Using VMware Horizon View Client for

iOS
January 2014
Horizon View

This document supports the version of each product listed and

supports all subsequent versions until the document is
replaced by a new edition. To check for more recent editions
of this document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.

EN-001161-00

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:
http://www.vmware.com/support/
The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.
If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to:
[email protected]

Copyright 20112014 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright and trademark information.

VMware, Inc.
3401 Hillview Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94304
www.vmware.com

VMware, Inc.

Contents

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

1 Setup and Installation 7

System Requirements 7
Preparing View Connection Server for Horizon View Client 8
Using Embedded RSA SecurID Software Tokens 9
Configure Advanced SSL Options 10
Supported Desktop Operating Systems 11
Configure the View Client Download Links Displayed in View Portal
Install or Upgrade Horizon View Client for iOS 12
Horizon View Client Data Collected by VMware 13

11

2 Using URIs to Configure Horizon View Client 15

Syntax for Creating vmware-view URIs
Examples of vmware-view URIs 17

15

3 Managing Server Connections and Desktops 19

Log In to a Remote Desktop for the First Time 19
Certificate Checking Modes for Horizon View Client
Manage the Saved List of Servers 21
Disconnecting from a Desktop 22
Log Off from a Desktop 22
Roll Back a Desktop 23
Manage Desktop Shortcuts 24

21

4 Using a Microsoft Windows Desktop on a Mobile Device 25

Feature Support Matrix 25

External Keyboards and Input Devices 26
Enable the Japanese 106/109 Keyboard Layout 27
Starting, Minimizing, and Closing Applications with Unity Touch 27
Horizon View Client Tools 30
Gestures 32
Multitasking 33
Configure Horizon View Client to Support Reversed Mouse Buttons 34
Screen Resolutions and Using External Displays 34
PCoIP Client-Side Image Cache 35
Internationalization 35

5 Troubleshooting Horizon View Client 37

Collecting and Sending Logging Information
Enable View Client Log Collection 37

VMware, Inc.

37

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

Manually Retrieve and Send Horizon View Client Log Files

38

Disable View Client Log Collection 38

Reset a Desktop 38
Uninstall the VMware View App 39
Horizon View Client Stops Responding or the Remote Desktop Freezes
Problem Establishing a Connection When Using a Proxy 40

Index

40

41

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

This guide, Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS, provides information about installing and using

VMware Horizon View software on an iOS device to connect to a desktop in the datacenter.
The information in this document includes system requirements and instructions for installing
Horizon View Client. This document also provides tips for improving the user experience of navigating and
using Windows desktop elements on an iOS device such as an iPad.
This information is intended for administrators who need to set up a Horizon View deployment that
includes iOS client devices. The information is written for experienced system administrators who are
familiar with virtual machine technology and datacenter operations.

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

VMware, Inc.

Setup and Installation

Setting up an Horizon View deployment for iOS clients involves using certain View Connection Server
configuration settings, meeting the system requirements for View servers and iOS clients, and installing the
VMware View app from the Apple App Store. VMware also recommends that you set up a View security
server so that your iOS clients will not need a VPN connection.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

System Requirements, on page 7

Preparing View Connection Server for Horizon View Client, on page 8

Using Embedded RSA SecurID Software Tokens, on page 9

Configure Advanced SSL Options, on page 10

Supported Desktop Operating Systems, on page 11

Configure the View Client Download Links Displayed in View Portal, on page 11

Install or Upgrade Horizon View Client for iOS, on page 12

Horizon View Client Data Collected by VMware, on page 13

System Requirements
You can install Horizon View Client on all models of iPad and iPhone.
The iOS device on which you install Horizon View Client, and the peripherals it uses, must meet certain
system requirements.
iPad and iPhone Models

VMware, Inc.

Horizon View Client for iOS 2.3: iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5S, and 5C; and iPad,
iPad 2, iPad (3rd generation), iPad (4th generation), iPad mini, iPad mini
with Retina display, and iPad Air

Horizon View Client for iOS 2.2: iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5S, and 5C; and iPad,
iPad 2, iPad (3rd generation), iPad (4th generation), and iPad mini

Horizon View Client for iOS 2.0 and 2.1: iPhone 4, 4S, and 5; and iPad,
iPad 2, iPad (3rd generation), iPad (4th generation), and iPad mini

View Client for iOS 1.7: iPhone 4, 4S, and 5; and iPad, iPad 2, iPad (3rd
generation), iPad (4th generation), and iPad mini

View Client for iOS 1.6: iPhone 4 and 4S; and iPad, iPad 2, and iPad (3rd
generation)

View Client for iPad 1.5: iPad, iPad 2, and iPad (3rd generation)

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

Operating systems

View Client for iPad 1.2 1.3, and 1.4: iPad and iPad 2

View Client for iPad 1.0 and 1.1: iPad

Horizon View Client for iOS 2.2 and 2.3: iOS 5.0 and later, including iOS
6.x and iOS 7.x

Horizon View Client for iOS 2.1: iOS 5.0 and later, including iOS 6.x

Horizon View Client for iOS 2.0: iOS 4.2 and later, including iOS 6.x

View Client for iOS 1.7: iOS 4.2 and later, including iOS 6.x

View Client for iOS 1.6: iOS 4.2 through 5.x

View Client for iPad 1.5: iOS 4.2 through 5.x

View Client for iPad 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4: iOS 4.2

View Client for iPad 1.0 and 1.1: iOS 4.2

IMPORTANT To use the Unity Touch feature, you must have iOS 5.0 or later.
External keyboards

(Optional) iPad Keyboard Dock and Apple Wireless Keyboard (Bluetooth)

View Connection
Server, Security Server,
and View Agent

Latest maintenance release of VMware View 4.6.x and later VMware View
and VMware Horizon View releases
VMware recommends that you use a security server so that your iOS clients
will not require a VPN connection.
IMPORTANT The Unity Touch feature requires Horizon View 5.2 servers and
desktops. The Remote Experience Agent must also be installed on the
desktop. For more information, see the VMware Horizon View Feature Pack
Installation and Administration document and see Starting, Minimizing, and
Closing Applications with Unity Touch, on page 27.

Display protocol for

Horizon View

PCoIP

Preparing View Connection Server for Horizon View Client

Administrators must perform specific tasks to enable end users to connect to remote desktops.
Before end users can connect to View Connection Server or a security server and access a remote desktop,
you must configure certain pool settings and security settings:
n

If you are using a security server, as VMware recommends, verify that you are using the latest
maintenance releases of View Connection Server 4.6.x and View Security Server 4.6.x or later releases.
See the VMware Horizon View Installation documentation.

If you plan to use a secure tunnel connection for client devices and if the secure connection is
configured with a DNS host name for View Connection Server or a security server, verify that the client
device can resolve this DNS name.
To enable or disable the secure tunnel, in View Administrator, go to the Edit View Connection Server
Settings dialog box and use the check box called Use secure tunnel connection to desktop.

Verify that a desktop pool has been created and that the user account that you plan to use is entitled to
access the remote desktop. See the topics about creating desktop pools in the VMware Horizon View
Administration documentation.

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 1 Setup and Installation

To use two-factor authentication with Horizon View Client, such as RSA SecurID or RADIUS
authentication, you must enable this feature on View Connection Server. RADIUS authentication is
available with View 5.1 or later View Connection Server. For more information, see the topics about
two-factor authentication in the VMware Horizon View Administration documentation.

To allow end users to save their passwords with Horizon View Client, so that users do not always need
to supply credentials when logging in to a remote desktop, configure the policy for this feature on View
Connection Server.
This feature is available for View Client 1.5 and later connecting to remote desktops through View
Connection Server 5.1 or later . Users can save their passwords if the policy is configured to allow it and
if Horizon View Client can fully verify the server certificate that View Connection Server presents. For
instructions about configuring this policy, see the topic called "Allow Users to Save Credentials" in the
chapter called "Setting Up User Authentication," in the VMware Horizon View Administration
documentation.

Verify that the desktop pool is set to use the PCoIP display protocol. See the VMware Horizon View
Administration documentation.

Using Embedded RSA SecurID Software Tokens

If you create and distribute RSA SecurID software tokens to end users, they need enter only their PIN, rather
than PIN and token code, to authenticate.

Setup Requirements
NOTE This feature is available only if you are using View Client 1.2 or later.
You can use Compressed Token Format (CTF) or dynamic seed provisioning, which is also called CT-KIP
(Cryptographic Token Key Initialization Protocol), to set up an easy-to-use RSA authentication system. With
this system, you generate a URL to send to end users. To install the token, end users paste this URL directly
into Horizon View Client on their client devices. The dialog box for pasting this URL appears when end
users connect to View Connection Server with Horizon View Client.
After the software token is installed, end users enter a PIN to authenticate. With external RSA tokens, end
users must enter a PIN and the token code generated by a hardware or software authentication token.
The following URL prefixes are supported if end users will be copying and pasting the URL into
Horizon View Client when Horizon View Client is connected to an RSA-enabled View Connection Server:
n

viewclient-securid://

com.rsa.securid.iphone://

com.rsa.securid://

For end users who will be installing the token by tapping the URL, only the prefix viewclient-securid:// is
supported.
For information about using dynamic seed provisioning or file-based (CTF) provisioning, see the Web page
RSA SecurID Software Token for iPhone Devices at http://www.rsa.com/node.aspx?id=3652 or RSA SecurID
Software Token for Android at http://www.rsa.com/node.aspx?id=3832.

