VMware Remote Console (VMRC) links fail to launch from Safari on macOS

Products

• VMware Cloud Director

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to use the Open Remote Console feature in VMware products, the browser fails to launch the VMRC application. Symptoms include:

• The vmrc:// protocol handler is not recognized by the operating system.

• Safari security policies block external protocol launches or script execution.

• The browser console may show Content-Security-Policy (CSP) violations related to unsafe-eval.

Environment

VMware Cloud Director 10.6.x

Cause

The vmrc:// protocol handler is not correctly registered with macOS Launch Services, or browser security policies (CSP) are preventing the external application from being triggered.

Resolution

Reinstall VMRC:

1. Download the latest version of VMware Remote Console (VMRC) from the Broadcom Support Portal.
2. Reinstall the application to force the registration of the vmrc:// handler with macOS Launch Services.
3. Download VMware Remote Console (VMRC)

Verify macOS Permissions:

1. Navigate to System Settings > Privacy & Security.
2. Ensure VMRC has the necessary permissions (e.g., Full Disk Access or Automation) if prompted by the OS.
3. In Safari, ensure that strict security extensions do not restrict external protocol handlers.

Note. If the issue persists due to Safari CSP restrictions, try switching to Google Chrome. Chrome is usually more reliable when it comes to those external link triggers on VMware web pages.

Additional Information

VMware Cloud Director 10.6 Release Notes

 

VMware Cloud Director is compatible with the current major and previous major release of the following browsers:

• Google Chrome

• Mozilla Firefox

• Microsoft Edge