User's Guide
Document Revision Control
Revision Description Author DATE
1.0 Initial Release Karen M. Hess 3/24/2015
1.1 Added section for viewing mapped drives Karen M. Hess 4/15/2015
1.2 Corrected segment on HCMoveIt Karen M. Hess 4/16/2015
Contents
Foreword ... 1
Prerequisites ... 1
Where to go for Help ... 2
Connect to Remote Desktop Services (RDS) ... 2
VMware Horizon Client – Application Delivery ... 3
Application Portal Interface ... 3
The Application Menu ... 7
Printing through Remote Desktop Services (RDS) ... 8
Viewing Mapped Drives ... 8
Saving Data with Remote Desktop Services (RDS) ... 9
Clipboard Management and Data Transfer ... 9
VMWare Horizon Client Configurations ... 10
Troubleshooting ... 14
Foreword
This document guides the user through the process of using Remote Desktop Service (RDS) to connect their workstation from a remote site to the Howard County Network. This service provides remote access to County network resources.
Remote Access is a privilege and requires approval from the user’s department head and from DTCS.
Remote Access by definition indicates that the user is accessing County network resources from a remote site over an external internet connection.
Remote Access is intended to allow those with County issued laptops to connect remotely to the network. The service is also available to approved County network users who have a business need to connect remotely using their personal equipment. The approved user assumes all risk and responsibility for the use of their personal equipment and home internet.
The service desk cannot troubleshoot personal equipment or home internet connections.
Prerequisites
You must be pre-approved for Remote Access.
You must have internet access at your remote location.
You must have a network account with the Howard County Government and know your username and password (network credentials).
You must install a VMware Horizon Client on your workstation.
If not already installed, see Remote Desktop Services VMware Client Installation Instructions.
Where to go for Help
For technical problems regarding Remote Desktop Services User's Guide, please contact the Howard County Service Desk.
Service Desk Hours 7:00 AM-5:00 PM Monday - Friday
PHONE 410-313-2095
or x2095 Self-Service Portal: http://hcservicedesk
NOTE: The service desk cannot troubleshoot your personal device or your home network.
Connect to Remote Desktop Services (RDS)
Launch the previously installed VMware Horizon Client1 on your remote workstation by double clicking the Icon on your desktop or in your Start Menu/task bar.
Double-click on the hcapp.howardcountymd.gov Server. If not listed, please refer to the section, Configure the VMware Horizon Client.
VMware Horizon Client for Windows Double click the icon for
hcapp.howardcountymd.gov
VMware Horizon Client for Mac Double click the icon for hcapp.howardcountymd.gov
Note the similarities between the Windows and Mac VMware Horizon View Client environments.
The screen shots within this document will be primarily of a Windows client environment. Except for printing, the behavior within the client should be seamless to both the Windows and Mac user.
1 You must install the VMware Horizon Client for your computer before you proceed. Please review the
VMware Horizon Client – Application Delivery
When you connect to the hcapp.howardcountymd.gov you will see with the applications that you have been authorized to use remotely. If an application is missing, check first with your boss and then submit a request to the Service Desk. Not all applications may be available remotely. Every effort will be made to accommodate the County’s business needs.
Application Portal Interface
The application portal interface – Below you’ll find familiar icons and their descriptions:
Icon Name Description
Log Off or Disconnect
This Icon is used to log out of the system.
Note: Even though you have logged out, your session continues to live for 4 hours Connection Shows the server to which the client is connected.
Favorites Available when connected to the server. This is a toggle to display favorites when all icons are being displayed. To Mark Favorites is discussed later in the document.
All Icons Available when connected to the server. This is a toggle to show all icons when favorites are being displayed.
Settings Available when connected to the server. Provides Application settings described in detail later in this document.
Help Dropdown
Available when connected to the server. Menu options include Help, Support Information, and About VMware Horizon Client.
Help and Connection
Settings
Available when disconnected from the server. Menu options included Help, Support Information, About VMware Horizon Client, Configure SSL…,. Log in as current user, Hide the selector after launching an item.
Settings
Click the Settings icon to open a dialog menu that provides additional settings for remote applications.
