VMware Horizon Client

for Linux Installation and

Setup Guide
13 DEC 2018
VMware Horizon Client for Linux 4.10
VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

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Copyright © 2012–2018 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright and trademark information.

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 Contents

VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide 6

1 System Requirements and Installation 7

System Requirements for Linux Client Systems 8
System Requirements for Real-Time Audio-Video 10
System Requirements for Serial Port Redirection 11
System Requirements for Multimedia Redirection (MMR) 12
Requirements for Using Flash URL Redirection 13
Requirements for Using Skype for Business with Horizon Client 14
Requirements for the Session Collaboration Feature 15
Smart Card Authentication Requirements 15
Configure Horizon Client for Smart Card Authentication 17
Supported Desktop Operating Systems 17
Preparing Connection Server for Horizon Client 18
Installation Options 19
Install or Upgrade Horizon Client for Linux from VMware Product Downloads 20
Command-Line Installation Options for the Linux Client 22
Enable the Virtual Printing Feature on a Linux Client 24
Configure VMware Blast Options 25
Configure Horizon Client Data Sharing 27
Horizon Client Data Collected by VMware 27

2 Configuring Horizon Client for End Users 30

Common Configuration Settings 30
Using the Horizon Client Command-Line Interface and Configuration Files 31
Horizon Client Configuration Settings and Command-Line Options 32
Using URIs to Configure Horizon Client 46
Syntax for Creating vmware-view URIs 47
Examples of vmware-view URIs 50
Configuring the Certificate Checking Mode for End Users 53
Configuring Advanced TLS Options 53
Configuring Specific Keys and Key Combinations to Send to the Local System 54
Using FreeRDP for RDP Connections 56
Install and Configure FreeRDP 58
Enabling FIPS Compatible Mode 59
Configuring the PCoIP Client-Side Image Cache 59

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3 Managing Remote Desktop and Published Application Connections 62

Connect to a Remote Desktop or Published Application 62
Connect to Published Applications Using Unauthenticated Access 64
Share Access to Local Folders and Drives with Client Drive Redirection 65
Share Folders by Editing a Configuration File 67
Setting the Certificate Checking Mode in Horizon Client 68
Switch Remote Desktops or Published Applications 69
Log Off or Disconnect 70

4 Using a Microsoft Windows Desktop or Application on a Linux System 72

Feature Support Matrix for Linux Clients 72
Internationalization 76
Keyboards and Monitors 76
Use Display Scaling 79
Using DPI Synchronization 80
Use USB Redirection to Connect USB Devices 81
USB Redirection Limitations 83
Using the Real-Time Audio-Video Feature for Webcams and Microphones 84
When You Can Use a Webcam 84
Select a Default Microphone on a Linux Client System 85
Select a Preferred Webcam or Microphone on a Linux Client System 85
Using the Session Collaboration Feature 88
Invite a User to Join a Remote Desktop Session 88
Manage a Collaborative Session 90
Join a Collaborative Session 91
Enable Multi-Session Mode for Published Applications 92
Using the Seamless Window Feature 93
Saving Documents in a Published Application 93
Set Printing Preferences for the Virtual Printing Feature 93
Copying and Pasting Text 95
Configuring the Client Clipboard Memory Size 95
Logging Copy and Paste Activity 96
Enable the Relative Mouse Feature for a Remote Desktop 96
Using Serial Port Redirection 97

5 Troubleshooting Horizon Client 99

Restart a Remote Desktop 99
Reset a Remote Desktop or Published Applications 100
Uninstall Horizon Client for Linux 101
Problems with Keyboard Input 101
Connecting to a Server in Workspace ONE Mode 102

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

6 Configuring USB Redirection on the Client 103

System Requirements for USB Redirection 103
USB-Specific Log Files 104
Setting USB Configuration Properties 105
USB Device Families 109

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux
Installation and Setup Guide

This document, VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide, provides information about
®
installing, configuring, and using VMware Horizon Client™ software on a Linux client system.

The information in this document includes system requirements and instructions for installing and using
Horizon Client for Linux.

This information is intended for administrators who need to set up a Horizon deployment that includes
Linux client systems. The information is written for experienced system administrators who are familiar
with virtual machine technology and datacenter operations.

Note This document pertains mostly to the Horizon Client for Linux that VMware makes available. In
addition, several VMware partners offer thin and zero client devices for Horizon deployments. The
features that are available for each thin or zero client device, and the operating systems supported, are
determined by the vendor, the model, and the configuration that an enterprise chooses to use. For
information about the vendors and models for these client devices, see the VMware Compatibility Guide,
available on the VMware Web site.

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System Requirements and
Installation 1
Client systems must meet certain hardware and software requirements. The process of installing
Horizon Client is like installing most other applications.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n System Requirements for Linux Client Systems

n System Requirements for Real-Time Audio-Video

n System Requirements for Serial Port Redirection

n System Requirements for Multimedia Redirection (MMR)

n Requirements for Using Flash URL Redirection

n Requirements for Using Skype for Business with Horizon Client

n Requirements for the Session Collaboration Feature

n Smart Card Authentication Requirements

n Supported Desktop Operating Systems

n Preparing Connection Server for Horizon Client

n Installation Options

n Install or Upgrade Horizon Client for Linux from VMware Product Downloads

n Configure VMware Blast Options

n Configure Horizon Client Data Sharing

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

System Requirements for Linux Client Systems

The Linux device on which you install Horizon Client, and the peripherals it uses, must meet certain
system configurations that have been tested and are officially supported by VMware.

Note These system requirements pertain to the Horizon Client for Linux that VMware makes available.
In addition, several VMware partners offer thin and zero client devices for Horizon 7 deployments. The
features that are available for each thin or zero client device, and the operating systems supported, are
determined by the vendor and model, and the configuration that an enterprise chooses to use. For
information about the vendors and models for these client devices, see the VMware Compatibility Guide,
available on the VMware Web site.

Note
n Starting with version 7.0, View Agent is renamed Horizon Agent.

n VMware Blast, the display protocol that is available starting with Horizon Client 4.0 and Horizon Agent
7.0, is also known as VMware Blast Extreme.

Architecture i386, x86_64, ARM

Memory At least 2GB of RAM

Operating system The Horizon Client for Linux have been tested on the following operating
systems for this release.

Operating System Version

Ubuntu 32-bit 16.04

Ubuntu 64-bit 16.04, 18.04

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 32-bit 6.10

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 64-bit 6.10, 7.5

OpenSSL requirement Horizon Client requires a specific version of OpenSSL. The correct version
is automatically downloaded and installed.

Horizon Connection Latest maintenance release of Horizon 6.2.x and later releases
Server, Security Server,
If client systems connect from outside the corporate firewall, VMware
and View Agent or
recommends that you use a security server. With a security server, client
Horizon Agent
systems will not require a VPN connection.

Remote (hosted) applications are available only on Horizon 6.0 (or later)
servers.

Display protocol n VMware Blast (requires Horizon Agent 7.0 or later)

n PCoIP

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

n RDP

Screen resolution on Minimum: 1024 X 768 pixels

the client system

Hardware requirements n x86- or x64-based processor with SSE2 extensions, with a 800MHz or
for VMware Blast and higher processor speed.
PCoIP
n Available RAM above system requirements to support various monitor
setups. Use the following formula as a general guide:

20MB + (24 * (# monitors) * (monitor width) * (monitor height))

As a rough guide, you can use the following calculations:

1 monitor: 1600 x 1200: 64MB

2 monitors: 1600 x 1200: 128MB
3 monitors: 1600 x 1200: 256MB

Hardware requirements n x86- or x64-based processor with SSE2 extensions, with a 800MHz or
for RDP higher processor speed.

n 128MB RAM.

Software requirements Use the latest rdesktop version available.

for Microsoft RDP

Software requirements If you plan to use an RDP connection to Horizon desktops and you would
for FreeRDP prefer to use a FreeRDP client for the connection, you must install the
correct version of FreeRDP and any applicable patches. See Install and
Configure FreeRDP.

Other software Horizon Client also has certain other software requirements, depending on
requirements the Linux distribution you use. Be sure to allow the Horizon Client
installation wizard to scan your system for library compatibilities and
dependencies. The following list of requirements pertains only to Ubuntu
distributions.

n libudev.so.0

Note Beginning with Horizon Client 4.2, libudev0 is required to

launch Horizon Client. By default, libudev0 is not installed in some
systems.

n To support idle session timeouts: libXsso.so.1.

n To support Flash URL redirection: libexpat.so.1. (The

libexpat.so.0 file is no longer required.)

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

n To improve performance when using multiple monitors, enable

Xinerama.

System Requirements for Real-Time Audio-Video

Real-Time Audio-Video works with standard webcam, USB audio, and analog audio devices. The feature
also works with standard conferencing applications, such as Skype, WebEx, and Google Hangouts. To
support Real-Time Audio-Video, your Horizon deployment must meet certain software and hardware
requirements.

Virtual desktops Virtual desktops must have View Agent 6.0, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later,
installed.

Published desktops To use the Real-Time Audio-Video feature with published desktops and
and applications applications, Horizon Agent 7.0.2 or later must be installed on the RDS
host.

Horizon Client n Real-Time Audio-Video is supported on x86 and x64 devices. This
computer or client feature is not supported on ARM processors. The client system must
access device meet the following minimum hardware requirements.

Required
Resolution Frame Rate CPU Memory

320 x 240 15 FPS 2 core, 1800 MHz 105 MB

640 x 480 15 FPS 2 core, 2700 MHz 150 MB

1280 x 720 15 FPS 4 core, 3400 MHz 210 MB

n Horizon Client requires the following libraries:

n Video4Linux2

n libv4l

n Pulse Audio

The plug-in file

(/usr/lib/pcoip/vchan_plugins/libviewMMDevRedir.so) has the
following dependencies.:

libuuid.so.1
libv4l2.so.0
libspeex.so.1
libudev0
libtheoradec.so.1
libtheoraenc.so.1
libv4lconvert.so.0
libjpeg.so.8

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

All of these files must be present on the client system or the Real-Time
Audio-Video feature will not work. Note that these dependencies are in
addition to the dependencies required for Horizon Client itself.

n The webcam and audio device drivers must be installed, and the
webcam and audio device must be operable, on the client computer.
You do not need to install the device drivers on the machine where the
agent is installed.

Display protocols n PCoIP

n VMware Blast (requires Horizon Agent 7.0 or later)

System Requirements for Serial Port Redirection

With the serial port redirection feature, end users can redirect locally connected serial (/dev/ttyS) ports,
such as built-in RS232 ports or USB-to-Serial adapters, to their RDS-hosted desktops. To support serial
port redirection, your Horizon deployment must meet certain software and hardware requirements.

RDS-hosted desktops RDS hosts must have Horizon Agent 7.6 or later installed with the Serial
Port Redirection setup option selected. This setup option is deselected by
default.

The following operating systems are supported for RDS-hosted desktops.

n Windows Server 2012 R2

n Windows Server 2016

n Windows Server 2019

Serial port device drivers do not need to be installed in the RDS host.

Horizon Client The serial port redirection feature is supported on Linux systems that are
computer or client supported for this release. Any required serial port device drivers must be
access device installed and the serial port must be operable. Serial port redirection is
available with Horizon Client for Linux 4.9 and later releases.

Nested sessions Beginning with Horizon Client 4.10, the serial port redirection feature is
supported in remote applications that are launched from Horizon Client
inside RDS-hosted desktops (nested sessions). Horizon Client 4.10 or later
must be installed in the RDS-hosted desktops.

Display protocols VMware Blast (requires Horizon Agent 7.0 or later)

Serial port redirection is not supported in RDP or PCoIP desktop sessions.

Virtual desktops Virtual desktops are currently not supported.

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

System Requirements for Multimedia Redirection (MMR)

With multimedia redirection (MMR), the multimedia stream is decoded on the client system. The client
system plays the media content so that the load on the ESXi host is reduced.

Remote desktops n Virtual desktops must have View Agent 6.0.2 or later, or Horizon Agent
7.0 or later, installed.

n Published applications must have View Agent 6.1.1 or later, or

Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, installed on the RDS host.

For information about operating system requirements and other software

requirements and configuration settings, see the topics about Windows
Media Multimedia Redirection in the Configuring Remote Desktop Features
in Horizon 7 document.

Horizon Client Because MMR offloads media processing from the server to the client, the
computer or client client has the following minimum hardware requirements.
access device
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon dual-core

Processor speed: 1.5 GHz for common case, or 1.8 GHz for Full HD

Memory: 2-GB RAM

Video adapter: Hardware accelerated

You must install one of the following libraries to avoid video playback
issues:

n GStreamer core library and gstreamer-ffmpeg 0.10

n GStreamer core library and fluendo 0.10

On Dell Wyse thin clients, video playback might not work with the pre-
installed fluendo library. To resolve the problem, contact Dell support to
obtain the latest fluendo library.

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

Supported media Media formats that Windows Media Player supports, for example: M4V;
formats MOV; MP4; WMP; MPEG-4 Part 2; WMV 7, 8, and 9; WMA; AVI; ACE;
MP3; WAV.

Note DRM-protected content is not redirected through Windows Media

MMR.

GStreamer Framework Set up the GStreamer environment such that the framework is composed of
the graphics card, hardware acceleration API, and GStreamer plug-in that
allow GStreamer to function properly. Table 1‑1 lists the different possible
setup combinations. To ensure the best possible environment, set up your
GStreamer environment using the information in Table 1‑1 for the NVIDIA
and Intel graphic cards.

Table 1‑1. GStreamer Framework Setup

Graphics Card (including
Driver) Hardware Accelerator API GStreamer Plug-in

NVIDIA VDPAU (libvdpau.so) vdpau

Intel VAAPI (libvaapi.so) gstreamer-vaapi

-- OpenMax gst-omx

-- DCE gstreamer-ducati

AMD OVD/UVD Unavailable

To get more detailed information, see

https://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/documentation/tutorials/playback/hardwar
e-accelerated-video-decoding.html.

MMR is not enabled by default. To enable it, you must set the configuration option view.enableMMR. For
more information, see Horizon Client Configuration Settings and Command-Line Options.

Requirements for Using Flash URL Redirection

Streaming Flash content directly from Adobe Media Server to client endpoints decreases the load on the
data center ESXi host, removes the extra routing through the data center, and reduces the bandwidth
required to stream live video events simultaneously to multiple client endpoints.

The Flash URL redirection feature uses a JavaScript script that is embedded inside a Web page by the
Web page administrator. Whenever a remote desktop user clicks the designated URL link from within a
Web page, the script intercepts and redirects the ShockWave File (SWF) from the remote desktop
session to the client endpoint. The endpoint then opens a local VMware Flash Projector outside of the
remote desktop session and plays the media stream locally. Both multicast and unicast are supported.

The Flash URL redirection feature is available only when the correct version of the agent software is
installed. This feature is included in the agent software beginning with View Agent 6.0.

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

To use the Flash URL redirection feature, you must set up your Web page and the client devices. Client
systems must meet the following software requirements.

n This feature is supported for PCoIP only. This feature is not supported on ARM processors.

n Client systems must have IP connectivity to the Adobe Web server that hosts the ShockWave File
(SWF) that initiates the multicast or unicast streaming. If needed, configure your firewall to open the
appropriate ports to allow client devices to access this server.

n Client systems must have the appropriate Flash plug-in installed.

a Install the libexpat.so.1 file, or verify that this file is already installed.

Ensure that the file is installed in the /usr/lib or /usr/local/lib directory.

b Install the libflashplayer.so file, or verify that this file is already installed.

Ensure that the file is installed in the appropriate Flash plug-in directory for your Linux operating
system.

c Install the wget application, or verify that the application file is already installed.

For a list of the remote desktop requirements for Flash URL redirection, and for instructions about how to
configure a Web page to provide a multicast or unicast stream, see the Configuring Remote Desktop
Features in Horizon 7 document.

Requirements for Using Skype for Business with

Horizon Client
An end user can run Skype for Business inside a virtual desktop without negatively affecting the virtual
infrastructure and overloading the network. During Skype audio and video calls, all media processing
takes place on the client machine instead of in the virtual desktop.

To use this feature, you must install the VMware Virtualization Pack for Skype for Business feature on the
client machine during the Horizon Client for Linux installation. For information, see Installation Options .

A Horizon administrator must also install the VMware Virtualization Pack for Skype for Business feature
on the virtual desktop when Horizon Agent is installed. For information about installing Horizon Agent, see
the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 document.

For complete requirements, see "Configure Skype for Business" in the Configuring Remote Desktop
Features in Horizon 7 document.

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

Requirements for the Session Collaboration Feature

With the Session Collaboration feature, users can invite other users to join an existing Windows remote
desktop session. To support the Session Collaboration feature, your Horizon deployment must meet
certain requirements.

Session collaborators To join a collaborative session, a user must have Horizon Client 4.7 or later
for Windows, Mac, or Linux installed on the client system, or must use
HTML Access 4.7 or later.

Windows remote n Horizon Agent 7.4 or later must be installed in the Windows virtual
desktops desktop, or on the RDS host for published desktops.

n The Session Collaboration feature must be enabled at the desktop pool

or farm level. For information about enabling the Session Collaboration
feature for desktop pools, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in
Horizon 7 document. For information about enabling the Session
Collaboration feature for a farm, see the Setting Up Published
Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 document.

You can use Horizon Agent group policy settings to configure the Session
Collaboration feature. For information, see the Configuring Remote
Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

Linux remote desktops For Linux remote desktop requirements, see the Setting Up Horizon 7 for
Linux Desktops document.

Connection Server The Session Collaboration feature requires that the Connection Server
instance uses an Enterprise license.

Display protocols VMware Blast

The Session Collaboration feature does not support published application sessions.

Smart Card Authentication Requirements

Client devices that use a smart card for user authentication must meet certain requirements.

Client Hardware and Software Requirements

PIV smart card authentication is not supported on RedHat 6.x systems.

Each client device that uses a smart card for user authentication must have the following hardware and
software.

n Horizon Client

n A compatible smart card reader

n Smart card reader driver

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

n Smart card driver

n PKCS#11 module

Note It is suggested that you install the OpenSC PKCS#11 module for the PIV Smart Card.

n Product-specific application drivers

Users that authenticate with smart cards must have a smart card and each smart card must contain a
user certificate.

Remote Desktop and Published Application Software

Requirements
A Horizon administrator must install product-specific application drivers on the virtual desktops or RDS
host.

Enabling the User Name Hint Text Box in Horizon Client

In some environments, smart card users can use a single smart card certificate to authenticate to multiple
user accounts. Users enter their user name in the Username hint text box when they sign in with a smart
card.

To make the Username hint text box appear on the Horizon Client login dialog box, you must enable the
smart card user name hints feature in Connection Server. The smart card user name hints feature is
supported only with Horizon 7 version 7.0.2 and later servers and agents. For information about enabling
the smart card user name hints feature, see the Horizon 7 Administration document.

If your environment uses a Unified Access Gateway appliance rather than a security server for secure
external access, you must configure the Unified Access Gateway appliance to support the smart card
user name hints feature. The smart card user name hints feature is supported only with
Unified Access Gateway 2.7.2 and later. For information about enabling the smart card user name hints
feature in Unified Access Gateway, see the Deploying and Configuring Unified Access Gateway
document.

Horizon Client continues to support single-account smart card certificates even when the smart card user
name hints feature is enabled.

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

Additional Smart Card Authentication Requirements

In addition to meeting the smart card requirements for Horizon Client systems, other Horizon components
must meet certain configuration requirements to support smart cards.

Connection Server and An administrator must add all applicable Certificate Authority (CA)
security server hosts certificates for all trusted user certificates to a server truststore file on the
Connection Server or security server host. These certificates include root
certificates and, if an intermediate certificate authority issues the user's
smart card certificate, must also include intermediate certificates.

For information about configuring Connection Server to support smart card

use, see the Horizon 7 Administration document.

Active Directory For information about tasks that an administrator might need to perform in
Active Directory to implement smart card authentication, see the Horizon 7
Administration document.

Configure Horizon Client for Smart Card Authentication

You must perform certain configuration steps to use a smart card in Horizon Client.

Prerequisites

n Install Horizon Client.

n (Optional) To make the Username hint field appear in the Horizon Client login dialog box, enable the
smart card user name hints feature in Connection Server. For more information, see "Setting Up
Smart Card Authentication" in the Horizon 7 Administration document.

Procedure

1 Create the folder /usr/lib/vmware/view/pkcs11.

2 Create a symbol link to the pkcs11 library, which is used for smart card authentication.

For example, run the following command:

sudo ln -s /usr/lib64/pkcs11/opensc-pkcs11.so
/usr/lib/vmware/view/pkcs11/libopenscpkcs11.so

Note Make sure that the symbolic link name to the opensc-pkcs11 library begins with lib.

Supported Desktop Operating Systems

A Horizon administrator creates virtual machines that have a guest operating system and installs agent
software in the guest operating system. End users can log in to these virtual machines from a client
device.

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

For a list of the supported Windows guest operating systems, see the Horizon 7 Installation document.

If you have View Agent 6.1.1 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, some Linux guest operating systems
are also supported. For information about system requirements, configuring Linux virtual machines, and a
list of supported features, see the Setting Up Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops or Setting Up Horizon 7 for
Linux Desktops document.

Preparing Connection Server for Horizon Client

Before end users can connect to a server and access a remote desktop or published application, a
Horizon administrator must configure certain Connection Server settings.

Unified Access Gateway and Security Servers

n If your Horizon deployment includes a Unified Access Gateway appliance, configure Connection
Server to work with Unified Access Gateway. See the Deploying and Configuring Unified Access
Gateway document. Unified Access Gateway appliances perform the same role as security servers.

n If your Horizon deployment includes a security server, verify that you are using the latest maintenance
releases of Connection Server 6.x and Security Server 6.x or later releases. For more information,
see the installation document for your Horizon version.

Secure Tunnel Connection

If you plan to use a secure tunnel connection for client devices, and if the secure connection is configured
with a DNS host name for a Connection Server instance or a security server, verify that the client device
can resolve this DNS name.

