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

Posted on 17/11/2015 by Migrated

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).

Change the default Shutdown / Log Off Option via GPO

Posted on 17/11/2015 by Migrated

KB ID 0000465

Problem

Out of the box, the default power option presented to your users is shutdown. People with multiple users on their machines, may prefer the log off option to be the default.

Note: You can also set the default option to:

Shutdown
Sleep
Log off
Lock
Restart
Switch User (Unless blocked by other policy then it will revert to shutdown).
Hibernate

Solution

1. On your domain controller , Start > Administrative Tools > Group Policy Management Console > Either create a new policy and link it to your targeted COMPUTERS or edit an existing one, then navigate to;

[box]
User Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar
[/box]

Locate the setting “Change Start Menu power button”.

2. Edit to the required action, i.e. Log off.

3. Then either reboot the clients, wait a couple of hours, or manually run “gpupdate /force” on them.

Windows 8 – Putting Shutdown / Log Off / Restart on the Start Menu

Posted on 17/11/2015 by Migrated

KB ID 0000902

Problem

I’ve written before about How to shutdown Windows 8 (or 8.1). But if you actually want those options on your Start screen this is how to do it.

Note: If you are feeling especially lazy, you can download the shortcuts and skip straight to the pinning shortcuts to the start screen section.

Solution

1. On a free area of your desktop > Right click > New > Shortcut.

2. You will need to create a different shortcut for shutdown, log off, and reboot (as required) for each shortcut set the location as;

[box]

To Shutdown

shutdown -s -t 0 -f

To Log Off

shutdown -l

To Reboot

shutdown -r -t 0 f

[/box]

3. Give each of the shortcuts a name, e.g. Shutdown, Log Off, and Reboot.

4. To change the Icon the Windows Shortcuts Uses > Right click each one > Properties.

5. Change Icon.

6. Select the icon you require for each.

Note: The old Windows ‘Reboot’ Icon (circa Windows XP), is not there anymore, so I tend to use the circular arrow one.

7. Then right click each new shortcut in turn and pin them to your start menu.

8. At this point they will probably appear far right, so you may need to scroll to see them. But you can ‘drag’ them to where you want.

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Tag Archives: log off

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

Problem

Solution

VMware View – Creating a Manual Pool

VMware View – Installing the VMware View Client

Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links

Windows 8 – Putting Shutdown / Log Off / Restart on the Start Menu

Problem

Solution

Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links