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

Instructions to End Users

When you create a CTFString URL or CT-KIP URL to send to end users, you can generate a URL with or
without a password or activation code. You send this URL to end users in an email that must include the
following information:
n

Instructions for navigating to the Install Software Token dialog box.

Tell end users to tap External Token in the Horizon View Client dialog box that prompts them for RSA
SecurID credentials when they connect to View Connection Server.

CTFString URL or CT-KIP URL in plain text.

If the URL has formatting on it, end users will get an error message when they try to use it in View
Client.

Activation code, if the CT-KIP URL that you create does not already include the activation code.
End users must enter this activation code in a text field of the dialog box.

If the CT-KIP URL includes an activation code, tell end users that they need not enter anything in the
Password or Activation Code text box in the Install Software Token dialog box.

Configure Advanced SSL Options

In Horizon View Client 2.3 and later, you can select the security protocols that Horizon View Client can use
to connect to a View server. You can also specify the cipher control string.
IMPORTANT Horizon View Client and View Connection Server support TLS v1.0 and TLS v1.1 by default.
You should change the security protocols in Horizon View Client only if your View administrator instructs
you to do so, or if your View server does not support the latest protocols.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that you have Horizon View Client 2.3 or later.

Verify the security protocol that your View server can use. If you configure a security protocol for
Horizon View Client that is not enabled on your View server, the connection fails with an SSL error.

For information about configuring security protocols for View Connection Server, see the VMware Horizon
View Security document.
Procedure
1

On your iOS device, tap Settings > VMware View.

Tap Advanced SSL Options.

Make sure that the Reset to Default Settings option is set to Off.

To enable or disable a security protocol, tap the On or Off toggle next to the security protocol name.
TLS v1.0 and TLS v1.1 are enabled by default.

To change the cipher control string, tap inside the text box and replace the default string.
The default cipher control string (AES:!aNULL:@STRENGTH) includes cipher suites that use either 128bit or 256-bit AES encryption, except for anonymous DH algorithms, and sorts them by strength.

(Optional) If you need to revert to the default settings, tap to toggle the Reset to Default Settings
option to On.

Your changes take effect the next time you connect to a View server.

10

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 1 Setup and Installation

Supported Desktop Operating Systems

Administrators create virtual machines with a guest operating system and install View Agent in the guest
operating system. End users can log in to these virtual machines from a client device.
For a list of the supported guest operating systems, see the "Supported Operating Systems for View Agent"
topic in the Horizon View 4.6.x or 5.x installation documentation.

Configure the View Client Download Links Displayed in View Portal

By default, when you open a browser and enter the URL of a View Connection Server instance, the portal
page that appears contains links to the VMware Download site for downloading Horizon View Client. You
can change the default .
The default Horizon View Client links on portal page ensure that you are directed to the latest compatible
Horizon View Client installers. In some cases, however, you might want to have the links point to an
internal Web server, or you might want to make specific client versions available on your own View
Connection Server. You can reconfigure the page to point to a different URL.
When you make links for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows client systems, the correct operating system
specific link is shown on the portal page. For example, if you browse to the portal page from a Windows
system, only the link or links for Windows installers appear. You can make separate links for 32-bit and 64bit installers. You can also make links for iOS and Android systems, but these operating systems are not
automatically detected, so that if you browse to the portal page from an iPad, for example, you see the links
for both iOS and Android, if you created links for both.
IMPORTANT If you customize the portal page links, as described in this topic, and later install
VMware Horizon View HTML Access on the server, your customized portal page is replaced by an
HTML Access page. For information about customizing that page, see Using
VMware Horizon View HTML Access.
Prerequisites
n

Download the installer files for the Horizon View Client types that you want to use in your
environment. The URL to the client download page is https://www.vmware.com/go/viewclients.

Determine which HTTP server will host the installer files. The files can reside on a View Connection
Server instance or on another HTTP server.

Procedure
1

On the HTTP server where the installer files will reside, create a folder for the installer files.
For example, to place the files in a downloads folder on the View Connection Server host, in the default
installation directory, use the following path:
C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware View\Server\broker\webapps\downloads

The links to the files would then use URLs with the format https://server-name/downloads/clientinstaller-file-name. For example, a server with the name view.mycompany.com might use the following
URL for View Client for Windows: https://view.mycompany.com/downloads/VMware-Horizon-ViewClient.exe. In this example, the folder named downloads is located in the webapps root folder.
2

Copy the installer files into the folder.

If the folder resides on View Connection Server, you can replace any files in this folder without having
to restart the VMware View Connection Server service.

VMware, Inc.

On the View Connection Server machine, copy the portal-links.properties file and the
portal.properties file located in install-path\Server\Extras\PortalExamples.

11

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

Create a portal folder the directory C:\ProgramData\VMware\VDM, and copy the portallinks.properties and portal.properties files into the portal folder.

Edit C:\ProgramData\VMware\VDM\portal\portal-links.properties file to point to the new location of

the installer files.
You can edit the lines in this file and add to them if you need to create more links. You can also delete
lines.
The following examples show properties for creating two links for View Client for Windows and two
links for View Client for Linux:
link.win=https://server-name/downloads/VMware-Horizon-View-Client-x86_64-y.y.y-XXXX.exe#win
link.win.1=https://server-name/downloads/VMware-Horizon-View-Client-y.y.y-XXXX.exe#win
link.linux=https://server-name/downloads/VMware-Horizon-View-Client-x86_64-y.y.yXXXX.rpm#linux
link.linux.1=https://server-name/downloads/VMware-Horizon-View-Client-y.y.y-XXXX.tar.gz#linux

In this example, y.y.y-XXXX indicates the version and build number. The win text at the end of the line
indicates that this link should appear in the browser if the client has a Windows operating system. Use
win for Windows, linux for Linux, and mac for Mac OS X. For other operating systems, use unknown.
6

Edit C:\ProgramData\VMware\VDM\portal\portal.properties file to specify the text to display for the

links.
These lines appear in the section of the file called # keys based on key names in portallinks.properties.
The following example shows the text that corresponds to the links specified for link.win and

link.win.1:

text.win=View Client for Windows 32 bit Client users

text.win.1=View Client for Windows 64 bit Client users

Restart the VMware View Connection Server service.

When end users enter the URL for View Connection Server, they see links with the text you specified. The
links point to the locations you specified.

Install or Upgrade Horizon View Client for iOS

You can install Horizon View Client from the VMware Downloads page or from the App Store.
Prerequisites
n

If you have not already set up the iOS device, do so. See the user guide from Apple.

Verify that you have the URL for a download page that contains the VMware Horizon View Client
installer. This URL might be the VMware Downloads page at http://www.vmware.com/go/viewclients,
or it might be the URL for a View Connection Server instance.
When you browse to a View Connection Server URL, by default the links on that portal page point to
the VMware Downloads page. You can configure the links to point to a different location. For more
information, see Configure the View Client Download Links Displayed in View Portal, on page 11.
Depending on how the page is configured, you might also see a link for
VMware Horizon View HTML Access. HTML Access allows you to connect to a virtual desktop using
the browser, without installing any client software. Because VMware Horizon View Client offers more
features and better performance than the HTML Access client, VMware generally recommends that you
install the client software.

12

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 1 Setup and Installation

Procedure
1

On your iOS device, Mac, or PC, browse to the URL for downloading the installer file, or search the
App Store for the VMware View application.

Download the application.

If you downloaded the application to a Mac or PC, connect your iOS device to the computer and follow
the onscreen instructions in iTunes.

To determine that installation succeeded, verify that the VMware View application icon appears on one
of the desktops of the Home screen on the device.

Horizon View Client Data Collected by VMware

If your company participates in the customer experience improvement program, VMware collects data from
certain Horizon View Client fields. Fields containing sensitive information are made anonymous.
NOTE This feature is available only if your Horizon View deployment uses View Connection Server 5.1 or
later. Client information is sent for View Client 1.7 and later clients.
VMware collects data on the clients to prioritize hardware and software compatibility. If your company's
administrator has opted to participate in the customer experience improvement program, VMware collects
anonymous data about your deployment in order to improve VMware's response to customer requirements.
No data that identifies your organization is collected. Horizon View Client information is sent first to View
Connection Server and then on to VMware, along with data from Horizon View servers, desktop pools, and
remote desktops.
Although the information is encrypted while in transit to View Connection Server, the information on the
client system is logged unencrypted in a user-specific directory. The logs do not contain any personally
identifiable information.
To participate in the VMware customer experience improvement program, the administrator who installs
View Connection Server can opt in while running the View Connection Server installation wizard, or an
administrator can set an option in View Administrator after the installation.
Table 11. Data Collected from Horizon View Clients for the Customer Experience Improvement Program
Is This Field Made
Anonymous?

