VMware Horizon View - 6.1.1, Horizon 6.1.1 User Manual

Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops

Horizon 6

Version 6.1.1

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-001796-00

Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops

You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:

http://www.vmware.com/support/

The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.

If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to:

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Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops 5

Installing and Configuring Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops 7

Features of a Horizon 6 for Linux Desktop 7

System Requirements for Horizon 6 for Linux 8

Create a Virtual Machine and Install Linux 10

Prepare a Linux Guest Operating System for Remote Desktop Deployment 10

Install View Agent on a Linux Virtual Machine 12

Create a Desktop Pool That Contains Linux Virtual Machines 14

Configuring Linux Machines for vDGA 17

Configure RHEL 6.6 for vDGA 17

Bulk Deployment of Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops 23

Overview of Bulk Deployment of Linux Desktops 23

Create a Virtual Machine Template for Cloning Linux Desktop Machines 24

Input File for the Sample PowerCLI Scripts to Deploy Linux Desktops 25

Sample PowerCLI Script to Clone Linux Desktop Machines 25

Sample PowerCLI Script to Install View Agent on Linux Desktops 29

Sample PowerCLI Script to Uninstall View Agent on Linux Desktops 32

Sample PowerCLI Script to Perform Operations on Linux Desktop Machines 35

Administering Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops 39

Uninstalling and Reinstalling Horizon 6 for Linux Machines 39

Configure Lossless PNG Images on Linux Desktops 42

Suppress the vSphere Console Display of a Linux Desktop 42

Configure a Left-handed Mouse on Ubuntu Desktops 42

How to Perform Power Operations on Linux Desktops from vSphere 42

Gather Information About Horizon 6 for Linux Software 43

Troubleshooting Horizon 6 for Linux 43

Index 49

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Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops

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Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops

The Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops document provides information about setting up a Linux virtual machine for use as a VMware Horizon 6™ desktop, including preparing the Linux guest operating system, installing View Agent on the virtual machine, and configuring the machine in View Administrator for use in a Horizon 6 deployment.

Intended Audience

This information is intended for anyone who wants to configure and use remote desktops that run on Linux guest operating systems. The information is written for experienced Linux system administrators who are familiar with virtual machine technology and datacenter operations.

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Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops

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Installing and Configuring Horizon 6

for Linux Desktops 1

To set up a Linux virtual machine as a remote desktop in a Horizon 6 environment, you must prepare the Linux guest operating system, install View Agent on the virtual machine, and configure the machine in View Administrator.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Features of a Horizon 6 for Linux Desktop,” on page 7

“System Requirements for Horizon 6 for Linux,” on page 8

“Create a Virtual Machine and Install Linux,” on page 10

“Prepare a Linux Guest Operating System for Remote Desktop Deployment,” on page 10

“Install View Agent on a Linux Virtual Machine,” on page 12

“Create a Desktop Pool That Contains Linux Virtual Machines,” on page 14

Features of a Horizon 6 for Linux Desktop

After you set up a Linux guest operating system for use as a remote desktop, entitled users can launch VDI desktop sessions on the single-user Linux machine just as they do on a Windows machine.

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Linux desktops provide features such as audio out, multiple monitors, and autofit.

Certain limitations apply to this release of View Agent for Linux:

Single Sign-on (SSO) is not supported. After logging in to Horizon 6 and launching the remote desktop,

the user must log in to the Linux guest operating system.

Automated provisioning and other features that are provided only with automated desktop pools are

not supported. For example, the refresh on logoff operation is not available.

Local devices cannot be used on the remote desktop. For example, USB redirection, virtual printing,

location-based printing, clipboard redirection, Real-Time Audio-Video, and smart cards are not supported.

HTML Access is not supported.

NOTE When a security server is used, port 5443 must be open in the internal firewall to allow traffic between the security server and the Linux desktop.

Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops

System Requirements for Horizon 6 for Linux

Horizon 6 for Linux must meet certain operating system, Horizon 6, and vSphere platform requirements.

Supported Linux Operating Systems for View Agent

The following table lists the Linux operating systems that are supported on virtual machines in a desktop pool.

