Accessing Staff and Student VMs Using VMware View

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VMs Using VMware View

Introduction

VMware View is a program that you use to connect to a virtual University computer desktop at the University or from home. Note that the most recent is VMware Horizon View.

VMware View is available for Mac OSX, Linux, Windows XP/7, iOS 4+ and Android 2.2+. An Open Source alternative client for Mac OSX and Linux is also available, albeit with far fewer options.

This document covers how to register for the service, where to get the software from, how to connect and how to use a University virtual desktop. What do I do first?

VMware View isn’t available on University staff computers as standard, so you need to register to use the service and then get the client software installed.

1. To register, staff should log into the ICT Servicedesk at servicedesk.beds.ac.uk and submit a new job

2. Once your registration is confirmed, you can request for the client to be installed if it’s on your University computer

3. If you want to install the client on a personal laptop, mobile device or desktop computer, then you do this yourself.

Where can I get the VMware View software?

 Visit vdesk.view.beds.ac.uk

 Choose the relevant version for your computer’s operating system (OS) and download the file(s). Ignore the versions with Local Mode

 If there isn’t a client for your OS on the web site, check the installation instructions in this document as they include information on where to download other clients.

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Mac OSX

 Download the latest VMware Horizon view client from the vmware website and install the Mac disk image file (.dmg) as normal, then run the VMware View client. Click on the + icon to add a server

Figure 1 - Add a server (Mac OSX)

 Enter the server details, which are: vdesk.view.beds.ac.uk

 Click on ‘Continue’ and login using your normal University username and password.

 Click on ‘Continue’ and choose a relevant VM to connect to

Figure 2 - Choose a VM (Mac OSX)

 The client will now connect to the virtual desktop

See Using your virtual desktop for details on what you can do once you have connected.

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Ubuntu 32-bit (Linux)

Note that different Linux distributions may have slightly different requirements to Ubuntu 12.

Whilst the Ubuntu Software Center should find the VMware Horizon View client once you include canonical partners, it might not. If it doesn’t, then there is a manual method.

Open a terminal and type the following:

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list <supply your Ubuntu password>

Uncomment (delete the # from the start of each line) the two lines that begin with ‘deb’ and ‘deb-src’ from near the end of the file.

Click on ‘Save’ then close the window to finish. From the terminal, type the following:

sudo get-apt update

<supply your Ubuntu password again> sudo apt-get install vmware-view-client

You will be asked if you wish to continue, so press ‘Y’ for yes.

Figure 3 - Dash Home finds the client (Ubuntu)

When the installation finishes, quit the terminal and go to the Dash Home, and type VMware in the search to find the client (Figure 3).

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Figure 4 - Connection Server settings (Ubuntu)

Click on ‘Connect’ and if successful, enter your University Username and Password, then click OK.

Double-click a VM and wait for the desktop to load.

Figure 5 - Windows 7 VM running (Ubuntu)

There is a basic menu along the top of the VM screen, giving you a few options (like Disconnect, View in Windowed mode, etc.).

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Windows XP/7

 Get the client from vdesk.view.beds.ac.uk then run the downloaded file to begin the install wizard

 Simply click on ‘Next>’ for each stage of the Wizard

 Read the terms of the license agreement. If you don’t agree with the terms, then you can’t install the program

 Continue clicking on ‘Next>’ until you are asked about the default server

 Enter vdesk.view.beds.ac.uk as the default server

 Continue clicking on ‘Next>’ and then click on ‘Install’

 When it’s finished installing, click on ‘Finish’

 You will need to restart your PC when the installation is finished

 Run the VMware View client and enter the server details, which are: vdesk.view.beds.ac.uk

 Click on ‘Connect’

 Enter your University username and password, then click ‘Login’

 Choose a VM (Figure 6) then click on ‘Connect’

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Apple iPad

 Ensure that you have a working Wi-Fi/3G connection before you proceed

 Search for the VMware Horizon View app in iTunes, download and then run it

 Click on the top-left + button (Figure 7) or click on ‘Add Server’ and then enter: vdesk.view.beds.ac.uk

Figure 7 - Adding a VMware View server (iPad)

 If everything works, you login next. Supply your usual network Username and Password

 Click on the blue ‘Done’ button to login. A list of virtual desktops appears (Figure 8). Select one and wait for it to load

Figure 8 - Choose a VM (iPad) Click the + here to add

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The VMware Horizon View client will now load the desktop. If it doesn’t and reports an error, check your wi-fi and Internet connection.

