View Transfer Server Requirements
View Transfer Server is an optional View Manager component that supports check in, check out, and replication of desktops that run in local mode. View Transfer Server has specific installation, operating system, and storage requirements.
Installation Requirements for View Transfer Server on page 12 You must install View Transfer Server as a Windows application in a virtual machine that meets specific requirements.
Supported Operating Systems for View Transfer Server on page 12 You must install View Transfer Server on a supported operating system with the required amount of RAM.
Storage Requirements for View Transfer Server on page 13 View Transfer Server transfers static content to and from the Transfer Server repository and dynamic content between local desktops and remote desktops in the datacenter. View Transfer Server has specific storage requirements.
Installation Requirements for View Transfer Server
You must install View Transfer Server as a Windows application in a virtual machine that meets specific requirements. The virtual machine that hosts View Transfer Server must meet several requirements regarding network connectivity:
It must be managed by the same vCenter Server instance as the local desktops that it will manage. It does not have to be part of a domain. It must use a static IP address.
CAUTION You must configure the virtual machine that hosts View Transfer Server with an LSI Logic Parallel SCSI controller. You cannot use a SAS or VMware paravirtual controller. On Windows Server 2008 virtual machines, the LSI Logic SAS controller is selected by default. You must change this selection to a BusLogic or LSI Logic controller before you install the operating system. The View Transfer Server software cannot coexist on the same virtual machine with any other View Manager software component, including View Connection Server. You can install multiple View Transfer Server instances for high availability and scalability.
Supported Operating Systems for View Transfer Server

Creating OUs and Groups for Kiosk Mode Client Accounts
A client in kiosk mode is a thin client or a lock-down PC that runs View Client to connect to a View Connection Server instance and launch a remote desktop session. If you configure clients in kiosk mode, you should create dedicated OUs and groups in Active Directory for kiosk mode client accounts. Creating dedicated OUs and groups for kiosk mode client accounts partitions client systems against unwarranted intrusion and simplifies client configuration and administration. See the VMware View Administrator's Guide for more information.
Creating Groups for View Users
You should create groups for different types of View users in Active Directory. For example, you can create a group called VMware View Users for your View desktop users and another group called VMware View Administrators for users that will administer View desktops.
Creating a User Account for vCenter Server
You must create a user account in Active Directory to use with vCenter Server. You specify this user account when you add a vCenter Server instance in View Administrator. The user account must be in the same domain as your View Connection Server host or in a trusted domain. If you use View Composer, you must add the user account to the local Administrators group on the vCenter Server computer.
Chapter 3 Preparing Active Directory
You must give the user account privileges to perform certain operations in vCenter Server. If you use View Composer, you must give the user account additional privileges. See Configuring User Accounts for vCenter Server and View Composer, on page 51 for information on configuring these privileges.
Create a User Account for View Composer
If you use View Composer, you must create a user account in Active Directory to use with View Composer. View Composer requires this account to join linked-clone desktops to your Active Directory domain. To ensure security, you should create a separate user account to use with View Composer. By creating a separate account, you can guarantee that it does not have additional privileges that are defined for another purpose. You can give the account the minimum privileges that it needs to create and remove computer objects in a specified Active Directory container. For example, the View Composer account does not require domain administrator privileges. Procedure In Active Directory, create a user account in the same domain as your View Connection Server host or in a trusted domain. Add the Create Computer Objects, Delete Computer Objects, and Write All Properties permissions to the account in the Active Directory container in which the linked-clone computer accounts are created or to which the linked-clone computer accounts are moved. The following list shows all the required permissions for the user account, including permissions that are assigned by default:

Verify that a supported version of SQL Server is installed on the vCenter Server computer or in your network environment. For details, see Database Requirements for View Composer, on page 10. Verify that you use SQL Server Management Studio or SQL Server Management Studio Express to create and administer the data source. You can download and install SQL Server Management Studio Express from the following Web site. http://www.microsoft.com/downloadS/details.aspx? familyid=C243A5AE-4BD1-4E3D-94B8-5A0F62BF7796
Procedure On the vCenter Server computer, select Start > All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 2008 or Microsoft SQL Server 2005. Select SQL Server Management Studio Express and connect to the existing SQL Server instance for vSphere Management. In the Object Explorer panel, right-click the Databases entry and select New Database. In the New Database dialog box, type a name in the Database name text box. For example: viewComposer 5 Click OK. SQL Server Management Studio Express adds your database to the Databases entry in the Object Explorer panel. 6 Exit Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express.
What to do next Follow the instructions in Add an ODBC Data Source to SQL Server, on page 31.
Chapter 4 Installing View Composer
Add an ODBC Data Source to SQL Server
After you add a View Composer database to SQL Server, you must configure an ODBC connection to the new database to make this data source visible to the View Composer service. These instructions assume that you are configuring the ODBC data source on Windows Server 2003 SP1. Some steps are different if you configure the ODBC data source on Windows XP Professional SP2. Prerequisites Complete the steps described in Add a View Composer Database to SQL Server, on page 30. Procedure 5 On the vCenter Server computer, select Start > Administrative Tools > Data Source (ODBC). Select the System DSN tab. Click Add and select SQL Native Client from the list. Click Finish. In the Create a New Data Source to SQL Server setup wizard, type a name and description of the View Composer database. For example: ViewComposer 6 In the Server text box, type the SQL Server database name. Use the form host_name\server_name, where host_name is the name of the computer and server_name is the SQL Server instance. For example: VCHOST1\SQLEXP_VIM Click Next. Make sure that the Connect to SQL Server to obtain default settings for the additional configuration options check box is selected and select an authentication option.

