Objective 2.2 - Configure and Optimize Desktop Images for Horizon View and Mirage

This Post will cover Objective 2.2 of the VCAP-DTM Deployment Exam

Tools and References for Objective 2.2

Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
Optimization Guide for Desktops and Servers in View in VMware Horizon 6 and VMware Horizon Air Desktops and VMware Horizon Air Apps
Image Management for View Desktops using Mirage
VMware Mirage Administrator's Guide
VMware OS Optimization Tool

Skills and Abilities:

Configure/Manage Horizon View desktop images

• Your VDI Pools will use the same hardware specs as the master image
• vCPU
• Memory
• Hard disk - should be set to Tin Provisioned
• should use a LSI Logic SAS storage controller
• Network adapter should be the VMXNET 3
• Remove the Floppy drive as it is not needed
• If you have serial ports make sure to remove them as well as they are not needed.
• Items to install in master image
• VMware tools
• always make sure tools is installed before View Agent this includes if you update tools you have to make sure to reinstall 
• View Agent
• App Volumes and Imprivata one sign agent should always be installed after the view agent is installed
• Teradici Audio Driver
• Make sure to set power options to the High performance plan
• If windows 7 is used install the following hotfixs
• Hotfix 2550978
• Hotfix 2578159

Optimize Windows services and desktop settings according to best practices

• Disable any unused ports, such as COM1, COM2, and LPT.
• Adjust display properties.
• Choose a basic theme.
• Set the background to a solid color.
• Set the screen saver to None.
• Verify that hardware acceleration is enabled.
• Select a high-performance power option and do not specify a sleep timer.
• Disable the Indexing Service component.
• Indexing improves searches by cataloging files. Do not disable this feature for users who search often.
• Remove or minimize System Restore points.
• Turn off system protection on C:\.
• Disable any unnecessary services.
• Set the sound scheme to No Sounds.
• Set visual effects to Adjust for best performance.
• Open Windows Media Player and use the default settings.
• Turn off automatic computer maintenance.
• Adjust performance settings for best performance.
• Delete any hidden uninstall folders in C:\Windows, such $NtUninstallKB893756$.
• Delete all event logs.
• Run Disk Cleanup to remove temporary files, empty the Recycle Bin, and remove system files and other items that are no longer needed.
• Run Disk Defragmenter to rearrange fragmented data.
• If users are going to play full-screen videos or run 3D applications on desktops that run in a vSphere 5.1 environment, follow the instructions to modify the registry described in Microsoft KB 235257.
• The Microsoft KB is titled "Server Does Not Use All Bandwidth Available When Streaming Files with Bit Rates over 100 Kbps" and is located at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/235257. Restart the virtual machine to enable the modified registry setting to take effect.
• Without this optimization, brief freezes can occur, or the videos can stutter.

Utilize the VMware OS Optimization Tool (OSOT) to optimize Windows 7/8 images

The Vmware OSOT tool is one of VMware's Fling's that can be used to Analyze, optimize, view history, create templates, download public templates, and perform remote analysis. This tool is one of the fastest ways to get your base template optimized and ready for production. It can be found here.

Install and configure the Horizon View Agent

• To start the View Agent installation program, double-click the installer file.
• The installer filename is VMware-viewagent-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe or VMware-viewagent-x86_64-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe, where y.y.y is the version number and xxxxxx is the build number.
• Accept the VMware license terms.
• If you install View Agent on a Windows Server machine on which the Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH) role is not installed, select Install VMware Horizon View Agent in 'desktop mode'.
• Selecting this option configures the Windows Server machine as a single-user View desktop rather than as an RDS host. If you intend the machine to function as an RDS host, cancel the View Agent installation, install the RDSH role on the machine, and restart the View Agent installation.
• Select your custom setup options.
• To deploy linked-clone desktops, select the View Composer Agent option.
• Accept or change the destination folder.
• Follow the prompts in the View Agent installation program and finish the installation.
• If you did not enable Remote Desktop support during guest operating system preparation, the View Agent installation program prompts you to enable it. If you do not enable Remote Desktop support during View Agent installation, you must enable it manually after the installation is finished.
• If you selected the USB redirection option, restart the virtual machine to enable USB support.
• In addition, the Found New Hardware wizard might start. Follow the prompts in the wizard to configure the hardware before you restart the virtual machine.

