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Table Of Contents
Using SAML Authentication
The Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is an XML-based standard that is used to describe and
exchange authentication and authorization information between different security domains. SAML passes
information about users between identity providers and service providers in XML documents called SAML
assertions.
You can use SAML authentication to integrate View with VMware Workspace Portal,
VMware Identity Manager, or a third-party load balancer or gateway. When SSO is enabled, users who log
in to VMware Identity Manager or a third-party device can launch remote desktops and applications
without having to go through a second login procedure. You can also use SAML authentication to
implement smart card authentication on VMware Access Point, or on third-party devices.
To delegate responsibility for authentication to Workspace Portal, VMware Identity Manager, or a third-
party device, you must create a SAML authenticator in View. A SAML authenticator contains the trust and
metadata exchange between View and Workspace Portal, VMware Identity Manager, or the third-party
device. You associate a SAML authenticator with a View Connection Server instance.
Using SAML Authentication for VMware Identity Manager Integration
Integration between View and VMware Identity Manager (formerly called Workspace Portal) uses the
SAML 2.0 standard to establish mutual trust, which is essential for single sign-on (SSO) functionality. When
SSO is enabled, users who log in to VMware Identity Manager or Workspace Portal with Active Directory
credentials can launch remote desktops and applications without having to go through a second login
procedure.
When VMware Identity Manager and View are integrated, VMware Identity Manager generates a unique
SAML artifact whenever a user logs in to VMware Identity Manager and clicks a desktop or application
icon. VMware Identity Manager uses this SAML artifact to create a Universal Resource Identifier (URI). The
URI contains information about the View Connection Server instance where the desktop or application pool
resides, which desktop or application to launch, and the SAML artifact.
VMware Identity Manager sends the SAML artifact to the Horizon client, which in turn sends the artifact to
the View Connection Server instance. The View Connection Server instance uses the SAML artifact to
retrieve the SAML assertion from VMware Identity Manager.
After a View Connection Server instance receives a SAML assertion, it validates the assertion, decrypts the
user's password, and uses the decrypted password to launch the desktop or application.
Setting up VMware Identity Manager and View integration involves configuring VMware Identity Manager
with View information and configuring View to delegate responsibility for authentication to
VMware Identity Manager.
To delegate responsibility for authentication to VMware Identity Manager, you must create a SAML
authenticator in View. A SAML authenticator contains the trust and metadata exchange between View and
VMware Identity Manager. You associate a SAML authenticator with a View Connection Server instance.
NOTE If you intend to provide access to your desktops and applications through
VMware Identity Manager, verify that you create the desktop and application pools as a user who has the
Administrators role on the root access group in View Administrator. If you give the user the Administrators
role on an access group other than the root access group, VMware Identity Manager will not recognize the
SAML authenticator you configure in View, and you cannot configure the pool in
VMware Identity Manager.
Chapter 4 Setting Up Other Types of User Authentication
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