vSphere Web Client is so bad that my experience managing and supporting VMware has turn to....

[kgottleib]

Purpose of this post is simple and obvious...  bring back development to thick client.  THANKS!

[TBKing]

(Off topic: Let's have a guessing game on how many products VMware will rename this year, my $.50 is on 5 products)

If you include Dec 2014: You can start with vRealize 6.0 - The product formerly known as vCOps

[Morgenstern72]

For VMWare: please dump the web client. You do not "hear our feedback" when you tell us it will get improved. The Windows client is great, the plugins work, it's fast, reliable  and just outdated.

For everbody else.

I already wrote my quite massive statement about the web client in another thread so I will not rewrite this.

I just want to add that the web client is a disaster. Above all technical problems it does not perform must-have things, eg give you proper feedback when you delete a VM. The Windows client tells you exactly which VM you want to delete, the web client just aks if you are sure to delete "this vm". Knowing the problem that the web client did select another client than you did click on (happened so many times) this is really frustrating.

That said I am very happy to hear we will get an updated Windows client that can speak with HW10 VMs. It's the only reason we have to use the web client.

We have moved from HyperV 2008 R2 to esx 5.5 and I was really impressed about what VMWare can do more, better and faster (andy yes, way more expensive). But the web client was and is after 1 1/2 years a real pain.

[MadG33k]

For VMware: please don't dump the web client, nor ESXi, nor any of the other non-Windows tools you have. Supporting diverse systems is needed in this world.

Just my 2¢.

[hostasaurus]

Another day, another Flash security vulnerability...

Multiple flaws were found in the way flash-plugin displayed certain SWFcontent. An attacker could use these flaws to create a specially craftedSWF file that would cause flash-plugin to crash or, potentially, executearbitrary code when the victim loaded a page containing the malicious SWFcontent. (CVE-2015-0303, CVE-2015-0306, CVE-2015-0304, CVE-2015-0309,CVE-2015-0305, CVE-2015-0308)This update also fixes multiple information disclosure flaws inflash-plugin. (CVE-2015-0301, CVE-2015-0302, CVE-2015-0307)All users of Adobe Flash Player should install this updated package, whichupgrades Flash Player to version 11.2.202.429.

and back on topic, just had another I hate the web client day.  EMC has dropped development of the VSI plugins for the c# client, the old plugin breaks if you add an XtremIO v3 array and the VSI plugin for web client doesn't seem to have any idea what PowerPath is, so if you use PowerPath, and XtremIO, you're screwed if you want to monitor your multipath status.

[cradley]

Hello sound

I have been reading this conversation and I would like to report a particular issue I have noticed. It occurs using the vSphere Web Client and performing a Guest OS shutdown (and not a 'Power Off'). I have in the past utilised the C# Client to perform multiple Guest OS shutdowns which is a very useful feature that speeds things up considerably. However, the vSphere Web Client does not seem to allow this. I would like to confirm the following points:

• I CAN perform a guest shutdown on a single virtual machine with the vSphere Web Client.
• I CANNOT perform a guest shutdown on more than one virtual machine even if all in the selection can be shutdown by selecting individually.
• I CAN use the C# Client to select multiple guest virtual machines and shutdown.

I am not sure if this is 'behaviour by design' or something that I am missing? I am running Windows 2008 R2 as a platform for Virtual Center 5.5 (1623101) and the guests in question are on ESXi 5.5 (2143827).

Many Thanks for any advice

-- Chris

[SayNo2HyperV]

Yes feel the web client is very poor.  Playing in test labs only thing I go to it for is VDP.  I simply cannot comprehend its use in a large environment.  Kudos to those admins.

Its very slow, scattered objects, constantly resetting view, poor refresh of active jobs.  It's feels very unintuitive compared to viclient IMO.  Adding on the performance issue makes it harder to learn it.

I'm positive a lot of good ideas have gone into it but feel it's beta.  Do I want to play and slowly test/learn the web client?  Or do I want to manage the environment. 

I am all for a web client.  Feel it is a great idea.  Hope it becomes faster and more intuitive easier to use tool similar to the viclient.

I much more prefer the viclient.  Feel dropping further development is a very bad idea.

Feel best would be to have both co-exist.  Each having 1:1 same functionality so only a single tool is required for all areas of vsphere.

