VMware Horizon 7.0 User Manual
Setting Up Desktop and Application
Pools in View
VMware Horizon 7 Version 7.0
VMware Horizon 7 Version 7.0.1
VMware Horizon 7 Version 7.0.2
This document supports the version of each product listed and
supports all subsequent versions until the document is
replaced by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of
this document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
EN-001999-02
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
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2 VMware, Inc.
Contents
Seing Up Desktop and Application Pools in View 7
Introduction to Desktop and Application Pools 9
1
Farms, RDS Hosts, and Desktop and Application Pools 9
Advantages of Desktop Pools 10
Desktop Pools for Specic Types of Workers 11
Advantages of Application Pools 14
Preparing Unmanaged Machines 15
2
Prepare an Unmanaged Machine for Remote Desktop Deployment 15
Install Horizon Agent on an Unmanaged Machine 16
Creating and Preparing a Parent Virtual Machine for Cloning 19
3
Creating a Virtual Machine for Cloning 19
Install Horizon Agent on a Virtual Machine 26
Install Horizon Agent Silently 30
Congure a Virtual Machine with Multiple NICs for Horizon Agent 36
Optimize Guest Operating System Performance 37
Disable the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program 38
Optimizing Windows for Instant-Clone and View Composer Linked-Clone Virtual Machines 39
Preparing a Parent Virtual Machine 45
Creating Virtual Machine Templates 49
Creating Customization Specications 50
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Creating Automated Desktop Pools That Contain Full Virtual Machines 51
4
Automated Pools That Contain Full Virtual Machines 51
Worksheet for Creating an Automated Pool That Contains Full Virtual Machines 51
Create an Automated Pool That Contains Full Virtual Machines 55
Clone an Automated Desktop Pool 56
Desktop Seings for Automated Pools That Contain Full Virtual Machines 57
Creating Linked-Clone Desktop Pools 59
5
Linked-Clone Desktop Pools 59
Worksheet for Creating a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool 59
Create a Linked-Clone Desktop Pool 67
Clone an Automated Desktop Pool 69
Desktop Pool Seings for Linked-Clone Desktop Pools 70
View Composer Support for Linked-Clone SIDs and Third-Party Applications 71
Keeping Linked-Clone Machines Provisioned for Use in Remote Desktop Sessions During View
Composer Operations 75
Use Existing Active Directory Computer Accounts for Linked Clones 76
3
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
Creating Instant-Clone Desktop Pools 79
6
Instant-Clone Desktop Pools 79
Image Publishing and Rebalancing an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool 81
Add an Instant-Clone Domain Administrator 81
Worksheet for Creating an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool 82
Create an Instant-Clone Desktop Pool 84
ClonePrep Guest Customization 85
Instant-Clone Maintenance Utilities 86
Creating Manual Desktop Pools 89
7
Manual Desktop Pools 89
Worksheet for Creating a Manual Desktop Pool 89
Create a Manual Desktop Pool 91
Create a Manual Pool That Contains One Machine 92
Desktop Pool Seings for Manual Pools 93
Seing Up Remote Desktop Services Hosts 95
8
Remote Desktop Services Hosts 95
Install Remote Desktop Services on Windows Server 2008 R2 97
Install Remote Desktop Services on Windows Server 2012 or 2012 R2 97
Install Desktop Experience on Windows Server 2008 R2 98
Install Desktop Experience on Windows Server 2012 or 2012 R2 98
Restrict Users to a Single Session 99
Install Horizon Agent on a Remote Desktop Services Host 99
Printing From a Remote Application Launched Inside a Nested Session 102
Enable Time Zone Redirection for RDS Desktop and Application Sessions 102
Enable Windows Basic Theme for Applications 103
Congure Group Policy to Start Runonce.exe 103
RDS Host Performance Options 104
Conguring 3D Graphics for RDS Hosts 104
Creating Farms 107
9
Farms 107
Preparing a Parent Virtual Machine for an Automated Farm 108
Worksheet for Creating a Manual Farm 111
Worksheet for Creating an Automated Farm 112
Create a Manual Farm 116
Create an Automated Farm 117
Creating Application Pools 119
10
Application Pools 119
Worksheet for Creating an Application Pool Manually 120
Create an Application Pool 120
Creating RDS Desktop Pools 123
11
Understanding RDS Desktop Pools 123
Create an RDS Desktop Pool 124
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Desktop Pool Seings for RDS Desktop Pools 124
Congure Adobe Flash Throling with Internet Explorer for RDS Desktop Pools 125
Contents
Provisioning Desktop Pools 127
12
User Assignment in Desktop Pools 127
Naming Machines Manually or Providing a Naming Paern 128
Manually Customizing Machines 133
Desktop Pool Seings for All Desktop Pool Types 135
Adobe Flash Quality and Throling 139
Seing Power Policies for Desktop Pools 140
Conguring 3D Rendering for Desktops 145
Prevent Access to View Desktops Through RDP 156
Deploying Large Desktop Pools 157
Entitling Users and Groups 159
13
Add Entitlements to a Desktop or Application Pool 159
Remove Entitlements from a Desktop or Application Pool 160
Review Desktop or Application Pool Entitlements 160
Restricting Remote Desktop Access 160
Restricting Remote Desktop Access Outside the Network 164
Conguring Remote Desktop Features 167
14
Conguring Unity Touch 167
Conguring Flash URL Redirection for Multicast or Unicast Streaming 170
Conguring Flash Redirection 174
Conguring URL Content Redirection 180
Conguring Real-Time Audio-Video 186
Conguring Scanner Redirection 199
Conguring Serial Port Redirection 204
Managing Access to Windows Media Multimedia Redirection (MMR) 211
Managing Access to Client Drive Redirection 213
Restricting Clipboard Formats for Copy and Paste Operations 215
Using USB Devices with Remote Desktops and Applications 217
15
Limitations Regarding USB Device Types 218
Overview of Seing Up USB Redirection 219
Network Trac and USB Redirection 220
Automatic Connections to USB Devices 220
Deploying USB Devices in a Secure View Environment 221
Using Log Files for Troubleshooting and to Determine USB Device IDs 223
Using Policies to Control USB Redirection 224
Troubleshooting USB Redirection Problems 234
Reducing and Managing Storage Requirements 237
16
Managing Storage with vSphere 237
Reducing Storage Requirements with Instant Clones 243
Reducing Storage Requirements with View Composer 244
Storage Sizing for Instant-Clone and View Composer Linked-Clone Desktop Pools 245
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Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
Storage Overcommit for View Composer Linked-Clone Virtual Machines 249
View Composer Linked-Clone Data Disks 251
Storing View Composer Linked Clones on Local Datastores 252
Storing Replicas and Clones on Separate Datastores for Instant Clones and View Composer Linked
Clones 253
Congure View Storage Accelerator for View Composer Linked Clones 254
Reclaim Disk Space on View Composer Linked Clones 255
Using VAAI Storage for View Composer Linked Clones 257
Set Storage Accelerator and Space Reclamation Blackout Times for View Composer Linked Clones 258
