6.2

Using Policies to Control USB Redirection
You can configure USB policies for both the remote desktop or application (View Agent) and
Horizon Client. These policies specify whether the client device should split composite USB devices into
separate components for redirection. You can split devices to restrict the types of USB devices that the client
makes available for redirection, and to make View Agent prevent certain USB devices from being forwarded
from a client computer.
If you have older versions of View Agent or Horizon Client installed, not all the features of the USB
redirection policies are available. Table 14-3 shows how View applies the policies for different combinations
of View Agent and Horizon Client.
Table 14‑3. Compatibility of USB Policy Settings
View Agent
Version
Horizon
Client
Version Effect of USB Policy Settings on USB Redirection
5.1 or later 5.1 or later USB policy settings are applicable to both View Agent and Horizon Client. You can
use View Agent USB policy settings to block USB devices from being forwarded to a
desktop. View Agent can send device splitting and filtering policy settings to
Horizon Client. You can use Horizon Client USB policy settings to prevent USB
devices from being redirected from a client computer to a desktop.
NOTE In View Agent 6.1 or later and Horizon Client 3.3 or later, these USB
redirection policy settings apply to RDS desktops and applications as well as to
remote desktops that run on single-user machines.
5.1 or later 5.0.x or earlier USB policy settings apply only to View Agent. You can use View Agent USB policy
settings to block USB devices from being forwarded to a desktop. You cannot use
Horizon Client USB policy settings to control which devices can be redirected from a
client computer to a desktop. Horizon Client cannot receive device splitting and
filtering policy settings from View Agent. Existing registry settings for USB
redirection by Horizon Client remain valid.
5.0.x or earlier 5.1 or later USB policy settings apply only to Horizon Client. You can use Horizon Client USB
policy settings to prevent USB devices from being redirected from a client computer
to a desktop. You cannot use View Agent USB policy settings to block USB devices
from being forwarded to a desktop. View Agent cannot send device splitting and
filtering policy settings to Horizon Client.
5.0.x or earlier 5.0.x or earlier USB policy settings do not apply. Existing registry settings for USB redirection by
Horizon Client remain valid.
If you upgrade Horizon Client, any existing registry settings for USB redirection, such as
HardwareIdFilters, remain valid until you define USB policies for Horizon Client.
On client devices that do not support client-side USB policies, you can use the USB policies for View Agent
to control which USB devices are allowed to be forwarded from the client to a desktop or application.
Configuring Device Splitting Policy Settings for Composite USB Devices
Composite USB devices consist of a combination of two or more different devices, such as a video input
device and a storage device or a microphone and a mouse device. If you want to allow one or more of the
components to be available for redirection, you can split the composite device into its component interfaces,
exclude certain interfaces from redirection and include others.
You can set a policy that automatically splits composite devices. If automatic device splitting does not work
for a specific device, or if automatic splitting does not produce the results your application requires, you can
split composite devices manually.
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
196 VMware, Inc.