VMware THINAPP 4.6 - Registryisolationmode

VMware, Inc. 69
Chapter 5 Configuring Package Parameters
WithFullisolationmode,ThinAppblocksvisibilitytosystemelementsoutsidethevirtualapplication
package.Thismoderestrictsanychangestofilesorregistrykeystothesandboxandensuresthatno
interactionexistswiththeenvironmentoutsidethevirtualapplicationpackage.Fullisolationprevents
applicationconflictbetweenthevirtualapplication
andapplicationsinstalledonthephysicalsystem.Donot
usetheFullisolationmodeinthePackage.inifilebecausethatmodeblockstheabilitytodetectandload
systemDLLs.YoucanuseFullisolationmodeasanoverridemechanisminthe##Attributes.inifiles.
ThinAppcachestheisolationmodesforthe
registryandthefilesystematruntimeinthesandbox.Ifyou
changetheisolationmodefortheprojectandrebuildtheexecutablefile,youmightdeletethesandboxforthe
changetotakeeffect.
Formoreinformationaboutthedefinitionsandeffectofisolationmodes,see“DefiningIsolationModesfor

thePhysicalFileSystem”onpage 18.
Examples
YoucanmodifytheDirectoryIsolationModeparameterwithWriteCopyisolationtoensurethatthe
applicationcanreadresourcesonthelocalmachine,butnotwritetothehostcomputer.Thisisthedefault
settingforthesnapshot.exeutility.Youmustplacetheparameterunderan[Isolation]heading.
[Isolation]
DirectoryIsolationMode=WriteCopy
YoucanassignMergedisolationmodetoensurethattheapplicationcanreadresourcesonandwritetoany
locationonthecomputerexceptwherethepackagespecifiesotherwise.ThisisthedefaultsettingfortheSetup
Capturewizard.
[Isolation]
DirectoryIsolationMode=Merged
RegistryIsolationMode
TheRegistryIsolationModeparametercontrolstheisolationmodeforregistrykeysinthepackage.This
settingappliestotheregistrykeysthatdonothaveexplicitsettings.
Thecaptureprocessdoesnotsetthevalueofthisparameter.Youcanconfiguretheregistryisolationmode
onlyinthePackage.inifile.ThinAppsets
theinitialregistryisolationmodetoWriteCopy.Forinformation
aboutisolationmodeoptions,see“DirectoryIsolationMode”onpage 68.
DonotusetheFullisolationmodeinthePackage.inifilebecausethatmodeblockstheabilitytodetectand
loadsystemDLLs.YoucanuseFullisolationmodeasanoverridemechanism.You
canplaceexceptionstothe
configuredRegistryIsolationModeparameterintheregistrykeytextfilesintheprojectdirectory.An
exceptionmightappearinafile,suchasHKEY_CURRENT_USER.txt,asisolation_full
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Macromedia.
Allruntimemodificationstovirtualfilesinthecapturedapplicationarestoredinthesandbox,regardlessof
theisolationmode
setting.Atruntime,virtualandphysicalregistryfilesareindistinguishabletoan
application,butvirtualregistryfilesalwayssupersedephysicalregistryfileswhenbothexistinthesame
location.Ifvirtualandphysicalentriesexistatthesamelocation,isolationmodesdonotaffectaccesstothese
entriesbecausethe
applicationalwaysinteractswithvirtualelements.
Ifexternalgrouppolicyupdatesoccurseparatelyfromthepackagethroughthephysicalregistry,youmight
removevirtualregistryfilesfromapackageandverifythattheparentfileofthesevirtualregistryfilesdoes
notuseFullisolation.Becausechildfilesinheritisolationmodes
fromparentelements,Fullisolationina
parentfilecanblockthevisibilityofphysicalchildfilestoanapplication.
Examples
YoucanmodifytheRegistryIsolationModeparametertoensurethattheapplicationcanreadkeysfromthe
hostcomputer,butnotwritetothehostcomputer.
[Isolation]
RegistryIsolationMode=WriteCopy