VMware Horizon Monitoring
Operational and User Experience Monitoring for VMware Horizon
The IT pros who work with the VMware Horizon infrastructure know it can be a technology beast. A Horizon enterprise network topology has over 100 ports, dozens of virtual systems, and a deep integration with the company’s AD. Besides this, a correct permission concept must be followed to ensure secure operations of the VDI system.
At the heart of the architecture, we find the Horizon Connection Server. This is where we start the monitoring journey for VMware Horizon.
What is VMware?
VMware Horizon is a virtualization solution (VDI) that provides desktops and applications to endpoints running Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Chrome, and Android operating systems. Its importance stands out even more today, as a substantial portion of the workforce operates remotely. Whether you are a system administrator or a food delivery professional, seamless access to the essential applications and desktop environments that facilitate your tasks is imperative. Moreover, this access must be ensured with robust security measures in place.
End-to-End VMware Horizon Monitoring
The NiCE VMware Horizon Management Pack for Microsoft SCOM offers all critical functions for easy and efficient end-to-end VMware Horizon monitoring from a single source.
1.) Clear and precise performance indicators
2.) Single pane of glass view of your systems
3.) Timely alerts
4.) Pinpoint problem identification
5.) In-depth reporting
6.) Alert correlation
Better VMware Horizon performance monitoring
More performance, more availability, more transparency: Discover the most critical advantages extended VMware Horizon monitoring offers with the NiCE VMware Horizon Management Pack for Microsoft SCOM.
Identify problems faster
Integrated functions such as SCOM “Diagnostic Tasks” enable efficient troubleshooting. You increase productivity and avoid costly downtime by identifying and resolving problems faster.
Seamless SCOM Integration
Simply solve problems yourself: Thanks to the sophisticated integration into Microsoft System Center Operations Manager, installing or configuring additional server proxies or connectors is unnecessary.
Use native SCOM functions
The NiCE VMware Horizon Management Pack builds on the Microsoft System Center architecture and follows the best practice of using VMware’s REST-based API and Microsoft agents for monitoring. This means that no additional software must be installed on the VMware Horizon systems.
Optimize VMware Horizon environments
Optimizing your VMware Horizon environments has never been easy. Using SCOM as a central console helps you to see the health of the environment in all aspects. This includes key Horizon components such as the domain controller, underlying operations systems, connected databases, DNS servers, and more.
Main VMware Horizon Monitoring Features | Part 1
Due to its wide range of built-in monitoring capabilities, Microsoft SCOM administrators can depend on ongoing, real-time monitoring. This ensures the highest level of performance and availability for their VMware Horizon setups. With the addition of the NiCE VMware Horizon Management Pack, administrators can gain insights beyond just the virtualization layer. This Management Pack reveals the impact of configurations across all application components and user experiences.
Monitoring Active Directory (AD) integration and connectivity
Monitoring Active Directory (AD) integration and connectivity is crucial for ensuring the smooth operation of VMware Horizon environments, as Active Directory serves as a central component for user authentication, authorization, and management within these environments. Here are some key points to consider when monitoring AD integration and connectivity for VMware Horizon:
Authentication and Authorization:
Active Directory authenticates users and authorizes their access to resources in the VMware Horizon environment. Monitoring AD’s authentication services ensures users can log in successfully and access their authorized resources.
Group Policy Updates:
Group policies managed through AD can affect user experience and access rights within VMware Horizon. Monitoring the application and consistency of these policies helps maintain a consistent user experience.
User Profile Management:
VMware Horizon relies on AD user profiles for maintaining user settings and configurations across virtual desktop sessions. Monitoring AD integration ensures that user profiles are correctly loaded and applied, preventing issues with personalized settings.
DNS and Name Resolution:
Proper DNS configuration and name resolution are essential for communication between VMware Horizon components and AD servers. Monitoring DNS health helps prevent connectivity problems that could impact user access.
LDAP Connectivity:
VMware Horizon uses LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) to interact with AD for user authentication and directory lookups. Monitoring LDAP connectivity ensures that the communication between Horizon and AD remains reliable.
Certificate Validity:
Certificates play a role in securing communications between VMware Horizon and AD. Monitoring certificate validity and renewal helps prevent potential security vulnerabilities.
Service Availability:
Monitoring the availability of AD services ensures that VMware Horizon can consistently communicate with AD servers. This prevents disruptions in user access and management.
Event Logs and Alerts:
Monitoring AD-related event logs and setting up alerts for specific events can provide insights into any issues affecting AD integration. This proactive approach helps identify and resolve problems quickly.
Replication and Redundancy:
In environments with multiple AD servers, monitoring AD replication and redundancy ensures high availability and fault tolerance. This is important for maintaining a resilient VMware Horizon environment.
Performance Metrics:
Monitoring AD performance metrics, such as response times and resource utilization, can help identify bottlenecks or performance degradation that might impact VMware Horizon’s operation.
To effectively monitor AD integration and connectivity for VMware Horizon, consider using monitoring tools that provide real-time insights into the health and performance of both AD and VMware Horizon components. By ensuring that Active Directory remains stable and responsive, you contribute to your VMware Horizon environment’s overall reliability and user experience.
