Introduction

This article describes how to patch an appset in Cloudpaging Studio, and the steps required to deploy the patched version of the app to both new and existing users via AppsAnywhere.

Usage

The patching feature in Cloudpaging Studio allows you to make changes to an existing appset (that may already be deployed and in use). The patched version of the app can then be pushed out to existing users as an automatic upgrade.

This functionality is most useful to:

  • Fix a small issue with an appset

  • Add a vendor patch or update

  • Incorporate a new license key

Patching is not recommended for large scale changes to an appset. For instance, this method should not be used to deploy an entirely new version of an app.

Patching an Appset

  1. Open Cloudpaging Studio and click Patch. 

  2. See the Open for Patching dialog appear on screen. Navigate to and select the project file (.stw) for patching, then click Open.

  3. From the Cloudpaging Studio menu toolbar, select Application | Extract Application and browse to the appset (.stp) file. Then click Open to start the extraction process.

  4. Capture the vendor installer or custom script that you want to create a patch from; following the normal capture process. Changes cannot be made manually; they must be captured.

  5. Finalize the capture when complete.

  6. On the Project tab, change the title in the Revision information to “Version 1.1” or something descriptive such as “2019 License Update”.

  7. Click Cloudify and then click OK to save the changes to your Cloudpaging Studio project file. A Save Project dialog will now appear on screen. Click Create a backup of the original project and then click OK. This will create a backup copy (.bak) of the original project file (.stw).

  8. The output filename for the patched appset (.stp) will be the same as the original, so to distinguish between them, save to a new directory.

  9. Edit the Output folder path to specify a new directory to store the patched appset – e.g. Rel1.1. Then click OK.

  10. The Appset file (.stp) is the path to the original .stp file, and should not be changed.

Testing Locally

  1. Extract the patched appset to a local directory using a utility such as 7-Zip.

  2. To test the patched version, rename the original AIB file e.g. add the extension .bak.

  3. Then rename the patched AIB file to have the same name as the original. In this example Rel1.1 becomes Rel1.

  4. Finally, to test the patched version of the app locally, double click on the .tok file on a machine with Cloudpaging Player installed.

Enabling the Patch via Cloudpaging Server

Note: The patched appset retains all versioning information. Users will be unaffected during this stage.

  1. After testing the appset locally, copy the new .stp file into the Cloudpaging repository, overwriting the existing published .stp file.

  2. Log in to the Cloudpaging admin portal (https://cloudpaging.uni.edu/jukeboxserver) and navigate to Manage Applications.

  3. Click on the application to patch (or select the application).

  4. Click on the Patch/Edit button.

  5. Select the patch version from the drop down, then press Finish.

Patch Deployment to New Users

  1. Open AppsAnywhere and Return to Admin.

  2. Select Applications | Manage Applications.

  3. Click Edit next to the app that you have patched.

  4. Select Delivery Methods, and click Add Delivery Method to create a new delivery method for the patched application.
    Note: Current Delivery Method shows the existing Cloudpaged delivery methods in use by the patched application. These should not be changed, a new delivery method must be added.

  5. Select the Cloudpaging delivery method.

  6. From the Deploy Version dropdown list, choose the patched version to deploy. If Deploy Version is not visible, click on Show Advanced Settings,

  7. Configure the Restrictions and Operating System Compatibilities to match the settings for the original unpatched delivery method.

  8. Click Save to publish the new version. The new delivery method will be listed in the Current Delivery Methods section.

  9. Move the new delivery method above the old delivery method to give it a higher priority, then click Save Order.

The patched version will now be delivered to new users of the application.

Patch Deployment to Existing Users

  1. Open AppsAnywhere and click Return to Admin.

  2. Select Cloudpaging | Manage Upgrades.

  3. Click Add.

  4. Select the patched Application and set the Type of upgrade to Patch.

  5. Under From Delivery Method select the original Delivery Method.

  6. Under To Delivery Method select the new Delivery Method (for the patched version).

  7. Ensure that Is Mandatory is selected.

  8. Then click Save to apply the upgrade.

The patched version will now be delivered to existing users of the application.

User Experience

The next time that an existing user launches the original app, they will be prompted that a minor upgrade is available.

The user must close the app to initiate the upgrade to the patched version.

If the user does not close the app they will see a 2-minute warning, and a subsequent 1-minute warning.

After 2 minutes the user is forced to close the app by clicking OK.

The app is then removed automatically, and the patched version virtualized and launched instead.