Using the Application Compatibility Tool Kit

The Application Compatibility Tool Kit (ACT) is a deployment tool provided by Microsoft to assist IT staff in identifying and testing applications for compatibility with Windows Server 2003. There are three components to the ACT:

• Application Compatibility Analyzer is a tool used to gather remotely all installed programs within a Windows NT network. This tool automatically creates an inventory of all installed programs without requiring a management tool such as SMS.

• Application Verifier can be used to identify compatibility issues with existing and new applications to be installed on Windows Server 2003.

• Compatibility Administrator is a complete tool that can determine the necessary fixes required for application support with Windows Server 2003. The compatibility administrator can also be used to create packages of fixes stored in a database that can then be distributed to application servers within Active Directory.

Use the Command Line Tool Collector.exe To...

Inventory systems applications and write information to a log file. By default, the Collector tool writes information and places the log file on the system desktop in which the tool is being run. Use the -o switch to specify an alternative location to write the collector logs such as Collector.exe -o c:\AppInfo\Collect.log .