Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack

Last updated

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack
Original author(s) Microsoft
Initial release1 April 2008; 14 years ago
Stable release
2015 / 17 August 2015; 7 years ago
Platform IA-32 and x64
Type System software
License Proprietary commercial software; available through volume licensing or MSDN subscription
Website https://partner.microsoft.com/en-ca/solutions/mdop

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) is a suite of utilities for Microsoft Windows customers who have subscribed to Microsoft Software Assurance program. [1] It aims at bringing easier manageability and monitoring of enterprise desktops, emergency recovery, desktop virtualization and application virtualization.

Contents

Components

The MDOP suite is grouped into 3 overall technologies: Virtualize, Manage and Restore

Virtualize

Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V)

An application virtualization and application streaming platform that allows clients to run applications locally via on demand streaming from a centralized server. This makes sure that all clients run the application with the same configuration. App-V also allows standalone virtualized applications to run locally on the client. Starting with Windows 10 Anniversary Update, this item became part of Windows 10 and is no longer included in MDOP. [2]

Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V)

A replacement for roaming profiles that will allow user preferences and settings to roam between different environments and types of devices. [3] Starting with Windows 10 Anniversary Update, this item became part of Windows 10 and is no longer included in MDOP. [2]

Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V)

A desktop virtualization solution: It allows a physical Windows 7 workstation to host one or more virtual machines that run their own operating systems on a Windows Virtual PC hypervisor, with some transparent integration of the Start Menu and desktop of the virtual machine into that of the host. Microsoft advertises MED-V as a compatibility solution that allows enterprises to run legacy applications that will not run natively on Windows 7 to be hosted on a legacy platform such as Windows XP, similarly to the consumer-oriented Windows XP Mode. [4]

Manage

Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM)

Provides enhanced management capabilities for group policy. It integrates with the Group Policy Configuration MMC snap-in and adds change control, offline editing, and delegation capabilities. Change control tracks and manages changes to Group Policy Objects (GPOs). It presents a virtual vault which houses the GPOs. To make any changes, a GPO must be checked out of the vault and the changed version checked in. The system enforces the latest version of the GPO and archives the older version, which can be restored back if need arises. Offline editing capabilities allow GPOs to be edited without a live connection to the network and Active Directory. The changes are merged on the next connection. AGPM also adds delegation capability, where the responsibility of managing the Group Policy can be divided among different administrators. Each administrator is concerned with only a certain set of GPOs, which can then be administered independent of others. Optionally, it can be configured so that changes are reviewed by other administrators before being applied. Advanced Group Policy Management is based on GPOVault, a product by DesktopStandard Corporation which Microsoft acquired in October 2006.[ citation needed ]

Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM)

A tool for managing, enforcing and monitoring BitLocker drive encryption across an entire organization from a central location. [5] MBAM consists of administration console which can be accessed using a web browser, as well as an agent which must be installed on every computer in the organization, either manually or using Active Directory. [6]

Restore

Screenshot of Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset, one of the components of this software suite Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) screenshot.png
Screenshot of Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset, one of the components of this software suite

Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT), formerly Emergency Repair Disk Commander (ERD Commander), is a set of tools that helps diagnose an offline copy of Microsoft Windows. It comes on a bootable disc and is run during computer startup. It can uninstall installed hotfixes, perform crash analysis, recover deleted files and access System Restore's restore checkpoints on the offline operating system in an environment similar to Windows graphical user interface.

Microsoft DaRT is a successor of ERD Commander, which was part of the Winternals Administrator Pack from Winternals. ERD Commander later became a Microsoft property with its acquisition of Winternals on 17 July 2006. [7]

Microsoft DaRT is based on the Windows Preinstallation Environment. The tool set includes: [8] [9] [10]

ERD Commander originally included more tools, including a web browser. [12]

