Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

The VMware Horizon Clients for Windows, Mac, iOS, Linux, Chrome and Android allow users to connect to a VMware Horizon virtual desktop from a personal device of choice.

For more information, visit VMware Horizon Client Documentation and choose the documentation for the appropriate device.

Windows 10 System Requirements

Horizon Client for Windows provides a familiar, personalized desktop and application environment.

All x86 or x86-64 Windows 10 devices with at least 1GB of RAM and 225 MB of hard disk space will be able to accommodate the Horizon client. End users may also use multiple display monitors. See the VMware Horizon Client for Windows Installation and Setup Guide for more information.

Download and Installation for Windows 10

1. A restart is required: save all work and close other open applications.
2. Go to https://vdi.waubonsee.edu using one of the supported Web browsers.
3. Choose Install VMware Horizon Client to open the VMware Horizon Clients download page.
4. Choose VMware Horizon Client for Windows (click on Go to Downloads).
   
   
5. Choose DOWNLOAD NOW.
6. Click on the downloaded file in the lower-left corner of the web browser window and choose Open. 
7. Choose Agree & Install, wait for installation to complete, then choose Finish.
8. Restart the computer.
9. Continue to the next section of this page to add the Waubonsee server to the Horizon Client.

To connect to a remote desktop the user must provide the name of a server.

1. Open the VMware Horizon Client.
2. Click on New Server in the upper-left corner on the menu bar.
   • Alternately, double-click on the Add Server plus sign.
3. Enter vdi.waubonsee.edu as the name of the Connection Server and choose Connect and login to the user account. 
   
   
4. The Add Server tile will now contain Waubonsee’s server name.
   
   

• VMware Horizon Client for Windows User Guide
• Working in a Remote Desktop or Published Application

1. Open the installed VMware Horizon Client.
2. Double-click the vdi.waubonsee.edu server’s tile.
3. Log in using your X-number and your network password
   
   
4. Double-click the CAD Workstation button to connect to a virtual remote desktop with access to the Waubonsee network drives.
   
   

    

The remote desktop session will appear full-screen at startup. Use the standard window controls on the right side of the Horizon Client toolbar to minimize the window to the Task Bar on the local device, maximize/restore the window’s size on the local device’s Desktop, and close/disconnect the virtual session.

See Resizing the Remote Desktop Window for more details.

Show/Hide Toolbar

Click the push pin icon on the left side of the toolbar to hide the toolbar or pin it at the top of the virtual remote  desktop. Point to the top-center of the virtual Desktop to view the hidden toolbar.

Horizon Options Menu

View online documentation by choosing Help, turn Display Scaling on/off, send the CTRL+ALT+Delete command to the remote desktop only, Disconnect the Session for later use, or Disconnect and Log Off.

Visit VMware’s Using Remote Desktops and Published Applications for other Windows 10 customization options.

Note: All features are not currently available.

Connect USB Device

These options are currently not available.

Send Ctrl+Alt+Delete

Send the keystrokes to virtual machine only.

Visit the VMware Horizon Client for Windows User Guide for full details.

Use the VMware Horizon® HTML Access™ option to access a remote desktop when the client device does not or cannot have Horizon Client software installed on its operating system. However, this option will generally not perform as the full client.

1. Go to https://vdi.waubonsee.edu using one of the supported Web browsers.
2. Choose VMware Horizon® HTML Access™.
3. Log in using your X-number and your network password.
4. Choose CAD Workstation in the Desktop and Application Selector window to use a remote virtual desktop.
   
   
5. The user will be logged into a virtual machine (with access to the Waubonsee network drives.) A notification appears saying that Copy and Paste is enabled between the virtual and local computer desktops using the keyboard shortcuts CTRL + C and CTRL + v. Choose OK.
   
   

    

The Horizon Client Sidebar can be opened and closed by clicking the grey tab at the left side of the virtual desktop window.

Users may view online documentation by clicking on the Horizon logo in the upper-left corner of the sidebar (then choosing the Help button) or by clicking here: Using Remote Desktops and Published Applications.

Access the Virtual Machine’s Task Manager

Click the Send Ctrl+Alt+Del button to send the command to the current remote desktop. Users may choose Sign Out to log out of the server session.

Copy and Paste Between Desktops

To copy and paste text from the Microsoft Edge and Safari browsers, users must choose the Copy & Paste button at the top of the sidebar to show the Copy & Paste window. 

For more information, see Copying and Pasting Text.

Transfer Files Between Desktops

To download files from or upload files to a remote desktop, choose the File Transfer button to open the Transfer Files window.

For more information, see Transferring Files Between the Client and a Remote Desktop or Published Application.

Note: The uploaded file will be copied to the user’s Documents folder on the Waubonsee network drive through the virtual machine. 

Open Menu Button

The Open Menu button at the top of the sidebar may contain commands for Settings (Enable Shortcut Key Combinations), Fullscreen viewing, Using Multiple Monitors in Chrome, getting Help in About, and Log out. 

Please visit the VMware Horizon HTML Access User Guide or Working in a Remote Desktop or Published Application  for more information.

The user has a choice to log off completely or disconnect the local computer from the server for a short period of time. In either case, it is recommended to SAVE all work to a network drive before choosing an option.

• Log Out = permanent session disconnection from the VDI server.
  • When the user logs off, the virtual machine (and anything saved to the virtual desktop) is deleted.

• Disconnect = Close the connection to the local machine while the current virtual machine session is still available on the server. 
  • The user has the ability to log back on within 30 minutes to continue working.

• Inactivity = The user will be logged out automatically after a total of 90 minutes of inactivity. 
  • All unsaved work will be deleted.

Note: It is preferred that users log out of the remote desktop so they won't "tie up" one of the virtual machines for 30 minutes.

HTML Access Client – 

• Choose the Log Out toolbar button in the upper-right corner of the window.
  

Horizon Client App –

• If not connected to the server, close the application window by clicking its X in the upper-right corner.
• If connected to the server, choose the Disconnect button in the upper-left corner then choose OK.
  
  

• Use the remote desktop’s Start menu:
  • Open the Windows Start menu on the remote desktop and choose Sign out in the User Profile.

• Use the Horizon Sidebar (Toolbar):
  • Click the Send Ctrl+Alt+Delete button then  choose Sign out.
  • HTML Access Client - Click an Open Menu button and choose Log out/off.
  • Horizon Client App - Click the Options Menu and choose Disconnect and Log Off.

Note: Any unsaved changes in open applications will be deleted.

Saved files open on the remote desktop should not be affected when a user disconnects from the session properly; users can pick up where they left off within 30 minutes.

Note: If reconnection is not made within 30 minutes after disconnection, users will be logged off and all unsaved changes will be deleted.

HTML Access Client -

1. Open the Horizon Sidebar.
2. Choose the Open Menu toolbar button next to the remote desktop in the Running list.
3. Choose Close (twice).
   
   

Horizon Client App –

• To disconnect without logging off, click the Options Menu and chose Disconnect.
  

Select the CAD Workstation icon in the Horizon Window within 30 minutes of disconnection/closing to return to the open session.