You can download and run a Horizon Client installer bundle from the VMware Downloads page. This installer contains modules for features such as USB redirection, Real-Time Audio-Video, smart card, and client drive redirection. To upgrade Horizon Client for Linux, you first uninstall the existing version from the client system and then run the installer bundle for the new version.

Note: On most Linux distributions, the Horizon Client installer bundle starts a GUI wizard. You can also run the installer with the command-line --console parameter to start the command-line wizard.

Prerequisites

  • Verify that the client system runs a supported operating system. See System Requirements for Linux Client Systems.
  • Become familiar with the installation options. See Installation Options.
  • Verify that you have root access on the client system.
  • Verify that VMware Workstation is not installed on the client system.
  • If you plan to use the RDP display protocol to connect to a remote desktop, verify that you have the appropriate RDP client installed. See System Requirements for Linux Client Systems.
  • Uninstall any earlier version of the Horizon Client software. See Uninstall Horizon Client for Linux.
  • If you plan to use the command-line installer, become familiar with the Linux command-line installation options. See Command-Line Installation Parameters for the Linux Client.
  • Confirm that version 2.x or 3.x of Python is installed on the client system.
    Note: To ensure that Horizon Client has access to all the required Python modules, use the Python package installed by default with your Linux distribution. Avoid installing Python manually, because a manual installation might not include all the required modules. If both Python 2.x and Python 3.x are installed on the system, Horizon Client uses the Python 3.x package.
  • If you are using a thin client, confirm that libgtk 3.14 or later is installed on the system. If needed, obtain version 3.14 or later of the libgtk library and install it on the thin-client system.

As part of the installation process, the installer runs a scan of the system libraries to determine whether the system is compatible with Horizon Client, although you can select to skip the scan.

Procedure

  1. On the Linux client system, download the Horizon Client installer file from the Horizon Client Product Downloads page at http://www.vmware.com/go/viewclients.
    The name of the file is VMware-Horizon-Client-YYMM-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.arch.bundle.
    In the installer filename, YYMM represents the marketing version number, x.x.x represents the internal version number, and yyyyyyy represents the build number. arch represents the CPU instruction set architecture.
  2. Open a Terminal window and change directories to the directory that contains the installer file.
  3. If you want to set executable permissions on the installer file, run the appropriate command. For example: 
    chmod +x VMware-Horizon-Client-YYMM-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.arch.bundle
  4. Run the installer using the appropriate command.
    Option Command
    For the GUI wizard, if you have set executable permissions 
    sudo ./VMware-Horizon-Client-YYMM-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.arch.bundle
    For the GUI wizard, if you have not set executable permissions 
    sudo sh ./VMware-Horizon-Client-YYMM-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.arch.bundle
    For the command-line installer, if you have set executable permissions 
    sudo ./VMware-Horizon-Client-YYMM-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.arch.bundle 
--console
    For the command-line installer, if you have not set executable permissions 
    sudo sh ./VMware-Horizon-Client-YYMM-x.x.x-yyyyyyy.arch.bundle 
--console
    Note: In addition to --console, you can use other command-line parameters and environment variables to control installation settings such as the acceptance of the end-user license agreement and the installation of optional components. See Command-Line Installation Parameters for the Linux Client.

    The installer wizard appears, prompting you to accept the end-user license agreement.

  5. To finish the installation, follow the prompts to confirm the installation of optional components.
    For more information about each optional component, see Installation Options.
    Important: You are prompted to allow the installer to register and start installed services after the installation. Allowing the installer to complete these tasks means that you do not need to manually start USB redirection services every time you reboot.
  6. After installation is complete, specify whether to perform the compatibility scan for libraries that various feature components depend on.
    The system scan displays a result value for each library compatibility.
    Result Value Description
    Success All required libraries were found.
    Failed The specified library was not found. You must locate and install the required library version on the client system. For more details, refer to the documentation and support information for your Linux distribution.

Results

Log information about the installation is recorded in /tmp/vmware-root/vmware-installer-pid.log.

What to do next

Start Horizon Client and verify that you can log in to the correct virtual desktop. See Connect to a Remote Desktop or Published Application.