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Table Of Contents
Horizon Client
The client software for accessing remote desktops and applications can run on a tablet, a phone, a Windows,
Linux, or Mac PC or laptop, a thin client, and more.
After logging in, users select from a list of remote desktops and applications that they are authorized to use.
Authorization can require Active Directory credentials, a UPN, a smart card PIN, or an RSA SecurID or
other two-factor authentication token.
An administrator can configure Horizon Client to allow end users to select a display protocol. Protocols
include PCoIP and Microsoft RDP for remote desktops. The speed and display quality of PCoIP rival that of
a physical PC.
Features differ according to which Horizon Client you use. This guide focuses on Horizon Client for
Windows. The following types of clients are not described in detail in this guide:
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Details about Horizon Client for tablets, Linux clients, and Mac clients. See the Horizon Client
documentation at https://www.vmware.com/support/viewclients/doc/viewclients_pubs.html.
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Details about the HTML Access Web client, which allows you to open a remote desktop inside a
browser. No Horizon Client application is installed on the client system or device. See the
Horizon Client documentation at
https://www.vmware.com/support/viewclients/doc/viewclients_pubs.html.
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Various third-party thin clients and zero clients, available only through certified partners.
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View Open Client, which supports the VMware partner certification program. View Open Client is not
an official client application and is not supported as such.
VMware Horizon User Web Portal
From a Web browser on a client device, end users can connect to remote desktops and applications through
the browser, automatically start Horizon Client if it is installed, or download the Horizon Client installer.
When you open a browser and enter the URL of a View Connection Server instance, the Web page that
appears contains links to the VMware Downloads site for downloading Horizon Client. The links on the
Web page are configurable, however. For example, you can configure the links to point to an internal Web
server, or you can limit which client versions are available on your own View Connection Server.
If you use the HTML Access feature, the Web page also displays a link for accessing remote desktops inside
a supported browser. With this feature, no Horizon Client application is installed on the client system or
device. For more information, see the Horizon Client documentation at
https://www.vmware.com/support/viewclients/doc/viewclients_pubs.html.
View Agent
You install the View Agent service on all virtual machines, physical systems, and Microsoft RDS hosts that
you use as sources for remote desktops and applications. On virtual machines, this agent communicates
with Horizon Client to provide features such as connection monitoring, virtual printing, View Persona
Management, and access to locally connected USB devices.
If the desktop source is a virtual machine, you first install the View Agent service on that virtual machine
and then use the virtual machine as a template or as a parent of linked clones. When you create a pool from
this virtual machine, the agent is automatically installed on every remote desktop.
You can install the agent with an option for single sign-on. With single sign-on, users are prompted to log in
only when they connect to View Connection Server and are not prompted a second time to connect to a
remote desktop or application.
Chapter 1 Introduction to View
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