View Connection Server 5 Update 1

[caryers]

I am upgrading my View 4.6 Pilot VDI system to View 5 on Wednesday. Should I upgrade to 5.0.1 that was recently released just a week or two ago, or should I install the base View 5.0 (no updated version)??? I ask this becuase the new View Client 5.0.1 does NOT connect to my 4.6 VDI environment. It produces an SSL error message. ( I have started a seperate discussion on this issue)

Since I have never used the View Event Database tab, I would like to start using it. However, I am not sure how to install this database? Does this setting simply use the Composer database information that is configured on the vCenter server? Perhaps it is a yet a 3rd database(vCenter SQL DB, Composer DB, and now Event Datbase?)

Any advise would be greatly appreciated....

Thanks in advance....
Scott

[mittim12 · Accepted solution]

I always wait a little bit before upgrading to the latest version unless there is some type of pressing need.  This allows me to figure out what type of problems I'm going to run into and it seems you have already figured one out.   

The events database is an additonal database.  Once setup you can configure under View configuration and Eveng configuration of the admin portal.

[caryers]

Gotcha...So the Event Database is a 3rd SQL database(the other 2 being the Composer & vSphere DBs) I will be using for my VDI environment.

What type of useful information would a View Admin benefit from by implementing a Event Database and how is this information present to the View Admin...emails, View GUI, etc?

Is there a KB Install or best practice for the Event Database? Thanks in advance...

If I select the CORRECT ANSWER button on this discussion I created, will yourself and other forum users be less likely to respond to the discussion now?

Thanks in advance...

Scott

[mittim12]

I think the events database section starts on page 91, http://pubs.vmware.com/view-50/topic/com.vmware.ICbase/PDF/view-50-installation.pdf.      As far as information our main use is the ability to query and get login information for the end users.   This lets us know when they logged in, how much time they spent, which desktops they got. 

If I can offer assistance I try to respond no matter what.   I think the big thing for people is not whether or not you mark the question as answered but if you are someone who gives points for correct answers.  

[caryers]

Mittim12: Thanks for all your responses over the last 4 or 5 months in these View Forums!

Should I have any concerns when I upgrade my 4.6 View environment to 5.0. (Update 1 or no Update) regarding specificially my SSL certs that I have on my 2 VCS & 2 SS servers??? Will the View 5 upgrade see my certs I created for my VDI environment transparently? Any insight would be greatly appreciated pertianing to the SSL upgrade portion...

Thanks in advance...

Scott

[mittim12]

I can only speak to 5.0  because I haven't done the upgrade to 5.01 yet.   I had no issues with SSL certs when I performed my upgrade to 5.0 for my connection brokers.   I can't remember but one of my upgrades I built a new security server and had to move the cert over but other than that I have never had to do anything for my certs during upgrades.

[caryers]

A few last questions...

There are no View version upgrade ramifications with regards to the View Event Configuration correct? (I would think not since it is all SQL or Oracle DB configurations)

Also, since I have yet to configure my View Event Configuration, from the page 91 in your last link to me indicated I would need some type of Reporter to read the View Events that View generates. How complicated is this to configure and is there a KB article on that? Can I also configure the Event Configuration to use the same existing Composer SQL database?

Lastly dealing with the View Event Configuration, are these View Events ONLY tied to the Composer? (I hope not, since we do NOT use LCs at all. We are a UniDesk shop)

What exactly does the View Orchestrator Service do on the vCenter server? Since the service is not running, (therefore I am probably not using it) should I run the Orchestrator Upgrade on it since it is part of the 5.0.1 downloads?

Any Thoughts or Suggestions are much appreciated....

Thanks in advance...

Scott

[caryers]

Is there a comptability matrix for View 5.0 componets to that of 5.0.1?

I ask this becuase my colleague just upgraded my new 14 production ESX servers to 5.0.1. I will be upgrading my View & vSphere 4.6 environment to 5.0 (No update) tomorrow night since it has been out for several more months than Update 1.

Thoughts?

[mittim12]

1:  No ramifications that I am aware of since it's isn't eactly an installed View product.

2:  You can find examples in the integration guide, http://pubs.vmware.com/view-50/topic/com.vmware.ICbase/PDF/view-50-integration.pdf.

3:  We use it to show when people login and out so it's not just composer information.

VMware orchestrator is a different product.

As for your other question here is a link to the interopability matrix.   It shows what versions of VIew are supported with which versions of vSphere

http://partnerweb.vmware.com/comp_guide2/sim/interop_matrix.php

[caryers]

Great Stuff!

Even though I don't use View Composer, I have a View Composer service showing under services and running on my vCenter server. However, there is only one ODBC SQL System DSN. Does that mean the Composer is using the same SQL DB that the vCenter server is using??? The SQL DB is called VIM_VCDB. If so is this common?

Thanks in advance...

Scott

[mittim12]

They couldn't share the same DSN.  Is it possible that is an older version of compsoer and running a X86 DSN on a X64 server? 

[caryers]

My vCenter server is running on an Win2k8 R2 SP1 64-bit OS.

According to "Program & Features", Composer version is listed as 2.6.0.349155

I only see 1 SQL DB in the local SQL2008 Express instance that runs local as well....

Thoughts now?

Thanks,

[mittim12]

That's a tough one just because I didn't set it up.   Will the service start?   If your not using Composer you could always remove the current version and start over.  

[caryers]

Yep, the Composer service is started and running. How old is this version?

Since we are not curently using it, I could uninstall it. Didn't all versions of Composer use a SQL or Oracle datbase of sorts?

I am asking all these questions becuase I plan on relocating my existing vCenter database (that currently resides local on the vCenter server using SQL2008 Express) to a remote SQL 2008 Standard server. I want to be sure I know if Composer will work or not after the migration. Basically try to set expectations for myself....

Thanks,

Scott

[mittim12]

2.7 is the latestso a 2.6 version so it isn't to far behind.  Some form of database is a requimrement for using Composer. 

[whynotq]

Don't upgrade to 5.0.1! it has a serious bug that I had the pleasure of finding!!!! :smileyshocked:

The upgrade itself is straight forward but when you finish and get the users to test you feel great, then you fire up the admin portal and hey! where'd that go? There is a problem with the flash file in the installer, I had to get VMware support involved who used the previous version and subsequently I have spoken to another support rep on a different case that was fault finding the same issue.

The only reason for our upgrade was to get the tools update in ESXi 5.0.1 which gave us huge processor performance benfits within the VM but to be honest i would have preferred the full nights sleep.

Paul

[mittim12]

Paul, I think there was another thread on that exact issue and somebody mentioned an updated version of flash was available.   That bug/problem is the exact reaosn I like to wait awhile before updating. 

[caryers]

If I recall reading previous View Post a day or so back, wasn't the bug resolved with upgrading Adobe Flash to version 11 or is there something else a bug?

Also, please elaborate on the tools update you mention that came in 5.0.1? Is there some signficant VM CPU benefit as you suggested?

Have you, or anyone else, heard if the vShield Endpoint driver will be part of the VMWare tools now?

(We are buying the Trend Micro Deep Security product that requires to Endpoint driver to be installed on the VM itself)

Thanks Scott!

[whynotq]

Last i heard vShield endpoint was due to be incorporated in tools but must admit I haven't been looking for it, should do though as our Trend relationship means i'm supposed to be on top of these changes

Paul