About App-V 5.1 reporting

  • Article

Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) 5.1 includes a built-in reporting feature that helps you collect information about computers running the App-V 5.1 client and information about virtual application package usage. You can use this information to generate reports from a centralized database.

App-V 5.1 Reporting Overview

The following list displays the end-to-end high-level workflow for reporting in App-V 5.1.

  1. The App-V 5.1 Reporting server has the following prerequisites:

    • Internet Information Service (IIS) web server role

    • Windows Authentication role (under IIS / Security)

    • SQL Server installed and running with SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)

    To confirm SQL Server Reporting Services is running, view http://localhost/Reports in a web browser as administrator on the server that will host App-V 5.1 Reporting. The SQL Server Reporting Services Home page should display.

  2. Install the App-V 5.1 reporting server and associated database. For more information about installing the reporting server, see How to install the Reporting Server on a Standalone Computer and Connect it to the Database. Configure the time when the computer running the App-V 5.1 client should send data to the reporting server.

  3. If you aren't using an electronic software distribution system such as Configuration Manager to view reports, then you can define reports in SQL Server Reporting Service.

    Note

    If you are using the Configuration Manager integration with App-V 5.1, most reports are generated from Configuration Manager rather than from App-V 5.1.

  4. After importing the App-V 5.1 PowerShell module using Import-Module AppvClient as administrator, enable the App-V 5.1 client. This sample PowerShell cmdlet enables App-V 5.1 reporting:

    Set-AppvClientConfiguration -reportingserverurl <url>:<port> -reportingenabled 1 - ReportingStartTime <0-23> - ReportingRandomDelay <#min>

    To immediately send App-V 5.1 report data, run Send-AppvClientReport on the App-V 5.1 client.

    For more information about installing the App-V 5.1 client with reporting enabled, see About Client Configuration Settings. To administer App-V 5.1 Reporting with Windows PowerShell, see How to Enable Reporting on the App-V 5.1 Client by Using PowerShell.

  5. After the reporting server receives the data from the App-V 5.1 client, it sends the data to the reporting database. When the database receives and processes the client data, a successful reply is sent to the reporting server, and then a notification is sent to the App-V 5.1 client.

  6. When the App-V 5.1 client receives the success notification, it empties the data cache to conserve space.

    Note

    By default the cache is cleared after the server confirms receipt of data. You can manually configure the client to save the data cache.

If the App-V 5.1 client device doesn't receive a success notification from the server, it retains data in the cache and tries to resend data at the next configured interval. Clients continue to collect data and add it to the cache.

App-V 5.1 reporting server frequently asked questions

The following table displays answers to common questions about App-V 5.1 reporting

Question More Information
What is the frequency that reporting information is sent to the reporting database? The frequency depends on how the reporting task is configured on the computer running the App-V 5.1 client. You must configure the frequency / interval for sending the reporting data. App-V 5.1 Reporting isn't enabled by default.
What information is stored in the reporting server database? The following list displays what is stored in the reporting database:
  • The operating system running on the computer running the App-V 5.1 client: host name, version, service pack, type - client/server, processor architecture.
  • App-V 5.1 Client information: version.
  • Published package list: GUID, version GUID, name.
  • Application usage information: name, version, streaming server, user (domain\alias), package version GUID, launch status and time, shutdown time.
What is the average volume of information that is sent to the reporting server? It depends. The following list displays the three sets of the data sent to the reporting server:
  1. Operating system, and App-V 5.1 client information. ~150 Bytes, every time this data is sent.
  2. Published package list. ~7 KB for 30 packages. This is sent only when the package list is updated with a publishing refresh, which is done infrequently; if there's no change, this information isn't sent.
  3. Virtual application usage information - about 0.25 KB per event. Opening and closing count as one event if both occur before sending the information. When sending using a scheduled task, only the data since the last successful upload is sent to the server. If sending manually through the PowerShell cmdlet, there's an optional argument that controls if the data needs to be resent next time around - that argument is DeleteOnSuccess.
  4. So for example, if 20 applications are opened and closed and reporting information is scheduled to be sent daily, the typical daily traffic should be about 0.15 KB + 20 x 0.25 KB, or about 5 KB/user
Can reporting be scheduled? Yes. Besides manually sending reporting using PowerShell Cmdlets (Send-AppvClientReport), the task can be scheduled so it happens automatically. There are two ways to schedule the reporting:
  1. Using PowerShell cmdlets - Set-AppvClientConfiguration. For example:
    Set-AppvClientConfiguration -ReportingEnabled 1 -ReportingServerURL http://any.com/appv-reporting
    For a complete list of client configuration settings, see About Client Configuration Settings and look for the following entries: ReportingEnabled, ReportingServerURL, ReportingDataCacheLimit, ReportingDataBlockSize, ReportingStartTime, ReportingRandomDelay, ReportingInterval.
  2. By using Group Policy. If distributed using the domain controller, the settings are the same as previously listed.
    Note
    Group Policy settings override local settings configured using PowerShell.