Installation Prerequisites for View Connection Server
Before you install View Connection Server, you must verify that your installation environment satisfies specific prerequisites. View Connection Server requires a valid license key for View Manager. The following license keys are available:
View Manager View Manager with View Composer and Local Mode
You must join the View Connection Server host to an Active Directory domain. View Connection Server supports the following versions of Active Directory:
The View Connection Server host must not be a domain controller. NOTE View Connection Server does not make, nor does it require, any schema or configuration updates to Active Directory. Do not install View Connection Server on systems that have the Windows Terminal Server role installed. You must remove the Windows Terminal Server role from any system on which you install View Connection Server. Do not install View Connection Server on a system that performs any other functions or roles. For example, do not use the same system to host vCenter Server. The system on which you install View Connection Server must have a static IP address. To install View Connection Server, you must use a domain user account with administrator privileges on the system.
Install View Connection Server with a New Configuration
To install View Connection Server as a single server or as the first instance in a group of replicated View Connection Server instances, you use the standard installation option. When you select the standard installation option, the installation creates a new, local View LDAP configuration. The installation loads the schema definitions, Directory Information Tree (DIT) definition, and ACLs and initializes the data. After installation, you manage most View LDAP configuration data by using View Administrator. View Connection Server automatically maintains some View LDAP entries. Prerequisites
Verify that you can log in as a domain user with administrator privileges on the Windows Server computer on which you install View Connection Server. Verify that your installation satisfies the requirements described in View Connection Server Requirements, on page 7. Prepare your environment for the installation. See Installation Prerequisites for View Connection Server, on page 37. Familiarize yourself with the incoming TCP ports that must be opened on the Windows Firewall for View Connection Server instances. See Firewall Rules for View Connection Server, on page 41.
Procedure 1 Download the View Connection Server installer file from the VMware product page at http://www.vmware.com/products/ to the Windows Server computer. The installer filename is VMware-viewconnectionserver-4.5.x-xxxxxx.exe or VMwareviewconnectionserver-x86_64-4.5.x-xxxxxx.exe, where xxxxxx is the build number. 4 To start the View Connection Server installation program, double-click the installer file. Accept the VMware license terms. Accept or change the destination folder.

ADAM_PRIMARY_NAME=cs1.companydomain.com"
The VMware View services are installed on the Windows Server computer. For details, see Install a Replicated Instance of View Connection Server, on page 41.
Silent Installation Properties for a Replicated Instance of View Connection Server
You can include specific properties when you silently install a replicated View Connection Server instance from the command line. You must use a PROPERTY=value format so that Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) can interpret the properties and values. Table 5-3. MSI Properties for Silently installing a Replicated Instance of View Connection Server
MSI Property INSTALLDIR Description The path and folder in which the View Connection Server software is installed. For example: INSTALLDIR=""D:\abc\my folder"" The sets of two double quotes that enclose the path permit the MSI installer to ignore the space in the path. This MSI property is optional. VDM_SERVER_INSTANCE_ TYPE The type of View Connection Server installation:
1. Standard installation 2. Replica installation 3. Security server installation 4. View Transfer Server installation
To install a replicated instance, define VDM_SERVER_INSTANCE_TYPE=2 This MSI property is optional for a standard installation. It is required for all other types of installation. ADAM_PRIMARY_NAME The host name or IP address of the existing View Connection Server instance you are replicating. For example: ADAM_PRIMARY_NAME=cs1.companydomain.com This MSI property is required. ADAM_PRIMARY_PORT The View LDAP port of the existing View Connection Server instance you are replicating. For example: ADAM_PRIMARY_PORT=cs1.companydomain.com This MSI property is optional. FWCHOICE The MSI property that determines whether to configure a firewall for the View Connection Server instance. A value of 1 sets a firewall. A value of 2 does not set a firewall. For example: FWCHOICE=1 This MSI property is optional. 1 None None
Configure a Security Server Pairing Password
Before you can install a security server, you must configure a security server pairing password. The View Connection Server installation program prompts you for this password during the installation process. The security server pairing password is a one-time password that permits a security server to be paired with a View Connection Server instance. The password becomes invalid after you provide it to the View Connection Server installation program. Procedure 3 In View Administrator, select View Configuration > Servers. In the View Servers pane, select the View Connection Server instance to pair with the security server. From the More Commands drop-down menu, select Specify Security Server Pairing Password.

