Prepare a Parent Virtual Machine

In this post where going to prepare a Windows XP SP2 Virtual Machine for a linked clone deplyment for VMware View.

First you have to install the VMware agent in the Guest OS.

Second make sure that the Virtual Machine:

• is joined the Active Directory domain in which you want linked clone desktops to reside.
• Network settings (proxies, etc) are properly configured
• Use DHCP to obtain a IP Adress.
• System disk is configured to use Virtual SCSI Device node 0:0
• Operating power settings are set to remain on at all times.
• System disk contains a single volume (multiple volumes disks are supported, multiple volumes due multiple partitions are not supported)
• The View Agent is installed and running

If you have accomplisch the above. Shutdown the VM and create a Snapshot. This Snapshot will be the base image.

After creating the Base Snapshot, where going to add the Virtual Machine as a Linked clone Desktop.
In the VMware View Administrator:

1. Click the Desktop button and then Click the Inventory tab. In the Desktop pane, ensure that the Desktops tab is selected and click Add.
2. Select if you want to use ad Persistent on Non-Persistent Desktop.
3. Select the vCenter server who you wanne use. Make sure you enable Use linked clone technology to create desktops in this pool. If you cannot enable this option, you must enable the composer function Configuration Tab | Click on the vCenter server | Edit | Enable View Composer and add a Domain Administrator Account.
4. Provide a Unique ID (Example: Corporate Desktops), Display Name (Example: Standard Desktop WilmsenIT) and a description.
   If you don’t provide a Display Name, the Unique ID will be used.
5. Provide the Desktop/Pool Settings:
   • State: Enabled (After being created the desktop is automatically enabled and ready to use), Disabled (After being created the desktop is not enabled. This is useful if you want to to post deployment tasks.)
   • When VM is not is use: Do nothing (VM remains on), Ensure VM is always powered on (if the user shutdown the desktop it’s immediately restarted), Suspend, Power off.
   • Automatic log off after disconnect: Never, Immediately or After (time in minutes when the desktop is logged off).
   • Power off and delete virtual machine after first use: This is for Non-Persistent Pools only. When a users logs off, the Virtual Machine is deleted.
   • Allow users to rest their desktop: User can without administrative assistance reset their desktop.
   • Allow multiple sessions per user: This is for Non-Persistent Pools only. This enables users to make more connections to multiple desktops at the same time in the same pool.

   

6. Configure the desktop provision properties:
   • Provisioning: Enabled (The desktop in the Pool will be immediately created upon completions of the deployment procedure or after a desktop is deleted), Disabled (The desktop in the pool will not be immediately created upon completion of the deployment procedure or after a desktop is deleted.).
   • Number off Desktops: Specify the number of desktops created in this pool. This setting is disabled if you select  the “Enable Advanced Pool Settings” check box in the “Advanced Settings” Panel.
   • VM naming Pattern: By default, a prefix is used to identify all desktops in a pool as part of the same group. The prefix can be up to 13 characters in length and a numeric suffix is appended to this entry in order to distinguish each desktop from others in the same pool.
     You can override thsi behavior by entering a name that contains a token representing the pool number {n} (Example: Finance-{n}-Desktop). You can add a fixed length token {fixed=3} (Example: Finance-{n:fixed=3}. The output can be: Finance-001 or Finance-002).
   • Stop provisioning on error: This stops the provisioning of new virtual machines when error occur (for example no disk space left).
   • Advanced Settings: Enable this option if you want to configure random provisioning. Give the number of “Minimum Desktops“, “Maximum Desktops” and “Availible Desktops“.]
7. Select the Parent VM (you only see VM that have one or more snapshots) and click Next.
8. Select the snapshot you earlier created in its inactive state and click Next.
9. Select where you wanne store the Virtual Machines and click Next.
10. Select a host or a Cluster on which to run the VM used by this desktop and click Next.
11. Select a Resource pool (optional) and click Next.
12. Select one or more Datastores on which to store the desktop pool.
13. Select the Domain Administrator Account, this user will provide access to the Active Directory for the Linked Clones. Optional you can provide a Power-off script, Post synchronization script and the container where to put the Workstation objects.
14. You are provide with a summary. Check your configuration a click Finish.

The last thing you have to accomplish is to Entitle the Desktop to users.