VMware Horizon 8: Infrastructure Troubleshooting — Lesson 2: Connection servers, unified access gateways, load balancers, certificates, DNS, time, Active Directory, MFA, entitlements, and broker diagnostics

Learning Objectives

• Identify the architecture and operational choices that shape Connection servers, unified access gateways, load balancers, certificates, DNS, time, Active Directory, MFA, entitlements, and broker diagnostics.
• Run normal and boundary tests and record the outcome in authentication-and-broker path trace.
• Separate root cause from symptom when investigating a load balancer health check passing while client protocol traffic is blocked.

Detailed Topics

• Connection servers
• Unified access gateways
• Load balancers
• Certificates
• DNS
• Time
• Active Directory
• MFA
• Entitlements
• And broker diagnostics
• Decision ownership, prerequisites, and acceptance evidence for Connection servers, unified access gateways, load balancers, certificates, DNS, time, Active Directory, MFA, entitlements, and broker diagnostics
• Relevant access, security, capacity, dependency, performance, recovery, and support considerations

Instructor Demonstration

The instructor configures and tests Connection servers, unified access gateways, load balancers, certificates, DNS, time, Active Directory, MFA, entitlements, and broker diagnostics within a scenario aimed at a structured Horizon 8 infrastructure troubleshooting capability covering brokers, gateways, authentication, protocols, pools, images, agents, profiles, applications, and supporting infrastructure. The walkthrough contrasts a valid setup with a flawed one and uses authentication-and-broker path trace to make the difference explicit.

Hands-On Exercise

Configure and test Connection servers, unified access gateways, load balancers, certificates, DNS, time, Active Directory, MFA, entitlements, and broker diagnostics with representative infrastructure or application data. Use “a load balancer health check passing while client protocol traffic is blocked” as the troubleshooting challenge, compare hypotheses, retest the affected path, and complete authentication-and-broker path trace for review.

1. Confirm scope, access, sample workloads, and acceptance criteria.
2. Perform the configuration or operation using a controlled sequence.
3. Inspect outputs and downstream effects rather than relying on task status alone.
4. Close with a support note, preventive action, and reproducible validation step.

Scenario Analysis

• Clarify the service trigger, affected components and roles, prerequisites, and acceptable result for Connection servers, unified access gateways, load balancers, certificates, DNS, time, Active Directory, MFA, entitlements, and broker diagnostics.
• Compare at least two implementation or correction choices and identify which evidence would distinguish them.
• Decide how authentication-and-broker path trace should be reviewed, approved, retained, and handed to the next owner.

Troubleshooting Guidance

When Connection servers, unified access gateways, load balancers, certificates, DNS, time, Active Directory, MFA, entitlements, and broker diagnostics produces an unexpected result, reproduce the issue with the same scope, identity, workload, and time context. Inspect authentication-and-broker path trace, test whether “a load balancer health check passing while client protocol traffic is blocked” explains the evidence, apply the smallest reversible correction, and retest an unaffected path for regression.

Validation Checklist

• The scope of Connection servers, unified access gateways, load balancers, certificates, DNS, time, Active Directory, MFA, entitlements, and broker diagnostics is clear, including what is deliberately excluded from the test.
• Evidence in authentication-and-broker path trace supports each material decision and outcome.
• A negative test demonstrates that controls reject or expose an invalid condition.
• Open risks, owners, due actions, and production safeguards are documented.

Lesson Outcome

Learners can apply Connection servers, unified access gateways, load balancers, certificates, DNS, time, Active Directory, MFA, entitlements, and broker diagnostics, explain the decisions made, and defend the result with authentication-and-broker path trace.