Instant Clone

VMware Horizon takes a long time to provision Desktop virtual machines

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VMware Horizon takes a long time to provision the Desktop virtual machines

We detected a strange situation when changing the sizing (number of desktop VMs) or publishing a new image on the Instant clone Desktop Pool.

The highlighted situation is a very long time in creating one or more VMs from the Gold Image. Following investigation we found that the problem is also present when cloning a VM that is present in the same vSphere environment where the instant clone VDIs are allocated.

In our case it was a vSAN environment, having carried out the first routine checks where no network, disk or compatibility problems were found, we went into the details of the logs and in the case of the clone we found this error message in the logs of the VM that was being cloned.

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We have found a workaround and a permanent resolution:

Workaround:

Restart the vCenter service

VMware vService Manager

Resolution:

Check this KB https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/96049 where the problem is fixed on vCenter 8.0 U2b.

VMware Horizon takes a long time to provision Desktop virtual machines

Horizon 2312, new feature to simplify the Gold Image Linux Configuration

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Few people know that it is possible use Linux Distribution to create VDI desktop or Stream Application (Like RDS) to publish it with Horizon.

The desktop pool can to be Instant Clone or Full Clone.

In the last Horizon version (2312) there is a new functionality to configure the agent, the function have to objective to simplify the installation and also configure the OS ((Like the joined to Active Directory domain).

In the Horizon Agent for Linux package there is a new command file:

easyinstall_viewagent.sh

We can use this command for:

  • Configure Linux OS template
  • Install Horizon Agent

For complete all previous steps you can start this command (with root privileges)

./easyinstall_viewagent.sh

The command do:

Platform check

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Now you need to insert information like DNS, Hostname, Domain and Account to join to domain

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Now the script check and install missed packages (SSSD etc.…) and make the domain join

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After joined the template to AD domain the script start to install the horizon agent

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Now the Linux GoldI mage is ready to use for create a Horizon instant clone desktop pool or used for Full Clone Desktop Pool.

It is possible to configure the OS and install Horizon Agent in two different steps

  • Configure OS
    • For configure user Linux OS use this command:

./easyinstall_viewagent.sh -c

  • Install Agent
    • After configure the OS we can install the Horizon agent with this command:

./easyinstall_viewagent.sh -i

With this command we can to use some switch value:

Default (Hostname, Domain FQDN, DOMAIN Join User, DOMAIN Join PASSWORD …)

Advanced (The same option of DEFAULT with NTP, HORIZON AGENT FEATURE and other)

Expert (The same option of Advanced with another function)

In this link more information

Use the Easy Setup Tool to Prepare a Linux Machine (vmware.com)

Horizon 2312, new feature to simplify the Gold Image Linux Configuration

VMware Horizon 2312

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As usual, every 3 months VMware releases a new version of Horizon (and also of almost all EUC applications)
The following have been available for a few days:
Horizon 8 2312
App Volumes 4 2312
Dynamic Environment Manager 2312
ThinApp 2312

Among the various features released for Horizon 8, the most interesting one is Agent Auto Upgrade:

“The agent auto upgrade feature allows customers to automatically initiate upgrades without manual intervention. To utilize this feature, on-premises systems must have access to CDS servers. Customers without CDS access can establish their webserver, host the agent components, and then register the agent build with the connection server to upgrade agents in VDI/RDSH desktops. This feature requires Horizon Plus or Horizon Universal License, and is available for Full Clone Desktops and RDSH Servers only. To upgrade Horizon Agent in Instant Clone Desktop Pools or RDS Farms, upgrade Horizon Agent on the Golden Image and schedule maintenance to push the new image.”

VMware Horizon 2312

VMware Horizon 8 2212

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VMware has just released a new version of Horizon 2212. These are some of the features/support introduced:

  • Horizon 8 version 2212 in conjunction with App Volumes 4 version 2212 introduces Horizon Published Apps on Demand.  With this new feature, administrators can use App Volumes applications directly in their instant-clone RDS farms.  Now applications can be delivered dynamically to a generic Windows OS as users launch them. This greatly simplifies static image management and gives administrators the ability to reduce their application specific farms. This also brings the Horizon and App Volumes administration consoles closer together, allowing Horizon administrators to add App Volumes Manager servers and entitle applications to users without the need for duplicate entitlements in App Volumes. This feature creates an opportunity to reduce the time-consuming management of application installations on RDS Farms, and enables scenarios such as multiple users being able to use different versions of the same application while logged in to the same RDS Server.
  • Microsoft MAK licenses are now supported with Instant Clones.
  • When you create an automated pool of full clone desktops, you can now specify an active directory OU in which computer accounts can be created. Previously, computer accounts would get created in the default OU and administrators would manually move them after pool creation. This feature, which already exists for Instant Clone desktop pools, addresses this pain point for administrators.
  • Cloud Pod Architecture is supported with IPv6 environments for more security and added address spaces.
  • Administrators can now generate a CSR configuration file, import a CA-signed certificate to Connection Server, and monitor health of the certificate from Horizon Console.

More details here:

VMware Horizon 8 2212 Release Notes

VMware Horizon 8 2212

Using Secondary Image on Instant Clone Desktop Pool (VMware Horizon)

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In the management of a pool of Instant Clone (IC) VMs in a VMware Horizon infrastructure, one of the most useful aspects for a system administrator is the ability to make updates by modifying the GoldImage, subsequently generating a new Snapshot of it and applying it to all the VM ICs of the Pool.

Since version 2111, we have the possibility to use a “second image” in the same Pool to allow the deployment of this second image in a “selective” way on only some VMs.

This allows us to test the changes made only on a limited number of users.

Let’s see how it works, in my Home Lab where I have a Pool of type IC with Guest OS Windows 11.

The VMs (in this case there are 2) point to the following snapshot of the GoldImage:

Immagine che contiene tavolo Descrizione generata automaticamente

Let’s proceed to update the VMware Tools on the Gold image, where the version is currently present

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Post update we have the following version

Immagine che contiene testo Descrizione generata automaticamente

We proceed with turning off the GoldImage and create the snapshot to use.

Once the snapshot is created, we go to the Desktop Pool and proceed to assign the snapshot created as a secondary image.

Immagine che contiene tavolo Descrizione generata automaticamente

Immagine che contiene testo Descrizione generata automaticamente

We select the option to publish it as a second image

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If we want to select now the VM IC on which to push we put the flag to:

In my case we will select after the VMs ICs

We wait for the secondary image to be ready for deployment

When it is ready we will be able to see the following in the details of the pool

!

At this point in the “Machines (Instant Clone Details)” menu, you will enable the following option:

We select the VM on which we want to apply the image and proceed:

Immagine che contiene testo Descrizione generata automaticamente

And we wait for this to be applied

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Let’s try to connect with two different users to the same pool to see the differences between the two VMs and we will notice that one IC has the updated VMware tools and the other does not

Once all the tests of the changes have been carried out, we have three possibilities:

  • Apply the default image to the VM on which we tested the subimage
  • Authorize the second image as Default
  • Delete the second image because it doesn’t meet your needs

Apply the default image to the VM on which we tested the subimage

Authorize the second image as Default

Delete the second image because it doesn’t meet your needs

Immagine che contiene testo Descrizione generata automaticamente

Using Secondary Image on Instant Clone Desktop Pool (VMware Horizon)