Virtual Machine Console Lock Screen

[cjscol]

Has anyone else noticed that when using the vCenter Virtual Machine Console with a Windows 2012 R2 Server that if you logon to the virtual machine, close the console and then open the console again after the virtual server's screen lockout timeout that the last screen displayed is shown until you click into the console window and then the lock screen is displayed. I have just opened the console for a virtual machine that someone else had logged on to yesterday but not logged out of or manually locked the screen, I could see the screen they left it on until I clicked into the console window and only then was the lock screen displayed. There could have been confidential information displayed on the screen that I could have seen without knowing any logon credentials for the server.

This is not unique to vSphere 6, I am sure it happened with 5 and 5.5 also. I think it also happens on Windows Server 2008 R2 virtual machines as well but not Windows 2003.

Anyone know how to fix this so that if the screen locks due to a timeout configured in the virtual machine's operating system then when the virtual machine console is opened the lock screen is displayed immediately and not only after clicking into the window?

This was happening when we were using a Windows vCenter on 5.x and also happening now that we are using the vCenter Appliance on 6.0.

[Sakkanan]

Go to Vm server edit setting -> options -> advanced -> general -> advanced configuration parameters

Configure tools.guest.desktop.autolock = True and as per your requirement.

[cjscol]

That option locks the screen when the last console connection to the VM is closed and not at the time configured within the OS. For example, if you open the console (and are the only person with an open console) if you then close the console and re-open it again immediately the OS will be locked even though the idle time configured in the OS has not passed.

It is an improvement but does not resolve the issue and is annoying if you accidently close the console window