HP ThinShell. Administrator Guide

Transcription

1 HP ThinShell Administrator Guide

2 Copyright 2014 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Confidential computer software. Valid license from HP required for possession, use or copying. Consistent with FAR and , Commercial Computer Software, Computer Software Documentation, and Technical Data for Commercial Items are licensed to the U.S. Government under vendor's standard commercial license. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. Second Edition: September 2014 First Edition: March 2014 Document Part Number:

3 About this guide This guide uses the following styles to distinguish elements of text: Style <variable> [optional parameters] literal value Definition Variables or placeholders are enclosed in angle brackets. For example, replace <pathname> with the appropriate path, such as C:\Windows\System. When typing the actual value for the variable, omit the brackets. Optional parameters are enclosed in square brackets. When specifying the parameters, omit the brackets. Command line text that appears inside quotation marks should be typed exactly as shown, including the quotation marks. iii

4 iv About this guide

5 Table of contents 1 Getting started... 1 Supported operating systems... 1 Obtaining and launching HP ThinShell... 1 Using HP ThinShell Configuration... 3 Creating an HP ThinShell configuration... 3 Switching to Administrator Mode in Kiosk Mode Deployment... 5 Deploying a pre-configured thin client image... 5 Deploying HP ThinShell to existing thin client images... 5 Exporting and deploying an HP ThinShell configuration Tips and best practices... 6 Appendix A Internet Explorer registry restrictions... 7 v

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7 1 Getting started HP ThinShell is a client automation tool that enables Kiosk Mode (shell replacement) functionality for standard users (non-administrators). Many thin client deployments provide either a single- or limited-purpose environment to users, such as an environment for web browsing or remote desktop access. HP ThinShell simplifies this type of thin client deployment by hiding the standard Windows interface, restricting users to certain applications and functions, and locking down the system against user modification. The configured environment can be easily deployed to multiple thin clients using HP Device Manager (HPDM). Features of HP ThinShell include the following: You can choose to customize and use the built-in HP ThinShell interface or specify an entirely different shell program. Using your administrator credentials, you can customize the HP ThinShell interface and settings from within a standard user account. HP ThinShell can be used in conjunction with HP Cloud Connection Manager (HPCCM) to simplify Kiosk Mode deployments for multiple standard users. Supported operating systems The following table lists the operating systems supported by HP ThinShell. Operating systems Windows Embedded Standard 7E (32-bit) Windows Embedded Standard 7P (32-bit, 64-bit) Windows Embedded 8 Standard (64-bit) Obtaining and launching HP ThinShell HP ThinShell is preinstalled on select images and is also available as an add-on at (search for the thin client model and go to the Drivers, Software & Firmware section of its support page). To launch the HP ThinShell Configuration utility: WES 7: Select Start > Control Panel > HP ThinShell Configuration. WES 8: Open the Charms bar and select Settings > Control Panel > HP ThinShell Configuration. TIP: If viewing the Control Panel as categories, HP ThinShell Configuration can be found in System and Security. Supported operating systems 1

8 Using HP ThinShell The typical process for using HP ThinShell to configure the environment for standard users is as follows: 1. Log on to the thin client as an administrator. 2. Open the HP ThinShell Configuration utility. 3. Configure the environment for standard users (see Creating an HP ThinShell configuration on page 3 for more information). 4. Log off of the administrator account, and then log on as a standard user. 5. Make sure that the environment is configured as desired. If it is not, either return to the administrator account or follow the procedure in Switching to Administrator Mode in Kiosk Mode on page 3 to make additional configurations. 6. If desired, deploy the configuration to other thin clients (see Deployment on page 5 for more information). 2 Chapter 1 Getting started

9 2 Configuration Creating an HP ThinShell configuration Switching to Administrator Mode in Kiosk Mode Creating an HP ThinShell configuration The following table describes the options available on each tab in the HP ThinShell Configuration utility. Tab User interface Description Allows you to enable Kiosk Mode and specify which components of the HP ThinShell interface will be accessible by standard users. NOTE: Administrators always have access to all components of the HP ThinShell interface (see Switching to Administrator Mode in Kiosk Mode on page 3). Applications Allows you to add applications for use in Kiosk Mode and set a single application to autostart. For each application, you can add command line arguments, set a launch delay, and enable the application for administrator use only. You can easily set HPCCM as your auto-started application using the provided option so that the connections you predefined for standard users start a remote desktop session in Kiosk Mode. For more information about HPCCM, see the HP Cloud Connection Manager Administrator Guide. IMPORTANT: If you set an application to auto-start and want the HP ThinShell interface to be available also, you must enable Display HP ThinShell interface behind auto-started applications. Otherwise, users will not have access to any of the other components and you will not be able to switch to Administrator Mode while in Kiosk Mode. Control Panel Sites End of session options Allows you to select which Control Panel utilities will be accessible in Kiosk Mode. Allows you to add Internet or network links for use in Kiosk Mode and set the default site. Allows you to set the system behavior that occurs when an auto-started application is closed or a Citrix Xen session is ended. NOTE: The Citrix end-of-session action triggers when the last Citrix Xen connection is terminated. This option does not apply to HPCCM or the Citrix Receiver. NOTE: If no application is set to auto-start, that behavior option will not be available. Logs About Allows you to select which log files can be viewed in Kiosk Mode. Both the HP ThinShell log file and custom log files can be added. Displays the version number and copyright information. Switching to Administrator Mode in Kiosk Mode HP ThinShell provides an Administrator Mode for use in Kiosk Mode so that you can configure HP ThinShell without having to log out of the user account. To switch to Administrator Mode in Kiosk Mode: Creating an HP ThinShell configuration 3

