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VMware Horizon 7.0 Step by Step | Creating an Automated Desktop Pool with Linked Clones

Introduction

Post successful installation of VMware View Connection broker and VMware View Composer Servers we are good for creating Desktops Pools for the end users. Desktop pool is a group of virtual desktops that leverage identically configured virtual machine. Administrators. Apart from centralize administration, administrators can deploy identical applications to specific group of users.

Understanding the purpose (user case, storage infrastructure, application requirement) , using VMware Horizon administrators can create different types of desktop pools.

Types of Desktop Pool

  • Full Clone Pools – Each virtual desktop is a full virtual machine cloned from a template in vCenter.  The virtual machines are managed by View Connection Servers.
  • Linked Clone Pools – Each virtual desktop is based on a snapshot and shares its disk with the parent virtual machine.  Changes to the linked clone are written to a delta disk.  The virtual machines are managed by View Composer.
  • Manual Pools – The machines that make up the manual pool consist of virtual and/or physical machines that have had the View Agent installed.  These machines are not managed by View.
  • Remote Desktop Pool – The machines that make up these pools are Windows Servers with the Remote Desktop Services Role installed.

Steps to Create an Automated Desktop Pool with Linked Clones

Login to VMware Horizon Admin Console. Go to Catalog –> Desktop Pools. Click on Add to create new pool.

1

Select Automated Desktop Pool and click on Next.2

Select appropriate type of User Assignment. Click Next to proceed.

  • Dedicated : User gets the same desktop at each login once assigned. Desktops can be assigned automatically on first logon.
  • Floating : Desktop will be returned to Desktop pool once user logged off from the desktop and marked available for another users.

3

Choose View Composer Linked Clone. Composer server should be up and running and configured. 4

Choose the appropriate Desktop Pool Identification ID and Display Name as per organization policy. Click Next to proceed5

Configure Desktop Pool Setting and Click Next. 6

Provide the appropriate naming pattern for the new desktops in the pool. 7

Temporary and Page files are classified as disposable files. If you choose them to be redirected to Non – Persistent Disk , the disk will be deleted wheneve the VM is shut down. Choose the option as per your organization requirements.

8

Choose if you want to choose VMware Virtual SAN. Click Next to proceed. 9

Choose the parent virtual machine & snapshot which you want to use as gold image for desktops in the pool. Configure Virtual Machine location in vSphere Datacenter, Cluster and Resource pool to be used. 10Choose Storage Accelerator, Reclaim VM disk space and Black out times as per the user case requirements.

11Choose the Domain and the AD Container you want to host pool desktops.  12

Review the configuration and Click Finish to deploy new Desktops. 13

14

Deployment will take some time. Wait till the till the time Status changed to Available / Provisioned. 15 16 17

Assigning Virtual Desktops to Users / Groups

Once desktops get successfully provisioned, Users / Groups should be entitled new virtual desktops. Click on Add Entitlement and add users / group to the list of entitled users.18

Connecting Virtual Desktops using VMware View Horizon Client

Post entitlement, entitled users can connect to entitled virtual desktops using VMware Horizon Client or Web Access. 19 20 21 22 23

This concludes the deployment of new Automated Virtual Desktops using Linked clone. I hope this will be informative for you. Thanks for Reading!!. Be social and share it in social media, if you feel worth sharing it. Happy Learning 🙂

 

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