Table 1‑1. Supported Linux Operating Systems for View Agent

Linux Distribution Architecture

Ubuntu 12.04 x86 and x64

RHEL 6.6 x86 and x64

CentOS 6.6 x86 and x64

NeoKylin 6, NeoKylin 6 Update 1 x86 and x64

NOTE NeoKylin is supported on a Tech Preview basis.

Other Linux distributions have not been certified to support View Agent, but the View Agent software does not prevent you from using them. You are welcome to try out uncertified distributions. For example, the distributions RHEL 6.5, CentOS 6.5, RHEL 7, Ubuntu 14.04, and UbuntuKylin 14.04 are likely to work.

However, uncertified distributions might not function as fully as supported ones, and VMware cannot guarantee that problems in uncertified distributions will be resolved. For example, performance on Ubuntu

14.04 is poor unless Compiz is disabled.

Required Platform and Horizon 6 Software Versions

To install and use Horizon 6 for Linux, your deployment must meet certain vSphere platform, Horizon 6, and client requirements.

vSphere platform version

Horizon environment

Horizon Client software

vSphere 5.5 U2, vSphere 6.0, or a later release

vSphere 6.0 or a later release is required to support virtual machines that use vDGA on NVIDIA GRID graphics cards.

Horizon 6 version 6.1.1 or a later release

Horizon Client 3.4 for Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X

Zero clients and mobile clients are not supported

Recommended Video Memory (vRAM) Settings

When you create a Linux virtual machine in vSphere Client, configure the vRAM size as shown in the following table. Set the vRAM size that is recommended for the number and resolution of the monitors that you configure for the virtual machine.

These vRAM sizes are the minimum recommendations. If more resources are available on the virtual machine, set the vRAM to larger values for improved video performance.

CAUTION Horizon 6 does not automatically configure the vRAM settings on Linux virtual machines, as happens on Windows virtual machines. You must configure the vRAM settings manually in vSphere Client.

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Table 1‑2. Recommended vRAM Settings for Linux Guest Operating Systems

Number of

vRAM Size

10 MB 1 1600x1200 or 1680x1050

12 MB 1 1920x1440

16 MB 1 2560x1600

32 MB 2 2048x1536 or 2560x1600

48 MB 3 2048x1536

64 MB 3 2560x1600

64 MB 4 2048x1536

128 MB 4 2560x1600

Monitors Maximum Resolution

RHEL and CentOS only support this configuration on vSphere 5.5.

To support this configuration on Ubuntu, you must recompile the kernel.

For NeoKylin, this configuration is not supported.

NOTE To connect to a RHEL 6.6 or CentOS 6.6 desktop with multiple monitors, you must specify the number of displays correctly. For information about how to specify the number of displays, see “Create a

Virtual Machine and Install Linux,” on page 10. You must also edit the vmx file and append the following

lines:

svga.maxWidth="10240" svga.maxHeight="2048"

If these settings are not added, only one monitor displays the desktop. The others display a black screen.

If you encounter an autofit issue with the recommended settings, you can specify a larger vRAM size. vSphere Client permits a maximum vRAM size of 128 MB. If your specified size exceeds 128 MB, you must modify the vmx file manually. The following example specifies a vRAM size of 256 MB:

svga.vramSize = "268435456"

Recommended vCPU and Shared Memory Settings to Support Multiple Monitors

To improve desktop performance with multiple monitors, configure at least two vCPUs for a Linux virtual machine.

Also make sure that the virtual machine has adequate shared memory to support multiple monitors. Determine the current maximum shared memory size (shmmax) with the following command:

sysctl -a | grep shm

If shared memory is small, increase the maximum size with the following command:

sysctl -w "kernel.shmmax=65536000"

Recommended vCPU Settings for Video Playback

For a Linux virtual machine that is not using vDGA graphics, video playback on high-resolution monitors might be uneven if too few vCPUs are configured. Configure additional vCPUs, such as four vCPUs, to improve the performance of video playback.

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Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops

Create a Virtual Machine and Install Linux

You create a new virtual machine in vCenter Server for each remote desktop that is deployed in Horizon 6. You must install your Linux distribution on the virtual machine.

