Hi there,
We are currently trialling a few chromebooks as a possible mobile VDI solution and have had some promising results. However one potentially large stumbling point is translation of the UK chromebook keyboard to the VDI is only coming through as US so backslash button does nothing £ not working etc... Keyboard settings are set to UK and work fine through web client. However the App is a better choice as we can use kiosk mode to boot directly into. Has anybody out there had experience of this and could point us to a solution.
Another issue is mapping of the F-keys, though the top row can be mapped there are typically only 10 keys and we need F11 and F12. Does any body have a solution or can you manually map keys?
Any help is appreciated. Oh and in case this helps anybody this is how we configure Kiosk mode on ours.
Installation Method
If you are installing VMware Horizon App on a non-managed device that has already been used then we strongly recommend that you first wipe the device. Wiping the device will delete any data stored on it that has not been synced with Google Chrome Sync.
Device Wiping – “Powerwash”
To wipe a device you will need to be at a login screen. If you system is set to Kiosk Mode you can cancel the launch of it by pressing Control + Alt + S as the VMware application loads. Once a system is at login, press Control + Alt + Shift + R and then on the information screen presented click restart or Powerwash
If you are using a brand new, unused Chromebox/Chromebook you should be able to skip this step.
Network Settings
Turn on your new or freshly-wiped Chromebox or Chromebook. The device will ask you to configure your location, keyboard layout and network settings.
For network settings please enter <fill in>
Once this has been done the login screen will appear.
Logging In
Before logging in use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+K at the login screen to open the Enable Kiosk Mode window. Select Enable in the dialogue box to allow your device to run kiosk-capable apps.
With kiosk mode enabled, log in to the Chrome device with the following account.
Account Name:-<previously setup account>
Password:-<local admin password for desktops>
Updating Chrome
- Once you are logged in, please update Chrome OS by going to the menu icon in the top right --> Help and about About the Chrome OS --> Check and Apply Updates
Adding the App
After the update, open up a new tab in Chrome and enter chrome://extensions in the address bar. Click Enter.
Check the box next to Developer Mode.
Click Manage kiosk applications and in the dialogue window that opens and copy and paste the application https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vmware-horizon-client/pckbpdplfajmgaipljfamclkinbjdnma?hl=en ( you can open another tab search for in the chromestore and paste the link) in to the Add Kiosk Application input box. Click Add to install the application.
With the Manage kiosk applications window still open, select the VMware application and click Set to auto launch.
Leave “Permanently keep this device in kiosk mode” unchecked (or you won’t be able to exit Kiosk mode) and click Finished to close the dialogue window.
Configuring the App
Sign-out of the device and a dialogue prompt will open requesting permission to auto-start VMware horizon client when the machine turns on. Click Confirm to allow VMware horizon client to auto-start.
VMware horizon client will start automatically. Configure the application with the servername:-<VDI server address> Alias :- <user friendly name>I and restart the laptop with the power button.
The system should then boot straight into VMware Horizon Client with the server as the first option.