VMware Horizon 7.12: installing Connection Server - pt.1

The Connection Server is the core component of the Horizon infrastructure used to manage and provision connections to desktops.

Horizon Connection Server is available for Windows and Linux platforms but it cannot coexist with other Horizon components, such as Replica server, Security server, View Composer, Horizon Agent, or Horizon Client on the same machine (virtual or physical).

Blog Series

VMware Horizon 7.12: installing Connection Server - pt.1
VMware Horizon 7.12: installing View Composer - pt.2
VMware Horizon 7.12: configuration - pt.3
VMware Horizon 7.12: Instant Clone setup - pt.4
VMware Horizon 7.12: Linked Clone setup - pt.5
VMware Horizon 7.12: connect to virtual desktop - pt.6

Horizon Connection Server

The Connection Server is the Horizon core component used to manage the infrastructure and the configuration and must be installed on a Windows machine joined to an AD Domain.

Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012 R2, 2016, and 2019 are the Windows Server versions supported by Horizon. The server should be configured with at least 10 GB of memory (4 GB minimum required) for deployments of 50 or more remote desktops.

As best practice, create in Active Directory a group for Horizon administrators and a group for Horizon users.

Install the Connection Server

Download from VMware website the Horizon Connection Server and run the installer.

Click Next to begin the installation.

Accept the EULA then click Next.

Leave default Destination Folder and click Next.

Select Horizon 7 Standard Server item as instance to install and enable the Install HTML access option to allow users to connect to their desktops by using a web browser. Select the IPv4 as IP protocol used for establishing all connections. Click Next.

Specify the Data recovery password then click Next.

Select Configure Windows Firewall automatically to open the required ports to operate on a network. Click Next.

Select Authorize a specific domain user or domain group option and enter the AD user or group to use. Click Next.

Click Next.

Click Install to install the Horizon Connection Server.

The software is being installed into the system.

When the installation process completes successfully, click Finish to exit the wizard.

Install Horizon 7 Replica Server

To provide high availability and load balancing, one or more additional instances of Connection Server can be installed to replicate an existing Connection Server instance. Source Connection Server and replicated instances are identical.

To install a new Replica Server, run the Connection Server installer and click Next to begin the installation.

Accept the EULA then click Next.

Leave default Destination Folder and click Next.

Select Horizon 7 Replica Server as instance to install and enable the Install HTML access option. Select the IPv4 as IP protocol used to establish all connections. Click Next.

Specify the hostname or IP address of the source Server then click Next.

Select Configure Windows Firewall automatically to open automatically the required ports to operate on a network. Click Next.

Click Install to install the Horizon Replica Server.

The software is being installed in the system.

When the installation process has been completed successfully, click Finish to exit the wizard.

The main component of the Horizon infrastructure has been deployed and additional components may be required, the View Composer for example, to provision specific virtual desktop type such as Linked Clone desktops.

Part 2 will cover the deployment of the Horizon 7 View Composer, a component used to provide Linked Clone desktops, a pool of desktops that share a common virtual disk.