Desktop and Application Pools

n Verify that a desktop or application pool has been created and that the user account that you plan to
use is entitled to access the pool. For more information, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in
Horizon 7 and Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 documents.

User Authentication
n To use two-factor authentication, such as RSA SecurID or RADIUS authentication, with
Horizon Client, you must enable the two-factor authentication feature in Connection Server. For more
information, see the topics about two-factor authentication in the Horizon 7 Administration document.

n To hide security information in Horizon Client, including server URL information and the Domain
drop-down menu, enable the Hide server information in client user interface and Hide domain
list in client user interface settings for the Connection Server instance. These global settings are
available in Horizon 7 version 7.1 and later. For information about configuring global settings, see the
Horizon 7 Administration document.

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To authenticate when the Domain drop-down menu is hidden, users must provide domain information
by entering their user name in the format domain\username or username@domain in the User name
text box.

Important If you enable the Hide server information in client user interface and Hide domain
list in client user interface settings and select two-factor authentication (RSA SecureID or RADIUS)
for the Connection Server instance, do not enforce Windows user name matching. Enforcing
Windows user name matching prevents users from entering domain information in the user name text
box and login always fails. For more information, see the topics about two-factor authentication in the
Horizon 7 Administration document.

n To provide end users with unauthenticated access to published applications in Horizon Client, you
must enable this feature in the Connection Server instance. For more information, see the topics
about unauthenticated access in the Horizon 7 Administration document.

Installation Options
During the Horizon Client installation process, you are prompted to confirm whether to install various
components. The default is to install all components.

The following table provides a brief summary of each optional component.

Table 1‑2. Horizon Client for Linux Installation Options

Option Description

Seamless With this feature, users can interact with an application that is running on a remote desktop as if it was a
Window locally running application.

Multimedia Redirects multimedia stream from the desktop to the client machine, where the stream is processed.
Redirection The component file is installed in /usr/lib/vmware/view/vdpService/.
(MMR)

Smart Card Lets users authenticate with smart cards when they use the VMware Blast or PCoIP display protocol.
Although this option is selected in the client installer by default, this option is not selected by default when you
run the Horizon Agent installer in the remote desktop.
Smart card is supported on remote desktops that are deployed on single-user machines and RDS hosts. For
smart card support on RDS hosts, you must have Horizon Agent 6.1.1 or later.
The component files are installed in /usr/lib/pcoip/vchan_plugins/.

Real-Time Redirects webcam and audio devices that are connected to the client system so that they can be used on the
Audio-Video remote desktop.
The component file is installed in /usr/lib/pcoip/vchan_plugins/.

VMware Lets users run Skype for Business inside a virtual desktop without negatively affecting the virtual
Horizon(R) infrastructure and overloading the network. All media processing takes place on the Linux client machine,
Virtualization instead of in the virtual desktop, during Skype audio and video calls.
Pack for Skype The component file is installed in /usr/lib/vmware/mediaprovider.
for Business

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Table 1‑2. Horizon Client for Linux Installation Options (Continued)

Option Description

USB Redirection Gives users access to locally connected USB devices on their desktops and applications.
USB redirection is supported on remote desktops and applications that are deployed on single-user
machines.
The component files are installed in /usr/lib/vmware/view/usb/. If you allow the installer to register and
start installed services after the installation completes, the USB arbitrator daemon, vmware-USBArbitrator,
runs automatically. Otherwise, you can start the daemon manually by running the following command:

sudo /etc/init.d/vmware-USBArbitrator start

Note You can use group policy settings to disable USB redirection for specific users. For more information,
see the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

Virtual Printing Lets users print to any printer available on their client computers. Users do not have to install additional
drivers on their remote desktops.
The component files are installed in /usr/lib/vmware/view/virtualPrinting/. After you install the
client, if you allow the installer to register and start installed services after the installation, you do not need to
configure this feature manually. Otherwise, you can configure and enable this feature by following the
instructions in Enable the Virtual Printing Feature on a Linux Client.
In Horizon 6.0.2 and later, virtual printing is supported on the following remote desktops and applications:
n Desktops that are deployed on single-user machines.
n Desktops that are deployed on RDS hosts, where the RDS hosts are virtual machines.
n Remote applications, which are provided by RDS hosts.
n Remote applications that are launched from Horizon Client inside remote desktops (nested sessions).

Client Drive Lets users share folders and drives on the client computer with remote desktops and applications. Drives can
Redirection include mounted drives and USB storage devices.
The component files are installed in /usr/lib/vmware/view/vdpService/.

Serial Port Lets end users redirect locally connected serial (/dev/ttyS) ports, such as built-in RS232 ports or USB-to-
Redirection Serial adapters, to their RDS-hosted desktops. If you allow the Horizon Client installer to register and start the
installed services after the installation completes successfully, the serial port daemon runs automatically.
Otherwise, you can start the serial port daemon manually by running the following command.

sudo /etc/init.d/ftsprhv start

Install or Upgrade Horizon Client for Linux from VMware

Product Downloads
You can download and run a Horizon Client installer bundle from the VMware Downloads page. This
installer contains modules for features such as USB redirection, Virtual Printing, Real-Time Audio-Video,
smart card, and client drive redirection.

Note On most Linux distributions, the Horizon Client installer bundle starts a GUI wizard. You can also
run the installer with the --console option to start the command-line wizard.

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

Prerequisites

n Verify that the client system runs a supported operating system. See System Requirements for Linux
Client Systems.

n Become familiar with the installation options. See Installation Options.

n Verify that you have root access on the host system.

n Verify that VMware Workstation is not installed on the client system.

n If you plan to use the RDP display protocol to connect to a View desktop, verify that you have the
appropriate RDP client installed. See System Requirements for Linux Client Systems.

n Uninstall any earlier version of the Horizon Client software. See Uninstall Horizon Client for Linux.

n If you plan to use the command-line installer, become familiar with the Linux command-line
installation options. See Command-Line Installation Options for the Linux Client.

n In a python2 environment on Ubuntu 16.04 x64 or x86, and Ubuntu 18.04 x64 distributions, run sudo
apt-get install python-gtk2 to install the gtk2 library.

As part of the installation process, the installer runs a scan of the system libraries to determine whether
the system is compatible with Horizon Client, although you can select to skip the scan.

Procedure

1 On the Linux client system, download the Horizon Client installer file from the Horizon Client Product
Downloads page at http://www.vmware.com/go/viewclients.

The name of the file is VMware-Horizon-Client-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.arch.bundle, where x.x.x is the

version number, yyyyyyy is the build number, and arch is either x86 or x64.

2 Open a Terminal window, change directories to the directory that contains the installer file, and run
the installer, using the appropriate command.

Option Command

For the GUI wizard, if you have set

sudo ./VMware-Horizon-Client-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.arch.bundle
executable permissions

For the GUI wizard, if you have not set

sudo sh ./VMware-Horizon-Client-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.arch.bundle
executable permissions

For the command-line installer

sudo ./VMware-Horizon-Client-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.arch.bundle
--console

The installer wizard appears, prompting you to accept the end-user license agreement.

3 To finish the installation, follow the prompts.

Important You are prompted to allow the installer to register and start installed services after the
installation. Allowing the installer to complete these tasks means that you must manually start USB
redirection services every time you reboot, and you do not need to enable the Virtual Printing feature
manually.

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

4 After installation is complete, specify whether to perform the compatibility scan for libraries that
various feature components depend on.

The system scan displays a result value for each library compatibility.

Result Value Description

Success All needed libraries were found.

Failed The specified library was not found.

Log information about the installation is recorded in /tmp/vmware-root/vmware-installer-pid.log.

What to do next

Start Horizon Client and verify that you can log in to the correct virtual desktop. See Connect to a Remote
Desktop or Published Application.

Command-Line Installation Options for the Linux Client

You can use command-line installation options to install Horizon Client on a Linux system.

Install Horizon Client silently by using the --console option along with other command-line options and
environment variable settings. With silent installation, you can efficiently deploy View components in a
large enterprise.

The following table lists the options you can use when you run the VMware-Horizon-Client-x.x.x-
yyyyyyy.arch.bundle installer file.

Table 1‑3. Linux Command-Line Installation Options

Option Description

--help Displays usage information.

--console Enables you to use the command-line installer in a Terminal window.

--custom Shows all installation questions, even if default answers have been
scripted, such as, for example, by using the --set-setting options.
The default is --regular, which means show only questions that do not
have a default answer.

--eulas-agreed Agrees to the end user license agreement.

--gtk Opens the GUI-based VMware installer, which is the default option. If the
GUI cannot be displayed or loaded for any reason, console mode is used.

--ignore-errors or -I Allows the installation to continue even if there is an error in one of the
installer scripts. Because the section that has an error does not complete,
the component might not be properly configured.

--regular Shows installation questions that have not been answered before or are
required. This is the default option.

--required Shows the license agreement prompt only and then proceeds to install
the client.
The default is --regular, which means show only questions that do not
have a default answer.

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

Table 1‑3. Linux Command-Line Installation Options (Continued)

Option Description

--set-setting vmware-horizon-smartcard Installs the smart card component.

smartcardEnable yes

--set-setting vmware-horizon-rtav Installs the Real-Time Audio-Video component.

rtavEnable yes

--set-setting vmware-horizon-usb usbEnable Installs the USB redirection feature.

yes

--set-setting vmware-horizon-virtual- Installs the virtual printing feature.

printing tpEnable yes

--set-setting vmware-horizon-tsdr Installs the client drive redirection feature.

tsdrEnable yes

--set-setting vmware-horizon-mmr mmrEnable Installs the multimedia redirection (MMR) feature.

yes

--set-setting vmware-horizon-media- Installs the VMware Horizon Virtualization Pack for Skype for Business
provider mediaproviderEnable yes component.

--stop-services Do not register and start installed services.

In addition to the options listed in the table, you can set the following environment variables.

Table 1‑4. Linux Environment Variable Installation Settings

Variable Description

TERM=dumb Displays a very basic text UI.

VMWARE_EULAS_AGREED=yes Allows you to silently accept the product EULAs.

VMIS_LOG_LEVEL=value Use one of the following values for value:

n NOTSET
n DEBUG
n INFO
n WARNING
n ERROR
n CRITICAL
Log information is recorded in /tmp/vmware-root/vmware-installer-pid.log.

Example: Silent Installation Commands

Following is an example of how to install Horizon Client silently, and, for each component, the example
specifies whether to install that component.

sudo env TERM=dumb VMWARE_EULAS_AGREED=yes \

./VMware-Horizon-Client-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.arch.bundle --console \

--set-setting vmware-horizon-usb usbEnable no \

--set-setting vmware-horizon-virtual-printing tpEnable yes \

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

--set-setting vmware-horizon-smartcard smartcardEnable no\

--set-setting vmware-horizon-rtav rtavEnable yes \

--set-setting vmware-horizon-tsdr tsdrEnable yes

This next example shows how to perform a silent installation of Horizon Client using the default settings.

sudo env TERM=dumb VMWARE_EULAS_AGREED=yes \

./VMware-Horizon-Client-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.arch.bundle --console --required

Enable the Virtual Printing Feature on a Linux Client

The installer bundle for Horizon Client 3.2 and later includes a virtual printing component. If you have
Horizon Client 3.2, you must create a configuration file and set some environment variables to enable the
feature..

The virtual printing feature lets end users use local or network printers from a remote desktop without
requiring that additional print drivers be installed in the remote desktop.

Important Performing this procedure is usually not necessary if you have Horizon Client 3.4 or later
because you can specify during client installation that the installer should register and start installed
services after installation. When the user launches the client, a configuration file is automatically created
and placed in the user's home directory

Prerequisites

You must use the installer bundle provided by VMware to install Horizon Client 3.2 or later. The virtual
printing component is then installed by default.

Procedure

1 Open a Terminal window and enter a command to create a folder named .thnuclnt in the home
directory.

$ mkdir ~/.thnuclnt/

Note Because this file is created in a specific user's home directory, the file needs to be created for
each user who will be using the Linux client system.

2 Use a text editor to create a configuration file called thnuclnt.conf in the ~/.thnuclnt folder, and
add the following text to the file:

autoupdate = 15
automap = true
autoid = 0
updatecount = 1
editcount = 0

connector svc {

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

protocol = listen
interface = /home/user/.thnuclnt/svc
setdefault = true
}

In this text, substitute the user name for user.

3 Save and close the file.

4 Enter a command to start the thnuclnt process.

$ thnuclnt -fg

5 Enter the commands to set the environment variables for the virtual printing components.

$ export TPCLIENTADDR=/home/user/.thnuclnt/svc
$ export THNURDPIMG=/usr/bin/thnurdp

6 To launch Horizon Client, start the vmware-view process.

The printers that normally appear in the client are now also redirected so that they appear in the Print
dialog boxes in your remote desktop.

7 (Optional) If you ever want to disable the virtual printing feature, use the following steps:

a Enter a command to stop the thnuclnt process.

$ killall thnuclnt

b Disconnect from the remote desktop and reconnect to the desktop.

The printers will no longer be redirected.

Configure VMware Blast Options

You can configure VMware Blast options for remote desktop and published application sessions that use
the VMware Blast display protocol.

You can allow H.264 decoding. You can also allow increased color fidelity when H.264 decoding is
allowed. This feature is not supported on ARM processors.

The maximum resolution that is supported depends on the capability of the graphical processing unit
(GPU) on the client. A GPU that can support 4K resolution for JPEG/PNG might not support 4K resolution
for H.264.

H.264 decoding is supported on AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel GPUs. H.264 decoding requires that the
graphics library OpenGL 3.2 or later is installed for AMD and NVIDIA GPUs.

If you plan to use H.264 decoding with a NVIDIA GPU, install VDPAU (Video Decode and Presentation
API for UNIX). VDPAU is no longer included with the latest NVIDIA driver and must be installed
separately.

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

To use H.264 with an Intel GPU, the Intel VA-API driver and the GLX VA-API libraries are required.
Running the command vainfo shows the H.264 profiles. If the VA-API driver version is 1.2.x or earlier,
you must add the entry mks.enableGLBasicRenderer = TRUE
to /etc/vmware/config, /usr/lib/vmware/config, or ~/.vmware/config. The configuration files are
processed in the following order:

1 /etc/vmware/config

2 /usr/lib/vmware/config

3 ~/.vmware/config

With Red Hat 7.x, Intel GPU, Intel driver version 1.2 or earlier, OpenGL 3.2, and H.264 enabled, you must
add the following entries to one of the three configuration files to avoid display issues such as a black
screen.

mks.enableGLRenderer=FALSE
mks.enableGLBasicRenderer=TRUE

You can configure H.264 decoding and high color accuracy before or after you connect to a server.

Note In earlier Horizon Client versions, you had to select a network condition option to provide the best
user experience with VMware Blast. In this release, Horizon Client senses current network conditions and
chooses one or more transports to provide the best user experience automatically.

Prerequisites

To use H.264 decoding, Horizon Agent 7.0 or later must be installed.

To allow increased color fidelity when H.264 decoding is allowed, Horizon Agent 7.4 or later must be
installed.

Procedure

1 Select File > Configure VMware Blast from the menu bar.

2 To allow H.264 decoding in Horizon Client, select the H.264 check box.

n When this option is selected (the default setting) and the client GPU has an H.264 hardware
decoder, Horizon Client uses H.264 4.2.0 hardware decoding.

n If the client GPU does not have an H.264 hardware decoder and this option is selected,
Horizon Client 4.8 or earlier uses JPG/PNG decoding.

n When this option is selected and if the client GPU does not have an H.264 hardware decoder and
the increased color fidelity feature is not allowed, Horizon Client 4.9 or later uses H.264 4.2.0
software decoding.

n When this option is deselected, Horizon Client uses JPG/PNG decoding.

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

3 To allow increased color fidelity when H.264 decoding is allowed in Horizon Client, select the High
Color Accuracy check box.

When this option is selected, Horizon Client 4.9 or later uses H.264 4.4.4 software decoding,
regardless of whether or not the client GPU has an H.264 hardware decoder. Selecting this option
might reduce battery life and performance. This feature is disabled by default.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

Changes for H.264 take effect the next time a user connects to a remote desktop or published application
and selects the VMware Blast display protocol. Your changes do not affect existing VMware Blast
sessions.

Configure Horizon Client Data Sharing

If your Horizon administrator has opted to participate in the customer experience improvement program,
VMware collects and receives anonymous data on client systems to prioritize hardware and software
compatibility. You can configure whether to share information on your client system by enabling or
disabling a setting in Horizon Client.

Horizon Client data sharing is enabled by default. The view.enableDataSharing configuration key is
initially set to "TRUE" in the ~/.vmware/view-preferences file. You must configure the data sharing
setting before you connect to a server. The setting is applied to all servers. You cannot change the
Horizon Client data sharing setting after you connect to a server.

Procedure

1 Select File > Configure data sharing from the menu bar.

2 To enable or disable Horizon Client data sharing, select or deselect the Allow data sharing check
box.

3 Click OK to save your changes.

Your preference is stored using the view.enableDataSharing configuration key in the

~/.vmware/view-preferences configuration file.

Horizon Client Data Collected by VMware

If a Horizon administrator has opted to participate in the customer experience improvement program, and
data sharing is enabled on the client system, VMware collects data about the client system.

VMware collects data about client systems to prioritize hardware and software compatibility. If your
Horizon administrator has opted to participate in the customer experience improvement program, VMware
collects anonymous data about your deployment to respond better to customer requirements. VMware
does not collect data that identifies your organization. Horizon Client information is sent first to the
Connection Server instance and then to VMware, along with data about Connection Server, desktop
pools, and remote desktops.

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

The information is encrypted when it is in transit to the Connection Server instance. The information on
the client system is logged unencrypted in a user-specific directory. The logs do not contain personally
identifiable information.

A Horizon administrator can select whether to participate in the VMware customer experience
improvement program when installing Connection Server or by setting an option in Horizon Administrator
after the installation.

Table 1‑5. Data Collected from Horizon Clients for the Customer Experience Improvement
Program
Is This Field
Made
Description Anonymous? Example Value

Company that produced the Horizon Client No VMware

application

Product name No VMware Horizon Client

Client product version No (The format is x.x.x-yyyyyy, where x.x.x is the client version
number and yyyyyy is the build number.)

Client binary architecture No Examples include the following:

n i386
n x86_64
n arm

Client build name No Examples include the following:

n VMware-Horizon-Client-Win32-Windows
n VMware-Horizon-Client-Linux
n VMware-Horizon-Client-iOS
n VMware-Horizon-Client-Mac
n VMware-Horizon-Client-Android
n VMware-Horizon-Client-WinStore

Host operating system No Examples include the following:

n Windows 8.1
n Windows 7, 64-bit Service Pack 1 (Build 7601 )
n iPhone OS 5.1.1 (9B206)
n Ubuntu 12.04.4 LTS
n Mac OS X 10.8.5 (12F45)

Host operating system kernel No Examples include the following:

n Windows 6.1.7601 SP1
n Darwin Kernel Version 11.0.0: Sun Apr 8 21:52:26 PDT
2012; root:xnu-1878.11.10~1/RELEASE_ARM_S5L8945X
n Darwin 11.4.2
n Linux 2.6.32-44-generic #98-Ubuntu SMP Mon Sep 24
17:27:10 UTC 2012
n unknown (for Windows Store)

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

Table 1‑5. Data Collected from Horizon Clients for the Customer Experience Improvement
Program (Continued)
Is This Field
Made
Description Anonymous? Example Value

Host operating system architecture No Examples include the following:

n x86_64
n i386
n armv71
n ARM

Host system model No Examples include the following:

n Dell Inc. OptiPlex 960
n iPad3,3
n MacBookPro8,2
n Dell Inc. Precision Workstation T3400 (A04 03/21/2008)

Host system CPU No Examples include the following:

n Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GH
n Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GH
n unknown (for iPad)

Number of cores in the host system's No For example: 4

processor

MB of memory on the host system No Examples include the following:

n 4096
n unknown (for Windows Store)

Number of USB devices connected No 2 (USB device redirection is supported only for Linux, Windows,
and Mac clients.)

Maximum concurrent USB device No 2

connections

USB device vendor ID No Examples include the following:

n Kingston
n NEC
n Nokia
n Wacom

USB device product ID No Examples include the following:

n DataTraveler
n Gamepad
n Storage Drive
n Wireless Mouse

USB device family No Examples include the following:

n Security
n Human Interface Device
n Imaging

USB device use count No (Number of times the device was shared)

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Configuring Horizon Client for
End Users 2
Configuring Horizon Client for end users can involve constructing URIs, setting the certificate verification
mode, modifying advanced TLS/SSL options, configuring specific keys and key combinations, setting
display protocol options, and enabling FIPS Compatible mode.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Common Configuration Settings

n Using the Horizon Client Command-Line Interface and Configuration Files

n Using URIs to Configure Horizon Client

n Configuring the Certificate Checking Mode for End Users

n Configuring Advanced TLS Options

n Configuring Specific Keys and Key Combinations to Send to the Local System

n Using FreeRDP for RDP Connections

n Enabling FIPS Compatible Mode

n Configuring the PCoIP Client-Side Image Cache

Common Configuration Settings

Horizon Client provides several configuration mechanisms that simplify the login and remote desktop
selection experience for end users, and enforce security policies.

The following table shows only some of the configuration settings that you can set in one or more ways.

Table 2‑1. Common Configuration Settings

Setting Mechanisms for Configuring

Server address URI, Configuration File Property, Command Line

Active Directory user name URI, Configuration File Property, Command Line

Domain name URI, Configuration File Property, Command Line

Remote desktop display name URI, Configuration File Property, Command Line

Window size URI, Configuration File Property, Command Line

Display protocol URI, Configuration File Property, Command Line

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

Table 2‑1. Common Configuration Settings (Continued)

Setting Mechanisms for Configuring

Configuring certificate checking Configuration File Property

Configuring TLS protocols and Configuration File Property, Command Line

cryptographic algorithms

Using the Horizon Client Command-Line Interface and

Configuration Files
You can configure Horizon Client using command-line options or equivalent properties in a configuration
file.

