After the VMware Horizon View 5.2 GA release, It seems that the two components which enables to leverage HTML 5 compatible browser to access virtual desktops in VMware View 5.2 did not made it into the GA release. Which components are those? It's the components called VMware Horizon View 5.2 Feature Pack. The pack components needs to be installed on the View connection server and inside of the View Golden desktop. Then only you have the option to enable the HTML access at the pool level.
While the release notes of VMware View 5.2 says that:
The functionality of VMware Horizon View 5.2 is enhanced by an updated set of VMware Horizon View Clients and a new VMware Horizon View 5.2 Feature Pack. These components will be made available shortly after the general availability of VMware Horizon View 5.2 and may subject to app availability in various mobile device application stores. See footnotes “3” and “4” under What's New in Horizon View 5.2 for guidance on which pieces of functionality are enabled by these components.
As for now those components were not released, but you can test VMware View with view client which is available for many platforms.
Generally – What's new in VMware Horizon View 5.2?
What's New with End User Experience
- Support for Windows 8 based desktops1
- Hardware Accelerated 3D Graphics1
- Improved video and VOIP communications with Microsoft Lync 2013 support4
- Streamlined access to View Desktops from Horizon2
- Easily connect to desktops from any device with HTML Access3
- Enhanced productivity from mobile devices with new ‘Unity Touch' functionality3 and 4
What's New with Ease of Management
- Large pool creation with elimination of 8 host limits, and multiple vLAN support
- View Administrator performance improvements with large numbers of desktops
- Accelerated provisioning and recompose operations.
- Tech Preview of a new Integrated Service Console in the vSphere Web Client1
- Support for vCenter Server Virtual Appliance based deployments
Other enhancements are especially in bandwidth reduction (read more details at the Vroom! blog here), and also concerning GPOs that are taking immediate effect:
Quote Vroom!
1. GPO settings take immediate effect: many of the performance orientated GPO settings now take effect immediately, allowing users or administrators to closely customize the behavior of their PCoIP sessions.
2. Relative mouse support: previously, support was only provided for absolute mode. However, for certain 3D applications relative mouse is required and support is introduced on View 5.2
I would highly recommend to have look at this PDF from VMware called Horizon View 5.2 Administration (PDF). – over 430 pages guide. But it's a must since the document will teach you for example, how to disable windows services in desktops in order to avoid growing virtual disks. If you don't take those optimization steps, you'll face a problem where the linked clone desktops will grow in size every hour and generate IOPS which could otherwise be avoided. The document detail those steps for Windows 7 and Windows 8 on page 73.
You might want to have a look at this article: Horizon View 5.2 HTML 5 Access by using VMware Blast – My HD Video (I'm using the Blast components which were available through the Beta program).