Example Value

Company that produced the

Horizon View Client application

No

VMware

Product name

No

VMware Horizon View Client

Client product version

No

The format is x.x.x-yyyyyy, where x.x.x is the client version

number and yyyyyy is the build number.

Client binary architecture

No

Description

Examples include the following:

i386
n x86_64
n arm

Client build name

VMware, Inc.

No

Examples include the following:

n VMware-Horizon-View-Client-Win32-Windows
n VMware-Horizon-View-Client-Linux
n VMware-Horizon-View-Client-iOS
n VMware-Horizon-View-Client-Mac
n VMware-Horizon-View-Client-Android
n VMware-Horizon-View-Client-WinStore

13

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

Table 11. Data Collected from Horizon View Clients for the Customer Experience Improvement Program
(Continued)
Description

Is This Field Made

Anonymous?

Host operating system

No

Example Value
Examples include the following:
Windows 8.1
n Windows 7, 64-bit Service Pack 1 (Build 7601 )
n iPhone OS 5.1.1 (9B206)
n Ubuntu 10.04.4 LTS
n Mac OS X 10.7.5 (11G63)

Host operating system kernel

No

Examples include the following:

n Windows 6.1.7601 SP1
n Darwin Kernel Version 11.0.0: Sun Apr 8 21:52:26 PDT
2012; root:xnu-1878.11.10~1/RELEASE_ARM_S5L8945X
n Darwin 11.4.2
n Linux 2.6.32-44-generic #98-Ubuntu SMP Mon Sep 24
17:27:10 UTC 2012
n unknown (for Windows Store)

Host operating system

architecture

No

Examples include the following:

n x86_64
n i386
n armv71
n ARM

Host system model

No

Examples include the following:

Dell Inc. OptiPlex 960
n iPad3,3
n MacBookPro8,2
n Dell Inc. Precision WorkStation T3400 (A04 03/21/2008)
n

Host system CPU

No

Examples include the following:

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GH
n Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GH
n unknown (for iPad)
n

14

Number of cores in the host

system's processor

No

For example: 4

MB of memory on the host system

No

Examples include the following:

n 4096
n unknown (for Windows Store)

VMware, Inc.

Using URIs to Configure

Horizon View Client

Using uniform resource identifiers (URIs), you can create a Web page or an email with links that end users
click to launch Horizon View Client, connect to View Connection Server, and launch a specific desktop with
specific configuration options.
You can simplify the process of logging in to a remote desktop by creating Web or email links for end users.
You create these links by constructing URIs that provide some or all of the following information, so that
your end users do not need to supply it:
n

View Connection Server address

Port number for View Connection Server

Active Directory user name

RADIUS or RSA SecurID user name, if different from Active Directory user name

Domain name

Desktop display name

Desktop actions, including reset, log off, and start session

To construct a URI, you use the vmware-view URI scheme with Horizon View Client specific path and query
parts.
NOTE You can use URIs to launch Horizon View Client only if the client software is already installed on
end users' client computers.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

Syntax for Creating vmware-view URIs, on page 15

Examples of vmware-view URIs, on page 17

Syntax for Creating vmware-view URIs

Syntax includes the vmware-view URI scheme, a path part to specify the desktop, and, optionally, a query to
specify desktop actions or configuration options.

VMware Horizon View URI Specification

Use the following syntax to create URIs for launching Horizon View Client:
vmware-view://[authority-part][/path-part][?query-part]

VMware, Inc.

15

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

The only required element is the URI scheme, vmware-view. For some versions of some client operating
systems, the scheme name is case-sensitive. Therefore, use vmware-view.
IMPORTANT In all parts, non-ASCII characters must first be encoded according to UTF-8 [STD63], and then
each octet of the corresponding UTF-8 sequence must be percent-encoded to be represented as URI
characters.
For information about encoding for ASCII characters, see the URL encoding reference at
http://www.utf8-chartable.de/.
authority-part

Specifies the server address and, optionally, a user name, a non-default port
number, or both. Server names must conform to DNS syntax.
To specify a user name, use the following syntax:
user1@server-address

Note that you cannot specify a UPN address, which includes the domain. To
specify the domain, you can use the domainName query part in the URI.
To specify a port number, use the following syntax:
server-address:port-number

path-part

Specifies the desktop. Use the desktop display name. If the display name has
a space in it, use the %20 encoding mechanism to represent the space.

query-part

Specifies the configuration options to use or the desktop actions to perform.

Queries are not case-sensitive. To use multiple queries, use an ampersand
(&) between the queries. If queries conflict with each other, the last query in
the list is used. Use the following syntax:
query1=value1[&query2=value2...]

Supported Queries
This topic lists the queries that are supported for this type of Horizon View Client. If you are creating URIs
for multiple types of clients, such as desktop clients and mobile clients, see the Using
VMware Horizon View Client guide for each type of client system.
action

Table 21. Values That Can Be Used with the action Query
Value

Description

browse

Displays a list of available desktops hosted on the specified server.

You are not required to specify a desktop when using this action.
If you use the browse action and specify a desktop, the desktop is
highlighted in the list of available desktops.

16

start-session

Launches the specified desktop. If no action query is provided and

the desktop name is provided, start-session is the default
action.

reset

Shuts down and restarts the specified desktop. Unsaved data is

lost. Resetting a remote desktop is the equivalent of pressing the
Reset button on a physical PC.

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 2 Using URIs to Configure Horizon View Client

Table 21. Values That Can Be Used with the action Query (Continued)
Value

Description

logoff

Logs the user out of the guest operating system in the remote
desktop.

rollback

Discards changes made to the specified desktop while it was

checked out for use in local mode on a Windows PC or laptop.

domainName

The domain associated with the user who is connecting to the remote
desktop.

tokenUserName

Specifies the RSA or RADIUS user name. Use this query only if the RSA or
RADIUS user name is different from the Active Directory user name. If you
do not specify this query and RSA or RADIUS authentication is required, the
Windows user name is used. The syntax is tokenUserName=name.

Examples of vmware-view URIs

You can create hypertext links or buttons with the vmware-view URI scheme and include these links in email
or on a Web page. Your end users can click these links to, for example, launch a particular remote desktop
with the startup options you specify.

URI Syntax Examples

Each URI example is followed by a description of what the end user sees after clicking the URI link.
1

vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Primary%20Desktop?action=start-session

Horizon View Client is launched and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. The login box prompts
the user for a user name, domain name, and password. After a successful login, the client connects to
the desktop whose display name is displayed as Primary Desktop, and the user is logged in to the
guest operating system.
NOTE The default display protocol and window size are used. The default display protocol is PCoIP.
The default window size is full screen.
2

vmware-view://view.mycompany.com:7555/Primary%20Desktop

This URI has the same effect as the previous example, except that it uses the nondefault port of 7555 for
View Connection Server. (The default port is 443.) Because a desktop identifier is provided, the desktop
is launched even though the start-session action is not included in the URI.
3

vmware-view://[email protected]/Finance%20Desktop?desktopProtocol=PCoIP

Horizon View Client is launched and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. In the login box, the
User name text box is populated with the name fred. The user must supply the domain name and
password. After a successful login, the client connects to the desktop whose display name is displayed
as Finance Desktop, and the user is logged in to the guest operating system. The connection uses the
PCoIP display protocol.
4

vmware-view://[email protected]/Finance%20Desktop?domainName=mycompany

Horizon View Client is launched and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. In the login box, the
User name text box is populated with the name fred, and the Domain text box is populated with
mycompany. The user must supply only a password. After a successful login, the client connects to the
desktop whose display name is displayed as Finance Desktop, and the user is logged in to the guest
operating system.

VMware, Inc.

17

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/

Horizon View Client is launched, and the user is taken to the login prompt for connecting to the

view.mycompany.com server.

vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Primary%20Desktop?action=reset

Horizon View Client is launched and connects to the view.mycompany.com server. The login box prompts
the user for a user name, domain name, and password. After a successful login, Horizon View Client
displays a dialog box that prompts the user to confirm the reset operation for Primary Desktop. After
the reset occurs, depending on the type of client, the user might see a message indicating whether the
reset was successful.
NOTE This action is available only if the View administrator has enabled this feature for end users.
7

vmware-view://

If the client is already running, the Horizon View Client app comes to the foreground. If the client is not
already running, Horizon View Client is launched and the user sees the Recent Connections list, the
Servers list, or the Welcome page, depending on whether the user has ever used Horizon View Client
on the device and whether the client has previously connected to a server or a remote desktop.