You can use the vmware-view command-line interface or set properties in configuration files to define
default values your users see in Horizon Client or to suppress some dialog boxes from prompting users
for information. You can also specify settings that you do not want users to change.

Processing Order for Configuration Settings

When Horizon Client starts up, configuration settings are processed from various locations in the
following order:

1 /etc/vmware/view-default-config

2 ~/.vmware/view-preferences

3 Command-line arguments

4 /etc/vmware/view-mandatory-config

If a setting is defined in multiple locations, the value that is used is the value from the last file or
command-line option read. For example, to specify settings that override users' preferences, set
properties in the /etc/vmware/view-mandatory-config file.

To set default values that users can change, use the /etc/vmware/view-default-config file. After
users change a setting, when they exit Horizon Client, any changed settings are saved in the
~/.vmware/view-preferences file.

Properties That Prevent Users from Changing Defaults

For many properties, you can set a corresponding view.allow property that controls whether users are
allowed to change the setting. For example, if you set the view.allowDefaultBroker property to
"FALSE" in the /etc/vmware/view-mandatory-config file, users will not be able to change the name
of the server when they connect using Horizon Client.

Syntax for Using the Command-Line Interface

Use the following form of the vmware-view command from a terminal window.

vmware-view [command-line-option [argument]] ...

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By default, the vmware-view command is located in the /usr/bin directory.

You can use either the short form or the long form of the option name, although not all options have a
short form. For example, to specify the domain you can use either -d (short form) or --domainName=
(long form). You might choose to use the long form to make a script more human-readable.

You can use the --help option to get a list of command-line options and usage information.

Important If you need to use a proxy, use the following syntax:

http_proxy=proxy_server_URL:port https_proxy=proxy_server_URL:port vmware-view options

This workaround is required because you must clear the environment variables that were previously set
for the proxy. If you do not perform this action, the proxy exception setting does not take effect in
Horizon Client. You configure a proxy exception for the View Connection Server instance.

Horizon Client Configuration Settings and Command-Line Options

For your convenience, almost all configuration settings have both a key=value property and a
corresponding command-line option name. For a few settings, there is a command-line option but no
corresponding property you can set in a configuration file. For a few other settings, you must set a
property because no command-line option is available.

Important Some command-line options and configuration keys are available only with the version of
Horizon Client provided by third-party vendors. For more information about VMware thin-client and zero-
client partners, see the VMware Compatibility Guide at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php?deviceCategory=vdm.

Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

view.allMonitors --allmonitors Hides the host operating system and opens the
Horizon Client user interface in full screen mode
on all monitors that are connected when the
client is launched.
If you are setting the configuration key, specify
"TRUE" or "FALSE". Default is "FALSE".

view.allowDefaultBroker -l, --lockServer Using this command-line option, or setting the

property to "FALSE", disables the Server field
unless the client has never connected to any
server, and no server address is provided in the
command line or the preferences file.
Example of using the command-line option:

--lockServer -s view.company.com

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys (Continued)
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

view.autoConnectBroker None Automatically connects to the last Horizon server

used unless the view.defaultBroker
configuration property is set or unless the
--serverURL= command-line option is used.
Specify "TRUE" or "FALSE". Default is "FALSE".
Setting this property and the
view.autoConnectDesktop property to "TRUE"
is the equivalent of setting the
view.nonInteractive property to "TRUE".

view.autoConnectDesktop None Automatically connects to the last Horizon

desktop used unless the view.defaultDesktop
configuration property is set or unless the
--desktopName= command-line option is used.
Specify "TRUE" or "FALSE". Default is "FALSE".
Setting this property and the
view.autoConnectBroker property to "TRUE"
is the equivalent of setting the
view.nonInteractive property to "TRUE".

view.autoDisconnectEmptyAppSession
None When set to "TRUE" (the default), if the
application session becomes empty because the
user quits all applications, a message is
displayed to the end user. This message
prompts the user to choose between
disconnecting the empty session or keeping the
empty session running. If set to "FALSE", the
session is closed according to the timeout
setting used in Horizon Administrator, which by
default might be to disconnect after one minute.

view.autoHideToolbar None Specifies whether the toolbar is to be

automatically hidden or pinned by default.
Specify "TRUE" to automatically hide the toolbar.
Default is "FALSE".
This option can also be set by starting Horizon
Client, selecting File > Preferences from the
menu bar and then selecting the Auto-hide
toolbar checkbox.

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Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys (Continued)
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

view.BENITServerConnectionMode None Sets the connection mode to use when

connecting to the Horizon Connection Server
instance. Use one of the following values:
n "T" to force a TCP connection only.
n "U" to force a UDP connection only.
n "4" to force a connection using an IPv4
address.
n "T4" to force a TCP connection only and
use an IPv4 address.
n "U4" to force a UDP connection only and
use an IPv4 address.
n "bypass" to use the legacy BEAT
connection mode.

view.BENITTcpConnectCount None Use this value when connecting from an

extremely high-loss network (greater than 20%
packet loss). Set the default value to 12.

Important This option must always be used

with the view.BENITUdpSendCount
configuration key.

view.BENITUdpSendCount None Use this value when connecting from an

extremely high-loss network (greater than 20%
packet loss). Set the default value to 12.

Important This option must always be used

with the view.BENITTcpConnectCount
configuration key.

view.defaultAppHeight None Specifies the default height of the window for

remote applications, in pixels. Use this property
and view.defaultAppWidth when specifying a
custom desktop size (view.defaultAppSize
property is set to "5"). Default is "480".

view.defaultAppSize --appSize= Sets the default size of the window for remote
applications:
n To use all monitors, specify "1".
n To use full screen mode on one monitor,
specify "2".
n To use a large window, specify "3".
n To use a small window, specify "4".
n To set a custom size, specify "5"and then
also set the view.defaultAppWidth and
view.defaultAppHeight properties.
Default is "1".

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys (Continued)
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

view.defaultAppWidth None Specifies the default width of the window for

remote applications, in pixels. Use this property
and view.defaultAppHeight when specifying
a custom desktop size (view.defaultAppSize
property is set to "5"). Default is "640".

view.defaultBroker -s, --serverURL= Adds the name that you specify to the Server
field in Horizon Client. Specify a fully qualified
domain name. You can also specify a port
number if you do not use the default 443.
Default is the most recently used value.
Examples of using the command-line option:

--serverURL=https://view.company.com
-s view.company.com
--serverURL=view.company.com:1443

view.defaultDesktop -n, --desktopName= Specifies which desktop to use when

autoConnectDesktop is set to "TRUE" and the
user has access to multiple desktops.
The value specified is the name you can see in
the Select Desktop dialog box. The name is
usually the pool name.

view.defaultDesktopHeight None Specifies the default height of the window for the
Horizon desktop, in pixels. Use this property and
view.defaultDesktopWidth when specifying a
custom desktop size
(view.defaultDesktopSize property is set to
"5").

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VMware Horizon Client for Linux Installation and Setup Guide

Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys (Continued)
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

view.defaultDesktopSize --desktopSize= Sets the default size of the window for the
Horizon desktop:
n To use all monitors, set the property to "1"
or use the command-line argument "all".
n To use full screen mode on one monitor, set
the property to "2" or use the command-line
argument "full".
n To use a large window, set the property to
"3" or use the command-line argument
"large".
n To use a small window, set the property to
"4" or use the command-line argument
"small".
n To set a custom size, set the property to
"5"and then also set the
view.defaultDesktopWidth and
view.defaultDesktopHeight properties.
Alternatively, specify the width by height, in
pixels, at the command line as
"widthxheight".
Examples of using the command-line option:

--desktopSize="1280x800"
--desktopSize="all"

view.defaultDesktopWidth None Specifies the default width of the window for the
Horizon desktop, in pixels. Use this property and
view.defaultDesktopHeight when specifying
a custom desktop size
(view.defaultDesktopSize property is set to
"5").

view.defaultDomain -d, --domainName= Sets the domain name that Horizon Client uses
for all connections and adds the domain name
that you specify to the Domain Name field in the
authentication dialog box.

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Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys (Continued)
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

view.defaultLogLevel None Sets the log level for Horizon Client logs. Set the
property to one of the following values:
n "0" means include all log events.
n "1" means include trace-level events and
events captured for settings 2 though 6.
n "2" means include debug events and events
captured for settings 3 through 6.
n "3" (the default) means include info-level
events and events captured for settings 4
through 6.
n "4" means include warning, error, and fatal
events.
n "5" means include error and fatal events.
n "6" means include fatal events.
Default is "3".

view.defaultPassword -p "-", --password="-" For VMware Blast, PCoIP, and rdesktop

connections, always specify "-" to read the
password from stdin.
Sets the password that Horizon Client uses for
all connections and if Horizon Connection Server
accepts password authentication, adds the
password to the Password field in the
authentication dialog box.

Note You cannot use a blank password. That

is, you cannot specify --password=""

view.defaultProtocol --protocol= Specifies which display protocol to use. Specify

"PCOIP" or "BLAST" or "RDP". These values are
case-sensitive. For example, if you enter rdp,
the protocol used is the default. Default is the
setting specified in Horizon Administrator, under
pool settings for the pool.
If you use RDP and you want to use FreeRDP
rather than rdesktop, you must also use the
rdpClient setting.

view.defaultUser -u, --userName= Sets the user name that Horizon Client uses for
all connections and adds the user name that you
specify to the User Name field in the
authentication dialog box.
For kiosk mode, the account name can be based
on the client's MAC address, or it can begin with
a recognized prefix string, such as custom-.

view.disableMaximizedApp --disableMaximizedApp If set to "FALSE" (the default), the application is

launched in full screen mode.

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Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys (Continued)
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

view.enableDataSharing None Specifies whether Horizon Client is allowed to

share anonymous data on your client system.
Set the value to "TRUE" or "FALSE". Default is
"TRUE".

view.enableDisplayScaling None Specifies whether the display scaling feature is

enabled for all remote desktops. Set the value to
"TRUE" or "FALSE". When this setting is set to
"FALSE", the display scaling feature is disabled
for all remote desktops. If this setting is not
configured or is set to "TRUE" (the default
setting), display scaling is enabled for all remote
desktops.

view.enableH264 None Enables or disables H.264 decoding.

Specify "TRUE" or "FALSE". Default is "TRUE".
See Configure VMware Blast Options for more
information.

view.enableMMR None Enables or disables multimedia redirection

(MMR).
Specify "TRUE" or "FALSE". Default is "FALSE".

view.enableRelativeMouse None Specifies whether to force enable or disable the

Horizon Client relative mouse feature for the
current remote desktop session. If you set the
configuration key, specify "1" to force enable the
feature and "0" to force disable it. Any other
values are invalid and ignored. The specified
value can not be edited during the current
remote desktop session. If the remote desktop
does not support the relative mouse, this setting
is not used. If this setting is not configured (the
default setting), end users can enable and
disable the relative mouse feature using
Connection > Enable Relative Mouse from the
Horizon Client menu bar.

view.fullScreen --fullscreen Hides the host operating system and opens the
Horizon Client user interface in full screen mode
on one monitor. This option does not affect the
screen mode of the desktop session.
If you are setting the configuration key, specify
"TRUE" or "FALSE". Default is "FALSE".

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Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys (Continued)
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

view.kbdLayout -k, --kbdLayout= Specifies which locale to use for the keyboard
layout.

Note rdesktop uses locale codes, such as

"fr" and "de", whereas freerdp uses
keyboard layout IDs. For a list of these IDs, use
the following command:

xfreerdp --kbd-list

Example of using the command-line option for

rdesktop:

--kbdLayout="en-us"
-k "fr"

Example of using the command-line option for

freerdp:

-k "0x00010407"

view.kioskLogin --kioskLogin Specifies that Horizon Client is going to

authenticate using a kiosk mode account.
If you are setting the configuration key, specify
"TRUE" or "FALSE". Default is "FALSE".
For examples, see the kiosk mode example that
follows this table.

view.mmrPath -m, --mmrPath= (Available only with distributions from third-party

vendors) Specifies the path to the directory that
contains the Wyse MMR (multimedia redirection)
libraries.
Example of using the command-line option:

--mmrPath="/usr/lib/altmmr"

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Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys (Continued)
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

view.monitors --monitors= numbered list Allows you to specify which adjacent monitors to
use for Horizon Client. Use --allmonitors (or
view.allMonitors) to specify that you want to
use a full screen on all monitors, and use
--monitors=numbered list to specify which
subset of the monitors to use.
Example of using the command-line option to
specify the first and second monitors in a
configuration where 3 monitors are set next to
each other horizontally:

--allmonitors --monitors="1,2" `

To help distinguish which physical monitor is

associated with a monitor icon in the client UI, a
rectangle is displayed at the top left corner of the
physical monitor you had specified to use. The
rectangle has the corresponding color and
number that is used in the icon for the selected
monitor.

view.noMenuBar --nomenubar Suppresses the Horizon Client menu bar when

the client is in full screen mode, so that users
cannot access menu options to log out of, reset,
or disconnect from a Horizon desktop. Use this
option when configuring kiosk mode.
If you are setting the configuration key, specify
"TRUE" or "FALSE". Default is "FALSE".

view.nonInteractive -q, --nonInteractive Hides unnecessary UI steps from end users by

skipping the screens that are specified in the
command line or configuration properties.
If you are setting the configuration key, specify
"TRUE" or "FALSE". Default is "FALSE".
Setting this property to "TRUE" is the equivalent
of setting the view.autoConnectBroker and
view.autoConnectDesktop properties to
"TRUE".
Example of using the command-line option:

--nonInteractive
--
serverURL="https://view.company.com"
--userName="user1" --password="-"
--domainName="xyz"
--desktopName="Windows 7"

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Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys (Continued)
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

view.once --once Specifies that you do not want Horizon Client to

retry connecting if an error is occurring.
Specify this option if you use kiosk mode, and
use the exit code to handle the error. Otherwise,
you might find it difficult to kill the vmware-view
process remotely.
If you are setting the configuration key, specify
"TRUE" or "FALSE". Default is "FALSE".

view.rdesktopOptions --rdesktopOptions= (Available if you use the Microsoft RDP display

protocol.) Specifies command-line options to
forward to the rdesktop application. For
information about rdesktop options, see the
rdesktop documentation.
Example of using the command-line option:

--rdesktopOptions="-f -m"

None -r, --redirect= (Available if you use the Microsoft RDP display
protocol.) Specifies a local device that you want
rdesktop to redirect to the Horizon desktop.
Specify the device information that you want to
pass to the -r option of rdesktop. You can set
multiple device options in a single command.
Example of using the command-line option:

--redirect="sound:off"

view.rdpClient --rdpclient= (Available if you use the Microsoft RDP display

protocol.) Specifies which type of RDP client to
use. The default is rdesktop. To use FreeRDP
instead, specify xfreerdp.

Note To use FreeRDP, you must have the

correct version of FreeRDP installed and any
applicable patches. For more information, see
Install and Configure FreeRDP.

None --save Saves the user name and domain name that
were last used to successfully log in so that you
do not need to enter them the next time you are
prompted to supply login credentials.

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Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys (Continued)
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

view.sendCtrlAltDelToLocal None (Available if you use the VMware Blast or PCoIP

display protocol.) When set to "TRUE", sends the
key combination Ctrl+Alt+Del to the client system
rather than opening a dialog box to prompt the
user to disconnect from the Horizon desktop.
Default is "FALSE".

Note If you use the Microsoft RDP display

protocol, you can achieve this functionality by
using the -K option; for example, vmware-view
-K.

This option has the same priority as the setting

in the /etc/vmware/view-keycombos-config
file.

view.sendCtrlAltDelToVM None (Available if you use the VMware Blast or PCoIP

display protocol.) When set to "TRUE", sends the
key combination Ctrl+Alt+Del to the virtual
desktop rather than opening a dialog box to
prompt the user to disconnect from the Horizon
desktop. Default is "FALSE".
This option has a higher priority than the setting
in the /etc/vmware/view-keycombos-config
file.

view.sendCtrlAltInsToVM None (Available if you use the VMware Blast or PCoIP

display protocol.) When set to "TRUE", sends the
key combination Ctrl+Alt+Ins to the virtual
desktop rather than sending Ctrl+Alt+Del.
Default is "FALSE".

Note To use this feature, you must also set the

agent-side GPO policy called "Use alternate key
for sending Secure Attention Sequence,"
available in the pcoip.adm template. See the
topic called "PCoIP Keyboard Settings" in the
"Configuring Policies for Desktop and Application
Pools" chapter of the Configuring Remote
Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

This option has a lower priority than the setting

in the /etc/vmware/view-keycombos-config
file.

view.shareRemovableStorage None When set to "TRUE", enables the Allow access

to removable storage option. Default is
"TRUE".

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Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys (Continued)
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

view.sslCipherString --sslCipherString= Configures the cipher list to restrict the use of

certain cryptographic algorithms before
establishing an encrypted SSL connection.
For a list of cipher strings, see
http://www.openssl.org/docs/apps/ciphers.html .
The default for Horizon Client is "!aNULL:kECDH
+AESGCM:ECDH+AESGCM:RSA
+AESGCM:kECDH+AES:ECDH+AES:RSA
+AES".

view.sslProtocolString --sslProtocolString= Configures the cipher list to restrict the use of

certain cryptographic protocols before
establishing an encrypted SSL connection.
The supported protocols are TLSv1.1, and
TLSv1.2. The cipher list consists of one or more
protocol strings separated by colons. The strings
are not case-sensitive.
The default is "TLSv1.1:TLSv1.2".

view.sslVerificationMode None Sets the server certificate verification mode.

Specify "1" to reject connections when the
certificate fails any of the verification checks, "2"
to warn but allow connections that use a self-
signed certificate, or "3" to allow unverifiable
connections. If you specify "3", no verification
checks are performed. Default is "2".

view.UnauthenticatedAccessEnabled--unauthenticatedAccessEnabled When set to "TRUE", the Unauthenticated

Access feature is enabled by default. The Log in
anonymously using Unauthenticated Access
setting is visible in the user interface and is
marked as selected.
When set to "FALSE", the Unauthenticated
Access feature is disabled. The Log in
anonymously using Unauthenticated Access
setting is hidden and deselected.
When set to "", the Unauthenticated Access
feature is disabled, and the Log in
anonymously using Unauthenticated Access
setting is visible from the user interface and
deselected.
If you are setting the configuration key, specify
"TRUE" or "FALSE".
Examples for using the command-line option:

--
unauthenticatedAccessEnabled="TRUE"

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Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys (Continued)
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

view.UnauthenticatedAccessAccount--unauthenticatedAccessAccount Specifies the account to use when

unauthenticatedAccessEnabled is set to
"TRUE".
If the unauthenticatedAccessEnabled is set
to "FALSE", then this configuration is ignored.
Example for using the command-line option with
the anonymous1 user account:

--
unauthenticatedAccessAccount='anonymo
us1'

view.usbAutoConnectAtStartup —-usbAutoConnectAtStartUp= Automatically redirects USB devices to a Horizon

desktop if the USB devices were inserted into
the host system before the desktop is
connected. This option does not apply to remote
applications.
Specify "TRUE" or "FALSE". Default is "TRUE".

view.usbAutoConnectOnInsert -—usbAutoConnectOnInsert= Automatically redirects USB devices to a Horizon

desktop when the USB devices are inserted into
the host system after the desktop is connected.
This option does not apply to remote
applications.
Specify "TRUE" or "FALSE". Default is "TRUE".

view.xfreerdpOptions --xfreerdpOptions= (Available if you use the Microsoft RDP display

protocol.) Specifies command-line options to
forward to the xfreerdp program. For
information about xfreerdp options, see the
xfreerdp documentation.

Note To use FreeRDP, you must have the

correct version of FreeRDP installed and any
applicable patches. For more information, see
Install and Configure FreeRDP.

None --enableNla (Applies if you are using FreeRDP for RDP

connections.) Enables network-level
authentication (NLA). You must use this option
and the --ignore-certificate option. For
more information, see Using FreeRDP for RDP
Connections.
NLA is turned off by default if you are using
FreeRDP.
You must have the correct version of FreeRDP
installed and any applicable patches. For more
information, see Install and Configure FreeRDP.

Note The rdesktop program does not support

NLA.

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Table 2‑2. Horizon Client Command-Line Options and Configuration File Keys (Continued)
Configuration Key Command-Line Option Description

None --printEnvironmentInfo Displays information about the environment of a

client device, including its IP address, MAC
address, machine name, and domain name.
For kiosk mode, you can create an account for
the client based on the MAC address. To display
the MAC address, you must use this option with
the -s option.
Example of using the command-line option:

--printEnvironmentInfo
-s view.company.com

None --usb= Specifies which options to use for USB

redirection. See System Requirements for USB
Redirection.

None --version Displays version information about

Horizon Client.

Example: Kiosk Mode Example

Kiosk users might include customers at airline check-in stations, students in classrooms or libraries,
medical personnel at medical data entry workstations, or customers at self-service points. Accounts are
associated with client devices rather than users because users do not need to log in to use the client
device or the Horizon desktop. Users can still be required to provide authentication credentials for some
applications.

To set up kiosk mode, you must use the vdmadmin command-line interface on the
Horizon Connection Server instance and perform several procedures documented in the chapter about
kiosk mode in the Horizon 7 Administration document. After you set up kiosk mode, you can use the
vmware-view command on a Linux client to connect to a Horizon desktop in kiosk mode.

To connect to Horizon desktops from Linux clients in kiosk mode, you must, at a minimum, include the
following configuration keys or command-line options.

Configuration Key Equivalent Command-line Options

view.kioskLogin --kioskLogin

view.nonInteractive -q, --nonInteractive

view.fullScreen --fullscreen

view.noMenuBar --nomenubar

view.defaultBroker -s, --serverURL=

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Omitting any of these configuration settings is not supported for kiosk mode. If Horizon Connection Server
is set up to require a non-default kiosk user name, you must also set the view.defaultUser property or
use the -u or --userName= command-line option. If a non-default user name is not required and you do
not specify a user name, Horizon Client can derive and use the default kiosk user name.

