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Author Topic: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS  (Read 39109 times)

cthorpe

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Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« on: January 26, 2007, 07:51 PM »
Altiris Software Virtualization Solution (SVS)

Symantec to aquire Altiris in second quarter 2007 http://www.symantec....jsp?prid=20070129_02  :wallbash:  :sick:

Basic Info

App NameAltiris Software Virtualization Solution
App URLhttp://www.altiris.c...izationSolution.aspx
            User community at http://juice.altiris.com/svs
            Downloads here http://juice.altiris.com/node/86
App Version Reviewed2.1.2027
Test System SpecsPentium III 866mhz, 512mb Ram, Windows XPSP2
Supported OSesWindows 2000, 2003, XP (Pro and Home)
Support MethodsUser forums at http://forums.altiri...id=28&entercat=y
Trial Version Available?Free for personal use.  120 day evaluation otherwise.
Pricing SchemeFree for personal use.  Other use starts at "$29 per node"
Screencast Video URL15:00 demonstration by one of the software engineers: http://juice.altiris.com/node/470
3:00 demo by me: http://carlthorpe.co...altiris/altiris.html
DisclaimerI am NOT affiliated with Altiris or any of its parent companies or subsidiaries.  I am a user and have received no benefits, monetary or otherwise, for this review.

Screenshot of main interface:
main.pngMini-Review: Altiris SVS

Intro:

Altiris SVS has to be one of the coolest software concepts since FirstDefense-ISR ;).  It is an application virtualization system.  Think of it like VM Ware or Parallels, but on an application by application basis.  Want to install Microsoft Office 2003 and Microsoft Office 2000 at the same time?  No problem.  Just install each one it its own "layer" and activate the one you want to use at any given time.  Want to install a program for very occasional use but not have it hanging around, messing with your other programs, slowing down bootup and shutdown, eating all your food, and leaving the toilet seat up?  Just put it in a layer, activate it every once in awhile as needed, and then deactivate it until the next time.  Sounds great, doesn't it?  Well, it almost is.

The long screencast above will show you everything you can do with the application, while mine will only show you the most basic usage.  I'd recommend viewing at least my video before continuing with this review.  Go ahead, I'll wait...

create.pngMini-Review: Altiris SVS create2.pngMini-Review: Altiris SVS

Putting software on a layer is just a matter of telling SVS that you want to install it to a new layer.  You just browse to the installation file, and SVS starts recording.  The installation will appear just as it would otherwise, as it is not aware that it is being captured.  Your only indication that something is going on will be a small animated lightening icon in your system tray. 

captureicon.png

Once the software is completely installed, and any processes that it starts after the install (such as starting itself like winamp did in my video) are closed, SVS will stop capturing.  Now the software is installed and can be used like you normally would.  Whenever you want to deactivate the software, you just go to the console, and deactivate it.  The program and all its system changes will disappear without a trace.  Registry changes will be reversed, ini files will cease to exist, dlls will revert to previous versions, files that were deleted will live again, etc.  Even created files and the like will disappear (though you can configure it to leave them behind if you want) Later, when you reactivate the layer, all those changes will be restored and the application will work again.  Those documents that disappeared when deactivating?  Those will reappear as well.

You can have as many layers as you want, and can activate and deactivate any combination of them.  While you may encounter conflicts with application layers that are simultaneously activated, you shouldn't see any problems if you deactivate one of the guilty parties.  You can also do other types of captures, such as a global capture that can grab multiple programs.

If that was all this software could do, it would be very useful.  But what makes it even better is that the layers are portable.  That means that I could create a layer of an application on my machine, export it to a self contained file, send it to you, and you could import it activate it and use it just as if you had installed it on your computer.  This is great for testing an application on multiple systems, trying to troubleshoot application conflicts, etc.  I install software that I want layered inside a virtual machine, then export it to my real computer and import it for use there, and it works great.

Also, the program provides a roll-back type functionality.  You can reset a layer to its original captured state at any time.  In addition, you can update that restore state at a future time if you want.  Finally, you can setup layers to start automatically with Windows if you want.