Conguring Policies for Desktop and Application
17
Pools 259
Seing Policies in View Administrator 259
Using Smart Policies 261
Using Active Directory Group Policies 267
Using View Group Policy Administrative Template Files 268
View ADM and ADMX Template Files 268
Horizon Agent Conguration ADM Template Seings 270
PCoIP Policy Seings 276
VMware Blast Policy Seings 289
Using Remote Desktop Services Group Policies 292
Seing Up Location-Based Printing 301
Active Directory Group Policy Example 306
Conguring User Proles with View Persona Management 311
18
Providing User Personas in View 311
Using View Persona Management with Standalone Systems 312
Migrating User Proles with View Persona Management 313
Persona Management and Windows Roaming Proles 316
Conguring a View Persona Management Deployment 316
Best Practices for Conguring a View Persona Management Deployment 326
View Persona Management Group Policy Seings 329
Troubleshooting Machines and Desktop Pools 337
19
Display Problem Machines 337
Send Messages to Desktop Users 338
Problems Provisoning or Recreating a Desktop Pool 338
Troubleshooting Network Connection Problems 349
Troubleshooting USB Redirection Problems 352
Manage Machines and Policies for Unentitled Users 354
Resolving Database Inconsistencies with the ViewDbChk Command 354
Further Troubleshooting Information 357
Index 359
6 VMware, Inc.
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
Seing Up Desktop and Application Pools in View describes how to create and provision pools of machines and
create pools of remote applications that run on Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) hosts. It includes
information about preparing machines, conguring policies, entitling users and groups, conguring remote
desktop features, and conguring user proles with View Persona Management.
Intended Audience
This information is intended for anyone who wants to create and provision desktop and application pools.
The information is wrien for experienced Windows system administrators who are familiar with virtual
machine technology and datacenter operations.
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7
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
8 VMware, Inc.
Introduction to Desktop and
Application Pools 1
With Horizon 7, you can create desktop pools that include thousands of virtual desktops. You can deploy
desktops that run on virtual machines (VMs), physical machines, and Windows Remote Desktop Services
(RDS) hosts. Create one VM as a base image, and Horizon 7 can generate a pool of virtual desktops from
that image. You can also create application pools that give users remote access to applications.
This chapter includes the following topics:
“Farms, RDS Hosts, and Desktop and Application Pools,” on page 9
n
“Advantages of Desktop Pools,” on page 10
n
“Desktop Pools for Specic Types of Workers,” on page 11
n
“Advantages of Application Pools,” on page 14
n
Farms, RDS Hosts, and Desktop and Application Pools
You can create desktop and application pools to give users remote access to virtual machine-based desktops,
session-based desktops, physical computers, and applications. You can also choose Microsoft Remote
Desktop Services (RDS), VMware PC-over-IP (PCoIP), or VMware Blast to provide remote access to users.
RDS Hosts
RDS hosts are server computers that have Windows Remote Desktop Services and Horizon Agent installed.
These servers host applications and desktop sessions that users can access remotely. To access RDS desktop
pools or applications, Horizon Client 3.0 or later is required.
Desktop Pools
There are three main types of desktop pools: automated, manual, and RDS. Automated desktop pools use a
vCenter Server virtual machine template or snapshot to create a pool of identical virtual machines. Manual
desktop pools are a collection of existing vCenter Server virtual machines, physical computers, or thirdparty virtual machines. In automated or manual pools, each machine is available for one user to access
remotely at a time. RDS desktop pools are not a collection of machines, but instead, provide users with
desktop sessions on RDS hosts. Multiple users can have desktop sessions on an RDS host simultaneously.
Application Pools
Application pools let you deliver applications to many users. The applications in application pools run on a
farm of RDS hosts.
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9
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
Farms
Farms are collections of RDS hosts and facilitate the management of those hosts. Farms can have a variable
number of RDS hosts and provide a common set of applications or RDS desktops to users. When you create
an RDS desktop pool or an application pool, you must specify a farm. The RDS hosts in the farm provide
desktop and application sessions to users.
Advantages of Desktop Pools
Horizon 7 oers the ability to create and provision pools of desktops as its basis of centralized management.
You create a remote desktop pool from one of the following sources:
A physical system such as a physical desktop PC or an RDS host
n
A virtual machine that is hosted on an ESXi host and managed by vCenter Server
n
A virtual machine that runs on a virtualization platform other than vCenter Server that supports
n
Horizon Agent.
If you use a vSphere virtual machine as a desktop source, you can automate the process of making as many
identical virtual desktops as you need. You can set a minimum and maximum number of virtual desktops to
be generated for the pool. Seing these parameters ensures that you always have enough remote desktops
available for immediate use but not so many that you overuse available resources.
Using pools to manage desktops allows you to apply seings or deploy applications to all remote desktops
in a pool. The following examples show some of the seings available:
Specify which remote display protocol to use as the default for the remote desktop and whether to let
n
end users override the default.
For View Composer linked-clone virtual machines or full clone virtual machines, specify whether to
n
power o the virtual machine when it is not in use and whether to delete it altogether. Instant clone
virtual machines are always powered on.
For View Composer linked-clone virtual machines, you can specify whether to use a Microsoft Sysprep
n
customization specication or QuickPrep from VMware. Sysprep generates a unique SID and GUID for
each virtual machine in the pool. Instant clones require a dierent customization specication, called
ClonePrep, from VMware.
You can also specify how users are assigned desktops in a pool.
Dedicated-assignment
pools
Each user is assigned a particular remote desktop and returns to the same
desktop at each login. Dedicated assignment pools require a one-to-one
desktop-to-user relationship. For example, a pool of 100 desktops are needed
for a group of 100 users.
Floating-assignment
pools
The remote desktop is optionally deleted and re-created after each use,
oering a highly controlled environment.
Using oating-assignment pools also allows you to create a pool of desktops
that can be used by shifts of users. For example, a pool of 100 desktops could
be used by 300 users if they worked in shifts of 100 users at a time.
10 VMware, Inc.
Desktop Pools for Specific Types of Workers
View provides many features to help you conserve storage and reduce the amount of processing power
required for various use cases. Many of these features are available as pool seings.
The most fundamental question to consider is whether a certain type of user needs a stateful desktop image
or a stateless desktop image. Users who need a stateful desktop image have data in the operating system
image itself that must be preserved, maintained, and backed up. For example, these users install some of
their own applications or have data that cannot be saved outside of the virtual machine itself, such as on a
le server or in an application database.
Chapter 1 Introduction to Desktop and Application Pools
Stateless desktop
images
Also known as nonpersistent desktops, stateless architectures have many
advantages, such as being easier to support and having lower storage costs.
Other benets include a limited need to back up the virtual machines and
easier, less expensive disaster recovery and business continuity options.
Stateful desktop images
Also known as persistent desktops, these images might require traditional
image management techniques. Stateful images can have low storage costs in
conjunction with certain storage system technologies. Backup and recovery
technologies such as VMware Consolidated Backup and VMware Site
Recovery Manager are important when considering strategies for backup,
disaster recovery, and business continuity.
There are two ways to create stateless desktop images in View:
You can create oating assignment pools of instant clone virtual machines. Folder redirection and
n
roaming proles can optionally be used to store user data.
You can use View Composer to create oating assignment pools of linked clone virtual machines.
n
Folder redirection and roaming proles can optionally be used to store user data.
There are several ways to create stateful desktop images in View:
You can create oating assignment pools of instant clone virtual machines and use App Volumes to
n
aach user data and user-installed apps. Folder redirection and roaming prole can optionally be used
to store user data.
