Managing the VDI minimum client version

With previous versions, Zoom is unable to natively upgrade users or provide Zoom prompts on their current versions to request users to update. Therefore, users must start upgrading the VDI Client and VDI Plugin, primarily to upgrade past version 5.8.5 or higher by May 6, 2023.

Note: Zoom strongly recommends that users upgrade to the latest version so they won’t be required to continuously upgrade to cover the future minimum client versions, which will happen quarterly.

This article covers:

Prerequisites for managing the VDI minimum client version

How to view account usage with VDI Client and plugin

  1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an admin with the privilege to edit account settings.
  2. In the navigation menu, click Dashboard.
  3. Scroll to the Versions By Client report.
  4. Click the dropdown menu and select VDI.
    A chart will be displayed.

This chart displays a percentage breakdown of the current VDI software version on the devices that participants have used to sign in. When you click the client type, a second chart with the client version percentage breakdown will be displayed. On that second chart, hover your mouse over a version and click Drill in to view a list of specific users with that client version installed.

VDI.png

On that list of specific users, you can filter all client versions in the account or select multiple version types to filter. Please note that, while the detailed reports include the Last Login Time for each entry, if someone is logging into a virtual desktop using different devices with different VDI Plugin versions, each login will be counted as a unique connection. This is intentional and can result in multiple entries for a single user. Such entries can be used to identify when someone is working from home and possibly using their own personal device with an older VDI plugin installed.

You can click Export to CSV to receive a CSV report of your data.

How to manage VDI Plugin updates

Require users to upgrade

Account owners and admins can start notifying users to upgrade the VDI Plugin on their own non-managed machines.

To upgrade current users’ VDI Client and Plugin, you can enforce the following options:

Enforce your own minimum VDI plugin

The implementation of a minimum plugin version will prevent the plugin from being used. This puts the user into Fallback mode, where their camera and audio are routed to the virtual desktop (usually with some impact on quality). However, it is possible to enforce different rules for Fallback mode.

By performing the below actions, you can enforce your own minimum VDI Plugin and set the experience for users if they do not upgrade. Essentially, you control the experience.

Set a minimum version on the VDI plugin

Set a minimum version on the VDI plugin using:

Key: SOFTWARE\Policies\Zoom\Zoom Meetings\VDI
Value: MinPluginVersion
Value Type: String Value (REG_SZ)
Value Description: 2.1.5 ~ current

Note: Configure the version to match your existing thin client plugin deployment. Please note that the default version for this setting is 2.1.5.

Configure FallBackMode

Configure the FallBackMode option (for example, not allowing video and audio) so that the user will need to dial in until they update:

Key: SOFTWARE\Policies\Zoom\Zoom Meetings\VDI
Value: FallbackMode
Value Type: DWORD
Value Description: Each number corresponds to a specific mode:
(1) Normal mode (Behaves like the regular Zoom Client).
(2) Runs as a screen share meeting (audio and video are muted by default).
(3) A pop-up appears that will say unable to meet and join.
(4) A dialogue prompt will display an error message. When the user closes the prompt, the Zoom app will also be closed.
(5) Video is disabled.
(6) Video and sharing are disabled.
(7) Video and computer audio are disabled.

Note: If the registry settings are not configured, the default mode is one (1).

Full process example

  1. The account owner or admin uses the above registry options to configure version 5.8.5 as the minimum plugin version for May 6, 2023. They set the FallbackMode settings to Video and computer audio are disabled.
  2. The account owner or admin runs the VDI Drill In report to identify which users are using VDI plugin versions below 5.8.5.
  3. The account owner or admin sends internal communication to those users who using VDI plugin versions below 5.8.5: “We have identified you are running a VDI Plugin below our standard. We are requesting you upgrade your VDI Plugin (link to instructions) as quickly as possible. If you do not upgrade your VDI Plugin by May 6, 2023, your video and computer audio will no longer work for meetings that you join. You will need to dial in the meeting by telephone.”