Mar
17
2009
In orde to prepare a guest system for Vmware View you will have to:
- Install the latest VMware Tools.
- Network settings (proxy, etc) are properly configured and that the guest system is attached to a domain.
- View Manager Agent is installed. (this can be done through standard deployment methods like SMS, Zenworks)
To install the View Manager Agent you need to have Adminitrive rights to the system.
Install the View Manager Agent
- Run the View Agent executable on the system that wil lhost the agent. VMware-viewagent-xxx.exe where xxx is the build number of the file.
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- Accept the VMware license terms and click next.
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- Choose your custom setup options. You must install the View Manager Composer Agent if you want to deploy a linked clone desktop (NEED TO PROVIDE URL TO BLOG!!!!!).
- VDM Secure Authentication: this installs hte Graphical Identification and Authentication (GINA) dll. This component enables Single-Sign-On so that when a user logs into View Client they don’t have to reauthenticate to the guest OS.
- USB Redirection: If you want to use USB devices who are connected to the workstation where the View Client runs.
Windows 200o does not support USB redirection. - Virtual Printing: This feature enables users to use the printers who are installed on the workstation that runs the View Client
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- If Remote Desktop Protocol is not enable. The installation will ask you to enable it. Without enabling RDP users won’t be able to use this System for Vmware View.
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- Accept or change the destination folder and click next.
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- Click install to begin the installation process. Once completed click Finish.
If you have a workstation that has multiple NICs,you will have to configure the View Agent wich NIC to use for RDP. You can do this by adding the following registy key to the workstation:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareVMware, Inc.VMware VDMNode ManagerSubnet = n.n.n.n/m (REG_SZ)
Now the system is ready to be managed by VMware View Connection Server.
Mar
17
2009
We can use multiple desktop sources to deploy Virtual Desktops through Vmware View. This can be:
- A Virtual Machine that is managed through vCenter. You can only use vCenter servers that are known to the View Manager server.
- Fat Clients (physical PCs)
- Thin Clients
- Terminal Servers
- Blade PCs
The delivery methods for the are:
- Individual Desktop: one Desktop that can be use by one user a time.
- Manual Pool: this is a pool of dekstop with the following characteristics
- Multiple users to multiple desktop mapping; however, only one active user on a desktop at a time.
- Not provisioned automatically.
- Supports both persistent and non-presistent access modes.
- Administrator entitles entire pool to users or user groups
- Automated Pool: This is a pool that contains one or more dynamically generated desktops that are automatically created and customized by View Manager from a vCenter virtual machine template and have the following characteristics
- Multiple users to multiple desktop mapping; however, only one active user on a desktop at a time.
- Provisioned automatically.
- Administrator specifies a template and a customization specification which is used to provision desktop sources.
- Supports both persistent and non-presistent access modes.
- Administrator entitles entire pool to users or user groups.
- Terminal Server Pool: This is a pool of Terminal Servers desktop sources served by one or more terminal servers. A terminal server desktop source can deliver multiple desktops. A Terminal Server Pool has the following characteristics
- Pool of Terminal Servers desktops served by a farm comprising of one or more terminal servers.
- Least session count based load balacing. Vmware View load balances connections requests across terminal servers in a pool by choosing the terminal server that has the least number of active sessions on it.
- Administrator entitles entire pool to users or user groups.
- Administrator should deploy a roaming profile solution to enable user settings and personalization to be propagated to the currently accessed desktop.
If I would explain how to used these delivery methods in this post, this post would be very crowd y. So click on the link to see how configure the delivery method.
Note: This information is taken from the View Manager Administration Guide.
Mar
17
2009
If you want to backup the Vmware View LDAP repository from a standard or replica server you will have to export the LDAP data to a ldif file.
We can use the utility vmdexport.exe in c:program filesVMwareView ManagerServerbinvmdexport.exe to export the LDAP data to a ldif file. In a dos box goto the location of the vmdexport util an enter:
vmdexport > vmdconfig.ldif
The LDAP data is now saved in vmdconfig.ldif file.