VDM_SERVER_NAME=cs1.companydomain.com VDM_SERVER_SS_EXTURL=https://ss1.companydomain.com:443 VDM_SERVER_SS_PWD=secret"
The VMware View services are installed on the Windows Server computer. For details, see Install a Security Server, on page 45.
Silent Installation Properties for a Security Server
You can include specific properties when you silently install a security server from the command line. You must use a PROPERTY=value format so that Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) can interpret the properties and values. Table 5-4. MSI Properties for Silently Installing a Security Server
To install a security server, define VDM_SERVER_INSTANCE_TYPE=3 This MSI property is optional for a standard installation. It is required for all other types of installation. VDM_SERVER_NAME The host name or IP address of the existing View Connection Server instance to pair with the security server. For example: VDM_SERVER_NAME=cs1.companydomain.com This MSI property is required. VDM_SERVER_SS_EXTURL The external URL of the security server. The URL must contain the protocol, externally resolvable security server name, and port number For example: VDM_SERVER_SS_EXTURL=https://ss1.companydomain.com:443 This MSI property is required. VDM_SERVER_SS_PWD The security server pairing password. For example: VDM_SERVER_SS_PWD=secret This MSI property is required. FWCHOICE The MSI property that determines whether to configure a firewall for the View Connection Server instance. A value of 1 sets a firewall. A value of 2 does not set a firewall. For example: FWCHOICE=1 This MSI property is optional. 1 None None None
Microsoft Windows Installer Command-Line Options
To install View components silently, you must use Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) command-line options and properties. The View component installers are MSI programs and use standard MSI features. You can also use MSI command-line options to uninstall View components silently. For details about MSI, see the Microsoft Web site. For MSI command-line options, see the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Library Web site and search for MSI command-line options. To see MSI command-line usage, you can open a command prompt on the View component computer and type msiexec /?. To run a View component installer silently, you begin by disabling the bootstrap program that extracts the installer into a temporary directory and starts an interactive installation. Table 5-5 shows the command-line options that control the installer's bootstrap program.

What to do next If this View Connection Server instance or group of replicated View Connection Server instances uses multiple vCenter Server instances, repeat this procedure to add the other vCenter Server instances.
Configure View Composer Settings for vCenter Server
To use View Composer, you must configure View Manager with initial settings that match the settings for the View Composer service that is installed in vCenter Server. View Composer is a feature of View Manager, but its service operates directly on virtual machines in vCenter Server. NOTE If you are not using View Composer, you can skip this task.

Prerequisites

Your Active Directory administrator must create a domain user with permission to add and remove virtual machines from the Active Directory domain that contains your linked clones. To manage the linked-clone machine accounts in Active Directory, the domain user must have Create Computer Objects, Delete Computer Objects, and Write All Properties permissions. See Create a User Account for View Composer, on page 25.
You must configure View Manager to connect to vCenter Server. See Add vCenter Server Instances to View Manager, on page 55.
Procedure 1 In View Administrator, open the Edit vCenter Server dialog box. a b c 2 Click View Configuration > Servers. In the vCenter Servers panel, select the vCenter Server entry. Click Edit.
Select Enable View Composer and make sure that the port number is the same as the port that you specified when you installed the View Composer service on vCenter Server. View Manager verifies that the View Composer service is running on vCenter Server.
Click Add to add the domain user for View Composer account information. a Type the domain name of the Active Directory domain. For example: domain.com b Type the domain user name, including the domain name. For example: domain.com\admin c d e Type the account password. Click OK. To add domain user accounts with privileges in other Active Directory domains in which you deploy linked-clone pools, repeat the preceding steps.
Click OK to close the Edit vCenter Server dialog box.
What to do next Repeat this procedure for each vCenter Server instance in which View Composer services are installed.
Configuring View Client Connections
View clients communicate with a View Connection Server or security server host over secure HTTPS connections. The initial View Client connection, which is used for user authentication and View desktop selection, is created when a user provides an IP address to View Client. If firewall and load balancing software are configured correctly in your network environment, this request reaches the View Connection Server or security server host. When users connect to a View desktop with the Microsoft RDP display protocol, View Client makes a second HTTPS connection to the View Connection Server or security server host. This connection is called the tunnel connection because it provides a secure tunnel for carrying RDP data.