HTML Code Examples

You can use URIs to make hypertext links and buttons to include in emails or on Web pages. The following
examples show how to use the URI from the first URI example to code a hypertext link that says, Test Link,
and a button that says, TestButton.
<html>
<body>
<a href="vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Primary%20Desktop?action=start-session">Test
Link</a><br>
<form><input type="button" value="TestButton" onClick="window.location.href=
'vmware-view://view.mycompany.com/Primary%20Desktop?action=start-session'"></form> <br>
</body>
</html>

18

VMware, Inc.

Managing Server Connections and

Desktops

Use Horizon View Client to connect to View Connection Server or a security server, edit the list of servers
you connect to, and log in to or off of a remote desktop. For troubleshooting purposes, you can also reset a
remote desktop assigned to you.
Depending on how the administrator configures policies for remote desktops, end users might be able to
perform many operations on their desktops.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

Log In to a Remote Desktop for the First Time, on page 19

Certificate Checking Modes for Horizon View Client, on page 21

Manage the Saved List of Servers, on page 21

Disconnecting from a Desktop, on page 22

Log Off from a Desktop, on page 22

Roll Back a Desktop, on page 23

Manage Desktop Shortcuts, on page 24

Log In to a Remote Desktop for the First Time

Before you have end users access their remote desktops, test that you can log in to a remote desktop from a
client device. To log in, you must specify a URL for View Connection Server and supply credentials for your
user account.
Prerequisites
n

Obtain the credentials that you need to log in, such as Active Directory user name and password, RSA
SecurID user name and passcode, or RADIUS authentication user name and passcode.

Obtain the domain name for logging in.

Perform the administrative tasks described in Preparing View Connection Server for Horizon View
Client, on page 8.

If you are outside the corporate network and are not using a security server to access the remote
desktop, verify that your client device is set up to use a VPN connection and turn that connection on.
IMPORTANT VMware recommends using a security server rather than a VPN.
If your company has an internal wireless network to provide routable access to remote desktops that
your device can use, you do not have to set up a View security server or VPN connection.

VMware, Inc.

19

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

Verify that you have the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the server that provides access to the
remote desktop. You also need the port number if the port is not 443.

If you plan to use embedded RSA SecurID software, verify that you have the correct CT-KIP URL and
activation code. See Using Embedded RSA SecurID Software Tokens, on page 9.

Configure the certificate checking mode for the SSL certificate presented by View Connection Server.
See Certificate Checking Modes for Horizon View Client, on page 21.

Procedure
1

Tap the VMware View app icon on the Home screen.

Tap the Add Server button, type the name of View Connection Server or a security server, and tap
Connect.
Connections between Horizon View Client and View Connection Server always use SSL. The default
port for SSL connections is 443. If View Connection Server is not configured to use the default port, use
the format shown in this example: view.company.com:1443.
You might see a message that you must confirm before the login dialog box appears.

If you are prompted for RSA SecurID credentials or RADIUS authentication credentials, either enter
your credentials or, if you plan to use an embedded RSA SecurID token, install an embedded token.
Option

Action

Existing token

If you use a hardware authentication token or software authentication

token on a smart phone, enter your user name and passcode. The passcode
might include both a PIN and the generated number on the token.

Install software token

Click External Token. In the Install Software Token dialog box, paste the
CT-KIP URL or CTFString URL that your administrator sent to you in
email. If the URL contains an activation code, you do not need to enter
anything in the Password or Activation Code text box.

If you are prompted a second time for RSA SecurID credentials or RADIUS authentication credentials,
enter the next generated number on the token.
Do not enter your PIN and do not enter the same generated number entered previously. If necessary,
wait until a new number is generated.
If this step is required, it is required only when you mistype the first passcode or when configuration
settings in the RSA server change.

If prompted, supply Active Directory credentials.

a

Type the user name and password of a user who is entitled to use at least one desktop pool.

Select a domain.

Tap to toggle the Remember this Password option to On if your administrator has enabled this
feature and if the server certificate can be fully verified.

Tap Done.

In the list of remote desktops that appears, tap a desktop to connect to it.
In Horizon View Client 2.3 and later, you can use the search box at the top of the list to search for a
particular desktop.

After you log in to a desktop for the first time, a shortcut for the desktop is saved to the Horizon View Client
Home screen. The next time you want to connect to the remote desktop, you can tap the shortcut instead of
entering the server's host name.

20

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 3 Managing Server Connections and Desktops

Certificate Checking Modes for Horizon View Client

Administrators and sometimes end users can configure whether client connections are rejected if any or
some server certificate checks fail.
Certificate checking occurs for SSL connections between View Connection Server and Horizon View Client.
Certificate verification includes the following checks:
n

Is the certificate intended for a purpose other than verifying the identity of the sender and encrypting
server communications? That is, is it the correct type of certificate?

Has the certificate expired, or is it valid only in the future? That is, is the certificate valid according to
the computer clock?

Does the common name on the certificate match the host name of the server that sends it? A mismatch
can occur if a load balancer redirects Horizon View Client to a server that has a certificate that does not
match the host name entered in Horizon View Client. Another reason a mismatch can occur is if you
enter an IP address rather than a host name in the client.

Is the certificate signed by an unknown or untrusted certificate authority (CA)? Self-signed certificates
are one type of untrusted CA.
To pass this check, the certificate's chain of trust must be rooted in the device's local certificate store.

IMPORTANT For instructions about distributing a self-signed root certificate that users can install on their iOS
devices, see the instructions on the Apple Web site. For example, for iPads, see
http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/docs/iPad_Certificates.pdf.
You can set the certificate checking mode. In your iOS Settings app, tap VMware View and tap Certificate
checking mode. You have three choices:
n

Never connect to untrusted servers. If any of the certificate checks fails, the client cannot connect to the
server. An error message lists the checks that failed.

Warn before connecting to untrusted servers. If a certificate check fails because the server uses a selfsigned certificate, you can click Continue to ignore the warning. For self-signed certificates, the
certificate name is not required to match the View Connection Server name you entered in
Horizon View Client.

Do not verify server identity certificates. This setting means that View does not perform any certificate
checking.

If the certificate checking mode is set to Warn, you can still connect to a View Connection Server instance
that uses a self-signed certificate.
If an administrator later installs a security certificate from a trusted certificate authority, so that all certificate
checks pass when you connect, this trusted connection is remembered for that specific server. In the future,
if that server ever presents a self-signed certificate again, the connection fails. After a particular server
presents a fully verifiable certificate, it must always do so.

Manage the Saved List of Servers

When you connect to a View server, Horizon View Client saves the server name or IP address to a list on the
Recent Connections screen. You can edit and remove servers from this list.
Horizon View Client saves the server name or IP address to the servers list, even if you mistype the name or
type the wrong IP address. You can delete or change this information by editing the list.
IMPORTANT You tap the arrow (>) next to a server name in the list to connect to the server.

VMware, Inc.

21

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

Procedure
1

On the Recent Connections screen, tap the cloud icon in the upper-left corner of the screen.

In the server list that appears, tap Edit in the upper-right corner and make the desired changes.

Option

Description

To change the name of a server

Tap the server name.

A cursor appears in the text so that you can edit it.

To remove a server from the list

Tap the red minus sign icon next to the server name or address and tap
Delete.
You can also select Remove password if you previously saved your
password.
The desktop shortcuts associated with the server are also deleted.

To change the order of the servers

in the list

Tap and hold the icon to the right side of the server name and, when the
row moves, drag the name to the desired location in the list.

Tap Done.

Disconnecting from a Desktop

You can disconnect from a remote desktop without logging off, so that applications remain open on the
remote desktop.
When you are logged in to the remote desktop, you can disconnect by tapping the Horizon View Client
Tools icon and tapping the Disconnect icon. After you disconnect from a desktop, the Recent Connections
screen appears. For pictures of the icons, see Horizon View Client Tools, on page 30.
NOTE A View administrator can configure your desktop to automatically log off when disconnected. In that
case, any open programs in your desktop are stopped.

Log Off from a Desktop

You can log off from a remote desktop operating system, even if you do not have a desktop open in
Horizon View Client.
If you are currently connected to and logged in to a remote desktop, you can use the Windows Start menu
to log off. After Windows logs you off, the desktop is disconnected and the Recent Connections screen
appears.
NOTE Any unsaved files that are open on the remote desktop are closed during the logoff operation.
Prerequisites
n

Obtain the credentials that you need to log in, such as Active Directory user name and password, RSA
SecurID user name and passcode, or RADIUS authentication user name and passcode.

If you have not logged in at least once, become familiar with the procedure Log In to a Remote
Desktop for the First Time, on page 19.

Procedure
n

22

In Horizon View Client 2.3 and later, perform these steps.

a

On the Recent Connections screen, tap the Cloud icon in the upper-left corner and tap the arrow (>)
next to the server name.

If prompted, supply your RSA user name and passcode, your Active Directory user name and
password, or both.

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 3 Managing Server Connections and Desktops

In the Desktops list, tap the Information icon (i) next to the desktop name.

Tap the Log Off button in the context menu.

