VMware Horizon Community
jbattini
Contributor
Contributor

Recommendations for new Horizon 7 environment

We want to explore using Horizon to run our VDI infrastructure and we wanted to get some recommendations on how to set everything up. Some of our requirements are

  • two desktop pools, one for task workers and one for power users
  • non-persistent VM's with roaming profiles that carry over user files and settings regardless of what machine they connect to
  • ability to access desktops from outside the network without having to use a VPN

For the master image, what are some best practices regarding the applications that are provisioned to users. For example, is it better to install Office on the image or use AppVolumes to attach the office apps to the VM every time a user connects.

Any other recommendations/guidance would be greatly appreciated.

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Shreyskar
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

Hi jbattini

Below are the recomemndations:

  • two desktop pools, one for task workers and one for power users

       You can create instant clone desktop pools.

       Instant-Clone Desktop Pools

  • non-persistent VM's with roaming profiles that carry over user files and settings regardless of what machine they connect to

       If you are running horizon enterprise license, consider implementing VMware dynamic environment manager to manage user profiles :

       Quick-Start Tutorial for User Environment Manager | VMware 

       https://www.carlstalhood.com/vmware-user-environment-manager/

  • ability to access desktops from outside the network without having to use a VPN

       Deploy Unified Access Gateway for external users:

       https://www.carlstalhood.com/vmware-unified-access-gateway/

       Mastering Unified Access Gateway | VMware

  • Best practices for deploying Office apps with Horizon 7:

        Best Practices for Delivering Microsoft Office 365 in VMware Horizon 7 | VMware 

Jons5
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

What programs to put in your master image and what to put into appstacks is something we have tested quite a bit and there are some tricky problems that come with using appstacks extensively. So after some months we decided to put most of our programs into the master image directly.

But I guess that's just our style which developed after getting more and more experience.

Best regards,

Jens

jbattini
Contributor
Contributor

In regards to licensing, we currently have

Microsoft 365 Standard (formerly Office 365 Business Premium) for Office apps

Windows Server 2019 Datacenter license for OS

Can we use this to deploy dedicated desktop pools for our users? or do we need any additional licensing?

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hellraiser
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Having been running a Horizon environment for a number of years now, I would advise one thing. Don't use Appvolumes. Most Windows 10 licencing entitles you to use FSlogix from Microsoft, this provides profile management as well as application masking,  it is so much easier just to throw everything into the gold image and then use AD groups to hide or show applications - you could even re-use your old appvolumes groups if you're moving from Win 7 to Win 10. 

We spent a good few months trying to get UEM/Appvolumes to work well in Windows 10, but in the end FSlogix won out. We use UEM for doing login scripts/printer mapping etc, it's still useful for that but everything else (profiles/apps) is FSlogix.  I have no connection with Microsoft, just happy to try to stop others having the experience I had with win 10 and Appvolumes, when there's a much easier way.

JD

JD
wuhlig
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

I'd agree FSlogix but for the Office Container (profile) as it can be a pain.  Then DEM/UEM for everything else.  The hardest part about DEM is it's a whitelisted approve and you need to know what you want and don't want to capture, where FSlogix profile container will just create HEAVY VHD files of Cache files (chrome for starters).

We have some nice blue printers on the partnership and install of FSLogix which is really simple.

Integrating FSLogix Profile Containers with the VMware Horizon Just-in-Time Management Platform (JMP...