The admin then chooses.

Maybe viclient flash goes the way of WindowsME.  And out of the ashes a great webclient appears like Win2kPro.

[mangee]

I agree it's quiet unacceptable, I hope vmware stop pushing this as I hear they are planning to stop the thick client in the near future and force the web client on us

[AlbertWT]

Yes I agree.

If somehow the browser that we are using suddenly updating itself to the newer version, there is potential that the web client will break at some point.

I still love the classic windows application vSphere console.

[Aries135]

VMWARE YOU ARE NOT LISTENING TO US!!!  We are very clearly giving you feedback that you supposedly value, yet you continue down a path your users are SCREAMING for you to stop pursuing. Almost all of these user comments should clue you into the fact that the users DON"T want this web-client and absolutely hate using it. We would like for you to discontinue this push to the web-client and open up the newer features you have locked us out of in the VIclient.  You have great software products in my opinion.  BUT, Your insistence on this web-client will be beginning of the end for what has been a generally great experience for users.  I used to look forward to coming into work to use your products.  Since being forced to use this ridiculous excuse for a UI I have dreaded everyday I am forced to sit and work with it.   Progress and productivity has dropped significantly trying to use this "web-client".    If this continues and a real effort isn't soon made to get us back into a productive UI and workflow there is NO WAY I would recommend to our company that we continue to renew our S&S contracts nor purchase any new products.   I never thought I would say this as I was a very big proponent of VMware products in the past but this insistence on the web GUI is really starting to make Hyper-V look attractive again.  I know from online research and other professionals in the industry that their thoughts and experiences very closely mirror my own.  We are frustrated VMware.   You have solid products but if we can't use them effectively and efficiently they can no longer be of any use to us.  Don't fix what isn't broken and force users into a UI that they have been very vocal about not being interested in.   You still have time to turn this around.   Don't turn this into another Windows 8 style debacle.  I don't know how we could be any clearer in this.  The only next steps we as users have at our disposal is to start voting with our dollars rather than our comments.   Maybe if you alienate enough of us and start losing market share/money then maybe you will start taking this feedback and advise seriously.   Please don't take this message the wrong way.   The frustration is stemming from a passion and love for your technology and products.  I have even considered a focused career in nothing but these technologies because of your products alone.  None of us want to discontinue using your products.  We desperately want you to give us a reason to stay.  No more lip service about the new 6.0 version performance advances with the new web-client blah blah blah.   Just give us back what we love working with and we will remain loyal to you forever. 

Regards,

A user that can't stand another day in the web-client.

[Naashan]

Bump

Aries135 wrote:

VMWARE YOU ARE NOT LISTENING TO US!!!  We are very clearly giving you feedback that you supposedly value, yet you continue down a path your users are SCREAMING for you to stop pursuing. Almost all of these user comments should clue you into the fact that the users DON"T want this web-client and absolutely hate using it. We would like for you to discontinue this push to the web-client and open up the newer features you have locked us out of in the VIclient.  You have great software products in my opinion.  BUT, Your insistence on this web-client will be beginning of the end for what has been a generally great experience for users.  I used to look forward to coming into work to use your products.  Since being forced to use this ridiculous excuse for a UI I have dreaded everyday I am forced to sit and work with it.   Progress and productivity has dropped significantly trying to use this "web-client".    If this continues and a real effort isn't soon made to get us back into a productive UI and workflow there is NO WAY I would recommend to our company that we continue to renew our S&S contracts nor purchase any new products.   I never thought I would say this as I was a very big proponent of VMware products in the past but this insistence on the web GUI is really starting to make Hyper-V look attractive again.  I know from online research and other professionals in the industry that their thoughts and experiences very closely mirror my own.  We are frustrated VMware.   You have solid products but if we can't use them effectively and efficiently they can no longer be of any use to us.  Don't fix what isn't broken and force users into a UI that they have been very vocal about not being interested in.   You still have time to turn this around.   Don't turn this into another Windows 8 style debacle.  I don't know how we could be any clearer in this.  The only next steps we as users have at our disposal is to start voting with our dollars rather than our comments.   Maybe if you alienate enough of us and start losing market share/money then maybe you will start taking this feedback and advise seriously.   Please don't take this message the wrong way.   The frustration is stemming from a passion and love for your technology and products.  I have even considered a focused career in nothing but these technologies because of your products alone.  None of us want to discontinue using your products.  We desperately want you to give us a reason to stay.  No more lip service about the new 6.0 version performance advances with the new web-client blah blah blah.   Just give us back what we love working with and we will remain loyal to you forever. 