Releases

TitleDate
MDOP 20081 April 2008 [13]
MDOP 2008 R215 September 2008 [14]
MDOP 20091 April 2009 [15]
MDOP 2009 R220 October 2009 [16] [17]
MDOP 201022 February 2010 [18]
MDOP 2010 Refresh1 April 2010 [19]
MDOP 20119 March 2011 [20]
MDOP 2011 R21 August 2011 [21]
MDOP 20121 November 2012 [22]
MDOP 20139 April 2013 [23]
MDOP 2013 R22 December 2013 [24]
MDOP 201430 April 2014 [25]
MDOP 2014 R24 December 2014
MDOP 201517 August 2015

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References

  1. ↑ "Software Assurance Add-on Delivers Dynamic Desktop". News Center. Microsoft. 17 October 2006. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007.
  2. 1 2 Foley, Mary Jo (5 July 2016). "Microsoft confirms App-V will be bundled with Windows 10 Anniversary Update". ZDNet . CBS Interactive.
  3. ↑ Rose, Stephen (6 September 2012). "Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V) Release Candidate Now Available". Springboard Series Blog. Microsoft.
  4. ↑ "Planning for Application Operating System Compatibility". Microsoft TechNet Library. Microsoft. 10 March 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  5. ↑ "Getting Started With MBAM". MDOP Documentation Home. Microsoft. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  6. ↑ "Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring Evaluation Guide" (PDF). Microsoft. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  7. ↑ "Microsoft Acquires Winternals Software". Microsoft News Center. Microsoft. 18 July 2006. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  8. ↑ "Overview of the Tools in DaRT 8.0". TechNet Library . Microsoft . Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  9. ↑ "Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset" (PDF). Microsoft. 20 November 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  10. ↑ "How to recover a non-bootable Windows installation – The Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset". 4sysops.com. 29 October 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  11. ↑ Introducing Microsoft Antimalware Technologies. Microsoft. 22 June 2010. p. 9. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  12. ↑ "ERD Commander – Free Trial from Microsoft". Geek to go!. 17 January 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  13. ↑ Flores, Chris (1 April 2008). "Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2008 Released". Windows Vista Team Blog. Microsoft. The Windows Blog. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  14. ↑ Jameel (15 September 2008). "MDOP 2008 R2 Release to Manufacturing!". The Official MDOP Blog. Microsoft. TechNet Blogs. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  15. ↑ Oelgiesser, Ran (1 April 2009). "Announcing MDOP 2009 to include MED-V 1.0, App-V 4.5 CU1 and AIS 1.5 Updates". The Official MDOP Blog. Microsoft. TechNet Blogs. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  16. ↑ Oelgiesser, Ran (20 October 2009). "MDOP 2009 R2 for Windows 7 is now available!". The Official MDOP Blog. Microsoft. TechNet Blogs. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  17. ↑ Protalinski, Emil (20 October 2009). "MDOP 2009 R2 with Windows 7 support released". Ars Technica . Condé Nast Digital. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  18. ↑ Oiaga, Marius (23 February 2010). "Windows 7 Desktop Optimization Pack 2010". Softpedia . SoftNews SRL. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  19. ↑ Oiaga, Marius (2 April 2010). "Download Windows 7 Desktop Optimization Pack Refresh". Softpedia. SoftNews SRL. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  20. ↑ Trupkin, Dave (9 March 2011). "App-V 4.6 SP1 and MED-V 2.0 are available as part of MDOP 2011!". The Official MDOP Blog. Microsoft. TechNet Blogs. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  21. ↑ Smith, AJ (1 August 2011). "MDOP 2011 R2 Generally Available, Get MBAM and DaRT 7.0 Today!". The Official MDOP Blog. Microsoft. TechNet Blogs. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  22. ↑ Hornbeck, J.C. (7 November 2012). "MDOP 2012 available for download: Now with more App-V version 5 and UE-V!". The Microsoft App-V Team Blog. Microsoft.
  23. ↑ "Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2013 Now Available". The Official Microsoft Blog. Microsoft. 10 April 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  24. ↑ Foley, Mary Jo (2 December 2013). "Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2013 R2 now available". ZDNet . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  25. ↑ Chernyak, Stella (1 May 2014). "Improving your organization's security and performance with the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack". Windows for Business. Microsoft.

Further reading

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