You can also define additional properties. (See Figure 2.)

If you are using NAL 2.0 to perform application installations or upgrades that are complicated, you may want to use an Application object template to create the Application object. In this case, you complete the steps outlined above until the Application Creation Wizard screen appears. You then select the Use This Wizard With an Application Object Template option. (See Figure 2.)

If you select this option, the Application Creation Wizard uses the Application object template to create the Application object. This file contains all of the information needed to install and run the application you ran when you created the Application object template. To create the Application object template, you use the NAL snAppShot, as described below.

Creating an Application Object Template

When you run the NAL snAppShot, it takes a snapshot of your workstation before you install an application. The NAL snAppShot then prompts you to install the application. After the installation process is completed, the NAL snAppShot takes another snapshot of your workstation.

The NAL snAppShot records the changes made during the installation process in an Application object template, which you can then use to create an Application object. The NAL snAppShot also keeps track of the files that the setup program installs on the workstation. The NAL snAppShot then copies these files and stores them as .FIL files.

When you use the Application ob-ject template, you must ensure that the workstation on which you run the NAL snAppShot is running the same operating system as the other workstations on which you want to install the same application. For example, suppose that you wanted to install Microsoft Office 97 on several workstations. If you ran the NAL snAppShot on a Windows NT workstation, you could use the Application object template to install Microsoft Office 97 on other Windows NT workstations. If you wanted to install Microsoft Office 97 on Windows 95 workstations, you must run the NAL snAppShot on a Windows 95 workstation to create the Application object template.

To use the NAL snAppShot to create an Application object template, you must complete the following steps:

1. Run the SNAPSHOT.EXE file from the SYS:\PUBLIC\SNAPSHOT directory. (If you installed the NAL snAppShot on a workstation's hard drive, you can run the SNAPSHOT.EXE file from the workstation.) The Welcome to snAppShot screen appears. (See Figure 3.)

2. Click the Next button. The Application Information screen appears, prompting you to name the application you want to install and briefly describe the application.

3. After you provide this information, the Template and Configuration Information screen appears. You must specify the directory in which you want to store the Application object template, and you must enter the name of this template. You must also specify the directory in which you want to store all of the application files that the NAL snAppShot saves as .FIL files.

I recommend that you create an APPS subdirectory in the PUBLIC directory. You may place the APPS subdirectory anywhere on the server, but remember that all of the users who run the application need access rights to this directory to install the application correctly. Also, if you are installing a large application, you must ensure that the volume in which the APPS subdirectory resides is large enough to accommodate the entire application.

4. After you complete the Template and Configuration Information screen, click the Next button. The Include/Exclude screen appears, allowing you to specify which drives and files to include in the workstation snapshot and which drives and files to exclude from this snapshot. For most applications, the default settings are fine. Click the Next button to accept the default settings.

5. The Ready to Take Snapshot screen appears. Click the Next button.

6. The Run Setup Program screen appears, prompting you to run the application's setup program. When you run this setup program, you should install this application exactly as you want to install this application on the workstations. For example, you should select all optional components now.

If you make a mistake during the installation process, you should completely uninstall the application, cancel the snapshot, and try again. It is imperative that the NAL snAppShot record everything correctly.

7. After the application is installed, the Waiting for Setup to Finish screen appears. Click the Next button.

8. The Install Directory screen appears, prompting you to specify the directory in which the application was installed. After you specify the appropriate directory, click the Next button.

9. The Discovering Change screen appears as the NAL snAppShot analyzes and records any changes the application's setup program made to the workstation. This process may take a few minutes since the NAL snAppShot is creating the Application object template.

10. After the NAL snAppShot creates this template, the Completed screen appears. Click the Close button to exit the NAL snAppShot.

You can now use the Application object template to create an Application object in the NWADMIN utility.

ASSOCIATING USERS WITH APPLICATION OBJECTS

After creating an Application object, you must grant users permission to use the Application object. To grant this permission, you must associate User, Group, or container objects with the Application object. Only then will the Application object appear on the appropriate users' desktops.

To associate a User, Group, or container object with an Application object, you must launch the NWADMIN utility and double-click the Application object. You then select the Associations option, click the Add button on the Associations page, and browse the NDS tree to locate the appropriate objects.

Because most applications have minimum workstation requirements, NAL 2.0 also allows you to specify what resources the workstation must have to run a particular application. If a workstation does not have these resources, the application icon will not be displayed on the user's desktop. For example, an application may require Windows 95, 40 MB of free hard drive space, and 10 MB of RAM. To specify what resources a workstation must have to run an application, you use the Application object's System Requirements page. (See Figure 4.)