In Horizon View Client 2.2 and earlier, perform these steps.

a

On the Horizon View Client Home screen, display the remote desktop's context menu.
The context menu is available only if your administrator has allowed it. The items in the menu are
available only if the status of the desktop is such that the action can be taken.
Option

Action

Use a Recent Desktops shortcut

Tap and hold the shortcut for the recently used desktop.

Use the servers list

1
2

Tap the Cloud icon in the upper-left corner and tap the arrow (>)
next to the server name.
If prompted, supply your RSA user name and passcode, your
Active Directory user name and password, or both, and connect to
the server.
Tap and hold the desktop name.

Select Log Off from the context menu.

If you accessed the desktop from a desktop shortcut, if prompted, supply your RSA user name and
passcode, your Active Directory user name and password, or both.

What to do next
If you have Horizon View Client 2.3 or later, you can click the Logout button in the upper-left corner to
return to the Recent Connections screen.

Roll Back a Desktop

Rolling back discards changes made to a remote desktop that you checked out for use in local mode on a
Windows PC or laptop.
CAUTION If changes were made to the local mode desktop and those changes were not replicated back to the
View server before rolling back, the changes are lost.
Prerequisites
n

Obtain the credentials that you need to log in, such as Active Directory user name and password, RSA
SecurID user name and passcode, or RADIUS authentication user name and passcode.

Back up the desktop to the server to preserve data or files.

You can use View Administrator to replicate data to the server, or, if the policy is set to allow it, you can
use Horizon View Client with Local Mode on the Windows client where the desktop is currently
checked out.

If you have not logged in at least once, familiarize yourself with the procedure Log In to a Remote
Desktop for the First Time, on page 19.

Procedure
n

VMware, Inc.

In Horizon View Client 2.3 and later, perform these steps.

a

On the Recent Connections screen, tap the Cloud icon in the upper-left corner and tap the arrow (>)
next to the server name.

If prompted, supply your RSA user name and passcode, your Active Directory user name and
password, or both.

23

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

In the Desktops list, tap the Information icon (i) next to the desktop name.

Tap the Roll Back button in the context menu.

In Horizon View Client 2.2 and earlier, perform these steps.

a

On the Horizon View Client Home screen, display the remote desktop's context menu.
The context menu is available only if your administrator has allowed it. The items in the menu are
available only if the status of the desktop is such that an action can be taken.
Option

Action

Use a Recent Desktops shortcut

Tap and hold the shortcut for the recently used desktop.

Use the severs list

1
2
3

Tap the Cloud icon in the upper-left corner and tap the arrow (>)
next to the server name.
If prompted, supply your RSA user name and passcode, your
Active Directory user name and password, or both.
Tap the arrow (>) next to the desktop name.

Select Roll Back from the context menu.

If you accessed the desktop from a desktop shortcut, if prompted, supply your RSA user name and
passcode, your Active Directory user name and password, or both.

After the remote desktop is rolled back, you can log in to it from the device.

Manage Desktop Shortcuts

After you log in to a remote desktop, Horizon View Client saves a shortcut for the recently used desktop on
the Recent Connections screen. You can rearrange and remove these desktop shortcuts.
In Horizon View Client 2.3 and later, the Recent Connections screen can consist of multiple pages and you
can swipe across pages to see more desktop shortcuts. Horizon View Client creates new pages, as needed, to
accommodate all of your desktop shortcuts.
Procedure
n

In Horizon View Client 2.3 and later, perform these steps to remove a desktop shortcut.
a

Touch and hold the shortcut for the remote desktop.

Tap the X button.

Tap Done.

In Horizon View Client 2.2 and earlier, perform these steps to remove a desktop shortcut.
a

On the Horizon View Client Home screen, in the Recent Desktops area, tap and hold the shortcut
for the remote desktop.

Select Remove Shortcut from the context menu.

In Horizon View Client 2.3 and later, to move a desktop shortcut, touch and hold the shortcut, drag it to
the new location, and tap Done.
You cannot drag a desktop shortcut to another page unless that page already exists.

24

VMware, Inc.

Using a Microsoft Windows Desktop

on a Mobile Device

On mobile devices, Horizon View Client includes additional features to aid in navigation.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

Feature Support Matrix, on page 25

External Keyboards and Input Devices, on page 26

Enable the Japanese 106/109 Keyboard Layout, on page 27

Starting, Minimizing, and Closing Applications with Unity Touch, on page 27

Horizon View Client Tools, on page 30

Gestures, on page 32

Multitasking, on page 33

Configure Horizon View Client to Support Reversed Mouse Buttons, on page 34

Screen Resolutions and Using External Displays, on page 34

PCoIP Client-Side Image Cache, on page 35

Internationalization, on page 35

Feature Support Matrix

Some features are supported on one type of Horizon View Client but not on another. For example, local
mode is supported only on Horizon View Client for Windows.
Table 41. Features Supported on Windows Desktops for iOS Horizon View Clients

Feature

Windows 8.x
Desktop

Windows 7
Desktop

Windows
Vista
Desktop

Windows
XP Desktop

Windows Server
2008 R2 Desktop

RSA SecurID or RADIUS

Single sign-on

RDP display protocol

PCoIP display protocol
USB access
Real-Time Audio-Video
(RTAV)
Wyse MMR
Windows 7 MMR

VMware, Inc.

25

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

Table 41. Features Supported on Windows Desktops for iOS Horizon View Clients (Continued)

Feature

Windows 8.x
Desktop

Windows 7
Desktop

Windows
Vista
Desktop

Windows
XP Desktop

Windows Server
2008 R2 Desktop

Virtual printing
Location-based printing
Smart cards
Multiple monitors
Local mode

Features that are supported on Windows desktops for Horizon View Client for iOS have the following
restrictions.
n

Windows 8.x desktops are supported only if you have Horizon View 5.2 or later servers and desktops.

Windows Server 2008 R2 desktops are supported only if you have Horizon View 5.3 or later servers and
desktops.

A feature that is iOS-specific is the Left Handed Mode feature. This feature was introduced with View
Client 1.2. If you have your remote desktop configured so that the primary and secondary mouse
buttons are switched, use the Left Handed Mode feature. See Configure Horizon View Client to
Support Reversed Mouse Buttons, on page 34.

For more information about these features and their limitations, see the VMware Horizon View Architecture
Planning document.

External Keyboards and Input Devices

Horizon View Client supports iPad Keyboard Dock and Apple Wireless Keyboard (Bluetooth).
The iPad Keyboard Dock external keyboard is automatically detected by Horizon View Client. To use the
Apple Wireless Keyboard (Bluetooth) with a remote desktop, you must first pair the device with the iOS
device.
After you pair the keyboard with the iPad, make sure that you do not have the onscreen keyboard in split
keyboard mode when you attempt to make the iPad detect the Bluetooth keyboard. To make the client
device detect the wireless keyboard, either tap the screen with three fingers at the same time or tap the
Keyboard button in the Horizon View Client interface tools.
Also with the Apple Wireless Keyboard (Bluetooth), after the external keyboard is detected, you cannot use
the Horizon View Client interface tools or three-finger tap to display the onscreen keyboard. You must first
deactivate the external keyboard by pressing its Eject key.

Known Limitation for View Client 1.6 and Earlier

In View Client versions earlier than 1.7, several keys on external keyboards did not work with a remote
desktop: Function keys (such as F1 through F12), Ctrl, Alt, and Command.
Workaround: Use the onscreen Ctrl and function keys. To tap a combination of these keys, such as Ctrl+Alt
+Delete, first tap the onscreen Ctrl key. After it turns blue, tap the onscreen Alt key. After it also turns blue,
press the Delete key.

International Keyboards
For View Client 1.0, only English-language keyboards are supported.
For View Client 1.2 and later, you can input characters for the following languages: English, Japanese,
French, German, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean.

26

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 4 Using a Microsoft Windows Desktop on a Mobile Device

Enable the Japanese 106/109 Keyboard Layout

If you are connected to a Windows XP desktop, you can configure Horizon View Client 2.3 and later to use
the Japanese 106/109 keyboard layout.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that you have Horizon View Client 2.3 or later.

Use Horizon View Client to connect to a Windows XP desktop that has the Japanese keyboard layout
enabled.

Procedure
1

Use the Horizon View Client user interface tools to display the Options list.

Tap to toggle the Japanese 106/109 Keyboard option to On.

This setting is disabled if the keyboard layout on the Windows XP desktop is not set to Japanese. This
setting is hidden if the desktop is not running Windows XP.

Tap Done.

Starting, Minimizing, and Closing Applications with Unity Touch

Tablet and smart phone users can quickly navigate to a remote desktop application or file from a Unity
Touch sidebar. From this sidebar, you can open files and applications, switch between running applications,
and minimize, maximize, restore, or close windows and applications.
If the Unity Touch feature is enabled, the sidebar appears on the left side of the screen when you first access
a remote desktop.

VMware, Inc.

