Creating the VMware Horizon Connection

IT Asset Management (Cloud)

Use the following procedure to create a connection to VMware Horizon on the FlexNet Beacon. A connection is required to be configured for a single connection server in each pod, or in the case of a pod federation, a single connection server in that federation. The inventory beacon is responsible for uploading the data to the central operations databases of IT Asset Management.

To create the VMware Horizon connection in the FlexNet Beacon UI:

  1. Log into your selected inventory beacon.
    Tip: Starting the FlexNet Beacon interface requires that you are logged in with administrator privileges.
  2. In the navigation pane on the left, select the Inventory systems page. To create a new connection, click the down arrow on the right of the New split button, and choose Powershell.
    The Create PowerShell Source Connection dialog appears.
    Tip: The New... button defaults to creating a connection for Microsoft SQL Server. If you use the down arrow on the split button, you can choose between SQL Server, Spreadsheet, PowerShell, and Other connections. However, while you are creating a connection to a Microsoft SQL Server database (regardless of the Source Type of the connection), use only the SQL Server option.
  3. Complete the values in the dialog, as follows:
    Control Comments

    Connection Name

    A descriptive name for this connection, such as Horizon VDI Data. The name may contain alphanumeric characters, underscores or spaces, but must start with either a letter or a number. When the data import through this connection is executed, the data import task name is same as the connection name.

    Source Type

    Select Horizon from the list.
    Use Proxy

    Optionally, if you use a proxy server to enable Internet access, complete (or modify) the values in the Proxy Settings section of the dialog box in order to configure the proxy server connection.

    Proxy Server

    Enter the address of the proxy server using HTTP, HTTPS, or an IP address. Use the format https://ProxyServerURL:PortNumber, http://ProxyServerURL:PortNumber, or IPAddress:PortNumber). This field is enabled when the Use Proxy check box is selected.

    Username and Password

    If your enterprise is using an authenticated proxy, specify the username and password of an account that has credentials to access the proxy server that is specified in the Proxy Server field. These fields are enabled when the Use Proxy check box is selected.

    Horizon Connection Server You need to provide the VMware Horizon connection server URL. The connection server is the broker (equal to the Citrix delivery controller). Importantly, you only need to configure a single connection server per pod.
    Note: Essentially, you can load balance connection servers and all of the data will be replicated between each one. You only need to target a single connection server. Or if you are using a pod federation, you only need a single connection server in that pod federation to provide the results.

    Provide the VMware Horizon connection server URL using the format https://ConnectionServerURL or https://IPAddress.

    The internet protocol must be secure and begin at the start of the connection server URL, and consist only of the domain and no paths to specific pages. For example https://ConnectionServerURL/admin is incorrect.

    Domain, Username and Password Enter a domain, username and password. Note: the account needs to have full read access to all objects in VMware Horizon.
    Disable certificate check This allows you to disable verifying the TLS certificate. This is turned off by default.

    Connection is in test mode (do not import results)

    Controls the uploading and importing of data from this connection:

    • When this check box is clear, the connection is in production mode, and data collected through this adapter is uploaded to the central server and (in due course) imported into the database there.
    • When the check box is set:
      • The adapter for this connection is exercised, with data written to the intermediate file in the staging folder on the inventory beacon (%CommonAppData%\Flexera Software\Beacon\IntermediateData)
      • The immediate upload that normally follows data collection is suppressed, so that you can inspect the contents of the file
      • The catch-up process that retries stalled uploads, normally scheduled overnight, runs as usual and uploads the file to the central server
      • At the central server, the file contents are discarded (and not imported into the central database).
    Overlapping Inventory Filter

    This control does not apply to VMware Horizon adapter, and you may leave it at the default setting.

  4. Click Test Connection
    This will make sure that you can successfully connect to both the endpoint and the specified username and password are correct. Note: a request to log into the API is part of the test connection.
    • If the connection is successful, click OK to close the message. Click Save to complete the addition. The connection is added to (or updated in) the list.
    • If the connection is unsuccessful, the appropriate error message will display. Click OK to close the message. Edit the connection details and retest the connection.

      You cannot save the connection details if the connection test fails. If you cannot get the connection test to succeed, click Cancel to cancel the addition of these connection details.

  5. In the FlexNet Beacon PowerShell Source Connection dialog, click Save to save the connection.
  6. Select your new connection from the displayed list, and click Schedule....
  7. In the dialog that appears, select the name of your chosen schedule for inventory collection through this connection, and click OK.
  8. At the bottom of the FlexNet Beacon interface, click Save, and if you are done, also click Exit.
After a successful data import, existing VDI devices and templates, existing desktop pools where these VDI devices and templates are installed and what user groups have access to these desktop pools are all visible in the appropriate pages of IT Asset Management.
Note: To know more about the operations available on the Inventory Systems page of FlexNet Beacon, see the Inventory Systems Page in the online help. For scheduling data imports through this connection, see Scheduling a Connection, also in the online help.

IT Asset Management (Cloud)

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