New Fling – vSphere HTML5 Web Client

A few days ago a new Fling was released – The vSphere HTML5 Web Client.

I think one of the things many administrators, technical consultants,… were waiting for (no, praying for).

I wrote down the few steps install the Web Client in connected with a vCenter Server Appliance (vCSA) and some functional details.

The vSphere HTML5 Web Client is not a complete vCenter Installation. Like the original Web Client, it only connects to the vCenter instance.

OVA deployment

• First of all you have to download the vSphere HTML5 Web Client – OVA from the VMware Fling Site.
  
• The deploy the OVA to your desired resource pool / location.
  
• Select Local File and browse to the .OVA file
  
• The certificate warning could be ignored.
  
• Accept the license agreements
• Give a name for the VM and select a folder for the VM
  
• Select a datastore
  
• Setup network
  • choose VLAN
  • If there is no DHCP you have to set IP allocation to Static – Manual and enter the values
    • On the first page enter all values for the network
    • On the second page enter the ip address of the vm
      
• Ready to complete – check your settings and click finish
  
• After the deployment is complete you can start the machine
  
  
  

Appliance configuration

• Enable SSH on your vCSA for setting up the appliance and activate bash shell
  • https://YOURVCSA:5480
  • Access Tab

• Connect the new vSphere HTML5 Web Client–Appliance via SSH (user: root password: demova)
  
• Register the appliance against your vCSA (could take a few minutes)

  /etc/init.d/vsphere-client configure --start yes --user root --vc <IP_Address_vCSA>

  

  • Confirm the fingerprint
  • Enter the password of the root user from your vCSA
• If everything works fine the last message should be vSphere Client Web Server successfully started …
  

Access the vSphere HTML5 Web Client

• https://H5_Appliance_IP_Address:9443/ui

Functions

The Web Client don’t show all option which are in the Java Web Client (Administration section is missing complete, Task and Event Console are the only Monitoring options, additional plugins from 3rd party are not implemented). You will find that several other functions are still missing. I am sure this will come later.

The following functions are available:

• Create VM (only working by clicking on a Host)
• Cloning of VMs and Templates
• VM control / configuration
  • Power Operations (common cases)
  • Open console
  • Edit CPU, memory and disk
  • Migration only to a host
• Host / VM summary pages
• Task and Event Console
• Recent tasks
• Alarms–view

Response

The response time of the vSphere HTML5 Web Client is really good. The HTML5 Host Client for ESXi, which was released with vSphere 6 Update 2 is feeling a little bit slower.

The menus are showing as quick as in the Java Web Client. I think the right-click contexts are coming up quicker than in the Java Web Client.

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Related documents

VMware Flings – vSphere HTML5 Web Client

vSphere HTML5 Web Client – Install instructions