Ensuring VMware Horizon certificates are valid and generate an alert before expiration
Ensuring that VMware Horizon certificates are valid and generating alerts before their expiration is crucial for maintaining the security and smooth operation of your Horizon environment. Certificates encrypt communications between different components and expired or invalid certificates can lead to security vulnerabilities and service disruptions.
By implementing a comprehensive strategy for certificate management, monitoring, and alerting, you can ensure that your VMware Horizon environment remains secure and operational while minimizing the risk of certificate-related issues.
Alert on failed VMware Horizon login attempts on the administrator page
Setting up alerts for failed VMware Horizon login attempts on the administrator page is a proactive security measure that helps you detect and respond to potential unauthorized access attempts. Monitoring and alerting on these failed login attempts can provide valuable insights into potential security threats and allow you to take appropriate action.
By setting up alerts for failed VMware Horizon login attempts on the administrator page, you can enhance the security of your environment and respond quickly to potential threats. Regular monitoring and alerting contribute to a proactive security posture and reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
Alerting on a failed start of a Horizon Agent or when the agent is offline
Alerting on a failed start of a VMware Horizon Agent or when the agent is offline is essential for maintaining the availability and performance of your virtual desktop infrastructure. Detecting and responding to agent failures promptly can help minimize user disruptions and ensure a smooth user experience.
By establishing robust monitoring and alerting procedures for Horizon Agents, you can promptly address issues, minimize user impact, and ensure the reliability of your virtual desktop environment. Regular monitoring and proactive responses contribute to a stable and efficient infrastructure.
VMware Horizon details and alerts on sessions that timed out
Providing VMware Horizon details and alerts on timed out sessions is important for maintaining a smooth and satisfactory user experience within your virtual desktop infrastructure. Timed-out sessions can disrupt user productivity and indicate potential issues within your Horizon environment.
By effectively monitoring and alerting on sessions that have timed out, you can provide a more seamless user experience and address potential issues before they lead to productivity losses. This proactive approach contributes to a more stable and efficient VMware Horizon environment.
Ensuring the functionality of the Horizon EventDB and alerting in case of error
Ensuring the functionality of the Horizon Event Database (EventDB) and setting up alerting in case of errors is crucial for maintaining the reliability, performance, and security of your VMware Horizon environment. The EventDB stores important event and log data, which is essential for troubleshooting, monitoring, and auditing purposes.
By following these steps, you can proactively manage Horizon EventDB’s health and functionality, reducing the risk of downtime and ensuring that critical event and log data is available for analysis and troubleshooting.
Main VMware Horizon Monitoring Features | Part 2
VMware Horizon License Monitoring
VMware Horizon license monitoring tracks and manages the licenses used within your environment. This involves keeping track of license usage, ensuring compliance with licensing agreements, optimizing license allocation, and being aware of license expiration dates.
Effective VMware Horizon license monitoring helps you manage your virtual desktop environment efficiently, remain compliant with licensing terms, and prevent unexpected disruptions due to license-related issues.
Monitoring the correct functionality of the VMware Horizon Connection Service
Monitoring the correct functionality of the VMware Horizon Connection Server is essential for maintaining a stable and reliable virtual desktop infrastructure. The Connection Server is a crucial component that manages user authentication, session brokering, and the overall user experience within the Horizon environment.
By continuously monitoring the correct functionality of the VMware Horizon Connection Servers, you can identify and address issues promptly, minimize user disruptions, and maintain a high-quality user experience in your virtual desktop environment.
Tracking security-relevant events from the VMware Horizon EventDB
Tracking security-relevant events from the VMware Horizon Event Database (EventDB) is crucial for maintaining the security and compliance of your virtual desktop infrastructure. The EventDB stores a record of various events and activities within your Horizon environment, which can include authentication attempts, configuration changes, and other security-related activities.
By tracking security-relevant events from the VMware Horizon EventDB, you can proactively detect and respond to potential security threats, safeguarding the integrity of your virtual desktop infrastructure and protecting sensitive data.
Alerting on VMware Horizon machines that cannot be assigned
Alerting on VMware Horizon machines that cannot be assigned is vital for maintaining an efficient and responsive virtual desktop infrastructure. This situation might arise due to resource shortages, misconfigurations, or other issues preventing users from accessing their virtual machines.
By monitoring and alerting on VMware Horizon machines that cannot be assigned, you can proactively address resource shortages, configuration problems, and other issues that could impact user access to virtual desktops and applications. This contributes to a smoother user experience and improved infrastructure performance.
Alerting on VMware Horizon overladed pool “no machines are available to be assigned to the user”
Alerting on an overloaded VMware Horizon pool when “no machines are available to be assigned to the user” is essential for preventing user disruptions and maintaining a responsive virtual desktop environment. This situation can occur when more users request access to a pool than available virtual machines.
By setting up effective alerting for overloaded VMware Horizon pools, you can proactively address situations where no machines can be assigned to users. This ensures a smoother user experience, reduces potential downtime, and allows you to take action to scale your environment appropriately.
NiCE IT Management Solutions is a long-term Microsoft Business Partner with Gold status for Application Development and Datacenter.