To configure SSL for transfers of View Composer base-image files from the Transfer Server repository to client computers that host local desktops, select or deselect Use SSL when provisioning desktops in Local Mode. Click OK to save your changes.
Your changes take effect immediately. You do not need to restart the View Transfer Server service.
Using Group Policy to Configure Certificate Checking in View Client
You can use security-related group policy settings in the View Client Configuration ADM template file (vdm_client.adm) to configure server SSL certificate checking in View Client. ADM template files for View components are installed in the install_directory\VMware\VMware View\Server\Extras\GroupPolicyFiles directory on your View Connection Server host. See the VMware View Administrator's Guide for information on using View Manager group policy settings.
Creating an Event Database
You create an event database to record information about View Manager events. If you do not configure an event database, you must look in the log file to get information about events, and the log file contains very limited information. This chapter includes the following topics:
Add a Database and Database User for View Events, on page 85 Prepare an SQL Server Database for Event Reporting, on page 86 Configure the Event Database, on page 86
Add a Database and Database User for View Events
You create an event database by adding it to an existing database server. You can then use enterprise reporting software to analyze the events in the database. The database server for the event database can reside on a View Connection Server host itself or on a dedicated server. Alternatively, you can use a suitable existing database server, such as a server that hosts a View Composer database. NOTE You do not need to create an ODBC data source for this database. Prerequisites
Verify that you have a supported Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle database server on a system that a View Connection Server instance has access to. For a list of supported database versions, see Database Requirements for View Composer, on page 10. Verify that you have the required database privileges to create a database and user on the database server. If you are not familiar with the procedure to create databases on Microsoft SQL Server database servers, review the steps in Add a View Composer Database to SQL Server, on page 30. If you are not familiar with the procedure to create databases on Oracle database servers, review the steps in Add a View Composer Database to Oracle 11g or 10g, on page 32.
Procedure Add a new database to the server and give it a descriptive name such as ViewEvents. Add a user for this database that has permission to create tables, views, and, in the case of Oracle, triggers and sequences, as well as permission to read from and write to these objects. For a Microsoft SQL Server database, do not use the Integrated Windows Authentication security model method of authentication. Be sure to use the SQL Server Authentication method of authentication. The database is created, but the schema is not installed until you configure the database in View Administrator. What to do next Follow the instructions in Configure the Event Database, on page 86.

Procedure 3 If View Client does not start automatically after installation, double-click the desktop shortcut or click Start > Programs > VMware > VMware View Client. In the Connection Server drop-down menu, enter the host name or IP address of View Connection Server. Verify that the other optional settings in the dialog box appear as you configured them.
Option Log in as current user Description This check box is displayed or hidden according to the global setting in View Administrator. Do not select this check box if you plan to check out the View desktop for use in local mode. If this check box is selected, you must also select the global setting called Use SSL for client connections in View Administrator. If you use a secure connection, the default port is 443. If you select this check box, the next time you start View Client, the Connection Server field is disabled and you are connected to the server specified when you selected the Autoconnect check box. To deselect this check box, cancel the next dialog box that appears and click Options to display and change this setting.
Use secure connection (SSL) Port Autoconnect
Click Connect. Enter the credentials of a user who is entitled to use at least one desktop pool, select the domain, and click Login. If you type the user name using the format user@domain, the name is treated as a user principal name (UPN) because of the @ sign, and the domain drop-down menu is disabled. For information about creating desktop pools and entitling users to pools, see VMware View Administrator's Guide.
(Optional) In the Display drop-down menu, select the window size for displaying the View desktop. (Optional) To select a display protocol, click the down-arrow next to a desktop in the list, click Display Protocol, and select the protocol. This choice is available only if your View administrator has enabled it.
Select a desktop from the list of desktop pools and click Connect. View Client attempts to connect to a desktop in the specified pool.
After you are connected, the client window appears.
If authentication to View Connection Server fails or if View Client cannot connect to a desktop, perform the following tasks:
Verify that the View Client setting for using secure (SSL) connections matches the global setting in View Administrator. For example, if the check box for secure connections is deselected on the client, the check box must also be deselected in View Administrator. Verify that the security certificate for View Connection Server is working properly. If it is not, in View Administrator, you might also see that the View Agent on desktops is unreachable and the Transfer Server status shows that it is not ready. These are symptoms of additional connection problems caused by certificate problems. Verify that the tags set on the View Connection Server instance allow connections from this user. See the VMware View Administrator's Guide. Verify that the user is entitled to access this desktop. See the VMware View Administrator's Guide. Verify that the client computer allows remote desktop connections.

