Client devices that use a smart card for user authentication must meet certain requirements.

Client Hardware and Software Requirements

Each client device that uses a smart card for user authentication must have the following hardware and software.

  • Horizon Client
  • Smart cards and smart card readers that use a PKCS#11 or Microsoft CNG API/CryptoAPI provider.
  • Product-specific application drivers

Users that authenticate with smart cards must have a smart card or USB smart card token, and each smart card must contain a user certificate.

Before issuing a certificate, you must create the certificate template. You must select either Key Storage Provider or Legacy Cryptographic Service Provider.

To create a KSP certificate template, select Windows Server 2008 or later for the Certification Authority on the Compatibility tab and select Key Storage Provider on the Cryptography tab.

If you are using a KSP certificate template to issue the certificate, for the CSP specified in the certificate issuing template, select Microsoft Smart Card Key Storage Provider or a third-party smart card KSP that supports RSA with SHA-256 algorithms. If you are using a legacy CSP certificate template, select Microsoft Base Smart Card Crypto Provider or a third-party smart card CSP that supports RSA with SHA-256 algorithms.

Smart Card Enrollment Requirements

To install certificates on a smart card, an administrator must set up a computer to act as an enrollment station. This computer must have the authority to issue smart card certificates for users, and it must be a member of the domain for which you are issuing certificates.

When you enroll a smart card, you can select the key size of the resulting certificate. To use smart cards with local desktops, you must select a 1024-bit or 2048-bit key size when you enroll the smart card. Certificates that have 512-bit keys are not supported.

The Microsoft TechNet website includes detailed information about planning and implementing smart card authentication for Windows systems.

Remote Desktop and Published Application Software Requirements

An administrator must install product-specific application drivers on the virtual desktops or RDS host.

Activating the User Name Hint Text Box in Horizon Client

In some environments, smart card users can use a single smart card certificate to authenticate to multiple user accounts. Users enter their user name in the Username hint text box when they sign in with a smart card.

(VMware Horizon 8 deployments) To make the Username hint text box appear on the Horizon Client login dialog box, you must activate the smart card user name hints feature in Connection Server. For information about activating the smart card user name hints feature, see the Horizon Administration document.

If your environment uses a Unified Access Gateway appliance for secure external access, you must configure the Unified Access Gateway appliance to support the smart card user name hints feature. The smart card user name hints feature is supported only with Unified Access Gateway 2.7.2 and later. For information about activating the smart card user name hints feature in Unified Access Gateway, see the Deploying and Configuring VMware Unified Access Gateway document.

Horizon Client continues to support single-account smart card certificates even when the smart card user name hints feature is activated.

Additional Smart Card Authentication Requirements

In addition to meeting the smart card requirements for Horizon Client systems, other Horizon 8 components must meet certain configuration requirements to support smart cards.

Connection Server and security server hosts
For Horizon 8 deployments, an administrator must add all applicable Certificate Authority (CA) certificate chains for all trusted user certificates to a server truststore file on the Connection Server host or, if a security server is used, on the security server host. These certificate chains include root certificates and, if an intermediate certificate authority issues the user's smart card certificate, must also include intermediate certificates.

For information about configuring Connection Server to support smart card use, see the Horizon Administration document.

Unified Access Gateway appliances
For information about configuring smart card authentication on a Unified Access Gateway appliance, see the Deploying and Configuring VMware Unified Access Gateway document.
Active Directory
For information about tasks that an administrator might need to perform in Active Directory to implement smart card authentication for a Horizon 8 deployment, see the Horizon Administration document.