C H A P T E R  2

Installation

Each of the Sun Virtual Desktop Connector’s three layers -- virtualization, desktop access, and session management (see FIGURE 1-1) -- has associated installation tasks that must be performed. They are described in this chapter, which is organized as follows:

Installing the Virtual Desktop Connector Agent

Uninstalling the Virtual Desktop Connector Agent

Creating a Virtual Machine Template

Installing VMware Tools

Installing Virtual Desktop Connector Tools

Uninstalling Virtual Desktop Connector Tools

Enabling Remote Desktop Access

System Preparation (sysprep) and Customization


Virtualization Layer



Note - Although this manual provides references to the documentation required for installation of third-party products from VMware and Microsoft, it does not attempt to replicate the information they contain.


Installing VMware VirtualCenter

To install VMware VirtualCenter, follow the instructions on the VMware Website at http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html.

1. Locate the Installation and Upgrade Guide.

2. Select “Installing VMware VirtualCenter”.

3. Make sure that:

a. Ports 6060 and 6061 are enabled in any firewall that may be active on the system.

The Virtual Desktop Connector agent, which needs to be installed on VirtualCenter, uses these ports to communicate with the outside world.

b. VirtualCenter’s Webaccess component is installed and configured.

c. A user account with sufficient privileges is defined (see TABLE 3-1).



Note - It is easier to inspect VMware activity logs if you create a specific VMware user with permissions at the Hosts & Clusters level for the Virtual Desktop Connector.


Installing the Virtual Desktop Connector Agent

To install the Virtual Desktop Connector agent for use with VirtualCenter:

1. Locate the vda-agent.msi installer file in the directory where you have unzipped the vda_1.0.zip archive.

The vda-agent.msi is located in the ./image/vda_1.0/Windows/Packages/ subdirectory. The default location for the VirtualCenter agent on Windows is
<a-z>:\Program Files\Sun\Virtual Desktop Access\Agent.

2. Double-click the installer and follow the prompts to complete installation.

Your Services list should now contain a new service named Sun Virtual Desktop Connector Agent, running and set to start automatically.

Uninstalling the Virtual Desktop Connector Agent

To uninstall the Virtual Desktop Connector Agent:

1. Go to the Add/Remove Software control panel.

2. Select the Remove action for the Virtual Desktop Connector Agent.

Defining Virtual Machines and Templates

Creating a Virtual Machine Template

To configure a virtual machine for use as a template:

1. Create a Microsoft Windows XP virtual machine using the instructions in “Creating Virtual Machines” in Basic System Administration (http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html).

2. Install Windows XP, following the instructions on the Microsoft Website (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/winxp/install.mspx).

3. Make sure that networking is configured and that the virtual machine can get an IP address.

At this point, you should also install any additional software for your virtual machines.



Note - If you plan to use a customized template for Vista virtual machines, see Machines.


Installing VMware Tools

Once you have created a virtual machine with Microsoft Windows XP installed on it, install VMware tools. See “Installing and Upgrading VMware Tools” in Basic System Administration (http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html).

Installing Virtual Desktop Connector Tools

For the Virtual Desktop Connector to manage virtual machines properly, the Virtual Desktop Connector Tools, which handle RDP connections when a guest OS initiates a standby, must be installed on the guest operating system.



Note - Be sure to enable time synchronization between the guest OS and the virtualization host. The Virtual Desktop Connector tools and the recycling process rely on it and cannot function correctly without it. For detailed setup information, see the instructions on the VMware Website at http://www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/tools_guestd_sync_gsx.html.


To install the Virtual Desktop Connector tools:

1. Locate the vda-tools.msi installer file in the directory where you have unzipped the vda_1.0.zip archive.

The vda-tools.msi is located in the ./image/vda_1.0/Windows/Packages/ subdirectory.

2. Double-click the installer and follow the prompts to complete installation.

The default target location for the Virtual Desktop Connector tools on Windows is <a-z>:\Program Files\Sun\Virtual Desktop Access\Tools.

Your Services list should now contain a new service named Sun Virtual Desktop Connector Tools, running and set to start automatically.

Uninstalling Virtual Desktop Connector Tools

To uninstall the Virtual Desktop Connector tools:

1. Go to the Add/Remove Software control panel.

2. Select the Remove action for the Virtual Desktop Connector Tools.

Enabling Remote Desktop Access

To enable remote desktop access, launch VMware’s Virtual Infrastructure Client, with your virtual machine still powered on and logged in, then follow these steps:

1. Open a console.

2. In the console, click on the virtual machine’s Start button.

3. Right-click on My Computer on the start menu, and select Properties.

4. In the System Properties window, select the Remote tab.

5. Under Remote Desktop, check the box marked Enable Remote Desktop on this computer so that this item is selected.

6. Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog.