If the client still doesn’t connect, quit completely and run it again. To do this, double-click the iPad menu button quickly, then tap and hold the VMware View icon until you see a red circle with a white line across the middle appear in the top left corner.

Now tap the icon and it will disappear. Press the iPad menu button again to come out of this mode, and then press it once more to return to the normal iPad menu screen. Now run the VMware View client again.

 You are now accessing a virtual Windows desktop on your Apple iPad!

Figure 9 – Virtual desktop showing the radial menu icons (iPad) Six options become available from the radial menu when you tap it (Figure 9). In clockwise order they are Settings, Touchpad, Keyboard, Cursor keys, Disconnect and Help.

 Feel free to play around with these options, but please remember to logoff by selecting the ‘Log off’ option from the Windows ‘Start’ button in the bottom-left corner of your virtual desktop when you’re finished, rather than using the ‘Disconnect’ option (Error! Reference source not found.)

 The ‘Touchpad’ and ‘Keyboard’ options give you on-screen, semi-transparent virtual touchpads and keyboards similar to those you would find on a laptop.

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Android 2.2+

ISD recommends using Android VMware View on a tablet rather than a smartphone for the best experience:

 Search for, download and install the free ‘VMware Horizon View Client’ application found on Google Play

Figure 10 - VMware Horizon View on Google Play (Android)

 When you open the application, click on ‘Add a View Connection Server’

 Enter vdesk.view.beds.ac.uk as the server

 Enter a description or name (e.g. UoB Vdesk) then click on ‘Connect’

 When prompted, enter your usual University username and password

 Choose from the list of virtual desktops to access and then wait for the desktop to load

 You will see a menu in the top right-corner once you have connected (Figure 11)

Figure 11 – VMware Horizon View menu (Android)

 As with the Apple iPad, a virtual touchpad and a virtual keyboard are available along with a few other options. Feel free to play around and find the settings that you like best.

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Using your virtual desktop

Details on what you can and can’t do when connected to a virtual desktop are below:

What software is available on the Staff virtual desktop?

 Windows 7 Enterprise (32-bit) SP1

 Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access)

 Adobe Reader X  Agresso – Shortcut*  Internet Explorer  Mozilla Firefox  Putty  XPS View  7-Zip

 Accessories (Calculator, Command Prompt, Connect to a Network Projector, Connect to a Projector, Getting Started, Notepad, Paint, Remote Desktop Connection, Run, Snipping Tool, Sound Recorder, Sticky Notes, Sync Center, Windows Explorer, WordPad, Ease of Access, System Tools, Windows PowerShell)

 CutePDF

 EndNote

 Free PDF to Word Doc Converter

 Games (Games Explorer)

 IBM SPSS Statistics

 Kinetix

 K-Lite Codec Pack

 Maintenance

 Microsoft Office

 Microsoft Office Tools

 Microsoft Silverlight

 MindGenius Education Enterprise

 Novell GroupWise  Novell iPrint  OpenOffice.org 3.3  Oracle – OraClient11g_home1  Startup  Supportworks Client  TrueCrypt  VideoLAN  VMware

 Desktop shortcuts to: OSCwebDI*, SITS Live 1*, SITS Live 2*, vStaff*, Stats_2007*, Agresso Web*

*Only usable for staff with relevant credentials

What software is available on the Student virtual desktop?

 Windows 7 Enterprise (32-bit) SP1

 Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

 Adobe Reader X

 Internet Explorer

 Mozilla Firefox

 XPS View

 Accessories (Calculator, Command Prompt, Connect to a Network Projector, Connect to a Projector, Getting Started, Notepad, Paint, Remote Desktop Connection, Run, Snipping Tool, Sound Recorder, Sticky Notes, Sync Center, Windows Explorer, WordPad, Ease of Access, System Tools, Windows PowerShell)

 EndNote

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 Games (Games Explorer)

 IBM SPSS Statistics

 K-Lite Codec Pack

 Maintenance

 Microsoft Office

 Microsoft Office Tools

 Microsoft Windows AIK

 Microsoft Silverlight

 MindGenius Education Enterprise

 Novell iPrint  OpenOffice.org 3.3  QuickTime  Startup  VideoLAN  VMware

 Additional desktop shortcuts: Shortcut to WebPrint, Google Chrome

What happens when I connect?

 When you connect, you are accessing a virtual desktop (Staff or Student) created for that session

 When you log out, the virtual desktop is deleted. None of your data is

kept unless you follow the instructions below on how to save your data  The next time you login, a fresh virtual desktop is created for you.

How do I save my data?

