Install a Replicated Instance of Horizon Connection Server Silently

You can use the silent installation feature of the Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) to install a replicated instance of Connection Server on several Windows computers. In a silent installation, you use the command line and do not have to respond to wizard prompts.

With silent installation, you can efficiently deploy VMware Horizon 8 components in a large enterprise.

Prerequisites

• Verify that at least one Connection Server instance is installed and configured on the network.
• To install the replicated instance, you must log in as a user with credentials to access the Administrators account. You specify the Administrators account when you install the first instance of Connection Server. The account can be the local Administrators group or a domain user or group account. See Install Horizon Connection Server with a New Configuration.
• If the existing Connection Server instance is in a different domain than the replicated instance, the domain user must also have Administrator privileges on the Windows Server computer where the existing instance is installed.
• Verify that your installation satisfies the requirements described in Horizon Connection Server Requirements.
• Verify that the computers on which you install replicated Connection Server instances are connected over a high-performance LAN. See Network Requirements for Replicated Horizon Connection Server Instances - Install Only.
• Prepare your environment for the installation. See Installation Prerequisites for Horizon Connection Server.
• Familiarize yourself with the network ports that must be opened on the Windows Firewall for Connection Server instances. See Firewall Rules for Horizon Connection Server.
• Familiarize yourself with the MSI installer command-line options. See Microsoft Windows Installer Command-Line Options.
• Familiarize yourself with the silent installation properties available with a replica installation of Connection Server. See Silent Installation Properties for a Replicated Instance of Horizon Connection Server.

Procedure

1. Download the Connection Server installer file from the VMware download site at https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/downloads.
   Under Desktop & End-User Computing, select the VMware Horizon download, which includes Connection Server.

   The installer filename is VMware-Horizon-Connection-Server-x86_64-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe, where xxxxxx is the build number and y.y.y is the version number.

2. Open a command prompt on the Windows Server computer.
3. Type the installation command on one line.
   For example: VMware-Horizon-Connection-Server-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn VDM_SERVER_INSTANCE_TYPE=2 ADAM_PRIMARY_NAME=cs1.companydomain.com VDM_INITIAL_ADMIN_SID=S-1-5-32-544"
   If you install a replicated Connection Server instance that is View 5.1 or later, and the existing Connection Server instance you are replicating is View 5.0. x or earlier, you must specify a data recovery password, and you can add a password reminder. For example: VMware-Horizon-Connection-Server-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn VDM_SERVER_INSTANCE_TYPE=2 ADAM_PRIMARY_NAME=cs1.companydomain.com VDM_INITIAL_ADMIN_SID=S-1-5-32-544 VDM_SERVER_RECOVERY_PWD=mini VDM_SERVER_RECOVERY_PWD_REMINDER=""First car"""
   Important: When you perform a silent installation, the full command line, including the data recovery password, is logged in the installer's vminst.log file. After the installation is complete, either delete this log file or change the data recovery password by using Horizon Console.
4. Check for new patches on the Windows Server computer and run Windows Update as needed.
   Even if you fully patched the Windows Server computer before you installed Connection Server, the installation might have enabled operating system features for the first time. Additional patches might now be required.

Results

The VMware Horizon services are installed on the Windows Server computer:

• VMware Horizon Connection Server
• VMware Horizon Framework Component
• VMware Horizon Message Bus Component
• VMware Horizon Script Host
• VMware Horizon Security Gateway Component
• VMware Horizon PCoIP Secure Gateway
• VMware Horizon Blast Secure Gateway
• VMware Horizon Web Component
• VMware VDMDS, which provides Horizon LDAP services

For information about these services, see the Horizon 8 Administration document.

If the Install HTML Access setting was selected during the installation, the HTML Access component is installed on the Windows Server computer. This component configures the HTML Access icon in the VMware Horizon user portal page and enables the VMware Horizon Connection Server (Blast-In) rule in the Windows Firewall. This firewall rule allows Web browsers on client devices to connect to the Connection Server on TCP port 8443.

What to do next

Configure an SSL server certificate for the Connection Server instance. See Configuring TLS Certificates for VMware Horizon 8 Servers.

You do not have to perform an initial VMware Horizon 8 configuration on a replicated instance of Connection Server. The replicated instance inherits its configuration from the existing Connection Server instance.

However, you might have to configure client connection settings for this Connection Server instance, and you can tune Windows Server settings to support a large deployment. See Configuring Horizon Client Connections and Sizing Windows Server Settings to Support Your Deployment.