Configure the Event Database in Omnissa Horizon Console

The event database stores information about Omnissa Horizon 8 events as records in a database rather than in a log file.

You configure an event database after installing an Omnissa Horizon Connection Server instance. You need to configure only one host in a Horizon Connection Server group. The remaining hosts in the group are configured automatically.

You can use Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, or PostgreSQL database reporting tools to examine events in the database tables. For more information, see the Horizon 8 Administration document.

You can also generate Horizon 8 events in Syslog format so that the event data can be accessible to third-party analytics software. You use the vdmadmin command with the -I option to record Horizon 8 event messages in Syslog format in event log files. See "Generating Horizon 8 Event Log Messages in Syslog Format Using the -I Option" in the Horizon 8 Administration document.

About Event Database Connections

Note: The security of the database connection between the Horizon Connection Server instance and an external database is the responsibility of the administrator, although event traffic is limited to information about the health of the Horizon 8 environment.

• If you want to take extra precautions, you can secure this channel through IPSec or other means, or you can deploy the database locally on the Horizon Connection Server computer.
• By default Horizon Connection Server connects to the event database in non-SSL mode. For information about enabling SSL connection, see SSL Connection to Event Database.
• Starting with Horizon 8 version 2406, when using an Oracle database or PostgreSQL database for your event database, you can enable TLS 1.3 for event database connections when you fulfill the following conditions:
  • For all of the Horizon Connection Servers, import the Root CA certificate of the database certificate into the Windows Trusted Root Certificate Authorities store
  • After importing the Root CA certificate, restart the Horizon Connection Server service.

Prerequisites

You need the following information to configure an event database:

• The DNS name or IP address of the database server.

• The type of database server: Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, or PostgreSQL.

• The port number that is used to access the database server. The default is 1521 for Oracle and 1433 for SQL Server. For SQL Server, if the database server is a named instance or if you use SQL Server Express, you might need to determine the port number. See the Microsoft KB article about connecting to a named instance of SQL Server, at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/265808.

• The name of the event database that you created on the database server. See Add a Database and Database User for Horizon 8 Events in Horizon Console.

• For an Oracle 12c or 11g database, you must use the Oracle System Identifier (SID) as the database name when you configure the event database in Horizon Console.

• The username and password of the user you created for this database. See Add a Database and Database User for Horizon 8 Events in Horizon Console.

• For Oracle and PostgreSQL databases, use database user authentication with a username and password. Integrated Windows Authentication is supported only for Microsoft SQL Server.
  For Microsft SQL Server, see Microsft SQL Server Authentication.

• A prefix for the tables in the event database, for example, VE_. The prefix enables the database to be shared among Horizon 8 installations.

  Note: You must enter characters that are valid for the database software you are using. The syntax of the prefix is not checked when you complete the dialog box. If you enter characters that are not valid for the database software you are using, an error occurs when Horizon Connection Server attempts to connect to the database server. The log file indicates all errors, including this error and any others returned from the database server if the database name is invalid.

Microsoft SQL Server Authentication

When you select Microsoft SQL Server as the event database type, select one of the following authentication methods:

• SQL User Authentication - Provide the username and password of a SQL Server login that is mapped to the event database.

• gMSA - Integrated Authentication: Provide the name of the group Managed Service Account (gMSA). A gMSA is an Active Directory service account whose password is generated and rotated automatically by Active Directory.

• Domain User - Integrated Authentication: Provide the user name and password of a dedicated Active Directory domain user account. This is a standard domain account whose password is created, rotated, and managed by an administrator.

The Microsoft ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server (x64) driver is required when you select gMSA - Integrated Authentication or Domain User - Integrated Authentication. Horizon does not require this driver for SQL User Authentication.

If the Interactive installation driver is not installed and the Connection Server group has no stored consent, the Connection Server installer displays a prompt with an Install Microsoft ODBC Driver 18 (x64) checkbox. Selecting the checkbox installs the driver and accepts the Microsoft license terms. The consent is stored for the Connection Server group and is used on later replica installations and upgrades. The prompt is not displayed again, and the driver is installed if it is missing.

To have Connection Server silently install the driver, add VDM_INSTALL_ODBC_DRIVER=1inside the MSI options passed through the /v argument. Setting the property to 1 opts in to driver installation and acceptance of the Microsoft license terms.

The ODBC driver installation checkbox is not selected by default, and VDM_INSTALL_ODBC_DRIVER is not set automatically. If no installation choice has previously been saved for the Connection Server group, the driver is installed only when the administrator selects the checkbox or specifies VDM_INSTALL_ODBC_DRIVER=1. Once the choice is saved, it is reused for replica installations and upgrades, and the driver is installed if it is missing without displaying the prompt again.

Example Silent Installation Command

Omnissa-Horizon-Connection-Server-x86_64-y.y.y-xxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn VDM_SERVER_INSTANCE_TYPE=1 VDM_INITIAL_ADMIN_SID=S-1-5-32-544 VDM_SERVER_RECOVERY_PWD=YourRecoveryPassword VDM_SERVER_RECOVERY_PWD_REMINDER=""Your reminder"" VDM_INSTALL_ODBC_DRIVER=1"

For command syntax and additional silent-installation properties, see Install Horizon Connection Server Silently.

Before You Configure an Integrated Authentication Method:

• Create a Windows login in SQL Server for the selected gMSA or domain user, map the login to the event database, and grant the required event database permissions.
• Ensure that the selected account can be used by every Connection Server in the Connection Server group.
• For a gMSA, have an Active Directory administrator create the account, authorize every Connection Server computer account (or a security group that contains those computer accounts) to retrieve its managed password, and install and validate the gMSA on every Connection Server. Create the SQL Server Windows login for the gMSA account, typically in DOMAIN\accountName$ format.
• For a domain user, create or select a dedicated user account in Active Directory Users and Computers or through your standard account-provisioning process. Assign a password that meets your organization's policy. If the password changes, edit the event database configuration in Horizon Console and provide the updated password.

Procedure

1. In Horizon Console, select Settings > Event Configuration.

2. In the Event Database section, click Edit, enter the information in the fields provided, and click OK.

   To clear the event database information, click Clear.

3. In the Event Settings window, click Edit, change the length of time to show events and the number of days to classify events as new, and click OK.

   These settings pertain to the length of time the events are listed in the Horizon Console interface. After this time, the events are only available in the historical database tables.

   Note: Timing profiler data is removed from all database tables, so it is not available in historical tables.

   Commands for activating and deactivating the timing profiler are as follows.

   • To activate the timing profiler on a Horizon Connection Server instance that does not use a management port:

     vdmadmin -I -timingProfiler -enable
     

   • To activate the timing profiler on a Horizon Connection Server instance that uses a management port:

     vdmadmin -I -timingProfiler -enable -server {ip/server}
     

   • To deactivate the timing profiler on a Horizon Connection Server instance:

     vdmadmin -I -timingProfiler -disable
     

4. Select Monitoring > Events to verify that the connection to the event database is successful.

   If the connection is unsuccessful, an error message appears. If you are using SQL Express or if you are using a named instance of SQL Server, you might need to determine the correct port number, as mentioned in the prerequisites.