Note If you set the view.sslVerificationMode configuration key, set it in the /etc/vmware/view-
mandatory-config file. When the client runs in kiosk mode, the client does not look in the view-
preferences file.

The command shown in this example runs Horizon Client on a Linux client system and has the following
characteristics:

n The user account name is based on the client's MAC address.

n Horizon Client runs in full screen mode without a Horizon Client menu bar.

n Users are automatically connected to the specified Horizon Connection Server instance and Horizon
desktop and are not prompted for login credentials.

n If a connection error occurs, depending on the error code returned, a script might run, or a kiosk
monitoring program might handle the error. As a result, for example, the client system might display
an out-of-order screen or might wait a certain amount of time before attempting to connect to
Horizon Connection Server again.

./vmware-view --kioskLogin --nonInteractive --once --fullscreen --nomenubar

--serverURL="server.mycomany.com" --userName="CM-00:11:22:33:44:55:66:77" --password="mypassword"

Important If a pre-login message has been configured to appear before allowing Horizon Client to
connect to a Horizon desktop, the user must acknowledge the message before being allowed to access
the desktop. To avoid this issue, use Horizon Administrator to disable pre-login messages.

Using URIs to Configure Horizon Client

You can use uniform resource identifiers (URIs) to create Web page or email links that end users can click
to start Horizon Client, connect to a server, or open a remote desktop or published application.

You create these links by constructing URIs that provide some or all the following information, so that your
end users do not need to supply it.

n Server address

n Port number for the server

n Active Directory user name

n Domain name

n Remote desktop or published application display name

n Window size

n Actions including reset, log out, and start session

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n Display protocol

To construct a URI, you use the vmware-view URI scheme with Horizon Client specific path and query
parts.

To use URIs to start Horizon Client, Horizon Client must already be installed on client computers.

Syntax for Creating vmware-view URIs

URI syntax includes the vmware-view URI scheme, a path part to specify the remote desktop or
published application, and, optionally, a query to specify remote desktop or published application actions
or configuration options.

URI Specification
When you create a URI, you are essentially calling vmware-view with the full Horizon URI string as an
argument.

Use the following syntax to create URIs to start Horizon Client.

vmware-view://[authority-part][/path-part][?query-part]

The only required element is the URI scheme, vmware-view. Because the scheme name is case-
sensitive for some versions of some client operating systems, type vmware-view.

Important In all parts, non-ASCII characters must first be encoded according to UTF-8 [STD63], and
then each octet of the corresponding UTF-8 sequence must be percent-encoded to be represented as
URI characters.

For information about encoding for ASCII characters, see the URL encoding reference at
http://www.utf8-chartable.de/.

authority-part Server address and, optionally, a user name, a non-default port number, or
both. Underscores (_) are not supported in server names. Server names
must conform to DNS syntax.

To specify a user name, use the following syntax.

user1@server-address

You cannot specify a UPN address, which includes the domain. To specify
the domain, you can use the domainName query part in the URI.

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To specify a port number, use the following syntax.

server-address:port-number

path-part Remote desktop or published application. Use the remote desktop display
name or published application display name. This value is the name that is
specified in Horizon Administrator when the desktop or application pool was
created. If the display name contains a space, use the %20 encoding
mechanism to represent the space.

query-part Configuration options to use, or the remote desktop or published

application actions to perform. Queries are not case-sensitive. To use
multiple queries, use an ampersand (&) between the queries. If the queries
conflict, Horizon Client uses the last query in the list. Use the following
syntax.

query1=value1[&query2=value2...]

Supported Queries
The following queries are supported for this type of Horizon Client. If you are creating URIs for multiple
types of clients, such as desktop clients and mobile clients, see the installation and setup guide for each
type of client system for the list of supported queries.

action Table 2‑3. Values That Can Be Used with the action Query
Value Description

browse Displays a list of available remote desktops and published applications

hosted on the specified server. You are not required to specify a remote
desktop or published application when using this action.

start-session Opens the specified remote desktop or published application. If no

action query is provided and the remote desktop or published
application name is provided, start-session is the default action.

reset Shuts down and restarts the specified remote desktop or published
application. Unsaved data is lost. Resetting a remote desktop is the
same as pressing the Reset button on a physical PC.

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Table 2‑3. Values That Can Be Used with the action Query
(Continued)
Value Description

restart Shuts down and restarts the specified remote desktop. Restarting a
remote desktop is the same as the Windows operating system restart
command. The operating system usually prompts the user to save any
unsaved data before it restarts.

logoff Logs the user out of the guest operating system in the remote desktop.
If you specify a published application, the action is ignored or the end
user sees the warning message "Invalid URI action."

args Specifies command-line arguments to add when the published application

starts. Use the syntax args=value, where value is a string. Use percent
encoding for the following characters:

n For a colon (:), use %3A

n For a back slash (\), use %5C

n For a space ( ), use %20

n For a double quotation mark ("), use %22

For example, to specify the filename "My new file.txt" for the Notepad
++ application, use %22My%20new%20file.txt%22.

appProtocol For published applications, valid values are PCOIP and BLAST. For
example, to specify PCoIP, use the syntax appProtocol=PCOIP.

desktopLayout Sets the size of the remote desktop window. To use this query, you must set
the action query to start-session or not have an action query.

Table 2‑4. Valid Values for the desktopLayout Query

Value Description

fullscreen Full screen on one monitor. This value is the default.

multimonitor Full screen on all monitors.

windowLarge Large window.

windowSmall Small window.

WxH Custom resolution, where you specify the width by height, in

pixels. An example of the syntax is desktopLayout=1280x800.

desktopProtocol For remote desktops, valid values are RDP, PCOIP, and BLAST. For
example, to specify PCoIP, use the syntax desktopProtocol=PCOIP.

domainName The NETBIOS domain name associated with the user who is connecting to
the remote desktop or published application. For example, you might use
mycompany rather than mycompany.com.

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useExisting If this option is set to true, only one Horizon Client instance can run. If
users try to connect to a second server, they must log out of the first server,
causing remote desktop and published application sessions to be
disconnected. If this option is set to false, multiple Horizon Client
instances can run and users can connect to multiple servers at the same
time. The default is true. An example of the syntax is
useExisting=false.

unauthenticatedAccess If this option is set to true, the Unauthenticated Access feature is enabled
Enabled by default. The Log in anonymously using Unauthenticated Access
option is visible in the user interface and is selected. If this option is set to
false, the Unauthenticated Access feature is disabled. The Log in
anonymously using Unauthenticated Access setting is hidden and
disabled. When this option is set to "", the Unauthenticated Access feature
is disabled and the Log in anonymously using Unauthenticated Access
setting is visible from the user interface and deselected. An example of the
syntax is unauthenticatedAccessEnabled=true.

unauthenticatedAccess If the Unauthenticated Access feature is enabled, sets the account to use. If
Account Unauthenticated Access is disabled, then this query is ignored. An example
of the syntax using the anonymous1 user account is
unauthenticatedAccessAccount=anonymous1.

Examples of vmware-view URIs

You can use the vmware-view URI scheme to create hypertext links or buttons and include these links in
email or on a Web page. For example, an end user can click a URI link to start a remote desktop with the
startup options that you specify.

URI Syntax Examples

Each URI example is followed by a description of what the end user sees after clicking the URI link.

1
vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Primary%20Desktop?action=start-session

Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. The login dialog box prompts
the user for a user name, domain name, and password. After a successful login, the client connects
to the remote desktop that has the display name Primary Desktop, and the user is logged in to the
guest operating system.

Note In this example, the default display protocol and window size are used. The default display
protocol is PCoIP and the default window size is full screen.

You can change the defaults. See Using the Horizon Client Command-Line Interface and
Configuration Files.

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2
vmware-view://view.mycompany.com:7555/Primary%20Desktop

This URI has the same effect as the previous example, except that it uses the nondefault port of 7555
for the Connection Server instance. (The default port is 443.) Because a remote desktop identifier is
provided, the remote desktop opens, even though the start-session action is not included in the
URI.

3
vmware-view://[email protected]/Finance%20Desktop?desktopProtocol=PCOIP

Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. In the login dialog box, the
User name text box is populated with fred. The user must supply the domain name and password.
After a successful login, the client connects to the remote desktop that has the display name Finance
Desktop, and the user is logged in to the guest operating system. The connection uses the PCoIP
display protocol.

4
vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Calculator?action=start-session&appProtocol=BLAST

Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. In the login dialog box, the
user must supply the user name, domain name, and password. After a successful login, the client
connects to the published application that has the display name Calculator. The connection uses
the VMware Blast display protocol.

5
vmware-view://[email protected]/Finance%20Desktop?domainName=mycompany

Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. In the login dialog box, the
User name text box is populated with fred, and the Domain text box is populated with mycompany.
The user must supply only a password. After a successful login, the client connects to the remote
desktop that has the display name Finance Desktop, and the user is logged in to the guest
operating system.

6
vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/

Horizon Client starts and the user is taken to the login prompt for connecting to the
view.mycompany.com server.

7
vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Primary%20Desktop?action=reset

Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. The login dialog box prompts
the user for a user name, domain name, and password. After a successful login, Horizon Client
shows a dialog box that prompts the user to confirm the reset operation for Primary Desktop.

Note This action is available only if a Horizon administrator has enabled the reset feature for the
remote desktop.

8
vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Primary%20Desktop?action=restart

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Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. The login dialog box prompts
the user for a user name, domain name, and password. After a successful login, Horizon Client
shows a dialog box that prompts the user to confirm the restart operation for Primary Desktop.

Note This action is available only if a Horizon administrator has enabled the restart feature for the
remote desktop.

9
vmware-view://

Horizon Client starts and the user is taken to the page for entering the address of a server.

10
vmware-view://10.10.10.10/My%20Notepad++?args=%22My%20new%20file.txt%22

Starts My Notepad++ on server 10.10.10.10 and passes the argument My new file.txt in the
published application start command. The filename is enclosed in double quotes because it contains
spaces.

11
vmware-view://10.10.10.10/Notepad++%2012?args=a.txt%20b.txt

Starts Notepad++ 12 on server 10.10.10.10 and passes the argument a.text b.txt in the
published application start command. Because the argument is not enclosed in quotes, a space
separates the filenames and the two files are opened separately in Notepad++.

Note Published applications can differ in the way that they use command-line arguments. For
example, if you pass the argument a.txt b.txt to WordPad, WordPad opens only one file, a.txt.

12
vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Notepad?
unauthenticatedAccessEnabled=true&unauthenticatedAccessAccount=anonymous1

Horizon Client starts and connects to the view.mycompany.com server using the anonymous1 user
account. The Notepad application starts without prompting the user to provide login credentials.

HTML Code Examples

You can use URIs to make hypertext links and buttons to include in emails or on Web pages. The
following examples show how to use the URI from the first URI example to code the hypertext link labeled
Test Link and a button labeled TestButton.

<html>
<body>

<a href="vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Primary%20Desktop?action=start-session">Test Link</a><br>

<form><input type="button" value="TestButton" onClick="window.location.href=

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'vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Primary%20Desktop?action=start-session'"></form> <br>

</body>
</html>

Configuring the Certificate Checking Mode for End Users

You can configure the certificate checking mode for end users. For example, you can configure that full
verification is always performed. Certificate checking occurs for TLS connections between a server and
Horizon Client.

You can configure one of the following certificate verification strategies for end users.

n End users are allowed to select the certificate checking mode in Horizon Client.

n (No verification) No certificate checks are performed.

n (Warn) If the server presents a self-signed certificate, end users are warned. Users can determine
whether to allow this type of connection.

n (Full security) Full verification is performed and connections that do not pass full verification are
rejected.

For information about the types of certificate checks that can be performed, see Setting the Certificate
Checking Mode in Horizon Client.

To set the default certificate checking mode, set the view.sslVerificationMode key in
the /etc/vmware/view-mandatory-config file on the Linux client to one of the following values.

n 1 implements Full Verification.

n 2 implements Warn If the Connection May Be Insecure.

n 3 implements No Verification Performed.

To configure the certificate checking mode so that end users cannot change it, set the
view.allowSslVerificationMode property to "False" in the /etc/vmware/view-mandatory-config
file on the client system. See Horizon Client Configuration Settings and Command-Line Options.

Configuring Advanced TLS Options

You can select the security protocols and cryptographic algorithms that are used to encrypt
communications between Horizon Client and servers, and between Horizon Client and the agent in a
remote desktop.

These options are also used to encrypt the USB channel (communication between the USB service
daemon and the agent).

With the default setting, cipher suites use 128-bit or 256-bit AES, remove anonymous DH algorithms, and
then sort the current cipher list in order of encryption algorithm key length.

By default, TLS v1.1 and TLS v1.2 are enabled. SSL v2.0, SSL v3.0, and TLS v1.0 are not supported.

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If you configure a security protocol for Horizon Client that is not enabled on the server to which the client
connects, a TLS error occurs and the connection fails.

Important At least one of the protocols that you enable in Horizon Client must also be enabled on the
remote desktop or USB devices cannot be redirected to the remote desktop.

On the client system, you can use either configuration file properties or command-line options for these
settings:

n To use configuration file properties, use the view.sslProtocolString and view.sslCipherString

properties.

n To use command-line configuration options, use the --sslProtocolString and

--sslCipherString options.

For more information, see Using the Horizon Client Command-Line Interface and Configuration Files and
look up the property and option names in the table in Horizon Client Configuration Settings and
Command-Line Options.

Configuring Specific Keys and Key Combinations to Send

to the Local System
Starting with Horizon Client, if you use PCoIP, or, starting with Horizon Client 4.0, it you use VMware Blast
or PCoIP, you can create a view-keycombos-config file to specify which individual keys and key
combinations should not be forwarded to the remote desktop.

You might prefer to have some keys or key combinations handled by your local client system when
working in a remote desktop. For example, you might want to use a particular key combination to start the
screen saver on your client computer. You can create a file located at /etc/vmware/view-keycombos-
config and specify the key combinations and individual keys.

Place each key or key combination on a new line using the following format:

<modName>scanCode
scanCode

The first example is for a key combination. The second example is for a single key. The scanCode value
is the keyboard scan code, in hexadecimal.

In this example, modName is one of four modifier keys: ctrl, alt, shift, and super. The Super key is
keyboard-specific. For example, the Super key is usually the Windows key on a Microsoft Windows
keyboard but is the Command key on a Mac OS X keyboard. You can also use <any> as a wildcard for
modName. For example, <any>0x153 specifies all combinations of the Delete key, including the individual
Delete key for the US keyboard. The value you use for modName is not case-sensitive.

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Specifying the Scan Code for a Key

The scanCode value must be in hexadecimal format. To determine which code to use, open the
appropriate language- and keyboard-specific file in the lib/vmware/xkeymap directory on your client
system. In addition to the key codes listed in that file, you can also use the following codes:

Table 2‑5. Multimedia Keys

Key Name Scan Code

PREVIOUS_TRACK 0x110

NEXT_TRACK 0x119

MUTE 0x120

CALCULATOR 0x121

PLAY_PAUSE 0x122

STOP 0x124

VOLUME_DOWN 0x12e

VOLUME_UP 0x130

BROWSER_HOME 0x132

BROWSER_SEARCH 0x165

BROWSER_FAVORITES 0x166

BROWSER_REFRESH 0x167

BROWSER_STOP 0x168

BROWSER_FORWARD 0x169

BROWSER_BACK 0x16A

MY_COMPUTER 0x16B

MAIL 0x16C

MEDIA_SELECT 0x16D

Table 2‑6. Hangul and Hanja Keys

Key Name Scan Code

HANGUL_EN 0x72

HANJA_EN 0x71

HANGUL_KO 0x172

HANJA_KO 0x171

HANGUL 0xF2

HANJA 0xF1

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Table 2‑7. System Sleep, Wake, and Power Keys

Key Name Scan Code

SYSTEM_SLEEP 0x15F

SYSTEM_WAKE 0x163

SYSTEM_POWER 0x15e

The following list shows the example contents of a /etc/vmware/view-keycombos-config file. Code
comments are preceded by the # character.

<ctrl>0x152 #block ctrl-insert

<alt>15 #block alt-tab
<Ctrl><Alt>0x153 #block ctrl-alt-del
<any>0x137 #block any combinations of the Print key
0x010 #block the individual Q key in a US English keyboard
#or block the individual A key in a French keyboard
0x03b #block the individual F1 key
0x04f #block the individual 1 key in a numeric keypad

Using FreeRDP for RDP Connections

If you plan to use RDP rather than VMware Blast or PCoIP for connections to View desktops, you can
choose between using an rdesktop client or xfreerdp, the open-source implementation of the Remote
Desktop Protocol (RDP), released under the Apache license.

Because the rdesktop program is no longer being actively developed, Horizon Client can also run the
xfreerdp executable if your Linux machine has the required version and patches for FreeRDP.

Important If you plan to connect to remote desktops or applications on a Microsoft RDS host, if that host
is configured with the Per Device mode of licensing, you must use xfreerdp or else change the licensing
mode to Per User mode. The reason is that Per Device licensing mode requires the RDP client to provide
a client ID, and rdesktop does not provide that ID, whereas xfreerdp does.

You must have the correct version of FreeRDP installed, along with any applicable patches. For more
information, see Install and Configure FreeRDP.

General Syntax
You can use the vmware-view command-line interface or some properties in configuration files to specify
options for xfreerdp, just as you can for rdesktop.

n To specify that Horizon Client should run xfreerdp rather than rdesktop, use the appropriate
command-line option or configuration key.

Command-line option: --rdpclient="xfreerdp"

Configuration key: view.rdpClient="xfreerdp"

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n To specify options to forward to the xfreerdp program, use the appropriate command-line option or
configuration key, and specify the FreeRDP options.

Command-line option: --xfreerdpOptions

Configuration key: view.xfreerdpOptions

For more information about using the vmware-view command-line interface and configuration files, see
Using the Horizon Client Command-Line Interface and Configuration Files.

Syntax for Network Level Authentication

Many configuration options for the rdesktop program are the same as for the xfreerdp program. One
important difference is that xfreerdp supports network-level authentication (NLA). NLA is turned off by
default. You must use the following command-line option to turn on network-level authentication:

--enableNla

Also, you must add the /cert-ignore option so that the certificate verification process can succeed.
Following is an example of the correct syntax:

vmware-view --enableNla --rdpclient=xfreerdp --xfreerdpOptions="/p:password /cert-ignore /u:user-

name /d:domain-name /v:server"

If the password contains any special characters, escape the special characters (for example: \$).

Syntax Specific to Using FreeRDP with Horizon Client

Keep the following guidelines in mind:

n You must escape special characters that you might normally place in quotation marks. For example,
the following command does not work because the special character $ in pa$$word is not escaped:

(incorrect) vmware-view --rdpclient=xfreerdp --xfreerdpOptions="/p:'pa$

$word' /u:'crt\administrator'"

Instead, you must use:

(correct) vmware-view --rdpclient=xfreerdp --

xfreerdpOptions="/p:'pa\$\$word' /u:'crt\administrator'"

n If end users will use a session-in-session implementation of Horizon Client, you must use the /rfx
option. An example of a session-in-session implementation is one in which an end user logs in to
Horizon Client on a thin client, so that the Horizon Client interface is the only one the end user sees,
and the end user then launches a nested version of Horizon Client in order to use a remote
application provided by an RDS host. In cases like this, if you do not use the /rfx option, the end
user will not be able to see the remote desktop and application icons in the desktop and application
selector of the nested client.

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Install and Configure FreeRDP

To use a FreeRDP client for RDP connections to View desktops, your Linux machine must include the
required version of FreeRDP.

For a list of the packages that xfreerdp depends on in Ubuntu, go to

https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/wiki/Compilation.

Prerequisites

On your Linux client machine, download FreeRDP 1.1 from GitHub, at

https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP.

Procedure

1 Patch with the file called freerdp-1.1.0.patch, using the following patch commands:

cd /client-installation-directory/patches/FreeRDP-stable-1.1
patch -p1 < freerdp-1.1.0.patch
patch -p1 < freerdp-1.1.0-tls.patch

Here client-installation-directory is the path to VMware-Horizon-View-Client-x.x.x-yyyyyy.i386,

where x.x.x is the version number and yyyyyy is the build number. The freerdp-1.1.0-tls.patch
file enables the TLSv1.2 connection in xfreerdp. If you have installed the VMware Horizon Client for
Linux, the freerdp-1.1.0.patch and freerdp-1.1.0-tls.patch files are located in
the /usr/share/doc/vmware-horizon-client/patches directory. For more information about the
freerdp-1.1.0.patch file, see the README.patches file in the same client-installation-
directory/patches directory.

2 Run the following command:

cmake -DWITH_SSE2=ON -DWITH_PULSEAUDIO=ON -DWITH_PCSC=ON -DWITH_CUPS=ON .

3 Run the following command:

make

4 Run the following command, which installs the built xfreerdp binary in a directory on the execution
PATH so that Horizon Client can run the program by executing xfreerdp:

sudo make install

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5 (Optional) Verify that the virtual printing module can be loaded successfully.

a To verify that tprdp.so can be loaded by FreeRDP 1.1, run the following command:

sudo ln -s /usr/lib/vmware/rdpvcbridge/tprdp.so /usr/local/lib/i386-linux-gnu/freerdp/tprdp-

client.so

b To start Horizon Client with the virtual printing feature enabled, run the following command:

vmware-view --rdpclient=xfreerdp --xfreerdpOptions='/cert-ignore /vc:tprdp'

Note The virtual printing feature is available if you use VMware Blast or PCoIP.

Enabling FIPS Compatible Mode

You can enable FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) Compatible mode so that the client uses
FIPS-compliant cryptographic algorithms when communicating with remote desktops.