What to do next

Configure startup options. If you do not want to require end users to provide the host name or IP address of View Connection Server, or if you want to configure other startup options, use the View Client command-line options to create a desktop shortcut. See the VMware View Administrator's Guide.
Check out a desktop that can be used in local mode. End users can determine if a desktop is eligible for checkout by clicking the down-arrow next to the desktop in the list provided by View Client with Local Mode. If the desktop can be used in local mode, the Check out option appears in the context menu. Only the user who checks out the desktop can access it, even if a group is entitled to access the desktop.
Install View Client by Using View Portal
An expedient way of installing the View Client or View Client with Local Mode application is to open a browser and browse to the View Portal Web page. You can use View Portal to download the full View Client installer for both Windows and Mac client computers. As of View 4.5, View Portal installs the full View Client for Windows, with or without Local Mode, and View Client for the Mac. NOTE View Portal does not support Linux. A native client for Linux is available only through certified VMware partners. Prerequisites
Verify that you have the URL for the View Connection Server instance. Verify that you can log in as an administrator on the client system. Verify that a virtual desktop has been created and that the user account you plan to use is entitled to access this desktop. Verify that the client system uses a supported operating system. See Supported Operating Systems for View Client and View Client with Local Mode, on page 16. Verify that View Agent is not installed. If you plan to install View Client with Local Mode, verify that your license includes View Client with Local Mode.
If you plan to install View Client with Local Mode, verify that none of the following products is installed: VMware View Client, VMware Player, VMware Workstation, VMware ACE, VMware Server. Determine whether the person who uses the client device is allowed to access locally connected USB devices from a virtual desktop. If not, you must deselect the USB Redirection component that the wizard presents. If you plan to install the USB Redirection component, verify that the Windows Automatic Update feature is not turned off on the client computer.
Procedure Log in to the client system as a user with administrator privileges. Open a browser and enter the URL of the View Connection Server instance that provides access to the virtual desktop. Internet Explorer can determine whether an upgrade is available, whereas Firefox and Safari cannot. Also, in the list of installers, Internet Explorer lists 32-bit installers if the client has a 32-bit system and lists 64bit installers if the client has a 64-bit system, whereas Firefox lists both 32-bit and 64-bit installers. 3 Follow the prompts on the Web page. If the version available from View Connection Server is newer than that installed on the client device, you can choose to upgrade. If the version is the same as that on the client device, View Portal starts the View Client installed on the client computer. If you have an older version of View Client and a smart card is required for client connections, an Internet Explorer browser prompts you to insert your smart card before View Portal checks the version of your existing View Client. 4 If Internet Explorer prompts you to insert a smart card, either insert the card or click Cancel. Inserting a smart card and Cancel have the same effect. What to do next Connect to the View desktop. See Start the Windows-Based View Client or View Client with Local Mode, on page 90 or Start View Client on Mac OS X, on page 94.

Verify that the user is entitled to access this desktop. See the VMware View Administrator's Guide. Verify that the client computer allows remote desktop connections.
What to do next For instructions on using View Client, see the VMware View Client Help.
Set Printing Preferences for the Virtual Printer Feature
The virtual printing feature lets end users use local or network printers from a View desktop without requiring that additional print drivers be installed in the View desktop. For each printer available through this feature, you can set preferences for data compression, print quality, double-sided printing, color, and so on. After a printer is added on the local computer, View adds that printer to the list of available printers on the View desktop. No further configuration is required. Users who have administrator privileges can still install printer drivers on the View desktop without creating a conflict with the virtual printer component. IMPORTANT This feature is not available for the following types of printers:
USB printers that are using the USB redirection feature to connect to a virtual USB port in the View desktop You must disconnect the USB printer from the View desktop in order to use the virtual printing feature with it.
The Windows feature for printing to a file Selecting the Print to file check box in a Print dialog box does not work. Using a printer driver that creates a file does work. For example, you can use a PDF writer to print to a PDF file.
Prerequisites Verify that the Virtual Printing component of View Agent is installed on the View desktop. In the View desktop file system, the drivers are located in C:\Program Files\Common Files\VMware\Drivers\Virtual Printer. Installing View Agent is one of the tasks required for preparing a virtual machine to be used as a View desktop. For more information, see the VMware View Administrator's Guide. Procedure In the View desktop, click Start > Settings > Printers and Faxes. In the Printers and Faxes window, right-click any of the locally available printers and select Properties. On Windows 7 desktops, you might see only the default printer, even though other printers are available. To see the other printers, right-click the default printer and point to Printer properties. In the Print Properties window, click the ThinPrint Device Setup tab and specify which settings to use. On the General tab, click Printing Preferences and edit the page and color settings. On the Advanced tab, set preferences for double-sided printing and portrait (long edge) or landscape (short edge) printing. To preview each printout on the host, enable Preview on client before printing. From this preview, you can use any printer with all its available properties. 7 On the Adjustment tab, review the settings for automatic print adjustment. VMware recommend that you retain the default settings. 8 Click OK.

