VDI connections to AD

[budric]

Hi,

I've been reading Horizon View architecture planning (http://pubs.vmware.com/horizon-view-60/topic/com.vmware.ICbase/PDF/horizon-view-60-architecture-planning.pdf).  I wanted to confirm, do the virtual desktop VMs (a.k.a remote desktop) themselves need to connect to Microsoft AD and be part of a common domain?  I'm getting the impression that they don't, and only the View Connection server uses AD for authentication.  However, once View Connection server authenticates the user, how does that user automatically get logged into remote desktop windows account?  It seems unless that remote desktop is on the AD domain it wouldn't know anything about the user that View Connection Server has authenticated.

Thanks for clarifying.

[Pradeepadapa43]

Hello,

Depending on how you have setup the base image, if the base image spits out a desktop and it needs to be added to the domain, then the user authentications will be going to the Domain Controller of the AD, if not being added to the domain, then it will be authenticated with the local users on the desktop. either way, view connection server authenticates the user against the AD to allocate him the desktop from a desktop pool, this has nothing to do with the actual authentication of the user trying to get into the desktop allocated to him/her.

hope this helps.

Thanks,

Pradeep

[budric]

I see, that makes sense.

If both, View Connection Server and the desktop are on the same domain and can see the domain controller, is single sign-on automatic (or at least straight forward to setup)?  So that the user doesn't have to type passwords twice.

[Pradeepadapa43]

I am pretty sure this can be done using the template or a script while deploying the desktops in horizon view where the user authentication on the view connection server also parses the login details and could log the user into the desktop.

Please refer to this link and documentation:

Documentation Center for VMware Horizon 6.0 with View

thanks,

Pradeep