VMware Horizon FLEX

Horizon FLEX is corporate solution for creation and management of local virtual desktops on the Windows platform for employee groups.

2016: VMware Horizon Flex 1.9

On September 27, 2016 the VMware company announced a release of the version of the product VMware Horizon Flex 1.9.

The FLEX technology is intended for start of virtual VMware Horizon View PCs locally, without communication with the data-center of the company. At the same time they are protected by the politicians appointed from FLEX Policy Server.

Possibilities of VMware Horizon Flex 1.9

• MAC Address Assignment - can set now the range of the MAC addresses for the FLEX server. After the machine becomes available to the server, it will appoint by it the MAC address the set range^[1].
• Network Policy - can specify other policy in settings of the network adapter. The administrator can appoint to bridged connection (separate IP for the virtual machine), NAT (network address translation - the general IP with a hostovy system) or to block connection. It is also possible to permit the user to change this setup.
• Virtual Router Isolation - for users who sit on the router managed by the company can limit connection of the virtual machine with the router, without selection of the IP address.
• Remote machines can use a full support now Windows 10 and also purchase possibilities of clients which are announced in VMware Fusion Pro 8.5 and VMware Workstation Pro 12.5.

The VMware Flex 1.9 application is available to loading.

2015: There was Horizon FLEX of version 1.6

On September 18, 2015 the VMware company announced an exit of Horizon FLEX of version 1.6. FLEX^[2].

The main opportunities of this version - readiness to Apple OS X El Capitan both support Windows 10 and Cortana.

Screenshot of the software window, 2015

The list of the added functions as a part of VMware Horizon FLEX 1.6:

• Use of the latests version of VMware Workstation and VMware Fusion as clients.
• Support Microsoft Windows 10: as hostovy OS, and as guest OS.
• Support of Microsoft DirectX 10 and OpenGL 3.3 for guest OS. For DirectX performance gain up to 10 times, for OpenGL for 65% is promised.
• In the virtual machine there can be about 16 vCPU, 64 GB of RAM, up to 8 TB disk spaces and up to 2 GB of video memory.
• New machines stop and brought out of the suspend mode 3 times faster, became VoIP-calls through Skype and Lync it is better.
• Support of USB 3.0 devices for virtual machines with Windows 7 (with the last USB driver from Intel).
• Possibility of adding of incremental number to a name of the virtual machine in the Active Directory. It allows the user to load several copies of the virtual machine, at the same time each of them will be attached to the domain AD. It is especially useful for developers.
• Support of URL of the virtual machine for purpose of the rights that allows several AD groups to have several websites for loading of machines.

2014

VMware Mirage 5.2

VMware Mirage is intended for creation of an image of user workstation, separating it into layers (the system, applications, data, settings of the user), and centralized operation such images, developing them on physical and virtual PCs.

Scheme of interaction VMware Mirage

On December 14, 2014 the VMware company updated the version of the solution VMware Mirage up to 5.2.

New opportunities of VMware Mirage 5.2

• Mirage can be used with FLEX virtual machines (local VM), to manage the images of OS given users and applications, on a centralized basis from the Mirage console.

• Support of POS devices (point of sale or in a different way point of service). In Mirage 5.2 migration of Windows Embedded POS on POSReady2009 is supported.

• Administrators can specify disk devices, including not system, for use of the branch reflector cache component. The new processor of an event of CVD notifies the administrator when this cache becomes unavailable.

• Full support of VSS in Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 that does transactions of loading of components of the user environment by more effective.

• Administrators can use cmdlets of Mirage PowerCLI in Microsoft PowerShell.

• The functionality of web reports is improved:
  • Export of reports in the XLS form.
  • Possibility of the indication of time of generation of the report and range of time for data sampling.
  • Renaming of report templates.
  • Removal of the report template does not lead to removal of the reports created on its basis.
  • B submission of report templates is shown an interval of the planned start and a report type icon.

• Administrators can replace manually the IP address for the Mirage Gateway server via the Mirage Management console.

Loading of VMware Mirage 5.2 is possible according to the link.

VMware Horizon FLEX

On October 14, 2014 the VMware company announced a solution portfolio for virtualization of desktops and applications as a part of which Horizon FLEX expanding possibilities of use of mobile devices within the concept of Bring Your Own Device and Mac computers in corporate environment, using local virtual desktops.

The C use of this software IT specialists have an opportunity - to provide to users of Mac, contract and distant employees access to safe desktops at small costs, without prejudice to security or compliance to corporate requirements. Such approach will reduce costs for IT training and support, will quickly ensure functioning of users of Mac or the PC, even at disconnection from network.

VMware Horizon FLEX provides:

• Flexibility of implementation — the Standardized virtual workstations for PC users and Mac can be created for customers, contractors and remote workers at the expense of resources of corporate network or locally on an USB disk.

• The centralized control — Centralized operation based on the politician allows to create safer environments of virtual workstations, helping to protect data, configurations and virtual disks. Function of control of devices allows to permit or prohibit use of peripheral devices. Control of validity period gives to IT department the chance of access restriction and remote folding of virtual workstations in case of theft, termination of work or mismatch of the device to corporate requirements.

• The unified management of images — Virtual workstations can be controlled as a set of the logical layers belonging to IT department of the company or the end user. Dynamic layers for management of a desktop and applications based on VMware Mirage technologies allow IT departments to update easily these layers, saving files and personal settings of end users.

• Cost reduction is the Concept of use of the PCs (Bring Your Own PC — BYOPC) and support of Mac become possible within corporate environment without support of these systems, as such. It can reduce the needs for training as will allow employees to use systems at the choice and at once to provide service to new workers, excepting need of transfer of the real notebook.

• The compatibility with AirWatch — Use of a management system of AirWatch OS X does possible providing and device management with Mac OS X, including the VMware Fusion configurations and also installation of containers of workstations and applications.

VMware Horizon FLEX will allow customers to select between three different options of support of workstations and applications from one vendor for the solution of their specific tasks.

• VMware Horizon FLEX is Local solution with the centralized control functions which allows to provide quickly virtual Windows workstations to users of Mac and the PC. Thus, the companies can apply BYOPC, without losing in security and control.

• VMware Horizon 6 is the Solution for a data processing center which provides a possibility of the publication of applications and virtual workstations through the single integrated platform. It allows IT departments to change the principles of management of applications and Windows workstations.

• VMware Horizon Air is the Cloud solution which provides profitable creation of virtual workstations of the corporate level, giving to customers the chance to combine public and private workstations from a cloud for creation of a continuous working environment for users.

VMware Horizon FLEX is not some separate product, it is a mixed technology based on three solutions:

• Horizon FLEX Policy Server is the central server of control of virtual PCs, it is responsible for appointment the politician and management with them.
• Horizon FLEX Clients are jobs of users with set on them to Fusion Pro or Player Pro (i.e., products already familiar to you). Before use of the solution the user downloads the virtual machine entirely from the server then can work with it locally.
• Mirage for Horizon FLEX is a product for management of components of a virtual desktop (a system, applications, data).

On the FLEX Policy Server server the administrator of the data-center appoints to the virtual machine of policy, such as term of use of this PC, availability of USB devices, means of exchanging from hostovy OS and another. In this sense the product is similar to the solution of VMware of ACE (if here who still remembers it).

Typical circuit of workflow of the administrator of Horizon FLEX:

Typical circuit of workflow of the user of VMware Horizon Flex:

Notes