vSphere Client in Windows7

Until there is an updated release of the VMware vSphere Client, running the client on a Windows7 system will require a couple of tricks. While the basic process outlined in these notes accomplishes the task well, the use of additional "helper" batch files is not necessary. By adding the path to the "System.dll" library to your user's environment, the application can be launched from the standard icon without further modification.

First, add the XML changes at the end of the "VpxClient.exe.config" file. The end of your config file will now look something like this:

  <runtime>
    <developmentMode developerInstallation="true"/>
  </runtime>
</configuration>

Once the changes are made, save the "VpxClient.exe.config" file (if your workstation is secured, you may need "Administrator" privileges to save the file.) Next, copy the "System.dll" file from the "%WINDOWS%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727" folder on an XP/Vista machine to a newly created "lib" folder in the VpxClient's directory. Now, you will need to update the user environment to reflect the path to "System.dll" to complete the "developer" hack.

To do this, right-click on the "Computer" menu item on the "Start Menu" and select "Properties." In the "Control Panel Home" section, click on "Advanced system settings" to open the "System Properties" control panel. Now, click on the "Environment Variables..." button to open the Environment Variables control panel. If "DEVPATH" is already defined, simply add a semi-colon (";") to the existing path and add the path to your copied "System.dll" file (not including "System.dll") to the existing path. If it does not exist, create a new variable called "DEVPATH" and enter the path string in the "Variable Value" field.

The path begins with either %ProgramFiles% or %ProgramFiles(x86)% depending on whether or not 32-bit or 64-bit Windows7 is installed, respectively. Once the path is entered into the environment and the "System.dll" file is in place, the vSphere Client will launch and run without additional modification. Remember to remove the DEVPATH modification to the environment when a Windows7 vSphere Client is released.

Note that this workaround is not supported by VMware and that the use of the DEVPATH variable could have unforseen consequences in your specific computing environment. Therefore, appropriate considerations should be made prior to the implementation of this "hack." While SOLORI presents this information "AS-IS" without warranty of any kind, we can report that this workaround is effective for our Windows7 workstations, however ...