VMware View 4.6 Upgrade & PCoIP Security Server Configuration – Part 2

I have been putting off writing an article on VMware View Security Server because I knew that PCoIP support was coming and without this the Security Server was pretty limiting. Now that VMware has released View 4.6 PCoIP is supported over the Security Server meaning you don’t need to use one of the supported SSL VPN products.

PCoIP uses UDP for streaming audio and video. VMware View 4.5 security servers only supports TCP Streams. Now View 4.6 Security Servers Support UPD Streams.

VMware View 4.6 Features

PCoIP is the biggest feature that was rolled out with View 4.6 but here are some of the other ones:

• USB device compatibility enhancements
• Enhance keyboard mapping
• New and improved timeout settings for SSO users
• Important bug fixes that continue to improve the performance and robustness of the product
• Support for Win 7 SP1 RC (experimental)

Article Highlights

In this two part article series I will be showing the following:

• Upgrading your Environment from View 4.5 to View 4.6
• Security Server Pairing with Connection Server
• Installing the VMware View Security Server
• Configuring the Security Server for PCoIP
• Testing a zero client with PCoIP through the security server
• Testing other new Features

Download Links

Sign into the VMware site with your username and password and then go to http://www.vmware.com/downloads/eula.do . This is the trial download link that you must use if you don’t have a licensed copy of VMware View 4.6.

*IMPORATNT*

If you want to leverage the PCoIP gateway with the View Security Server the VMware View Connection Server must be running Windows 2008 R2. The good news is you can upgrade VMWare View Connection server fairly easily from Windows 2008, in fact this is what I did.

Below are the supported operating systems for VMware View 4.5 and View 4.6 Connection Servers.  The Security Server MUST be Windows 2008 R2 if you want to use the PCoIP Gateway.

Below is my VMware View Connection Server now running Windows 2008 R2. I have been a bit naughty and running the View Connection Server on Windows 2008 instead of 2008 R2.

Upgrading the View Connection Server from 4.5 to 4.6

1. The first thing I did was take a snapshot of my View 4.5 server in case anything happens I can roll back.
2. Download the VMware View Connection Server either 32 or 64 bit

1. Run the appropriate version and start the installation, click Next

   

2. Click Next

   

3. Agree to the Terms and click Next

   

4. Uh OH! Our first issue your View Connection Server must be running 2008 R2 for the PCoIP Gateway to work. Upgrade the View Connection first to Windows 2008 R2 if you want to use PCoIP through the VMware View Security Server.

   

5. Click Install

   

6. Click Finish

   

7. Check the Install Version

   

    

Update VMware View Client

1. Go to your View Connection Server http://viewconnectionserver to download the View Clients if you need them. The other option is to download the client bits from the VMware link I provided earlier.

   

2. After Downloading the VMware View Client, run the setup, and click Next to continue.

   

3. Click Next

   

4. Accept Terms and click Next

   

5. I am going to install all of the features and then click Next

   

6. Enter in the name of your View Connection Server

   

7. I am going to set the default option to login as the current user and click Next to continue

   

8. Select your shortcut options and click Next

   

9. Click Install

   

10. Click Finish

    

11. You may have to restart after installing

    

Configuring Security Server Pairing Password

This is a one-time password that permits a security server to be paired with a View Connection Server instance.

1. Open the VMware View Administrator GUI à View Configuration à Servers à Select the View Connection Server à Select More Commands à Specify Security Server Pairing Password

   

2. Type in the password twice and set the timeout limit. If you don’t pair the security server with the connection server before the timeout then you need to set a new pairing password.

   

Design Considerations

1. The Security Server needs to be installed on one of the supported operating systems that I listed at the beginning of this article
2. The Security Server does not access any authentication database like Active Directory so it does not need to be on the Active Directory Domain if you don’t want.
3. You can install the VMware View Security Server component on the same sever as your VMware View Connection Server. For security purposes I have installed the VMware View Security Server on a standalone box that I am putting in our DMZ, this would be my recommendation for most companies.

VMware View Security Server Installation

1. Run the VMware View Connection Server installation bits from the link I provided you. As mentioned before I am installing the Security Server on a different server from my normal View Connection Server. Click Next to start the installation.

   

2. Click Next

   

3. Accept the terms and agreement and click Next

   

4. Click Next or change the installation directory.

   

5. Select View Security Server and click Next to continue.

   

6. Type in your view connection server FQDN like below and click Next

   

7. You must configure a pairing password, which permits the security server to be paired with a View Connection Server instance. Type in the password which you configured earlier and click Next to continue.

   

8. By Default the external URL’s will be pointing to your internal View Security Server. You will need to change these to WAN IP addresses and configure NAT rules on your router/firewall. For now I am going to go ahead and click Next. I will go into more detail on configuring these links later.

   

9. Configure the Windows Firewall Policy and click Next to continue

   

10. Click Install

    

11. Click Finish

    

12. Check the VMware View Administrator à View Configuration à Servers to see the installed Servers.

    

Conclusion

In this article I showed you how to upgrade your View Connection Server, Install a Security Server and Pair it with your connection server, as well as update your View Client. This article gets you ready for testing out PCoIP through the Security Server. I am working very hard on getting part 2 out to you as quickly as possible so please stay tuned.

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Written by Paul Slager
Paul is the owner of PaulSlager.com and enjoys writing a wide variety of technical articles for the community. Paul specializes in Virtualization, Storage, DR, Strategic Planning, Backup, SharePoint, Active Directory, and MS Exchange. He holds his PMP, MCITP, and VCP. Paul also does free community service and consulting for any companies that wish to use his resources.
Last revised by: Paul Slager on April 28, 2011.