Using USB Printers

In a View environment, virtual printers and redirected USB printers can work together without conflict. A USB printer is a printer that is attached to a USB port on the local client system. To send print jobs to a USB printer, you can either use the USB redirection feature or use the virtual printing feature.

What to do next Install View Client with Local Mode silently.
Install View Client Silently
You can use the silent installation feature of the Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) to install View Client or View Client with Local Mode on several Windows computers. In a silent installation, you use the command line and do not have to respond to wizard prompts. Prerequisites
Verify that you can log in as an administrator on the client system. Verify that the client system uses a supported operating system. See Supported Operating Systems for View Client and View Client with Local Mode, on page 16. If you plan to install View Client with Local Mode, verify that your license includes View Client with Local Mode. If you plan to install View Client with Local Mode, verify that none of the following products is installed: VMware View Client, VMware Player, VMware Workstation, VMware ACE, VMware Server. Determine whether to use the single-sign-on feature. This feature lets end users log in to View Client and their virtual desktop as the currently logged in user. Credential information that the user entered when logging in to the client system is passed to the View Connection Server instance and ultimately to the virtual desktop. Some client operating systems do not support this feature. If you do not want to require end users to supply the IP address or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the View Connection Server instance that hosts their virtual machine, determine the IP address or FQDN so that you can supply it during installation. Familiarize yourself with the MSI installer command-line options. See Microsoft Windows Installer Command-Line Options, on page 48. Familiarize yourself with the silent installation (MSI) properties available with View Client. See Silent Installation Properties for View Client, on page 99. Determine whether to allow end users to access locally connected USB devices from their virtual desktops. If not, set the MSI property, ADDLOCAL, to the list of features of interest and omit the USB feature. For details, see Silent Installation Properties for View Client, on page 99. If you install View Client with Local Mode, verify that the Windows Installer group policies that are required for silent installation are configured on the client computer. See Set Group Policies to Allow Silent Installation of View Client with Local Mode, on page 97.
Procedure 1 On the client system, download the View Client installer file from the VMware product page at http://www.vmware.com/products/. Select the appropriate installer file, where xxxxxx is the build number.
Open a command prompt on the Windows client computer. Type the installation command on one line. This example installs View Client with single sign-on and USB redirection features. A default View Connection Server instance is configured for View Client users: VMware-viewclient-4.5.xxxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn VDM_SERVER=cs1.companydomain.com ADDLOCAL=Core,TSSO,USB"

STARTMENU_SHORTCUT

In a silent installation command, you can use the MSI property, ADDLOCAL=, to specify features that the View Client installer configures. Each silent-installation feature corresponds to a setup option that you can select during an interactive installation. Table 9-2 shows the View Client features you can type at the command line and the corresponding interactiveinstallation options. Table 9-2. View Client Silent Installation Features and Interactive Custom Setup Options
Silent Installation Feature Core If you specify individual features with the MSI property, ADDLOCAL=, you must include Core. If you specify ADDLOCAL=ALL, all View Client and View Client with Local Mode features, including Core, are installed. MVDI Use this feature when you install View Client with Local Mode and specify individual features with ADDLOCAL=. If you specify ADDLOCAL=ALL, all View Client with Local Mode features, including MVDI, are installed. ThinPrint TSSO USB None. When you install View Client with Local Mode interactively, the MVDI functions are installed by default. When you install View Client interactively, the MVDI functions are not available. Virtual Printing Single Sign-on (SSO) USB Redirection Custom Setup Option in an Interactive Installation None. During an interactive installation, the core View Client functions are installed by default.
Active Directory configuring domains and trust relationships 23 preparing for smart card authentication 26 preparing for use with View 23 Active Directory groups creating for kiosk mode client accounts 24 creating for View users and administrators 24 ADM template files 26 Adobe Flash requirements 21 antivirus software, View Composer 36
Enterprise NTAuth store, adding root certificates 28 ephemeral ports calculating 60 how View Manager uses 60 increasing on a Windows Server computer 60 ESX hosts, View Composer 36 event database creating for View 85, 86 SQL Server configuration 86 external URLs configuring for a View Connection Server instance 58 modifying for a security server 59 purpose and format 58
browser requirements 9, 18
certificate signing requests, See CSRs certificates checking in View Client 83 configuring View Connection Server to use 80 configuring View Transfer Server to use 81 converting to PKCS#7 format 79 creating new 77 importing to a keystore file 79 obtaining signatures 78 replacing the default 75 requirements 75 using keytool to generate 77 certutil command 28 client software requirements 15 CPU requirements, local mode desktops 16 CSRs, creating 78

