Today I want to share with you some Update information and experience regarding the VMware Horizon 2012 aka 8.1.
Horizon Event database
Here are some SQL backend optimisations. A lot of information regarding Horizon is stored in the Event database and several queries which have to run here. That took 2 minutes and 30 seconds in average, after the improvements around 2 seconds. Thats a lot faster.
API
A separation of View API from Console. Usually the administrators increase the timeout value from 10 min (default) to what ever they need but really high time value. Disadvantage here was that this increased timeout depends to both. Now you can keep the View API timeout at 10 minutes and increase the Console timeout to your needs.
PowerCLI / scripting
Now you can use the Horizon PowerCLI commands direct on Powershell Core. Powershell or PowerCLI is a very powerful tool to automate the whole Horizon environment and administrative tasks.
Integrated Printing
In the past the printer name came in front of the VDI and we can´t change it (for VDI) only RDSH. That is solved with 2012 of Horizon.
Application Pools
Now you can enable and disable application pools like you know from VDIs. You can easily disable an application pool for maintenance and stuff, then enable it back afterwards. In the past you have had to take the application pool offline, take away all entitlements and configure all back after you have done the work you want to do.
Logfiles
Now you can download logs directly from the Horizon console. There is an API since Horizon version 7.10 which sits on the skyline service. Now integrated in the Horizon Console. All logs from the different components will can be grabed and will be put into zip files. You can generate log bundles and attach them to support tickets for instance. Components which are included are Desktops, RDSH Agents and Connection Servers. Additionally it makes troubleshooting much easier.
Linkes Clones / Instant Clones
Linked Clones (Composer) was deprecated in Horizon 2006 aka 8.0 but it was technically still there. With Horizon 2012 that’s the release where it´s gone away. Before you migrate, take the time to think about and plan your migration to the new version and technologies like Instant Clones. A huge advantage, Instant Clones was only in the Enterprise version in the past. Now it´s in the standard version of Horizon as well. So you can easy implement and test it, if you have maybe only the standard Version of Horizon. If you run Linked Clones in your environment and try to move from Horizon 7.13 to 2012 for instance, that will be detected by the installer and the installer will be stopped. So therefore move away from Linked Clones before you upgrade.
Another Important reason is that flash content will be blocked. So you have to move to at least Horizon version 7.10 but we recommend 7.13 which is the newest of Horizon 7.
Horizon Security Server
The Horizon Security Server is technical still there in Horizon version 7.13. But the customers should move to Unified Access Gateway (UAG) for future planning anyway. Easy to use and implement, it´s an Appliance and high scalable. UAG don´t have the 1:1 relationship with the Connection Servers which is another advantage.
Caution: What I really wants to highlight is if you will move to Horizon version 2012 and has the Security Server in place, the configuration of the Security Server will be removed. That is not really mentioned at the documentation so please be aware of that.
