Package Editor Tool Workflows

When editing the contents of a package using the Package Editor tool, the workflow you follow depends on whether you already delivered the application package to production users. Editing a package that is already in production requires additional steps to ensure that the users continue receiving the application package.

You might edit a package in these scenarios:

• The package is in pre-production or user acceptance testing and not assigned to production users.

• The package is assigned to production users and must remain available to the users all the time.

For more information about the workflows, see Edit a pre-production package and Edit a production package.

Best practices when editing the App Volumes package

• Plan free disk space before you edit the package using the Package Editor tool.
  You need disk space to accommodate both the original and the new package.

• Record the reason for editing the package.
  The Package Editor tool records an audit trail each time you create a new package disk, but the audit trail does not record why you made the change.

• Edit a package only to correct the package contents.
  To deliver a new version of an application, update the application package instead. For more information, see Update an App Volumes Package.

• Before you assign the edited package to users, test the edited package in the same way that you would test a newly captured package.

• Keep the lifecycle stage of a package accurate as it moves through testing and publishing stages. For information about the available stages, see Pre-defined Lifecycle Stages of an App Volumes Package.

Edit a pre-production package

Use this workflow when the package is not yet assigned to production users; for example, a package in the New or Tested lifecycle stage. As no production users depend on the package, you can replace the original package directly with the edited package after you import the edited package to App Volumes Manager.

Procedure

1. Open the package in the Package Editor tool, stage your changes, and create a new package disk.

   Note: When creating a new package disk, do not select the Generate the new... checkbox in the Package Editor tool. This results in a new package disk getting created but with the same identifier as the original package.

   For more information, see Use the Package Editor.

2. In App Volumes Manager, unassign the existing package from all entities.
   For more information, see Unassign an Application from an Entity.

3. Take a back up of the existing package and delete this package from App Volumes Manager.

   For more information about deleting the package, see Delete an App Volumes Application.

4. Place the newly edited application package at a storage location from where the package can get imported into App Volumes Manager.

5. Import an Application to App Volumes

6. Assign the package to entities and test the package.
   For more information, see Assign an App Volumes Application to an Entity.

Edit a production package

Use this workflow when the package is assigned to production users. The tool provides you an option to create a new package disk and generate a new identifier for this package. When imported to App Volumes Manager, the edited package is a new package for the same application in addition to the original package. Users continue receiving the application (original package) until you import the new, edited package and assign this package to the users.

Procedure

1. Open the updated package in the Package Editor tool, stage the edits, and create a new package disk.
   For more information, see Use the Package Editor.

   Note: When creating a new package disk, select the Generate the new... checkbox in the Package Editor tool. This results in a new package disk getting created and a new identifier generated for the edited package.

2. Place the application package at a storage location from where the package can get imported into App Volumes Manager.

3. Import an Application to App Volumes

4. Test the imported package.

5. As this package will be used for production users, set the required marker and assign the relevant lifecycle stage to the package.
   For more information, see Create a Lifecycle Stage for an App Volumes Package and Set a Marker on an App Volumes Package.

6. Assign the package to entities.
   For more information, see Assign an App Volumes Application to an Entity.

   On a subsequent user login, the entities receive the latest application package.