vSphere Web Client HTTP Status 404 The requested requested resource is not available

It is often standard practice to install the server operating system on C: and then applications and data on additional drives such as E:, F: and so on.

However vSphere Web Client since its 5.0 release though 5.1 and including the latest version at time of writing 5.5 U2, if you install vSphere Web Client to any directory other than the default installation directory you will get the following error when browsing to the vSphere Web Client page.

"HTTP Status 404

The requested requested resource is not available"

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Using PowerCLI to get the IP address of a VM

Here is a simple but handy PowerCLI one liner which can output the VM name and it's IP address.

Connect-VIServer localhost

Get-VM | Select Name, @{N="IP Address";E={@($_.guest.IPAddress[0])}}

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Persistent vs Non Persistent Virtual Desktops (Horizon View Technical Explanation)

VMware Horizon View provides different methods of provisioning and assigning users to virtual desktops. It is important to fully understand what benefits and limitations each method provides so that a solution can correctly be designed. The correct solution may encompass several desktop pools with a mixture of provisioning methods and user assignment.

If you are looking for a less technical explanation of Persistent vs Non Persistent desktops, please read the following article:

Persistent vs Non Persistent Virtual Desktops (Non Technical Explanation)

There are 2 desktop pool types available, ignoring the terminal services pool, which are; Automated pool and Manual pool.

• With an Automated pool, vCenter Server is used to create the virtual machines automatically from a master image. An automated pool will almost always be used in every deployment. View will then use vCenter to manage the VMs, such as power them on, delete them re-create them and so on as required.
• With a Manual pool, the desktop(s) already exist and could be a virtual machine both managed and unmanaged by vCenter or even a physical desktop. This pool type would not normally be used unless for a very specific reason as it would require another method to provision the desktops.

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Persistent vs Non Persistent Virtual Desktops (Non Technical Explanation)

If you are looking for a more technical explanation of persistent vs non persistent desktops and how this applies to VMware Horizon View, please read the following article: Persistent vs Non Persistent Virtual Desktops (Horizon View Technical Explanation)

What is a non-persistent virtual desktop?

Pros: Storage utilisation/costs, desktop update/management, increased security

Cons: User installed applications not possible

A non-persistent virtual desktop does not retain any data on the desktop itself after a logoff or reboot. This includes any data such as user settings, application settings, internet bookmarks and so on. Instead this data is retained using another method such as folder redirection to store user settings in a central location and applied to any desktop they logon to.

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