View Pool Issues

Had a client call me this morning with an issue with one of his VMware View 4.5 pool. He said that his users were having issues logging into their desktops. They could login, but it was taking a long time to login. When he went to double check the settings in the pool he found that his vCenter Settings tab was red and the error it stated:
Cannot find host or cluster for this pool.

Since I set it all up for him initally, he stopped there and thought he'd better differ to the expert. Oh, and yes it does say "Data-Denter" - he's dislexic (aren't we all?)

I dug in further and found the following other errors. When clicking on "Browse" to chose Host or cluster, I received this error:
Server Error
One of the required objects is not found in vCenter Server vcenter.

When I looked at the desktops, they all had the same error listed:
Status
Resource Cluster \'/Data-Center/host/Cluster/Resources\' not found for pool: Poolname

Since it was a Floating resource pool with no persistent desktops, I decided the quickest and easiest thing to do for him would be to just create a new pool based of the same image (I'm going to have to give him a refresher on Recomposing; it looks like he is still running off the image I helped him create over a year ago). I disabled his old pool and told him to delete it once he felt comfortable that everything was running good on the new one.

Afterwords, I decided to glance around for an answer, and found this VMware KB article:
Editing an existing pool in the VMware View web admin interface fails with the error: One of required objects is not found in the VirtualCenter server <IP address>

Nothing has changed on his environment. He only has the vSphere Essentials bundle (he has a small shop with only 2 hosts), so he doesn't have any actual Resource Clusters. This is my thought as to where the corruption came from, but I've got nothing to confirm my suspicions. If anyone has some thoughts on this, I'd love to hear them.


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Dustin Shaw
VCP

Basics of Installing VMware View 4.6

We just got View 4.6 up and running in our Demo environment, and here are the basic take-aways that we have.

1. Windows 2008R2 is the minimum for VMware View Secure Gateway. Or Demo Environment was previously on 2003R2, so we had to do an upgrade.
2. You have to update all of your View Base Images to the View 4.6 Agent.
3. You have to install the latest version of VMware Tools in your View Base Images
4. A number of Microsoft Patches need to be installed on your View Base Images:
• KB961501
• KB968389
• KB975467
• KB971657
• KB944043
5. You must remove all previous Snap Shots, and start fresh for your Linked Clones

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Dustin Shaw
VCP

VMware View released for iPad

VMware released the VMware View App for the iPad this week.

This allows you to use PCoIP on the iPad; the only App previously was the Wyse PocketCloud, which limited you to using RDP through View.

You can see the app in iTunes here.

VMware has also created a forum for the VMware View for iPad App to discuss feature requests, issues, and ideas.

The new app will work with VMware View 4.6 or later, not with View 4.5, so if you aren't yet upgraded to View 4.6 (which came out at the end of Febrary), you'll need to first.

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Dustin Shaw
VCP

VMware View 4.6 Released

With very little fanfare, VMware slid View 4.6 onto the market yesterday.

One of the noticeable improvements in View 4.6 is the support for PCoIP connections through the Secure Gateway. There are also some USB compatibility addressed for iPhones, iPads, and scanners; keyboard mapping improvements, and updated timeout settings for SSO users. Plus a minor 160 bug fixes.

You can download View 4.6 from VMware with a free 60 day trial if you want.

For your convenience, here's the "What's New" section of the Release Notes:

What's New in View 4.6

VMware View 4.6 includes the following new features:

• Security servers can now accommodate PCoIP connections - Security servers now include a PCoIP Secure Gateway component. The PCoIP Secure Gateway connection offers the following advantages:
  • The only remote desktop traffic that can enter the corporate data center is traffic on behalf of a strongly authenticated user.
  • Users can access only the desktop resources that they are authorized to access.
  • No VPN is required, as long as PCoIP is not blocked by any networking component.
  • Security servers with PCoIP support run on Windows Server 2008 R2 and take full advantage of the 64-bit architecture.
• Enhanced USB device compatibility - View 4.6 supports USB redirection for syncing and managing iPhones and iPads with View desktops. This release also includes improvements for using USB scanners, and adds to the list of USB printers that you can use with thin clients. For more information, see the list of View Client resolved issues.
• Keyboard mapping improvements - Many keyboard-related issues have been fixed. For more information, see the list of View Client resolved issues.
• New timeout setting for SSO users - With the single-sign-on (SSO) feature, after users authenticate to View Connection Server, they are automatically logged in to their View desktop operating systems. This new timeout setting allows administrators to limit the number of minutes that the SSO feature is valid for.
  
  For example, if an administrator sets the time limit to 10 minutes, then 10 minutes after the user authenticates to View Connection Server, the automatic login ability expires. If the user then walks away from the desktop and it becomes inactive, when the user returns, the user is prompted for login credentials. For more information, see the VMware View Administration documentation.
• VMware View 4.6 includes more than 160 bug fixes - For descriptions of selected resolved issues, see Resolved Issues.
• Experimental support for Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 RC operating systems

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Dustin Shaw
VCP

VMware View Client Fails to Connect

If you just recently installed Microsoft Windows Updates on your Windows 7 machine, you'll soon discover that two of them broke the VMware View Client 4.5.

VMware recommends in their KB Article that you update to the latest patch of the View Client (the latest patch available on their website is Build 353760), or uninstall the two offending MS Updates (KB2482017 & KB2467023).

Essentially the two patches are to fix holes in Internet Explorer and to address issues that occur when the system binaries are unloaded and loaded. Installing either of these updates will break the VMware View Client so that it will not connect to the View Connection Server. The behavior I experienced was that it appeared as if the VMware View Client locked up after I clicked on Connect.

To fix it, simply download the patch, install, and your back in the game.

Here's the text of the VMware KB Article for your convinience:

Unable to connect from the View Client on Windows 7 to the View Connection Server after installing the patch in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 2482017 or 2467023

Symptoms

• Unable to connect from the View Client on Windows 7  to the View Connection Server
• Connecting the View Client on Windows 7 to the View Connection Server fails
• You have installed one or both these Microsoft patches 2482017 or 2467023

Resolution

This issue occurs when you have installed one of these Microsoft patches, 2482017 or 2467023.

If you have already installed these patches, you can install VMware View Client (build 353760) or uninstall the Microsoft patches.

If you have not installed these patches, delay the installation of the Microsoft patches until you have installed VMware View Client (build 353760).

  

VMware View Client build 353760 has been tested on: 

• Windows 7 Enterprise 32 bit +  Internet Explorer 8
• Windows 7 Enterprise 64 bit +  Internet Explorer 8
• Windows 7 Home 32 bit +  Internet Explorer 8 

The View Client patch can be downloaded from here. Enter your credentials, accept the EULA and download the appropriate file:

• If you are using Windows 7 32-bit, use VMware-viewclient-4.5.0-353760.exe.
• If you are using Windows 7 64-bit, use VMware-viewclient-x86_64-4.5.0-353760.exe.

Note: If you are using View Client 4.0.x and are experiencing this issue, you can install the appropriate View Client 4.5 for your environment.

Disclaimer: Using Windows 7 with a View Client 4.0.x is not supported, so this information is provided as is, and without testing.

To apply this patch 

1. Click Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs.
2. Choose the previously installed VMware View Client and click Remove.
3. Navigate to where you downloaded VMware-viewclient-xxx-4.5.0-353760.exe and run the executable file.
4. Follow the installation installation wizard to complete installation.
5. Reboot the computer.

Note: VMware View Clients with build number 353760 or later are not affected by this issue.

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Dustin Shaw
VCP

View 4.5

Just did a basic View 4.5 implementation at a client. One thing the client requested was basic instructions for setting up a new Pool. I realized that there is probably not much out on the internet for those basics, so as soon as I finish typing it up for him I'll post it here.

