Create a Source Virtual Machine in Workstation Pro (Not included in Horizon FLEX)

You can use Workstation Pro to create a source virtual machine for a Horizon FLEX virtual machine. Workstation Pro is not included in the Horizon FLEX package. A Horizon FLEX license key for Workstation Pro is not required.

Horizon FLEX only supports virtual machine names using English characters. Do not use non-ASCII characters in .vmx or .tar filenames.

Note: When preparing a Horizon FLEX virtual machine, make sure that the .vmx policy file is in the same folder as all virtual machine disk (.vmdk) files. If the .vmx file and the virtual machine disk files are in different directories on the client user's machine, then the user will receive an error message when attempting to start the Horizon FLEX virtual machine.

Prerequisites

• Review how to create a virtual machine in Workstation Pro. See the Workstation Pro documentation at https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Workstation-Pro/index.html
• Review the supported guest operating systems for Horizon FLEX virtual machines. See Supported Host and Guest Operating Systems.
• Install Workstation Pro.
• If adding certificates to the virtual machine, the trusted certificate must be installed on the Horizon FLEX server or on your local host. See Configure the System Certificate Store for the Horizon FLEX Server.

Procedure

1. Open Workstation Pro and create a virtual machine.
2. Install the guest OS.
   Select a guest operating system that is supported for Horizon FLEX virtual machines. Configure the virtual machine for distribution to your end users.
3. (Optional) Install VMware Tools in the virtual machine.
   VMware Tools is not required but is recommended.
4. Encrypt and restrict the virtual machine. Select the virtual machine and select VM > Settings.
5. On the Options tab, select Access Control.
6. Click Encrypt, type an encryption password, and click Encrypt.

   The encryption password is required to gain access to the virtual machine. It does not prevent the user from changing the virtual machine configuration. Turn on restrictions and enter a password to prevent the user from changing the virtual machine configuration.

   Important: Record the encryption password you use. If you forget the password, Workstation does not provide a way to retrieve it.
   Workstation Pro begins encrypting the virtual machine. After the encryption process is complete, you can set a restrictions password.
7. Select the Enable Restrictions check box and set a password for editing the restrictions on the virtual machine.
   Set a different password from the virtual machine encryption password.
   You must retain the restrictions password. You cannot edit the restrictions on the virtual machine without this password.
8. Set the Restriction Type to Managed.
   You must set the restriction type to Managed to distribute and use the virtual machine with Horizon FLEX.
9. Enter the URL of the Horizon FLEX server on which you intend to host the virtual machine in the Restrictions Management Server text box.
10. Click Check Server to verify the Horizon FLEX server URL.
11. (Optional) To add trusted certificates to the virtual machine, click the Manage Certificates icon and choose one of the following:
    • To add the trusted root certificate directly from the Horizon FLEX server, select Add > From server. Select the certificate and click OK.

      A dialog box with the full certificate chain retrieved from the Horizon FLEX server appears. Click OK.

    • To add the certificate from the local host, click Add > From file and navigate to the location of each certificate file.

    If you add certificates to the virtual machine, the Horizon FLEX Client uses the certificates in the virtual machine and does not use the certificates on the host. Do not add the certificate into the virtual machine until you have tested and confirmed that the Horizon FLEX Client can use the certificate to communicate to the server.

12. Click OK.

What to do next

If you intend to join the Horizon FLEX virtual machine to an Active Directory domain, prepare the virtual machine to join the domain. See Prepare a Source Virtual Machine to Join an Active Directory Domain.

To install the Mirage client in the source virtual machine, see Install the Mirage Client In a Source Virtual Machine.