Applications can be delivered to clients on demand through protocols such as HTTP or Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), much as media files are streamed over the Internet. When an application is requested by an App-V client, only the required components are delivered. Beginning with version 4.2, the client component supports delivery of applications using Microsoft Installer (MSI), ending the reliance on a back-end server.
Sequencing is the process of preparing an application for streaming from an App-V server to a client. Sequencing involves installing the application to determine what files are part of the package, configuring the application for first use, running the application, and performing some common tasks. Even if you don’t intend to use App-V’s server component, you still need to sequence the application before creating an MSI package. Sequencing is somewhat of an art, and not all applications can be virtualized for use with App-V. For more information, see the Microsoft article Best practices to use for sequencing in Microsoft SoftGrid.