Prerequisites

Verify that your deployment meets the requirements for supporting Linux desktops. See “System

Requirements for Horizon 6 for Linux,” on page 8.

Familiarize yourself with the steps for creating virtual machines in vCenter Server and installing guest

operating systems. See "Creating and Preparing Virtual Machines" in the Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View document.

Familiarize yourself with the recommended video memory (vRAM) values for the monitors you will

use with the virtual machine. See “System Requirements for Horizon 6 for Linux,” on page 8.

Procedure

1 In vSphere Web Client or vSphere Client, create a new virtual machine.

2 Configure custom configuration options.

a Right-click the virtual machine and click Edit Settings.

b Specify the number of vCPUs and the vMemory size.

For recommended values, follow the guidelines in the installation guide for your Linux distribution.

For example, Ubuntu 12.04 recommends configuring 2048 MB for vMemory and 2 vCPUs.

c Select Video card and specify the number of displays and the total video memory (vRAM).

For recommended values, follow the guidelines in System Requirements for Horizon 6 for Linux. Do not use the Video Memory Calculator.

3 Power on the virtual machine and install the Linux distribution.

4 Configure the virtual machine as a gnome desktop environment.

KDE has not been certified to support View Agent, although basic connections and the use of audio and video work well on some distributions such as Kubuntu.

5 Ensure that the system hostname is resolvable.

Prepare a Linux Guest Operating System for Remote Desktop Deployment

You must perform certain tasks to prepare a Linux guest operating system for use as a desktop in a Horizon 6 deployment.

Before a Linux guest operating system can be managed by Horizon 6, the machine must be able to communicate with the other machines in the environment. You must configure the Linux machine to be resolvable through DNS. Otherwise, View Agent cannot be registered as a machine source and the machine cannot be added to a desktop pool.

Prerequisites

Verify that a new virtual machine was created in vCenter Server and your Linux distribution was

installed on the machine

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Chapter 1 Installing and Configuring Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops

Familiarize yourself with the steps for mounting and installing VMware Tools on a Linux virtual

machine. See "Manually Install or Upgrade VMware Tools in a Linux Virtual Machine" in the vSphere Virtual Machine Administration document.

Familiarize yourself with the steps for configuring your Linux machine to be resolvable through DNS.

These steps vary for the different Linux distributions and releases. For instructions, consult the documentation for your Linux distribution and release.

Familiarize yourself with the required JRE version for your Linux distribution. See “Required JRE

Versions for Linux Guest Operating Systems,” on page 12.

Procedure

1 In vSphere Web Client or vSphere Client, mount the VMware Tools virtual disk on the guest operating

system.

2 Right-click the VMware Tools installer file, VMwareTools.x.x.x-xxxx.tar.gz, click Extract to, and select

the desktop for your Linux distribution.

The vmware-tools-distrib folder is extracted to the desktop.

3 In the virtual machine, log in to the guest operating system and root and open a terminal window.

4 Uncompress the VMware Tools tar installer file.

For example:

tar zxpf /mnt/cdrom/VMwareTools-x.x.x-yyyy.tar.gz

5 Run the installer and configure VMware Tools.

The command might vary slightly in different Linux distributions. For example:

cd vmware-tools-distrib sudo ./vmware-install.pl -d

Usually, the vmware-config-tools.pl configuration file runs after the installer file finishes running.

6 Configure the Linux machine to be resolvable through DNS.

7 Ensure that the View Connection Server instances in the pod can be resolved through DNS.

8 If your deployment uses a Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2 Active Directory (AD)

server, enable reversible password encryption.

a On the AD server, open AD users and computers.

b Right-click the View Admin account, or create a new Linux View Agent account, and select

Properties.

c Select the Account tab.

d In Account options, select the Store password using reversible encryption setting.

e Reset the View Admin password.

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Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops

9 If the Linux virtual machine is not connected to the Internet, manually download and install the

required JRE version before you install View Agent.

You do not have to take this step if the machine is connected to the Internet. In this case, the View Agent installer automatically downloads the JRE to the machine.

If necessary, take the following steps to install the JRE:

Linux Distribution Description

Ubuntu 12.04

RHEL 6.6

CentOS 6.6

NeoKylin 6

After installing VMware Tools, if you upgrade the Linux kernel, VMware Tools might stop running. To resolve the problem, see http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2050592.

