The past few weeks I’ve been trying to setup a VMware View lab. Time after time I received the same error. The Connection server reported, “Waiting for agent” in the Global desktop and pool view / Desktop Sources tab. This error was caused by the DHCP server running on my internet router.
Finally, after reading the install guide I decided to create a dedicated AD,DHCP and DNS server for the View desktops. VMware View has several requirements in the way Active Directory must be configured:
• An Active Directory integrated dynamic DNS
• A reverse lookup zone
• An integrated DHCP server
• All virtual desktops must be members of the domain.
• The VDM Connection Server must be a member of the domain.
I created an internal only switch and connected the Connection server, the VDI Desktops and the one virtual NIC of the vCenter server. The error disappeared and I’m able to log on to my virtual desktops.
Lessons learned:
• VMware View requires Active Directory.
• Best practice: Assign a separate domain (or at least a separate OU) for a VDM environment.
• Best practice: Install your domain controller / DNS server / DHCP server inside a virtual machine.
• Configure DNS with a reverse lookup zone.
• Configure DHCP to automatically register computers and PTR records.