Note FIPS Compatible Mode means Horizon Client for Linux implements a cryptographic module that is
designed for FIPS 140-2 compliance. This module was validated in operational environments listed in
CMVP certificate #2839 and was ported to this platform. However, the CAVP and CMVP testing
requirement to include the new operational environments in VMware's NIST CAVP and CMVP certificates
remains to be completed on the product roadmap.

Important If you enable FIPS Compatible mode in the client, the remote desktop must have FIPS
Compatible mode enabled as well. Mixed mode, where only the client, or only the desktop, has FIPS
Compatible mode enabled, is not supported.

To enable FIPS Compatible mode, make the following configuration changes:

1 Edit /etc/vmware/config and add the following lines:

usb.enableFIPSMode = "TRUE"
mks.enableFIPSMode = “TRUE”

2 Edit /etc/vmware/view-mandatory-config and add the following line:

View.fipsMode = ”TRUE”

3 Edit /etc/teradici/pcoip_admin.conf and add the following line:

pcoip.enable_fips_mode = 1

Configuring the PCoIP Client-Side Image Cache

PCoIP client-side image caching stores image content on the client to avoid retransmission. This feature
is enabled by default to reduce bandwidth usage.

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The PCoIP image cache captures spatial, as well as temporal, redundancy. For example, when you scroll
down through a PDF document, new content appears from the bottom of the window and the oldest
content disappears from the top of the window. All the other content remains constant and moves upward.
The PCoIP image cache is capable of detecting this spatial and temporal redundancy.

Because during scrolling, the display information sent to the client device is primarily a sequence of cache
indices, using the image cache saves a significant amount of bandwidth. This efficient scrolling has
benefits both on the LAN and over the WAN.

n On the LAN, where bandwidth is relatively unconstrained, using client-side image caching delivers
significant bandwidth savings.

n Over the WAN, to stay within the available bandwidth constraints, scrolling performance is often
degraded unless client-side caching is used. In this situation, client-side caching can save bandwidth
and ensure a smooth, highly responsive scrolling experience.

By default this feature is enabled, so that the client stores portions of the display that were previously
transmitted. The default cache size is 250MB. A larger cache size reduces bandwidth usage but requires
more memory on the client. A smaller cache size requires more bandwidth usage. For example, a thin
client with little memory requires a smaller cache size.

Setting the Configuration Property

To configure the cache size, you can set the pcoip.image_cache_size_mb property. For example, the
following setting configures the cache size to be 50MB:

pcoip.image_cache_size_mb = 50

Use a space before and after the equals (=) sign.

If you specify a value that is less than the amount of available memory divided by 2, the value is rounded
to the nearest multiple of 10. The minimum value is 50. Any value that is less than 50 is ignored.

If you specify a value that is larger than the available memory divided by 2, the value is set to the amount
of available memory divided by 2 and rounded to the nearest multiple of 10.

You can set this property in any of several files. When Horizon Client starts up, the setting is processed
from various locations in the following order:

1 /etc/teradici/pcoip_admin_defaults.conf

2 ~/.pcoip.rc

3 /etc/teradici/pcoip_admin.conf

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If a setting is defined in multiple locations, the value that is used is the value from the last file read.

Note You can set the following property to display a visual indication that the image cache is working:

pcoip.show_image_cache_hits = 1

With this configuration, for every tile (32 x 32 pixels) in an image that comes from the image cache, you
can see a rectangle around the tile.

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Managing Remote Desktop and
Published Application
Connections 3
End users can use Horizon Client to connect to a server, log in to or off of remote desktops, and use
published applications. For troubleshooting purposes, end users can also restart and reset remote
desktops and reset published applications.

Depending on how you configure policies, end users might be able to perform many operations on their
remote desktops and published applications.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Connect to a Remote Desktop or Published Application

n Connect to Published Applications Using Unauthenticated Access

n Share Access to Local Folders and Drives with Client Drive Redirection

n Setting the Certificate Checking Mode in Horizon Client

n Switch Remote Desktops or Published Applications

n Log Off or Disconnect

Connect to a Remote Desktop or Published Application

After logging in to a server, you can connect to the remote desktops and published applications that you
are authorized to use.

Before you have end users access their remote desktops and applications, test that you can connect to a
remote desktop or application from a client device. You must specify a server and supply credentials for
your user account.

To use remote applications, you must connect to Connection Server 6.0 or later.

Prerequisites

n Obtain login credentials, such as a user name and password, RSA SecurID user name and
passcode, RADIUS authentication user name and passcode, or smart card personal identification
number (PIN).

n Obtain the NETBIOS domain name for logging in. For example, you might use mycompany rather than
mycompany.com.

n Perform the administrative tasks described in Preparing Connection Server for Horizon Client.

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n If you are outside the corporate network and require a VPN connection to access remote desktops
and published applications, verify that the client device is set up to use a VPN connection and turn on
that connection.

n Verify that you have the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the server that provides access to the
remote desktop or published application. Underscores (_) are not supported in server names. If the
port is not 443, you also need the port number.

n If you plan to use the RDP display protocol to connect to a remote desktop, verify that the
AllowDirectRDP agent group policy setting is enabled. For information, see the Configuring Remote
Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

Procedure

1 Either open a terminal window and enter vmware-view or search the applications for VMware
Horizon Client, and double-click the icon.

2 If you are prompted for RSA SecurID credentials or RADIUS authentication credentials, enter the
user name and passcode and click OK.

3 If you are prompted for a user name and password, supply Active Directory credentials.

a Type the user name and password of a user who is entitled to use at least one desktop or
application pool.

If the Domain drop-down menu is disabled, you must type the user name as domain\username
or username@domain.

b (Optional) Select a domain value from the Domain drop-down menu.

c Click OK.

4 If the desktop security indicator turns red and a warning message appears, respond to the prompt.

Usually, this warning means that the server did not send a certificate thumbprint to the client. The
thumbprint is a hash of the certificate public key and is used as an abbreviation of the public key.

5 (Optional) To configure display settings for a remote desktop, right-click the remote desktop icon and
select Settings.

Option Action

Select a display protocol If a Horizon administrator has allowed it, use the Connect Via drop-down menu
to select the display protocol.
To use VMware Blast, Horizon Agent 7.0 or later must be installed.

Select a display layout Use the Display drop-down menu to select a window size or to use multiple
monitors.

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6 (Optional) To mark the remote desktop or published application as a favorite, right-click the remote
desktop or published application icon and select Mark as Favorite from the context menu that
appears.

A star icon appears in the upper-right corner of the remote desktop or published application name.
The next time you log in, you can click the Show Favorites button to find this application or desktop
quickly.

7 Double-click a remote desktop or application to connect.

If you are connecting to a session-based remote desktop, which is hosted on a Microsoft RDS host,
and if the desktop is already set to use a different display protocol, you will not be able to connect
immediately. You will be prompted to either use the protocol that is currently set or have the system
log you off of the remote operating system so that a connection can be made with the protocol you
selected.

After you are connected, the client window appears.

If authentication to View Connection Server fails or if the client cannot connect to the remote desktop or
application, perform the following tasks:

n Verify that the security certificate for Connection Server is working properly. If it is not, in Horizon
Administrator, you might also see that View Agent or Horizon Agent on desktops is unreachable.
These are symptoms of additional connection problems caused by certificate problems.

n Verify that the tags set on the Connection Server instance allow connections from this user. See the
Horizon 7 Administration document.

n Verify that the user is entitled to access this desktop or application. See the Setting Up Published
Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 or Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 document.

n If you are using the RDP display protocol to connect to a remote desktop, verify that the remote
operating system allows remote desktop connections.

Connect to Published Applications Using Unauthenticated

Access
You can connect to published applications using an unauthenticated access account with Horizon Client.

Before you have end users access their published applications using unauthenticated access, test that
you can connect to the published applications from a client device using an unauthenticated access user
account.

Prerequisites

n Verify that Horizon 7 version 7.1 or later Connection Server is configured for unauthenticated access.

n Verify that your unauthenticated access users are created in Horizon Administrator. If the default
unauthenticated user is the only unauthenticated access user, the Horizon Client connects to the
Connection Server with the default user.

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Procedure

1 Either open a terminal window and enter vmware-view or search the applications for VMware
Horizon Client, and double-click the icon.

2 In the Horizon Client home screen, select File > Log in anonymously using Unauthenticated
Access from the menu bar, if it is not already selected.

3 Connect to the Connection Server that is configured for unauthenticated access.

n If the server that you need has not yet been added, double-click the + Add Server button if no
servers have yet been added or click the + New Server button in the menu bar to add a new one,
and enter the name of the Connection Server or a security server, and click Connect.

n If the server that you need is displayed in the Horizon Client home screen, right-click the icon for
the server and select Connect from the context menu.

You might see a message that you must confirm before the login dialog box appears.

4 In the Server Login dialog box, specify the unauthenticated access account to use.

a Select a user account from the drop-down list of existing unauthenticated access accounts.

The default user account has (default) displayed next to it.

b (Optional) Click Always use this account if you want to bypass the Server Login dialog box the
next time you connect to the server.

c Click OK.

The application selector window appears and displays the published applications that the
unauthenticated access account is authorized to use.

Note If you had selected the Always use this account option during a previous unauthenticated
access login session, you will not be prompted for the account to use for the current unauthenticated
access session. To deselect this option, right-click the icon for the server in the Horizon Client home
screen, and select Forget the saved Unauthenticated Access account from the context menu.

5 To start an application, double-click the application icons to launch it.

The application window appears.

6 Exit the application after you are done using it.

The Disconnect from Session dialog box appears asking if you want to disconnect from the server.

If the session timeout specified by your Horizon administrator is reached, the session is automatically
disconnected from the server.

Share Access to Local Folders and Drives with Client

Drive Redirection
With the client drive redirection feature, you can share folders and drives on the local client system with
remote desktops and published applications.

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Shared drives can include mapped drives and USB storage devices.

In a Windows remote desktop, shared folders and drives appear in the This PC folder or in the Computer
folder, depending on the Windows operating system version. In a published application, such as Notepad,
you can browse to and open a file in a shared folder or drive.

The client drive redirection feature requires that the following library files be installed. On some thin-client
machines, these library files might not be installed by default.

n libsigc-2.0.so.0

n libglibmm-2.4.so.1

The client drive redirection settings apply to all remote desktops and published applications.

Prerequisites

To share folders and drives with a remote desktop or published application, a Horizon administrator must
enable the client drive redirection feature. This task involves installing View Agent 6.1.1 or later, or
Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, and enabling the agent Client Drive Redirection option. It can also include
setting policies or registry settings to control the client drive redirection behavior. For more information,
see the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

If the secure tunnel is enabled on the Connection Server instance, configuring the browser on the client
system to use a proxy server can cause poor client drive redirection performance. For the best client drive
redirection performance, configure the browser not to use a proxy server or automatically detect LAN
settings.

Procedure

1 Open the Settings dialog box with the Sharing panel displayed.

Option Description

From the desktop and application Right-click a remote desktop or published application icon, select Settings, and
selector window click Sharing. Alternatively, select Connection > Settings from the menu bar
and click Sharing.

From the Sharing dialog box when you Click Allow to share, or Deny to not share, your home directory.
connect to a remote desktop or
published application

From within a remote desktop Select Connection > Settings from the menu bar and click Sharing.

2 Configure the client drive redirection settings.

Option Action

Share a specific folder or drive with Click the Add button, browse to and select the folder or drive to share, and click
remote desktops and published OK.
applications
Note If a USB device is already connected to a remote desktop or published
application with the USB redirection feature, you cannot share a folder on the
USB device.

Stop sharing a specific folder or drive Select the folder or drive in the Folder list and click the Remove button.

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Option Action

Give remote desktops and published Select the Share your home folder: home-directory check box.
applications access to files in your
home directory

Share USB storage devices with Select the Allow access to removable storage check box. The client drive
remote desktops and published redirection feature shares all USB storage devices inserted in your client system
applications and all FireWire and Thunderbolt-connected external drives automatically.
Selecting a specific device to share is not necessary.

Note USB storage devices already connected to a remote desktop or published

application with the USB redirection feature are not shared.

If this check box is deselected, you can use the USB redirection feature to
connect USB storage devices to remote desktops and published applications.

Do not show the Sharing dialog box Select the Do not show dialog when connecting to a desktop or application
when you connect to a remote desktop check box.
or published application If this check box is deselected, the Sharing dialog box appears the first time you
connect to a remote desktop or published application. For example, if you log in to
a server and connect to a remote desktop, you see the Sharing dialog box. If you
then connect to another remote desktop or published application, you do not see
the dialog box. To see the dialog box again, you must disconnect from the server
and log in again.

What to do next

Verify that you can see the shared folders from within the remote desktop or published application.

n In a Windows remote desktop, open File Explorer and look in the This PC folder, or open Windows
Explorer and look in the Computer folder, depending on the Windows operating system version.

n In a published application, select File > Open or File > Save As and navigate to the folder or drive.

The folders and drives that you selected for sharing might use one (or more) of the following naming
conventions.

Naming Convention Example

folder-name on desktop-name jsmith on JSMITH-W03

folder-name (drive-number:) jsmith (Z:)

folder-name on desktoptop-name (drive-number:) jsmith on JSMITH-W03 (Z:)

For some Horizon Agent versions, a redirected folder can have two entrances, such as under Devices
and drives and Network locations in Windows 10, and both entrances can appear at the same time. If
all the volume labels (from A: through Z:) are already in use, the redirected folder has only one entrance.

Share Folders by Editing a Configuration File

In addition to sharing folders through the Settings dialog box, you can also share folders by editing a
configuration file.

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Procedure

1 Create a configuration file named config if it does not exist in any of the following locations:

n $HOME/.vmware/

n /usr/lib/vmware/

n /etc/vmware/

2 Add the following line for each folder that you want to share:

tsdr.share=Folder Path

For example, to share folders / and /home/user1, create the file /etc/vmware/config and add the
following lines:

tsdr.share=/
tsdr.share=/home/user1

Folders that are shared in a configuration file are not listed in the Sharing pane of the Settings dialog. You
can edit the configuration file to stop sharing folders or share additional folders.

Setting the Certificate Checking Mode in Horizon Client

Server certificate checking occurs for connections between Horizon Client and a server. A certificate is a
digital form of identification, similar to a passport or a driver's license.

End users can configure a setting in Horizon Client to determine whether Horizon Client connections are
rejected if server certificate checking fails.

You can configure the default certificate checking mode and prevent end users from changing it in
Horizon Client. For more information, see Configuring the Certificate Checking Mode for End Users.

Server certificate checking includes the following checks:

n Is the certificate intended for a purpose other than verifying the identity of the sender and encrypting
server communications? That is, is it the correct type of certificate?

n Has the certificate expired, or is it valid only in the future? That is, is the certificate valid according to
the computer clock?

n Does the common name on the certificate match the host name of the server that sends it? A
mismatch can occur if a load balancer redirects Horizon Client to a server that has a certificate that
does not match the host name entered in Horizon Client. Another reason a mismatch can occur is if
you enter an IP address rather than a host name in the client.

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n Is the certificate signed by an unknown or untrusted certificate authority (CA)? Self-signed certificates
are one type of untrusted CA.

To pass this check, the certificate's chain of trust must be rooted in the device's local certificate store.

Note For information about distributing a self-signed root certificate that users can install on their Linux
client systems, see the Ubuntu documentation.

Horizon Client uses the PEM-formatted certificates stored in the /etc/ssl/certs directory on the client
system. For information about importing a root certificate stored in this location, see "Importing a
Certificate into the System-Wide Certificate Authority Database" in the document at
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/OpenSSL.

In addition to presenting a server certificate, the server also sends a certificate thumbprint to
Horizon Client. The thumbprint is a hash of the certificate public key and is used as an abbreviation of the
public key. If the server does not send a thumbprint, you see a warning that the connection is untrusted.

If a Horizon administrator has allowed it, you can set the certificate checking mode. To set the certificate
checking mode, start Horizon Client and select File > Preferences from the menu bar. You have three
choices:

n Never connect to untrusted servers. This setting means that you cannot connect to the server if
any of the certificate checks fail. An error message lists the checks that failed.

n Warn before connecting to untrusted servers. This setting means that you can click Continue to
ignore the warning if a certificate check fails because the server uses a self-signed certificate. For
self-signed certificates, the certificate name is not required to match the server name that you entered
in Horizon Client.

n Do not verify server identity certificates. This setting means that no certificate checking occurs.

Switch Remote Desktops or Published Applications

If you are connected to a remote desktop, you can switch to another remote desktop. You can also
connect to a published application while you are connected to a remote desktop.

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Procedure

u Select a remote desktop or application from the same server or a different server.

Option Action

Choose a different desktop or Perform one of the following actions:

application on the same server n If you are logged in to a remote desktop and you want to switch to another
remote desktop or application that is already running on your client, select the
desktop or application from the View menu.
n If you are logged in to a remote desktop or application and you want to switch
to another desktop or application that is not running, select File > Return to
Desktop and Applications List from the menu bar and then launch the
desktop or application from the selector window.
n From the desktop and application selector window, double-click the icon for
the other desktop or application. That desktop or application opens in a new
window so that you have multiple windows open, and you can switch between
them.

Choose a different desktop or Perform either of the following actions:

application on a different server n If you want to keep the current desktop or application open and also connect
to a remote desktop or application on another server, start a new instance of
Horizon Client and connect to the other desktop or application.
n If you want to close the current desktop and connect to a desktop on another
server, go to the desktop selector window, click the Disconnect icon in the
upper-left corner of the window, and confirm that you want to log off of the
server. You will be disconnected from the current server and any open
desktop or application sessions. You can then connect to a different server.

Log Off or Disconnect

If you disconnect from a remote desktop without logging off, applications in the remote desktop might
remain open. You can also disconnect from a server and leave published applications running.

You can log off from a remote desktop even if you do not have the remote desktop open. This feature has
the same result as sending Ctrl+Alt+Del to the remote desktop and then clicking Log Off.

Procedure

n Disconnect without logging off.

Option Action

Also quit Horizon Client Click the Close button in the corner of the window or select File > Quit from the
menu bar.

Select a different remote desktop on Select Desktop > Disconnect from the menu bar.
the same server

Select a remote desktop on a different Select File > Disconnect from server from the menu bar.
server

Note A Horizon administrator can configure remote desktops to log off automatically when they are
disconnected. In that case, any open applications in the remote desktop are stopped.

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n Log off and disconnect from a remote desktop.

Option Action

From within the remote desktop Use the Windows Start menu to log off.

From the menu bar Select Desktop > Disconnect and Log off.
If you use this procedure, files that are open on the remote desktop are closed
without being saved first.

n Log off when you do not have a remote desktop open.

a From the Home screen with desktop shortcuts, select the desktop and select Desktop > Log off
from the menu bar.

b If prompted, supply credentials for accessing the remote desktop.

If you use this procedure, files that are open on the remote desktop are closed without being saved
first.

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Using a Microsoft Windows
Desktop or Application on a
Linux System 4
Horizon Client for Linux provides a familiar, personalized desktop and application environment. End users
can access USB and other devices connected to their local computer, send documents to any printer that
their local computer can detect, authenticate with smart cards, and use multiple display monitors. .

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Feature Support Matrix for Linux Clients

n Internationalization

n Keyboards and Monitors

n Use Display Scaling

n Using DPI Synchronization

n Use USB Redirection to Connect USB Devices

n Using the Real-Time Audio-Video Feature for Webcams and Microphones

n Using the Session Collaboration Feature

n Enable Multi-Session Mode for Published Applications

n Using the Seamless Window Feature

n Saving Documents in a Published Application

n Set Printing Preferences for the Virtual Printing Feature

n Copying and Pasting Text

n Enable the Relative Mouse Feature for a Remote Desktop

n Using Serial Port Redirection

Feature Support Matrix for Linux Clients

When planning which display protocol and features to make available to your end users, use the following
information to determine which client operating systems support the feature.

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Table 4‑1. Features Supported for Windows Virtual Desktops

Windows
Server
2008/2012
R2 or
Windows XP Windows Vista Windows
Desktop Desktop Server 2016,
(Horizon Agent (Horizon Agent or Windows
6.0.2 and 6.0.2 and Windows 7 Windows 8.x Windows 10 Server 2019
Feature earlier) earlier) Desktop Desktop Desktop Desktop

USB redirection Limited Limited X X X X

Real-Time Audio- Limited Limited X X X X

Video (RTAV)

Scanner
redirection

Serial port
redirection

RDP display Limited Limited X X X X

protocol

PCoIP display Limited Limited X X X X

protocol

VMware Blast X X X X
display protocol

Persona
Management

Wyse MMR Partner client Partner client

systems only, systems only,
and only with and only with
RDP RDP

Windows Media X X X
MMR

Location-based Limited Limited X X X X

printing

Virtual printing Limited Limited X X X X

Smart cards Limited Limited X X X X

RSA SecurID or Limited Limited X X X X

RADIUS

Single sign-on Limited Limited X X X X

Multiple monitors Limited Limited X X X X

Client Drive X X X X
Redirection

Windows 10 desktops require Horizon Agent 6.2 or later. Windows Server 2012 R2 desktops require
Horizon Agent 6.1 or later. Windows Server 2016 desktops require Horizon Agent 7.0.2 or later.

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VMware Blast requires Horizon Agent 7.0 or later.

Important Horizon Agent 6.1 and later releases do not support Windows XP and Windows Vista
desktops. Horizon Agent 6.0.2 is the last Horizon release that supports these guest operating systems.
Customers who have an extended support agreement with Microsoft for Windows XP and Vista, and an
extended support agreement with VMware for these guest operating systems, can deploy the
Horizon Agent 6.0.2 version of their Windows XP and Vista desktops with Horizon Connection Server 6.1.

Feature Support for Published Desktops on RDS Hosts

RDS hosts are server computers that have Windows Remote Desktop Services and View Agent or
Horizon Agent installed. Multiple users can have remote desktop sessions on an RDS host
simultaneously. An RDS host can be either a physical machine or a virtual machine.