You can use View Composer to create dedicated assignment pools of linked clone virtual machines. You
n
can congure View Composer persistent disks.
You can create full clones or full virtual machines. Some storage vendors have cost-eective storage
n
solutions for full clones. These vendors often have their own best practices and provisioning utilities.
Using one of these vendors might require that you create a manual dedicated-assignment pool.
Whether you use stateless or stateful desktops depends on the specic type of worker.
Pools for Task Workers
You can standardize on stateless desktop images for task workers so that the image is always in a wellknown, easily supportable conguration and so that workers can log in to any available desktop.
Because task workers perform repetitive tasks within a small set of applications, you can create stateless
desktop images, which help conserve storage space and processing requirements. Use the following pool
seings:
Create an automated pool so that desktops can be created when the pool is created or can be generated
n
on demand based on pool usage.
For instant clone pools, to optimize resource utilization, use on demand provisioning to grow or shrink
n
the pool based on usage. Be sure to specify enough spare desktops to satisfy the login rate.
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Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
Use oating assignment so that users log in to any available desktop. This seing reduces the number of
n
desktops required if everyone does not need to be logged in at the same time.
Create instant-clone or View Composer linked-clone desktops so that desktops share the same base
n
image and use less storage space in the datacenter than full virtual machines.
For View Composer desktop pools, determine what action, if any, to take when users log o. Disks
n
grow over time. You can conserve disk space by refreshing the desktop to its original state when users
log o. You can also set a schedule for periodically refreshing desktops. For example, you can schedule
desktops to refresh daily, weekly, or monthly.
For instant clone desktop pools, View automatically deletes the instant clone whenever a user logs out.
n
A new instant clone is created and ready for the next user to log in, thus eectively refreshing the
desktop on every log out.
If applicable, and if you use View Composer linked-clone pools, consider storing desktops on local ESXi
n
data stores. This strategy can oer advantages such as inexpensive hardware, fast virtual-machine
provisioning, high-performance power operations, and simple management. For a list of the limitations,
see “Storing View Composer Linked Clones on Local Datastores,” on page 252. Instant clone pools are
not supported on local data stores.
N For information about other types of storage options, see Chapter 16, “Reducing and Managing
Storage Requirements,” on page 237.
Use the Persona Management feature so that users always have their preferred desktop appearance and
n
application seings, as with Windows user proles. If you do not have the desktops set to be refreshed
or deleted at logo, you can congure the persona to be removed at logo.
I View Persona Management facilitates implementing a oating-assignment pool for those users
who want to retain seings between sessions. Previously, one of the limitations of oating-assignment
desktops was that when end users logged o, they lost all their conguration seings and any data stored in
the remote desktop.
Each time end users logged on, their desktop background was set to the default wallpaper, and they would
have to congure each application's preferences again. With View Persona Management, an end user of a
oating-assignment desktop cannot tell the dierence between their session and a session on a dedicatedassignment desktop.
Pools for Knowledge Workers and Power Users
Knowledge workers must be able to create complex documents and have them persist on the desktop.
Power users must be able to install their own applications and have them persist. Depending on the nature
and amount of personal data that must be retained, the desktop can be stateful or stateless.
For knowledge workers who do not need user-installed applications except for temporary use, you can
create stateless desktop images and save all their personal data outside of the virtual machine, on a le
server or in an application database. For other knowledge workers and for power users, you can create
stateful desktop images. Use the following pool seings:
Some power users and knowledge workers, such as accountants, sales managers, marketing research
n
analysts, might need to log into the same desktop every time. Create dedicated assignment pools for
them.
Use the Persona Management feature so that users always have their preferred desktop appearance and
n
application seings, as with Windows user proles.
Use vStorage thin provisioning so that at rst, each desktop uses only as much storage space as the disk
n
needs for its initial operation.
12 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 1 Introduction to Desktop and Application Pools
For power users and knowledge workers who must install their own applications, which adds data to
n
the operating system disk, there are two options. One option is to create full virtual machine desktops,
and use Mirage to deploy and update applications without overwriting user-installed applications.
The other option is to create a pool of linked clones or instant clones, and use App Volumes to persist
user-installed applications and user data across logins.
If knowledge workers do not require user-installed applications except for temporary use, you can
n
create View Composer linked-clone desktops or instant clone desktops. The desktop images share the
same base image and use less storage space than full virtual machines.
If you use View Composer with vSphere 5.1 or later virtual desktops, enable the space reclamation
n
feature for vCenter Server and for the desktop pool. With the space reclamation feature, stale or deleted
data within a guest operating system is automatically reclaimed with a wipe and shrink process.
If you use View Composer linked-clone desktops, implement View Persona Management, roaming
n
proles, or another prole management solution. You can also congure persistent disks so that you
can refresh and recompose the linked-clone OS disks while keeping a copy of the user prole on the
persistent disks.
If you use instant clone desktops, implement roaming proles or another prole management solution.
n
You do not need to congure persistent disks. You can use App Volumes to retain a copy of the user
data and prole.
Pools for Kiosk Users
Kiosk users might include customers at airline check-in stations, students in classrooms or libraries, medical
personnel at medical data entry workstations, or customers at self-service points. Accounts associated with
client devices rather than users are entitled to use these desktop pools because users do not need to log in to
use the client device or the remote desktop. Users can still be required to provide authentication credentials
for some applications.
Virtual machine desktops that are set to run in kiosk mode use stateless desktop images because user data
does not need to be preserved in the operating system disk. Kiosk mode desktops are used with thin client
devices or locked-down PCs. You must ensure that the desktop application implements authentication
mechanisms for secure transactions, that the physical network is secure against tampering and snooping,
and that all devices connected to the network are trusted.
As a best practice, use dedicated View Connection Server instances to handle clients in kiosk mode, and
create dedicated organizational units and groups in Active Directory for the accounts of these clients. This
practice not only partitions these systems against unwarranted intrusion, but also makes it easier to
congure and administer the clients.
To set up kiosk mode, you must use the vdmadmin command-line interface and perform several procedures
documented in the topics about kiosk mode in the View Administration document. As part of this setup, you
can use the following pool seings.
Create an automated pool so that desktops can be created when the pool is created or can be generated
n
on demand based on pool usage.
Use oating assignment so that users can access any available desktop in the pool.
n
Create instant-clone or View Composer linked-clone desktops so that desktops share the same base
n
image and use less storage space in the datacenter than full virtual machines.
If you are using View Composer linked-clone desktops, institute a refresh policy so that the desktop is
n
refreshed frequently, such as at every user logo.
If you are using instant clone desktop pools, View automatically deletes the instant clone whenever a
n
user logs out. A new instant clone is created and ready for the next user to log in, thus eectively
refreshing the desktop on every log out.
VMware, Inc. 13
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
If applicable, consider storing desktops on local ESXi datastores. This strategy can oer advantages
n
such as inexpensive hardware, fast virtual-machine provisioning, high-performance power operations,
and simple management. For a list of the limitations, see “Storing View Composer Linked Clones on
Local Datastores,” on page 252. Instant clone pools are not supported on local data stores.
N For information about other types of storage options, see Chapter 16, “Reducing and Managing
Storage Requirements,” on page 237.
Use an Active Directory GPO (group policy object) to congure location-based printing, so that the
n
desktop uses the nearest printer. For a complete list and description of the seings available through
Group Policy administrative (ADM) templates, see Chapter 17, “Conguring Policies for Desktop and
Application Pools,” on page 259.
