Administration

Table Of Contents
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If smart card users use the PCoIP protocol to connect to single-session desktops, verify that the View
Agent PCoIP Smartcard feature is installed on the single-user machines. The PCoIP Smartcard feature
lets users log in to single-session desktops with smart cards using the PCoIP protocol. RDS hosts, which
have the Remote Desktop Services role installed, support the PCoIP Smartcard feature automatically
and you do not need to install the feature.
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Check the log files in drive:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VDM\logs
on the View Connection Server or security server host for messages stating that smart card
authentication is enabled.
Using SAML Authentication
The Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is an XML-based standard that is used to describe and
exchange authentication and authorization information between different security domains. SAML passes
information about users between identity providers and service providers in XML documents called SAML
assertions.
You can use SAML authentication to integrate VMware Workspace Portal with View or to integrate third-
party load balancers or gateways with View. When SSO is enabled, users who log in to Workspace Portal or
a third-party device can launch remote desktops and applications without having to go through a second
login procedure. You can also use SAML authentication to implement smart card authentication on third-
party devices.
To delegate responsibility for authentication to Workspace Portal or a third-party device, you must create a
SAML authenticator in View. A SAML authenticator contains the trust and metadata exchange between
View and Workspace Portal or View and the third-party device. You associate a SAML authenticator with a
View Connection Server instance.
Using SAML Authentication for Workspace Portal Integration
The Workspace Portal and View integration implementation uses the SAML 2.0 standard to establish
mutual trust, which is essential for single sign-on (SSO) functionality. When SSO is enabled, users who log
in to Workspace Portal with Active Directory credentials can launch remote desktops and applications
without having to go through a second login procedure.
When Workspace Portal and View are integrated, Workspace Portal Manager generates a unique SAML
artifact whenever a user logs in to Workspace Portal and clicks a desktop or application icon.
Workspace Portal Manager uses this SAML artifact to create a Universal Resource Identifier (URI). The URI
contains information about the View Connection Server instance where the desktop or application pool
resides, which desktop or application to launch, and the SAML artifact.
Workspace Portal Manager sends the SAML artifact to the Horizon client through Workspace Portal, which
in turn sends the artifact to the View Connection Server instance. The View Connection Server instance uses
the SAML artifact to retrieve the SAML assertion from Workspace Portal Manager through
Workspace Portal.
After a View Connection Server instance receives a SAML assertion, it validates the assertion, decrypts the
user's password, and uses the decrypted password to launch the desktop or application.
Setting up Workspace Portal and View integration involves configuring Workspace Portal with View
information and configuring View to delegate responsibility for authentication to Workspace Portal.
Chapter 3 Setting Up Authentication
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