USB redirection fails using vmware view connectivity from thin client

[Maaaik]

Hi Guys.

We recieved an HP t5745 thin client from HP in order to perform a POC for VDI. Currently we run an ESX 4 environment and I have created a simple setup using VMWare View Administrator 4.6. USB redirection is allowed as a global policy plus installed as a feature in the VMWare view agent on a VM located in our ESX4 cluster.

However, if I try to use the thin client and select usb redirection to D drive (or any other drive), my usb drives do not map. If I use the VMware view client from any other desktop and connect and plug in the usb stick, the mapping happens, just not from the thin client using vmware view connection. I can even setup a RDP connection from the thin client device and the usb is available. Any ideas?

[mittim12]

Welcome to the forums. I'm not overly familar with the HP Thin Clients.  Is this a zero thin client or does it have some type of OS installed?

[theandyorr]

I had a similar situation one time and it ended up being a drive lettering issue. Have you checked the device manager on your VM to make sure the USB device is recognized and if so, can you go into the disk management on the VM and change the drive lettering? Just a thought.

[Maaaik]

Hi mittim

I believe it to be a zero thin client. OS build ID is T6X31012 and it mentions an OS kernel version. If i look at it starting up it looks like it runs on some sort of linux kernel. Once booted it has a little gui where one can setup a whole different number of connections to your VDI infrastructure. In perticuler for this client if I look at the software information, it mentions that hptc-view-mgr 4.0.1-1 is installed. (which is what I am using to connect to vmware view connection server) That along with a bunch of other clients, like icaclient-term, iceweasel, hptc-leostream, hptc-rgs-core etc.

[Maaaik]

I checked that. I tried about 8 different drive letters, no luck. These drive letters I have setup from the thin client. As a configuration option it allows you to tick "enable USB reDirection" and then specify a drive letter.  I have checked device manager each time, nothing. Rescanned the disks and each time it comes up empty handed. Audio redirection works fine and like I mentioned, if I use another client like rdp on the thin client, the usb direction works fine. I am starting to think it has something to do with the version of the vmware view client on the thin client and the version of vmware view connection server I am running. For connection server I am running version 4.6, the client on the thin client seem to be a version 4.0.

Also, whitin the thin client gui I can see the device mounted as /tmp/tmpfs/media/disk-1. for some reason that is not carried through to my VM though via the thin client. I also know it is not policy related, because if I use vmware view client 4.6 from my desktop and use that to connect to my VDI, usb redirection works fine.

[Maaaik]

Turns out you can only bind usb redirection to a single protocol on the thin client. It was tied to RDP, managed to get it changed to PCoIP and viola!