Use a GPO or Smart Policies to control whether local USB devices are connected to the desktop when
n
the desktop is launched or when USB devices are plugged in to the client computer.
Advantages of Application Pools
With application pools, you give users access to applications that run on servers in a data center instead of
on their personal computers or devices.
Application pools oer several important benets:
Accessibility
n
Users can access applications from anywhere on the network. You can also congure secure network
access.
Device independence
n
With application pools, you can support a range of client devices, such as smart phones, tablets,
laptops, thin clients, and personal computers. The client devices can run various operating systems,
such as Windows, iOS, Mac OS, or Android.
Access control
n
You can easily and quickly grant or remove access to applications for one user or a group of users.
Accelerated deployment
n
With application pools, deploying applications can be accelerated because you only deploy applications
on servers in a data center and each server can support multiple users.
Manageability
n
Managing software that is deployed on client computers and devices typically requires signicant
resources. Management tasks include deployment, conguration, maintenance, support, and upgrades.
With application pools, you can simplify software management in an enterprise because the software
runs on servers in a data center, which requires fewer installed copies.
Security and regulatory compliance
n
With application pools, you can improve security because applications and their associated data are
centrally located in a data center. Centralized data can address security concerns and regulatory
compliance issues.
Reduced cost
n
Depending on software license agreements, hosting applications in a data center can be more costeective. Other factors, including accelerated deployment and improved manageability, can also reduce
the cost of software in an enterprise.
14 VMware, Inc.
Preparing Unmanaged Machines 2
Users can access remote desktops delivered by machines that are not managed by vCenter Server. These
unmanaged machines can include physical computers and virtual machines running on virtualization
platforms other than vCenter Server. You must prepare an unmanaged machine to deliver remote desktop
access.
For information about preparing machines that are used as Remote Desktop Services (RDS) hosts, see
Chapter 8, “Seing Up Remote Desktop Services Hosts,” on page 95.
For information about preparing Linux virtual machines for remote desktop deployment, see the Seing Up
Horizon 7 for Linux Desktops guide.
This chapter includes the following topics:
“Prepare an Unmanaged Machine for Remote Desktop Deployment,” on page 15
n
“Install Horizon Agent on an Unmanaged Machine,” on page 16
n
Prepare an Unmanaged Machine for Remote Desktop Deployment
You must perform certain tasks to prepare an unmanaged machine for remote desktop deployment.
Prerequisites
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Verify that you have administrative rights on the unmanaged machine.
n
To make sure that remote desktop users are added to the local Remote Desktop Users group of the
n
unmanaged machine, create a restricted Remote Desktop Users group in Active Directory. See the View
Installation document for more information.
Procedure
1 Power on the unmanaged machine and verify that it is accessible to the View Connection Server
instance.
2 Join the unmanaged machine to the Active Directory domain for your remote desktops.
3 Congure the Windows rewall to allow Remote Desktop connections to the unmanaged machine.
What to do next
Install Horizon Agent on the unmanaged machine. See “Install Horizon Agent on an Unmanaged Machine,”
on page 16.
15
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
Install Horizon Agent on an Unmanaged Machine
You must install Horizon Agent on an all unmanaged machines. View cannot manage an unmanaged
machine unless Horizon Agent is installed.
To install Horizon Agent on multiple Windows physical computers without having to respond to wizard
prompts, you can install Horizon Agent silently. See “Install Horizon Agent Silently,” on page 30.
Prerequisites
Verify that you have administrative rights on the unmanaged machine.
n
To use an unmanaged Windows Server machine as a remote desktop rather than as an RDS host,
n
perform the steps described in “Prepare Windows Server Operating Systems for Desktop Use,” on
page 24.
Familiarize yourself with the Horizon Agent custom setup options for unmanaged machines. See
n
“Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options for Unmanaged Machines,” on page 17.
Familiarize yourself with the TCP ports that the Horizon Agent installation program opens on the
n
rewall. See the View Architecture Planning document for more information.
If the machine has the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package installed, verify that the version of
n
the package is 2005 SP1 or later. If the package version is 2005 or earlier, you can either upgrade or
uninstall the package.
Download the Horizon Agent installer le from the VMware product page at
n
hp://www.vmware.com/go/downloadview.
Procedure
1 To start the Horizon Agent installation program, double-click the installer le.
The installer lename is VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe or VMware-viewagent-x86_64-y.y.y-
xxxxxx.exe, where y.y.y is the version number and xxxxxx is the build number.
2 Accept the VMware license terms.
3 Select the Internet Protocol (IP) version, IPv4 or IPv6.
You must install all View components with the same IP version.
4 Select whether to enable or disable FIPS mode.
This option is available only if FIPS mode is enabled in Windows.
5 Select your custom setup options.
6 Accept or change the destination folder.
7 In the Server text box, type the host name or IP address of a View Connection Server host.
During installation, the installer registers the unmanaged machine with this View Connection Server
instance. After registration, the specied View Connection Server instance, and any additional instances
in the same View Connection Server group, can communicate with the unmanaged machine.
16 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 2 Preparing Unmanaged Machines
8 Select an authentication method to register the unmanaged machine with the View Connection Server
instance.
Option Action
Authenticate as the currently
logged in user
Specify administrator credentials
The Username and Password text boxes are disabled and you are logged
in to the View Connection Server instance with your current username and
password.
You must provide the username and password of a View Connection
Server administrator in the Username and Password text boxes.
Provide the username in the following format: Domain\User.
The user account must be a domain user with access to View LDAP on the View Connection Server
instance. A local user does not work.
9 Follow the prompts in the Horizon Agent installation program and nish the installation.
10 If you selected the USB redirection option, restart the unmanaged machine to enable USB support.
In addition, the Found New Hardware wizard might start. Follow the prompts in the wizard to
congure the hardware before you restart the unmanaged machine.
The VMware Horizon Horizon Agent service is started on the unmanaged machine.
What to do next
Use the unmanaged machine to create a remote desktop. See “Manual Desktop Pools,” on page 89.
Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options for Unmanaged Machines
When you install Horizon Agent on an unmanaged machine, you can select or deselect certain custom setup
options. In addition, Horizon Agent installs certain features automatically on all guest operating systems on
which they are supported. These features are not optional.
To change custom setup options after you install the latest Horizon Agent version, you must uninstall and
reinstall Horizon Agent. For patches and upgrades, you can run the new Horizon Agent installer and select
a new set of options without uninstalling the previous version.
Table 2‑1. Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options for Unmanaged Machines in an IPv4 Environment
(Optional)
Option Description
USB Redirection Gives users access to locally connected USB devices on
their desktops.
USB redirection is supported on remote desktops that are
deployed on single-user machines. In addition, redirection
of USB ash drives and hard disks is supported on RDS
desktops and applications.
This setup option is not selected by default. You must select
the option to install it.
For guidance on using USB redirection securely, see the
View Security guide. For example, you can use group policy
seings to disable USB redirection for specic users.
Client Drive Redirection Allows Horizon Client users to share local drives with their
remote desktops.
After this setup option is installed, no further conguration
is required on the remote desktop.
Client Drive Redirection is also supported on VDI desktops
that run on managed, single-user virtual machines and on
RDS desktops and applications.
