VMware Horizon Cloud

What’s New in Horizon Cloud Connector 1.8 Release

Horizon Cloud Connector 1.8 release not only has many enhancements, but also provides more flexibility to customers. Customers can now choose the resource utilization based on the cloud features they plan to use. 

Deployment Profiles

Previous releases of Cloud Connector required resources (vCPU, RAM) to support all features of the VMware Horizon hybrid solution. These features include: 

• Subscription License 

• Connection Server Monitoring 

• Image Management 

• Universal Brokering 

However, some customers wanted to start with only the ‘Subscription License feature. That’s why in the latest version of Cloud Connectorwe are launching two deployment profiles, which will address this requirement. Customers can now decide if they are planning to use all features or only the Subscription License feature.  

Starting with Cloud Connector 1.8, customers will have the option to select an appropriate deployment profile – Basicor Full,  based on their plan to use one or more of the cloud features for Horizon on-prem. Based on this choice, appropriate amounts of vCPU & RAM will be allocated. 

Picture: Profile options during deployment

Basic Feature

The ‘Basic Feature profile is for customers planning to use Horizon Cloud Connector primarily for the ‘Subscription License’ feature.   

Features supported with Basic Feature profile include: 

• Subscription License 

• Auto upgrade 

• Health Status 

• Horizon Admin Console 

During deployment, customers can start with a smaller footprint deployment in terms of vCPU and Memory. This profile requires only 4vCPUs and 6GB RAM to start with. Customers can upgrade to the Full Feature to use additional cloud features with manual steps in the future.  

Full Feature

Customers can select the Full Feature profile to enable all supported Horizon cloud features in the Cloud Connector. This profile requires 8vCPUs and 8GB RAM. We recommend customers start with this profile if they have plans to use one or more cloud features for Horizon on-prem other than ‘Subscription License.

Additional features supported with Full Feature profile include: 

• Connection Server Monitoring 

• Image Management 

• Universal Brokering 

Auto upgrade, Health Status and Horizon Admin Console are included in both profiles. 

Support for Microsoft Azure VMware Solution

Subscription License feature can be enabled for ‘Azure VMware Solution’ by installing compatible Cloud Connector version. Cloud Connector 1.8 version supports Subscription License feature for VMware Horizon deployments on Azure VMware Solution.  Read more about Horizon and Azure VMware solutions here. 

Automated Upgrade Enhancements & Optimizations

There are multiple enhancements made to the automated upgrade of Horizon Cloud Connector for increased resiliency. Upgrades will honor ‘Basic Feature’ as well as ‘Full Feature’ profile appliance upgrades from 1.8 to future releases automatically. 

Versions 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7 will be automatically upgraded to 1.8. 

Health Reporting Enhancements

Cloud Connector Health in the view-onboarding console and the Horizon Admin console show if each service component is enabled in the Cloud Connector. Disabled service components will be shown as ‘Not Configured.’ The status of vCenter Connectivity is useful for administrators to understand if there is any connectivity issue with vCenter configured for automated upgrades of Cloud Connector. 

Picture: Health Status of appliance deployed with ‘Basic Feature’ option

Resources 

VMware Horizon 7 Cloud Connector Documentation 

VMware Horizon Now Runs on Microsoft Azure VMware Solution!