Tag Archives: entitlement

Deploying VMware View 5 – Part 3: Creating a ‘Manual Pool’ and Connecting a View Client

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KB ID 0000598

Problem

Note: This is an old post for VMware view version 5, you might want to read Deploying VMware Horizon View instead.

In Part 2 we got our machine ready to be delivered via VMware View. Now we need to create a ‘Pool’, grant users access to that pool, and finally connect to it from a VMware View Client.

Solution

VMware View – Creating a Manual Pool

1. Open a connection to your VMware View Administrator console (https://{connection-server-name}admin). Log in and navigate to Inventory > Pools > Add.

2. We are going to create a manual pool (Note: An automated pool will create machines dynamically as required).

3. I’m selecting dedicated (the machine will get allocated to the first user that connects to it, and remains theirs). With a floating Pool machines are returned to the pool after they are finished with to be given to the next user that requires a machine.

4. My machine is in vCenter.

5. And there’s my vCenter

6. Give the new pool a sensible name.

7. Change the settings for the pool as required, I pretty much accept the defaults, but I allow the users to “reset” their desktop.

8. Select the machine(s) you are going to add to the pool, and complete the wizard.

9. Now you have a new pool, you need to grant users/groups an ‘entitlement’ to use it.

10. Simply add in the users or groups from Active Directory as required.

VMware View – Installing the VMware View Client

11. You will find that there are x32 and x64 bit VMware client software installs. There are available in two flavours, (with local mode, or without local mode).

Note: Local Mode: This is a mechanism where users can ‘check out’ their virtual machines and work on them remotely, then ‘sync’ them back to the network when they return, it requires a VMware Transport Server (use the connection server install media and change the server type to Transport Server).

12. During setup it will ask you the name of your connection server.

13. Normally you would tick “Set default option to login as current user”. If not you will see the login option in step 16 below.

14. When you launch the software, you may want to change the certificate options. The Connection server will have installed with a ‘self signed’ certificate, (which is fine) but you might want to change the ‘Configure SSL” options.

15. Here I’ve set them to allow, it says not secure – but its still encrypted, it should really say ‘least secure’.

16. If you didn’t tick the box in step 13 above you will need to login again.

17. Now you will see all the pools you have an entitlement to, select as appropriate and click connect.

18. All being well the desktop will connect and dynamically resize to fit.

19. Whist connected you will can control your connection with the menu on the view client bar at the top of the screen, also here you will see options for connecting USB Devices (Note: USB will only be available if you had it selected when you installed the client, it IS selected by default).

Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links

VMware View 5 – Part 4 Installing and Configuring SQL 2008 R2 and VMware Composer

Deploying VMware View 5 – Part 5 Deploying Linked Clone View Desktops

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KB ID 0000607

Problem

Note: This is an old post for VMware view version 5, you might want to read Deploying VMware Horizon View instead.

It’s been a while since I wrote Part 4, so it’s time to wrap this up. Now we have Composer installed on the Virtual Center, we can start to deploy our linked clone desktops.

Solution

VMware View – Prepare your Source Machine

1. I’ve already covered how to prepare your Windows 7 client machine to be a View client here. Once that’s done, release its IP address (ipconfig /release) and shut it down.

2. With your source machine shut down, take a snapshot of the machine.

VMware View – Create an Automated Linked Clone Pool

3. Log into your VMware View Administrator console > Inventory > Pools > Add.

4. Automated > Next.

5. Dedicated > Next (unless you want a floating user assignment, the description of each is on this page).

6. View Composer linked clones > Next (ensure your vCenter is listed, and has “Yes” in the View Composer section).

7. Give the pool an ID, name, and description. (Note: If you use folders for your VM’s, you can also select those here).

8. I tend to stick with the defaults, except I let the users reset their desktops > Next.

9. I’m not redirecting any disposable files or profiles > Next.

10. Expand Security > Logins > Create a new login.

11. For the default Image, browse to your source machine, then select the snapshot. Set the Folder, Host/Cluster, and Resource pool as applicable. Then browse for a datastore.

12. Here I’ve selected to store my disks on different datastores. If you can, put your replica disk on the FASTEST storage, as this gets the most “Read” traffic > OK > Next.

