Lab 23: Use the Help Desk tool to investigate a user session

Objective and Tasks

Use the Horizon Help Desk tool to locate a user, review their desktop/application session details.

In this lab you will use the preinstalled Connection Server (Horizon-02a) and the desktop pool that has been provisioned on it for you to test with.

  1. Start a user desktop session.
  2. Login to the Horizon console.
  3. Open the Help Desk tool and search for the user.
  4. Explore the sessions tab for the user.
  5. Review assignments for the user.
  6. Review the Activities tab for the user.
Expand or collapse content Task 1: Start a user desktop session

Connect a user to a desktop session so you have an active session to view and interact with in the Help Desk sessions tab.

  1. Launch the Omnissa Horizon Client.
    • From the desktop of ControlCenter desktop, double click the Omnissa Horizon Client icon.
  2. Connect to the Horizon-02 pod.
    • Click on the 3 dots on the pool tile for horizon-02a.omnissatraining.com and click Connect.
    • Alternatively you can double-click on the tile.
  3. Login and authenticate.
    • Username: Student1
    • Password : Pa$$w0rd
    • Click Login.
  4. Once logged in, you will see a tile for the entitled desktop pool Win11-Site2.
  5. Launch the virtual desktop.
    • Click on the 3 dots on the pool tile for Win11-Site2 and click Launch.
    • Alternatively you can double-click on the tile.
  6. Start an application.
    • in the virtual desktop, launch Google Chrome using the desktop shortcut.
  7. Minimize the Horizon Client.
    • Use the Horizon toolbar at the top to minimize (-) the desktop session.

After successfully connecting to horizon-02a and launching a desktop session, minimize it and leave it running. This will give you an active user session to view and investigate in the Help Desk tool.

Expand or collapse content Task 2: Login to the Horizon console
  1. Open the Horizon admin console for horizon-02a.
    • On your ControlCenter desktop, open the Google Chrome browser.
    • Click the bookmark on the bookmark bar for Horizon-02a
    • This will connect you to the Horizon administrator console at https://Horizon-02a.omnissatraining.com
  2. Login to the Horizon admin console.
    • Username: administrator
    • Password: Pa$$w0rd
    • Domain: OmnissaTraining

Note that a session will show in the Total Sessions pane of the Dashboard that displays when you open the Horizon admin console.

Expand or collapse content Task 3: Open the Help Desk tool and search for the user

The Help Desk tool is designed to help you quickly see the status of user sessions, desktops, applications and activities. You can perform troubleshooting or maintenance actions where applicable.

  1. Open the Help Desk Tool.
    • Navigate to Monitor > Help Desk.
  2. Search for a user.
    • Use the User Search area at the top of the screen and type: Student and Enter.
  3. Select the user.
    • Review the search results. The search can return up to 100 matching users.
    • Select the entry for Student1.

A user card opens showing the user’s basic info with tabs that allows further investigation.

Expand or collapse content Task 4: Explore the sessions tab for the user

Explore the available information for a users active session.

  1. Review the information for the users active session.
    • Ensure that the Sessions tab of the user card is selected.
    • Review key session fields such as:
      • State: connected vs. other indicators
      • Computer Name: Click the name to open session information
      • Protocol
      • Type
      • Connection Time
      • Session Duration

You can drill into a users individual active session to understand what the user is connected to, basic health, and performance details.

  1. Open the details of the users active desktop session.
    • Click the entry in the Computer Name column.
  2. Explore the user session Details tab and the available information, including:
    • Horizon Client details.
    • VM details such as Computer Name, Agent Version, OS Version, Connection Server, Pool, vCenter, Session State, Gateway/Proxy details.
    • User Experience Metrics (expand using the More button).
    • Charts for CPU Usage, Memory Usage, Network Performance, Disk Performance.
    • Logon Segments (note that this feature is not currently enabled on this Horizon pod so will be empty).

Note the buttons underneath User Experience Metrics section that allow you to interact with the user session, including Send Message, Remote Assistance, Restart, Disconnect, Logoff, and Reset.

  1. Explore the user session Processes tab.
    • Select the Processes tab.
    • Use the search filter to locate a process (for example, chrome.exe).
    • Review the CPU, Memory, and Disk columns to spot anomalies. for individual processes.

Note that you can stop a process that is running in the users desktop session by selecting the process and then clicking on the  END PROCESS button.

  1. Explore the user session Applications tab.
    • Click Applications to see running apps and their status.
    • For users that have many applications running, you can use the Filter dialog an app quickly.

Note that you can stop an application that is running in the users desktop session by selecting the application and then clicking on the END APPLICATION button.

  1. Close the details view of the users desktop session to return to the user card.
    • Click on the X in the top-right.
Expand or collapse content Task 5: Review assignments for the user

In the user card you can view what desktop pools and applications pools they have been entitled to.

  1. Open the Desktops tab for the user.
    • Ensure that you are still in the user card for omnissatraining\student1
    • Select the Desktops tab.
    • Review the information about the desktop pools the user has been entitled to.
  2. Open the Applications tab for the user.
    • Select the Applications tab.
    • Review the information about the applications the user has been entitled to.
Expand or collapse content Task 6: Review the activities tab for the user
  1. Open the Activities tab for the user.
    • Ensure that you are still in the user card for omnissatraining\student1
    • Select the Activities tab.

This will be blank as there have been no Help Desk related activities for this user.

  1. View all events for the user.
    • Select the toggle switch next to Help Desk Event Only.
  2. Ensure that the Sessions tab of the user card is selected.Return to the user card and select the Activities tab to view event log details for the user’s activities.
    • Note the other options on the tab.
      • Time range filter (last 12 hours, last 24 hours, last 7 days).
      • Search filter
      • Refresh
      • Download
  3. Close the user card to return to the Help Desk Tool screen.
    • Click on the X in the top-right.
  4. Logout of the Horizon desktop.
    • Switch back to the Horizon desktop session that you started for Student1.
    • Use Windows > Student 1 > Sign out
    • Alternatively, you can use the Horizon menubar at the top of the screen, selecting the three dots (...), then Logoff Desktop, and confirm with OK.
  5. Close the Horizon Client.

This concludes this lab.

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