The settings available to the user are Remote Application Settings to include:
Reconnect Behavior
Local IME
Reset.
Reconnect Behavior
Ask to reconnect to open applications
Horizon Client shows the message You have one or more remote applications running. Would you like to open them now?
Users can respond by clicking Reconnect to Applications or Not Now. Users can also select the Don't show this message again check box to suppress the message in the future. This setting is enabled by default.
Reconnect automatically to open applications
Horizon Client immediately reopens any running applications.
Do not ask to reconnect and do not automatically reconnect
Horizon Client does not prompt users to reopen running applications, nor does it reopen running applications. This setting has the same effect as the Don't show this message again check box.
Local IME
Extend the Local IME to hosted applications. Restart the remote session for this setting to take effect.
Local IME support for remote applications -- When using non-English keyboards and locales, you can use an IME (input method editor) installed in your local system to send non-English characters to a remote hosted application. No IME is required on the RDS host.
Reset
Resetting your applications shuts them down. You may lose unsaved work. You will be prompted before the reset.
Click Yes to reset.
Click No to cancel reset.
Click OK or Cancel on the settings windows to close it.
Help Dropdown Menu
Help
VMWare provides publications specific to the client installed.
Support Information
Information about your system that can be useful if support is needed.
This option shows product information, host information including host name and OS, as well as connection
information.
This information may be requested by support personnel.
Click OK to close the window.
Click Collect Support Data…
to collect additional support data.
This process can take a while. You should only proceed if requested to do so by support personnel to collect additional information about your RDS environment.
Click No to Cancel.
Click Yes to Proceed.
A command window will open on your computer and run a series of commands. When done, you will be prompted for the location of a zipped archive. This can be forwarded to support personnel.
Press any key and the command window will close.
About VMware Horizon Client
Useful information about the client installed on your system:
This option shows the product information, version, expiration date, User Interface (UI) log file name and location, and copyright information.
CAUTION: These files can be quite large. DO NOT RUN THIS PROCESS or forward the resulting file to the Service Desk UNLESS instructed to do so!
HIDING IS NOT RECOMMENDED
Help and Connection Settings
The following configuration settings are available before the client connects to the server.
Configure SSL
Log in as current user
Hide the selector after launching an item Configure SSL…
Log in as current user
When View Client users select the Log in as current user check box, the credentials that they provided when logging in to the client system are used to authenticate to the View Connection Server instance and to the View desktop. No further user authentication is required.
The Log in as current user feature has the following limitations and requirements:
If smart card authentication is set to “Required” on a View Connection Server instance, smart card users who select the Log in as current user check box must still authenticate with their smart card and PIN when logging in to the View desktop.
The time on the system where the client logs in and the time on the View Connection Server host must be synchronized.
The client machine must be able to communicate with the County’s Active Directory server and not use cached credentials for authentication. The Log in as Current User feature does not work with cached credentials.
Hide the selector after launching an item
This feature hides the VMware Horizon Client window after launching an application.
To hide the VMware Horizon Client window after you launch a remote desktop or application, click the Close button in the corner of the VMware Horizon Client window.
To set a preference to always hide the VMware Horizon Client window after remote desktop or application launch, before you connect to a View server, click the Options button in the menu bar and select Hide the selector after launching an item.
To show the VMware Horizon Client window after it has been hidden, right-click the VMware Horizon Client icon in the system tray and select Show VMware Horizon Client, or, if you are logged in to a remote desktop, click the Options button in the menu bar and select Switch to Other Desktop.
DO NOT change this setting unless instructed to do so
by your system administrator.
The Application Menu
With the View Client, you can right-click any application and perform the functions listed below:
Launch This will launch the application.
Settings This will launch the settings menu to perform the same function as the settings button.
Create shortcut
This item will allow you to create a shortcut on your desktop that can be launched without launching the View Client. This is a convenient way to launch applications that are frequently used.
Add to Start Menu
Adding an application to your Start Menu is a convenient way to automatically start it each time you connect to the server. A shortcut is created in the Start Menu and can be found Start > All Programs > VMware Horizon.
Mark as Favorite
This is a toggle. If marked, the application is shown when Favorites are displayed.
