Installation and Setup Guide

When you use this feature, most USB devices that are attached to the local client system become
available from menus in Horizon Client. You use these menus to connect and disconnect the devices.
Note With View Agent 6.1 or later, or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later, you can also redirect locally connected
USB thumb flash drives and hard disks for use in published desktops and applications. Other types of
USB devices, including other types of storage devices, such as security storage drives and USB CD-
ROM, are not supported in published desktops and applications. With Horizon Agent 7.0.2 or later,
published desktops and applications can support more generic USB devices, including TOPAZ Signature
Pad, Olympus Dictation Foot pedal, and Wacom signature pad. Other types of USB devices, including
security storage drives and USB CD-ROM drives, are not supported in published desktops and
applications.
Using USB devices with remote desktops and published applications has the following limitations:
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When you access a USB device from a menu in Horizon Client and use the device in a remote
desktop, you cannot access the device on the local computer.
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USB devices that do not appear in the menu, but are available in a remote desktop, include human
interface devices such as keyboards and pointing devices. The remote desktop and the local
computer use these devices at the same time. Interaction with these devices can sometimes be slow
because of network latency.
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Large USB disk drives can take several minutes to appear in the desktop.
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Some USB devices require specific drivers. If a required driver is not already installed on a remote
desktop, you might be prompted to install it when you connect the USB device to the remote desktop.
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If you plan to attach USB devices that use MTP drivers, such as Android-based Samsung smart
phones and tablets, configure Horizon Client so that it automatically connects USB devices to your
remote desktop. Otherwise, if you try to manually redirect the USB device by using a menu item, the
device is not redirected unless you unplug the device and then plug it in again.
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Do not connect to scanners by using the Connect USB Device menu. To use a scanner device, use
the scanner redirection feature. This feature is available for Horizon Client when used with View
Agent 6.0.2 or later or Horizon Agent 7.0 or later. See Using Scanners.
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Webcams are not supported for USB redirection using the Connect USB Device menu. To use a
webcam or audio input device, you must use the Real-Time Audio-Video feature. See Using the Real-
Time Audio-Video Feature for Webcams and Microphones.
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The redirection of USB audio devices depends on the state of the network and is not reliable. Some
devices require a high data throughput even when they are idle. Audio input and output devices work
well with the Real-Time Audio-Video feature. You do not need to use USB redirection for those
devices.
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You cannot format a redirected USB drive in a published desktop on an RDS host unless you connect
as an administrator user.
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The published application auto-connect at startup and auto-connect when inserted features do not
work with global application entitlements.
VMware Horizon Client for Windows Installation and Setup Guide
VMware, Inc. 104