AWI: View Connection Server Session Settings

Select the View Connection Server session connection type from the Configuration > Session page to configure the client to use a View Connection Server as the broker when connecting to a VMware desktop.

Connecting a View Connection Server to a workstation

You can also use a View Connection Server to connect to a workstation with a PCoIP Remote Workstation Card installed. For this option, VMware View Agent must be installed on the remote workstation, and a number of other configuration requirements for both the client and host must be in place. For complete details, refer to Using PCoIP® Host Cards with VMware View or reference KB 1044.

Alt text
AWI Session Connection type – View Connection Server

The following parameters can be found on the AWI View Connection Server page.

AWI View Connection Server Parameters

Parameter Description
DNS Name or IP Address Enter the View Connection Server’s DNS name or IP address. For VMware Horizon DaaS, this is the DNS name or IP address of the VMware Horizon DaaS Desktop Portal.
Pool Name to Select Enter the pool name. When the list includes a pool with this name, the client will immediately start a session with that pool. This field is case-insensitive.
Port By default, port 443 is used to communicate with the connection server. If your network is set up to use a non-standard port for secure connections, enter the port number.
Certificate Check Mode Select the level of verification performed on the certificate presented by the connection server:
Never connect to untrusted servers: Configure the client to reject the connection if a trusted, valid certificate is not installed. (This is the most secure option.)
Warn before connecting to untrusted servers: Configure the client to display a warning if an unsigned or expired certificate is encountered, or if the certificate is not self-signed and the Tera2 PCoIP Zero Client trust store is empty. (This option is selected by default.)
Do not verify server identity certificates: Configure the client to enable all connections. (This option is not secure.)
Certificate Check Mode Lockout When enabled, prevents users from changing the Certificate Check Mode settings from the OSD.
Trusted View Connection Servers Click the Show button to display View Connection Servers for which the client has received a valid certificate.
Click the Clear button to clear this cache.
Auto Connect This field determines the client’s auto connect behavior after startup:
Enabled: The client automatically connects with the connection server after startup and a PCoIP session ends, bypassing the OSD Connect page.
Disabled: The client does not automatically connect with the connection server.
Enabled With Retry On Error: The client will continuously attempt to contact the connection server. After a connection failure, the client waits before attempting to connect again. This wait time increases with each successive failure. The wait interval is not configurable.

Devices running firmware 4.1.1 or lower do not support Retry On Error behavior and will always perform a single attempt to contact the connection server when this option is selected.
After enabling Auto Connect, the client must be power-cycled for the change to take effect.
Connection Server Cache Mode This field determines whether a connection server is dynamically added to the Server drop-down menu on the OSD Connect page when a user types in a valid server URI, or whether it appears in a read-only list for the user to select.
  • Last servers used: Select this option if you want a list of cached servers that a user has typed in to appear in the Server drop-down menu on the OSD Connect page. The cache lists the previous 25 servers that established a successful connection. If the cache is not cleared, new connections will begin to replace servers that were previously cached starting at the oldest saved connection first.
  • Read-only: Select this option if you want users to select a connection server from a read-only list. This list is created using the PCoIP Management Console. This list will replace the cached listed servers when it is selected for use.
Enable Self Help Link See Enabling the Self Help Link for details.
Auto Launch If Only One Pool When enabled, users are automatically connected to a provisioned desktop or application after user credentials are entered.
For Tera2 PCoIP Zero Clients, this parameter is called Auto Launch If Only One Desktop.
  • This feature only applies to users who are entitled to a single desktop. It does not apply to users entitled to multiple virtual desktops.
Remember Username When enabled, the user name text box automatically populates with the last username entered.
Use OSD Logo for Login Banner When enabled, the OSD logo banner appears at the top of login screens in place of the default banner.
Prefer GSC-IS When enabled, if a smart card (CAC) supports more than one interface such as GSC-IS and PIV then GSC-IS is used. However in the case where the card supports both GSC-IS and PIV, and only PIV objects are configured on the card then the connection may fail. If this is the case uncheck the box and retest. If a smart card supports only one interface, such as either GSC-IS or PIV endpoint, then only the GSC-IS or PIV endpoint interface is used regardless of this setting. This only affects smart card access performed outside of PCoIP sessions.
Enable Peer Loss Overlay When enabled, the 'Network Connection Lost' overlay appears on the display(s) when a loss of network connectivity is detected. Normal hypervisor scheduling delays can falsely trigger this message.
Enable Preparing Desktop Overlay When enabled, the 'Preparing Desktop' overlay appears on the display(s) when users log in.
  • This overlay provides assurance that login is proceeding if the desktop takes more than a few seconds to appear.
Enable Session Disconnect Hotkey When enabled, users can press the Ctrl+Alt+F12 hotkey sequence to quickly disconnect a PCoIP session. See Disconnecting from a Session for details.
Enable RDS Application Access When enabled and users connect to a VMware Horizon View Connection Server that offers applications, a list of available applications will be presented.
  • Applications open in full-screen mode, but can be re-sized once users are in session.
PCoIP Utility Bar Mode When enabled, the PCoIP Utility Bar appears at the top of the primary display when a user is in session and moves the cursor directly under the bar. The utility bar can be used to disconnect a session or to shut down a remote workstation. For Direct to Host session connection types, Local Cursor and Keyboard must be enabled in order for the Tera2 PCoIP Zero Client to process mouse events for the utility bar. For all connection types, the mouse must be locally connected (that is, not bridged).
Disabled: Disables the PCoIP Utility Bar. By default, the utility bar is disabled.
Enabled: Enables and auto-hides the PCoIP Utility Bar. Users can show the utility bar by pointing the mouse at the top of the screen directly under the utility bar. Users can slide the utility bar to the right and left at the top of the screen.
Enabled and Pinned: Enables and pins the PCoIP Utility Bar at the top of the screen. Users cannot hide the utility bar, but they can slide it to the right and left at the top of the screen.