27

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

Figure 41. Unity Touch Sidebar

If you access a desktop that has Unity Touch enabled but the sidebar is not displayed, you can see a tab on
the left side of the screen. Besides swiping this tab to the right to open the sidebar, you can slide the tab up
or down.
IMPORTANT To use this feature, you must have an iOS 5.0 or later device.
From this sidebar, you can perform many actions on a file or application.
Table 42. Actions You Can Perform from the Sidebar
Action

Procedure

Show the sidebar

Touch and hold the tab on the left side of the screen and swipe to the right. When the
sidebar is open, you cannot perform actions on the desktop screen or the
Horizon View Client Tools radial menu.

Hide the sidebar

Swipe the tab to the left to close the sidebar. When the sidebar is open, you cannot
perform actions on the desktop screen or the Horizon View Client Tools radial menu.

Navigate to an application

Tap All Programs and navigate to the application just as you would from the
Windows Start menu.

Navigate to a file

Tap My Files to access the User folder, and navigate to the file. My Files includes
folders such as My Pictures, My Documents, and Downloads.
My Files includes the folders in the user profile (%USERPROFILE% directory). If you
relocate the system folder in the %USERPROFILE% directory, the My Files menu can
also display content from the relocated folder, whether it is a local relocated folder or a
network share folder.

28

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 4 Using a Microsoft Windows Desktop on a Mobile Device

Table 42. Actions You Can Perform from the Sidebar (Continued)
Action

Procedure

Search for an application or file

n
n
n
n

Tap in the Search box and type the name of the application or file.
To use voice dictation, tap the microphone on the keyboard.
To launch an application or file, tap the name of the application or file in the search
results.
To return to the home view of the sidebar, tap the X to close the Search box.

Open an application or file

Tap the name of the file or application in the sidebar. The application starts and the
sidebar closes.

Switch between running

applications or open windows

Tap the application name under Running Applications. If more than one file is open
for one application, tap the chevron (>) next to the application to expand the list.

Minimize a running application

or window

Touch the application name under Running Applications and swipe from right to
left.
2 Tap the More button that appears.
3 Tap Minimize.
NOTE You can minimize applications in Horizon View Client 2.1 and later. To use the
procedure described here, you must have Horizon View Client 2.3 or later.

Maximize a running
application or window

Touch the application name under Running Applications and swipe from right to
left.
2 Tap the More button that appears.
3 Tap Maximize.
NOTE To use this feature, you must have Horizon View Client 2.3 or later.

Close a running application or

window

Touch the application name under Running Applications and swipe from right to left.
Tap the Close button that appears.
NOTE You can close applications in Horizon View Client 2.1 and later. To use the
procedure described here, you must have Horizon View Client 2.3 or later.

Restore a running application

or window to its previous size
and position

Touch the application name under Running Applications and swipe from right to
left.
2 Tap the More button that appears.
3 Tap Restore.
NOTE To use this feature, you must have Horizon View Client 2.3 or later.

Create a list of favorite

applications or files

Search for the application or file, or tap Manage under the Favorite Applications
or Favorite Files list.
If the Manage bar is not visible, tap the chevron (>) next to Favorite Applications
or Favorite Files.
NOTE To add a favorite from a list of search results, you must have
Horizon View Client 2.1 or later.
Tap the check box next to the names of your favorites in the search results or in the
list of available applications or files.

The favorite that you add last appears at the top of your favorites list.
Your favorites are remembered across all of your mobile devices so that, for example,
you have the same list whether using your smart phone or your tablet.
NOTE To add favorites from search results, you must have Horizon View Client 2.1 or
later.

VMware, Inc.

29

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

Table 42. Actions You Can Perform from the Sidebar (Continued)
Action

Procedure

Remove an application or file

from the favorites list

2
Reorder an application or file in
the favorites list

Search for the application or file, or tap Manage under the Favorite Applications
or Favorite Files list.
If the Manage bar is not visible, tap the chevron (>) next to Favorite Applications
or Favorite Files.
Tap to remove the check mark next to the name of the application or file in the
favorites list.
Tap Manage under the Favorite Applications or Favorite Files list.

If the Manage bar is not visible, tap the chevron (>) next to Favorite Applications
or Favorite Files.
2 In the favorites list, touch and hold the handle on the left side of the application or
file name and drag the favorite up or down the list.
NOTE To reorder applications and files in the favorites list, you must have
Horizon View Client 2.3 or later.

NOTE The Unity Touch feature is available if you have Horizon View 5.2 and later servers and desktops.
The Remote Experience Agent must be installed on the desktops. If you have the Remote Experience Agent
installed but want to turn off this feature, you can set a registry value on the remote desktop. For
instructions, see the VMware Horizon View Feature Pack Installation and Administration document.
If users have a floating desktop, users favorite applications and files can be saved only if Windows roaming
user profiles are configured for the desktop. Administrators can create a default Favorite Applications list
that end users see the first time the sidebar appears. For more information, see the
VMware Horizon View Feature Pack Installation and Administration document.

Horizon View Client Tools

These tools include buttons for displaying the onscreen keyboard, virtual touchpad, configuration settings,
and a virtual keypad for arrow keys and function keys.
For View Client 1.7 and later, and for View Client 1.6 and later on iPhones, a radial menu appears in the
middle of the screen when you log in to a remote desktop. Tap to expand the menu and display icons for
each tool, which you can tap to select. Tap outside the icons to collapse the icons back into the sphere.
For earlier versions of View Client, a small tab for the View Client toolbar appears in the top-center of the
screen when a remote desktop is open. To display the toolbar, tap the tab.
The radial menu includes several tools.
Table 43. Radial Menu Icons
Icon

Description
Horizon View Client Tools (radial menu)

Disconnect from desktop

Onscreen keyboard (toggles to show or hide)

Settings

30

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 4 Using a Microsoft Windows Desktop on a Mobile Device

Table 43. Radial Menu Icons (Continued)

Icon

Description
Navigation keys

Virtual touchpad

Gesture help

Onscreen Keyboard
The onscreen keyboard in a remote desktop has more keys than the standard onscreen keyboard. For
example, Control keys and function keys are available. To display the onscreen keyboard, tap the screen
with three fingers at the same time or tap the Keyboard button.
IMPORTANT If you use View Client 1.5 or later with an Horizon View 5.1 desktop, you can also use the
feature that displays the onscreen keyboard whenever you tap a text field, such as in a note or new contact.
If you then tap in an area that is not a text field, the keyboard is dismissed.
IMPORTANT To use the three-finger tap, make sure the iOS accessibility feature for zooming is turned off.
When the zoom accessibility feature is turned on, you zoom by double-tapping with three fingers, and
tapping once with three fingers does nothing.
Even if you use an external keyboard, a one-row onscreen keyboard might still appear, which contains
function keys, and the Ctrl, Alt, Win, and arrow keys. Some external keyboards do not have all these keys.

Sending a String of Characters

From the onscreen keyboard, tap the pen icon on the left side of the Ctrl key to display the local input
buffer. Text that you type into this text box is not sent to an application until you tap Send. For example, if
you open an application such as Notepad and tap the pen icon, the text that you type does not appear in the
Notepad application until you tap Send.
Use this feature if you have a poor network connection. That is, use this feature if, when you type a
character, the character does not immediately appear in the application. With this feature, you can quickly
type up to 1,000 characters and then either tap Send or tap Return to have all 1,000 characters appear at
once in the application.
If you are using Horizon View Client 1.4 or earlier versions, use this feature for entering Korean characters
or characters from other languages that require multistage IME support. With Horizon View Client 1.5 and
later versions, you are not required to use this feature for entering Korean characters.

Navigation Keys
Tap the Ctrl/Page icon in the Horizon View Client interface tools or onscreen keyboard to display the
navigation keys. These keys include Page Up, Page Down, arrow keys, function keys, and other keys that
you often use in Windows environments, such as Alt, Del, Shift, Ctrl, Win, and Esc. You can press and hold
arrow keys for continuous key strokes. For a picture of the Ctrl/Page icon, see the table at the beginning of
this topic.

VMware, Inc.

31

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

Use the Shift key on this keypad when you need to use key combinations that include the Shift key, such as
Ctrl+Shift. To tap a combination of these keys, such as Ctrl+Alt+Del, first tap the onscreen Ctrl key. After the
Ctrl key turns blue, tap the onscreen Alt key. After the Alt key turns blue, tap the Del key.
NOTE In Horizon View Client 2.2, for iOS 7 devices, when you tap the onscreen Ctrl key, the key does not
turn blue. Instead, an underline appears.

Onscreen Touchpad and Full Screen Touchpad

The virtual touchpad can be either regular-size, to resemble a touchpad on a laptop computer, or full screen,
so that the entire device screen is a touchpad.
With View Client 1.7 and later versions, by default, when you tap the touchpad icon, you can touch
anywhere on the screen to move the mouse pointer. The screen becomes a full screen touchpad. To change
the default, so that the virtual touchpad resembles the touchpad on a laptop, including right- and left-click
buttons, use the Horizon View Client interface tools to display the general settings or options and turn the
Full screen touchpad control off.
n

Moving your finger around the touchpad creates a mouse pointer that moves around the remote
desktop.

