VMware ACE

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Setting Policies for VMware ACE

To set policies for VMware ACE, click the + sign beside VMware ACE policies to show the categories of settings, then edit the settings as described below.

Hot Fix Policy

Select Hot fix to specify that users are allowed to request hot fixes for specific problems.

If you enable the hot fix feature, end users can easily request help to resolve the following problems:

Lost or forgotten password
Note: If you want to be able to use a hot fix to reset an end user's password for encrypted virtual machines, you must enable recovery for each virtual machine. For details, see Setting Authentication Policies.
Expired VMware ACE environment
Copy protected VMware ACE environment run from a new location

It is also easy for you to respond to their requests.

To enable the hot fix feature, select Allow users to request a hot fix.

The hot fix request is a file that the end user must submit to an administrator for action. After enabling the hot fix feature, you must select the preferred way for the end user to submit the hot fix request. Choose one of the following:

Use email to submit hot fix request — The Hot Fix Request Wizard on the end user's computer attempts to use a MAPI email client on the host operating system to send the hot fix request as an attachment to an email message. The message uses the email address and subject line that you specify here.
Save the request to a file — The end user saves the script, then must submit it to an administrator manually.

The end user sees any submission instructions you enter in the field labeled Specify instructions for users to submit the request.

If you choose email and the automatic submission fails, the Hot Fix Request Wizard gives the end user an opportunity to save the hot fix request as a file. The end user must then send the file to an administrator manually.

For details on responding to hot fix requests, see Responding to Hot Fix Requests.

For details on how the end user interacts with the Hot Fix Request Wizard, see Requesting a Hot Fix.

Administrator Access Policy

Select Administrator access to set an administrator password so you can run the virtual machine in a special troubleshooting application on the end user's computer and make changes to the virtual machine's configuration.

Select Enable administrator access if you want to enable this function, then enter and confirm the password to be used for administrator access on the end user's computer. For more information, see Using Administrator Access on the End User's Computer.

Troubleshooting Policies

Select Troubleshooting to specify which items appear under Troubleshooting on the VMware ACE menu.

Under Power commands, you may select Enable Reset and Power Off commands. If you enable these commands, the end user may power off or reset the virtual machine from the menu in VMware ACE (VMware ACE > Troubleshoot > Reset or VMware ACE > Troubleshoot > Power Off and Exit).

Under Reimage ACE, you may select Enable revert to installed virtual machine image. If you enable this feature, VMware ACE captures an image of the virtual machine at the time it is installed on the end user's machine. The end user may then revert to this original state by choosing VMware ACE > Troubleshoot > Revert to the Installed <vmname> Environment, where <vmname> is the name of the virtual machine.

Note: If the virtual machine uses password authentication, reverting to the installed environment returns the virtual machine to its state after the initial password was selected. If you enable this feature, you should also consider implementing hot fixes so you can respond easily if end users revert and have forgotten their original passwords.

Easy Printer Setup Policies

Select Easy printer setup to specify whether to give end users access to a command that simplifies printer setup for a Windows virtual machine.

Select Enable Add Printer command to provide an Add Printer item on the VMware ACE menu. End users can use this menu item to set up a printer available on the host for use in the virtual machine.

Easy printer setup relies on network printer sharing. If you set network quarantine policies and want to enable easy printer setup, you must also enable printer access on the Traffic panel of the Network Quarantine Wizard. For details, see Setting Network Quarantine Policies.

Some special steps may be necessary if your end users need to connect network printers to their virtual machines. For details, see Easy Printer Setup Policies.

Note: Printer sharing is not supported in Windows Server 2003 Web Edition. As a result, the easy printer setup feature does not work on a host computer running Windows Server 2003 Web Edition.

VMware ACE Window Policies

Select VMware ACE Window to specify the appearance of VMware ACE on the end user's computer.

Under VMware ACE Window, you may select Always run maximized. If you select this policy, VMware ACE fills the full screen when it starts, hiding the host operating system. You may find this useful, for example, to avoid user confusion about the differences between the two environments.

Note: The end user can minimize the VMware ACE display and return to the host operating system by clicking the minimize button on the toolbar. If the mouse pointer is not available, pressing Ctrl-Alt minimizes the display.

User Preferences Policies

Select Preferences to specify what settings are available to end users in the VMware ACE Preferences dialog box (VMware ACE > Preferences).

You may select Allow users to modify the exit behavior of the application. If you do, the exit behavior settings are available in the Preferences dialog box, as shown below.

The exit behavior preferences allow the end user to specify the following:

Confirm before exiting the application — When the end user gives the command to exit VMware ACE, either from the menu or by clicking the X in the upper right corner of the window or toolbar, a dialog box appears. The end user may confirm the intention to exit VMware ACE or click Cancel to continue working.
Suspend the virtual machine when exiting — This is the default behavior. VMware ACE suspends the virtual machine and closes. The next time the end user runs the virtual machine, it resumes operation from the point at which it was suspended.
Power off the virtual machine when exiting — VMware ACE powers off the virtual machine. The next time the end user launches VMware ACE, the virtual machine starts from a powered off state and the guest operating system boots.

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