VMware Horizon Community
Phylum
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Is VMware working to improve agent and tools upgrade process?

Although we have a few separate Horizon environments running anywhere from 7.2 to 7.8, and we have been using this for some time now, there are still portions of Horizon that are unclear.  My main complaint has to do with the process one must take in order to upgrade the underlying VMware software [on full clones] based on the information received from:

  • the team that originally implemented Horizon 6 and
  • the consultant we engaged to implement Horizon 7 and
  • VMware support while working through a bug we discovered some time ago.

I'm completely open to the possibility that we're simply ill-informed/misinformed and if that is the case I'd appreciate a kind nudge in the correct direction. Smiley Happy

Assuming the below is not that far off base, does VMware have on their roadmap a line item to improve this process?

Whenever a new version of VMware Tools is available, I find process for updating VMware Tools on the VM's rather arduous:

  1. Uninstall the AppVolumes Agent if applicable
  2. Reboot
  3. Uninstall the HorizonAgent
  4. Reboot
  5. Uninstall GPU Driver if applicable
  6. Reboot
  7. Upgrade VMware Tools
    • I've been told by VMware support to actually Uninstall VMware Tools, reboot then install the updated version but I'm open to the possibility that this is only for specific, older, versions of VMware Tools.
  8. Reboot
  9. Install GPU Driver if applicable
    • I've been told this has to happen before the Horizon Agent because there are 3D components in the agent that need to detect the GPU in order for them to be installed & setup correctly.
  10. Install updated version of the Horizon Agent
  11. Reboot
  12. Install the AppVolumes agent if applicable

If we only need to update the Horizon Agent, it's only slightly less painful:

  1. Uninstall the AppVolumes Agent if applicable
  2. Reboot
  3. Uninstall the Horizon Agent
  4. Reboot
  5. Install updated version of the Horizon Agent
  6. Reboot
  7. Install AppVolumes Agent if applicable
2 Replies
Ray_handels
Virtuoso
Virtuoso

Short answer, no there isn't. It has to do with the fact that you are using vGPU and which driver is being used to connect to the VDI session itself.

What we saw happening is that when trying to connect to the VDI session and we did not install in that order it would give us a black screen during logon.

We do the entire process every time we have a new version of any kind of software, just not for Appvolumes an UEM. These normally are the last to be installed.

I would highly suggest following this procedure. (official VMWare website)

VMware Knowledge Base

Or this one that is a bit more to the point.

https://www.ivobeerens.nl/2015/11/11/vmware-horizon-view-agent-installation-order/

Although I don't totally agree with installing NVIDIA as the last one. I would always suggest installing UEM and Appvolumes as the last one but that's just a matter of opinion and taste I guess.

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BenFB
Virtuoso
Virtuoso

We don't use AppVolumes or GPU but otherwise this is the process we follow.

  1. Uninstall any other VMware components (e.g. Horizon Client, vSphere Client, etc...)
  2. Reboot
  3. Uninstall Horizon Agent
  4. Reboot
  5. Upgrade VMware Tools
  6. Reboot
  7. Install Horizon Agent
  8. Shut down
  9. Power on.
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