Regards,

A user that can't stand another day in the web-client.

"If this continues and a real effort isn't soon made to get us back into a productive UI and workflow there is NO WAY I would recommend to our company that we continue to renew our S&S contracts nor purchase any new products."

Same here.

[Morgenstern72]

I can only sign post 248, even when it's very emotional.

Fact is:

) the VMWare help desk does not like the web client and always asks to wokj with the real client

) I had two seminars with VMWare partners and both recommended the real client

) I have never read an article recommending the web client over the real client

This should make VMWare think. Maybe?

Just today (and not only today) my web client did let me login but could not display any VMs due to login/security problems.

I had to restart my whole chrome and login again (AD login). Sadly I have to use the web client since our VMs are level 10.

While I understand the necessity for am os-independent client, the web client is dependent from flash, which is not supported on many platforms and dependent from browsers, which are blamed for all problems that the web client may have. But there is no problem to create one Windows VM and run the client there if there is no other Windows server in the company. Also the web client has not all functions. So there is NO benefit of the web client.

So, please: give us back a fully working real client. It's hilarious that your own support does not work with the web client but marketing tries to sell it to us.
Thank you.

[admin]

Hi,

you can actually manage your VM version 10 with the C# client after updating your real client

http://www.virtuallyghetto.com/2014/09/edit-virtual-hardware-10-vms-using-vsphere-5-5-update-2-c-cli...

-- Avinash

[chrmaier]

Do we? We can manage v8 features, that's right. Is it enough? What do you think?

[Morgenstern72]

Hi Avinash

the article tells me " This will at least allow you to edit basic functionality of a VM". What does it mean? Are things missing in the hardware settings of v10 VMs?

Still, THANK you for mentioning this

[hostasaurus]

Yes, it can only manage version 8 features, and it gives you an obnoxious dialog box every single time you edit a vm now reminding you that you're only able to edit version 8 settings, just to ensure your day is even less efficient.  But it's at least still more efficient than trying to use the web client.

An example of something you can't edit with the thick client would be a SATA controller and drive, since that's a v10 feature.  Of course, if you have VM's with those features, and had built a bunch of custom perl code using VMware's own SDK, that's all broken too since they didn't bother to update the SDK to include the new features either, so they're doing a fantastic job at breaking everything people use to be more efficient.

[Morgenstern72]

Well, I will not use this "new" feature, since it seems to be quite half hearted.

VMWare, please let us manage v10 VMs fully in an updated windows client.

[vmrulz]

Somebody needs to be fired for thinking that dialog box is useful for anything but a 5 year old.

[vmrulz]

VMware is too busy hiring marketing people rather than shoring up all their vacancies in Engineering. vRealize is a stupefying example of just that. While vRops is a much better product than vCops, there was absolutely NO reason to rename the product line!

Any bets that next week vsphere is morphed into some other magical name that the marketing department spent thousands of brain storming hours and million$ coming up with?

Priorities are in the wrong place.

[sr01]

I was wondering, what was the original purpose of VMware introducing the web client?  I never understood why they went this route.

Also with Microsoft open sourcing .NET, you think within a year or so, it would be easy to compile the c# client for Macs, Linux?  Will be interesting to see where that goes.

[hostasaurus]

I would like to believe the idea behind the web client was to enable desktop-independent management of vcenter.  In reality, writing it in Flash was completely stupid since Flash is not exactly ubiquitous, especially on management networks and workstations where many companies forbade it after the endless, and continuing, string of vulnerabilities, or it simply doesn't work on the browser/OS the admin is using.

If it wasn't implemented so horribly, it actually would not have been a bad idea, sans the fact that when the web services are broken on vcenter, or vcenter is down, you're screwed and will be going back to the thick client to correct things/reboot vm's via the hosts directly.  Now, instead of admitting they were wrong and bringing the thick client current while starting from scratch on a web client, everyone is left to suffer and wonder if anything will ever improve while they release a string of new vWhatever product renames.  I feel like going shopping for some soft corinthian leather.