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- Herausgeber: Packt Publishing
- Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
- Sprache: Englisch
A comprehensive, practical guide to accessing virtual desktops, applications, and services through a unified platform
About This Book
- This is the first book on the market that delivers desktops and applications through a single Virtual Desktop Infrastructure platform
- Reduce enterprise costs by dynamically allocating resources with virtual storage, compute and networking
- This comprehensive guide provides simplified operations, improved security, and accelerated time-to-value using VMware Horizon 7
Who This Book Is For
If you are a newcomer to system administration, and you wish to implement the Horizon environment, then this book is for you. Prior knowledge of Horizon is beneficial.
What You Will Learn
- Walk through the configuration of VMware Horizon, including the new Horizon Access Point appliance
- Implement a multi-site VMware Horizon pod using the Cloud Pod Architecture feature
- Understand the integration between VMware Horizon and VSAN, and see how they are deployed together
- Explore how to implement and maintain Microsoft RDS and Linux and Windows Desktop Pools Create and optimize desktop master images.
- Understand how to manage the SSL certificates for each of the VMware Horizon components.
In Detail
VMware Horizon 7 has been a buzz since it was announced. One of the major reasons is the introduction of the new Instant Clones feature. This book will complement the product documentation by providing real-life examples of how it is implemented along with the latest features and components of the platform.
We'll explore the latest features of the platform, including those added through product acquisitions such as User Environment Manager and App Volumes. Further on, you will also be introduced to the new capabilities added to the core product such Linked-Clone RDS pools.
Upon completion of this book, you will have an understanding of the capabilities and benefits VMware Horizon can provide to your organization, and how each of its components are implemented.
Style and approach
This comprehensive guide focuses on the practicality of VMware Horizon and how you can implement it in your organization.
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Table of Contents
Implementing VMware Horizon 7 Second Edition
Implementing VMware Horizon 7 Second Edition
Copyright © 2016 Packt Publishing
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Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.
Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
First published: May 2013
Second edition: June 2016
Production reference: 1240616
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
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Credits
Authors
Jason Ventresco
Copy Editors
Safis Editing
Reviewer
Mario Russo
Project Coordinator
Ulhas Kambali
Commissioning Editor
Pratik Shah
Proofreader
Safis Editing
Acquisition Editor
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Indexer
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Content Development Editor
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Graphics
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About the Author
Jason Ventresco is a 17 year veteran of the IT field, and currently works for EMC2 as a Consultant Solutions Engineer. In that role he architects, builds, and tests the latest end user computing solutions to validate their performance and provide guidance to EMC2 customers and partners.
Jason previously worked as a member of the Global Infrastructure team for FHI 360, and as an IT consultant for WorkSmart and Xerox Global Services. Jason previously published the books Implementing VMware Horizon View 5.2, VMware Horizon View 5.3 Design Patterns and Best Practices, and VMware Horizon View 6 Desktop Virtualization Cookbook.
Jason lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife, Christine, and daughter, Amanda. He holds two degrees, a Master of Science in Information Assurance from Norwich University, and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from the University of Phoenix. In his free time, he likes to travel, go boating, and attend Carolina Hurricanes games.
I would like to thank my wife, Christine, and daughter, Amanda, for their ongoing support. Writing books requires sacrificing family time, and without their support none of this would be possible.
I would also like to thank my parents, Richard and Linda Ventresco, for providing me with the opportunities they did when I was growing up; they helped make me what I am today. I love you Mom and Dad!
I would also like to thank my fellow EMC Solutions co-workers both here in the US and in China. Working with them has helped provide me with the experience and knowledge required to write multiple books like this.
About the Reviewer
Mario Russo has worked as an IT architect, senior technical VMware trainer, and in the pre-sales department. He has also worked on VMware technology since 2004.
In 2005, he worked for IBM on the first large project consolidation for Telecom Italia on the Virtual VMware Esx 2.5.1 platform in Italy with the Physical to Virtual (P2V) tool.
In 2007, he conducted a drafting course and training for BancoPosta, Italy, and project disaster and recovery (DR Open) for IBM and EMC.