App-V 5.1 Client Reporting

To use App-V 5.1 reporting, you must install and configure the App-V 5.1 client. After the client installs, use the Set-AppVClientConfiguration PowerShell cmdlet or the ADMX Template to configure reporting. The reporting feature cmdlets are available by using the following link and are prefaced by Reporting. For a complete list of client configuration settings, see About Client Configuration Settings. The following section provides examples of App-V 5.1 client reporting configuration using PowerShell.

Configuring App-V Client reporting using PowerShell

The following examples show how PowerShell parameters can configure the reporting features of the App-V 5.1 client.

Note

The following configuration task can also be configured using Group Policy settings in the App-V 5.1 ADMX template. For more information about using the ADMX template, see How to Modify App-V 5.1 Client Configuration Using the ADMX Template and Group Policy.

To enable reporting and to initiate data collection on the computer running the App-V 5.1 client:

Set-AppVClientConfiguration -ReportingEnabled 1

To configure the client to automatically send data to a specific reporting server:

Set-AppVClientConfiguration -ReportingServerURL http://MyReportingServer:MyPort/ -ReportingStartTime 20 -ReportingInterval 1 -ReportingRandomDelay 30 -ReportingInterval 1 -ReportingRandomDelay 30

This example configures the client to automatically send the reporting data to the reporting server URL http://MyReportingServer:MyPort/. Additionally, the reporting data is sent daily between 8:00 and 8:30 PM, depending on the random delay generated for the session.

To limit the size of the data cache on the client:

Set-AppvClientConfiguration -ReportingDataCacheLimit 100

Configures the maximum size of the reporting cache on the computer running the App-V 5.1 client to 100 MB. If the cache limit is reached before the data is sent to the server, then the log rolls over and data is overwritten as necessary.

To configure the data block size transmitted across the network between the client and the server:

Set-AppvClientConfiguration -ReportingDataBlockSize 10240

Specifies the maximum data block that the client sends to 10,240 MB.

Types of data collected

The following table displays the types of information you can collect by using App-V 5.1 reporting.

Client Information Package Information Application Usage
Host Name Package Name Start and End Times
App-V 5.1 Client Version Package Version Run Status
Processor Architecture Package Source Shutdown State
Operating System Version Percent Cached Application Name
Service Pack Level Application Version
Operating System Type Username
Connection Group

The client collects and saves this data in an .xml format. The data cache is hidden by default and requires administrator rights to open the XML file.

Sending data to the server

You can configure the computer that is running the App-V 5.1 client to automatically send data to the specified reporting server. To specify the server, use the Set-AppvClientConfiguration cmdlet with the following settings:

  • ReportingEnabled
  • ReportingServerURL
  • ReportingStartTime
  • ReportingInterval
  • ReportingRandomDelay

After you configure the previous settings, you must create a scheduled task. The scheduled task contacts the server specified by the ReportingServerURL setting and starts the transfer. If you want to manually send data outside of the scheduled times, use the following PowerShell cmdlet:

Send-AppVClientReport -URL http://MyReportingServer:MyPort/ -DeleteOnSuccess

If you previously configured the reporting server, then you can omit the -URL parameter. Alternatively, if the data should be sent to an alternate location, specify a different URL to override the configured ReportingServerURL for this data collection.

The -DeleteOnSuccess parameter indicates that if the transfer is successful, then the data cache is cleared. If this isn't specified, then the cache isn't cleared.

Manual Data Collection

You can also use the Send-AppVClientReport cmdlet to manually collect data. This solution is helpful with or without an existing reporting server. The following list displays information about collecting data with or without a reporting server.

With a Reporting Server Without a Reporting Server
If you have an existing App-V 5.1 reporting Server, create a customized scheduled task or script. Specify that the client send the data to the specified location with the desired frequency. If you don't have an existing App-V 5.1 reporting Server, use the -URL parameter to send the data to a specified share. For example:
Send-AppVClientReport -URL \Myshare\MyData\ -DeleteOnSuccess
The previous example sends the reporting data to \MyShare\MyData location indicated by the -URL parameter. After the data is sent, the cache is cleared.
Note
If a location other than the Reporting Server is specified, the data is sent using .xml format with no more processing.

Creating Reports

To retrieve report information and create reports using App-V 5.1, you must use one of the following methods:

  • Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) - Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is available with Microsoft SQL Server. SSRS isn't installed when you install the App-V 5.1 reporting server. It must be deployed separately to generate the associated reports.

    Use the following link for more information about using Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services.

  • Scripting - You can generate reports by scripting directly against the App-V 5.1 reporting database. For example:

    Stored Procedure:

    spProcessClientReport is scheduled to run at midnight or 12:00 AM.

    To run the Microsoft SQL Server Scheduled Stored procedure, the Microsoft SQL Server Agent must be running. You should ensure that the Microsoft SQL Server Agent is set to AutoStart. For more information, see Auto restart SQL Server Agent.

    The stored procedure is also created when using the App-V 5.1 database scripts.

You should also ensure that the reporting server web service's Maximum Concurrent Connections is set to a value that the server can manage without impacting availability. The recommended number of Maximum Concurrent Connections for the Reporting Web Service is 10,000.

Deploying the App-V 5.1 Server

How to install the Reporting Server on a Standalone Computer and Connect it to the Database