Installing and Using the VMware Remote Console Plug-in

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Revision as of 15:25, 1 October 2008 by Neil (Talk | contribs) (Installing the VMware Remote Console Plug-In)

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The VMware Remote Console provides a mechanism for users and administrators to remotely view and interact with the graphical desktop or command line console of guest operating systems running in VMware based virtual machines. In the case of VMware Server 2.0, the VMware Remote Console takes the form of a web browser plug-in which must be installed into the browser used to access the VI Web Access management interface.

Installing the VMware Remote Console Plug-In

The VMware Remote Console plug-in is both installed and accessed from within the VI Web Access management interface. The VI Web Access interface is accessed by starting a web browser and navigating to the appropriate URL. For example, assuming that the default access ports were configured during installation of VMware, HTTP access may be gained using the following URL:

  • http://hostname:8222

Similarly, HTTPS access requires the following URL:

  • https://hostname:8333

where hostname is replaced either by the host name or IP address of the system on which VMware Server is running. If VMware Server is on the local machine, localhost or the 127.0.0.1 TCP/IP loopback address will also suffice. Upon successful connection, a screen will appear requesting the login and password credentials of an authorized administrator account.

Once the VI Web Access interface has loaded into the browser window, select a currently running virtual machine from the Inventory panel so that the workspace area updates with information about that particular virtual machine. Select the Console tab from the top of the work area to display the console workspace page. If the VMware Remote Console plug-in has not yet been installed, the Console workspace will display the following message:


The VMware Remote Console Plug-in has not yet been installed on this web browser


To install the plug-in, click on the Install plug-in link. Depending on the browser in use, and the associated security settings, a number of messages may appear warning about the attempted installation and seeking permission to continue. For example, the following figure illustrates the warning dialog box displayed by Firefox during the plug-in installation process:


Firefox issues a warning prior to installing the VMware Remote Console Plug-in


Once these security warnings have been addressed the plug-in will be installed. The majority of web browsers will require a restart before the plug-in becomes operative. With this in mind, be sure to save any work in progress in other browser tabs before initiating the restart.


Accessing the VMware Remote Console