To restore this date you will have to import this ldif file. You use the tool LDIFDE included in Windows 2003 server. Execute the following command:
LDIFDE -i -f vdmconfig.ldif -s 127.0.0.1
to import the vmdconfig.ldif file that we create earlier.
Mar
17
2009
If you want to backup the Vmware View LDAP repository from a standard or replica server you will have to export the LDAP data to a ldif file.
To do so start the util vdmexport.exe (c:Program FilesVMware ManagerServerbinvdmexport.exe)
You will get a prompt like:
vmdexport>
Execute the command “vdmconfig.ldif” to export the LDAP data to this file.
To restore this date you will have to import this ldif file. You use the tool LDIFDE included in Windows 2003 server. Execute the following command:
LDIFDE -i -f vdmconfig.ldif -s 127.0.0.1
to import the vmdconfig.ldif file that we create earlier.
Mar
17
2009
In a previous blog, I posted how to install a Standard Vmware View Connection Server. Now it’s time to configure this server.
In order to configure this service, you will have to have the following server/services up-and-running:
- 1 or more ESX 3.0, ESX 3.5 or ESX3.5I (ESX 3.5(i) is recommended)
- vCenter who runs a AD or is a member of a AD
- Vmware View Connection Server (Duhh!!)
Open your webbrowser and connect to https://dns_or_ip_of_vmwareview_server/admin
You propebly get a SSL error because we don’t run our own CA, but no problem, we trust ourself.
After this you will get the following screen:
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Login with the user you assigned to manage the connection server. If you did not create a View Administrator, login as Administrator.
Now we are in the configuration screen of the Connection server. The first thing we have to do is insert a valid license key. Without a license we cannot do anything. So, in the configuration screen click “Edit License..” and insert a valid license key.
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Now you will see that the License expiration shows a date.
Next we’re going to add the vCenter server. In the configuration screen | VirtualCenter Servers click “Add”.
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Server address: Ip-address or DNS name of the vCenter server
Username: The user how has the rights to add the server. Normally Administrator
Password: The password of the user
Description: Give a description of the vCenter server (optional)
If vCenter runs on a different port than 443 (https) change the port number and if you want to user SSL or not.
Ok, now this is done, let’s look at the Global Settings. Here we have the following options:
- Session timeout: Determines how long (in minutes) users are allowed to keep sessoins open after the log in to the View Connection Server. This fiel most contain a value, default is 600.
- Require SSL for client Connections: Determines if SSL is used to create a secure communication channel between View Connection Server and the client.
- Reauthenticate after network interruption: Determines if tunnel client user credentials must be reauthenticated after a network interruption. This setting had no effect when direct connection is being used.
- Message security mode: Determines if the JMS (Java Messaging Services) messages passed between View Manager components are encrypted.
- Direct Connection for Offline Desktop operations: Offline Desktop (if available) supports tunneld or non-tunneld communications for LAN-based data transers.
If tunneling is enabled, all traffic is routed through the View Connection Server. When tunneling is not enabeld, data transfers take place directly between the online desktop host system and the offline client. - Require SSL for Offline Desktop Operations: In addition to specifying the route for communications, you can encrypt the communications and data transfers that take place between the Offline Dekstop client and the View Connection Server by selecting this check box.
- Disable SSO for Offline Desktop operations: Determines if single sign-on is enabled for Offline Desktop. When Disabled, users must manuallylog in to their desktop tot start their Windows sessions.
- Display a pre-login message: if selected, Client and Web Access users see a disclaimer or login message.
- Display a warning before forced logoff: Determines if desktop users are logged off as a result of a scheduled or immediate update event (such as a desktop refresh)
So far the configuration of the Vmware View Connection Server. The next step is to add (Virtual) desktop to the system. This can be found here.