You can now shut down the virtual machine by selecting Shut Down from the Start menu.

System Preparation (sysprep) and Customization

Before VirtualCenter can use customization specifications to customize virtual machines, you must install the Microsoft System Preparation Tool (sysprep) on the server running VirtualCenter. See Appendix B in Basic System Administration (http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html).

1. Install sysprep on the VirtualCenter Server.

a. Download the sysprep package from:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=3E90DC91-AC56-4665-949B-BEDA3080E0F6&displaylang=en

b. Unpack to a directory, for example:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\VMWare\VMWare VirtualCenter\sysprep\xp

2. Create a Customization Specification.

A customization specification stores settings that VirtualCenter can use to customize a Windows installation during the cloning process. To create a customization specification:

a. Open Virtual Infrastructure Client.

b. Click Edit from the menu above the tool bar and select Customization Specifications...

c. Click the New icon in the Customization Specification Manager to start the wizard.

d. On the first wizard step, choose Windows as the target virtual machine OS, and give the specification a name and description.

The following steps ask the standard Windows installation questions and should be completed to correspond with your requirements, with exception of the following:

Make sure that the Use the Virtual Machine Name item is selected. If not, you may end up with duplicate hostnames.

Enter your Windows XP serial number. The Include Server License Information item should be unchecked.

Make sure the interface is configured for DHCP. If not, your cloned virtual machines will not have unique IP addresses and will not work with the Sun Virtual Desktop Connector.

e. After completing the wizard and saving your customization specification, close the Customization Specification Manager.

3. Test the Customization Specification and Networking.

At this point you should have a Virtual Infrastructure Client open and the template virtual machine you created earlier shut down.

a. Right-click the virtual machine in the left pane, and select Clone.

b. In the Clone Virtual Machine Wizard, choose a name for the new virtual machine (such as Clone_Test), and click Next.

c. Choose the host or cluster that you want to run the new virtual machine, and click Next.

d. Select a data store with sufficient free space, and click Next.

e. On the Guest Customization step, select the Customize Using an Existing Customization Specification radio button, then choose the customization specification you just created from the list, and click Next.

f. Review your selections, and click Finish to begin cloning.

g. After the test virtual machine has finished cloning, select it in the left pane, and power it on.

After it has finished booting, you should see its IP address and hostname appear in the right pane. Make sure that it has a unique IP address and that the hostname corresponds to the virtual machine name. If the virtual machine has no IP address, see Networking.

h. On the VMware VirtualCenter server, open a Remote Desktop Connection by clicking Start->All Programs->Accessories->Communications.

i. In the Remote Desktop Connection window, enter the IP address of the newly cloned test virtual machine, and click Connect.

If everything is configured correctly, a full-screen Remote Desktop session to your test virtual machine should be displayed.

If the Remote Desktop Connection client cannot connect to the virtual machine, you must resolve the issue before continuing. See Networking for possible issues.

If you can get a Remote Desktop Connection to your test virtual machine and it has a unique hostname, the original template virtual machine you created is ready to be used.



Note - Do not start this virtual machine again or you will have to sysprep it again.



Desktop Access Layer

The desktop access layer includes Sun Ray Server Software (SRSS) for access to virtual desktops from Sun Ray DTUs, Sun Secure Global Desktop Software (SGD), for Web access from other devices.

Installing Sun Ray Server Software

The Sun Virtual Desktop Connector can be used in conjunction with Sun Ray Server Software 4.0 and Sun Ray Connector for Windows OS 2.0. Install and configure both products before you continue with the installation and configuration of the Virtual Desktop Connector. Installation and configuration instructions are located in the Sun Ray Software 4 09/07 Collection at http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/coll/1230.6.



Note - Both Sun Ray Server Software and the Sun Ray Connector for Windows OS require configuration after they have been installed.


Before installing the Virtual Desktop Connector, download and install the following Sun Ray Server Software patches from http://sunsolve.sun.com:


TABLE 2-1 Required SRSS 4.0 Patches

Patch Number

Operating System

127553-01 or later

Solaris 10 11/06 SPARC

127554-01 or later

Solaris 10 11/06 x86

127555-01 or later

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Server (RHEL AS) 4 update 3

SuSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 9 with Service Pack 3




Note - Check to see if any other patches are available and recommended for your system. If so, retrieve and install them using the instructions given in the README files. The customary commands are patchadd on Solaris platforms and rpm on Linux. Be sure to restart the Sun Ray Server after you have patched the installation.