So I've been telling you all these great features, but I know some of you are remembering that I said SVS is "almost" great.  There are some problems, and these problems are enough to make me hesitate in recommending this software to everyone.  First of all, there is a very steep learning curve.  All that great functionality means that the software is complicated to use, and there aren't any wizards to hold you hand through most of it.  It's not something that you will install and instantly be a power user with.  I've been using it for months and still find myself wondering how to do certain procedures.  There are some functions that I haven't even tried because I just don't know what they accomplish.  Some tasks, which should be easy, take too many steps.  For example, to be able to save a document with a layered Microsoft Word that is retained after the layer is deactivated, you have to manually configure the layer.

Here are the steps to do this:
1 Install the program into a layer
2 Deactivate the layer
3 Double click on the deactivated layer to open the Layer Properties dialog
4 Select the "Exclude Entries" tab (Yes, Exclude.  As in exclude from performing the usual cleanup tasks on these files)
5 Double click in the empty box under "Type" and "Value."
6 Add an exclusion (either a filetype or a particular directory + subdirectories)
7 Activate the layer and use it to create the file
8 Save files with the excluded extension anywhere on your HD, or save any filename to the excluded directories

exclude.pngMini-Review: Altiris SVS

See?  Confusing.  And don't get me started on the other tabs of that layer properties dialog.  I think you can export parts of the layer out to the base file system, and can make the layer delete other things.  Maybe even have it remember your anniversary or something.

Also, the software can't virtualize everything.  System level drivers cause problems, and occasionally a program that deeply embeds itself in the OS is problematic.  Some examples of software that doesn't play nice are VMWare and other full scale virtual machine programs, .Net, anti-virus programs, and firewalls.  There is a wiki here that has a pretty extensive list of programs that can and cannot be installed: http://wiki.altiris....ation_Best_Practices.  And don't even think about virtualizing OS updates, service packs, etc.  Unfortunately, if you try to install something that won't work, you won't know it until you deactivate and reactivate the layer.  Usually you'll get a lot of errors and it just won't work.  Occasionally, the layer will be so corrupted that the application will crash.  I've even had a BSOD due to an app that didn't work in a layer.

Another sticking point is that the program cannot capture to a new layer without deactivating all of your current layers first.  This prevents installing a program that depends on software that is in another layer.  This was a big disappointment.

Finally, this software carries the same warning as other virtualization programs:  It's not waterproof, just water resistant.  If you really try to defeat it (or if malware really tries to defeat it), you'll find a way.  As the vendor states, this isn't a security application and isn't intended to protect you if you don't use common sense.


Who is this app designed for:

Originally designed for enterprise use, it is now offered free for personal use.  It's definitely not for the faint of heart.  The learning curve indicates that only experienced users should look into it.

The Good
No noticeable impact on system performance while installing to a layer or using layered applications.
When it works, it works very well.
Great community and a boatload of user created tools to help you get the most out of it at http://juice.altiris.com.
It is originally an enterprise application, and the personal use version appears to be identical to the commercial offering.  We even got a near simultaneous release of a personal use beta when the enterprise beta was released.
Portable layers.  To see what this can accomplish, check out the list of layers that you can download and import on this webpage: http://www.svsdownloads.com/

The needs improvement section
Some applications just can't be virtualized at this time, though Altiris promises to rectify this soon.
Program doesn't seem aware of what it can and can't virtualize.  It would be great if it would notice that an application is setting up system drivers that SVS won't be able to handle.
Very steep learning curve.
Not foolproof

How does it compare to similar apps

The only similar apps I know of are Thinstall http://www.thinstall.com and MojoPac http://www.mojopac.com

Thinstall is very expensive (Pricing starts at $4,995 for the Thinstall Virtualization Suite and $39 per user.  Note the "and" there.  You have to buy the suite, and then pay per user as well).

MojoPac takes a slightly different approach to virtualization, being more like a portable virtual PC.  I haven't really looked at it too much, though I have seen comparisons.  It is payware, and runs off a USB drive which leads me to think there might be performance issues.

Conclusions
Altiris SVS is an awesome idea.  In practice, it's not there yet.  I use it quite a bit, but I have learned some of its limitations.  I also have the benefit of immediate recovery using FirstDefense-ISR if necessary.  I think it has the potential to be something really great, and for those programs that work in the layers it is outstanding.  The learning curve, though a deterrent to new users, really does exist because of the power and functionality of the program.  I have more successes with it than failures, however, so I would give it a 3.5 out of 5.

