The big difference between VMware View 3 and 4 is
that View 4 adds a new display protocol – PCoIP – that provides an
optimized desktop experience for the delivery of the entire desktop
environment specially across WANs with high latency and low bandwidth.
From a user experience perspective View 4 offers a big improvement
over its former release, but for the VMware View Administrator nothing
much changes on a day-to-day basis besides few bits and pieces, and off
course, the added support for vSphere 4 that enables improved virtual
machine scalability and performance.
The installation of all VMware View 4 components is pretty much the same – For VMware View Agent only an additional option to install a PCoIP Server when deploying to the template.
[http://myvirtualcloud.net/?p=403|http://myvirtualcloud.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/viewagent_install.png]
There is another difference during installation of VMware View Client. A feature called Log in as current user
that provides enhanced single sign-on – this feature integrates with
Active Directory and smart cards to help simplify the process of
logging in to a VMware View desktop. If you want to require all users
to provide identity and credential information to log in to a View
Connection Server and again to access a View desktop, deselect the Log
in as current user component.
[http://myvirtualcloud.net/?p=403|http://myvirtualcloud.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/viewclient_install.png]
Most of the new features related do administration or management can
be found in the Desktop/Pool Settings and View Server Settings pages.
Connection server restrictions: When you assign a
tag to a View desktop or desktop pool, only users who connect to a View
Connection Server instance that has a matching tag can access that
desktop or desktop pool. You can assign a tag when you add or edit a
desktop or desktop pool. See View Server Settings for configuration of
the tags.
Default display protocol: The new option here is PCoIP, however RDP and HP RGS are still available.
Max number of monitors: Support for up to four monitors. (PCoIP only)
Resolution on each monitor: Support for resolutions up to 1920×1200 and pivot orientation to each monitor independently. (PCoIP only)
[http://myvirtualcloud.net/?p=403|http://myvirtualcloud.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/add_desktop.png]
Tags: In View Server Settings
administrators now can control user access to virtual desktops based on
the View Connection Server being used for authentication. When you
assign a tag to a View Connection Server instance, users who connect to
that View Connection Server can access only those View desktops and
desktop pools that have a matching tag or no tags.
[http://myvirtualcloud.net/?p=403|http://myvirtualcloud.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/viewserver_settings.png]
From View 4 release notes it is possible to read the following additional features:
Smart card policies – Administrators can set group policies to force desktop disconnection and require reconnection when users remove smart cards.
Domain filtering – You can use vdmadmin.exe to control the accessibility of domains and traverse trust relationships more quickly.
You can cleanly delete View desktops using scripts.
I
haven’t seen any additional information about this, not even in the
manual. The only link with a script to clean orphaned replicas comes
from Duncan Epping. http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2009/12/16/cleaning-up-orphaned-replicas-in-view/
You can log in to View desktops using user principal names (UPN).
You can explicitly configure IP addresses to override those supplied by the View Agent when accessing a desktop.
Mixed Active Directory and Kerberos authentication is supported.
Conclusion
Besides some obscure new features that are not even properly
documented in the manual, the upgrade and management of VMware View 4
should be no hard work for an experienced View 3 administrator.
PCoIP greatly enhances the user experience however due to the lack
of new features, in my opinion VMware View 4 had an early market
release as a result of the obvious competition with XenDesktop.
One of the features I would like to see for a next release is a
agnostic connection protocol such as http/https to be able to access
the desktop from anywhere. For some organisations multimedia and audio
are not the most important when delivering virtual desktops but I will
let this discussion for another opportunity.
(Virtual Cloud)
Andre Leibovici
