By Tina de Benedictis, Technical Marketing Manager, Enterprise Desktop, End-User Computing, VMware
Do your virtual desktop users need to disconnect from the network, travel with their laptops, and use their virtual desktops offline? Or do you have a bring-your-own-computer (BYOC) program and want to install a corporate virtual desktop on users’ computers? VMware View Client with Local Mode is the answer for these user scenarios.
This blog post is about the clever workings of VMware View Client with Local Mode. This kind of information fascinates me, and if it fascinates you, read on.
View Client with Local Mode allows the user to check out their virtual desktop to run on their local Windows physical computer while disconnected from the network. The user accesses their same View virtual desktop whether they are connected to the network or not.
Required: View Transfer Server and a Transfer Server repository
If you wish to run endpoint devices in Local Mode, you must install View Transfer Server. View Transfer Server is an optional component of the View Connection Server and is required for check-in, check-out, and replication of desktops that run in Local Mode.
You also create a network file share as the Transfer Server repository for the View Composer base images for linked-clone desktops run in Local Mode; for example, \\Transfer\ImageRepository.
Details on the operation of View Client with Local Mode
In order for a user with View Client with Local Mode to request an offline desktop, they must first open their online desktop.
The following diagram illustrates the request for this online desktop.
- View Client with Local Mode requests the opening of its online desktop through View Security Server and View Connection Server. The View Connection Server requests the online desktop from vSphere.
- VMware vSphere returns the online desktop to the View Connection Server, which sends it to the View Client.
For further details on the steps of this diagram, see the VMware Knowledge Base article VMware View Client with Local Mode: How it works.
After the View Client with Local Mode opens the online desktop, the user can request from the menu items a check-out of the offline desktop. The following diagram illustrates the request for a check-out of this offline desktop.
- View Client with Local Mode requests a check-out of the offline desktop. The View Connection Server asks the View Transfer Server to mount the shared storage in vSphere, which contains the desktop.
- VMware vSphere sends the address of the shared storage to the View Transfer Server, which sends the address on to the View Client with Local Mode.
- The View Client with Local Mode requests the offline desktop by address.
- The offline desktop is sent to the View Client through the View Transfer Server.
For further details on the steps in this diagram of the check-out process, see the VMware Knowledge Base article VMware View Client with Local Mode: How it works.
For more information about View Client with Local Mode, and for a hands-on exercise to give you practice using Local Mode, see the VMware View Evaluator’s Guide. Search for Local Mode.