Modify Windows firewall settings

When installing the View Agent the following ports are opened in the windows firewall.

• RDP - 3389
• USB Redirection - 32111
• MMR - 9427
• PCoIP - 4172 (TCP and UDP)

Modify Windows graphics settings

Create virtual machine snapshots

• Log into vCenter Web Client or the Windows client
• Right click the VM you want to take a snapshot of and select VM > Snapshot > Take a snapshot. (I always tell people to make sure to use a name that has a meaning so you know what the snapshot was for)
• Click Ok

Install the VMware Mirage client

• Double-click the .msi file for your environment to start the installation wizard.
• Follow the prompts until you come to the server settings page, type the server settings, and then click Next.
• IP or FQDN of Mirage Server
• Use SSL to connect to the server option
• Click Install, and when the installation is finished, click Finish.
• (Optional) Restart your computer.
• For first-time installation and re-installation, restarting assures better backup protection and enables streaming, which promotes faster restore.

Optimize a CVD image according to best practices

Set up the reference machine:

• In the Mirage Management console tree, expand the Inventory node and select Pending Devices.
• Right-click the reference machine to be assigned and select Create a new Reference CVD.
• Select the required upload policy and click Next.
• Select a base layer and click Next.
• Select a volume and click Next.
• Click Finish.

Reference Machine Data Considerations:

• Directories that reside directly under the root (C:\) are by default included in the base layer. Do not leave directories in the root that you do not want in the base layer.
• Avoid storing unnecessary data on the reference machine. Unnecessary data can consume excessive disk space on the endpoints.
• Verify that the Documents and Settings directory does not contain abandoned user profile directories. If an old user directory exists under the Documents and Settings directory and no user profile is registered for it in the system, the system considers it a regular directory and treats it as part of the base layer.
• The base layer captures the power options of the reference machine. Verify that the selected power options are supported on the target devices.

Reference Machine Software and Settings:

Software Considerations

Consider the following items before you decide on the software to include in your base layers:

• Do not include software that is licensed specifically to individual pieces of hardware, or whose licenses are tied to the hardware.
• If the reference machine contains OEM software, you can deploy that base layer only to endpoints of the same hardware family. This restriction is because OEM software is tied to specific hardware vendors, makes and models.
• The following items are examples of core corporate software that is typically the most commonly included software in a base layer:
• Antivirus
• VPN client
• Microsoft Office
• Corporate applications to be used by all target users
• Departmental applications should generally be distributed through app layers.
• You can install disk encryption software on the reference machine, but it must not be part of the base layer. Always deploy disk encryption software to the endpoints after.
• It is recommended that you include in the base layer all .NET Framework versions that might be required by target endpoints. For example, some users might have applications that require .NET Framework 3.5, and some users might have applications that require .NET Framework 4.0. Include both .NET Framework versions in the base layer.

System-Wide Settings:

• System-wide settings are transferred from the reference machine to all machines that receive the base layer.
• Check which settings are required and configure them accordingly.
• In special cases, you can add specific exclusion rules to the Base Layer Rules policy. See Working with Base Layer Rules.
• For more detailed control outside the base layer configuration, you can use Active Directory Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to configure settings.
• Disable automatic updates of Windows Store Applications on reference machines. If automatic updates of Windows Store Applications is enabled on reference machines, base layers or app layers might be captured in the middle of an update.
• Examples of settings in the reference machine are power management, remote desktop settings, and service startup options.

Domain Membership and Login Settings:

• If the target endpoints assigned to the base layer are members of a domain, verify that the following conditions are in place:
• The reference machine used for this base layer is a member of the same domain. Otherwise, users of the target endpoints are prevented from logging in to the domain and only local users can log in.
• The Net Login service is set to start automatically.
• To keep the reference machine clear of user-specific information, ensure that you do not log in to the reference machine using a Mircrosoft liveID account.