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Dustin Shaw
VCP

View Pool Options: Reset, Recompose, Rebalance, Refresh

Thought I'd give a quick note on the different options that you have in a View pool, and a breakdown to what they do:

Reset:
Reset the VM that you are on.

Recompose:
Allows you to change the snapshot either within the same base VM or select another base VM and snapshot. This new replica image will be pushed out to all the linked clones in the pool.

Rebalance:
Rebalances all the linked clones to use the available space on the LUNs efficiently

Refresh:
Take the linked clone back to the same image as the original image. If there is a persistent data disk, that will be kept, but everything on the "C:" disk will go back to where it was.

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Dustin Shaw
VCP
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Here's some books that should help out:
Mastering VMware vSphere 4 (Computer/Tech)
VMware Cookbook: A Real-World Guide to Effective VMware Use

Office 2010 ThinApp

So I've been struggling in my spare time to get Office 2010 ThinApped on Windows 7, and here's what I found:

You can't do it yet.

Found a forum here talking about it. You can get it on XP (I don't care about XP right now in my test View environment), but not Win 7.

The issue is that you run into a licensing error when you deploy, because of the way that MS has changed licensing for Office 2010.

So as of right now there are two solutions for my View environment - require everyone to be on 2010 (include it in the base image) or make 2 base images, and move people over as possible.

Either way a pain, but whatever works.

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Dustin Shaw
VCP
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Here's some books that should help out:
VMware vSphere 4 Administration Instant Reference
VCP VMware Certified Professional on vSphere 4 Study Guide: Exam VCP-410

ThinApp "Error: GetFileAttributes"

I was ThinApping Office 2010, and ran into the following error:

"Error: GetFileAttributes for file <filename> failed?

I poked around, but didn't find much on the internet for it, so I thought I'd post the solution.

The problem is that the path is too long. I believe the limit for the path and filename are 256 characters. In this case it was 263 characters:

\\server-name.domain.local\ThinApp\Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010\%SystemRoot%\assembly\GAC_MSIL\Microsoft.VisualStudio.Tools.Applications.ServerDocument.v10.0\10.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a\Microsoft.VisualStudio.Tools.Applications.ServerDocument.v10.0.dll

I shortened the path (renamed the directory to Office2010ProPlus), and it worked perfect.

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Dustin Shaw
VCP
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Here's some books that should help out:
Virtualization 100 Success Secrets 100 Most asked questions on Server and Desktop Virtualization, Thinapp Software, SAN, Windows and Vista Applications
Mastering VMware vSphere 4 (Computer/Tech)
Portable Application: Portable Application Creators, Application Virtualization, List of Portable Software, VMware ThinApp, RUNZ

ThinApp Office 2010

Found a good post for how to ThinApp Office 2010:
http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2009/12/microsoft-office-2010-beta-recipes.html

Make sure you download the office2010-1.vbs script and put it in the root of your ThinApp project for everything to work right.

UPDATE 3/24/11:

I was reviewing my traffic, and noticed that this page still gets a lot of traffic.

For everyone that stumbles across it, I thought I'd point out that as of today, Office 2010 still shouldn't be ThinApped in a production environment. From my experience and testing, it looks like it will run for around 30 days, then it will time out looking for activation.

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Dustin Shaw
VCP
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View 4.5 is Alive!

So I finally had to make time to put in View 4.5 on my 2 test Datacenters (one is a Demo environment, the other for play).

Went in like a breeze on both. Run the installer for View Manager, update the View Composer, and boom. I'm up to 4.5.

The only real issue I ran into was with my existing XP Linked Clone pool on my test Datacenter (the Demo datacenter was fine...). I went in and removed and re-added the View Agent and updated my Snap and pointed the Pool to it. No joy. I got a blank screen.