If not marked, the application does not show when Favorites are displayed.
To launch an application you can either right-click and select Launch, or double click the application that you would like to launch.
Note: If you close the client window while an application is open, the application will continue to stay open and the Horizon Client will be docked in the notification area.
The User Experience
The Remote Application experience will be very similar but not identical to your experience on your local computer. When saving files, be aware of the name and location of the file you save.
Email Considerations
The first time you launch Microsoft Outlook 2010 you will need to follow the Startup Wizard to configure your account. This will only need to happen the first time. Review the Microsoft Outlook Startup Account Configuration section for additional information.
Depending on the size of your mailbox, it may take a while to update all folders.
NOTE: Links to files and resources that reside on the local computer’s C: drive will not be accessible through RDS.
Printing through Remote Desktop Services (RDS)
You may print documents through RDS where locally install printers are available.
With the application open, click the File tab and then click Print.
Your local default printer is the default printer in your RDS environment.
Print jobs sent to the printer will be output to that printer.
You may select another installed printer from the list.
If you are accessing the RDS system from a Windows device with a locally installed printer, the printer will be passed through to the Remote Access session.
The VMware Horizon Client presents all locally installed printers in the dropdown list. Note: each printer is tagged with #: number.
Viewing Mapped Drives
Mapped drives are visible from within an application portal. This example shows how to open files from Microsoft Word. The process works the same for all apps.
Start Microsoft Word
Click the “File” tab
Click “Open”
Files are available from within any application and limited to your Home drive and the Share Drive (shown here as H: and T: drives).
Local drives such as the C:\
drive and USB drives are not visible or accessible.
NOTE
Printing is NOT supported on the Mac or on Mobile Devices.
NOTE
All drives mapped by Group Policy should be accessible via RDS.
If you do not see a mapped drive, contact the Service Desk.
Mapped drives vary by department.
Saving Data with Remote Desktop Services (RDS)
Saving data with RDS requires you to use a mapped network drive such as your Home Drive (H:\) or a Network Shared Drive(s) (T:\).
You may NOT save or retrieve data to the local host or to the C: drive of the remote desktop. USB pass-through is not supported which means you cannot save or retrieve data to a USB drive on the remote computer.
You may receive the following message when attempting to open or save a document. Click OK to acknowledge the message and navigate to your H: drive.
Clipboard Management and Data Transfer
Text
Text may be copied from the local file system into the remote desktop application session.
Due to security concerns, text cannot be copied from within the remote desktop application session to your local file system.
Data
HCMoveit (https://hcmoveit.howardcountymd.gov/) is a secure Enterprise Managed File Transfer site provided by Howard County for data transfer.
The Moveit Secure File Transfer icon is required to use this feature from within RDS.
HCMoveit requires an active Howard County network account.
When connected through RDS, use your account name and current password to log onto HCMoveIt.
Security Notice: You are about to access a secured resource. Howard County Government reserves the right to monitor and/or limit access to this resource at any time.
NOTE
Your mapped drives may vary from those shown above!
VMWare Horizon Client Configurations
Add a Connection Server to the VMware Horizon Client
Click the + New Server or + Button or double-click the Add Server icon to add a Connection Server.
In the dialog box that appears, enter the name of the Connection Server.
hcapp.howardcountymd.gov and click Connect.
Read and Accept the Disclaimer Note: This is the same legal text presented on the computer and will appear each time you connect to the remote services.
When prompted, key in your username, password, and select your domain from the drop-down list.
Note: Most users will belong to the HCGOV domain. Fire personnel may belong to the HCFRS domain, Public Safety personnel to the HCPS domain.
If you do not know to which domain you belong, please contact the Service Desk.
Click Login when done.
The Connection Server is created.
Configure the Connection Server Settings
Auto-connect to this server
When set, the VMware Horizon Client will automatically connect to the named server. The user will not have to click on the icon to connect to the server.
Log in as current user
Default behavior means the user will not be prompted for credentials to log on remotely. Assumes the host desktop is already logged in and authenticated. If not, credentials must be supplied.
Microsoft Outlook Startup Account Configuration
When you launch Outlook for the first time, the startup wizard will guide you through the process of configuring Outlook 2010.
