VMware View 4.5 Gains Windows 7, Mac OS X and Disconnected Local Mode
by Cameron Sturdevant
View Administrator
View 4.5 added significant enterprise improvements including role-based administration.
Pool Settings
VMware has focused on its PCoIP protocol to enhance virtual desktop performance. However, I used the much more broadly adopted Microsoft RDP protocol because it supported my existing hardware.
Adobe Flash
Notice at near the bottom of the screen the available choices for controlling how Adobe Flash is handled to improve virtual desktop performance.
Add Administrator
Administrative roles can be more finely tuned by limiting users to folders.
Installing View Client
The View Client with Local Mode adds full offline desktop support to View 4.5. A larger client, and a larger license fee are needed to support this enhanced feature.
View 4.5
After log on, the user is presented with a desktop choice to which they can connect.
Windows 7
View 4.5 fully supports the Windows 7 desktop environment. Here you see a Windows 7 virtual desktop that is running in my vSphere 4.1 environment running on a notebook with Windows 7.
Checking Out
The Local Mode feature means that virtual desktops that are running in the data center can be checked out—a process shown here—and run disconnected from the backend resource, for example, on an airplane.
View Agent
Administrators install and use the View Agent to access and manage the View Connection Server.