Did some research, and saw some notes about ESX 4.0u2 with View 4.0 causing this issue, so I thought I'd start there.
Here's two links I found:
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1016753
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1022830

Besides, I felt like updating the datacenters to ESX 4.1 anyway, since I had held off because View 4.0 doesn't like ESX 4.1.

So I went through and upgraded vCenter, vCenter Update Manger, then used Update Manager to update my hosts. If you've not used Update Manager for it, you should - it's cool to watch. Apply your baseline with 4.1, tell it to remediate, and sit back and enjoy. That is, assuming of course, that all of your vms can migrate on their own (aka, you don't have them attached to CD drives, etc).

So once I had them updated, I once again updated my vmTools on the XP image, removed and readded the View Agent for good measure, then updated my Snap and Linked Clones. Still no joy.

So I though, ok, maybe something is wrong with my pool.

I created a new desktop pool (based off the same Snap) and it worked!

Since these were just Demo/Test datacenters, I just blew away my old pools and created new ones. If this was a live environment, then I'd have to worry about keeping the persistent disks and reattaching them.

After XP was successful, I built myself a Win 7 image, created a pool off of it, and awesome! It works great.

I love the dual monitors! I have two different resolution monitors at home, and two different aspect ratio monitors at work, so I can now take full advantage of them with View 4.5.

Now I'm going to proceed with testing out the ThinApp stuff integrated into View 4.5, and some performance testing, but so far it all looks awesome!

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Dustin Shaw
VCP
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Here's some books that should help out:

Really?

Really?

The View 4.5 Client for local mode can't even install on a computer that is running another VMware product (like VMware Workstation).

I understand all the reasons behind, but Really?

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Dustin Shaw
VCP
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Here's some books that should help out:
VCP VMware Certified Professional on vSphere 4 Study Guide: Exam VCP-410
VCP VMware Certified Professional vSphere 4 Study Guide (Exam VCP410) with CD-ROM (Certification Press)
VCP4 Exam Cram: VMware Certified Professional (2nd Edition)

View 4.5 Features

Here's a quick breakdown on what's new in VMware 4.5 - these are the features that didn't exist in View 4.0:

1. Offline Desktop - This is a biggy. It allows you to use a laptop that's not always on the network. This means "Yes, you are a candidate for VDI, Mr. CEO."
2. Windows 7 - Another biggy. Fully supports Win 7. You can now get rid of your legacy XP boxes :-)
3. Support for vSphere and vCenter 4.1 - Like this required any thought. vSphere 4.1 came out, and didn't support View Composer - obviously because they knew they were about to release View 4.5.
4. More View Clients - they extended this to Mac OS X
5. Easy ThinApp Delivery - It's all integrated, so you don't have to worry.
6. Administration Based on Roles - You can define who can administer what; something View 4.0 was missing. Big deal for Enterprises.
7. Support added for Tiered Storage - You can now take advantage of more storage options for your VDI clients to improve performance and control costs.
8. A bunch of other stuff

Needless to say, there's some cool new stuff. If you want to see the full list, check out the release notes:
http://www.vmware.com/support/view45/doc/view45_releasenotes.html

We're getting ready to install / play with View 4.5 in our lab so that we can figure out the caveats. I'll post back about those when we figure them out.

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Dustin Shaw
VCP
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Here's some books that should help out:
VMware vSphere 4 Implementation
VMware vSphere 4 Administration Instant Reference
Mastering VMware vSphere 4 (Computer/Tech)
VMware Cookbook: A Real-World Guide to Effective VMware Use

View 4.5 is out!

For anyone who wasn't paying attention yesterday, VMware View 4.5 hit the market.

There are a lot of cool new features - especially the offline desktop one. I'll post them later; until then you can check it out here:
http://www.vmware.com/products/view/overview.html

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Dustin Shaw
VCP
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Here's some books that should help out:
VMware Cookbook: A Real-World Guide to Effective VMware Use
Mastering VMware vSphere 4 (Computer/Tech)