This procedure describes upgrading Connection Server instances. For example, this procedure applies to Connection Servers that are configured for connections to clients that are inside the corporate firewall.

You do not need to reboot the Connection Server after the upgrade completes.

Note: This procedure describes an in-place upgrade. To migrate to a different machine, see Upgrade to the Latest Version of Connection Server on a Different Machine.

Prerequisites

  • Determine when to perform this procedure. Choose an available desktop maintenance window. The amount of time the upgrade takes depends on the number of Connection Server instances in the group. Budget 15 minutes to half an hour for each instance.
  • Familiarize yourself with the security-related requirements of VMware Horizon, and verify that these requirements are met. See Upgrade Requirements for Horizon Connection Server. You might need to obtain and install a CA-signed SSL server certificate that includes certificate revocation information, verify that Windows Firewall with Advanced Security is set to on, and configure any back-end firewalls to support IPsec.
  • Verify that the server on which vCenter Server is installed has a CA (certificate authority)-signed SSL server certificate installed and configured. After you upgrade Connection Server, if vCenter Server does not use a CA-signed certificate, the default self-signed certificate is shown as invalid in Horizon Console, and a message indicates that vCenter Server is unavailable.
  • Complete the tasks listed in Preparing Connection Server for an Upgrade.
  • Verify that you have a license that is valid for the new version.
  • Verify that you have a domain user account with administrative privileges on the hosts that you use to run the installer and perform the upgrade.
  • If you are unfamiliar with the vdmexport.exe utility, print the instructions for using it from the Horizon 8 Administration document. You will use this utility to back up the Horizon LDAP database as part of the upgrade procedure.

You do not need to make any changes to the configuration of existing load balancers.

Procedure

  1. If you are using a load balancer to manage a group of Connection Server instances, disable the server that hosts the Connection Server instance that you are about to upgrade.
    1. Log in to Horizon Console.
    2. Go to Settings > Servers and click the Connection Servers tab.
    3. Select the Connection Server instance in the list and click the Disable button above the table.
    4. To confirm disabling the server, click OK.
  2. On the host of the Connection Server instance, download and run the installer for the new version of 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. You do not need to stop any services before performing the upgrade. The installer stops and restarts services as necessary. In fact, the VMwareVDMDS service must be running to upgrade the Horizon LDAP database.
    The installer determines that an older version is already installed and performs an upgrade. The installer displays fewer installation options than during a fresh installation.

    The Horizon LDAP database is also upgraded.

    Note: Before performing the upgrade, the installer determines whether the server can communicate with the other servers in the replicated group and whether the server can fetch LDAP updates from the other servers in the group. If the status check fails, the upgrade does not proceed.
  3. Verify that the VMware Horizon Connection Server service restarts after the installer wizard closes.
  4. Log in to VMware Horizon and enable the Connection Server instance that you just upgraded.
    1. Go to Settings > Servers and click the Connection Servers tab.
    2. Select the Connection Server instance in the list and click the Enable button above the table.
    3. In the Version column, verify that the new version is displayed.
  5. Go to Settings > Product Licensing and Usage, click Edit License, enter the license key, and click OK.
  6. If you are using a load balancer for managing this Connection Server instance, enable the server that you just upgraded.
  7. Verify that you can log in to a remote desktop.
  8. To upgrade each Connection Server instance in the group, repeat the previous steps.
    Important: If you do not upgrade all Connection Server instances in a replicated group, the health indicators in the Horizon Console dashboard might show that one or more instances are in an error state. This situation arises because different versions supply different kinds of data. The solution is to upgrade all instances in the replicated group.
  9. Use the vdmexport.exe utility to back up the newly upgraded Horizon LDAP database.
    If you have multiple instances of Connection Server in a replicated group, you need only export the data from one instance.
  10. Log in to and examine the Horizon Console to verify that the vCenter Server icon is green.
    If the icon is red, and an Invalid Certificate Detected dialog box appears, click Verify and accept the thumbprint of the untrusted certificate, or install a valid CA-signed SSL certificate.

    For information about replacing the default certificate for vCenter Server, see the VMware vSphere Examples and Scenarios document.

  11. Verify that the dashboard icons for the connection server instances are also are green.
    If any instances have red icons, click the instance to determine the replication status. Replication might be impaired for any of the following reasons:
    • A firewall might be blocking communication
    • The VMware VDMDS service might be stopped on a Connection Server instance
    • The VMware VDMS DSA options might be blocking the replications
    • A network problem has occurred

What to do next

To use a default or self-signed certificate from vCenter Server, see Accept the Thumbprint of a Default TLS Certificate.

If the upgrade fails on one or more of the Connection Server instances, see Create a Replicated Group After Reverting Connection Server to a Snapshot.

Important: If you plan to use enhanced message security mode for JMS messages, make sure that firewalls allow Connection Server instances to receive incoming JMS traffic on port 4002 from desktops. Also open port 4101 to accept connections from other Connection Server instances.

If you ever reinstall Connection Server on a server that has a data collector set configured to monitor performance data, stop the data collector set and start it again.