As I said at the very beginning.  It's a great concept.  A great concept isn't enough, however.

Other Reviews

http://www.pcmag.com...,1895,1941830,00.asp
http://www.infoworld...2_10TCaltiris_1.html
http://www.eweek.com...,1895,1944040,00.asp
« Last Edit: January 30, 2007, 08:12 PM by cthorpe »

mouser

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2007, 08:16 PM »
cthorpe, you're on fire   :up: :up: :up:

Crush

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2007, 08:37 PM »
 :Thmbsup: A great review!

I also think that SVS is one of the biggest inventions in the last time and use it quite often for testing new software. The new version 2.1 is in development - but you can download and activate the beta since this week.

There was a big problem with SVS working together with my virus killer "Active Virus Shield" from Kaspersky. The realtime scanner modules is named klif.sys in c:\windows\system32\drivers. Every closing of a new layer led to a bluescreen under XP  :o - only renaming the file in safe mode solved the problem, but turned of the scanning of actual written files.

nudone

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2007, 02:15 AM »
thanks for another great review, cthorpe.

i was just about to try the software when Crush mentioned there are problems with AVS from aol - which i use. so it looks like i'm out of luck too.

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2007, 04:18 AM »
Cool Mini-Review, cthorpe!
I had no idea that svs worked like this. I have tried sandboxie and it works in a completelly different way. It packs the whole disk activity into a file, when you check in windows explorer, there's nothing there.This concept seems more interesting, though. Not sure if it is "safer" or not, but from what you're shown, it appears to retain all the most important stuff on activation/deactivation of layers.
Not much time ago i was having trouble explainin to KenR how this kind of stuff works, i guess you made it pretty clear :)
Thanks!!  :Thmbsup:

Crush

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #5 on: January 27, 2007, 05:31 AM »
Perhaps installing critical programs in an own layer could solve some compatibility-problems...
I would give SVS in it´s actual state 4 of 5 points for the great idea. In the next Version a lot of comp.-probs should be solved and the layers will become faster and more stable. Some of the additional Downloads from the community give you access at deep internals of the program. These can also help to get more out of it.
Besides, SVS creates a folder fslrdr on drive c: that holds all information and data of the layers. I don´t like it to have a very big system drive, because the hd-backups of it grows too much with the installations. My hint: you can change this place to somewhere else if you change the path in the registry! Search for "c:\fslrdr" and change it everywhere to the new position. Don´t forget to move the folder to its new place if you already created some layers.

Hmmm. I found something that also could solve the problematically progs: Insert the path of the program and its filename to the entry "ProgramIgnoreList". I´ll also test this way. The key is in \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Altiris\FSL.

.... a few minutes later ...

 ;D Yep, it worked with the Ignore list  ;D
in this list were two other virus killers preconfigured - perhaps similar working programs should be added here like SandBoxie, Tiny Firewall (I like this one!) or others with Sandbox and realtime scanning functions.
« Last Edit: January 27, 2007, 07:17 AM by Crush »

nevf

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2007, 02:52 AM »
cthorpe, a very good review. It would have been good if your screen cast went on to show the layer being deactivated and activated. A small quibble though.

I tried SVS a month or so back and found the UI very unhelpful and unintuitive and in the end gave up. I should give it another shot. It certainly seems like a great way for people to evaluate software without their PC being modified in any way. I'm sure this is the main reason why so many people have problems with Windows, because they install so much crap and uninstalling doesn't always remove everything. I use VMWare Workstation for this and for testing my own software and it is invaluable.

There is a lot happening with virtualization right now and interesting times lay ahead. I've recently written a lengthy article XEN and the art of Virtualization about XenServer which DC readers might find of interest.
Neville Franks, Clibu a better way to collect, use, manage and share information across all devices.

nevf

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2007, 03:12 AM »
I forget to mention that I've also written about MojoPac. See: MojoPac - Potentially Great Software with Serious Flaws

Read their Forums before you think about purchasing.

