Deploying Nexthink in VDI environment

Overview

This guide provides an overview of how to deploy and configure Nexthink in a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environment.

VDI environments introduce specific technical considerations when deploying endpoint agents and capturing user session data. As such, some steps in this guide focus on integrating your VDI environment with Nexthink, while others outline general configuration tasks applicable to all Nexthink deployments.

Refer to Step-by-step deployment procedure on this page that includes both VDI-specific and general Nexthink configuration tasks.

The following figure shows a simplified representation of typical on-premises and cloud-hosted VDI infrastructures, highlighting which components to install on each node.

The connection lines show the path of metrics collected in the vdi_session and vdi_event tables, specific to VDI Experience. To learn about these metrics, refer to the VDI Experience NQL capabilities and NQL data model documents.

Depending on what components you install, the system will collect different metrics. To learn what metrics are provided by each installation scenario, refer to the VDI Experience NQL capabilities documentation.

Step-by-step deployment procedure

This section describes the high-level sequence for installing and configuring Nexthink components in a VDI environment, including VDI-specific and general Nexthink configuration tasks.

Nexthink recommends following this sequence for a smooth and consistent setup, and to ensure that data is sent correctly from each node to the next.

For more detailed guidelines specific to your VDI platform, refer to one of the following deployment scenarios outline in the VDI platform-specific deployment scenarios documentation.

Set up the VDI Platform-specific inbound connector

Install the appropriate Inbound connector for your VDI Platform, when applicable:

Configure Collector for Virtual Machines (VMs)

If needed use Nexthink Collector Installer (MST) to include VM-specific MST parameters
The VDI Client Extension component of Collector is included by default.

Deploy Collector on Virtual Machines (VMs)

The method for Collector deployment on VMs depends on the type of desktop:

Persistent desktops: Deploy Collector with UEM or VDI platform-specific tool.
Non-persistent desktops: Prepare golden image and deploy Collector with your VDI platform-specific tool.
Shared desktops: Deploy Collector with VDI platform-specific tool.

Once both Connector and Collector on VMs are set, use the Investigations module to verify if related VDI data is available in Nexthink.

Configure Collector for client devices

Configure Collector using Nexthink Collector Installer (MST) or Windows Installer.

The VDI Client Extension component of Collector is included by default.

Deploy endpoint agents on client devices

Deploy Nexthink Collector on employee devices using your preferred method (UEM, MECM, GPO)
Optionally, deploy VDI Client Extension on private or unmanaged devices where you cannot install Collector.

Once Collector and VDI Client Extension are deployed, use the Investigations module to verify if related VDI client data are available in Nexthink.

Deploy browser extensions on client devices

Deploy the Nexthink browser extension on employee devices.
If you have purchased Amplify, deploy the Amplify browser extension:
- Install and configure Amplify
- Deploy Amplify to multiple devices

Configure other inbound connectors according to your IT infrastructure and Nexthink license

Configure other Inbound connectors, such as Microsoft Entra ID or Salesforce, to enrich data from endpoint agents and browser extensions with additional context from external vendors.

To understand how to install and configure components for your specific virtual infrastructure, continue with reading the topic that is applicable to your VDI platform:

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