VMware, Inc. 17
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
Table 2‑1. Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options for Unmanaged Machines in an IPv4 Environment
(Optional) (Continued)
Option Description
View Persona Management Synchronizes the user prole on the local desktop with a
Smartcard Redirection Lets users authenticate with smart cards when they use the
Virtual audio driver Provides a virtual audio driver on the remote desktop.
In an IPv6 environment, the only optional feature is Smartcard Redirection.
Table 2‑2. Horizon Agent Features That Are Installed Automatically on Unmanaged Machines in an IPv4
Environment (Not Optional)
Feature Description
PCoIP Agent Lets users connect to the remote desktop with the PCoIP
Lync Provides support for Microsoft Lync 2013 Client on remote
Unity Touch Allows tablet and smart phone users to interact easily with
remote prole repository, so that users have access to their
proles whenever they log in to a desktop.
PCoIP or Blast Extreme display protocol.
Smartcard Redirection is supported on remote desktops
that are deployed on single-user machines but is not
supported on RDS host-based remote desktops.
display protocol.
The PCoIP Agent feature is supported on physical
machines that are congured with a Teradici TERA host
card.
desktops.
Windows applications that run on the remote desktop.
Users can browse, search, and open Windows applications
and les, choose favorite applications and les, and switch
between running applications, all without using the Start
menu or Taskbar.
In an IPv6 environment, the only automatically installed feature is PCoIP Agent.
18 VMware, Inc.
Creating and Preparing a Parent
Virtual Machine for Cloning 3
You can create a pool of desktop machines by cloning a vCenter Server virtual machine (VM). Before you
create the desktop pool, you need to prepare and congure this VM, which will be the parent of the clones.
For information about preparing machines that are used as Remote Desktop Services (RDS) hosts, see
Chapter 8, “Seing Up Remote Desktop Services Hosts,” on page 95.
For information about preparing Linux VMs for remote desktop deployment, see the Seing Up Horizon 7 for
Linux Desktops guide.
N
Starting with version 7.0, View Agent is renamed Horizon Agent and View Administrator is renamed
n
Horizon Administrator.
VMware Blast, the display protocol that is available starting with Horizon 7.0, is also known as VMware
n
Blast Extreme.
This chapter includes the following topics:
“Creating a Virtual Machine for Cloning,” on page 19
n
“Install Horizon Agent on a Virtual Machine,” on page 26
n
“Install Horizon Agent Silently,” on page 30
n
“Congure a Virtual Machine with Multiple NICs for Horizon Agent,” on page 36
n
“Optimize Guest Operating System Performance,” on page 37
n
“Disable the Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program,” on page 38
n
“Optimizing Windows for Instant-Clone and View Composer Linked-Clone Virtual Machines,” on
n
page 39
“Preparing a Parent Virtual Machine,” on page 45
n
“Creating Virtual Machine Templates,” on page 49
n
“Creating Customization Specications,” on page 50
n
Creating a Virtual Machine for Cloning
The rst step in the process of deploying a pool of cloned desktops is to create a virtual machine in vSphere,
install and congure the operating system.
1 Create a Virtual Machine in vSphere on page 20
You can create a virtual machine in vSphere from scratch or by cloning an existing VM. This procedure
describes creating a VM from scratch.
VMware, Inc.
19
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
2 Install a Guest Operating System on page 22
After you create a virtual machine, you must install a guest operating system.
3 Prepare a Guest Operating System for Remote Desktop Deployment on page 22
You must perform certain tasks to prepare a guest operating system for remote desktop deployment.
4 Prepare Windows Server Operating Systems for Desktop Use on page 24
To use a Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2012 R2 virtual machine as a single-session View
desktop (rather than as an RDS host), you must perform certain steps before you install Horizon Agent
in the virtual machine. You must also congure View Administrator to treat Windows Servers as
supported operating systems for View desktop use.
5 Install Desktop Experience on Windows Server 2008 R2 on page 25
For RDS desktops and applications, and for VDI desktops that are deployed on single-user virtual
machines that run Windows Server, scanner redirection requires that you install the Desktop
Experience feature on the RDS hosts and the single-user virtual machines.
6 Install Desktop Experience on Windows Server 2012 or 2012 R2 on page 25
For RDS desktops and applications, and for VDI desktops that are deployed on single-user virtual
machines that run Windows Server, scanner redirection requires that you install the Desktop
Experience feature on the RDS hosts and the single-user virtual machines.
7 Congure the Windows Firewall Service to Restart After Failures on page 26
Some Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 machines that are deployed as singlesession desktops do not become available immediately after they are provisioned. This issue occurs
when the Windows Firewall service does not restart after its timeout period expires. You can congure
the Windows Firewall service on the parent or template virtual machine to ensure that all machines in
a desktop pool become available.
Create a Virtual Machine in vSphere
You can create a virtual machine in vSphere from scratch or by cloning an existing VM. This procedure
describes creating a VM from scratch.
Prerequisites
Familiarize yourself with the custom conguration parameters for virtual machines. See “Virtual
n
Machine Custom Conguration Parameters,” on page 21.
Procedure
1 Log in to vSphere Client.
2 Select File > New > Virtual Machine to start the New Virtual Machine wizard.
3 Select Custom and congure custom conguration parameters.
4 Select Edit the virtual machine before completion and click Continue to congure hardware
seings.
a Add a CD/DVD drive, set the media type to use an ISO image le, select the ISO image le of an
appropriate operating system, and select Connect at power on.
b Set Power-on Boot Delay to 10,000 milliseconds.
5 Click Finish to create the virtual machine.
What to do next
Install the operating system.
20 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 3 Creating and Preparing a Parent Virtual Machine for Cloning
Virtual Machine Custom Configuration Parameters
You can use virtual machine custom conguration parameters as baseline seings when you create a virtual
machine for remote desktop deployment.
You can change certain seings when you use View Administrator to deploy desktop pools from the virtual
machine.
Table 3‑1. Custom Configuration Parameters
Parameter Description and Recommendations
Name and Location
Host/Cluster
Resource Pool
Datastore
Hardware Machine Version
Guest Operating System
CPUs
Memory
Network
The name and location of the virtual machine.
If you plan to use the virtual machine as a template, assign a generic name. The
location can be any folder within your datacenter inventory.
The ESXi server or cluster of server resources that will run the virtual machine.
If you plan to use the virtual machine as a template, the location of the initial
virtual machine does not necessarily specify where future virtual machines
created from template will reside.
If the physical ESXi server resources are divided into resource pools, you can
assign them to the virtual machine.
The location of les associated with the virtual machine.
The hardware machine version that is available depends on the ESXi version you
are running. As a best practice, select the latest available hardware machine
version, which provides the greatest virtual machine functionality. Certain View
features require minimum hardware machine versions.
The type of operating system that you will install in the virtual machine.
The number of virtual processors in the virtual machine.
For most guest operating systems, a single processor is sucient.
The amount of memory to allocate to the virtual machine.
In most cases, 512MB is sucient.
The number of virtual network adapters (NICs) in the virtual machine.
One NIC is usually sucient. The network name should be consistent across
virtual infrastructures. An incorrect network name in a template can cause
failures during the instance customization phases.
When you install Horizon Agent on a virtual machine that has more than one
NIC, you must congure the subnet that Horizon Agent uses. See “Congure a
Virtual Machine with Multiple NICs for Horizon Agent,” on page 36 for more
information.