You can use the regular-size and full screen virtual touchpad for single-clicking and double-clicking.

The regular touchpad also contains left-click and right-click buttons.

If you are using View Client 1.2 or later, to simulate holding down the left-click button while dragging,
double-tap with one finger and then drag.
To enable this feature, use the View Client tools to display the Options dialog box, and click to toggle
the Touchpad Tap & Drag option to On.

You can tap with two fingers and then drag to scroll vertically.

You can drag the regular-size virtual touchpad to the side of the device so that you can use your thumb to
operate the touchpad while you are holding the device.
To adjust how quickly the pointer moves when you use the touchpad, tap the Horizon View Client Tools
icon and tap the settings icon to display the Options dialog box, and drag the slider in the Touchpad
Sensitivity option. For pictures of the icons, see the table at the beginning of this topic.

Gestures
VMware has created user interaction aids to help you navigate conventional Windows user interface
elements on a non-Windows device.

Clicking
As in other applications, you tap to click a user interface element.
In a remote desktop, if you tap and hold for a second, a magnifying glass appears, along with a mouse
pointer, for precise placement. This feature is especially helpful when you want to resize a window.
NOTE If your remote desktop is configured for a left-handed user, see Configure Horizon View Client to
Support Reversed Mouse Buttons, on page 34.

Right-Clicking
The following options are available for right-clicking:
n

32

Use the Horizon View Client interface tools to display the regular virtual touchpad and use the
touchpad's right-click button.

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 4 Using a Microsoft Windows Desktop on a Mobile Device

Tap with two fingers at nearly the same time. The right-click occurs where the first finger tapped.

Scrolling and Scrollbars

Several options are available for vertical scrolling.
n

On the screen, tap with one or two fingers and then drag to scroll. The text under your fingers moves in
the same direction as your fingers.
IMPORTANT Scrolling with one finger is avalable with Horizon View Client 2.1. Scrolling with one finger
has the following limitations: It does not work if you have zoomed in, or when the onscreen keyboard is
displayed, or when you are using the full screen touchpad.

Use the Horizon View Client interface tools to display the touchpad, tap the touchpad with two fingers,
and then drag to scroll.

Use the onscreen touchpad to move the mouse pointer and click scroll bars.

Zooming In and Out

As in other applications, pinch your fingers together or apart to zoom.

Window Resizing
If you use the full screen touchpad to resize a window, touch and hold one finger at the corner or side of the
window and drag to resize, or double-tap with one finger and then drag.
If you use the regular-size virtual touchpad, to simulate holding down the left-click button while dragging
the corner or side of a window, double-tap with one finger and then drag.
If you are not using either type of virtual touchpad, tap and hold until the magnifying glass appears at the
corner or side of the window. Move your finger around until the resizing arrows appear. Lift your finger off
the screen. The magnifying glass is replaced by a resizing circle. Tap this resizing circle and drag it to resize
the window.

Sound, Music, and Video

If sound is turned on for your device, you can play audio in a remote desktop.

Multitasking
If you have View Client 1.2 or later, you can switch between a remote desktop and other apps without
losing the desktop connection.
In a WiFi network, by default Horizon View Client runs in the background for up to 10 minutes. In a 3G
network, depending on the version of Horizon View Client, the client might suspend data transfer in order
to conserve data costs:
n

View Client 1.6 and later suspends data transmission when you switch to another app. Data
transmission resumes when you switch back to Horizon View Client.

View Client 1.5 runs in the background for 10 minutes.

View Client 1.4 or earlier versions run in the background for one minute.

You can copy and paste plain text between an iOS app and a remote desktop or between two remote
desktops. Formatting information is not copied.
n

VMware, Inc.

If your device uses iOS 4.x or later, text that you copy to the Clipboard is automatically copied to your
remote desktop's Clipboard when you log in to the remote desktop.

33

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

If you are logged in to a remote desktop, text that you copy to the remote desktop's Clipboard is copied
to your iPad's Clipboard when you press the Home button or switch to the background.

Configure Horizon View Client to Support Reversed Mouse Buttons

You can use the Left Handed Mode option, available in View Client 1.2 and later, if the primary and
secondary mouse buttons are switched in your remote desktop.
If you set the mouse properties inside your remote desktop so that the primary mouse button is the one on
the right side, as many left-handed people do, you must turn on the Left Handed Mode option in
Horizon View Client. If you do not turn on this option when mouse buttons are reversed, a single tap acts as
a click of the secondary mouse button. For example, a single tap might display a context menu rather than
selecting something or inserting a cursor.
Procedure
1

Display the Horizon View Client interface tools options.

Option

Description

View Client 1.7 and later

Tap to expand the sphere icon, and tap the settings icon.

View Client 1.6 and earlier

Tap the tab in the top-center of the View desktop and tap the Options
button.

Tap Left Handed Mode to toggle the option on.

Tap outside the Options dialog box to close it.

A single tap now acts as a click with the primary mouse button.

Screen Resolutions and Using External Displays

When you connect the device to an external display or projector, Horizon View Client supports certain
maximum display resolutions. Also, you can change the screen resolution used on your device to allow
scrolling a larger screen resolution.

Enlarging the Screen Resolution for a Remote Desktop

By default, the display resolution is set so that the entire Windows desktop fits inside your device, and the
desktop icons and task bar icons are a certain size. But you can change the default to a higher resolution. If
you do so, the desktop still fits inside the device, but the desktop and taskbar icons become smaller. You can
pinch your fingers apart to zoom in and make the desktop larger than the device screen. You can then tap
and drag to access the edges of the desktop.

Changing the Display Resolution Setting

You can use the Display Resolution setting in the Options dialog box to set the display resolution to a
larger value. Tap to expand the Horizon View Client interface tools sphere, and tap the settings icon.

Screen Resolutions for Using Projectors

Use the Display Resolution setting to set a larger resolution for projectors.
Use the Presentation Mode setting in the Options dialog box to display the keyboard and an expanded
onscreen touchpad on the device while displaying the remote desktop on the projector or attached monitor.
The expanded touchpad and keyboard appear when you plug the device into the external monitor. The
device detects the maximum resolution provided by the external display.

34

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 4 Using a Microsoft Windows Desktop on a Mobile Device

If you have View Client 2.2 or later, you can mirror the entire device display on a projector or attached
monitor, including the Unity Touch sidebar, by turning off the Presentation Mode setting. If you are
connected to a remote desktop and the Presentation Mode setting is turned on, you can click Done to
switch to mirror mode.
Use the Keep the screen alive during Presentation setting to keep the display from turning off after a
period of inactivity while in presentation mode. This feature is available if you have View Client 2.1.

PCoIP Client-Side Image Cache

PCoIP client-side image caching stores image content on the client to avoid retransmission. This feature
reduces bandwidth usage.
IMPORTANT This feature is available only when the version of View Agent and View Connection Server is
View 5.0 or later.
The PCoIP image cache captures spatial, as well as temporal, redundancy. For example, when you scroll
down through a PDF document, new content appears from the bottom of the window and the oldest content
disappears from the top of the window. All the other content remains constant and moves upward. The
PCoIP image cache is capable of detecting this spatial and temporal redundancy.
Because during scrolling, the display information sent to the client device is primarily a sequence of cache
indices, using the image cache saves a significant amount of bandwidth. This efficient scrolling has benefits
both on the LAN and over the WAN.
n

On the LAN, where bandwidth is relatively unconstrained, using client-side image caching delivers
significant bandwidth savings.

Over the WAN, to stay within the available bandwidth constraints, scrolling performance would be
degraded without client-side caching. Over the WAN, client-side caching saves bandwidth and ensure
a smooth, highly responsive scrolling experience.

With client-side caching, the client stores portions of the display that were previously transmitted. The cache
size is one-half of the available RAM. If that amount of RAM is less than 50MB, the cache size is 50MB.
With Horizon View Client 2.0 and later versions, if you use Horizon View 5.2 servers and desktops, a 90MB
client-side cache gives the equivalent performance of using a 250MB cache with earlier versions.

Internationalization
For View Client 1.2 and later, both the user interface and the documentation are available in English,
Japanese, French, German, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean. You can also input
characters for these languages.

VMware, Inc.

35

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

36

VMware, Inc.