Note The following table contains rows only for the features that are supported. Where the text specifies
a minimum version of View Agent, the text "and later" is meant to include Horizon Agent 7.0.x and later.

Table 4‑2. Features Supported for RDS Hosts with View Agent 6.0.x or Later, or
Horizon Agent 7.0.x or Later, Installed
Windows Server Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2016 Windows Server 2019
Feature 2008 R2 RDS Host R2 RDS Host RDS Host RDS Host

RSA SecurID or X X Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and Horizon Agent 7.7 and
RADIUS later later

Smart card View Agent 6.1 and View Agent 6.1 and Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and Horizon Agent 7.7 and
later later later later

Single sign-on X X Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and Horizon Agent 7.7 and
later later

RDP display protocol X X Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and Horizon Agent 7.7 and
later later

PCoIP display X X Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and Horizon Agent 7.7 and
protocol later later

VMware Blast Horizon Agent 7.0 Horizon Agent 7.0 and Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and Horizon Agent 7.7 and
display protocol and later later later later

HTML Access View Agent 6.0.2 View Agent 6.0.2 and Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and Horizon Agent 7.7 and
and later (virtual later (virtual machine later later
machine only) only)

Windows Media View Agent 6.1.1 View Agent 6.1.1 and Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and Horizon Agent 7.7 and
MMR and later later later later

Client drive View Agent 6.1.1 View Agent 6.1.1 and Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and Horizon Agent 7.7 and
redirection and later later later later

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Table 4‑2. Features Supported for RDS Hosts with View Agent 6.0.x or Later, or
Horizon Agent 7.0.x or Later, Installed (Continued)
Windows Server Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2016 Windows Server 2019
Feature 2008 R2 RDS Host R2 RDS Host RDS Host RDS Host

Virtual Printing View Agent 6.0.1 View Agent 6.0.1 Horizon Agent 7.0.2 Horizon Agent 7.7 and
through through Horizon Agent through Horizon Agent 7.6 later
Horizon Agent 7.6 7.6 (virtual machine (virtual machine only)
(virtual machine only) Horizon Agent 7.7 and
only) Horizon Agent 7.7 and later (virtual machine and
Horizon Agent 7.7 later (virtual machine physical machine)
and later (virtual and physical machine)
machine and
physical machine)

Location-based View Agent 6.0.1 View Agent 6.0.1 Horizon Agent 7.0.2 Horizon Agent 7.7 and
printing through through Horizon Agent through Horizon Agent 7.6 later
Horizon Agent 7.6 7.6 (virtual machine (virtual machine only)
(virtual machine only) Horizon Agent 7.7 and
only) Horizon Agent 7.7 and later (virtual machine and
Horizon Agent 7.7 later (virtual machine physical machine)
and later (virtual and physical machine)
machine and
physical machine)

Multiple monitors X X Horizon Agent 7.0.2 and Horizon Agent 7.7 and
later later

Real-Time Audio- Horizon Agent 7.0.2 Horizon Agent 7.0.2 Horizon Agent 7.0.3 and Horizon Agent 7.7 and
Video (RTAV) and later and later later later

For information about which editions of each guest operating system are supported, see the Horizon 7
Installation document.

Limitations for Specific Features

Features that are supported on Windows desktops with Horizon Client for Linux have the following
restrictions.

Table 4‑3. Requirements for Specific Features

Feature Requirements

Real-Time Audio-Video n For client software from third-party vendors, this feature requires Horizon 7 5.2 with
Feature Pack 2 or later.
n For Horizon Client from VMware, this feature requires Horizon Agent 6.0.2 or later.
Requires the VMware Blast or PCoIP display protocol.

Virtual printing and location- n For client software from third-party vendors, this feature requires Horizon 6.0.1 or later.
based printing for Windows n For Horizon Client from VMware, this feature requires Horizon Agent 6.0.2 or later.
Server 2008 R2 desktops, Requires the VMware Blast or PCoIP display protocol.
RDS desktops (on virtual
machine RDS hosts), and
remote applications

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Table 4‑3. Requirements for Specific Features (Continued)

Feature Requirements

USB redirection n For client software from third-party vendors, this feature requires View 5.1 or later.
n For Horizon Client from VMware, this feature requires Horizon Agent 6.0.2 or later.
Requires the VMware Blast or PCoIP display protocol.

Smart cards For single-user virtual machine desktops, this feature requires Horizon Agent 6.0.2 or later.
For session-based desktops provided by RDS hosts, this feature requires Horizon Agent 6.1 or
later.

Client drive redirection Horizon Agent 6.1.1 or later.

Note You can also use Horizon Client to securely access remote Windows-based applications, in
addition to remote desktops. Selecting an application in Horizon Client opens a window for that
application on the local client device, and the application looks and behaves as if it were locally installed.

You can use remote applications only if you are connected to Connection Server 6.0 or later. For
information about which operating systems are supported for the RDS host, which provides published
applications and published desktops, see the Horizon 7 Installation document.

Note The features that are available for each thin client device are determined by the vendor and model
and the configuration that an enterprise chooses to use. For information about the vendors and models
for thin client devices, see the VMware Compatibility Guide at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php?deviceCategory=vdm.

For descriptions of these features and their limitations, see the Horizon 7 Planning document.

Feature Support for Linux Desktops

Some Linux guest operating systems are supported if you have Horizon Agent 6.1.1 or later. For a list of
the latest supported Linux operating systems and information about supported features, see the Setting
Up Horizon 7 for Linux Desktops document.

Internationalization
The user interface and documentation are available in English, Japanese, French, German, Simplified
Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Spanish.

Keyboards and Monitors

You can use multiple monitors and all types of keyboards with a remote desktop. Certain settings ensure
the best possible user experience.

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Best Practices for Using Multiple Monitors

Following are recommendations for successfully using multiple monitors with a remote desktop:

n Define the primary monitor as the bottom-left-most monitor.

n Enable Xinerama. If you do not enable Xinerama, the primary display might be identified incorrectly.

n The menu bar will appear on the top-left-most monitor. For example, if you have two monitors side by
side and the top of the left monitor is lower than the top of the right monitor, the menu bar will appear
on the right monitor because the right monitor is still the top-left-most monitor.

n You can use up to 4 monitors if you have enough video RAM.

To use more than 2 monitors to display your remote desktop on a Ubuntu client system, you must
configure the kernel.shmmax setting correctly. Use the following formula:

max horizontal resolution X max vertical resolution X max number of monitors X 4

For example, manually setting kernel.shmmax to 65536000 allows you to use four monitors with a
screen resolution of 2560x1600.

n Horizon Client uses the monitor configuration that is in use when Horizon Client starts. If you change
a monitor from landscape to portrait mode or if you plug an additional monitor in to the client system
while Horizon Client is running, you must restart Horizon Client in order to use the new monitor
configuration.

Horizon Client supports the following monitor configurations:

n If you use 2 monitors, the monitors are not required to be in the same mode. For example, if you are
using a laptop connected to an external monitor, the external monitor can be in portrait mode or
landscape mode.

n If you have a version of Horizon Client that is earlier than 4.0, and you use more than 2 monitors, the
monitors must be in the same mode and have the same screen resolution. That is, if you use 3
monitors, all 3 monitors must be in either portrait mode or landscape mode and must use the same
screen resolution.

n Monitors can be placed side by side, stacked 2 by 2, or vertically stacked only if you are using 2
monitors.

n If you specify that you want to use all monitors, and if you are using the VMware Blast or PCoIP
display protocol, you can specify a subset of adjacent monitors to use by right-clicking the desktop in
the desktop selector window, selecting Full Screen - All Monitors from the Display drop-down list,
and clicking to select the monitors you want to use.

Note If you have a Ubuntu client system, you must select the top-left-most monitor as one of the
monitors. For example, if you have 4 monitors stacked 2 X 2, you must select either the 2 monitors on
top or the 2 left-most monitors.

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Screen Resolution
Consider the following guidelines when setting screen resolutions:

n If you open a remote desktop on a secondary monitor and then change the screen resolution on that
monitor, the remote desktop moves to the primary monitor.

n With PCoIP, if you use 2 monitors, you can adjust the resolution for each monitor separately, with a
resolution of up to 2560 x 1600 per display. If you use more than 2 monitors, the monitors must use
the same screen resolution.

n With the VMware Blast display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol, a remote desktop screen
resolution of 4K (3840 x 2160) is supported. The number of 4K displays that are supported depends
on the hardware version of the desktop virtual machine and the Windows version.

Number of 4K Displays
Hardware Version Windows Version Supported

10 (ESXi 5.5.x compatible) 7, 8, 8.x, 10 1

11 (ESXi 6.0 compatible) 7 3

(3D rendering feature disabled and Windows Aero
disabled)

11 7 1
(3D rendering feature enabled)

11 8, 8.x, 10 1

13 8, 8.x, 10 4

The remote desktop must have View Agent 6.2 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, installed. For
the best performance, the virtual machine should have at least 2 GB of RAM and 2 vCPUs. This
feature might require good network conditions, such as a bandwidth of 1000 Mbps with low network
latency and a low package loss rate.

Note When the remote desktop screen resolution is set to 3840 x 2160 (4K), items on the screen
might appear smaller, and you might not be able to use the Screen Resolution dialog box in the
remote desktop to make text and other items larger.

n With RDP, if you have multiple monitors, you cannot adjust the resolution for each monitor separately.

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Keyboard Limitations
For the most part, keyboards work as well with a remote desktop as they do with a physical computer.
Following is a list of the limitations you might encounter, depending on the type of peripherals and
software on your client system:

n If you use the PCoIP display protocol and want the remote desktop to detect which keyboard map
your client system uses, such as, for example, a Japanese keyboard or a German keyboard, you
must set a GPO in the View agent. Use the Turn on PCOIP user default input language
synchronization policy, available as part of the View PCoIP Session Variables ADM template file.
For more information, see the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

n Some multimedia keys on a multimedia keyboard might not work. For example, the Music key and My
Computer key might not work.

n If you connect to a desktop using RDP and if you have the Fluxbox window manager, if a screen
saver is running in the remote desktop, after a period of inactivity, the keyboard might stop working.

Regardless of which window manager you use, VMware recommends turning off the screen saver in
a remote desktop and not specifying a sleep timer.

Use Display Scaling

Users that have poor eyesight or high-resolution screens, such as 4K monitors, generally have scaling
enabled by setting the DPI (Dots Per Inch) on the client system to greater than 100 percent. The DPI
setting controls the size of the text, apps, and icons. A lower DPI setting makes them appear smaller and
a higher setting makes them appear bigger. With the Display Scaling feature, remote desktops support
the client machine's scaling setting and appear normal-sized rather than very small.

Note The DPI Scaling feature is not supported on Raspberry Pi devices and does not work with
published applications.

To disable the DPI Synchronization feature, a Horizon administrator must disable the DPI
Synchronization group policy setting. For more information, see Using DPI Synchronization.

In a multiple-monitor setup, using display scaling does not affect the number of monitors and the
maximum resolutions that Horizon Client supports. When display scaling is allowed and is in effect,
scaling is based on the DPI setting of the system.

This procedure describes how to use one of the configuration files to enable or disable display scaling for
all remote desktops.

Procedure

1 Open the ~/.vmware/view-preferences, /etc/vmware/view-default-config,

or /etc/vmware/view-mandatory-config configuration file in a text editor.

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2 Set the view.enableDisplayScaling configuration key.

Set the value to "TRUE" or "FALSE". When this setting is set to "FALSE", the display scaling feature
is disabled for all remote desktops. If this setting is not configured or is set to "TRUE" (the default
setting), display scaling is enabled for all remote desktops.

3 Save your changes and close the file.

Using DPI Synchronization

The DPI Synchronization feature ensures that the DPI setting in a remote desktop or published
application matches the client system's DPI setting. When you start a new remote session, Horizon Agent
sets the DPI value in the remote session to match the DPI value of the client system.

Note The DPI synchronization feature is not supported on Raspberry Pi devices.

The DPI Synchronization feature cannot change the DPI setting for active remote sessions. If you
reconnect to an existing remote session, the Display Scaling feature scales the remote desktop
appropriately.

The DPI Synchronization feature is enabled by default. A Horizon administrator can disable the DPI
Synchronization feature by disabling the DPI Synchronization agent group policy setting. You must log
out and log in again to make the configuration change take effect. For information about the DPI
Synchronization group policy setting, see the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7
document.

When the DPI Synchronization feature and the Display Scaling feature are both enabled, only one feature
takes effect at any given time. Display scaling occurs only when DPI synchronization has not yet taken
effect (that is, before the DPI setting on the remote desktop matches the DPI setting on the client system),
and display scaling stops working after the DPI settings match.

For virtual desktops, the DPI Synchronization feature is supported on the following guest operating
systems.

n 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7

n 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 8.x

n 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 10

n Windows Server 2008 R2 configured as a desktop

n Windows Server 2012 R2 configured as a desktop

n Windows Server 2016 configured as a desktop

n Windows Server 2019 configured as a desktop

For published desktops and applications, the DPI Synchronization feature is supported on the following
RDS hosts.

n Windows Server 2012 R2

n Windows Server 2016

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n Windows Server 2019

The DPI Synchronization feature requires Horizon Agent 7.0.2 or later and Horizon Client 4.9 or later.

Following are tips for using the DPI Synchronization feature.

n If you start a remote session on a client system that has a DPI setting of more than 100 percent, and
then use the same session on another client system that has a different DPI setting of more than 100
percent, you must log out and log back in to the remote session on the second client system to make
DPI synchronization work on the second client system.

n If a Horizon administrator changes the DPI Synchronization group policy setting value for
Horizon Agent, you must log out and log in again to make the new setting take effect.

Use USB Redirection to Connect USB Devices

With the USB redirection feature, you can use locally attached USB devices, such as thumb flash drives,
in a remote desktop or published application.

When you use the USB redirection feature, most USB devices that are attached to the local client system
become available from menus in Horizon Client. You can use the menus to connect and disconnect the
devices.

You can connect USB devices to a remote desktop or published application either manually or
automatically.

Important This procedure describes how to use Horizon Client to configure autoconnection of USB
devices to a remote desktop or published application. You can also configure USB redirection by using a
configuration file or by creating a group policy. For more information about using a configuration file, see
Chapter 6 Configuring USB Redirection on the Client. For more information about creating group policies,
see the Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in Horizon 7 document.

Prerequisites

n To use USB devices with a remote desktop or published application, a Horizon administrator must
enable the USB feature.

This task includes installing the USB Redirection component of Horizon Agent, and can include
setting policies regarding USB redirection. For more information, see the Configuring Remote
Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document and Setting USB Configuration Properties.

n The USB Redirection component must be installed in Horizon Client. If you did not include this
component in the installation, uninstall the client and run the installer again to include the USB
Redirection component.

n Become familiar with USB Redirection Limitations

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Procedure

n Manually connect a USB device to a remote desktop.

a Connect the USB device to your local client system.

b From the Horizon Client menu bar, click Connect USB Device.

c Select the USB device.

The device is manually redirected from the local system to the remote desktop.

n Connect the USB device to a published application.

a In the desktop and application selector window, open the remote application.

The name of the application is the name that your administrator has configured for the
application.

b In the desktop and application selector window, right-click the application icon and select
Settings.

c In the left pane, select USB Devices.

d In the right pane, select the USB device and click Connect.

e Select the application, and click OK.

Note The name of the application in the list comes from the application itself and might not
match the application name that your administrator configured to appear in the desktop and
application selector window.

You can now use the USB device with the remote application. After you close the application, the
USB device is not released right away.

f When you are finished using the application, to release the USB device so that you can access it
from your local system, in the desktop and application selector window, open the Settings window
again, select USB Devices, and select Disconnect.

n Configure Horizon Client to connect USB devices automatically to the remote desktop when
Horizon Client starts.

This option is selected by default.

a Before you plug in the USB device, start Horizon Client and connect to a remote desktop.

b From the Horizon Client menu bar, click Connect USB Device.

c Select Automatically Connect at Startup.

d Plug in the USB device and restart Horizon Client.

USB devices that you connect to your local system after you start Horizon Client are redirected to the
remote desktop. USB devices that you connect to your local system after you start Horizon Client are
redirected to the remote desktop.

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n Configure Horizon Client to connect USB devices automatically to the remote desktop when you plug
them in to the local system.

Enable this option if you plan to connect devices that use MTP drivers, such as Android-based
Samsung smart phones and tablets. This option is selected by default.

a Before you plug in the USB device, start Horizon Client and connect to a remote desktop.

b From the Horizon Client menu bar, click Connect USB Device.

c Select Automatically Connect when Inserted.

d Plug in the USB device.

USB devices that you connect to your local system after you start Horizon Client are redirected to the
remote desktop.

You can also configure automatically connecting USB devices using the configuration file options
view.usbAutoConnectAtStartup and view.usbAutoConnectOnInsert For more information, see
Horizon Client Configuration Settings and Command-Line Options..

If the USB device does not appear in the remote desktop or published application after several minutes,
disconnect and reconnect the device to the client computer.

What to do next

If you have problems with USB redirection, see the topic about troubleshooting USB redirection problems
in the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

USB Redirection Limitations

The USB redirection feature has certain limitations.

n When you access a USB device from a menu in Horizon Client and use the device in a remote
desktop, you cannot access the device on the local computer.

n USB devices that do not appear in the menu, but are available in a remote desktop, include human
interface devices such as keyboards and pointing devices. The remote desktop and the local
computer use these devices at the same time. Interaction with these devices can sometimes be slow
because of network latency.

n Large USB disk drives can take several minutes to appear in the remote desktop.

n Some USB devices require specific drivers. If a required driver is not already installed on a remote
desktop, you might be prompted to install it when you connect the USB device to the remote desktop.

n If you plan to attach USB devices that use MTP drivers, such as Android-based Samsung smart
phones and tablets, configure Horizon Client so that it automatically connects USB devices to the
remote desktop. Otherwise, if you try to manually redirect the USB device by using a menu item, the
device is not redirected unless you unplug the device and then plug it in again.

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n The redirection of USB audio devices depends on the state of the network and is not reliable. Some
devices require a high data throughput even when they are idle. Audio input and output devices work
well with the Real-Time Audio-Video feature. You do not need to use USB redirection for those
devices.

n You cannot format a redirected USB drive in a published desktop unless you connect as an
administrator user.

Note Do not redirect USB devices such as USB Ethernet devices and touch screen devices to a remote
desktop or published application. If you redirect a USB Ethernet device, your client system loses network
connectivity. If you redirect a touch screen device, the remote desktop or published application receives
touch input but not keyboard input. If you have set the remote desktop or published application to
autoconnect USB devices, you can configure a policy to exclude specific devices. See "Configuring Filter
Policy Settings for USB Devices" in the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

Using the Real-Time Audio-Video Feature for Webcams

and Microphones
With the Real-Time Audio-Video feature, you can use the local client system's webcam or microphone in
a remote desktop or published application. Real-Time Audio-Video is compatible with standard
conferencing applications and browser-based video applications. It supports standard webcams, audio
USB devices, and analog audio input.

For information about setting up the Real-Time Audio-Video feature and configuring the frame rate and
image resolution on the agent machine, see the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7
document. For information about configuring these settings on client systems, see the VMware
knowledge base article Setting Frame Rates and Resolution for Real-Time Audio-Video on Horizon View
Clients, at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2053644.

To download a test application that verifies the correct installation and operation of the Real-Time Audio-
Video functionality, go to http://labs.vmware.com/flings/real-time-audio-video-test-application. Because
this test application is available as a VMware fling, technical support is not available.

Note This feature is available only with the version of Horizon Client for Linux provided by third-party
vendors or with the Horizon Client software available from the VMware Product Downloads website.

When You Can Use a Webcam

If a Horizon administrator has configured the Real-Time Audio-Video feature, and if you use the VMware
Blast display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol, you can use a webcam that is built in or connected to
the local client computer in a remote desktop or published application. You can use the webcam in
conferencing applications such as Skype, Webex, or Google Hangouts.

During the setup of an application such as Skype, Webex, or Google Hangouts on a remote desktop, you
can select input and output devices from menus in the application. For virtual desktops, you can select
VMware Virtual Microphone and VMware Virtual Webcam. For published desktops and applications, you
can select Remote Audio Device and VMware Virtual Webcam.

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For many applications, you do not need to select an input device.

When the local client computer uses the webcam, the remote session cannot use it at the same time.
Also, when the remote session uses the webcam, the local client computer cannot use it at the same
time.

Important If end users use USB webcams, do not configure the client to forward devices through USB
redirection automatically. If the webcam connects through USB redirection, the performance is not usable
for video chat.

If more than one webcam is connected to the local client computer, you can configure a preferred
webcam to use in remote sessions.

Select a Default Microphone on a Linux Client System

If you have multiple microphones on your client system, only one of them is used on your remote desktop.
To specify which microphone is the default, you can use the Sound control on your client system.

With the Real-Time Audio-Video feature, audio input devices and audio output devices work without
requiring the use of USB redirection, and the amount of network bandwidth required is greatly reduced.
Analog audio input devices are also supported.

This procedure describes choosing a default microphone from the user interface of the client system.
Administrators can also configure a preferred microphone by editing a configuration file. See Select a
Preferred Webcam or Microphone on a Linux Client System.

Prerequisites

n Verify that you have a USB microphone or another type of microphone installed and operational on
your client system.

n Verify that you are using the VMware Blast display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol for your
remote desktop.

Procedure

1 In the Ubuntu graphical user interface, select System > Preferences > Sound.

You can alternatively click the Sound icon on the right side of the toolbar at the top of the screen.

2 Click the Input tab in the Sound Preferences dialog box.

3 Select the preferred device and click Close.

Select a Preferred Webcam or Microphone on a Linux Client

System
With the Real-Time Audio-Video feature, if you have multiple webcams and microphones on your client
system, only one webcam and one microphone can be used on your remote desktop. To specify which
webcam and microphone are preferred, you can edit a configuration file.

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The preferred webcam or microphone is used on the remote desktop if it is available, and if not, another
webcam or microphone is used.