In 2008, he worked for the Project Speed Up Consolidation BNP and the migration P2V on VI3 infrastructure at BNP Cardif Insurance. In 2014 Customize Dashboard and Tuning Smart Allert vCOPs 5.7 POSTECOM Italy Rm. He was a VCI Certified Instructor 2s Level of VMware and is certified VCAP5-DCA, VCP3-4, VCP5-DV VCP5-DT, VCP-Cloud, NPP Nutanix – ZCP Zerto, and other. He is the owner of Business to Virtual, which specializes in virtualization solutions.
He has also contributed as a technical reviewer for various other books by Packt Publishing, such as Implementing VMware Horizon View 5.2, Implementing VMware vCenter Server, Troubleshooting vSphere Storage, VMware Horizon View 5.3 Design Patterns and Best Practices, Instant Getting Started with VMware Fusion, Implementing VMware vCenter Server, VMware vSphere Security Cookbook, Mastering vRealize Operations Manager, and Getting Started with VMware Virtual SAN.
I would like to thank my wife, Lina, and my daughter, Gaia. They're my strength.
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Preface
Implementing VMware Horizon 7 is meant to be a hands-on guide on how to deploy and configure various key features of Horizon, including App Volumes and User Environment Manager. The examples provided in this book focus on 14 different topics, and it instructs you on their purpose, configuration, and administration. Using the examples provided in this book, you will be able to implement and manage these features in your own VMware Horizon environment.
There are many places in this book that refer to the official VMware Horizon, App Volumes, and User Environment Manager documentation. You are encouraged to review this documentation as it complements the material in this book and contains additional information that can provide a deeper understanding of the technical details and capabilities of the entire VMware Horizon platform.
Why virtualize our end user computing resources?
There are a number of different reasons why an organization may decide to implement VMware Horizon in their own environment. Many organizations are already familiar with the benefits of virtualization, such as the following:
These are just a small sample of the benefits of virtualization. If you have already implemented virtualization in your organization, you likely have additional reasons of your own.
Virtual desktops and applications can provide an organization with additional advantages beyond those of virtualization itself. Using VMware Horizon, we can do the following:
These are just some of the advantages of using VMware Horizon, vSphere, App Volumes, and User Environment Manager to move your desktops and applications into a data centre. While reading this book, I encourage you to think of ways that Horizon can change how you provide end user computing resources to your organization. These are just a few examples:
VMware Horizon, App Volumes, and User Environment Manager can provide you with much more than just a means of virtualizing your desktops and applications. The more familiar you become each product's features and capabilities, the more you will realize that you can rethink a lot of what you do concerning application and desktop management and delivery, and eventually provide a higher quality experience to your end users.
I certainly hope this is the case.
What this book covers
Chapter 1, VMware Horizon Infrastructure Overview, provides a broad overview of VMware Horizon and discusses topics that will influence the design, implementation, and assessment of a VMware Horizon infrastructure.
Chapter 2, Implementing Horizon Connection Server, covers the infrastructure requirements, sizing, limits, high availability, deployment, configuration, backup, and recovery of Horizon Connection Server.
Chapter 3, Implementing Horizon Composer, covers the infrastructure requirements, deployment, configuration, backup, and recovery of Horizon Composer. The capabilities of Horizon Composer and benefits of using linked clone desktops are also discussed.
Chapter 4, Implementing Horizon Security Server, covers the infrastructure requirements, limits, high availability designs, deployment, configuration, backup, and recovery of Horizon Security Server.
Chapter 5, Implementing VMware Horizon Access Point, covers the infrastructure requirements, limits, high availability designs, deployment, configuration, and troubleshooting of Horizon Access Point.
Chapter 6, Implementing a Horizon Cloud Pod, covers how to deploy, configure, and administer a Horizon Cloud Pod, which enables the creation of global client entitlements to resources in multisite, multi-pod Horizon environments.
Chapter 7, Using VMware Virtual SAN with Horizon, provides an overview of how to architect VMware Virtual SAN for a Horizon infrastructure, walks through the deployment process, and identifies what must be done when creating Horizon pools in order to use Virtual SAN.
Chapter 8, Implementing VMware User Environment Manager, covers the implementation and management of the VMware User Environment Manager profile management platform and provides an overview of the capabilities of some of the product's advanced features.
Chapter 9, Implementing VMware App Volumes, covers the infrastructure prerequisites, deployment, configuration, and administration of VMware App Volumes. Topics include the deployment and configuration of the App Volumes Manager appliance, the installation and configuration of the App Volumes Agent and AppCapture program, the App Volumes AppStack creation, update, and assignment process, the Writable Volume assignment and creation process, and App Volumes backup and recovery procedures.