Contents

Introduction... 1 About This Guide.... 1 Overview.... 1 VMware Desktop Virtualization... 1
VMware View Composer..... 2 Clone Technology.... 2
Full Clones and Linked Clones.....2 Parent Image and Replica.....2
User Data Disk..... 3 Image Management with View Composer.... 3 Storage Management with View Composer.... 4 Rebalancing Desktops..... 5 View Composer and Array-based Cloning... 5
Conclusion.... 6 About the Author.... 6

Introduction

As enterprises explore desktop virtualization, they realize that it offers a simplified IT structure and cost-effective IT utilization and management. VMware View Composer, introduced with VMware View 3, further enhances this value proposition. VMware View Composer is a product component of VMware View. It works with VMware View Manager to reduce storage requirements and enhance the image management capability of virtualized desktops. This document describes View Composer and some of its functionality and benefits.

About This Guide

After reading this document, the reader should be able to understand the benefits of View Composer and the features it brings to VMware View product suite. This document does not describe best practices or deployment considerations.

Overview

The adoption of desktop virtualization has seen great success in the past several years, largely because of the enhanced security, simplicity, and operational benefits it promises. Moving desktops from local cubes and offices to the datacenter is very attractive, but it adds components to the datacenter architecture. One such component is the storage area network (SAN). Although the SAN enhances the solution, it can also add considerable expense for acquisition and maintenance. For instance, a virtual machines operating system (OS) image may typically vary in size between 10GB and 50 GB. When hundreds of such images need to be stored on the SAN, they can run up a hefty SAN investment. In addition, deploying a physical desktop to a user involves various stages: procuring the hardware, delivering it to the users physical location, installing the OS and needed applications, and then making sure the user can access the desired data files. While VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) greatly simplifies this process, it still takes from fifteen to thirty minutes to deploy a virtualized desktop, and up to a week to deploy a physical desktop. VMware VDI also calls for intelligent OS image management features to leverage the advanced intelligence of the VI and SAN feature set. Basics tasks such as application patching and OS updates need to be simplified. Todays patch and update management tools still lack reliability, and there is room for improvement in their handling of virtualized desktops.
VMware Desktop Virtualization
VMware View Manager is the new name for VMware Desktop Manager, which provides integrated individual and desktop pool management capabilities. Desktops types can be PCs, Blade PCs, or virtual machines (VM). View Composer is tightly coupled with View Manager to provide seamless administration.

VMware View Composer

VMware View Composer is a software package offered with the premier bundle of VMware View 3. View Composer offers customers key benefits such as storage reduction, better OS management, and rapid deployment capabilities for virtualized desktops. While precise storage savings may vary, this technology reduces duplicate storage of virtual machines data transparently to the virtual machine. To this end, View Composer allows multiple VMs to share common data in a single base disk while maintaining separate storage for the data written by each virtual machine.

Clone Technology

A clone is a copy of an existing, or parent, virtual machine. When the cloning operation is complete, the clone becomes a separate virtual machine with unique identity of its own.
Full Clones and Linked Clones
A full clone is an independent copy of a virtual machine that shares nothing with the parent once the cloning operation is complete: the ongoing operation of a full clone is entirely separate from its parent. A linked clone is a copy of a virtual machine that continues to share virtual disks with its parent. The differentialthe bits of software that are unique to the linked cloneis stored in what is sometimes referred to as a diff disk or redo disk. This arrangement allows the linked clone to occupy a smaller virtual disk space than the parent yet still access software installed on the parent. Due to the sharing mechanism, however, a linked clone must always have access to the parent disk, without which it becomes unusable. Each linked clone can thus act like an independent desktop OS, with a unique personal identity, including unique hostname and IP address, yet require significantly less storage than a full clone. Hundreds of linked diff disks can be created from one parent image, reducing the total storage space required. VMware View Composer leverages linked clone technology to enable enterprises to reduce storage space from 50% to 90%, depending on their environment. Sharing the parent virtual machines code bits also results in innovative ways to deliver software into the linked clone.