Can someone please post a link to the Altiris Beta Release. I've looked high and low and can't find it.

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2007, 03:24 AM »
Symantec to aquire Altiris in second quarter 2007
:( :mad: :wallbash:  :rip:

Where's the R.I.P smiley? - thanks, mouser <3
- carpe noctem
« Last Edit: January 31, 2007, 07:31 AM by f0dder »

Lashiec

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2007, 06:28 AM »
Symantec... not again >:(

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #10 on: January 30, 2007, 06:49 PM »
Great review! Not a symantec fan though...only cement would bog my machine down more than their apps.
I`m a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class, especially since I rule.

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #11 on: January 31, 2007, 04:40 AM »
The Symantec announcement has at least saved me the time it would have taken to evaluate SVS.  :-\

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #12 on: January 31, 2007, 05:12 AM »
Absolutely - as soon Symantec announce and acquisition you can hear a bell tolling in the distance ... the funeral for Altiris software is on the way I'd guess.

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #13 on: January 31, 2007, 08:13 AM »
I have been playing with SVS on and off over the past six months. With the announcement from Symantec, I too have uninstalled it and thrown it in the "could have been a contender" pile.

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #14 on: January 31, 2007, 08:34 AM »
I will still continue to use SVS as I have in the past.  Even with the Symantec purchase, which isn't actually occuring until 2nd quarter, it is still a viable program at this time.  Eventually it will become obsolete or so bloated that it is unusable, but for now it still works the same as it did a week ago before the Symantec annoucement.

Carl
« Last Edit: January 31, 2007, 08:45 AM by cthorpe »

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #15 on: January 31, 2007, 09:59 AM »
Hi cthorpe,
thanks for the review, it got me to try SVS; it did seem though to conflict with my Avast AV.
After that I tried Bufferzone, which I would describe as a combination of Altiris SVS and Sandboxie, since you can install programs into Bufferzone´s sandbox or simply run executables in it.
I find it is easier and safer to use (indeed SVS's scope is not sandbox safety but simply clean installs).
There is a freeware version too.
http://www.trustware.com/
I was wondering whether you have tried it and how you think it compares performance wise. My impression is that it is 1st a bit slow at startup but after that the applications within bufferzone seem to run with little overhead.

 :)


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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #16 on: February 08, 2007, 03:44 PM »
I've been playing with SVS over the last 2 months or so. I've also downgraded my expectations of it but find it does have some value.

cthorpe is right; you do have to wrap your head around the virtualization model. (it's like remembering that the subjunctive tense in Spanish is a sort of parallel universe of tenses. I always got confused about who was doing exactly what to whom and when.) I read the SVS manual twice, haunted the forum, and read the many articles on their Juice site. And it still really didn't prepare me for all that I faced.

The key is remembering that this is enterprise-level software maintenance and the goal is consistent software environments/installations that contain as few customizations as possible and that can be rolled back to a known state in a minute. After you've installed an app to its own layer, you do have to go through some gyrations to update its options/settings/preferences--there are maybe 5 different ways to do this, some easy, some not so.

I hit the wall on this with Firefox, which I customize with extensions to within an inch of its life. Were I to reset FF, I would lose all those customizations. So it's better *for me* that that should go into the base (SVS's term for the non-virtualized system). Also, should I need to access the internet while all layers are turned off, then FF is unavailable to me and I'm left with IE.

In addition to the excludes for each app layer, there is the data layer concept. For example, I created a data layer for C:\Documents and Settings and its subdirectories. This meant that while that layer was active, all files created by virtual and non-virtual apps were saved to this layer. When the data layer was turned off -- poof -- all those files disappeared. This certainly makes it easy to export all your data to a VSA file for backup somewhere, but on a daily basis (and when you add in app-specific excludes) confusion about where a file really lived -- on the base? in a layer? -- got confusing quickly.

This got maddening to me because when I was installing apps, I was referring to my Roboform list of safenotes, updating them with new reg numbers, deleting old info, and so on. I'd had Roboform in the base originally, but had made edits when the data layer was active. When I turned the data layer off, all the edits I'd made were gone. It must be said, SVS did it very cleanly and certainly worked as advertised, so I can't fault it for that. But I could never "get"  the implications of where changes were saved.