Chapter 10, Creating Horizon Desktop Pools, covers how to configure Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop Services for use with Horizon, how to configure and manage a Horizon Application Pool, and how to manage and monitor the status of Windows Remote Desktop Services hosts and Horizon clients who are streaming applications.
Chapter 11, Implementing Horizon Application Pools, covers how to configure Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop Services for use with Horizon, how to deploy and manage Remote Desktop Services farms and Horizon Application Pools, and how to manage and monitor the status of Windows Remote Desktop Services hosts and Horizon clients who are streaming applications.
Chapter 12, Performing Horizon Desktop Pool Maintenance, covers how to perform maintenance on Horizon pools that contain linked clone or instant clone desktops. Topics include an overview of the different maintenance operations including linked clone refresh, recompose, and rebalance, instant clone push image and recovery, and how to manage the optional linked clone persistent disks.
Chapter 13, Creating a Master Horizon Desktop Image, covers the techniques that should be used when creating a master Horizon desktop image. Topics covered include the importance of optimizing the desktop operating system; sample optimization results; examples of how to disable native application update features; and how to optimize the Windows filesystem, Windows Operating System, and Windows user profiles.
Chapter 14, Managing Horizon SSL Certificates, covers how to replace the default SSL certificates on each of the Horizon components including Connection Server, Composer, Security Server, and Access Point, as well as the App Volumes appliances. This chapter also discusses how to create the SSL certificate requests and obtain new certificates using a Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services server.
Chapter 15, Using Horizon PowerCLI, covers the different PowerCLI commands that you can use to configure and administer nearly all aspects of the Horizon platform, and provides examples of how those commands are used.
What you need for this book
The reader should have a basic understanding of the following concepts that are integral to the implementation and management of View.
The following software is required to implement the solutions described in this book:
The installation media for the required VMware products can be obtained from the VMware.com website. If you do not have a current license for the products, you can register for a trail to obtain access to the software.
Who this book is for
If you are a newcomer to system administration and you wish to implement the Horizon environment, then this book is for you. Prior knowledge of Horizon is beneficial.
Conventions
In this book, you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of their meaning.
Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows: "Decrypt the AD LDS database backup titled backup.LDF to a file titled decrypted.LDF."
New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, for example, in menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this: "Click on the Backup tab and make any desired changes."
Note
Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this.
Tip
Tips and tricks appear like this.
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Chapter 1. VMware Horizon Infrastructure Overview
This chapter will discuss a number of topics that play a critical role in our Horizon design. We will discuss the different components of a Horizon installation, examine the different license levels, and outline the core requirements of a Horizon infrastructure. We will also discuss how to measure the resource requirements of a desktop, and how those requirements impact all layers of our infrastructure including the storage design, network design, and virtual desktop VMware ESXi server configuration.
By the end of this chapter we will learn:
Tip
Throughout this book you may see references to components or features of VMware Horizon View made without the word View being included in the name. While this book focuses heavily on components of VMware Horizon View itself, it does include other components that are now part of the larger product known as VMware Horizon. So, while these names may be slightly different than you are used to seeing, know that my goal was to try and match the terms VMware wants us to use for their products, and not necessarily those that we are most familiar with (or that VMware themselves always uses for that matter).
VMware Horizon components
VMware Horizon is a family of desktop and application virtualization solutions designed to deliver end user computing services from any cloud. The following section will provide a high-level overview of those components of the Horizon family of products that we will cover in this book, which includes:
Tip
Refer to the VMware Horizon product page for a list of all of the products that are part of Horizon (https://www.vmware.com/products/horizon-view).
The following figure shows where each of the components of a typical Horizon installation resides within the IT infrastructure. The only components not shown that are discussed in this book are the VMware App Volumes servers and Windows-based files servers used for hosting VMware User Environment Manager data. If shown, both of these components would be located on the internal network along with the Horizon Connection Server, vCenter Server, and virtual desktops and Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop Session (RDS) Servers.
