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Windows 7 Patch Breaks Connection with VMware View Client
Two entries in Microsoft's February security update, released last week, block Windows 7 users from connecting to VMware's View Connection Servers, according to a VMware security bulletin.
Affecting both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Microsoft's newest OS, the error causes the connection between a user's PC and a VMware-hosted virtual console to fail.
Although VMware didn't provide details on how patches 2482017 (a cumulative security update for all versions of Internet Explorer) and 2467023 (an update that fixes an issue with how Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 loads and unloads system binaries) interrupts the PC and virtual console connection, it provided two options for fixing the situation:
- Install a VMware View Client patch, build 353760.
- Uninstall the two Microsoft patches.
The company also recommended downloading and installing the View Client patch before updating Windows 7 machines, if the newest Microsoft security update batch hasn't been installed.
While the incompatibility issue between the two companies' software and updates can be remedied, Gartner Research Vice President Chris Wolf used the incident to point out that flaws do occur between Microsoft updates and a "bring-your-own-device" (BYOD) delivery model.
"For organizations planning BYOD scenarios, this week's Windows 7 patch issue should make you consider the potential for a large-scale break created on Patch Tuesday," wrote Wolf in a Gartner blog post. "If we fast forward a couple of years, it's possible for an IT organization to have to deal with remediating this type of problem for thousands of users."
Wolf argued that as the virtualization model continues to spread through enterprises, it will be harder for IT pros to test new updates and to devise a common solution when an incompatibility issue occurs for multiple users running multiple unique virtualization environments.
While this week's problem looks to be resolved with VMware's patch, Wolf underlined one of the inherent issues of using third-party services and software for virtualization: "Sure, with BYOD, the user is supposed to 'support' their own device in theory. However, if hundreds or thousands of users can't connect to their apps, it becomes IT's support problem, like it or not."
