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  • Learning the Basics of VMware Horizon 7.12 – Part 15 – DEM Helpdesk Support Tool

    June 19, 2020

    Blog, VMware

    [Updated 4-Sep-2021]

    With the DEM Management Console installed and configured, you tested accessing the various published applications for multiple users. In this Part, we learn how to use the DEM Helpdesk Support Tool.

    Configure the DEM Helpdesk Tool

    From the DEM Management Console, click the Star in the upper left corner, and click  Configure Helpdesk Support Tool, as shown in Figure 1.

    Figure 1
    Figure 1

    Click Add, as shown in Figure 2.

    Figure 2
    Figure 2

    For the Profile archive path, enter \<fileserver>\<DEM Profile Share>[UserFolder]\Archives. i.e., \LabFS\DEMProfiles[UserFolder]\Archives

    Select Profile archive backup path and Log file path. Both are automatically populated with information from the Profile archive path.

    Click OK, as shown in Figure 3.

    Figure 3
    Figure 3

    Click Save, as shown in Figure 4.

    Figure 4
    Figure 4

    The Immidio Flex+ Helpdesk Support Tool.xml configuration file is created in the DEM configuration share, as shown in Figure 5.

    Figure 5
    Figure 5

    Create a DEM Helpdesk Group Policy

    The Group Policy we are creating contains user settings. In the GPMC, create a GPO at the location where your Horizon USER accounts are located, as shown in Figure 6.

    Figure 6
    Figure 6

    Name the Policy, as shown in Figure 7.

    Figure 7
    Figure 7

    In the new GPO, configure the following settings, as shown in Figure 8.

    User Configuration:

    • Policies/Administrative Templates/VMware DEM/Helpdesk Support Tool
      • Allow editing profile archives: Enabled
        • NOTE: Read the warning about this setting
      • Allow showing profile archives in Windows Explorer: Enable
      • Allow overriding the FlexEngine log level: Enable
      • Allow resetting multiple profile archives at the same time: Enable
      • DEM configuration share: Enabled, replace <YOUR CONFIGURATION SHARE> with the DEM Config share. i.e., \\LabFS\DEMConfig
    Figure 8
    Figure 8

    Remove Authenticated Users from the Security Filtering and add the VMwHelpdesk security group, as shown in Figure 9.

    Figure 9
    Figure 9

    On the Delegation tab, add Domain Computers with Read Permissions, as shown in Figures 10 and 11.

    Figure 10
    Figure 10
    Figure 11
    Figure 11

    Install the DEM Helpdesk Tool

    Do the installation on a computer in an OU linked to the VMware Helpdesk Group Policy. This installs on the computer for every member of the VMware Helpdesk security group or a central management computer in production. I am installing this on my Horizon 7 management computer.

    In the DEM files downloaded, there is an Optional Components folder. Right-click the DEM Helpdesk Support Tool installer in that folder and click Install, as shown in Figure 12.

    Figure 12
    Figure 12

    Click Next, as shown in Figure 13.

    Figure 13
    Figure 13

    Select I accept the terms in the License Agreement and click Next, as shown in Figure 14.

    Figure 14
    Figure 14

    Click Next, as shown in Figure 15.

    Figure 15
    Figure 15

    Click Install, as shown in Figure 16.

    Figure 16
    Figure 16

    If UAC is enabled, click Yes.

    Click Finish, as shown in Figure 17.

    Figure 17
    Figure 17

    Using the DEM Helpdesk Tool

    Log in as your test users to the various endpoints and launch various published resources.

    On a computer in the OU where the DEM Helpdesk Group Policy is linked, login as a member of the VMwHelpDesk security group and launch the Helpdesk Support Tool, as shown in Figures 18, 19, and 21.

    Figure 18
    Figure 18

    Or from:

    Figure 19
    Figure 19

    Note: If you receive the error shown in Figure 20, you probably have the DEM Helpdesk GPO linked to the wrong OU in the GPMC. Not that I know anything about that. I heard about it from a friend.

    Figure 20
    Figure 20
    Figure 21
    Figure 21

    Click Search to get a list of all users, as shown in Figure 22.

    Figure 22
    Figure 22

    Click on a user, as shown in Figure 23.