I For Windows 7, Windows 8.*, Windows 10, Windows Server 2008
R2, and Windows Server 2012 R2 operating systems, you must select the
VMXNET 3 network adapter. Using the default E1000 adapter can cause
customization timeout errors on virtual machines. To use the VMXNET 3 adapter,
you must install a Microsoft hotx:
For Windows 7 SP1: hp://support.microsoft.com/kb/2550978
n
Install the hotx before installing Horizon Agent. When installing the hotx,
if you encounter Windows Update error 0x80070424, see
hps://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/968002.
VMware, Inc. 21
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
Table 3‑1. Custom Configuration Parameters (Continued)
Parameter Description and Recommendations
SCSI Controller
Select a Disk
Install a Guest Operating System
After you create a virtual machine, you must install a guest operating system.
Prerequisites
The type of SCSI adapter to use with the virtual machine.
For Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 7 guest operating systems, you should specify
the LSI Logic adapter. The LSI Logic adapter has improved performance and
works beer with generic SCSI devices.
LSI Logic SAS is available only for virtual machines with hardware version 7 and
later.
The disk to use with the virtual machine.
Create a new virtual disk based on the amount of local storage that you decide to
allocate to each user. Allow enough storage space for the OS installation, patches,
and locally installed applications.
To reduce the need for disk space and management of local data, you should store
the user's information, prole, and documents on network shares rather than on a
local disk.
Verify that an ISO image le of the guest operating system is on a datastore on your ESXi server.
n
Verify that the CD/DVD drive in the virtual machine points to the ISO image le of the guest operating
n
system and that the CD/DVD drive is congured to connect at power on.
Procedure
1 In vSphere Client, log in to the vCenter Server system where the virtual machine resides.
2 Right-click the virtual machine, select Power, and select Power On to start the virtual machine.
Because you congured the CD/DVD drive to point to the ISO image of the guest operating system and
to connect at power on, the guest operating system installation process begins automatically.
3 Click the Console tab and follow the installation instructions provided by the operating system vendor.
4 Activate Windows.
What to do next
Prepare the guest operating system for View desktop deployment.
Prepare a Guest Operating System for Remote Desktop Deployment
You must perform certain tasks to prepare a guest operating system for remote desktop deployment.
Prerequisites
Create a virtual machine and install a guest operating system.
n
Congure an Active Directory domain controller for your remote desktops. See the View Installation
n
document for more information.
To make sure that desktop users are added to the local Remote Desktop Users group of the virtual
n
machine, create a restricted Remote Desktop Users group in Active Directory. See the View Installation
document for more information.
22 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 3 Creating and Preparing a Parent Virtual Machine for Cloning
Verify that Remote Desktop Services are started on the virtual machine. Remote Desktop Services are
n
required for Horizon Agent installation, SSO, and other View operations. You can disable RDP access to
your View desktops by conguring desktop pool seings and group policy seings. See “Prevent
Access to View Desktops Through RDP,” on page 156.
Verify that you have administrative rights on the guest operating system.
n
On Windows Server operating systems, prepare the operating system for desktop use. See “Prepare
n
Windows Server Operating Systems for Desktop Use,” on page 24.
If you intend to congure 3D graphics rendering for desktop pools, familiarize yourself with the Enable
n
3D Support seing for virtual machines.
This seing is active on Windows 7 and later operating systems. On ESXi 5.1 and later hosts, you can
also select options that determine how the 3D renderer is managed on the ESXi host. For details, see the
vSphere Virtual Machine Administration document.
Procedure
1 In vSphere Client, log in to the vCenter Server system where the virtual machine resides.
2 Right-click the virtual machine, select Power, and select Power On to start the virtual machine.
3 Right-click the virtual machine, select Guest, and select Install/Upgrade VMware Tools to install the
latest version of VMware Tools.
N The virtual printing feature is supported only when you install it from Horizon Agent. Virtual
printing is not supported if you install it with VMware Tools.
4 Use the VMware Tools time synchronization function to ensure that the virtual machine is synchronized
to ESXi.
ESXi must synchronize to an external NTP source, for example, the same time source as Active
Directory.
Disable other time synchronization mechanisms such as Windows Time Service.
The VMware Tools online help provides information on conguring time synchronization between
guest and host.
5 Install service packs and updates.
6 Install antivirus software.
7 Install other applications and software, such as smart card drivers if you are using smart card
authentication.
If you plan to use VMware Identity Manager to oer a catalog that includes ThinApp applications, you
must install VMware Identity Manager for Windows.
I If you are installing Microsoft .NET Framework, you must install it after you install
Horizon Agent.
8 If Horizon Client devices will connect to the virtual machine with the PCoIP display protocol, set the
power option Turn the display to Never.
If you do not disable this seing, the display will appear to freeze in its last state when power savings
mode starts.
VMware, Inc. 23
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
9 If Horizon Client devices will connect to the virtual machine with the PCoIP display protocol, go to
Control Panel > System > Advanced System > Performance and change the seing
for Visual to Adjust for best performance.
If you instead use the seing called Adjust for best appearance or Let Windows choose what's best for
my computer and Windows chooses appearance instead of performance, performance is negatively
aected.
10 If a proxy server is used in your network environment, congure network proxy seings.
11 Congure network connection properties.
a Assign a static IP address or specify that an IP address is assigned by a DHCP server.
View does not support link-local (169.254.x.x) addresses for View desktops.
b Set the preferred and alternate DNS server addresses to your Active Directory server address.
12 (Optional) Join the virtual machine to the Active Directory domain for your remote desktops.
A parent virtual machine for creating instant clones or View Composer linked clones must either belong
to the same Active Directory domain as the domain that the desktop machines will join or be a member
of a workgroup.
13 Congure Windows Firewall to allow Remote Desktop connections to the virtual machine.
14 (Optional) Disable Hot Plug PCI devices.
This step prevents users from accidentally disconnecting the virtual network device (vNIC) from the
virtual machine.
15 (Optional) Congure user customization scripts.
Prepare Windows Server Operating Systems for Desktop Use
To use a Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2012 R2 virtual machine as a single-session View
desktop (rather than as an RDS host), you must perform certain steps before you install Horizon Agent in
the virtual machine. You must also congure View Administrator to treat Windows Servers as supported
operating systems for View desktop use.
Prerequisites
Familiarize yourself with the steps to install the Desktop Experience feature on Windows Server 2008
n
R2 or Windows Server 2012 R2. See “Install Desktop Experience on Windows Server 2008 R2,” on
page 25 or “Install Desktop Experience on Windows Server 2012 or 2012 R2,” on page 25
On Windows Server 2012 R2 machines, familiarize yourself with the steps to congure the Windows
n
Firewall service to restart after failures occur. See “Congure the Windows Firewall Service to Restart
After Failures,” on page 26.
Procedure
1 Verify that the Remote Desktop Services role is not installed.
When the Remote Desktop Services role is not present, the Horizon Agent installer prompts you to
conrm that you want to install Horizon Agent in desktop mode. If the Remote Desktop Services role is
present, the Horizon Agent installer does not display this prompt and it treats the Windows Server
machine as an RDS host instead of a single-session View desktop.
2 Install Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Windows Server 2012 R2.
If you do not install SP1 with Windows Server 2008 R2, an error occurs when you install
Horizon Agent.
