View 4.5 + Latest Windows Updates != :)

[Cronistar]

Anyone having pains after the latest set of Windows Updates for Windows 7? I'm seeing a spattering of clients having issues with the View 4.5 client freezing up.  I noticed there was an IE update, looks like to version 8.0.7600.16385.

Also, we're seeing event log errors that are consistent with haivng IE 9 beta installed, such as:

backtrace[07] frame 0x04f5f91c IP 0x02df9be2 params 0x4f5f954 0 0x1 0x18cb1d8 ??? [C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware View\Client\bin\wswc_http.dll base 0x02df0000 0x0001:0x00008be2]

Anyone else seeing this?

[nomix]

Dear all

I have the same issue and i have to remove the path on the OS.

But doing it we are going against the company policy.

There is a plan for a new client version of view client to resolve this issue?

Or a patch microsoft?

Regards

Nomix

[mittim12]

Nomix, you can visit the KB listed earlier in the thread which will take you to the patch. 

[mittim12]

This was for our remote user's home machines.  We ended up just putting it out on the connection broker as grossag suggested.  Its something we had done in previous versions to allow access to the full client and ended up just making the most sense. 

[towlesd]

I noticed a few people asking how to host the new Vmware Client build so that their users could download it. I updated my Vmware View server's Web Site to correctly give the new Client build and wrote up a how to here. Its a really simple process and doesn't take but 2 minutes to complete.

http://www.christowles.com/2011/02/vmware-view-45-client-353760.html

[nomix]

Thanks a lot i will try it

[JoshMorris]

Is there anyway to have the website check to see if they have 353760 version installed? I know if you have version 4.0 client installed it will tell you install the new one. Is there someway to get this to work if you have version 293049 installed?

[jpvlsmv123]

Is there any plan to release a new patch or build of the View Server side, which would hopefully deliver a compatible updated view client to the end-users?

It's nice to have this workaround of copying viewclient.exe into directory XXXXYYYYY and cross your fingers that the right version will be downloaded, but an official fix would be a lot better.

--Joe

[VMMikeC]

This is where an option for a web client would come in handy.  Considering companies that are really considering BYOD, this could create a support nightmare. I understand the fix was easy, remove the 2 patches or install the fixed client, but in the mean time, if there was a web client, users would be able to continue their work, and then apply the fixes after.

Just my 2 cents.

Mike

[tsmerian]

Mike,

I agree completely - something needs to be done to prevent this from happening EVER again.  This scenario is catastrophic to companies considering moving remote users to an unmanaged "run what you brung" VDI environment.  The fact Microsoft patches can render one's View infrastructure completely useless should give all of us nightmares...

Imagine this scenario:

• 5000 remote View users in an unmanaged scenario.  I'd say at least 95% are Windows.  Most to all of these are not tech savvy users.  Imagine normal people here.
  
• Most "regular users" use default Windows Update settings, which is set to check at every day at 0300.
  
• Patch Tuesday comes out and MS releasess 9 "important" updates, 2 of which will break VMware View clients.  Ah yes, this really happened!
  
• 95% of those Windows users get patches either overnight on Tuesday or first thing Wednesday morning when they logon.
  
• With my numbers, that makes about 4500 users that are dead.
  
• MAJOR influx of calls to our help desk.
  
• Scramble to figure out what's wrong, realize that it's the Microsoft patches.  Come up with an installation procedure.
  
• Communicate that procedure.  Eat crow from user community.
  
• Wait 2 days for VMware to release a new client.
  
• Come up with a procedure to download the new client and then apply to 2 MS patches again.  Eat crow once more.
  
• Face upper management and tell them that there is a distinct possibility that this could happen again.
  

All this amounts to a massive investment in help desk time and way too long of a user outage.  Even if testers catch the MS patches on Tuesday afternoon the minute they come out, that doesn't leave enough time to completely address the issue.

This event is not receiving enough attention from the VMware communities.  We should all be outraged!  I see most reactions to this being something to the like: "Just uninstall the patches - no big deal."  What we fail to realize is that in real implementations with your average Joe Users in a large scale rollout this is a complete and utter disaster.  I know for a fact that this has forced the cancellations of VDI efforts in Fortune 1000 companies.

Wow, sorry about that rant...

[Cronistar]

So, with Windows 7 SP1 breaking loose today, I'm assuming that the newly released client will correct the issues with that as well?

Any particular reason why the patch isn't set with version 4.5.1? This would make things significantly easier for management purposes.

[grossag]

Yeah the newly released client will fix the issues with Win7SP1 as well.

I'm not familiar with all of the reasons for not calling it 4.5.1 so I can't really comment there.