This feature is configurable from the PCoIP Management Console and AWI only. It requires firmware version 4.2.0 or higher.
Session Negotiation Cipher Suites Configure the Transport Layer Security (TLS) cipher to use for negotiating the TLS session between the PCoIP client and the PCoIP host.
Maximum Compatibility: TLS 1.1 or higher with RSA keys: This option provides maximum compatibility.
Suite B: TLS 1.2 with Suite B-compliant 192-bit elliptic curve encryption. This option provides a higher level of security.
Disconnect Message Filter This field lets you control what type of messages appear when a session is disconnected. There are three categories:

Information: User- or administrator-initiated actions affecting the session:
  • You have been disconnected because you logged in from another location or your host was shut down or restarted.
  • You have been disconnected because an administrator disconnected you.
  • You have been disconnected because you logged in from another location.
  • You have been disconnected because you disconnected from your workstation.
Warning: System-initiated, but expected actions affecting the session:
  • You have been disconnected because your session timed out.
Error: Unexpected system-initiated actions causing session to fail:
  • You have been disconnected.
  • Unable to connect (0x1001). Contact your IT administrator.
  • Unable to connect (0x1002). Contact your IT administrator.
  • Session closed remotely.
  • Session closed remotely (unknown cause).
  • You have been disconnected due to a configuration error (0x100). Contact your IT administrator for assistance.
  • You have been disconnected due to a configuration error (0x201). Contact your IT administrator for assistance.
  • You have been disconnected due to a configuration error (0x300). Contact your IT administrator for assistance.
  • You have been disconnected due to a configuration error (0x301). Contact your IT administrator for assistance.
  • You have been disconnected due to a configuration error (0x302). Contact your IT administrator for assistance.
  • You have been disconnected due to a configuration error (0x303). Contact your IT administrator for assistance.
  • You have been disconnected due to a configuration error (0x305). Contact your IT administrator for assistance.
  • You have been disconnected due to a configuration error (0x400). Contact your IT administrator for assistance.
  • You have been disconnected due to a configuration error (0x401). Contact your IT administrator for assistance.
  • You have been disconnected due to a configuration error (0x402). Contact your IT administrator for assistance.
  • You have been disconnected due to a configuration error (0x403). Contact your IT administrator for assistance.
  • You have been disconnected due to a configuration error (0x404). Contact your IT administrator for assistance.
For detailed information about the session disconnect codes, see What do the PCoIP server log disconnect codes mean? (KB 1094).

You can choose to display:
  • Show All – This option shows all disconnect messages including Info, Warning, and Error messages.
  • Error and Warnings Only – This option hides info messages and displays only Error and Warning messages.
  • Show Eror Only - This option hides Info and Warning messages and displays only Error messages.
  • Show None – Don’t show any disconnect messages.
Custom Session SNI When enabled, sets a customized Server Name Indication (SNI) string on authorized man-in-the-middle-enabled clients. The SNI string is appended to the TLS HELLO when the client initiates a connection with the host.
Enable DSCP When enabled, the device populates the Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) field in the IP header, enabling intermediate network nodes to prioritize PCoIP traffic accordingly.
Enable Congestion Notification When enabled, transport congestion notification is enabled to enable PCoIP endpoints to react accordingly if an intermediate network node sets the congestion notification bit in either the IP header or PCoIP transport header. For more information about the PCoIP transport header, see PCoIP Packet Format.
Enable IPv6 Address Resolution This setting supports VMware Horizon View 6.1 implementations, which enable View-brokered IPv6 sessions on IPv6-only networks. When enabled, clients can advertise IPv6 and FQDN capability to the View connection Server and receive IPv6 and FQDN peer addresses back.
Prefer IPv6 for FQDN Resolution When enabled, the client’s IPv6 address is preferred for FQDN resolution when the client requests a session.

The Self Help Link option lets you configure a self-help link that will appear on the OSD Connect window. When users click this link, they are automatically connected to a specific desktop that can be used as a corporate resource—for example, a desktop containing IT help information. After enabling this option, you configure all the necessary details to automatically log users in to the desktop that you specify. You also configure the link text that you want to appear on the Connect window.

alt text
Enable Self Help Link options

When you enable this field, the following options appear:

Parameter Description
Connection Server Enter the fully-qualified domain name of the connection server brokering the desktop (for example, a PCoIP Connection Manager for a PCoIP Connection Manager session connection type, or a View Connection Server for a View Connection Server session connection type).
Port By default, port 443 is used to communicate with the connection server. If your network is set up to use a non-standard port for secure connections, enter the port number.
Username To password protect the self-help desktop, enter a username in this field.
Password To password protect the self-help desktop, enter a password in this field.
Domain Enter the domain name for the self-help desktop (for example, mycompany.com).
Pool Name to Select Enter the pool or desktop name for the self-help desktop.
Link Text Enter the text that you want to appear as hyperlinked text on the Connect window.