 When you login, your usual network drives are available. If they aren’t, try logging out of VMware View and running it again to see if the drives connect. Windows users also have the option to save via a USB

memory stick (see below)

 On the virtual desktop, there is a folder named after you. You can save your data in that folder, but to keep your data for later use you need to move it to your U drive or USB memory stick before you log out.

Can I use a USB memory stick?

 Yes, if you’re running VMware View for Windows:

 Attach a USB memory stick to your computer as normal

 Run VMware View for your computer and select the option ‘Connect USB device’ from the menu at the top of the VMware View window

 The virtual desktop should then detect the USB stick and you can save, copy or move your data to/from the stick

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What happens when the desktop times out?

 If you connect to a virtual desktop and then leave it for one hour (60 minutes), the system will timeout, display a message (Figure 12) and disconnect you from the server

Figure 12 - Timeout!

 There is a 15-minute grace period where you can log back in and the virtual desktop will resume from where you were

 Beyond 15 minutes and the virtual desktop is deleted and any work not saved is permanently lost

 A session disconnects automatically after 10 hours of continuous use.

Can I connect using Wi-Fi?

 Please be aware that if you use a Wi-Fi connection to access your virtual desktop, any break in connection will disconnect you from the server. See Time out above for the implications of being disconnected

Is there a screensaver?

 Yes. A Windows screensaver will run after 20 minutes of inactivity. Click or press a key to remove the screen saver, and then enter your password to return to the virtual desktop. You might also have to press or send Crl+Alt+Delete before you can login again. See below for how to do this.

How do I Lock/unlock the virtual desktop?

 Select ‘Start’ and then choose the ‘Lock’ rather than ‘Log off’ option by selecting the arrow next to ‘Log off’

 To unlock/resume after a screensaver, you must press/send ‘Ctrl-Alt-Delete’. How you do this depends on your device:

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Windows (XP/7)

o Select the VMware View Options menu (along the top of the VMware View window) and choose ‘Send Ctrl-Alt-Delete’ to unlock

Mac OSX

o Just press Ctrl-Alt-Delete on your keyboard iPad (iOS 4+)

o Select the on-screen keyboard option, then select Alt, Ctrl, then Delete from along the top of the virtual keyboard

Android (2.2+)

o Select the on-screen keyboard option, then select Alt, Ctrl, then Delete from along the top of the virtual keyboard

Linux (Ubuntu 11.10)

o Select the ‘Desktop’ option from the top drop-down menu and select ‘Send Ctrl-Alt-Delete’

 Having unlocked, click on the icon in the middle of the screen and log back in.

Can I print?

If you need to print then there are a few options: Use a local printer (Windows host OS only)

 If your computer is running Windows XP or Windows 7 and has a working printer already installed, then your virtual desktop can print to it. You should see your printer appear in the usual Windows print options on the virtual desktop

Use Web print

 If you are using a different operating system (e.g. Linux, Mac OSX, Android and so on) or you don’t have a printer available, then another option is to use Web print, available via a browser bookmark on the virtual desktop

 Please run the Web print shortcut from the virtual desktop to learn more about what web print can do

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Other things to be aware of

When you select a virtual desktop to connect to, some devices display a status message:

Logon to Desktop You haven’t yet logged into this virtual desktop Reconnect to Desktop You have disconnected rather than logged off and

the 15 minute grace period is still in play

Logged in Your account is currently logged into this virtual desktop already (presumably on another device) There are a few restrictions in place when using a virtual desktop:

 You won’t have administrator rights to perform functions like installing or uninstalling applications, changing various Windows settings etc.

 For staff running GroupWise (GW), accessing your GW archive or archiving items is not going to work if your archive location isn’t available (e.g. your real C or D drive)

Please note - ICT does not recommend setting up your U drive as your GW archive location. If your U drive runs out of space whilst you are archiving from GW, you will permanently lose those items from your account

 The performance of a virtual desktop machine is never going to be as fast as a real PC, so please expect some slight lag or delays when running applications, accessing the University network and so on. These delays are often due to the speed of your Internet connection and other external factors that are beyond the University’s control

 You can only log into one VM type at a time, i.e. you can’t login to a Staff VM on one device and then log into a Staff VM on another without logging out on the first device. However, if this is done within the 15 minute grace period, your current status (including data) is retained When you Logoff

 Don’t forget to save your data (to the U drive or a USB memory stick)

before you select the ‘Start’ button and select ‘Logoff’ to quit the virtual

desktop. Problems?

 For staff, please contact ICT via servicedesk.beds.ac.uk or call extension 3366.

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