VMware Holodeck uses the webtop container behind the scenes to provide a desktop environment to the user out of the box. The intent is to get a user into a fully functional VCF lab with the least amount of friction as possible and it in version 5.2 and 9.0, webtop shipped without authentication. Beginning with Holodeck 9.1, webtop ships with basic auth enabled with a default username/password as a layer of security.
As you have likely discovered, Holodeck 9.1 ships with basic authentication enabled on the integrated desktop environment, webtop.
Let’s agree on the following:
- You understand that sending creds over clear text is a bad idea and you understand the risks of doing so.
- You understand that I’m not liable for your bad decisions.
Here’s how to disable basic auth on webtop.
Right off the rip, I think it’s important to mention that the official Holodeck documentation is very good and worth reading top-to-bottom.
https://vmware.github.io/Holodeck/latest/
The focus of this post will be to demonstrate how I deploy and use Holodeck in my own lab. I’ll walk through the deployment process that I use on my single host environment and share some tips along the way.