Windows Instructions

The following will demonstrate how to download, install and connect to a virtual lab (vLabs) desktop from your Windows computer using the VMware Horizon View Client. The Horizon View Client software is installed to your Windows computer and allows you to connect to lab machines you have been provisioned access to from anywhere.

System Requirements

  • Microsoft Windows 7 or later, 32- or 64-bit
  • 1GB RAM
  • Standard x86 Processor
  • Internet Connection
To verify the bit of type of your computer, open the start menu and find Computer, then right click on Computer and select Properties

Figure 1 (a)

Before proceeding, verify which bit type of Windows you have (32 or 64-bit) and that you have software installation permission on the computer. To verify the bit type of your computer, open the start menu. Find “Computer,” right click and select “Properties” as shown in figure 1 (a).

In this window, you will see System type, which displays the bit type of your PC

Figure 1 (b)

This window will show the specifications of your computer. You will see “System type” which displays the bit type of your PC. The images below in figure 1 (b) display the steps to verify the bit type of your Windows computer.

Installing the VMware Horizon View Client

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view any pdf files. It can be download for free from the Adobe website.

Disconnecting From a vLabs Virtual Machine

There are a few different ways to close a virtual machine. You can either disconnect or log out.

  • Disconnecting will close the virtual machine and start a 1-hour timer. Disconnecting allows you to reconnect to the same session at a later point in time, as long as you do not exceed the one hour timer. After one hour, the user is logged out.
  • Logging out immediately disconnects the user and destroys the virtual machine. This removes any files that have been created since you have logged in. Be sure to save all of your documents in a safe location like a USB device. Connecting a USB device to a vLabs virtual machine is explained on the following page.
There are two ways to disconnect, select the X on the top right, or select the Options menu from the menu bar and then select Disconnect

Figure 2

1. There are two ways to disconnect. You can either click on the “X,” enclosed in yellow, or under the options drop-down, select “Disconnect,” enclosed in red. Both options are shown in figure 2.

2. After step 1, you have one hour to reconnect to the VMware Horizon View client and connect to the same virtual desktop. After one hour, you will be logged off.

3. To directly log off, there are also two ways to do this. You can log off, like you would any other windows computer, opening the start menu and clicking “log off.” You can also select the “Disconnect and Log Off” option in the menu also shown in figure 2.

WARNING: Logging off will immediately destroy the desktop being used and reset it for the next user. Make sure any documents you were working on are saved in a safe location like a USB device. The following page explains how to make a USB device available to the virtual machine.

Features

The VMware Horizon View Windows client has a key feature that will be very useful. Many students like to save copies documents to a USB flash drive to be worked on from any computer you can plug them into. You can access your USB devices from a vLabs virtual machine also, even when off campus. The following steps demonstrate how to redirect USB devices to a vLabs virtual machine.

1. You must first have a USB device connected to your computer. Make sure that your USB device is plugged into your computer.

Plug in the USB device on your computer, and login to vLabs then click on the Connect USB device button in the top menu bar

Figure 3

2. Once logged into a vLabs virtual machine, you will need to click the “Connect USB Device” button in the top menu bar shown in red in figure 3.

Clicking the Connect USB Device will show a drop down menu, select the USB device you want to connect from the list or select Autoconnect USB Devices to connect all the USB devices available

Figure 4

3. Clicking this button will drop down a menu to select the USB device shown in figure 4. Select the device you would like to connect to the vLabs virtual machine and click on the device. You can also select “Autoconnect USB Devices” which will automatically connect all USB devices available.

4. Once a device is selected, wait a moment for the machine to install the driver. After the driver installs, the device will be available for use from the vLabs virtual machine.