With the Real-Time Audio-Video feature, webcams, audio input devices, and audio output devices work
without requiring the use of USB redirection, and the amount network bandwidth required is greatly
reduced. Analog audio input devices are also supported.

To set the properties in the /etc/vmware/config file and specify a preferred device, you must determine
the values of certain fields. You can search the log file for the values of these fields.

n For webcams, you set the rtav.srcWCamId property to the value of the UserId field for the webcam
and the rtav.srcWCamName property to the value of the Name field for the webcam.

The rtav.srcWCamName property has a higher priority than the rtav.srcWCamId property. Both
properties should specify the same webcam. If the properties specify different webcams, the webcam
specified by rtav.srcWCamName is used, if it exists. If it does not exist, the webcam specified by
rtav.srcWCamId is used. If both webcams are not found, the default webcam is used.

n For audio devices, you set the rtav.srcAudioInId property to the value of the Pulse Audio
device.description field.

Prerequisites

Depending on whether you are configuring a preferred webcam, preferred microphone, or both, perform
the appropriate prerequisite tasks:

n Verify that you have a USB webcam installed and operational on your client system.

n Verify that you have a USB microphone or another type of microphone installed and operational on
your client system.

n Verify that you are using the VMware Blast display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol for your
remote desktop.

Procedure

1 Launch the client, and start a webcam or microphone application to trigger an enumeration of camera
devices or audio devices to the client log.

a Attach the webcam or audio device you want to use.

b Use the command vmware-view to start Horizon Client.

c Start a call and then stop the call.

This process creates a log file.

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2 Find log entries for the webcam or microphone.

a Open the debug log file with a text editor.

The log file with real-time audio-video log messages is located at /tmp/vmware-
<username>/vmware-RTAV-<pid>.log. The client log is located at /tmp/vmware-
<username>/vmware-view-<pid>.log.

b Search the log file to find the log file entries that reference the attached webcams and
microphones.

The following example shows an extract of the webcam selection:

main| I120: RTAV: static void VideoInputBase::LogDevEnum() - 3 Device(s) found

main| I120: RTAV: static void VideoInputBase::LogDevEnum() - Name=UVC Camera (046d:0819)
UserId=UVC Camera (046d:0819)#/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.7/usb1/1-3/1-3.4/1-3.4.5
SystemId=/dev/video1
main| I120: RTAV: static void VideoInputBase::LogDevEnum() - Name=gspca main driver
UserId=gspca main driver#/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.7/usb1/1-3/1-3.4/1-3.4.7
SystemId=/dev/video2
main| I120: RTAV: static void VideoInputBase::LogDevEnum() -
® ®
Name=Microsoft LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks UserId=Microsoft LifeCam HD-6000 for
Notebooks#/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.7/usb1/1-3/1-3.6 SystemId=/dev/video0
main| W110: RTAV: static bool AudioCaptureLin::EnumCaptureDevices(MMDev::DeviceList&) -
enumeration data unavailable

The following example shows an extract of the audio device selection, and the current audio level
for each:

vthread-18| I120: RTAV: bool AudioCaptureLin::TriggerEnumDevices() - Triggering enumeration

vthread-18| I120: RTAV: static void AudioCaptureLin::PulseAudioGetSourceCB(pa_context*, const
pa_source_info*, int, void*) - PulseAudio Get Source (idx=1 'alsa_output.usb-
Logitech_Logitech_USB_Headset-00-Headset.analog-stereo.monitor' 'Monitor of Logitech USB
Headset Analog Stereo')

vthread-18| I120: RTAV: static void AudioCaptureLin::PulseAudioGetSourceCB(pa_context*, const

pa_source_info*, int, void*) - channel:0 vol:65536
vthread-18| I120: RTAV: static void AudioCaptureLin::PulseAudioGetSourceCB(pa_context*, const
pa_source_info*, int, void*) - channel:1 vol:65536
vthread-18| I120: RTAV: static void AudioCaptureLin::PulseAudioGetSourceCB(pa_context*, const
pa_source_info*, int, void*) - PulseAudio Get Source (idx=2 'alsa_input.usb-
Logitech_Logitech_USB_Headset-00-Headset.analog-mono' 'Logitech USB Headset Analog Mono')

vthread-18| I120: RTAV: static void AudioCaptureLin::PulseAudioGetSourceCB(pa_context*, const

pa_source_info*, int, void*) - channel:0 vol:98304
vthread-18| I120: RTAV: static void AudioCaptureLin::PulseAudioGetSourceCB(pa_context*, const
pa_source_info*, int, void*) - PulseAudio Get Source (idx=3 'alsa_output.usb-
Microsoft_Microsoft_LifeChat_LX-6000-00-LX6000.analog-stereo.monitor' 'Monitor of Microsoft
LifeChat LX-6000 Analog Stereo')

vthread-18| I120: RTAV: static void AudioCaptureLin::PulseAudioGetSourceCB(pa_context*, const

pa_source_info*, int, void*) - channel:0 vol:65536

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Warnings are shown if any of the source audio levels for the selected device do not meet the
PulseAudio criteria if the source is not set to 100% (0dB), or if the selected source device is
muted, as follows:

vthread-18| I120: RTAV: static void AudioCaptureLin::PulseAudioSourceInfoCB(pa_context*, const

pa_source_info*, int, void*) - Note, selected device channel volume: 0: 67%
vthread-18| I120: RTAV: static void AudioCaptureLin::PulseAudioSourceInfoCB(pa_context*, const
pa_source_info*, int, void*) - Note, selected device channel is muted

3 Copy the description of the device and use it to set the appropriate property in
the /etc/vmware/config file.
® ®
For a webcam example, copy Microsoft LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks and Microsoft
LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks#/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.7/usb1/1-3/1-3.6
to specify the Microsoft webcam as the preferred webcam and set the properties as follows:

®
rtav.srcWCamName = “Microsoft LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks”
®
rtav.srcWCamId = “Microsoft LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks#/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.
7/usb1/1-3/1-3.6”

For this example, you could also set the rtav.srcWCamId property to "Microsoft". The
rtav.srcWCamId property supports both partial and exact matches. The rtav.srcWCamName
property supports only an exact match.

For an audio device example, copy Logitech USB Headset Analog Mono to specify the Logitech
headset as the preferred audio device and set the property as follows:

rtav.srcAudioInId="Logitech USB Headset Analog Mono"

4 Save your changes and close the /etc/vmware/config configuration file.

5 Log off of the desktop session and start a new session.

Using the Session Collaboration Feature

You can use the Session Collaboration feature to invite other users to join an existing remote desktop
session.

Invite a User to Join a Remote Desktop Session

When the Session Collaboration feature is enabled for a remote desktop, you can invite other users to
join an existing remote desktop session.

By default, you can send Session Collaboration invitations by email, in an instant message (Windows
remote desktops only), or by copying a link to the clipboard and forwarding the link to users. To use the
email invitation method, an email application must be installed. To use the IM invitation method for a
Windows remote desktop, Skype for Business must be installed and configured. You can invite only users
that belong to a domain that the server allows for authentication. You can invite up to five users by
default.

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The Session Collaboration feature has the following limitations.

n If you have multiple monitors, only the primary monitor is shown to session collaborators.

n You must select the VMware Blast display protocol when you create a remote desktop session. The
Session Collaboration feature does not support PCoIP or RDP sessions.

n H.264 hardware encoding is not supported. If the session owner is using hardware encoding and a
collaborator joins the session, both fall back to software encoding.

n Anonymous collaboration is not supported. Session collaborators must be identifiable through

Horizon-supported authentication mechanisms.

n Session collaborators must have Horizon Client 4.7 or later for Windows, Mac, or Linux installed, or
they must use HTML Access 4.7 or later.

n If a session collaborator has an unsupported version of Horizon Client, an error message appears
when the user clicks a collaboration link.

n You cannot use the Session Collaboration feature to share published application sessions.

Prerequisites

To invite users to join a remote desktop session, a Horizon administrator must enable the Session
Collaboration feature.

For Windows desktops, this task includes enabling the Session Collaboration feature at the desktop pool
or farm level. It can also include using group policies to configure Session Collaboration features, such as
the available invitation methods. For complete requirements, see Requirements for the Session
Collaboration Feature.

For information about enabling the Session Collaboration feature for Windows desktops, see the Setting
Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 document. For information about enabling the Session Collaboration
feature for a farm, see the Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 document. For
information about using group policy settings to configure the Session Collaboration feature, see the
Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

For information about enabling the Session Collaboration feature for Linux desktops, see the Setting Up
Horizon 7 for Linux Desktops document.

Procedure

1 Connect to a remote desktop for which the session collaboration feature is enabled.

You must use the VMware Blast display protocol.

2 In the system tray in the remote desktop, click the VMware Horizon Collaboration icon, for example,

The collaboration icon might look different, depending on the operating system version.

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3 When the VMware Horizon Collaboration dialog box opens, enter the user name (for example,
testuser or domain\testuser) or the email address of the user that you want to join the remote
desktop session.

The first time you enter the user name or email address of a particular user, you must click Look up
"user", enter a comma (,), or press the Enter key to validate the user. The session collaboration
feature remembers the user the next time you enter the user's user name or email address.

You can invite up to five users by default. A Horizon administrator can change the maximum number
of users that you can invite.

4 Select an invitation method.

Not all invitation methods might be available.

Option Action
Email Copies the collaboration invitation to the clipboard and opens a new email
message in the default email application. An email application must be installed to
use this invitation method.

IM (Windows remote desktops only) Copies the collaboration invitation to the

clipboard and opens a new window in Skype for Business. Press Ctrl+V to paste
the link into the Skype for Business window. Skype for Business must be installed
and configured to use this invitation method.

Copy Link Copies the collaboration invitation to the clipboard. You must manually open
another application, such as Notepad, and press Ctrl+V to paste the invitation.

After you send an invitation, the VMware Horizon Collaboration icon also appears on the desktop and the
session collaboration user interface turns into a dashboard that shows the current state of the
collaboration session and enables you to take certain actions.

When a session collaborator accepts your invitation and joins the a Windows remote desktop session, the
session collaboration feature notifies you and a red dot appears on the VMware Horizon Collaboration
icon in the system tray. This feature is not available for Linux remote desktop sessions.

What to do next

Manage the collaborative session in the VMware Horizon Collaboration dialog box. See Manage a
Collaborative Session.

Manage a Collaborative Session

After you send a session collaboration invitation, the Session Collaboration user interface turns into a
dashboard that shows the current state of the collaborative session and enables you to take certain
actions.

Prerequisites

Start a collaborative session. See Invite a User to Join a Remote Desktop Session.

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Procedure

1 In the remote desktop, click the VMware Horizon Collaboration icon in the system tray.

The names of all session collaborators appear in the Name column and their status appears in the
Status column.

2 Use the VMware Horizon Session Collaboration dashboard to manage the collaborative session.

Option Action

Revoke an invitation or remove a Click Remove in the Status column.

collaborator

Hand off control to a session After the session collaborator joins the session, toggle the switch in the Control
collaborator column to On.
To resume control of the session, double-click or press any key. The session
collaborator can also give back control by toggling the switch in the Control
column to Off, or by clicking the Give Back Control button.

Add a collaborator Click Add Collaborators.

End the collaborative session Click End Collaboration. All active collaborators are disconnected.
In Windows remote desktops, you can also end the collaborative session by
clicking the Stop button next to the VMware Horizon Session Collaboration
icon. The Stop button is not available in Linux remote desktops.

Join a Collaborative Session

To join a collaborative session, you can click the link in a collaboration invitation. The link might be in an
email or instant message, or in a document that the session owner forwards to you. Alternatively, you can
log in to the server and double-click the icon for the collaborative session in the remote desktop and
application selector window.

This procedure describes how to join a collaborative session from a collaboration invitation.

Note In a Cloud Pod Architecture environment, you cannot join a collaborative session by logging in to
the server unless you log in to the session owner's pod.

You cannot use the following remote desktop features in a collaborative session.

n USB redirection

n Real-Time Audio-Video (RTAV)

n Multimedia redirection

n Client drive redirection

n Smart card redirection

n Virtual printing

n Clipboard redirection

You cannot change the remote desktop resolution in a collaborative session.

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Prerequisites

To join a collaborative session, you must have Horizon Client 4.7 for Windows, Mac, or Linux installed on
the client system, or you must use HTML Access 4.7 or later.

Procedure

1 Click the link in the collaboration invitation.

Horizon Client opens on the client system.

2 Enter your credentials to log in to Horizon Client.

After you are successfully authenticated, the collaborative session begins and you can see the
session owner's remote desktop. If the session owner transfers mouse and keyboard control to you,
you can use the remote desktop.

3 To return mouse and keyboard control to the session owner, click the VMware Horizon
Collaboration icon in the system tray and toggle the switch in the Control column to Off, or click the
Give Back Control button.

4 To leave the collaborative session, click Options > Disconnect.

Enable Multi-Session Mode for Published Applications

When multi-session mode is enabled for a published application, you can use multiple sessions of the
same published application when you log on to the server from different client devices.

For example, if you open a published application in multi-session mode on client A, and then open the
same published application on client B, the published application remains open on client A and a new
session of the published application opens on client B. By comparison, when multi-session mode is
disabled (single-session mode), the published application session on client A disconnects and reconnects
on client B.

The multi-session mode feature has the following limitations.

n Multi-session mode does not work for applications that do not support multiple instances, such as
Skype for Business.

n If the application session is disconnected while you are using a published application in multi-session
mode, you are logged off automatically and any unsaved data is lost.

Prerequisites

A Horizon administrator must enable multi-session mode for the application pool. Users cannot modify the
multi-session mode for a published application unless a Horizon administrator allows it. See Setting Up
Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7. This feature requires Horizon 7 version 7.7 or later.

Procedure

1 Connect to a server.

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2 Click the Settings button (gear icon) in the upper-right corner of the desktop and application selector
window and select Multi-Launch.

If no published applications are available to use in multi-session mode, the Multi-Launch setting
does not appear.

3 Select the published applications that you want to use in multi-session mode and click OK.

If a Horizon administrator has enforced multi-session mode for a published application, you cannot
change this setting.

Using the Seamless Window Feature

With the Seamless Window feature, you can interact with an application that is running on a remote
desktop as if it was a locally running application.

Beginning with Horizon Client 4.9 for Linux, the Seamless Window feature is enabled by default and
available for all supported Linux systems.

Saving Documents in a Published Application

With certain published applications, such as Microsoft Word or WordPad, you can create and save
documents. Where these documents are saved depends on your company's network environment. For
example, your documents might be saved to a home share mounted on your local computer.

A Horizon administrator can use the RDS Profiles group policy setting called Set Remote Desktop
Services User Home Directory to specify where documents are saved. For more information, see the
Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

Set Printing Preferences for the Virtual Printing Feature

You can set printing preferences in a remote desktop for the Virtual Printing feature. With the Virtual
Printing feature, you can use local or network printers from a remote desktop without having to install
additional printer drivers in the remote desktop. For each printer available through this feature, you can
set preferences for data compression, print quality, double-sided printing, color, and other settings.

Important The Virtual Printing feature is available only with Horizon Client 3.2 or a later release that is
available from the VMware Product Downloads Web site, or with the version of Horizon Client for Linux
that is provided by third-party vendors.

This feature also has the following requirements:

n The remote desktop must have View Agent 6.0.2 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, installed.

n You must be using the VMware Blast or PCoIP display protocol.

For more information about VMware thin-client and zero-client partners, see the VMware Compatibility
Guide at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php?deviceCategory=vdm. For client
software provided by third-party vendors, you must be using the VMware Blast, PCoIP, or FreeRDP
display protocol. This feature does not work with rdesktop.

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After a printer is added on the local client computer, Horizon Client adds that printer to the list of available
printers in the remote desktop. No further configuration is required. If you have administrator privileges,
you can install printer drivers on the remote desktop without creating a conflict with the Virtual Printing
component.

Important This feature is not available for the following types of printers.

n USB printers that use the USB redirection feature to connect to a virtual USB port in the remote
desktop.

You must disconnect the USB printer from the remote desktop to use the Virtual Printing feature with
it.

n 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

To use Virtual Printing, a Horizon administrator must enable the Virtual Printing feature in the remote
desktop. This task involves enabling the Virtual Printing setup option in the agent installer, and can
include setting policies that control virtual printing behavior. For information about installing
Horizon Agent, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 or Setting Up Published Desktops and
Applications in Horizon 7 document. For information about configuring policies, see the Configuring
Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

To determine whether the Virtual Printing feature is installed in a remote desktop, verify that the
C:\Program Files\Common Files\ThinPrint folder exists in the remote desktop file system.

Procedure

1 In the Windows remote desktop, go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and
Printers.

2 In the Devices and Printers window, right-click the virtual printer and select Printer properties from
the context menu.

In a single-user virtual machine desktop, each virtual printer appears as <printer_name>. In a

published desktop, if View Agent 6.2 or later or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later is installed, each virtual
printer appears as <printer_name>(s<session_ID>). If View Agent 6.1 or earlier is installed in the
remote desktop, each virtual printer appears as <printer_name>#:<number>.

3 On the General tab, click Preferences.

4 In the Printing Preferences dialog box, select the different tabs and specify which settings to use.

5 To save your changes, click OK.

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Copying and Pasting Text

You can copy and paste text to and from remote desktops and published applications. A Horizon
administrator can configure this feature so that copy and paste operations are allowed only from the client
system to a remote desktop or published application, or only from a remote desktop or published
application to the client system, or both, or neither.

This feature is available if you use the VMware Blast display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol.
Remote applications are supported with Horizon 6.0 or later.

A Horizon administrator can configure the ability to copy and paste by using group policy objects (GPOs)
that pertain to View Agent or Horizon Agent in remote desktops. For more information, see the chapter
about configuring policies in the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

You can copy text from Horizon Client to a remote desktop or application, or the reverse, but the pasted
text is plain text.

You cannot copy and paste graphics. You also cannot copy and paste files between a remote desktop
and the file system on the client computer.

Configuring the Client Clipboard Memory Size

In Horizon 7 version 7.0.1 and later and Horizon Client 4.1 and later, the clipboard memory size is
configurable for both the server and the client.

When a PCoIP or VMware Blast session is established, the server sends its clipboard memory size to the
client. The effective clipboard memory size is the lesser of the server and client clipboard memory size
values.

To set the client clipboard memory size, add the following parameter to any one of three configuration
files: ~/.vmware/config, /usr/lib/vmware/config, or /etc/vmware/config.

mksvchan.clipboardSize=value

value is the client clipboard memory size in kilobytes (KB). You can specify a maximum value of 16384
KB. If you specify 0 or do not specify a value, the default client clipboard memory size is 8192 KB (8 MB).

Horizon Client looks for the clipboard memory size in the configuration files in the following order and
stops as soon as a non-zero value is found.

1 ~/.vmware/config

2 /usr/lib/vmware/config

3 /etc/vmware/config

A large clipboard memory size can negatively affect performance, depending on your network. VMware
recommends that you do not set the clipboard memory size to a value greater than 16 MB.

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Logging Copy and Paste Activity

When you enable the clipboard audit feature, Horizon Agent records information about copy and paste
activity in an event log on the agent machine. The clipboard audit feature is disabled by default.

To enable the clipboard audit feature, you must configure the Configure clipboard audit group policy
setting for VMware Blast or PCoIP.

You can optionally configure the Whether block clipboard redirection to client side when client
doesn't support audit group policy setting for VMware Blast or PCoIP to specify whether to block
clipboard redirection to clients that do not support the clipboard audit feature.

For information about configuring these group policy settings, see the "VMware Blast Policy Settings" and
"PCoIP Clipboard Settings" topics in the Configuring Remote Desktop Features in Horizon 7 document.

This feature requires Horizon Agent 7.7 or later on the agent machine.

The event log where information about copy and paste activity is recorded is named VMware Horizon RX
Audit. To view the event log on the agent machine, use the Windows event viewer. To view the event log
from a centralized location, configure VMware Log Insight or Windows Event Collector. For information
about Log Insight, go to https://docs.vmware.com/en/vRealize-Log-Insight/index.html. For information
about Windows Event Collector, see the Microsoft documentation.

Enable the Relative Mouse Feature for a Remote Desktop

If you use the VMware Blast display protocol or the PCoIP display protocol when using 3D applications in
a remote desktop, mouse performance improves when you enable the relative mouse feature.

In most circumstances, if you are using applications that do not require 3D rendering, Horizon Client
transmits information about mouse pointer movements by using absolute coordinates. Using absolute
coordinates, the client renders the mouse movements locally, which improves performance, especially if
you are outside the corporate network.

For work that requires using graphics-intensive applications, such as AutoCAD, or for playing 3D video
games, you can improve mouse performance by enabling the relative mouse feature, which uses relative,
rather than absolute, coordinates.

The Horizon Client relative mouse feature is not enabled by default. You can use the
view.enableRelativeMouse configuration key in the ~/.vmware/view-preferences file to enable or
disable Horizon Client relative mouse and prevent users from changing the setting in the Horizon Client
user interface. You must configure the relative mouse setting before end users connect to a server. The
setting is applied to the current desktop connection session. If the Horizon Client relative mouse setting is
configured using the ~/.vmware/view-preferences file, end users cannot change the setting after
connecting to a server.

When the relative mouse feature is enabled, performance might be slow if you are outside the corporate
network, on a WAN.

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Prerequisites

A Horizon administrator must turn on 3D rendering for the desktop pool. For information about pool
settings and the options available for 3D rendering, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon 7 or
Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 document.

Procedure

1 Start Horizon Client and log in to the server.

2 Right-click the remote desktop and select VMware Blast or PCoIP.

3 Connect to the remote desktop.

4 Select Connection > Enable Relative Mouse from the Horizon Client menu bar.

The option is a toggle. To disable the relative mouse feature, select Connection > Enable Relative
Mouse again.