Before you continue to set up the Virtual Desktop Connector, confirm that the Sun Ray Connector for Windows OS is working, for instance by trying to connect to an existing Windows machine, as follows:


# /opt/SUNWuttsc/bin/uttsc <name or IP-address of Windows machine>

If all steps have been executed correctly so far, continue to install and configure the Virtual Desktop Connector.

Installing Sun Secure Global Desktop Software

The Virtual Desktop Connector can be used with Sun Secure Global Desktop software. If you wish to use SGD to deliver virtual desktops to users, install and configure it before you continue with the installation and configuration of the Virtual Desktop Connector. For detailed instructions, see the Sun Secure Global Desktop 4.4 Installation Guide at http://docs.sun.com/source/820-2549/index.html.

The SGD Webtop contains a list of applications on the left side. During the configuration of the Virtual Desktop Connector, you can choose to add to this list a My Desktop application from which users can launch their full-screen Windows virtual desktop sessions. After you have installed and configured SGD, users should be able to access their virtual desktops using either the My Desktop application object or by setting their browsers to http://<sgd_server>/mydesktop.


Session Management Layer

The Sun Virtual Desktop Connector functions as the session management layer, which connects the desktop access layer (SRSS and SGD) to the virtualization layer. To set up the Virtual Desktop Connector:

1. Install the Virtual Desktop Connector Solaris packages/RPMs by running the vda-install script on the SRSS and/or SGD server.

2. Configure the Virtual Desktop Connector by running the vda-config script.

Configuration Settings

As part of the setup process, you must decide where to store the Virtual Desktop Connector configuration settings. For evaluation purposes, it is sufficient to store the settings on the local file system. In a production environment, where you may need to set the Virtual Desktop Connector up on multiple servers for load balancing and failover purposes, it is better to take advantage of a central data store, where configuration settings are automatically replicated and kept synchronized with other servers. Both SRSS and SGD come with their own data store implementations, which provide automatic replication capabilities. Virtual Desktop Connector leverages these techniques and can take advantage of either the SRSS Data Store or the SGD Data Store. The vda-config script allows you to select which one to use.

SGD Data Store

If you plan to use the SGD data store for storing Virtual Desktop Connector settings, you must set up an administrative user account on your system.

Any access to the SGD data store requires username/password authentication. During Virtual Desktop Connector configuration, you must specify an existing UNIX user account (with corresponding password) to be used for authentication against the SGD data store. This user account must be a member of the ttaserv UNIX group. Because it is used for authentication only, it does not need to have a valid shell. The following example uses the useradd and passwd commands to set this account up.

single-step bullet  Execute the following commands as root (super user):


# useradd -g ttaserv <username>
# passwd <username>

SRSS Data Store

If you plan to use the SRSS data store for Virtual Desktop Connector settings, you must have the latest SRSS 4.0 patches installed. See TABLE 2-1.

My Desktop Application Object

If SGD is installed on the server, the configuration script also offers the option of setting up a My Desktop application object. This allows users to access a full-screen Windows desktop session by clicking on the My Desktop link in the SGD Web interface.

Kiosk Session

The Virtual Desktop Connector automatically installs a new SRSS Kiosk session type. This makes it easy to configure the SRSS Kiosk mode to serve full-screen Windows sessions from any desktop unit (DTU) connected to the Sun Ray server.

Web Hosting

The Virtual Desktop Connector’s administration interface is described under Using the Admin GUI. The corresponding Web application must be hosted in a suitable Web server.

The Virtual Desktop Connector requires Apache Tomcat 5.5 or higher, typically available on your system as part of the SRSS or SGD installation. The vda-config script prompts you for the Apache Tomcat installation directory as well as for the desired HTTP/HTTPS ports for accessing the Admin GUI. The default location for Tomcat installation on SRSS is /opt/apache-tomcat; the default location on SGD is /opt/tarantella/webserver/tomcat/5.xx.



Note - If the Tomcat version is 5.0x instead of 5.5 or higher, you must specify the location of a JDK 5 (Java Development Kit), instead of a JRE 5, during vda-config. SGD installs a suitable JDK under /opt/tarantella/bin/jdk.xx.


Pre-installation Preparation

The following requirements must be met before you install the Sun Virtual Desktop Connector:


TABLE 2-2 Installation and Configuration Requirements

Requirement

Comments

SRSS 4.0 and/or SGD 4.4

See Desktop Access Layer for instructions.

Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 5 or higher

The latest Java release is available at: http://java.sun.com/j2se

Apache Tomcat 5.5 or higher

The JRE and Apache Tomcat are normally part of the SRSS/SGD setup.

Data Store

See SGD Data Store and SRSS Data Store.


Installation and Configuration

1. As root (super user), change to the Sun Virtual Desktop Connector image directory, and execute the following command to start the installation script:


# ./vda-install

The installation script displays the text of the Sun Software License Agreement and prompts you to accept its terms and conditions. After the license confirmation, the installation process begins, and all Virtual Desktop Connector packages are installed.

Upon completion, vda-install prints an installation finished message. A time-stamped log file is available at:

/var/sadm/install/logs/vda-install.<year_month_date_hour:minute:second>.log

/var/log/vda-install.<year_month_date_hour:minute:second>.log

After successful installation, you need to configure the Virtual Desktop Connector.

2. Execute the following command to start the configuration script:


# /opt/SUNWvda/sbin/vda-config

The configuration script prompts you to supply some information and make certain configuration choices:

The default JRE location is /usr/java.

If SRSS or SGD is available on your system, the script asks you to select whether to use the SRSS, SGD, or file-based data store to store Virtual Desktop Connector configuration settings.

The file-based data store is the default; however:

All security-relevant configuration settings are stored in an encrypted form in the data store, so the script also prompts you for a password to use for encryption.



Note - If Virtual Desktop Connector is installed on multiple servers in a failover group or an SGD array, then all servers must use the same encryption password.


If SGD is installed on your system, vda-config asks whether to set up/configure a My Desktop application object. The default is Yes.

vda-config enables you to configure the Virtual Desktop Connector’s Admin GUI. It prompts for configuration settings such as the path to the Apache Tomcat installation and port numbers and supplies reasonable default values.



Note - If remote server administration is disabled (the default), you can access the Admin GUI via http://127.0.0.1:1800 or http://localhost:1800 only. Access to the Admin GUI via http://<servername>:1800 is blocked unless remote administration is enabled.


After a final confirmation question, vda-config performs the necessary system adaptations. This may take up to several minutes. A time-stamped log file is available at:

/var/sadm/log/logs/vda-config.<year_month_date_hour:minute:second>.log

/var/log/vda-config.<year_month_date_hour:minute:second>.log

3. Execute the following commands to verify the correct startup:


# /opt/SUNWvda/sbin/vda-service status
# /opt/SUNWvda/sbin/vda-webadmin status

If everything works as expected, all Virtual Desktop Connector services should now be up and running.

Uninstallation

To remove the Virtual Desktop Connector:

1. Execute the following command to unconfigure the Virtual Desktop Connector:


# /opt/SUNWvda/sbin/vda-config -u

This shuts down all Virtual Desktop Connector services and removes all configuration settings. Afterwards, you can safely remove the packages:

2. Execute the following command to invoke the installation script with the uninstall option:


# /opt/SUNWvda/sbin/vda-install -u



Note - Be sure to invoke this script from outside the /opt/SUNWvda directory, otherwise the system may not be able to remove the SUNWvda directory.


Standalone Virtual Desktop Connector Client

In certain circumstances, you may need to install and use only the Sun Virtual Desktop Connector Client. The following sections provide basic instructions.

Installing a Standalone Virtual Desktop Connector Client

By default, the vda-install installation script installs all Sun Virtual Desktop Connector packages needed for thin client or Web access on a single host. To perform a standalone installation.

1. Locate the Sun Virtual Desktop Connector Client package in the installation image.

On Solaris platforms the Sun Virtual Desktop Connector Client is provided as: vda_1.0/Solaris_10+/i386/Packages/SUNWvda-client
or
vda_1.0/Solaris10+/sparc/Packages/SUNWvda-client

On Linux platforms the Sun Virtual Desktop Connector Client is provided as: vda_1.0/Linux/Packages/SUNWvda-client-1.0-*.rpm

2. Install the Sun Virtual Desktop Connector Client package.

Use the pkgadd command on Solaris platforms or the rpm command on Linux.

Using a Standalone Virtual Desktop Connector Client

By default, the Sun Virtual Desktop Connector Client and Service are installed on the same host, and the client attempts to connect to a service running locally. If you have installed a standalone Sun Virtual Desktop Connector Client. you must identify the location (host and port) of a remote Sun Virtual Desktop Connector Service to be used in client invocations. For more information, see the vda-client(1) man page.

In a standalone scenario, it is best to configure the Sun Virtual Desktop Connector Service to use a fixed port number for its client communications. By default, the service chooses a different port number each time it starts. For more information on configuring the service port, see Service Settings.