Horizon Connection Server
VMware Horizon Connection Server is a software service that serves as the broker for Horizon client connections. In this role, it authenticates user connection requests, verifies the desktops or Microsoft Windows RDS Servers that the user is entitled to access, and then directs the connection to the appropriate resource. Horizon Connection Server is installed on a dedicated server that is required to be a member of an Active Directory (AD) domain that is trusted by all Horizon clients. Horizon Connection Server also hosts the Horizon Administrator console, an Adobe Flex-based web application that is used to manage the Horizon environment and perform tasks, such as:
The Horizon Connection Server is one component that is required in every Horizon environment owing to the role it plays as the connection broker and management console. Chapter 2, Implementing Horizon Connection Server, provides the information needed to install and configure a VMware Horizon Connection Server. Chapter 6, Implementing a Horizon Cloud Pod, provides information about the configuration of the Cloud Pod feature that is used to provide Horizon clients access to desktops across multiple Horizon Pods, each Pod representing a standalone installation of VMware Horizon. The following chapters provide information about the deployment of Horizon desktops and management of desktop pools:
Horizon Security Server
VMware Horizon Security Server is a custom instance of the Horizon Connection Server that is designed to be installed in a datacenter demilitarized zone (DMZ), to provide strong authentication and secure access for Horizon clients connecting from outside the organization's private network. Multiple Security Servers may be installed to provide load balancing and high availability to these external clients. The following figure shows the placement of a Horizon Security Server, or Access Point (described next), within a DMZ.
Horizon Security Server is installed on top of a supported version of Microsoft Windows' Server using the same installation package used for Horizon Connection Servers. Horizon Security Server is only required if providing access to Horizon clients residing outside of the company network. Chapter 4, Implementing Horizon Security Server, provides the information needed to install and configure a VMware Horizon Security Server.
Horizon Access Point
VMware Horizon Access Point was first introduced in VMware Horizon 6.2, although it was previously used with the VMware Horizon Air cloud-hosted desktop and application offering. Like Horizon Security Server, Access Point is designed to provide strong authentication, and secure access, for Horizon clients connecting from outside the organizations private network. The figure in the previous section shows the placement of a Horizon Access Point within a DMZ environment, as is typical, since it performs similar functions to Horizon Security Server.
Access Point is packaged in Open Virtualization Format (OVF) and is deployed on vSphere as a hardened, pre-configured Linux-based virtual appliance. Horizon Access Point is provided as an option on Horizon Security Server, and like Security Server, it is only required if providing access for external clients, it is designed to be installed in a DMZ, and multiple appliances may be installed to ensure high availability and load balancing. Chapter 5, Implementing VMware Horizon Access Point, provides the information needed to install and configure a VMware Horizon Access Point.
Tip
VMware recommends that customers using Security Server today should continue to do so, but they have also indicated that Access Point is their primary focus moving forward. New deployments may wish to future-proof their Horizon installation by selecting Access Point, as VMware has indicated that Security Server will be deprecated or possibly even phased out in a future Horizon release. I recommended at least trying Access Point, if for no other reason than it can work with multiple connection servers at once, while Security Servers can only be paired with one connection server at a time. Additionally, Access Point can be deployed or redeployed very quickly and with minimal effort.
Horizon Enrollment Server
VMware Horizon Enrollment Server is new to version 7, is installed as a standalone service and integrates with VMware Identity Manager to enable true Single Sign-On (SSO) for Horizon clients that are using non-AD-based authentication methods such as RSA SecureID. SSO means that, when using non-AD-based authentication methods, users will only need to log into Horizon once to reach their desktop or streamed application. The VMware blog post Introducing True SSO (Single Sign-On) in VMware Horizon 7 (http://blogs.vmware.com/euc/2016/03/true-sso-single-sign-on-view-identity-manager-authenticate.html) provides an overview of this new Horizon feature.
This feature is only used when Horizon clients use non-AD-based methods for authentication. Implementing solutions, such as SecureID and VMware Identity Manager, is outside the scope of this book, which is why the Enrollment Server will not be covered. Consult the Horizon documentation (https://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/view_pubs.html) for additional information about the deployment and configuration of Horizon Enrollment Server.
VMware vSphere
VMware vSphere, also referred to as ESXi or even ESX for earlier versions, is a Type 1 hypervisor that is the virtualization platform used for the vSphere suite of products. Type 1 hypervisors are designed to run directly on the host hardware, whereas Type 2 hypervisors run within a conventional operating system environment.