24 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 3 Creating and Preparing a Parent Virtual Machine for Cloning
3 (Optional) Install the Desktop Experience feature if you plan to use the following features.
HTML Access
n
Scanner redirection
n
Windows Aero
n
4 (Optional) To use Windows Aero on a Windows Server desktop, start the Themes service.
When you create or edit a desktop pool, you can congure 3D graphics rendering for your desktops.
The 3D Renderer seing oers a Software option that enables users to run Windows Aero on the
desktops in the pool.
5 On Windows Server 2012 R2 machines, congure the Windows Firewall service to restart after failures
occur.
6 Congure View Administrator to treat Windows Servers as supported desktop operating systems.
If you do not perform this step, you cannot select Windows Server machines for desktop use in View
Administrator.
a In View Administrator, select View > Global .
b In the General pane, click Edit.
c Select the Enable Windows Server desktops check box and click OK.
When you enable Windows Server desktops in View Administrator, View Administrator displays all
available Windows Server machines, including machines on which View Connection Server is installed, as
potential machines for desktop use. You cannot install Horizon Agent on machines on which other View
software components are installed.
Install Desktop Experience on Windows Server 2008 R2
For RDS desktops and applications, and for VDI desktops that are deployed on single-user virtual machines
that run Windows Server, scanner redirection requires that you install the Desktop Experience feature on the
RDS hosts and the single-user virtual machines.
Procedure
1 Log in as an administrator.
2 Start Server Manager.
3 Click Features.
4 Click Add Features.
5 On the Select Features page, select the Desktop Experience checkbox.
6 Review the information about other features that are required by the Desktop Experience feature, and
click Add Required Features.
7 Follow the prompts and nish the installation.
Install Desktop Experience on Windows Server 2012 or 2012 R2
For RDS desktops and applications, and for VDI desktops that are deployed on single-user virtual machines
that run Windows Server, scanner redirection requires that you install the Desktop Experience feature on the
RDS hosts and the single-user virtual machines.
Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 are supported on machines that are used as RDS hosts.
Windows Server 2012 R2 is supported on single-user virtual machines.
VMware, Inc. 25
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
Procedure
1 Log in as an administrator.
2 Start Server Manager.
3 Select Add roles and features.
4 On the Select Installation Type page, select Role-based or feature-based installation.
5 On the Select Destination Server page, select a server.
6 On the Select Server Roles page, accept the default selection and click Next.
7 On the Select Features page, under User Interfaces and Infrastructure, select Desktop Experience.
8 Follow the prompts and nish the installation.
Configure the Windows Firewall Service to Restart After Failures
Some Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 machines that are deployed as single-session
desktops do not become available immediately after they are provisioned. This issue occurs when the
Windows Firewall service does not restart after its timeout period expires. You can congure the Windows
Firewall service on the parent or template virtual machine to ensure that all machines in a desktop pool
become available.
If you encounter this issue during provisioning, the Windows event logs display the following error: The
Windows Firewall service terminated with the following service-specific error: This operation
returned because the timeout period expired.
This issue occurs on Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 machines. Other guest
operating systems are not aected.
Procedure
1 On the Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 parent or template virtual machine from
which you will deploy a desktop pool, select Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.
2 In the Services dialog box, right-click the Windows Firewall service and select Properties.
3 In the Windows Firewall Properties dialog box, click the Recovery tab.
4 Select the recovery seings to restart the service after a failure occurs.
Setting Drop-down Menu Option
First failure:
Second failure:
Subsequent failures:
Restart the Service
Restart the Service
Restart the Service
5 Select the Enable actions for stops with errors check box and click OK.
6 Deploy or redeploy the desktop pool from the parent or template virtual machine.
Install Horizon Agent on a Virtual Machine
You must install Horizon Agent on virtual machines that are managed by vCenter Server so that Connection
Server can communicate with them. Install Horizon Agent on all virtual machines that you use as templates
for full-clone desktop pools, parents for linked-clone desktop pools, parents for instant-clone desktop pools,
and machines in manual desktop pools.
To install Horizon Agent on multiple Windows virtual machines without having to respond to wizard
prompts, you can install Horizon Agent silently. See “Install Horizon Agent Silently,” on page 30.
26 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 3 Creating and Preparing a Parent Virtual Machine for Cloning
The Horizon Agent software cannot coexist on the same virtual or physical machine with other Horizon
software components, including security server, Connection Server, and View Composer. It can coexist with
Horizon Client.
Prerequisites
Prepare the guest operating system for remote desktop deployment. See “Prepare a Guest Operating
n
System for Remote Desktop Deployment,” on page 22.
To use a Windows Server virtual machine as a remote desktop (rather than as an RDS host), perform the
n
steps described in “Prepare Windows Server Operating Systems for Desktop Use,” on page 24.
If the machine has the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package installed, verify that the version of
n
the package is 2005 SP1 or later. If the package version is 2005 or earlier, you can either upgrade or
uninstall the package.
Download the Horizon Agent installer le from the VMware product page at
n
hp://www.vmware.com/go/downloadview.
Verify that you have administrative rights on the virtual machine.
n
Familiarize yourself with the Horizon Agent custom setup options. See “Horizon Agent Custom Setup
n
Options,” on page 28.
Familiarize yourself with the TCP ports that the Horizon Agent installation program opens on the
n
rewall. See the View Architecture Planning document for more information.
Procedure
1 To start the Horizon Agent installation program, double-click the installer le.
The installer lename is VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe or VMware-viewagent-x86_64-y.y.y-
xxxxxx.exe, where y.y.y is the version number and xxxxxx is the build number.
2 Accept the VMware license terms.
3 If you install Horizon Agent on a Windows Server machine on which the Remote Desktop Services
(RDS) role is not installed, select Install VMware Horizon Agent in 'desktop mode'.
Selecting this option congures the Windows Server machine as a single-user View desktop rather than
as an RDS host. If you intend the machine to function as an RDS host, cancel the Horizon Agent
installation, install the RDS role on the machine, and restart the Horizon Agent installation.
4 Select the Internet Protocol (IP) version, IPv4 or IPv6.
You must install all View components with the same IP version.
5 Select whether to enable or disable FIPS mode.
This option is available only if FIPS mode is enabled in Windows.
6 Select your custom setup options.
To deploy View Composer linked-clone desktops, select the VMware Horizon View Composer Agent
option. To deploy instant-clone desktops, select the VMware Horizon Instant Clone Agent option. You
cannot select both of these options.
7 Accept or change the destination folder.
8 Follow the prompts in the Horizon Agent installation program and nish the installation.
N If you did not enable Remote Desktop support during guest operating system preparation, the
Horizon Agent installation program prompts you to enable it. If you do not enable Remote Desktop
support during Horizon Agent installation, you must enable it manually after the installation is
nished.
VMware, Inc. 27
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
9 If you selected the USB redirection option, restart the virtual machine to enable USB support.
In addition, the Found New Hardware wizard might start. Follow the prompts in the wizard to
congure the hardware before you restart the virtual machine.
What to do next
If the virtual machine has multiple NICs, congure the subnet that Horizon Agent uses. See “Congure a
Virtual Machine with Multiple NICs for Horizon Agent,” on page 36.
Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options
When you install Horizon Agent on a virtual machine, you can select or deselect custom setup options. In
addition, Horizon Agent installs certain features automatically on all guest operating systems on which they
are supported. These features are not optional.