Troubleshooting Horizon View Client

You can solve most Horizon View Client problems by resetting the desktop or reinstsalling the app. You can
also enable log collection and send log files to VMware for troubleshooting.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

Collecting and Sending Logging Information, on page 37

Reset a Desktop, on page 38

Uninstall the VMware View App, on page 39

Horizon View Client Stops Responding or the Remote Desktop Freezes, on page 40

Problem Establishing a Connection When Using a Proxy, on page 40

Collecting and Sending Logging Information

If you have Horizon View Client 2.2 or later, you can configure Horizon View Client to collect log
information and send log files to VMware for troubleshooting.
If Horizon View Client quits unexpectedly while log collection is enabled, Horizon View Client prompts
you to send log files to VMware when you relaunch View Client.
If you choose to send log files to VMware, Horizon View Client sends a message from the email account
configured on your device and attaches a GZ file that contains the last five log files. The file name contains a
time stamp, for example, Horizon_View_Client_logs_timestamp.log.gz.
You can also manually retrieve and send log files at any time.

Enable View Client Log Collection

When you enable log collection, Horizon View Client creates log files that contain information that can help
VMware troubleshoot problems with Horizon View Client.
Because log collection affects the performance of Horizon View Client, enable log collection only if you are
experiencing a problem.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that you have Horizon View Client 2.2 or later.

Verify that an email account is configured on your device. Horizon View Client uses this email account
to send log files.

Procedure
1

VMware, Inc.

On your iOS device, tap Settings > VMware View.

37

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

Tap to toggle the Log Collection option to On.

After log collection is enabled, Horizon View Client generates several log files. When Horizon View Client
quits unexpectedly or is exited and relaunched, the log files are merged and compressed into a single GZ
file. If you choose to send the log, Horizon View Client attaches the GZ file to an email message.
If you switch from a running desktop to settings, enable log collection, and switch back to the desktop, you
must reconnect to the desktop to collect a complete log file.

Manually Retrieve and Send Horizon View Client Log Files

When Horizon View Client log collection is enabled on your device, you can manually retrieve and send log
files at any time.
This procedure shows you how to retrieve and send log files through Horizon View Client. If your device is
connected to a PC or Mac, you can also use iTunes to retrieve log files.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that an email account is configured on your device. Horizon View Client sends log files from this
email account.

Enable View Client log collection. See Enable View Client Log Collection, on page 37.

Procedure
1

In Horizon View Client, tap the email icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.

Type the address of the email recipient in the To: line and click Send to send the message.
The email account configured on your device appears in the From: line.
The existing GZ log file is attached to the message. Horizon View Client saves a maximum of five GZ
log files. It deletes the oldest files when the GZ log file count is greater then five.

Disable View Client Log Collection

Because log collection affects the performance of Horizon View Client, disable log collection if you are not
troubleshooting a problem.
Prerequisites
Verify that you have Horizon View Client 2.2 or later.
Procedure
1

On your iOS device, tap Settings > VMware View.

Tap to toggle the Log Collection option to Off.

Reset a Desktop
Resetting shuts down and restarts the desktop. Unsaved data is lost.
You might need to reset a desktop if the desktop operating system stops responding.
Resetting a remote desktop is the equivalent of pressing the Reset button on a physical PC to force the PC to
restart. Any files that are open on the remote desktop will be closed without being saved first.
You can reset the desktop only if the View administrator has enabled this feature.

38

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 5 Troubleshooting Horizon View Client

Prerequisites
n

Obtain the credentials that you need to log in, such as Active Directory user name and password, RSA
SecurID user name and passcode, or RADIUS authentication user name and passcode.

If you have not logged in at least once, familiarize yourself with the procedure Log In to a Remote
Desktop for the First Time, on page 19.

Procedure
n

In Horizon View Client 2.3 and later, perform these steps.

a

On the Recent Connections screen, tap the Cloud icon in the upper-left corner and tap the arrow (>)
next to the server name.

If prompted, supply your RSA user name and passcode, your Active Directory user name and
password, or both.

In the Desktops list, tap the Information icon (i) next to the desktop name.

Tap the Reset button in the context menu.

The Reset command is available only if the View administrator has allowed it and only if the status
of the desktop is such that the action can be taken.

In Horizon View Client 2.2 and earlier, perform these steps.

a

On the Horizon View Client Home screen, display the remote desktop's context menu.
The context menu is available only if your administrator has allowed it. The items in the menu are
available only if the status of the desktop is such that the action can be taken.
Option

Action

Use a Recent Desktops shortcut

Tap and hold the shortcut for the recently used desktop.

Use the servers list

1
2
3

Tap the Cloud icon in the upper-left corner and tap the arrow (>)
next to the server name.
If prompted, supply your RSA user name and passcode, your
Active Directory user name and password, or both.
Tap the arrow (>) next to the desktop name.

Tap Reset.
The Reset command is available only if a View administrator has allowed it and only if the status
of the desktop is such that the action can be taken.

If you accessed the desktop from a desktop shortcut, if prompted, supply your RSA user name and
passcode, your Active Directory user name and password, or both.

Uninstall the VMware View App

You can sometimes resolve problems with Horizon View Client by uninstalling and reinstalling the
VMware View app.
Procedure
1

If you have the VMware View app in iTunes on your Mac or PC, browse or search the Apps Library for
the VMware View app and remove it.
Use the same procedure that you would use to remove any iTunes app.

Connect your device to your computer and allow the device to synchronize with iTunes on your Mac or
PC.

VMware, Inc.

39

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

If the VMware View application is not removed from your device, touch and hold the VMware View
app icon until it wiggles, and tap the X icon to delete the app.

What to do next
Reinstall Horizon View Client.
See Install or Upgrade Horizon View Client for iOS, on page 12.

Horizon View Client Stops Responding or the Remote Desktop

Freezes
When the screen freezes, first, try resetting the remote desktop operating system.
Problem
The VMware View app does not work or repeatedly exits unexpectedly or the remote desktop freezes.
Cause
Assuming that Horizon View servers are configured properly and that firewalls surrounding them have the
correct ports open, other issues usually relate to the VMware View app on the mobile device or to the guest
operating system on the remote desktop.
Solution
n

If the operating system in the remote desktop freezes, use Horizon View Client on the device to reset
the desktop.
This option is available only if the View administrator has enabled this feature.

Uninstall and reinstall the app on the device.

If resetting the remote desktop and reinstalling the VMware View app do not help, you can reset iOS
device, as described in the device user guide from Apple.

If you get a connection error when you attempt to connect to the server, you might need to change your
proxy settings.

What to do next

Problem Establishing a Connection When Using a Proxy

Sometimes if you attempt to connect to View Connection Server using a proxy while on the LAN, an error
occurs.
Problem
If the Horizon View environment is set up to use a secure connection from the remote desktop to View
Connection Server, and if the client device is configured to use an HTTP proxy, you might not be able to
connect.
Cause
Unlike Windows Internet Explorer, the client device does not have an Internet option to bypass the proxy
for local addresses. When an HTTP proxy is used for browsing external addresses, and you try to connect to
View Connection Server using an internal address, you might see the error message Could not establish
connection.
Solution
u

40

Remove the proxy settings so that the device no longer uses a proxy.

VMware, Inc.

Index

App Store 12

keyboard
navigation keys 30
onscreen 30, 32
keyboard support 26
keys, navigation 30

B
background multitasking 33

C
caching, client-side image 35
certificates, ignoring problems 21
client image cache 35
connection problems 40
copying and pasting 33
customer experience program, desktop pool
data 13

D
disconnecting from a remote desktop 22
display requirements 34
displays, external 34

L
Left Handed mode 34
log collection 38
log off 22
logging 37
logging in
to a desktop 19
to a server 19

external displays 34

Mac iOS, installing View Client on 7

manage desktop shortcuts 24
managing desktops 19
mouse buttons, reversed 34
multitasking 33

favorites list in Unity Touch sidebar 27

feature support matrix 25

navigation keys 30

operating systems, supported on View Agent 11

options, configuration 30

hardware requirements, iOS devices 7

Horizon View Client, using View Portal to
download 11

I
image cache, client 35
input devices for the iPad 26
iOS, installing View Client on 7
iOS View Client
installing 12
uninstalling 39
iTunes Store 39

J
Japanese keyboard layout 27

VMware, Inc.

P
PCoIP client image cache 35
prerequisites for client devices 8
projectors 34
proxy connections 40

R
reset a desktop 38
resizing windows 32
resolution, screen 34
reversed mouse buttons 34
roll back desktop 23
RSA SecurID tokens 9
running in the background 33

41

Using VMware Horizon View Client for iOS

S
screen resolution 34
scrolling 32
security servers, PCoIP connections to 19
server connections, managing 19
shortcut, desktops 24
sidebar, Unity Touch 27
software tokens 9
SSL options 10
system requirements, for iPad and iPhone 7

T
tablet gestures 32
tokens, RSA SecurID 9
toolbar, View Client 30
touchpad, virtual 30
troubleshooting, connection problems 40

U
Unity Touch feature 27
URI examples 17
URI syntax for View Clients 15
URIs (uniform resource identifiers) 15

V
View Agent, installation requirements 11
View Client
disconnect from a desktop 22
log in from a client device 19
setup for iOS clients 7
system requirements for iPad and iPhone 7
troubleshooting 40
View Client for iOS
installing 12
uninstalling 39
View Connection Server 8
View Portal 11

42

VMware, Inc.