Download Client Integration Plugin for Webclient
Sometimes I get asked, where can I download the client integration plugin for Firefox or Internet Explorer? The simple answer is that it is on your vCenter server. However, let’s answer some questions first;
Why do I need the Client Integration plug in?
You can do many tasks in the VMware Web Client without the plugin installed. There are a few things that you cannot do – and these include;
- Deploy an OVF or OVA template. This includes things like deploying the vCenter Appliance, vShield Manager, vSphere Replication, vSphere Data Protection (VDP) etc.
- View the console of a virtual machine (that is, get to the keyboard, mouse and screen that is virtually connected to a virtual machine)
- Anything that involves the Web Client accessing local resources – such as mapping a local USB or CD/DVD device to a virtual machine, uploading files to a datastore etc.
So, it is a good idea to install the plugin in advance.
Installing the VMware Client Integration tools
When you install the tools, it will require that your web browser is closed and restarted. You only need to install the component once, and it will update all supported browsers. According to the documentation, Internet Explorer needs to have Protected Mode disabled because of a problem with IE interpreting the plugin as being based on the Internet instead of being on the local network. You should also enable pop-ups for your Web Client site so that new windows open correctly (such as a console).
Known problems with the webclient and Windows Server 2012
Unfortunately, the 5.5 web client uses Flash. If you try to download and install Flash on Windows Server 2012, you will get stuck in a loop where it thinks it is not installed. It’s actually pre-installed on Windows Server 2012, but not activated. To solve this, you need to activate the Windows Server 2012 feature called “Desktop Experience” from within “User Interface and Infrastructure”. You can do this with the Add/Remove Features wizard, or run the following PowerShell commands;
import-module ServerManagerAdd-WindowsFeature -name Desktop-Experience,qWave -IncludeAllSubFeature -IncludeManagementTools
It’s all in http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2054049