To learn which features are supported on which guest operating systems, see "Feature Support Matrix for
Horizon Agent" in the View Architecture Planning document.
To change custom setup options after you install the latest Horizon Agent version, you must uninstall and
reinstall Horizon Agent. For patches and upgrades, you can run the new Horizon Agent installer and select
a new set of options without uninstalling the previous version.
All custom setup options are selected by default except Serial Port Redirection, Scanner Redirection, USB
Redirection, Flash Redirection, Smartcard Redirection, and VMware Horizon Instant Clone Agent.
Table 3‑2. Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options in an IPv4 Environment
Option Description
Core Installs the core functionality.
Serial Port Redirection Redirects serial COM ports that are connected to the client system so that they can be used on
the remote desktop.
This option is not selected by default. You must select the option to install it.
Serial port redirection is supported on remote desktops that are deployed on single-user
machines.
Serial port redirection is available in Horizon 6 version 6.1.1 and later releases.
Scanner Redirection Redirects scanning and imaging devices that are connected to the client system so that they
can be used on the remote desktop or application.
This option is not selected by default. You must select the option to install it.
Scanner redirection is available in Horizon 6.0.2 and later releases.
USB Redirection Gives users access to locally connected USB devices on their desktops.
USB redirection is supported on remote desktops that are deployed on single-user machines.
In addition, redirection of USB ash drives and hard disks is supported on RDS desktops and
applications.
This option is not selected by default. You must select the option to install it.
For guidance on using USB redirection securely, see the View Security guide. For example, you
can use group policy seings to disable USB redirection for specic users.
VMware Horizon View
Composer Agent
VMware Horizon Instant
Clone Agent
Real-Time Audio-Video Redirects webcam and audio devices that are connected to the client system so that they can
Client Drive Redirection Allows Horizon Client users to share local drives with their remote desktops.
Lets this virtual machine be the parent VM of a View Composer linked-clone desktop pool. If
you select this option, you cannot select the VMware Horizon Instant Clone Agent option.
Lets this virtual machine be the parent VM of an instant-clone desktop pool. This option is
not selected by default. If you select this option, you cannot select the VMware Horizon
View Composer Agent option.
be used on the remote desktop.
After this option is installed, no further conguration is required on the remote desktop.
Client Drive Redirection is also supported on RDS desktops and applications and on VDI
desktops that run on unmanaged machines.
28 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 3 Creating and Preparing a Parent Virtual Machine for Cloning
Table 3‑2. Horizon Agent Custom Setup Options in an IPv4 Environment (Continued)
Option Description
Virtual Printing Lets users print to any printer available on their client computers. Users do not have to install
additional drivers on their desktops.
Virtual printing is supported on the following remote desktops and applications:
Desktops that are deployed on single-user machines, including Windows desktop and
n
Windows Server machines.
Desktops that are deployed on RDS hosts, where the RDS hosts are virtual machines.
n
Remote applications.
n
Remote applications that are launched from Horizon Client inside remote desktops
n
(nested sessions).
The virtual printing feature is supported only when you install it from Horizon Agent. It is
not supported if you install it with VMware Tools.
vRealize Operations
Desktop Agent
View Persona
Management
Smartcard Redirection Lets users authenticate with smart cards when they use the PCoIP or Blast Extreme display
VMware Audio Provides a virtual audio driver on the remote desktop.
Flash Redirection Redirects Flash multimedia content in an Internet Explorer 9, 10, or 11 browser to the client,
Provides information that allows vRealize Operations for View to monitor View desktops.
Synchronizes the user prole on the local desktop with a remote prole repository, so that
users have access to their proles whenever they log in to a desktop.
protocol. This option is not selected by default.
Smartcard Redirection is supported on remote desktops that are deployed on single-user
machines.
for performance optimization. In Horizon 7.0, this is a Tech Preview feature. In Horizon 7.0.1,
this feature is fully supported.
In an IPv6 environment, the only optional features are VMware Horizon View Composer Agent, VMware
Horizon Instant Clone Agent, and VMware Audio.
Table 3‑3. Horizon Agent Features That Are Installed Automatically (Not Optional)
Feature Description
PCoIP Agent Lets users connect to the View desktop using the PCoIP
display protocol.
Installing the PCoIP Agent feature disables sleep mode on
Windows desktops. When a user navigates to the Power
Options or Shut Down menu, sleep mode or standby mode
is inactive. Desktops do not go into sleep or standby mode
after a default period of inactivity. Desktops remain in
active mode.
Windows Media Multimedia Redirection (MMR) Extends multimedia redirection to Windows 7 and later
desktops and clients. This feature delivers a multimedia
stream directly to the client computer, allowing the
multimedia stream to be processed on the client hardware
instead of the remote ESXi host.
Unity Touch Allows tablet and smart phone users to interact easily with
Windows applications that run on the remote desktop.
Users can browse, search, and open Windows applications
and les, choose favorite applications and les, and switch
between running applications, all without using the Start
menu or Taskbar.
Virtual video driver Provides a virtual video driver on the remote desktop.
In an IPv6 environment, the only automatically installed feature is PCoIP Agent.
VMware, Inc. 29
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
Install Horizon Agent Silently
You can use the silent installation feature of the Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) to install Horizon Agent
on several Windows virtual machines or physical computers. In a silent installation, you use the command
line and do not have to respond to wizard prompts.
With silent installation, you can eciently deploy View components in a large enterprise.
If you do not want to install all features that are installed automatically or by default, you can use the
ADDLOCAL MSI property to selectively install individual setup options and features. For details about the
ADDLOCAL property, see Table 3-5.
Prerequisites
Prepare the guest operating system for desktop deployment. See “Prepare a Guest Operating System
n
for Remote Desktop Deployment,” on page 22.
To use Windows Server as a single-session remote desktop (rather than as an RDS host), perform the
n
steps described in “Prepare Windows Server Operating Systems for Desktop Use,” on page 24.
If the machine has the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package installed, verify that the version of
n
the package is 2005 SP1 or later. If the package version is 2005 or earlier, you can either upgrade or
uninstall the package.
Download the Horizon Agent installer le from the VMware product page at
n
hp://www.vmware.com/go/downloadview.
The installer lename is VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe or VMware-viewagent-x86_64-y.y.y-
xxxxxx.exe, where y.y.y is the version number and xxxxxx is the build number.
Verify that you have administrative rights on the virtual machine or physical PC.
n
Familiarize yourself with the Horizon Agent custom setup options. See “Horizon Agent Custom Setup
n
Options,” on page 28.
Familiarize yourself with the MSI installer command-line options. See “Microsoft Windows Installer
n
Command-Line Options,” on page 31.
Familiarize yourself with the silent installation properties available with Horizon Agent. See “Silent
n
Installation Properties for Horizon Agent,” on page 33.
Familiarize yourself with the TCP ports that the Horizon Agent installation program opens on the
n
rewall. See the View Architecture Planning document for more information.
Verify that the latest Windows Update patches are installed on the guest operating systems on which
n
you plan to install Horizon Agent silently. In certain cases, an interactive installation by an
administrator might be required to execute pending Windows Update patches. Verify that all OS
operations and subsequent reboots are completed.
Procedure
1 Open a Windows command prompt on the virtual machine or physical PC.
30 VMware, Inc.
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