If you want to do more than place an icon on a user's desktop, NAL 2.0 allows you to completely control users' applications: For example, you can control where the NAL Window appears on the users' desktops, whether the icon can be moved or deleted, whether applications run in normal, minimized, or maximized mode, and more, depending on which version of Novell client software you use.

To set these kinds of options, you use the Launcher Configuration page for the User, Group, or container objects that you associated with the Application object. (See Figure 5.)

Balancing the Load

Some companies have so many users accessing the same application that these companies need multiple application servers to handle the workload. To provide load balancing for applications, you would probably need to divide the users into separate groups and create separate login scripts for each group, or you would need to place an icon pointing to the correct application server on each user's desktop.

Although both of these load-balancing methods work, they are time consuming and labor intensive. Wouldn't it be easier to create an icon that pointed to all of the application servers and let NAL 2.0 automatically select which server to launch the application from?

To enable NAL 2.0 to load balance applications automatically, you double-click the Application object in the NWADMIN utility. The Application Details page appears, and you click the Fault Tolerance button to display the Fault Tolerance page. Then you click the Load Balancing check box and add the directory path to all of the application servers that should participate in load balancing.

Providing Fault Tolerance for Applications

NAL 2.0 also provides fault tolerance for applications. If your company has multiple application servers, you can select which applications you want to protect and install these applications in the same way on any or all servers. Next, you access the Fault Tolerance page in the NWADMIN utility, click the Fault Tolerance check box, and add the directory path to all of the servers that should provide fault tolerance.

NAL 2.0 then automatically ensures fault tolerance. When users select the application, NAL 2.0 attempts to contact the primary application server. If this server is not available, NAL 2.0 tries to contact the next server in the list, continuing this process until a server responds. By enabling fault tolerance, you can perform maintenance tasks on an application server without worrying about getting the server up and running again so that users can work.

Handling the Windows Registry

NAL 2.0 fully supports the Windows registry, a critical component of both Windows 95 and Windows NT. If you manually create an Application object, you can define any registry changes you want to include with the application. If you use an Application object template, NAL snAppShot automatically detects all of the changes the application's setup program makes to the Windows registry. Because NAL 2.0 uses standard registry function calls, NAL 2.0 automatically supports features such as user profiles and programs such as Novell Workstation Manager.

However, certain parts of the registry are not included in the user profile and, therefore, do not move from one workstation to another. For example, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, which is part of the Windows registry, is specific to a particular workstation.

Suppose that NAL 2.0 displayed an application icon that you used to access a network application. Also suppose that the network application required workstation components.

The first time you selected the application icon, NAL 2.0 would install all of the necessary components on the workstation and then launch the application. The next time you selected the application icon, the application would simply launch because NAL 2.0 would not need to reinstall the workstation components.

Now suppose that you logged in to the network from a different workstation. You would view your desktop and all of the other information stored in your user profile. If you launched the application from NAL 2.0, it would download the necessary workstation components be-fore launching this application.

When NAL 2.0 downloads applications to workstations, it saves application information in special keys that are stored in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE portion of the Windows registry. Because this part of the registry does not move with the user profile from workstation to workstation, NAL 2.0 always knows when it must download a component to the workstation.

NO TRAFFIC JAMS, PLEASE

With all of the time-saving features NAL 2.0 provides, it's easy to forget that installing a new application on hundreds of workstations at the same time may cause congestion on the network. Fortunately, you can distribute the load over a period of time. For example, you could specify that an application be installed during one week, and each day NAL 2.0 would distribute the application icon to a percentage of users' desktops. If you also set the Run Once flag and made the application's icon appear in users' startup folders, the application would be installed on workstations without user intervention.

GOTTA HAVE IT!

Whether your company has a small network that supports 10 users or an enterprise network that spans the globe, NAL 2.0 will save you significant time and energy managing this network. You can distribute application icons to users' desktops in a matter of minutes, and you can automatically install or upgrade workstation software. In fact, NAL 2.0 might single-handedly free up enough time to let you use some of those 300-plus vacation hours you have accumulated. Hawaii, here you come!

Sandy Stevens is a freelance writer based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is the coauthor of Novell's Guide to NetWare Printing, which is available from Novell Press, and Novell's Guide to Integrating IntranetWare and Windows NT, which will soon be available from Novell Press.

NetWare Connection, October 1997, pp.24-32