Parent Image and Replica

Linked clones created with View Composer are linked to a full clone virtual disk called a replica. Replicas are created on a per-logical unit number (LUN) basis, so that each LUN used for desktop creation and storage carries a replica. A replica is created for each variant of the desktop image used in the deployment. For example, if two types of desktops, one with Windows XP and other with Windows Vista, are deployed on a single LUN, two replica disks are created on that LUN, one for each image type. The View Composer replica mechanism helps linked clones to scale up in large environments and makes it easier to install patches by updating the parent virtual machine. The replica is also protected from being erased from VMware Virtual Center. This is critical because deleting the replica would mean that the linked clone desktops would no longer be available.

Figure 1- Parent and Replica Disks

User Data Disk

When leveraging VMware View Composer and linked clones to provision desktops, administrators have the option of creating a separate user data disk for each virtual desktop instance. A user data disk is a separate storage location attached to the desktop image upon creation. The user data disk redirects the users profile and data to a second virtual disk, ensuring that each users personal settings and data are restored during boot time. This can be useful, after a master image has been updated, to restore the user profile data to maintain continuity. This approach resembles a locally cached profile, in that it is not stored centrally. The user data disk is created when the desktop is provisioned and destroyed when the desktop is deleted from the data center. The administrator should take care to preserve the user data and profiles stored on this disk in case they are needed after the desktop is removed.
Image Management with View Composer
View Composer offers the following OS image management tasks: Recompose image Refresh image
The Recompose function allows the desktop administrator to update the parent virtual machine and push the new version of the image out to all or a subset of users and desktops. Recomposing desktops can be used to achieve a variety tasks, such as: Applying OS or software patches Applying service packs Adding additional software Making virtual hardware changes Upgrading OS versions
Figure 2 Recomposing Using a New Parent
Sometimes, for instance, to comply with IT policies disallowing users from adding or removing software or changing user settings, the administrator may need to bring the deployed desktop back to default values and settings. Over time, as the OS disk starts to grow, it may also be useful to clean up the bloated disk to improve OS performance. Refresh is the process of resetting linked clones back to the initial state of the parent virtual machine without adding additional software or patches or making other changes. Refreshing desktops can also be used to reduce the size of linked clones that have grown over time (see Figure 3). Several options are available for initiating a desktop Refresh such as: Refresh on demand Refresh when a specific size has been reached Refresh as a timed event

Storage Management with View Composer
VMware View Composer offers several approaches for managing the growing disk space of linked clones, the most important of which is Storage Overcommit. The following levels are available: None Conservative (default) Moderate Aggressive
Figure 3 Refreshing Linked Clones
Storage Overcommit determines how aggressively virtual machines are allocated to available free space. The more aggressive the Overcommit, the more virtual machines are placed on a data store with free space. As more virtual machines are assigned to the available free space, less space becomes available to accommodate the growth of virtual machines over time, so storage administrators need to manage their storage environment actively to ensure that they do not run out of space. In non-persistent use cases, where virtual machines are always refreshed and reset to their initial state, this is less of an issue than for more persistent virtual desktops.

Rebalancing Desktops

One of the challenges facing enterprises is to predict how much storage will be consumed over time. The Rebalance function greatly simplifies the process by allowing the administrator to relocate virtual machines from one LUN to another, by selecting the desktops to be moved and clicking Rebalance from the View Manager. This triggers a move of the linked desktop(s) to another LUN, recreates the replica on the LUN, if needed, and registers the virtual machine with the View Manager. Desktops are refreshed automatically when the Rebalance function is invoked. Rebalancing is not an online process, so desktops need to be powered off. The administrator needs to schedule some downtime for this operation.
View Composer and Array-based Cloning
Many storage vendors have developed deduplication technologies that can create similar linked clonesand in some cases, virtual machineswithin a storage array. This cloning
technology offers rapid provisioning of a large number of individual virtual machine desktops. These array-based solutions are not currently integrated with View Manager and require several manual steps or scripting to create and integrate virtual machines with VMware View before the virtual machines are ready for use. Virtual machine images must be created within the array, registered with vCenter, and then added to View Manager as a manual desktop pool. Some VMware storage partners provide management tools that automate the creation of these clones for import into VMware View Manager. See your storage vendor for details.

Conclusion

The cost of storage for VDI can be a cause for concern in terms of capital expenditure; in some cases, it has even been barrier to adoption. View Composer addresses this problem by enabling significant savings for enterprises particularly interested in reducing the cost of storage for VDI solutions. View Composer also provides great image management tools that help desktop administrators perform patch and OS management. Features such as Refresh and Recompose offer extra flexibility. Because View Composer is integrated with View Manager, administrators find it easy to use as well as powerful.

About the Author

Anjan Srinivas is part of the Desktop Solutions Group in the Technical Marketing team, where he is chartered to enable customer adoption of desktop virtualization technologies. Anjans expertise includes the VMware Infrastructure in the areas of security and networking and View Manager. He has worked in the past with Cisco Systems and Aruba Networks.