Outlook uses the profile to access your email account which is stored on a network server. Your email account uses the same user id and password credentials as Windows
Click Next.
The wizard will prompt you to configure an email account. Click Next.
The Auto Account setup will attempt to find your information. If it does not, it will prompt for more info.
Your name and email address should auto fill and your password will not be required because you are already authenticated on the Howard County network.
Accept the defaults, and click Next.
Outlook is ready for use.
Depending on the size of your mailbox, it may take a while to update all folders.
Navigating the Mobile Environment:
The following is provided as a courtesy for those working with mobile devices.
On an Android mobile device:
When Horizon Client is in full screen mode, a radial menu appears at the right edge of the screen when connected to a remote desktop or application. You can drag the menu to relocate it. Tap to expand the menu and display icons for each tool, which you can tap to select. Tap outside the icons to collapse the icons back into the sphere. If the desktop or application is not in full screen mode, a toolbar appears on the right side of the menu bar at the top of the screen. You can tap the first icon to use full screen mode. When you are in full screen mode, you can tap a similar icon in the radial menu to switch to non-full screen mode.
Radial Menu for Android
On an Apple mobile device:
A radial menu appears in the middle of the screen when you connect to a remote desktop or application. Tap to expand the menu and display icons for each tool, which you can tap to select.
Tap outside the icons to collapse the icons back into the sphere.
Radial Menu for iPhone, iPad, iPod
Navigating the Touch Interface
Android:
Apple Mobile Device:
Troubleshooting
Issue Probably Cause Possible Solution
My computer cannot connect to the internet
A problem exists between you and your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Contact your internet service provider to resolve the problem. The Service Desk cannot assist until this problem is resolved.
I can’t find the Horizon View Client The client has not been installed The client cannot be located.
Check All Programs or your Mac’s Launchpad if not installed, see Remote Desktop Services VMware Client Install
Missing server connection to hcapp.howardcountymd.gov
No server was added when the client was installed.
Add a Connection Server to the VMware Horizon Client
Client cannot connect to hcapp.howardcountymd.gov Connection Server
The computer is not connected to the internet.
Verify that computer is connected to the internet.
RDS is unavailable due to scheduled maintenance.
Scheduled downtime will be communicated via email.
RDS is unavailable due to
unscheduled service interruption.
Contact the Service Desk to report problem.
Your credentials are invalid. Try again or contact your system Administrator.
(Multiple invalid attempts may lock your account)
Invalid username or password. Check username and password and try again.
Domain selected is incorrect. Verify the selected domain and try again.
Keyboard Num Lock and/or Caps Lock are turned on.
Make sure keyboard Num Lock and/or Caps Lock is turned off and try again.
User has forgotten his/her password or locked account due to too many invalid attempts.
Launch Password Manager to reset password https://password.howardcountymd.gov NOTE: must be pre-registered
I do not see applications that I need.
Applications and/or resources were not requested.
Check with your supervisor and then contact the Service Desk to request the applications.
I do not see my network drives in the file Open/Save as dialog windows
Group Policies may not have run Contact the Service Desk to report the problem.
I cannot access my local resources when connected to RDS.
RDS prohibits access to local resources to protect the network.
The only available access to local devices will be your printer.
Disconnect from RDS to access local drives and resources.
I cannot connect from the HCGov Public WiFi connection
Security Reasons Connecting to the View Portal over the Public Wi-Fi is not supported
Connecting to an Application is taking longer than 60 seconds
Initial Connection During the initial connection, the user profile is created and may take longer than usual.
Local Bandwidth Constraints If you are connecting over a Cell Data connection, the speed will be diminished.
Moving from App to App Transferring between apps may increase launch time by a few seconds.
Trouble navigating the Remote Access Portal
Refer to the Application Portal Interface or Navigating the Mobile Environment Trouble printing from your device Attempting to print from a Mac or
remote devices.
Printer pass-through is only possible on a Windows Device. Printing is not yet supported on any other device. Use a Windows device with a locally installed printer.
Trouble accessing data from a USB device
USB pass-through is not supported
Upload the data to your home drive to access it from the Virtual Environment