Open a terminal window and run the following commands.

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:webupd8team/java

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get -y install oracle-java7-installer

a Download jre-7u79-linux-i586.rpm or jre-7u79-linux-x64.rpm from

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jre7downloads-1880261.html

Install the rpm: sudo rpm -i jre-7u79-linux-i586.rpm or sudo

rpm -i jre-7u79-linux-x64.rpm

Required JRE Versions for Linux Guest Operating Systems

View Agent requires certain JRE versions to be installed on Linux guest operating systems. When you install View Agent on a Linux virtual machine, the installer downloads the required JRE if it is not already present on the machine.

If the Linux virtual machine is not connected to the Internet, you must manually download the required JRE before you install View Agent.

View Agent for Linux supports JRE version 1.7.x. Version 1.8 is not supported.

IMPORTANT Make sure that the JRE version is patched to include the latest security updates. You must use Update 75 or later to address the SKIP-TLS security vulnerabilities.

Table 1‑3. JRE Versions Required by View Agent on Linux Distributions

Linux Distribution JRE Version

Ubuntu 12.04 Oracle Java 1.7.0_80

RHEL 6.6 Oracle jre-7u79 (1.7.0_79)

CentOS 6.6 Oracle jre-7u79 (1.7.0_79)

Neokylin Oracle jre-7u79 (1.7.0_79)

Install View Agent on a Linux Virtual Machine

You must install View Agent on a Linux virtual machine before you can deploy the machine as a remote desktop.

Prerequisites

Verify that the Linux guest operating system is prepared for desktop use. See “Prepare a Linux Guest

Operating System for Remote Desktop Deployment,” on page 10.

Familiarize yourself with the View Agent installer script for Linux. See “install_viewagent.sh

Command Usage and Options,” on page 14.

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Chapter 1 Installing and Configuring Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops

Verify that the View Connection Server administrative user that you provide with the installation

command has the Agent Registration Administrators or Administrators role in View Administrator. Specifically, the Register Agent privilege is required to register View Agent with View Connection Server. Agent Registration Administrators is a restricted role that provides this minimum privilege.

Procedure

1 Download the View Agent for Linux installer file from the VMware download site at

https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/downloads.

Under Desktop & End-User Computing, select the VMware Horizon 6 download, which includes the View Agent for Linux installer.

The installer filename is VMware-viewagent-linux-x86_64-y.y.y-xxxxxxx.tar for 64-bit Linux or VMware-viewagent-linux-y.y.y-xxxxxxx.tar for 34-bit Linux, where y.y.y is the version number and xxxxxxx is the build number.

2 Unpack the tarball for your Linux distribution on the guest operating system.

For example:

tar -xvf <View Agent tar ball>

3 Navigate to the tar ball folder.

4 Run the install_viewagent.sh script to install View Agent.

For example:

sudo ./install_viewagent.sh -b mybroker.mydomain.com -d mydomain.com -u administrator -p password

The -b parameter specifies the View Connection Server instance to which the Linux machine is registered. You can use an FQDN or IP address with the -b parameter.

The -d, -u, and -p parameters specify the domain, user name, and password of the View administrator user. In the password, be sure to escape special characters such as $. For example: ab\$cdef

If you do not type the -p parameter with the command, you are prompted to provide the password after you enter the command. When you type the password at the prompt, the text is hidden.

By default, the hostname of the Linux machine is used to register the machine. You can specify a different machine name with the -n parameter.

5 Restart or log out of the guest operating system.

This step ensures that the graphics UI changes configured by View Agent take effect on the machine.

The install_viewagent.sh script installs the View Agent software on the Linux virtual machine. The script registers the machine with View Connection Server.

The viewagent service is started on the Linux virtual machine. You can verify that the service is started by running the #service viewagent status command.

If an Agent Registration Failed message appears, see “Troubleshooting View Agent Registration Failure

for a Linux Machine,” on page 44.

If another View Agent issue occurs, see “Troubleshooting Horizon 6 for Linux,” on page 43.

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Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops

install_viewagent.sh Command Usage and Options

The install_viewagent.sh script installs View Agent on a Linux guest operating system.