I understand the SVS developers tout SVS as a way to make troubleshooting a system easier: just turn off all the layers and see if the problem is with your OS or an app. Add back the apps one at a time, and see when the problem appears. I grokked that.

But in truth, my system runs pretty well as is. I practice safe computing. I *like* knowing that all the files in My Documents are there whenever I want to access them. So using SVS to virtualize, say, my copy of MS Office 2000 or JME doesn't make much sense for me, because I like having those in my base. (SVS did virtualize MS Office 2000 beautifully though; over 12,000 registry entries!)

I had a few other problems; Directory Opus got confused about file moves/copies/deletes and could never refresh the view when the data layer was turned on (I tried vrtzng DO and it couldn't even delete files). I put a raft of account updates into Moneydance, turned off the Moneydance layer, and when I turned it back on saw that Moneydance had not retained any changes.

When I started reinstalling my apps back to the base, I felt a release of tension in my scalp because I wasn't thinking so hard about what I was doing when performing simple file management stuff.

I think my F-secure antivirus real-time scanner did stop some apps from installing to SVS. Very annoying. I had already read the reviews that cthorpe cited before I even started playing with SVS so I knew it had some reasonable limitations in regards to anti-virus and other types of software that need access to the system.

But I have not uninstalled SVS and I do keep some now-and-then apps in layers: NVU, VLC, Irfanview, Adobe Reader 8, Omnipage Scansoft (a pig of a program that adds lots of context menus I don't need--I'm glad to be able to turn it on and off like a light switch).

I'm also keeping SVS around so I can try out new software with it. It strikes me as a very easy way to play with new software without committing any changes to the base machine. (Of course, you could just play with new software in VMWare or Msft's Virtual PC, so that's a wash.)

I don't think SVS simplifies computing all that much for the home or casual user, but I think it definitely has its uses and, within its limits, it's very solid. It's probably more powerful for heavy-duty developer types who can cope with the abstractions and rules surrounding the layers and exclusions.

mike

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #17 on: February 08, 2007, 04:06 PM »
thanks for the explanation, brownstudy.

i was holding off trying svs until i had some spare time but after reading about your experience i'll probably just leave it completely. it sounds like svs wouldn't really compliment how i work and i do have vmware already so i think i'll stick to that instead.

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #18 on: March 02, 2007, 01:33 PM »
It's just awesome.

Install all software in a clean virtual machine.

Multi Export everything with three clicks.

Multi Import them all with three clicks to any system.

And it's going to be portable. Run virtualized apps anywhere without installing.

Check this out for "The Perfect XP System" utilizing Faronics Deep Freeze and SVS. ShadowStor ShadowUser should work too.

http://www.joewang.n...he_perfect_xp_system

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #19 on: March 03, 2007, 07:00 PM »
Great article - thanks

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #20 on: February 01, 2009, 08:46 PM »
Any updates recently? Any new users/comments for this software virtualization app? I would like to try, but the acquisition has kinda scared the shit outta me.
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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #21 on: February 01, 2009, 09:28 PM »
Same here. Thanks for bumping this up though mitzevo.

It's too bad really. If SVS was easy to use and got installed by Symantec, I might have risked at least their last version or the first Symantec version. At this rate though, much safer to trick new applications like using OpenOffice 3 and MS Office 2007 to get MS Office 2000 feel or something like that. Still would have liked to use this to beta test game versions for bugs.

I just don't get how Symantec is better at acquiring applications than even Google yet at the same time, it's probably the worst at improving the actual application. Freaking Microsoft does a better job and their business models aren't on software alone.

I don't even think Apple can package anything Symantec does to help sell it more. [/end rant]

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #22 on: February 02, 2009, 05:01 AM »
Altiris SVS is nearly perfect working for me. Additional community tools can be downloaded at juice. Why improving something that´s nearly perfect and free for private usage?

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #23 on: February 02, 2009, 05:16 AM »
Does it cope with Vista - and will it work with Win7? If not it will be dead soon unless Symantec plan to actually do something about it.

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Re: Mini-Review: Altiris SVS
« Reply #24 on: February 02, 2009, 06:05 AM »
Yes, it works with Vista.