Note If you use Horizon Client in windowed mode rather than full-screen mode and the relative
mouse feature is enabled, you might not be able to move the mouse pointer to the Horizon Client
menu options or move the pointer outside of the Horizon Client window. To resolve this situation,
press Ctrl+Alt.

Using Serial Port Redirection

With serial port redirection, you can redirect locally connected serial (/dev/ttyS) ports, such as built-in
RS232 ports and USB-to-serial adapters. Devices such as printers, bar code readers, and other serial
devices can be connected to these ports and used in RDS-hosted desktops.

If a Horizon administrator has configured the serial port redirection feature, and if you use the VMware
Blast display protocol, serial port redirection works in the RDS-hosted desktop without further
configuration. For example, /dev/ttyS0 on the local client system is redirected as COM1 on the RDS-
hosted desktop. Serial port /dev/ttyS1 is redirected as COM2. If the /dev/ttyS port is already in use, it is
mapped to avoid conflicts. For example, if COM1 and COM2 exist on the RDS-hosted desktop, /dev/ttyS0
on the client system is mapped to COM3 by default.

You must have any required device drivers installed on the local client system, but you do not need to
install the device drivers on the RDS-hosted desktop. For example, if you use a USB-to-serial adapter
that requires specific device drivers to work on your local client system, you must install those drivers, but
only on the client system.

Important If you are using a device that plugs in to a USB-to-serial adapter, do not connect the device
from the Connect USB Device menu in Horizon Client. Doing so routes the device through USB
redirection and bypasses the serial port redirection feature.

Tips for Using the Serial Port Redirection Feature

n Click the serial port icon ( ) in the system tray or notification area of the RDS-hosted desktop to
connect, disconnect, or customize the mapped /dev/ttyS ports.

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When you click the serial port icon, the Serial COM Redirection for VMware Horizon context menu
appears. If an administrator has locked the configuration, the items in the context menu are dimmed.
The icon appears only if a Horizon administrator has configured the serial port redirection feature and
all requirements are met. For more information, see System Requirements for Serial Port Redirection.

n In the context menu, the port items are listed as port mapped to port, for example, /dev/ttyS0
mapped to COM1. The first port, which is /dev/ttyS0 in this example, is the physical port or the USB-
to-serial adapter on the local client system. The second port, which is COM1 in this example, is the
port used in the RDS-hosted desktop.

n To select the Port Properties command, right-click a /dev/ttyS port.

In the COM Properties dialog box, you can configure a port to connect automatically when a RDS-
hosted desktop session is started, or you can ignore DSR (data-set-ready signal), which is required
for some modems and other devices.

You can also change the port number that the RDS-hosted desktop uses. For example, if
the /dev/ttyS0 port on the client system is mapped to COM3 in the RDS-hosted desktop, you can
change the port number to COM1. If COM1 exists in the RDS-hosted desktop, you might see COM1
(Overlapped). You can still use this overlapped port. The RDS-hosted desktop can receive serial
data through the port from the server and also from the client system.

n Connect to a mapped COM port by selecting Connect to use the port in the RDS-hosted desktop.

When a redirected COM port is opened and in use on a RDS-hosted desktop, you cannot access the
port on the local computer. Conversely, when a /dev/ttyS port is in use on the local computer, you
cannot access the port on the RDS-hosted desktop.

n You can then select the Disconnect command to disconnect and make the physical COM port
available for use on the client computer.

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Troubleshooting Horizon Client 5
You can solve most problems with Horizon Client by restarting or resetting remote desktops or published
applications, or by reinstalling Horizon Client.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Restart a Remote Desktop

n Reset a Remote Desktop or Published Applications

n Uninstall Horizon Client for Linux

n Problems with Keyboard Input

n Connecting to a Server in Workspace ONE Mode

Restart a Remote Desktop

If the remote desktop operating system stops responding, you might need to restart a remote desktop.
Restarting a remote desktop is similar to using the Windows operating system restart command. The
remote desktop operating system usually prompts you to save any unsaved data before it restarts.

You can restart a remote desktop only if a Horizon administrator has enabled the restart feature for the
remote desktop.

For information about enabling the desktop restart feature, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon
7 or Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 document.

Prerequisites

Obtain login credentials, such as a user name and password, RSA SecurID user name and password,
RADIUS authentication user name and password, or smart card personal identification number (PIN).

Procedure

u Use the Restart command.

Option Action

From within the desktop Select Connection > Restart Desktop from the menu bar.

From the desktop selection window Select the remote desktop and select Connection > Restart Desktop from the
menu bar.

Horizon Client prompts you to confirm the restart action.

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The operating system in the remote desktop restarts and Horizon Client disconnects and logs off from the
remote desktop.

What to do next

Wait an appropriate amount of time for the system to restart before you attempt to reconnect to the
remote desktop.

If restarting the remote desktop does not solve the problem, you might need to reset the remote desktop.
See Reset a Remote Desktop or Published Applications.

Reset a Remote Desktop or Published Applications

You might need to reset a remote desktop if the desktop operating system stops responding and
restarting the remote desktop does not solve the problem. Resetting published applications quits all open
applications.

Resetting a remote desktop is the same as pressing the Reset button on a physical PC to force the PC to
restart. Any files that are open on the remote desktop are closed and are not saved.

Resetting published applications quits the applications without saving any unsaved data. All open
published applications are closed, even applications that come from different RDS server farms.

You can reset a remote desktop only if a Horizon administrator has enabled the reset feature for the
remote desktop.

For information about enabling the desktop reset feature, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon
7 or Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon 7 document.

Procedure

u Use the Reset command.

Option Action

Reset a remote desktop from within the Select Connection > Reset from the menu bar.
desktop

Reset a remote desktop from the Select the remote desktop and select Connection > Reset from the menu bar.
desktop and application selection
window

Reset published applications from the Click the Settings button (gear icon) in the upper-right corner of the window,
desktop and application selection select Applications in the left pane, click Reset, and click Continue.
window

You can also use uniform resource identifiers (URIs) to reset a remote desktop or application. See
Using URIs to Configure Horizon Client for information on the syntax and examples.

When you reset a remote desktop, the operating system in the remote desktop restarts and
Horizon Client disconnects and logs off from the remote desktop. When you reset published applications,
the published applications quit.

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What to do next

Wait an appropriate amount of time for system to restart before attempting to reconnect to the remote
desktop or published application.

Uninstall Horizon Client for Linux

You can sometimes resolve problems with Horizon Client by uninstalling and reinstalling the
Horizon Client application.

The method you use for uninstalling Horizon Client for Linux depends on the version and the method you
used for installing the client software.

Prerequisites

Verify that you have root access on the Linux client system.

Procedure

n If you have Horizon Client 3.1 or earlier, or if you installed the client from the Ubuntu Software Center,
select Applications > Ubuntu Software Center, and in the Installed Software section, select
vmware-view-client and click Remove.

n If you have Horizon Client 3.2 or later, which you installed from the VMware Product Downloads Web
site, open a Terminal window, change directories to the directory that contains the installer file, and
run the installer command with the -u option.

sudo env VMWARE_KEEP_CONFIG=yes \

./VMware-Horizon-Client-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.arch.bundle -u vmware-horizon-client

In the file name, x.x.x is the version number, yyyyyyy is the build number, and arch is either x86 or
x64. Using the VMWARE_KEEP_CONFIG=yes setting means retain the configuration settings when the
client is uninstalled. If this environment variable is not set, you are prompted to specify whether to
save the configuration settings.

What to do next

You can reinstall the client or install a new version. See Install or Upgrade Horizon Client for Linux from
VMware Product Downloads.

Problems with Keyboard Input

When you type in a remote desktop or published application, none of the keystrokes seem to work.

Problem

When you are connected to a remote desktop or published application, no characters appear when you
type. Another symptom might be that a single key keeps repeating itself.

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Cause

Some security software, such as Norton 360 Total Security, includes a feature that detects keystroke
logging software and blocks keystroke logging. This security feature is meant to protect the system
against spyware that steals passwords and credit card numbers. This security software might block
Horizon Client from sending keystrokes to the remote desktop or published application.

Solution

u On the client system, turn off the keystroke logging detection feature of your antivirus or security
software.

Connecting to a Server in Workspace ONE Mode

You cannot connect to a server directly through Horizon Client, or your remote desktop and published
application entitlements are not visible in Horizon Client.

Problem

n When you try to connect to the server directly through Horizon Client, Horizon Client redirects you to
the Workspace ONE portal.

n When you open a remote desktop or published application through a URI or command, the request
redirects you to the Workspace ONE portal for authentication.

n After you open a remote desktop or published application through Workspace ONE and
Horizon Client starts, you cannot see or open other entitled remote desktops or published
applications in Horizon Client.

Cause

Beginning with Horizon 7 version 7.2, a Horizon administrator can enable Workspace ONE mode on a
Connection Server instance. This behavior is normal when Workspace ONE mode is enabled on a
Connection Server instance.

Solution

Use Workspace ONE to connect to a Workspace ONE enabled server and access your remote desktops
and published applications.

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Configuring USB Redirection on
the Client 6
With the USB redirection feature, you can use a configuration file on the client system to specify which
USB devices can be redirected to a remote desktop.

For example, you can restrict the types of USB devices that Horizon Client makes available for
redirection, make View Agent prevent certain USB devices from being forwarded from a client computer,
and specify whether Horizon Client should split composite USB devices into separate components for
redirection.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n System Requirements for USB Redirection

n USB-Specific Log Files

n Setting USB Configuration Properties

n USB Device Families

System Requirements for USB Redirection

The USB redirection feature is available only with certain versions of the client software.

For the Horizon Client software provided by third-party vendors, the USB redirection feature has the
following requirements:

n The version of View Agent and View Connection Server must be View 5.1 or later.

n The USB filtering features and device splitting features described in this document are available with
View Connection Server 5.1 and later.

For more information about VMware thin-client and zero-client partners, see the VMware Compatibility
Guide. To use the USB components available for third-party vendors, certain files must be installed in
certain locations, and certain processes must be configured to start before Horizon Client is launched.
These details are beyond the scope of this document.

For Horizon Client, the USB redirection feature has the following requirements:

n The remote desktop must have View Agent 6.0.2 or later installed.

n You must be using the VMware Blast or PCoIP display protocol.

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If you use Horizon 6.0.1 and later, you can plug USB 3.0 devices into USB 3.0 ports. USB 3.0 devices are
supported only with a single stream. Because multiple stream support is not yet implemented, USB
device performance is not enhanced. Note that on the Linux client system, i386 processors are
supported, whereas armel and armhf architectures are not. The Linux kernel version must be 2.6.35 or
later.

USB-Specific Log Files

Horizon Client sends USB information to log files.

To specify the USBD log level, add the following parameter in one of the configuration files.

view-usbd.logLevel = "value"

Use one of the following values for value.

n trace

n info

n debug

n error

The configuration files are in the following locations and processed in the order listed:

1 /etc/vmware/config

2 /usr/lib/vmware/config

3 ~/.vmware/config

For troubleshooting purposes, you can increase the amount of information sent to USB-specific logs by
using the following commands:

1 Stop the USB arbitrator daemon.

sudo /etc/init.d/vmware-USBArbitrator stop

2 Restart the USB arbitrator daemon using the verbose option.

sudo /usr/lib/vmware/view/usb/vmware-usbarbitrator -verbose

The default USB arbitrator log file is located in /var/log/vmware/vmware-usbarb-<pid>.log, where

<pid> is the process id for the USB arbitrator daemon.

To get a list of usage information, use the following command:

sudo /usr/lib/vmware/view/usb/vmware-usbarbitrator -h

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Setting USB Configuration Properties

You can set USB configuration properties in the /etc/vmware/config, /usr/lib/vmware/config, and
~/.vmware/config configuration files.

Use the following syntax to set USB configuration properties in the configuration files.

viewusb.property1 = "value1"

With USB configuration properties, you can control whether certain types of devices are redirected.
Filtering properties are also available to enable you to include or exclude certain types of devices. For
Linux clients version 1.7 and later, and for Windows clients, properties for splitting composite devices are
also provided.

Some property values require the VID (vendor ID) and PID (product ID) for a USB device. To find the VID
and PID, you can search on the Internet for the product name combined with vid and pid. Alternatively,
you can look in the /tmp/vmware-<current_user>/vmware-view-usbd-*.log file after you plug in the
USB device to the local system when Horizon Client is running. To set the location of this file, use the
view-usbd.log.fileName property in the /etc/vmware/config file, for example:

view-usbd.log.fileName = "/tmp/usbd.log"

Important When redirecting audio devices, make sure that the kernel version of your Ubuntu system is
3.2.0-27.43 or later. If you cannot upgrade to this kernel version, you can alternatively disable host access
to the audio device. For example, you can add the line "blacklist snd-usb-audio" at the end of
the /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf file. If your system does not meet either of these requirements,
the client system might crash when Horizon Client attempts to redirect the audio device. By default, audio
devices are redirected.

The following table describes the available USB configuration properties.

Table 6‑1. Configuration Properties for USB Redirection

Policy Name and Property Description

Allow Auto Device Splitting Allow the automatic splitting of composite USB devices.
Property: The default value is undefined, which equates to false.
viewusb.AllowAutoDeviceSplitting

Exclude Vid/Pid Device From Split Excludes a composite USB device specified by vendor and product IDs from
Property: splitting. The format of the setting is vid-xxx1_pid-yyy1[;vid-xxx2_pid-yyy2]...
viewusb.SplitExcludeVidPid You must specify ID numbers in hexadecimal. You can use the wildcard character
(*) in place of individual digits in an ID.
For example: vid-0781_pid-55**
The default value is undefined.

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Table 6‑1. Configuration Properties for USB Redirection (Continued)

Policy Name and Property Description

Split Vid/Pid Device Treats the components of a composite USB device specified by vendor and
Property: product IDs as separate devices. The format of the setting is
viewusb.SplitVidPid vid-xxxx_pid-yyyy([exintf:zz[;exintf:ww ]])[;...]
You can use the exintf keyword to exclude components from redirection by
specifying their interface number. You must specify ID numbers in hexadecimal,
and interface numbers in decimal including any leading zero. You can use the
wildcard character (*) in place of individual digits in an ID.
For example: vid-0781_pid-554c(exintf:01;exintf:02)

Note If the composite device includes components that are automatically

excluded, such as mouse and keyboard components, then View does not
automatically include the components that you have not explicitly excluded. You
must specify a filter policy such as Include Vid/Pid Device to include those
components.

The default value is undefined.

Allow Audio Input Devices Allows audio input devices to be redirected.

Property: The default value is undefined, which equates to false because the Real-Time
viewusb.AllowAudioIn Audio-Video feature is used for audio input and video devices, and USB
redirection is not used for those devices by default.

Allow Audio Output Devices Allows audio output devices to be redirected.

Property: The default value is undefined, which equates to false.
viewusb.AllowAudioOut

Allow HID Allows input devices other than keyboards or mice to be redirected.
Property: The default value is undefined, which equates to true.
viewusb.AllowHID

Allow HIDBootable Allows input devices other than keyboards or mice that are available at boot time
Property: (also known as hid-bootable devices) to be redirected.
viewusb.AllowHIDBootable The default value is undefined, which equates to true.

Allow Device Descriptor Failsafe Allows devices to be redirected even if the Horizon Client fails to get the
Property: config/device descriptors.
viewusb.AllowDevDescFailsafe To allow a device even if it fails the config/desc, include it in the Include filters,
such IncludeVidPid or IncludePath.
The default value is undefined, which equates to false.

Allow Keyboard and Mouse Devices Allows keyboards with integrated pointing devices (such as a mouse, trackball, or
Property: touch pad) to be redirected.
viewusb.AllowKeyboardMouse The default value is undefined, which equates to false.

Allow Smart Cards Allows smart-card devices to be redirected.

Property: The default value is undefined, which equates to false.
viewusb.AllowSmartcard

Allow Video Devices Allows video devices to be redirected.

Property: The default value is undefined, which equates to false because the Real-Time
viewusb.AllowVideo Audio-Video feature is used for audio input and video devices, and USB
redirection is not used for those devices by default.

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Table 6‑1. Configuration Properties for USB Redirection (Continued)

Policy Name and Property Description

Disable Remote Configuration Download Disables the use of View Agent settings when performing USB device filtering.
Property: The default value is undefined, which equates to false.
viewusb.DisableRemoteConfig

Exclude All Devices Excludes all USB devices from being redirected. If set to true, you can use other
Property: policy settings to allow specific devices or families of devices to be redirected. If
viewusb.ExcludeAllDevices set to false, you can use other policy settings to prevent specific devices or
families of devices from being redirected.
If you set the value of Exclude All Devices to true on View Agent, and this
setting is passed to Horizon Client, the View Agent setting overrides the
Horizon Client setting.
The default value is undefined, which equates to false.

Exclude Device Family Excludes families of devices from being redirected. The format of the setting is
Property: family_name_1[;family_name_2]...
viewusb.ExcludeFamily For example: bluetooth;smart-card
If you have enabled automatic device splitting, View examines the device family of
each interface of a composite USB device to decide which interfaces should be
excluded. If you have disabled automatic device splitting, View examines the
device family of the whole composite USB device.
The default value is undefined.

Exclude Vid/Pid Device Excludes devices with specified vendor and product IDs from being redirected.
Property: The format of the setting is vid-xxx1_pid-yyy2[;vid-xxx2_pid-yyy2]...
viewusb.ExcludeVidPid You must specify ID numbers in hexadecimal. You can use the wildcard character
(*) in place of individual digits in an ID.
For example: vid-0781_pid-****;vid-0561_pid-554c
The default value is undefined.

Exclude Path Exclude devices at specified hub or port paths from being redirected. The format of
Property: the setting is bus-x1[/y1]..._port-z1[;bus-x2[/y2]..._port-z2]...
viewusb.ExcludePath You must specify bus and port numbers in hexadecimal. You cannot use the
wildcard character in paths.
For example: bus-1/2/3_port-02;bus-1/1/1/4_port-ff
The default value is undefined.

Include Device Family Includes families of devices that can be redirected. The format of the setting is
Property: family_name_1[;family_name_2]...
viewusb.IncludeFamily For example: storage
The default value is undefined.

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Table 6‑1. Configuration Properties for USB Redirection (Continued)

Policy Name and Property Description

Include Path Include devices at a specified hub or port paths that can be redirected. The format
Property: of the setting is bus-x1[/y1]..._port-z1[;bus-x2[/y2]..._port-z2]...
viewusb.IncludePath You must specify bus and port numbers in hexadecimal. You cannot use the
wildcard character in paths.
For example: bus-1/2_port-02;bus-1/7/1/4_port-0f
The default value is undefined.

Include Vid/Pid Device Includes devices with specified vendor and product IDs that can be redirected. The
Property: format of the setting is vid-xxx1_pid-yyy2[;vid-xxx2_pid-yyy2]...
viewusb.IncludeVidPid You must specify ID numbers in hexadecimal. You can use the wildcard character
(*) in place of individual digits in an ID.
For example: vid-0561_pid-554c
The default value is undefined.

USB Redirection Examples

Each example is followed by a description of the effect on USB redirection.

n Include most devices within mouse device family.

viewusb.IncludeFamily = "mouse"
viewusb.ExcludeVidPid = "Vid-0461_Pid-0010;Vid-0461_Pid-4d20"

The first property in this example tells Horizon Client to allow mouse devices to be redirected to a
View desktop. The second property overrides the first and tells Horizon Client to keep two specific
mouse devices local and not redirect them.

n Turn on automatic device splitting, but exclude one particular device from splitting. For another
particular device, keep one of its components local and redirect the other components to the remote
desktop:

viewusb.AllowAutoDeviceSplitting = "True"
viewusb.SplitExcludeVidPid = "Vid-03f0_Pid-2a12"
viewusb.SplitVidPid = "Vid-0911_Pid-149a(exintf:03)"
viewusb.IncludeVidPid = "Vid-0911_Pid-149a"

Composite USB devices consist of a combination of two or more devices, such as a video input
device and a storage device. The first property in this example turns on automatic splitting of
composite devices. The second property excludes the specified composite USB device
(Vid-03f0_Pid-2a12) from splitting.

The third line tells Horizon Client to treat the components of a different composite device
(Vid-0911_Pid-149a) as separate devices but to exclude the following component from being
redirected: the component whose interface number is 03. This component is kept local.

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Because this composite device includes a component that is ordinarily excluded by default, such as a
mouse or keyboard, the fourth line is necessary so that the other components of the composite
device Vid-0911_Pid-149a can be redirected to the View desktop.

The first three properties are splitting properties. The last property is a filtering property. Filtering
properties are processed before splitting properties.

Important These client configuration properties might be merged with or overridden by corresponding
policies set for View Agent on the remote desktop. For information about how USB splitting and filtering
properties on the client work in conjunction with View Agent USB policies, see the topics about using
policies to control USB redirection, in the Horizon 7 Administration document.

USB Device Families

You can specify a USB device family when you create USB filtering rules for Horizon Client or for View
Agent or Horizon Agent.

Note Some devices do not report a device family.

Table 6‑2. USB Device Families

Device Family
Name Description

audio Any audio-input or audio-output device.

audio-in Audio-input devices such as microphones.

audio-out Audio-output devices such as loudspeakers and headphones.

bluetooth Bluetooth-connected devices.

comm Communications devices such as modems and wired networking adapters.

hid Human interface devices excluding keyboards and pointing devices.

hid-bootable Human interface devices that are available at startup time, excluding keyboards and pointing devices.

imaging Imaging devices such as scanners.

keyboard Keyboard device.

mouse Pointing device such as a mouse.

other Family not specified.

pda Personal digital assistants.

physical Force feedback devices such as force feedback joysticks.

printer Printing devices.

security Security devices such as fingerprint readers.

smart-card Smart-card devices.

storage Mass storage devices such as flash drives and external hard disk drives.

unknown Family not known.

vendor Devices with vendor-specific functions.

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Table 6‑2. USB Device Families (Continued)

Device Family
Name Description

video Video-input devices.

wireless Wireless networking adapters.

wusb Wireless USB devices.

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