Use the following form of the install_viewagent.sh script in a command window in the gnome desktop environment.

install_viewagent.sh command_option argument [command_option argument] . . .

The install_viewagent.sh script includes mandatory and optional parameters.

Table 1‑4. install_viewagent.sh Mandatory Parameters

Mandatory Parameter Description

-b FQDN or IP address of the View Connection Server instance. For example:

mybroker.mydomain.com or 192.0.2.10

-d Domain name of the View Connection Server instance administrator user. For example:

mydomain.com

-u

User name of the View Connection Server administrator user. For example: myadmin

The user must have the Agent Registration Administrators or Administrators role in View Administrator. Specifically, the Register Agent privilege is required to register View Agent with View Connection Server. Agent Registration Administrators is a restricted role that provides this minimum privilege.

Table 1‑5. install_viewagent.sh Password Parameter

Optional Parameter (Required Information) Description

-p Password for the View Connection Server administrator user.

You do not have to type the -p parameter at the command line if you do not want to expose the password in text. If you type the install_viewagent.sh command without the -p parameter, you are prompted to enter the password. When you type the password at the prompt, the text is hidden.

You must provide the password, either with the -p parameter or at the prompt.

If the password contains a special character such as $ within the shell in which the installer is executed, make sure the special character is escaped. For example: ab\$cdef

Table 1‑6. install_viewagent.sh Optional Parameter

Optional Parameter Description

-n Machine name that is registered to View Connection Server. By default, the View Agent installer uses the host name. You can specify your own name.

Create a Desktop Pool That Contains Linux Virtual Machines

To configure Linux virtual machines for use as remote desktops, you create a manual desktop pool and add the Linux machines to the pool.

When you create the desktop pool, add only Linux virtual machines to the pool. If the pool contains both Windows and Linux guest operating systems, the pool is treated as a Windows pool, and you will be unable to connect to the Linux desktops.

When you entitle users to Linux machines in the desktop pool, as a best practice, make sure that the users do not have administrative privileges in the Linux guest operating system. An admin user in Linux can open a terminal window and invoke commands such as shutdown, which powers off the virtual machine. The vCenter Server administrator must power on the machine again. Entitling non-admin Linux users ensures that you do not have to manage these power operations manually.

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Chapter 1 Installing and Configuring Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops

Prerequisites

Verify that View Agent is installed on the Linux guest operating systems. See “Install View Agent on a

Linux Virtual Machine,” on page 12.

Verify that the Linux virtual machines are registered in View Connection Server. In View

Administrator, select View Configuration > Registered Machines and select the Others tab. Verify that each machine's state is Available.

Procedure

1 In View Administrator, add a manual desktop pool.

Select Catalog > Desktop Pools > Add .

2 Select Manual Desktop Pool.

3 Select either dedicated or floating user assignments for the machines in the desktop pool.

4 On the Machine Source page, select Other Sources.

5 On the Add Machines page, select the Linux virtual machines that you configured and complete the

Add Desktop Pool wizard.

Do not change the Remote Display Protocol settings. These settings have no effect on Linux desktops. Also, the end user cannot choose the display protocol.

IMPORTANT Add Linux virtual machines only. If you add Windows virtual machines, the Linux desktops in the pool will be unavailable.

6 Entitle users to the machines in the desktop pool.

In View Administrator, select the desktop pool, select Entitlements > Add entitlement, and add users or groups.

As a best practice, make sure that the users do not have administrative privileges in the Linux guest operating system.

The Linux virtual machines are ready to be used as remote desktops in a Horizon 6 deployment.

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+ 35 hidden pages

VMware Horizon View - 6.1.1, Horizon 6.1.1 User Manual

Contents

Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops

Features of a Horizon 6 for Linux Desktop

System Requirements for Horizon 6 for Linux

Create a Virtual Machine and Install Linux

Prepare a Linux Guest Operating System for Remote Desktop Deployment

Required JRE Versions for Linux Guest Operating Systems

Install View Agent on a Linux Virtual Machine

install_viewagent.sh Command Usage and Options

Create a Desktop Pool That Contains Linux Virtual Machines