How to use the application compatibility Toolkit (ACT )?

Processing incompatible applications should be one of the most challenging tasks in upgrading the server operating system. Considering the volume differences between Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and R2, the migrated enterprise will surely find one or two corrupted applications that cannot be run.

A long time ago, the incompatibility of these applications was a major problem and may prevent a full upgrade. This is not the case anymore. With a little effort, you can find that Microsoft's application compatibility toolkit ACT) is a tool that can bring many, if not all, corrupted applications back on track. ACT was originally designed to verify the compatibility of applications on Windows. Although its services are not directly supported by applications on Windows servers, its assistance can help you solve the corrupted programs encountered during operation in the data center. The method you sometimes use is well-formed Shimming ). During the leveling process, one or more patches are inserted into the execution space used by incompatible applications. Each patch is a piece of code. They modify the execution space in some way to allow the application to run the program. Some patches specifically deliver incorrect OS information when the application initiates a request. Others will redirect files, folders, or registration calls, away from the Windows Server 2003-style folder path and toward the path used by Windows Server 2008 and R2. A total of more than 360 compatible patches are built in ACT, each of which can overcome some obstacles that make incompatible programs unable to run. If you are lucky, there is also a database of more than 6500 known applications in ACT, and there are patches for these applications in the database. Although 6500 seems a lot, this list is actually very short and may not include the applications you need to fix. These applications are mainly for Windows 7, although occasionally you will find a program that you use on the server. This is usually because your corrupted program is typically local corrupt applications. Although the ACT database may not directly help these applications, it does provide you with some convenient guidance. To use ACT, you must first download and install IT from Microsoft's website. Generally, IT is installed on a server dedicated to IT. Installing ACT requires a database. It can be an available SQL instance or it can install a local database on SQL Server Express. ACT provides many tools for inventory check and uncompatible applications. The tool you will use as a work platform to help patch applications is the ACT compatibility manager. The tool has two available versions for 32-bit and 64-bit applications. In any version, you can click published application nodes in the left-side pane of the tool to expand and view the list of known repair Application ACT. Select an application in the left-side pane, and propose the features and related patches used to identify the application in the right-side pane of the tool. As mentioned earlier, some of your applications will not be included in this list of repaired applications. Therefore, find out which patch task your corrupt program requires to become your next job. This process is undoubtedly dull and requires you to conduct a lot of speculation and testing before the final confirmation. The tool you need to fix the application is similar to the tool you used to package the application for automated installation in many aspects. One of the important tools is the benchmark computer, which runs the Basic installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 and can test the application's clean environment operation. The use of virtual machines and snapshots is very convenient for this operation. On such a benchmark computer, install the ACT compatibility manager and your corrupted application. Then, start the application and carefully record how and why the application failed. All the error messages that occur when you try to use the application function are helpful. It is important not only to start an application, but also to interact with it at runtime. This is because incompatible applications may be improperly enabled, and some features won't work until later. Your next task is to explain how you log on to the application by applying patches. The ACT Patch's convenient list contains descriptions of how each patch tries to fix the feature. Pay attention to the 360 items used for testing. to narrow down the process, only work-related items are left. Once you have an idea about the patches you want to try, your next step is to insert them into the application. To test a patch, Click create a custom database in the compatibility management of the benchmark computer. Right-click the created database and create a new application patch. This starts the create new application patch navigation. In this navigation, provide information about the application, including its program file location. Next, assign the patch you have specified. This navigation provides a way to mark corrupt programs with possible patches until you find a set that works normally. This requires the key named test run, which is executed through the patch test application of the application. The purpose of using this key is to determine whether the patch set you selected does solve incompatibility issues. Although many applications require a guess on the patch, a simple startup method is to set the application compatibility mode to Windows XP, which has the same meaning as Windows Server 2003 ). In this case, a series of settings are configured to reset the execution space of the application, and the behavior is like running in Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. These settings are a good start, but if they do not automatically fix the problem, you will need to continue the investigation. Once you confirm the patch that works, save the database you created on a computer and it will have a. SDB extension ). Right-click the database and choose "Install" from the shortcut menu to install it on the local computer. Restart the application to verify that it can continue correctly. If not, you can right-click the database and choose uninstall to remove the patches before the next start. The last step in this process is to deploy your patch database to a Windows Server 2008 R2 computer running the problematic application. The deployment can occur through a series of release mechanisms, such as include it in the deployment image, deliver it through a software deployment solution, or install it through a login script. In all situations, you must use the command sdbinst.exe to install the database on your desktop or server. A Windows Server 2008 R2 computer can manage any number of application patch databases, although different usage affects your database preparation methods in the company. Microsoft has released some good guides as an optional method. Even if there are substantial changes in the old and new operating systems, most of the current applications can run well on Windows Server 2008 R2. That is to say, almost every IT workstation will find several key corrupted applications. Although using Microsoft's ACT to fix them is indeed a tedious process, this good tool can help you remove corrupted programs technically when you perform Windows Server 2008 R2.