Recently, some customers have been asking me: “What is the difference between the Disconnect, Reset, and Disconnect and Log Off options available under the VMware View client vs. the Log Off and Restart option under Windows 7 virtual desktop?”
Well, the only way I can answer that is by comparing the two options in the following table:
Options under the VMware View Client
Options under the Windows 7/8 Desktop
Reset Desktop: When an end-user selects Reset Desktop under the VMware View Client, it shuts down and restarts the desktop. Any file that is open on the View desktop is closed without getting saved. Typically, this option is used when the desktop operating system stops responding. It is the equivalent of pressing the Reset button on a physical PC to force the PC to restart. The end-user will have to wait an appropriate amount of time for the system to start up before attempting to connect back to the View desktop.
Disconnect: When an end-user selects Disconnect under the VMware View Client, it disconnects the session immediately without logging off. But the applications that were running before the Disconnect would remain open when the end user logs in again. In the backend, the Desktop is switched on and consumes compute resources in the datacenter. The end user may notice that the re-connection to this desktop is extremely fast as the entire log-in procedure of the profile doesn’t take place and the disconnected session is picked and presented back to the user.
For example, if you have opened a Notepad or Word Document and typed something and pressed Disconnect. After the re-connection, you will see the same screen where you left the document.
Disconnect and Log Off: When an end-user selects Disconnectand Log Off under the VMware View Client, it disconnects the session immediately and further logs off without saving any open files or applications on the desktop. All important work is lost if the end user presses this option under the client. In the backend, the Desktop is in log-on screen (Ctrl-Alt-Del) and consumes compute resources in the datacenter. The end user may notice that it will take longer to login compared to the disconnect option, due to the normal Windows log-in process that takes place.
For example, if you have opened a Notepad or Word Document even for a second it will prompt you to Save the open files. However, in a couple of seconds the session force fully logs off and all the unsaved work is lost.
Log off: When an end-user selects Log off under the virtual Windows 7 desktop, it logs off the session but before that provides an option to save any open files and then logs off. There is even a choice to Force logoff, if the user decides not to save any open files.
For example, if you have opened Notepad or Word Document, it prompts you to save your work before logging off; once the work is saved, the user can initiate the log-off. There is an option to Force log off, if the user wishes not to save files.
Restart: When an end-user selects Restart under the virtual Windows 7 desktop, it restarts the desktop but before that it provides an option to save any open files and then restarts. There is even a choice to Force Restart, if the user decides not to save any open files and reboot the machine.
For example, if you have opened Notepad or Word Document it will prompt you to save your work before Restart. Once the work is saved; the user can initiate the reboot. There is an option to Force Restart, if the user wishes not to any save files.
I hope this information will help the customer in making the right choice and provide clarity on choosing the right option to disconnect/logoff/reset.
Leave a Reply