ESXi is the only hypervisor that is fully supported by VMware for hosting Horizon virtual desktops, as it fully integrates with Horizon for full desktop lifecycle management. All of the primary desktop provisioning and maintenance tasks are performed using the Horizon Administrator console; the vSphere Client is not used. Horizon supports multiple versions of vSphere, but vSphere 6.0 Update 1 and newer are required to leverage many of the latest features of the platform, and vSphere 6.0 Update 2 is required when you want to use the latest version of Virtual SAN (VSAN). Refer to the VMware vCenter Server requirements section for examples of some Horizon features that require a specific version of both vSphere and vCenter Server.
VMware vSphere also includes the VSAN feature that uses local ESXi server storage to build a highly resilient virtual storage area network (SAN) to provide storage for virtual machines. VMware Horizon supports using VSAN, and we will review how to do so in Chapter 7, Using VMware Virtual SAN with Horizon.
VMware vCenter Server
VMware vCenter Server is a software service that provides a central administration point for VMware ESXi servers as well as other components of the vSphere suite. vCenter Server performs the actual creation and management of virtual desktops, based on instructions received from the Horizon Connection Server and the Horizon Composer Server.
Tip
This book includes some information that applies only to the Windows-based version of VMware vCenter, but rest assured that you are free to use the Linux-based vCenter Server Appliance (vCSA) for your VMware Horizon deployment if you wish. The vCSA supports up to the Horizon single Pod maximum of 10,000 desktops, so there are no concerns about scalability. The most significant difference you will encounter (aside from the fact that you will not need to create a separate database for vCenter) is that when you use the vCSA you will be required to deploy a standalone Horizon Composer server, which is what will be demonstrated in Chapter 3, Implementing Horizon Composer.
Horizon Composer
VMware Horizon Composer is a software service that works alongside the VMware vCenter and Horizon Connection Servers to deploy and manage linked clone desktops. Horizon Composer can be installed directly on the vCenter Server, or on a dedicated server.
Horizon Composer is only required if linked clone desktops will be deployed. Chapter 3, Implementing Horizon Composer, provides the information needed to install and configure Horizon Composer.
Tip
Horizon Composer is not required when using Instant Clone desktops; it is only required if you are using linked clone desktops. Linked clone and Instant Clone desktops are similar in how they operate when deployed, but the deployment process itself is quite different.
Horizon Agent
VMware Horizon Agent is a software service that is installed on the systems that will be managed by Horizon. This includes not only a virtual desktop image that will be deployed using Horizon, but any physical desktops or Microsoft RDS Servers as well.
The Horizon agent provides services including, but not limited to, support for connecting the virtual desktop to Horizon's client-attached USB devices, client connection monitoring, Virtual Printing, and single sign-on.
Horizon Client
VMware Horizon Client is a software application that is used to communicate with a Horizon Connection Server, and initiate connections to desktops and Microsoft Windows RDS servers.
The Horizon Client is available for multiple software platforms, including Microsoft Windows, Apple OSX and IOS, Android, and Ubuntu Linux. In addition, there are a number of Thin and Zero clients that come preloaded with Horizon-compatible clients.
VMware App Volumes
VMware App Volumes is an optional component of VMware Horizon that provides multiple capabilities, particularly in environments where floating assignment desktops are used or changes to a virtual desktop are discarded after every session (also known as non-persistent desktops). The deployment and configuration of VMware App Volumes is discussed in detail in Chapter 9, Implementing VMware App Volumes.
The primary features of VMware App Volumes include:
The following diagram shows the logical layering of multiple AppStack and a Writeable Volume on top of the host operating system. Each of the items is attached to the host virtual machine individually when a user logs in, can be removed individually if changes are required, and will follow a user from one login to the next.
App Volumes AppStacks are packaged as a Virtual Machine Disk (VMDK) file and attached to one or more virtual machines as needed. The App Volumes agent seamlessly integrates this VMDK into the virtual machines OS; no actual installation is performed. AppVolumes can even capture an application packaged using VMware ThinApp, which provides organizations who rely on ThinApp with an additional method for distributing its virtualized application packages.
App Volumes creates a unique Writeable Volume for each user, using a VMDK that is also seamlessly integrated into their current virtual machine. The Writable Volumes is attached to the Horizon desktop when the user logs in, and detached upon logoff.
