Description

Since about 2010, the project exists for a modular platform for Windows to create virtual environments. Based on a virtual drive, the environment can be started easily and provides developers with a completely preconfigured development environment with numerous tools, services and programs and standardizes the toolset in a development team. Short setup times, uniform tools with uniform configuration, uniform paths in the file system, centralized maintenance and easy distribution and updating are some of the benefits. The platform is easily customizable, can be quickly switched to use for different projects, and the environment can be easily transferred to other machines where work started can be easily continued.

The project includes with platform, a tool for the initial creation, use and management of the virtual environment and modules that then automatically download tools and programs from the Internet, configure them and integrated them in the virtual environment.

In release 3.0.0 the modules are not yet supported. The software in the virtual environment must be set up manually, but this is easy, which is a normal drive.

Complete environments can be several gigabytes in size and not all tools, programs and services are always needed and so everyone can decide for themselves and customize the environment.

From my own experience from large companies with strict use of BitLocker, this is also supported :-)

What is the difference with PortableApps.com or portapps.io?

The virtual environment focuses on the virtual drive as a platform. It is about the advantages that the platform can be used as a single file and programs and services can be used in it with a complete configuration and with reliable absolute paths.

The integration and distribution of portable applications are not the ambition of this project.

The use of modules for the integration of programs and services is planned, but is more an exemplification of the possibilities for the integration of programs and services. However, it is not the intention of the project to establish a corresponding eco-system or repository.

PortableApps.com and portapps.io complement the virtual environment perfectly and both release very good portable versions of programs that can be used in the virtual environment.

Advantages

A virtual drive is used, which contains all data in one file.
The drives can also be supplied and used via the network.
Only one large file can be copied faster and also shared.
Snapshots and versioning are possible.
Multiple drives with different environments can be used in parallel on one computer.
Fast switching between different drives and environments is possible.
Fixed drive letters and paths are used.
The use of the file system and registry from the host is avoided.
Environments can be maintained and distributed centrally.
A team use the same environment with the same paths and configurations, which facilitates automation.

List of available modules

https://github.com/seanox/virtual-environment/tree/main/modules

More applications can be easily added for the creator or even later in the final virtual environment.

Good sources for portable apps are:

Often there is also software directly from the manufacturer/vendor as a portable version.

Licence Agreement

LIZENZBEDINGUNGEN - Seanox Software Solutions ist ein Open-Source-Projekt, im Folgenden Seanox Software Solutions oder kurz Seanox genannt.

Diese Software unterliegt der Version 2 der Apache License.

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at

http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.

System Requirement

Windows 7 or higher as operating system
.NET 4.7.x or higher

Downloads

Seanox Virtual Environment 3.0.0

Usage

Download the release or platform.exe
Rename platform.exe to the name that will be used for the environment and drive

When the virtual environment is created in the form of the vhdx file, it can be used as follows.

usage: platform.exe A-Z: [create|attach|detach|compact|shortcuts]

Example

seanox.exe B: create to create the initial environment as vhdx
seanox.exe B: shortcuts to create the usual calls as shortcuts
seanox.exe B: attach to attach the environment

Configure Startup.cmd in the root directory of the virtual environment and add the desired programs and services. It is recommended to use a launcher so that the environment variables are available to the called programs. Detach should also be started via the launcher if programs and services are terminated when detaching and the environment variables are needed for this.

seanox.exe B: detach to detach the environment
seanox.exe B: compact to shrink the environment

Module integration will come later, but will be similar.

Changes (Change Log)

3.0.0 20211126 (summary of the current version)

CR: License: Changed to Apache License Version 2.0
CR: Project: Change from Ant to .NET
CR: Platform: Added function compact
CR: Platform: Added function shortcuts
CR: Settings: Added for Placeholder replacement in files
Read more

Contact

Issues
Requests
Mail

Thanks!

cantaa GmbH
JetBrains
Sven Lorenz
Andreas Mitterhofer
novaObjects GmbH
Leo Pelillo
Gunter Pfannmüller
Annette und Steffen Pokel
Edgar Röstle
Michael Sämann
Markus Schlosneck
T-Systems International GmbH

lifesheets-old/virtual-environment