10 1. Click Admin. 2. Select an administrator account in the User Account Control dialog. NOTE: Panel. An error will occur if User Account Control has been disabled in the Windows Control 3. Enter the password, and then click Yes. While in Administrator Mode, you can access any applications and interface components that were disabled for standard users. NOTE: Administrator Mode does not automatically grant access to Control Panel utilities that are disabled for User Mode. To access additional utilities, enable them while in Administrator Mode, and then disable them before returning to User Mode. To access the HP ThinShell Configuration utility while in Administrator Mode: Click Options. To return HP ThinShell to User Mode: Click Power > Exit. 4 Chapter 2 Configuration

11 3 Deployment This chapter discusses the various methods that can deploy HP ThinShell to multiple thin clients. The best method depends on your use case and environment. NOTE: All of the following methods discuss using HPDM for deployment. For more specifics on HPDM, see the HP Device Manager Administrator Guide. Deploying a pre-configured thin client image HP ThinShell can be deployed by configuring it on a thin client image that will be captured and deployed to other thin clients. The most efficient way to deploy an image to multiple thin clients is via HPDM, which has preset templates for capturing and deploying an image. Deploying HP ThinShell to existing thin client images To deploy HP ThinShell and a configuration to existing thin client images: 1. Configure HP ThinShell on a single system, and then export the configuration as a registry file as described in Exporting and deploying an HP ThinShell configuration on page Copy the registry file to the system running the HPDM Console. 3. Use the HP FTP Software Component Browser to locate the HP ThinShell package on the HP FTP site, and then generate a _File and Registry template for the package. 4. Add a subtask to the template and import the registry file containing the exported configuration. 5. Deploy the template to the target thin clients. Exporting and deploying an HP ThinShell configuration An HP ThinShell configuration can be exported as a Windows registry file so that it can easily be deployed to other thin clients. NOTE: Be sure that HP ThinShell is being deployed simultaneously or is already installed on each thin client. To export an HP ThinShell configuration to a registry file: 1. Click the Export button in the lower left-hand corner of the HP ThinShell Configuration utility. 2. Select the destination folder, and then enter a name for the configuration. 3. Click Save. The registry file can be imported into a _File and Registry template in HPDM. The template can then be used to deploy the configuration to the target thin clients. There are a few additional ways to deploy the exported registry file to other thin clients: Copy the registry file to another thin client, and then double-click the registry file to apply the settings. Use Group Policy to propagate the registry settings to certain domain users. Deploying a pre-configured thin client image 5

12 4 Tips and best practices Consider the following information when using HP ThinShell: Some applications might require a launch delay to function properly. When setting Internet Explorer as an auto-started application, be sure to launch the version that best matches the operating system (32-bit or 64-bit), otherwise the end-of-session action might not properly trigger. HP ThinShell does not filter the Kiosk Mode web browser content. Keep this in mind when selecting the websites. The web browser can be further locked down using the following: Group Policy Internet Explorer registry restrictions (see Internet Explorer registry restrictions on page 7 for more information) If the web browser is intended to be used for intranet only, it is best to disable the address bar and add links to the Sites menu. 6 Chapter 4 Tips and best practices

13 A Internet Explorer registry restrictions Modify the following registry key to restrict the Kiosk Mode web browser: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer \Restrictions The following table describes the registry settings that are applicable to HP ThinShell: NoSelectDownloadDir NoBrowserContextMenu NoViewSource NoOpeninNewWnd Disables the Save command in the File Download dialog box. Disables the right-click context menu in the browser. Disables the View Source command in the right-click context menu. Disables the Open in New Window command in the right-click context menu. IMPORTANT: Links that are coded to open a new window will still do so. NoPrinting Disables the Print command. 7