The combination of VMware App Volumes, and VMware User Environment Manager (discussed next), provides organizations with a way to leverage the efficiencies of floating assignment non-persistent desktops (described in Chapter 10, Creating Horizon Desktop Pools), while still providing users a highly personalized desktop experience.
VMware User Environment Manager
VMware User Environment Manager (UEM) is an optional component of VMware Horizon that provides the ability to roam end user Windows profile and persona configuration data, including application settings, across different Windows operating system (OS) versions, or even between physical desktops and virtual desktops or Windows RDS servers.
VMware UEM works with all three Microsoft Windows profile types, including mandatory, roaming, or local. UEM is not a replacement for any of these profile types as it does not roam user data across sessions or devices, only the profile and persona configuration. User data should be saved using techniques such as roaming profiles, or even folder redirection.
Highlights of the benefits of UEM include:
Chapter 8, Implementing VMware User Environment Manager, provides information about how to implement and administer UEM.
VMware ThinApp
VMware ThinApp is an application virtualization platform that integrates with Horizon to provide users with rapid access to new or upgraded applications without having to perform any changes to the virtual desktops. Applications that have been packaged with ThinApp are delivered as a single executable file that runs in complete isolation to both of the other ThinApp packaged applications, as well as applications that are installed on the desktop itself.
ThinApp provides Horizon customers with a number of powerful capabilities. The following list details two popular scenarios where ThinApp can benefit an organization:
This book does not have a dedicated chapter concerning VMware ThinApp; consult the VMware ThinApp documentation page for details about how it is used (https://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/thinapp_pubs.html).
Tip
In Chapter 9, Implementing VMware App Volumes, I will provide an overview of how you can use ThinApp virtualization within an AppStack.
VMware Horizon licensing
VMware Horizon offers four different license levels: Standard, Linux, Advanced, and Enterprise. Additionally, the Advanced and Enterprise licenses may be purchased as named user (NU) or concurrent connection user (CCU) as needed. Named user licenses are recommended when your staff needs dedicated access to Horizon; concurrent connection user licenses are recommended when access to Horizon will be shared among many users, but only a portion of them will be connected at any one time.
The license levels are differentiated by several factors as outlined in the following section. The licenses themselves are sold in 10 and 100 packs.
Visit the VMware Horizon website (http://www.vmware.com/products/horizon-view) for the most recent information concerning licensing options and their costs.
Tip
It is important to note that many of the components, particularly those included with either the Advanced or Enterprise licenses, can be licensed separately. When determining which licenses to buy it may be that you don't need all of the features, for all of your users, and that buying a smaller stand-alone license for those users makes sense from a cost perspective. Consult with VMware or your VMware vendor to determine the optimal licensing strategy for your organization.
When listing the different components included with each VMware Horizon license level you may have noticed that not all of them will be discussed in this book. The primary focus of this book is on VMware Horizon View itself, and those components of VMware Horizon are most commonly used to extend its capabilities and potential use cases. For information about those components consult the following VMware resources:
Tip
This link is for the previous version of the plugin; a new version with support for Horizon 7 should be available by the time this book reaches publication.
VMware Horizon core infrastructure requirements
There are a number of requirements to consider even before the infrastructure needs of the virtual desktops themselves are considered. These include, but are not limited to:
Tip
The online VMware Compatibility Guide (http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php) and Product Interoperability Matrix (http://partnerweb.vmware.com/comp_guide2/sim/interop_matrix.php) maintain an up-to-date listing of supported operating systems, hardware platforms, and product compatibility for all VMware products.
Microsoft infrastructure requirements
VMware Horizon requires Microsoft Active Directory to support the virtual desktop infrastructure. VMware Horizon supports all AD domain functional levels starting with Windows 2003 and up to Windows 2012 R2.
Horizon also requires Domain Name System (DNS) servers that can resolve requests for the standard Microsoft Active Directory Service Record (SRV) and Resource Record (RR) DNS entries. Microsoft domain-integrated DNS servers typically store these DNS entries by default. Incomplete or inaccurate DNS entries can lead to issues with tasks, such as virtual desktop deployment and user authentication.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers are required in the Horizon environment to provide Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to the virtual desktops. In situations where the virtual desktops cannot self-register the IP addresses they have been assigned, the DHCP server should be configured to register the entries with a DNS server that is accessible by the Horizon Connection Server.
