The VMware Enhanced Authentication Plug-in provides Integrated Windows Authentication and Windows-based smart card functionality.

In this vSphere 6.5 release, the VMware Enhanced Authentication Plug-in replaces the Client Integration Plug-in from vSphere 6.0 releases and earlier. The Enhanced Authentication Plug-in provides Integrated Windows Authentication and Windows-based smart card functionality. These are the only two features carried over from the previous Client Integration Plug-in. The Enhanced Authentication Plug-in can function seamlessly if you already have the Client Integration Plug-in installed on your system from vSphere 6.0 or earlier. There are no conflicts if both plug-ins are installed.

Watch the video "vSphere Web Client after the Client Integration Plug-in Removal" for more information about the workflow changes to the vSphere Client:

Install the plug-in only once to enable all the functionality the plug-in delivers.

If you install the plug-in from an Internet Explorer browser, you must first disable Protected Mode and enable pop-up windows on your Web browser. Internet Explorer identifies the plug-in as being on the Internet instead of on the local intranet. In such cases, the plug-in is not installed correctly because Protected Mode is enabled for the Internet.

For information about supported browsers and operating systems, see the vSphere Installation and Setup documentation.

Prerequisites

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, disable Protected Mode.

Procedure

  1. Open a Web browser and type the URL for the vSphere Web Client.
  2. At the bottom of the vSphere Web Client login page, click Download Enhanced Authentication Plug-in.
  3. If the browser blocks the installation either by issuing certificate errors or by running a pop-up blocker, follow the Help instructions for your browser to resolve the problem.
  4. Save the plug-in to your computer, and run the executable.
  5. Step through the installation wizard for both the VMware Enhanced Authentication Plug-in and the VMware Plug-in Service which are run in succession.
  6. When the installations are complete, refresh your browser.
  7. On the External Protocol Request dialog box, click Launch Application to run the Enhanced Authentication Plug-in.
    The link to download the plug-in disappears from the login page.