vSphere Web Client and Mac OS X

[AKostur]

Hmm... with the release of 5.1, they seem to be encouraging everybody to move to the web client.  But it seems that Mac OS X is still not supported.  What's the plan to support Mac OS X?  I really don't want to have to run a VM (in Fusion) to manage my environment....

[vartoso]

I've upgraded the vcenter to 5.5 still no console on mac...
please get it done it's very important ...I would like to get involved in fixing the bug ...

[AKostur]

OK, this is odd, as I'm running 5.5 and can get a console.  Granted I have some other issues with the console, but I can at least interact with the VMs some....  what specific problem are you encountering with 5.5 ?

[vartoso]

Hi
I have found a Solution for the MacOSX problem and the facts that there is v sphere 5.5  doesn't autofixs things .

MACOSX SOLUTION :

1. goto /usr/lib/vmware-vsphere-client/server/wrapper/conf/

2. edit the wrapper.conf file

3. the env params are    set.default.VMWARE_JAVA_HOME=/usr/java/jre-vmare

    we need to add the    set.default.JAVA_HOME=/usr/java/jre-vmware

or maybe something else in this file it's really late and I don't remember my steps....

4. restart the client    /etc/init.d/vsphere-client restart

that should work on linux macosx and unfortunately open the console for external connections so check your iptables or acls or firewalls or whatever you use....

[Azreah]

Thx a lot Vartoso!

I just add

set.default.VMWARE_JAVA_HOME=/usr/java/jre-vmare

To env params and now its working fine!

[tedz2015]

I've installed the web client plugin for OSX from the trial of vcenter appliance.

I've neither /usr/lib/vmware-vsphere nor /usr/java. I do have JRE.

I then tried Safari, Firefox, and Chrome, and while I definitely see the plugin registered in Firefox, it just doesn't work.

I have no functional console functionality. BTW, I am connecting to a live vCenter 5.1.

[lpisanec]

As far as I know you need vCenter 5.5 to get a web console on Mac OS X, your vCenter 5.1 won't do even if you install the integration plugin from 5.5.

[MikeH_KGH]

Anyone here uses the VSphere Web Client on a Mac with a non-US keyboard? With Swedish settings, when I connect to the console of a VM, all special keys seem to have been placed arbitrarily, not corresponding to any keymap I know of, meaning I have, for example, two keys for "." and ":" but no way of typing a backslash or a pipe sign.

The obvious workaround is to switch your Mac's keyset/input source to English/U.S, which I guess one could get used to unless you actually need any of the country-specific keys in a VM for some reason, but is there any way to avoid having to do that and still retain normal keyboard functionality within the context of the web client console?

[patrick_eckert]

Hey Mike!

I'm facing the same Problem on my Mac using a German Keyboard. I was really enthusiastic about the Web Client for Mac but as long as the Keyboard Layout doesn't work I can't really use it. Should I create a separate Thread or have you done this already?

[giox]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I really can't understand this move of vmware to the web-full-of-plugins client (it's not a WEB client!).

Here are the problems I'm seeing

1. The new web-full-of-plugins client requires plugins. They are not available for every browser on every platform, so it's not a true modern WEB HTML5 client. I can't use it on my android phone or my iPad. How can you call it a web client ?
2. It requires vcenter server, so it means that you still need the old C# client to manage a free ESXi server, or when you do maintenance on the vcenter machine.

It's just... more complicated for me, to setup and use. I have to still maintain the old c# client, but also install the plugins for the web based one. In every desktop I use for maintenance.

A very bad move.

Why vmware did not write it in HTML5 and run on top of ESXi instead of vcenter ? Or why did they not convert C# to Qt/C++ or other multiplatform toolkits, so they could port the desktop client on OSX and Linux easily ?

[Norbs]

Looks like VMWare Fusion 7 Professional supports connecting to manage a vCenter or ESXi host... It blows that you actually have to pay for it but I'll take it.

79$ FOR AN UPGRADE -_-

Kind of a back handed wish granted...

[AKostur]

Not really.  No remote console.  Still not sufficient to fully manage a vSphere environment from OS X.

[Norbs]

Not sure what version you tried but there is indeed a remote console... There are limitations but the basic included functionality will cover 99% of what I need to do daily and I don't mind going to a windows machine for advanced configurations that I rarely use unless troubleshooting or installing new hosts.

Here is a pretty decent overview of the features including console access.

http://derflounder.wordpress.com/2014/07/04/vmware-fusion-technology-preview-july-2014-includes-esxi...

[AKostur]

Ah... it's hiding behind a double-click.  No menu item to launch the console, no right-click context menu to launch the console.  Fine example of hiding the feature....

[witchbutter303]

I'm using 5.5 and I do almost all of my work from OSX using web client including the console.   It worked fine for me in 10.8 & 10.9.  The only thing that doesn't work for me is when you have a new vm that does not have vmware tools installed.  In that case you have no mouse pointer so occasionally I have to rdp into the vcenter server to install vmware tools if it's a windows vm.  However most of my installs are fully automated, so it's really rare that I need this.  There are definitely right click context menus everywhere in the web client in OSX.  I do recall some weird errors like not being able to use the console unless it was in full screen in vCenter 5.1, but 5.5 and beyond has really been easy to use once you learn where everything is.

[Skynet3020]

i waiting and waiting also since 2010 😞

in fusion7 you can connect to a esxi server but you have not the same features as in vsphere client

dear dev's please do a mac client +1

Thx

[VMwareIMHO]

Come on VMware, I was hoping for vSphere Client support for Mac OS X with version 6. 

How long do we have to wait, or do we move to hyper-v?

[mcowger]

You should probably never expect fat client support for MacOS. VMware is

heavily moving to web interfaces.

On Mon, Feb 23, 2015 at 10:50 AM, VMwareIMHO <communities-emailer@vmware.com

[Jakebuntu]

and where is this the hyper -v manager for mac?

[NormZalog1]

As previously mentioned, VMware fusion allows you to do a lot of ESXi management and remote console. Not free but I have a feeling it's as close as we will get.

[simontemplar42]

For all of you guys who are trying to manage ESXi from OSX, it is now possible through VmWare Fusion 7 Pro.

I just upgraded my fusion from 6 to 7Pro (about $85) and I can manage my ESXi.

To connect to ESXi through Fusion, go to File / Connect to server and enter the ESXi credentials.

Thats it folks, and it works, finally.

Woohoo !

--

Update: You can only stop or start a machine ALREADY configured on ESXi.

If you want to create a new VM, you still need to go through vSphere apparently.

Well.. That sucks.. this got me happy for a little while..

Message was edited by: simontemplar42

---

Another update:

If a VM is turned off in your FUSION, you can export it to ESXi.

I did not find any way to import from ESXi to Fusion (option "Download from server" is grayed on all my VM on ESXi)

You can't create a new VM from scratch on ESXi directly from Fusion.

Message was edited by: simontemplar42