13. The domain should auto populate > Pick an OU to place the new machines into, then select either to use quickprep (the VMware one), or Sysprep (the Microsoft one). > Next.

Note: You can also use a customization specification (yes Americans are worse at spelling than me!), you set these up in the VI client on the home screen under ‘Customization Specifications Manager’.

14. Review the information > Finish.

15. Now you have you pool, you need to allow your users to connect to it, with it selected press ‘Entitlements’.

16. Add in the users and/or groups you want to grant access to > OK.

17. It can take a while for the replica to be created then all the linked clones to become ‘Available’ watch progress under ‘Inventory > Desktops’.

18. When available you should be able to connect to them using the VMware View Client.

19. And finally get your new Windows 7 linked clone desktop.

Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links

NA

VMware View 5 – Configure and Deploy Clients in ‘Kiosk Mode’

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KB ID 0000610 

Problem

Kiosk mode is quite useful, if you have some machines that you want to put in a public area for visitors to use, or for machines that are used in displays etc. Or if you have some older PC’s that you just want to repurpose as internet terminals or ‘point of sale’ box’s.

Essentially it’s a system that delivers a virtual VMware View desktop to a PC or Thin client without the need to authenticate to the connection server. Kiosk authentication is disabled by default, so you need to run a few commands to get it enabled.

Solution

Before starting you will need a Virtual Machine ready to be used for the Kiosk machine. You might want to create this machine with a “nonpersistent” disk.

Configure Windows 7 to be a VMware View Desktop

Step 1: Prepare Active Directory

1. Set yourself up an OU to hold your kiosk machine, and a security group that will contain the user account you are going to create later.

Step 2: Configure the VMware Connection Server

2. Now log into your VMware Connection Server, open a command window with elevated privileges. then issue the following command;

[box]vdmadmin -Q -clientauth -setdefaults -ou “OU=Kiosk,OU=ViewDesktops,DC=petenetlive,DC=com” -noexpirepassword -group kioskusers[/box]

Note: where kioskusers is the name of the group you created.

3. Now I will create a user ‘custom-kiosk-user’ with a password of ‘Password123’, and put him in the OU and group we created earlier;

[box]vdmadmin -Q -clientauth -add -domain petenetlive -clientid custom-kiosk-user -password “Password123” -ou “OU=Kiosk,OU=ViewDesktops,DC=petenetlive,DC=com” -group kioskusers -description “Kiosk Terminal”[/box]

Note: Alternatively you can create a user that matches the MAC address of the client machine and auto generate a password like so, (this assumes the thin client or PC’s MAC addresses is 3C:4A:92:D3:12:1C).

4. Then allow this connection server to accept kiosk connections with the following command;

[box]vdmadmin -Q -enable -s PNL-CS[/box]

Note: Where PNL-CS is the name of my VMware Connection Server.

5. You can view the settings configured on this connection server with the following command;

[box]vdmadmin -Q -clientauth -list[/box]

6. While still on your connection server open VMware View Administrator, and create a ‘Pool’ for your Kiosk machine.

7. Manual Pool > Next.

8. Dedicated > Next.

9. vCenter virtual Machines > Next.

10. Next.

11. Give the pool an ID and Display name > Next.

12. Select the machine you are using as the source for the Kiosk machine > Next.

13. When the pool is created > Entitlements.

14. Add in the group that you created in step 1 > OK.

15. Just check on the ‘desktops’ tab and make sure the machine is listed as ‘available’.

Step 3: Connect to the Kiosk Machine

16. Now from your client machine or thin client, you can execute the following command to open the kiosk session.

[box]c:program filesvmwarevmware viewclientbinwswc” -unattended -serverURL PNL-CS -userName custom-kiosk-user -password “Password123″[/box]

Note: In a live environment you may want to make the host machine or thin client automatically log on and put this command in the ‘startup’ folder, or call it from a startup/logon script so the machine will boot straight into the kiosk virtual machine.

17. All being well you should be presented with the kiosk VM machine, note you no longer get the normal VMware View tool bar etc, it will behave as if the machine is in front of you.

Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links

Deploying VMware View 5