    Figure 23
    Figure 23

    Select an item in the right frame to either Reset or Restore. Figure 24 shows Reset, and Figure 25 shows Restore.

    Figure 24
    Figure 24
    Figure 25
    Figure 25

    You can also view the various log files available for the selected user, as shown in Figure 26.

    Figure 26
    Figure 26

    You can exit the Helpdesk Support Tool.

    Using the Horizon Help Desk Tool

    VMware Horizon has a Help Desk tool, a web application to get the status of user sessions and perform troubleshooting and maintenance operations.

    On the Connection Server, from the Horizon Console, expand Settings and click Administrators in the left frame, as shown in Figure 27.

    Figure 27
    Figure 27

    Click Add User or Group, as shown in Figure 28.

    Figure 28
    Figure 28

    Click Add, as shown in Figure 29.

    Figure 29
    Figure 29

    Search for the VMwHelpDesk security group, select the group, and click OK, as shown in Figure 30.

    Figure 30
    Figure 30

    Select the VMwHelpDesk group and click Next, as shown in Figure 31.

    Figure 31
    Figure 31

    Click Help Desk Administrator and click Finish, as shown in Figure 32.

    Figure 32
    Figure 32

    The VMwHelpDesk group is added as a Horizon Help Desk Administrator, as shown in Figure 33.

    Figure 33
    Figure 33

    From an elevated command prompt, change to the c:\Program Files\VMware\VMware View\Server\tools\bin folder. As shown in Figure 34, run the following command:

    vdmadmin -I -timingProfiler -enable

    This command enables the timing profiler to allow the viewing of logon segments.

    Figure 34
    Figure 34

    Log in the test users into the various published resources to see activity in the Horizon Help Desk Tool.

    To launch the Horizon Help Desk Tool, from a domain-joined computer, use an internet browser and browse to https://connectionserver.fqdn/admin. i.e., https://h7connection.labaddomain.com/admin, as shown in Figure 35.

    Note: This is admin, NOT Admin. Using Admin will get you a 404 Error Page Not Found. My friend told me that.

    Figure 35
    Figure 35

    Click LAUNCH under Horizon Console (HTML5), as shown in Figure 36. You can also select Always use this option since the Flex client is deprecated.

    Figure 36
    Figure 36

    Sign in as a member of the VMwHelpDesktop group, as shown in Figure 37.

    Figure 37
    Figure 37

    Enter a user’s name in the search bar and press Enter, as shown in Figure 38.

    Figure 38
    Figure 38

    Click to select the user, as shown in Figure 39.

    Figure 39
    Figure 39

    As shown in Figure 40, you can also enter a partial username. I had to enter a minimum of two characters.

    Figure 40
    Figure 40

    There are four options available; you can click on Sessions or Desktops or Applications or Activities, as shown in Figures 41 through 44.

    Figure 41
    Figure 41
    Figure 42
    Figure 42
    Figure 43
    Figure 43
    Figure 44
    Figure 44

    While in the Activities area, set Help Desk Event Only to No to see additional events, as shown in Figure 45.

    Figure 45
    Figure 45

    Figure 46 shows that you can select additional time intervals to see events in those time ranges.

    Figure 46
    Figure 46

    Back in Sessions, select a Session to see details, as shown in Figure 47

    Figure 47
    Figure 47

    Figures 48 through 52 show the information for the selected session.

    Figure 48
    Figure 48
    Figure 49
    Figure 49

    Note: In Figure 49, the More dropdown gives you a Logoff option. If Logoff is the only other option, why not have the button say Logoff instead of More? The button would be the same size.

    Figure 50
    Figure 50
    Figure 51
    Figure 51
    Figure 52
    Figure 52

    Up next: Tearing down the Horizon lab

     







    About Carl Webster

    Carl Webster is an independent consultant specializing in Citrix, Active Directory, and technical documentation. Carl (aka “Webster”) serves the broader Citrix community by writing articles (see CarlWebster.com) and by being the most active person in the Citrix Zone on Experts Exchange. Webster has a long history in the IT industry beginning with mainframes in 1977, PCs and application development in 1986, and network engineering in 2001. He has worked with Citrix products since 1990 with the premiere of their first product – the MULTIUSER OS/2.

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