Operating system requirements
The following table shows which 64-bit, non-Core Microsoft Windows Server OSs are supported for the each of the different software packages that comprise a Horizon infrastructure. App Volumes host OS requirements will be outlined separately in Chapter 9, Implementing VMware App Volumes.
Operating System
vCenter Server 6.0 U1 (Windows-based)
Horizon Connection Server, Security Server, and Composer
Windows Server 2008 SP2
Supported
Not supported
Windows 2008 R2 (No SP)
Supported
Not supported
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
Supported
Supported
Windows Server 2012
Supported
Not supported
Windows Server 2012 R2
Supported
Supported
While VMware vCenter and the different Horizon servers support a number of different Windows OSs, it is recommended to use the newest supported version to ensure that the servers will not be impacted by any changes in OS support by Microsoft. Additionally, you never know when vSphere or Horizon itself will end support for older OSs, which would impact your ability to perform in-place upgrades.
As Horizon Composer supports only Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 or 2012 R2, any Horizon installation that plans on deploying linked clone desktops, and installing Composer directly on the vCenter Server, will need to choose that specific version of Windows. Refer to the VMware document View Installation (http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/view_pubs.html) for updated information about which Windows OSs are supported.
Database requirements
The following list shows which database types are supported for the core components of a Horizon infrastructure, which includes the Horizon Connection Server, Horizon Composer, and vCenter Server. Unless otherwise noted, both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the specified database platform are supported. Database platforms that support some, but not all, of the components will not be listed. App Volumes database requirements will be outlined separately in Chapter 9, Implementing VMware App Volumes.
For VMware Horizon, visit the product installation guide (http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/view_pubs.html) for updated information on which databases are supported. For VMware vCenter, refer to the Product Interoperability Matrix (http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php) for updated information, or to quickly verify if the databases listed in the Horizon documentation are also supported by vCenter.
vCenter Server requirements
VMware Horizon supports multiple versions of vSphere. The purchase of Horizon licenses entitles users to use the latest supported version of both vSphere and vCenter Servers, although support is maintained for some older versions due to restrictions that some organizations may be under.
The following versions of vSphere are supported by VMware Horizon:
Consult the VMware Product Interoperability Matrix for an updated list of the supported versions of vSphere and vCenter Servers. Supporting earlier versions of vSphere and vCenter Servers is important for customers who are already running earlier versions of either software platform, and cannot, or will not, upgrade for some reason. Even with this support, it is recommended to use dedicated ESXi servers and vCenter Servers for your Horizon environment to ensure that all the latest Horizon features are supported.
There are multiple Horizon features that are supported only if certain other prerequisites are met. Some examples of these vSphere version dependent features are:
A complete list of Horizon features that require specific versions of vSphere or vCenter Server may be found in VMware document View Installation (http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/view_pubs.html) or the View Release Notes (http://pubs.vmware.com/Release_Notes/en/horizon-7-view/horizon-70-view-release-notes.html) that accompany each release of the Horizon platform.
Horizon Agent supported operating systems
The VMware Horizon Agent supports multiple versions of the Microsoft Windows desktop operating system and Microsoft Windows (RDS) Server. The following table outlines which Windows OSs are currently supported.
Windows OS Version
Product Edition
Service Pack
Notes
Windows 10 (32-bit or 64-bit)
Enterprise
None
Instant Clones supported
Windows 8.1 (32-bit or 64-bit)
Enterprise or Professional
Latest update
Instant Clones not supported
Windows 8 (32-bit or 64-bit)
Enterprise or Professional
None
Instant Clones not supported
Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
Enterprise or Professional
SP1
Instant Clones supported
Windows 2012 R2 (64-bit)
Standard or Datacenter
Latest update
When used as RDS host
Windows 2012 R2 (64-bit)
Datacenter
Latest update
When used as desktop
Windows 2012 (64-bit)
Standard or Datacenter
None
Can be used as RDS host only
Windows 2008 R2 (64-bit)
Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter
SP1
When used as RDS host
Windows 2008 R2 (64-bit)
Datacenter
SP1
When used as desktop
To obtain current information about which desktop operating systems and Microsoft RDS servers are supported, please refer to the online VMware Product Interoperability Matrix.
