The application image is the application’s source files replicated to each distribution point you designate for your site.
Some applications, such as Office 97, provide a setup option specifically for use as a shared application, that installs the necessary files on the server so that the client can run the application from the server.
If the application does not provide its own network install or run from server option, you must create the application image yourself, using tools such as the SMS Installer. You can modify the procedure given earlier in this chapter to create a client installation script so that it produces an application image instead. For more information, see “Creating New Installation Scripts” earlier in this chapter.
In some cases, you may prefer to use software distribution to set up your applications on the distribution points, rather than using an application image. If you do this, test your applications to make sure they will run successfully from the clients. Also, the conditions for server installation scripts listed in “Creating the Installation Package” later in this chapter must be met for any application that must be installed rather than replicated.