To connect to a remote desktop or published application, you must provide the name of a server and supply credentials for your user account.

Before you have end users access remote desktops and published applications, test that you can connect to a remote desktop or published application from the client system.

Prerequisites

  • Obtain login credentials, such as a user name and password, RSA SecurID user name and passcode, RADIUS authentication credentials, or smart card personal identification number (PIN).
  • Obtain the NETBIOS domain name for logging in. For example, you might use mycompany rather than mycompany.com.
  • Perform the administrative tasks described in Preparing Connection Server for Horizon Client.
  • If you are outside the corporate network and require a VPN connection to access remote desktops and published applications, verify that the client device is set up to use a VPN connection and turn on that connection.
  • Verify that you have the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the server that provides access to the remote desktop or published application. Underscores (_) are not supported in server names. If the port is not 443, you also need the port number.
  • Configure the certificate checking mode for the certificate that the server presents. See Setting the Certificate Checking Mode in Horizon Client.
  • If you are using smart card authentication, configure Horizon Client to use a local certificate or the certificate on your smart card automatically. See Configure Horizon Client to Select a Smart Card Certificate.
  • If you plan to use Touch ID to authenticate, add at least one fingerprint in the Touch setting on your Mac. Touch ID authentication is available only if biometric authentication is enabled on the server. For complete Touch ID authentication requirements, see Touch ID Authentication Requirements.

Procedure

  1. If a VPN connection is required, turn on the VPN.
  2. In the Applications folder, double-click VMware Horizon Client.
  3. Click Continue to start the remote USB services, or click Cancel to use Horizon Client without the remote USB services.
    If you click Continue, you must provide system credentials. If you click Cancel, you can enable the remote USB services later.
    Note: The prompt to start the remote USB services appears the first time you start Horizon Client. It does not appear again, regardless of whether you click Cancel or Continue.
  4. Connect to a server.
    Option Description
    Connect to a new server

    Click the New Server icon on the Horizon Client Home window, enter the server name and port number (if necessary), and click Connect. An example of using a non-default port is view.company.com:1443.

    Connect to an existing server Double-click the server shortcut on the Horizon Client Home window.
  5. If you are prompted for RSA SecurID credentials or RADIUS authentication credentials, enter the credentials and click Login.
  6. If you are prompted for a user name and password, supply Active Directory credentials.
    1. Type the user name and password of a user who is entitled to use at least one desktop or application pool.
    2. Select a domain.
      If the Domain drop-down menu is hidden, you must type the user name as username@domain or domain\username.
    3. (Optional) Select the Remember this password check box if this feature is enabled and if the server certificate can be fully verified.
    4. (Optional) Select the Enable Touch ID check box to enable Touch ID authentication.
      If Touch ID is enabled and you are logging in for the first time, your Active Directory credentials are stored securely on your Mac for future use.
    5. Click Login.
      You might see a message that you must confirm before the login dialog box appears.
  7. If you are prompted for Touch ID authentication, place your finger on the Touch ID sensor.
  8. (Optional) If multiple display protocols are configured for a remote desktop, select the protocol to use.
    VMware Blast provides better battery life and is the best protocol for high-end 3D and mobile device users.
    Option Description
    Select a display protocol for a remote desktop Select the remote desktop name, press Control-click, and select the display protocol from the context menu.

    Alternatively, you can select Settings from the context menu and select the display protocol from the Connect Via drop-down menu in the Settings dialog box.

    Select a display protocol for a published application Select the published application name, press Control-click, select Settings from the context menu, and select the display protocol from the Preferred protocol drop-down menu in the Settings dialog box.
  9. Double-click a remote desktop or published application to connect to it.
    If you are connecting to a published desktop, and if the published desktop is already set to use a different display protocol, you are prompted to either use the protocol that is set or have the system log you off the remote operating system so that a connection can be made with the protocol that you selected.
    Note: If you are entitled to only one remote desktop on the server, Horizon Client connects to that remote desktop automatically.

Results

If a Horizon administrator has enabled the client drive redirection feature, the Sharing dialog box might appear. From the Sharing dialog box, you can allow or deny access to files on your local system. For more information, see Share Local Folders and Drives.

After you connect to a server for the first time, Horizon Client connects to that server automatically the next time you start Horizon Client. To disable this feature, see Connecting to a Server When Horizon Client Starts.

If Horizon Client cannot connect to the remote desktop or published application, perform the following tasks:

  • Verify that the certificate for the server is working properly. If it is not, in Horizon Console, you might also see that Horizon Agent on remote desktops is unreachable.
  • Verify that the tags set on the Connection Server instance allow connections from this user. See the Horizon Administration document.
  • Verify that the user is entitled to access the remote desktop or published application. For information about entitling users, see the Setting Up Virtual Desktops in Horizon or Setting Up Published Desktops and Applications in Horizon document.