VirtualLab@APU: Desktop Collaboration

Desktop Collaboration is a feature provided by VMware to allow user to invite other users to join an existing virtual desktop session. It allows up to 10 users to join the session.

Inviting a user to join session

Step 1 - To start inviting other users to join your virtual desktop session, navigate to the tray icon area and click on the VMware Horizon Collaboration icon.

A window will pop up for you to enter the username or email address of the user you wanted to invite.

Step 2 - Type in the TP number or username of the person you wanted to invite.

Step 3 - Once you added the list of people to invite for collaboration, click Copy Link.

Once the invitation link has been created and copied to your clipboard, you will receive a Success! message.

You need to share the invitation link to the person(s), one way you could do it is through Microsoft Teams.

You will notice the Horizon Client Session Collaboration icon appearing on the desktop as well, indicating that session collaboration has started.

Joining a collaboration session

If someone invited you to join the collaboration session, you can use the link that they sent to join session through HTML Access (web browser). If you have Horizon Client installed, you can use the client link to join instead.

If the link is not clickable, copy the URL and paste it in the browser address bar.

Action - login if you are using web browser to join the session.

If you join using Horizon Client, you will see a pop-up message in your web browser. Click Open VMware Horizon Client.

After authenticated yourself, you will be able to see the host virtual desktop session.

If you receive the following error message, it means that you are not invited to join the collaboration session or the host had removed you from the invitation. Please message the host to get a new invitation.

Managing invitation list

Step 1 - After inviting someone, clicking on the VMware Horizon Collaboration icon again will reveal the dashboard that allows you to check the person you invited and their status, as well as transferring control of virtual session and removing them from the invitation list.

Step 2 - Click on Remove next to the person will allow you to remove them from the invitation list.

Taking Control

By default, only the host has the rights to control the virtual machine. You can choose to transfer the control rights to other invited users by toggling the control to On.

Once you transferred the control rights to other user, you will not be able to interact with the program directly. However, you can take back the control rights by double-click or pressing any key on keyboard.

The invited person with the control rights can now interact with the virtual desktop session.

Ending Collaboration

Clicking on End Collaboration will end the collaboration session.

You can also hover over Horizon Client Session Collaboration icon and click the box to end collaboration.

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